Quick Update

Hey there!  I just wanted to bring you a quick update to my Starlooks post (and test out the mobile blogger app).  Starlooks mascara is now available for purchase on their website!  Also...  the limited edition Cheeky Luscious blush appears to be sold out outside of the Lauren Clark collection box...

Starlooks Starbox March 2013

The end of a long day and what do I have to show for it...  A face free from mascara smudging and eyeshadow creasing, that's what!

Starlooks hit another home run with their March Starbox.  Which is extra fantastic for me, as my other subscriptions didn't work out so well this time around.  This months box includes their highly anticipated new lengthening mascara, a stunning navy blue eyeshadow in Disarray, a coppery coral lipstick in Flutter and a small tub of a lip scrub as a special extra (this isn't actually available in their on line store... yet).

The mascara surprised me - not its inclusion, as it has been hinted at for a while, but its size.  At 10ml, it is easily the largest tube of mascara I have ever had.  This is a fantastic formula, not so wet it transfers to the lid, but not so dry it isn't buildable.  I have been wearing it for 10 straight hours, and I have no smudging, flaking or eye irritation.  I was a little intimidated by the size of the brush at first, but it was easier to use than it looked and it didn't clump at all when applied.  I don't see this in their store yet, but it should be available shortly for $15.

(worst eyeshadow swatch job ever -  trust me its lovely)

The eyeshadow is a great color, I really don't have anything in navy blue.  It blended well and is a good match with the color Caricature from a previous Starbox.  I have had this on for 10 hours over a NYX primer.  It hasn't creased or faded at all.  Love it.  The card included with the Starbox gives a price of $12, however the list price on the website is $9...  Hopefully an increase isn't pending, that is quite a steep jump.  While the new packaging looks better, it is still simplified from the old packaging so I wouldn't expect it to drive up the cost.

I LOVE the lipstick in flutter.  It's springy without being super springy, if that makes sense.  Sort of a copper and coral mix with a lovely shimmery finish they describe as 'frost'.  This retails for $11 and is currently available on their site.  This is lasting about 3-4 hours at work, but I suspect much like their other lipsticks it will last 4-5 on the weekend, when I am not doing quite so much drinking, snacking and creepy inexplicable mouth touching all day.

As an adorable extra, they included a little pot of a lip scrub that isn't available in their store.  It's... Delicious.  I really have to fight not to lick it off my lips, and I am using it way too much, lol!  In addition to smelling like a yummy cookie, it works extremely well at exfoliating my very chapped lips.  I hope they decide to offer this down the road!

As a special treat subscribers are getting 20% eye products on the online store for April... Looks like I may 'have' to place another order... I normally go for lipsticks, but I do adore their cream eyeliners, and could really use a pot in black now that they are available for purchase.

Here is a link to my unboxing video - and I am wearing all the products included:

Oh yeah!  I forgot to mention the basics - Starlooks Starbox is only $15/mo (plus a couple bucks shipping in the US, a bit more for Canada), with 3-4 full size and spectacular products each month.  You can check them out for yourself at http://starlooks.com/  They offer their full line of cosmetics - as well as past boxes in their store for $25/ea - if you want to give them a try without signing up.  Every box I have gotten so far is well worth the extra $10.

Birchbox March 2013

Well... Ug.  This was my first disappointing Birchbox...  And I am blaming Ipsy because I am kind of an unfair jerk.

The bright side?  That is a great selection, with mostly really great sample sizes.  Also, the nail file 'extra' is adorable, and comes in a little clear holder that allows me to toss it in my purse without worrying about scratching anything up.

Ok, now for the bummer stuff.  My allergic reaction to the Juice Beauty face spray in my Ipsy bag actually worsened after a few days into an outright disaster of burning and breaking out.  It left me a bit gun shy about using scented products, which distorted my view of the items in my Birchbox.  So please keep in mind that with the exception of the eyeshadow the following reviews are horribly biased based on a new found and hopefully temporary terror of scented products.

Nick Chavez shampoo and conditioner - smelled like industrial cleaners.  Also, my hair did not feel clean after using.

Caldrea lotions - I used them once each on small sample allergy tests on my arm.  The formula was very fluid.  The scent was strongly fake.  I ended up too wary to use them on a larger area.  So I am basically useless as far as reviewing these.  The packet style made them very hard to store after the initial small test.  I can see now why people hate packet samples.

Make Cosmetics - the primer seemed to actually work well, but it looked and smelled like children's craft glue.

Make Eyeshadow in cement - I was completely unable to work this up to anything other than a sheer and uneven wash of grey, and it wore off quickly.

So, this review just looks terribly crabby and bitter.  But I have to say it was still a good sample box in general with a wide variety and good sizes (aside from the packets).  Another bright side to the burning face drama?  It turns out I have fantastic luck using Extra Virgin Olive Oil as a make up remover.  I am definitely going to look into more natural products going forward.

Here is my unboxing for my Birch Box this month.  The cat went a little crazy, and I added the footage at the end.  If you love spoiled cats being adorable jerks and knocking stuff over, skip to the end =)

Ipsy March 2013

I typically like to wait until I have given all products a hefty trial before posting blog reviews, however I want to crank this out with a bit of a PSA - if you have sensitive skin, please please please test out the Juice Beauty spray in a small area first!!!!!  While I do have occasional adverse skin reactions to fragranced products, the burning from this product was unexpectedly excessive, and left my lips numb even after washing off as best I could.  It looks like a couple others have reported issues online as well.  I do not mean this as a negative against the product.  It sprayed evenly, smells nice and I suspect this can be an excellent addition to someones beauty routine.  Not everyone is sensitive to products, but if you are please proceed with caution on this one.

Here is a rushed photo of the included items this month.  No cats were injured in the staging of these products.  Just horribly taken advantage of as a sleepy, sleepy prop.

The bag is adorable with a Nautical theme and the products are all great sizes.  I am particularly impressed with the magnetic pallet included.  It is a very unique and useful item to include.

The LA Fresh travel make up removing wipes are a great sample size.  I find them to be less effective than Neutrogena wipes.  I also found them mildly irritating around the eye area.

The Juice Beauty spray disagreed with my skin and burned with the power of a thousand suns.  I am not able to provide a fair review of its effectiveness.  I can say it's a great size that smells nice and sprays a heavy, even mist.

The Yaby eyeshadows in Sand Dune and So Vein are too cute for words and they work well together.  So far they seem to apply nicely, but I haven't had as much chance to test the wear as I like.

I am most excited for the GlamRX magnetic eyeshadow palette.  I was really hoping to fill it with the CS eyeshadows received in earlier Ipsy bags, but it doesn't look like that will work out well.  The CS pans apparently can not be magnetized, and are prone to breakage on transfer.  I may take a look around a craft store to see if there is some kind of adhesive metal available and give it a try anyway, as I am not getting as much use out of them as I would like.

So... I am a bit let down that much of this bag isn't useful for me personally.  I do think this is a great month though, as the samples are huge and I feel they are better than the last couple of months.  The irritation issue is one of the main reasons I subscribe to beauty programs, so I don't waste a lot of money on full size items only to find I can't use the product.  In that sense the bag was very successful for me.

Here is a link to my unboxing, now with 50% more cat:

Starlooks Contest Product Review

Woot!  I won a Starlooks contest on Make Up Talk for a gift bag worth $100!  I am really excited about this as Starlooks is one of my favorite cosmetic companies.  They have a monthly beauty subscription service that provides 3-4 full size items for only $15/mo + a couple bucks shipping (more for international shipping, however it is available).  They also have an online store that sells a huge variety of products as well as past Starboxes.

The best part of winning this was that Starlooks contacted me for suggestions on what I would like to receive.  I love lipstick, so this was a great opportunity to try out some different kinds and colors.  Color is a little hard to determine on their website (I heard they are working on swatches to make it easier).

The packaging for the gift bag is crazy cute:

So much awesome:

Tendergloss lipstick in Silk Orchard $11.00
Lipgloss in Berry Rock $11.00
Infinity Lipstick in Soft Rose $13.00
Eyeshadow in Gold Dust $9.00
Concealer in Angel Cream $9.00
Sensation Primer $15.00
Face Powder brush $?

Lip Gloss in Berry Rock, Infinity lipstick in Soft Rose, Tendergloss lipstick in Silk Orchid, and Satin Eyeshadow in Gold Dust.

I have had some time to try these products out.  I can't detect a scent with these products, and I find them to be completely non-irritating.  

The eyshadow in Gold Dust is a lovely color with an even application.  It goes well with the brown toned shadows received in the November box.  Starlooks eyeshadows have adorable packaging with a lid that lifts up to reveal a 'secret' compartment with a sponge applicator.  I am sure you could hide all your good spy gear in here if you are a secret agent of some sort.

The concealer also has a secret compartment, so if you have a lot of secrets you could just carry both in your make up bag for extra storage.  This Angel Cream color is very light, maybe a touch darker and more yellow toned than Glamoflauge in Light.  The formula is quite dry, which I like (my Bobbi Brown concealer is much to wet looking on, even when set with powder) however it is tricky to apply.  I found it works best after exfoilating and moisturizing, and applied with a brush.  I just used a cheap eyeshadow brush and it worked perfect.

The Sensation Primer is a major wow.  This is the nicest feeling... Anything I have put on my face.  It is a clear gel and has a mattifying effect that helps control my T zone.  It really improved the finish of the foundation and tinted moisturizers I tested it under.  The jar is insanely pretty as well.  Highly recommend.

I can't find a listing for the face powder brush on the site, so I am not sure of the price.  It has a really soft feel while maintaing a firmness that holds it shape well and allows for easy application of blushes and bronzers.  For setting powder, I prefer a sloppier brush for some reason.

Now for the best part - I freaking love lip colors.  The Tendergloss in Silk Orchid was a surprise as far as staying power.  This color has an iridescent fuchsia sheen that remains even after the moisture wears away.  I love this, their tendergloss lipcolors are soft, sheer and extremely moisture rich.

I was really excited to try the Infinity lipstick in Soft Rose.  This is the most pigmented of the lipsticks I have tried from them.  It is amazingly moisturizing for a long wear lip color, to the point where I had trouble refraining from rubbing my lips together.  It lasted longer and more evenly than my Tart Matte LipSurgence (which I consider long wear for me), and far more evenly and well pigmented than Cover Girl Outlast.  The Outlast does last longer, but with uneven wear and absolutely none of the comfort of Starlooks Infinity.  Highly recommend.

And for my favorite, the Berry Rock Lip Gloss was everything I had hoped for.  I did ask for this color by name, as I had fallen in love with facebook swatch several months ago.  This is an amazingly opaque gloss, and has a fantastic even wear time.  I have a couple  of their other glosses as well, and they are by far my favorite brand.  I do not generally like lip glosses, but there is something unique about the shades Starlooks offers.  They are not sticky and last longer than most brands I have tried.  I also highly recommend this product.

I hope you find these reviews helpful!  Let me know if you have any questions, or if you would like more information on any of these items.  For a closer look at the products, here is my 'unboxing' video: