Boxycharm February 2017

If you love trying new beauty products but you’re on a budget, say hello to Boxycharm. For just $21 a month, you receive 4-5 full size products from brands like Makeup Geek, Ofra, Marula, etc. Boxes in the past included $50 eyeshadow palettes, highlighters, makeup brushes, nail polish, hair products, and just about every beauty product you can think of. This is my favorite subscription box, hands down. February’s theme was “Galentine” in honor of Valentine’s Day. Take a look at my new beauty steals.

 Is that not amazing??? Everyone received three of the five items pictured above: 2 Makeup Geek shadows, a small Z Palette, and the Dr. Brandt Microdermabrasion age defying exfoliator. I also got three eye brushes from Sedona Lace and a full size Japonesque lipstick. I passed the lipstick on to my mom, because I prefer a bold lip. I kept everything else!

 

 The most hyped item for February was without a doubt the Dr. Brandt exfoliator. THIS RETAILS AT $79. How, Boxycharm??? How do you do it? This item by itself is worth almost four times as much as I paid for the entire box. This does exactly what it’s supposed to do, and it leaves my skin feeling so smooth. I do have one issue with this: the smell. I can’t decide if it smells like Pine-Sol or Lemon Pledge, and maybe it’s a mixture of the two scents.

Glamorous, Beaches and Cream

 The eyeshadows were the first sneak peek released on Instagram for this month’s box back in January, and everyone lost their minds. There were several different shades available, and each subscriber got two colors. I got one matte and one shimmer, and that seems to be consistent with other photos and videos I’ve seen. They swatch beautifully, but most importantly they apply to the lids nicely. If you received February’s box, which colors did you get?

I will discuss Z Palette and Sedona Lace in future posts, so don’t worry! My thoughts on these products are soon to be revealed.

Thanks for reading💕

REVIEW: Kylie Cosmetics Valentine's Collection

Anything that Kylie Cosmetics releases manages to blow the entire universe away. I wrote an initial reaction to the collection before it was released, and I decided to order the Valentine's minis, the lipkit in the shade Valentine, and Kylie's Dairy palette. Now that I've had a chance to play around with the products, I can tell you what you missed from these limited releases.

Look how beautiful these are! I practically fainted when I opened the box. Say whatever you want about Kylie Jenner, but the girl knows how to package some makeup! I ADORE the pink details in place of the usual black on the lipsticks. And that glitter on the lipkits and the palette? Girl. Now of course, packaging isn't everything, so let's get down to the nitty gritty. 

I have two things that are a miss for me: the mini Maliboo and the blushes. My issue with Maliboo has always been the color: I'm not a fan of brown nudes at all. The quality of the lipstick is the same as the others, so this is strictly over color preference. That being said, let's move along to the blushes, the most highly anticipated releases.

Left to right: First Date, Virginity

Girl what? I am not here for these at all. The colors are nice, don't get me wrong, but the formula... Honey, the formula. First, I had to really dig into these blushes to get any kind of swatch. These things are packed in the pan tighter than a wet swimsuit, making them extremely difficult to work with. Also, do they look a little patchy to you? They definitely appeared to be that way in person. Lastly, there were orange flecks packed into my pink blush, and I haven't decided if they're supposed to be there or not. Judging by pictures of other palettes, I don't think the orange spots are intentional. If you have this palette, did you notice anything like this on your Virginity shade?

Moving on to eye shadows! I was very impressed by selection of colors. I think this is a unique palette, and it makes a wonderful addition to my collection. Here are the swatches:

Left to right: Bae, Heart Breaker, Make Me Blush, Sweet Like Candy, Love Potion, Be Mine, Heart Eyes, Romance, Loves Me Not

My favorite colors are Sweet Like Candy and Romance, both shimmer shades. The top row kicks up a lot of product, but they're beautiful shadows. The mattes are ok: they're slightly patchy, but they're workable. Overall, this is a beautiful palette. I didn't have any shades that disappointed me. Do I think you missed out if you didn't buy it? No. You could assemble some better quality singles and build a similar palette for around the same price.

Last but not least, we have the stunning liquid lipsticks. The mini sizes are perfect for me, and I was upset when I couldn't get them on the initial release date. Thank goodness she restocked, because these little tubes are so cute and include three brand new shades.

Left to right: Apricot (new shade), Maliboo, High Maintenance, Posie K, Head Over Heels, Mary Jo K, Valentine liner and lipstick

!!!!!! I could just end today's post with that. We've already touched on why Maliboo is a no for me, but the rest of these colors are to die for. We probably won't see Valentine again, but Kylie has hinted that the other new shades may become regular releases. If they do, I highly recommend picking those up. As for Maliboo, Posie K, and Mary Jo K, those are already part of the regular color selection, so grab them if you like the shades! Just a reminder, the full size lipkits also come with a liner. 

What are your thoughts on Kylie's Valentine's Collection? Leave me a comment!

Thanks for reading 💕 

Irresistibles and Undesirables: January 2017

We're currently in mid-February, and I'm just now getting around to posting this blog. Sorry for the delay! 

Welcome to Irresistibles and Undesirables, the first of many in my series of monthly favorites and disappointments on my blog. Before we get into the meat of the content, I want to explain how I pick each of the products in these posts. Some of these products are new releases, some are just new to me, and some of them are things I reached for the most during the month. Without further ado, let's reveal my irresistible products in the month of January. 

Irresistibles

We've got some nice variety in here! The first item is the SugarBearHair Vitamins, which can be found in countless Instagram hair selfies, littered through gorgeous shining locks. I'm no Instamodel, so I don't have a hair selfie for you today; however, I believe all of the hype for this product is well deserved. These are vegetarian gummies fortified with biotin, folic acid, and Vitamin C, and their packaging claims to be gluten free, soy free, and cruelty free. One thing I learned from reading the supplement facts is that the serving size of 2 gummies a day contains 100% of my daily value of Vitamin B-12, which I've been concerned about since my transition to veganism. And guys, there is a notable difference in my hair now that I've been taking them for a while. It looks so much healthier, and the shine is almost blinding. I haven't had my hair cut since October, and there aren't many split ends. It feels stronger, almost thicker. In case you were wondering, these also taste pretty good.

My next irresistible product is the SS017 Deluxe Highlight Fan from Crown Brushes. I received this in my January Boxycharm, and I instantly fell in love. The bristles are dense enough to pick up product but soft enough to be gentle on the skin. This even picks up the highlighters in the Tarte Pro Glow palette, which are some seriously tightly packed products! I. Love. This. Brush. Thank you, Boxycharm!

The Unfiltered II cheek palette is one of two NARS products I adored in January. Upon first glance, I preferred the NARSissist Unfiltered II to the Unfiltered because of all the beautiful pink shades in this palette. There are two matte shades (Conquest, Power Play) and four shimmer shades (Hot Sand, Undefeated, Fame, Candid). Here are some swatches:

Left to right: Conquest, Hot Sand, Undefeated, Fame, Power Play, Candid

I'll be honest: the pigmentation is not the strongest, especially on the shimmer shades. But, sometimes I prefer a little less pigment. Because of my pale skin tone, I have to be really careful with blush. A little too much blush makes me look like I've just stepped off a treadmill, but too little or no blush causes a lack of dimension to my face. For anyone darker than me (everyone on the planet), I have good news: these shades are easy to build and blend. I've had so much fun playing around with this so far.

Our second NARS product is the Radiant Creamy Concealer in the shade Light 1 Chantilly. I am obsessed with this concealer! This is the first concealer I've ever purchased that wasn't from the drugstore, and I'm so glad I made this investment. It's thick, almost buttery, full coverage, and it leaves the most beautiful finish on the skin. It can sink into fine lines and wrinkles, so SET IT, GIRL. It also makes for a great highlighting shade, even on my skin tone.

Ipsy sent me Indi Beauty's Buttercream Antioxidant Lip Scrub in the October 2016 glam bag, and y'all. I HATED this product for the longest time. It's so different from my favorite Lush Mint Julip lip scrub, and I don't know why I didn't toss this in the garbage. Well, I'm glad I didn't, because I found the perfect use for this product: removing liquid lipstick.

As you can see from the photo above, I've hit pan. Almost time to make an order! One of the reasons I hated this product was that it's so oily, and it would break down liquid lipsticks when I tried to put them on after exfoliating with this. In case you didn't know, liquid lipsticks are oil based, and that's why they have amazing staying power. If you're scrubbing your lips with cleanser and water trying to remove liquid lipstick, stop! You need an oil based product to remove those quickly. This Buttercream scrub is packed with shea butter, almond oil, avocado oil, and Vitamin E oil, so it's perfect.

My last irresistible products of the month were the Caudalíe Vinosource Moisturizing Sorbet and Vinoperfect Radiance Serum. Used together, these high end products are amazing for anyone looking for a little moisture. This brand is from France, so you know it's good. I'm still working on my sample size of the serum that I received for my birthday at Sephora, but the sample sorbet is long gone. The pink squeeze bottle pictured is the full size.

Undesirables  

There were only two products I didn't like during January. This first is the IT Brushes for Ulta Airbrush Radiance Fan Brush #116. I don't have a picture of this because it's in my locker at the gym, along with the only highlighting product it can apply. The ONLY products this demon brush can pick up are loose powders. I'm not kidding. Nothing else can be applied with this because the bristles aren't dense enough to pick anything out of a pan. I have no idea how this has a 4.1 star rating on Ulta's website.

Last and definitely least, we have a couple of Nest fragrances. These REEK!!! It's not the scents themselves, it's how strong they are. I used 2 spritzes of Citrene--one on my wrist and one on my neck--and I could still smell it in my hair after two days and a hair wash. The intensity of these are sickening. These were on clearance for $8, so I'm not losing a lot of money.

These are all of the products I loved and didn't love in January 2017! I can't wait to see what I loved the most in February. Thanks for reading 💕