Subscription Boxes

Glossybox September 2016

By Sheetar 16 September 2016 16 September 2016

I know! I said I was unsubscribing after last month, but I guess I forgot and well, here we are, and I’m kicking myself. The box design by Antonio Soares is pretty, but the contents? They clearly spent more time on the design. There’s a repeat product from another box, January 2016, that I received as a bonus box, and the C-Vit looks like it leaked since the bottle is under 1/4th full. This box just feels small overall – the items are physically small, but it feels like something is missing, even though it’s not.

Vince Camuto Capri – 3.4 oz / $85 – (Product is .25 oz, value of $6.25 by volume) The base of florals completely ruins this for me – I think it’s the violet that does it since the other notes are musk, peach blossom and vanilla, but all I get is a super stinky floral. I tend to like essential oil perfumes better, so it’s not surprising that I don’t like this, but it was so bad that I actually had to go wash it off.
Sensyses Cleaner – 6.8 oz / $19.90 – (Product is .5 oz, value of $1.46 by volume) A trial size make-up remover. Yay? I’ll use it, but it’s nothing exciting, and I can get better makeup removers for a FAR better price.
C-Vit Liposomal Serum – 1 oz / $52 – (Product is .1 oz, value of $5.20 by volume) The back of the packaging actually says, “Not for Sale, Free Sample,” so I’m having a hard time justifying the $5.20 value when this is something usually given out for free. Not to mention, the bottle arrived less than 1/4th full, so I’m not even getting my full free sample.
MeMeMe Lip Glide 1 stick / $12.50 (Full size product) The color I received is, “Playful Peach,” and it doesn’t work at all for my skin tone – it’s way too coral/yellow and those shades don’t look good on me at all. I gave the last one away, so this one is going to someone else I guess.
Korres Twist Eyeshadow – 1.4 g / $18 – (Full size product) I’m going by the price on the product card because it doesn’t seem to exist as a single item anymore online, not even on the Korres website, so this is likely discontinued. There were some multi packs on HSN and Korres, but that doesn’t count if I can’t purchase one single stick. I HATE it when subscription boxes do this – if I like it, there’s no way I can purchase another color, and it feels like cheating. They’re taking dead stock from a manufacturer to pad their box value when there’s basically no value left since the product is discontinued. Anyway, the color I received is apparently, “Metallic Black,” though it doesn’t say that anywhere on the packaging. They were probably originally packaged in a box of some sort, with some kind of seal, but that didn’t make it into the Glossybox. A little more Googling tells me these sticks were a limited edition in Spring/Summer of 2014. I do love Korres products though, and while the color is too dark to be an eyeshadow, it’ll work great as an eyeliner.
Model Launcher Eyebrow Pencil – 1 stick / $12 – (Full size product) I received the color, “Taupe,” which matches my eyebrows pretty well. There’s a stick end with an eyebrow pencil and a spoolie end to shape up your eyebrows. I found the pencil to be a really firm formula – it takes a good bit of pressure to get even the faintest line to show up. I like the idea, but the formula isn’t great.

Overall, the value comes to $55.41. However, taking out the one free product and discounting the Korres product by half (no one in their right mind would pay for a product that’s two years old), it drops to $41.21. I do like the Korres eyeshadow even though it’s two years old and will use that and everything except the perfume and Lip Glide, so my personal value is $36.66, still more than I paid for the box which costs $21 per month. However, the shady practice of putting in discontinued items and repeat items is really distasteful, and it looks like I missed the cancellation window for the next box, so I’m in for one more, then that’s it.

Subscription Boxes

Beautycon Fall 2016

By Sheetar 15 September 2016 15 September 2016

I know, I know. I said after the last Beautycon Box that I wouldn’t be doing this again, but damn if I can’t resist a good deal. They were offering 20% off a year’s subscription plus a free bonus box, so I jumped. I probably shouldn’t have. The bonus box was the same as the Summer 2016 box, and this box? Ehhh. I mean, there are some cute things and stuff I’m interested in, and I’m glad there was a discount so the box only cost me $21.55 including shipping (not counting the bonus box in the subscription cost). At regular price, the annual subscription costs $99 plus $6.99 for shipping per year, making each box about $26.50 which is a pretty good deal when they claim that each box is worth over $100. If you’re going cycle-by-cycle, the cost is $35.99 per quarterly box.

Anyway, this month’s box was curated by Angel Merino and MakeupShayla, two makeup artists that I really don’t know much about to be honest, so I didn’t know what to expect. They don’t seem to do a lot of press or updates about what’s going to be in the box before it ships which is a little weird. I like having some advance notice, and it would be nice to have the option to skip a cycle if the curators aren’t ones I’m interested in, or if the spoiler products are just not my thing.

Milani Bella Eyes Gel Powder Eyeshadow – 1.4 g / $4.99 – (Full Size Product) I received the color, “Bella Caffe,” which is listed as an ash-brown satin matte and advertised as vegan. It doesn’t seem particularly heavily pigmented, but it will make for a great all-over base eye color since it’s just a wee bit darker than my skin tone. It goes on evenly and is pretty nice given the cost. The compact feels a little cheap and like it would shatter into a million pieces if dropped on a tile floor though.
Luxie Large Angled Face Brush – 1 brush / $16 – (Full Size Product) The brush is a “rose gold” color which is really code for pink (eew, pink). Cruelty free bristles, and it’s fairly soft for being synthetic. The angle is perfect for blush or contouring.
OFRA Liquid Lipstick – 8 g / $19.90 – (Full Size Product) The color I received is, “Mocha,” a warm darker neutral color. The first thing that jumped out at me was the pleasant vanilla scent. In the tube, I didn’t think the color would work for me at all, but it’s honestly just right for Fall – not too flashy, not too dark, really just right. The formula is a cream that takes a little bit to set – you’re not supposed to eat/drink for 15 minutes after applying – but it does last and doesn’t feel sticky or too dry after it’s set. I’m honestly much more impressed than I thought I would be at first! There’s a coupon code on the tube for 30% off OFRA products on their website.
The BrowGal Highlighter Pencil – 6 g / $20 – (Full Size Product) I received the Gold/Nude variant, but it sounds like the Cherub/Champagne would’ve been a better fit for my fair skin. The color is definitely too yellow and dark for my skin tone, but I guess I could use it as an eyeshadow stick or eyeliner pencil? The formula is nice – it glides on easily and blends well. The gold isn’t too flashy either. I think maybe with a really light hand, I could make this work, but it’s just not quite the right set of colors for me.
Mystic Tan Mocha-Kyssed Bronzer Lotion – 6 oz / $35 – (Product is 1 oz, value of $5.83 by volume) Did I mention how I’m Fair McPalerson? I don’t bronze or tan (deliberately anyway), ever ever ever. Pale is a beautiful skin tone and I have no need to make myself into something I’m just not. Beyond that, this is WAY WAY WAY MILES too dark for my skin – I did give it a test in fairness, but it shows up as an awful dark fake brown-orange on my skin and it smells terrible, like they over-perfumed it to cover up the chemical smell that self tanners usually have. I’m not quite sure why we’re getting bronzer when it’s September either.
Simple Cleansing Wipes – 25 ct / $4.49 – (Product is 7 wipes, value of $1.25 by volume) I like the idea of these for on the go, but most times I’d rather just wash my face to make sure I’ve gotten all my makeup off. I like that they’re formulated for sensitive skin and all, so I may have to stash these in my travel bag, but they’re not something I’d use every day. There were also coupons included in the packet for other Simple products.
Jouer Lip Enhancer – 10 mL / $16 – (Product is 4.5 mL, value of $7.20) The website says that for optimal results, apply 3 times a day for 29 days. I’m not quite sure there’s enough product in the tube to really do that, but I appreciate that they’re up front about how long it takes for the product to work. It’s heavily perfumed and not in a good way – it’s like putting grandma’s perfume on your lips and it’s slightly irritating to smell right below your nose. It didn’t make my lips tingle, nor was there any visible effect right away. It didn’t feel too sticky though and may be something I could use as a night treatment like they suggest on their website.
Duo Eyelash Adhesive – .25 oz / $5.99 – (Product is .09 oz, value of $2.15 by volume) No parabens, so that’s good. I’m going to wait to try this with the lashes when I have a big night out.
Flutter Lashes – 1 set / $10.96 – (Full Size Product) The set sent out was, “iSlay,” as created by MakeupShayla. I have pretty thin and short lashes, so this is miles longer than what I’m used to – even for falsies, I go fairly conservative. I guess they’ll work for Halloween or masquerade parties, but for everyday type use? Wayyy too much for me.
Sugarfina Gummy Lips – 1.2 oz / $2.50 – (Taster Size Product) These are 5 little sour gummy lips, and a fun thing to include in the box. I LOOOOVE sour gummy candy, so needless to say these disappeared pretty quickly!
Laser Kitten Pin – 1 pin / $12 – (Full Size Product) It’s cute! It’ll probably end up on my knitting bag like the rest of my pins. I do like having a few non-makeup items in the box to round things out.

Also included was a sticker sheet and the product card/curator portrait. I can’t really assign a dollar value to those since I kind of think of them as bonuses. So, the total value, by my calculations, comes out to $102.78 which is just over the advertised $100 value. The brush, lipstick, and eyeshadow are nice, but the rest of the box really doesn’t thrill me much. The cost of the box is covered, but I’m really just kind of lukewarm about this box – there’s nothing really thrilling, no big, major, hot, or popular cosmetics brands, no items that are on everyone’s WANT list, no new or exclusive items that you can’t get anywhere else. For a quarterly box that has time to put together something spectacular and do some fun collaborations, this one keeps falling short. Honestly? I should’ve gone with the Vegan Cuts quarterly box instead!

Subscription Boxes

Lip Monthly September 2016

By Sheetar 14 September 2016 14 September 2016

September’s Lip Monthly has arrived. I have to say that while the execution is pretty cute – the bag matches the nail wraps and there’s a purple lip crayon, the products are really lackluster. I’d rather have no theme and the products be awesome which is definitely the opposite way around this time. I believe I have one more shipment left before the end of my 4 month subscription, and I’m not going to miss it.. The first shipment was so great and this one? I’ll use the nail wraps and that’s about it. The product card was yet again stuck to the inside of the bag.

StarLooks Lip Crayon – 2.5 g / $12 – (Full Size Product) The product card says it’s $19, but I could only find one lip crayon type product on the StarLooks website that was listed for $12. The color is, “Dubl Dubl,” and just about matches the lighter purple stripe on the bag. The formula goes on kind of like an actual crayon or even a crayon-pastel. It smells like cheap plastic and, based on the ingredient list on the website, is a mix of petroleum-based ingredients. The color is terrible, the formula is terrible, and I’m throwing this right away because it’s just plain awful. I try to find at least something redeeming about products that don’t interest me as they are or a way to repurpose them, but I just can’t with this one. It’s a total waste.
JCat Wonder Lip Paint – .33 oz / $4.99 – (Full Size Product) The color I received is, “Heartadocious.” I thought for something called Lip Paint this would be more like a liquid lipstick, but instead it’s a super runny gloss that goes on nearly clear. It contains parabens and is another cheap, petroleum-based product that I really don’t like a single thing about. Hugely disappointed.
Model Co Lip Enhancer – 1.2 g / $10 – (Full Size Product) The value given on the card is $20, but it’s on clearance/sale on the Model Co website for $10. Sorry, you don’t get to inflate the bag value by throwing in something that’s on clearance/sale but then list the full retail value when it’s NOT priced that way even on the company’s own site. I honestly don’t use liners ever, and when I do, it’s one of the invisible ones, so this is completely useless for me. The color is a lighter brown, so I may be able to use it as an eyeliner instead, but I think the product is a little too dry/draggy to work as an eyeliner.
NCLA Nail Wraps – 1 pack / $11 – (Full Size Product) These were clearly custom-made for Lip Monthly this month and I honestly dig the tie in to the bag design – it’s really rather clever. I haven’t used these nail wraps before, so I’m interested to see how they fare against the other ones I use pretty regularly. There’s even a mini emery board inside the package which is a nice touch! And, HOORAY FOR NOT-PINK! I love the simple purple stripe design.

The total value by my calculation comes to $37.99 which is a far cry from the advertised value of $54.99. I’m kind of bummed that for a bag called Lip Monthly, the only thing worth keeping was a nail item, and the 3 lip items were cheap junk made in China that I could probably pick up on sale/clearance somewhere else for even less. Since I purchased the subscription on a really good promotion, the nail wrap set at least covers the cost of the bag, but just barely. After this complete failure, I will not be renewing my subscription. I expected to at least receive one nice, well-known name brand lip product each month from the bag and this didn’t even deliver that. The first bag I got was great, but it’s consistently gone downhill since then.

Subscription Boxes

Influenster Endless Summer VoxBox

By Sheetar 8 September 2016 8 September 2016

I received my first Influenster box last week which was pretty exciting! I’d just started to get involved with Influenster, so it was neat to be included in a campaign for the first time. This box is the “Endless Summer” box which included a bunch of items, though they didn’t really fit any sort of summer theme – tea is definitely not a summer thing! Still, neat stuff to try out, I’m in!

Seche Premier Color & Top Coat – .5 oz / $9.99 – Unfortunately, this arrived with the cap broken, so the color, “Cunning,” was dried up in the bottle – I think you can even see in the photo that the bottle is only half full. I’m not big on the color which is a bright coral pink (I loathe pink), so it wasn’t a huge loss, and fortunately it seems to not have leaked into the box. Influenster customer service said they were unable to replace it, and I understand that. The top coat was fine though, and it’s definitely one of my favorites already – it goes on thick, dries quickly and lasts by far the longest of all the top coats I’ve tried, and I’ve tried plenty! I did want to see how the premier color held up, but unfortunately the polish is way too dried up to be useable.
Not Your Mother’s Way to Grow Leave-In Conditioner – 2 oz / $3.50 – It contains a silicone as the 4th ingredient, so after the initial try, I’m going to pass this off to someone who can use silicones in their hair. Curly hair and silicones don’t work well together, and since I am low-to-no-shampoo with my hair, I really try not to use anything with silicones since they tend to build up. Not using regular shampoo means I have to be extra careful about using products that build up since I’m not using regular shampoo that strips the life out of your hair. The product is cruelty-free though, so that’s great! I tried it out on wet hair under my usual light gel. I didn’t see any big difference – my hair is crazy curly and tends to go frizzy in the humidity and no amount of product can stop it, so I didn’t expect too much to begin with. The scent was nice though, kind of fruity, and it didn’t linger on my hair or feel overwhelming. Still, with the silicones, this is a nope for me – I just can’t use them on my hair.
Max Factor Masterpiece Max Mascara – 7.2 mL / $9.99 – Unfortunately, this contains parabens, but there’s no cyclopentasiloxane, so it shouldn’t irritate my eyes. The brush is great – it’s a plastic spiky wand that helps keep lashes separated and reduce clumps. It went on easily, not watery or too thick and stuck to my lashes very well, even allowing me to curl with the wand more than with other mascaras I’ve tried. It didn’t feel heavy or sticky either and removed with makeup remover oil very easily and didn’t bother my sensitive eyes at all. There’s also a coupon included for $2 off any Max Factor product.
Max Factor Masterpiece Max Liquid Eyeliner – 1 mL / $9.99 – No parabens, no cyclopentasiloxane! The tip is a little odd – it almost looks like a teeny version of a popsicle stick and is definitely the first time I’ve seen a tip like this on an eyeliner. Not having a perfect point means I feel like I can’t get a fine line out of it – it doesn’t come down to a chisel point, it’s much more like a popsicle stick with a blunt end. The formula does go on smoothly and rather dark with one swipe which is great, and the wider/round part means it’s easier to fill in for a thicker line. I have to admit though, for this being a rather basic “drugstore” type brand, I actually really liked both this and the mascara more than I thought I would. However, the parent company does test on animals, so neither this or the mascara are cruelty-free.
Numi Tea Selection – 12-18 count box / $7.49 – $8.99 – Oh boy do I love tea, so these are great to be able to try before committing to a whole box. I received three flavors, Chocolate Puerh, Jasmine Green, and Turmeric Amber Sun. Each sample bag was stapled to a backing that has a coupon with it as well so that if you like the tea, you can get a discount on a full box which I definitely appreciate!
- Chocolate Puerh – The chocolate isn’t quite as chocolately as I would’ve thought, but it does lend a warmth and richness to the Puerh tea that’s really pleasant. This may be a good coffee replacement in the winter when I feel more like tea and less like coffee.
- Jasmine Green – I don’t particularly like Jasmine or Green tea, so this is a bit of a miss for me.
- Turmeric Amber Sun – Oh wow. Such a delightful tea for fall, totally beats out anything pumpkin spice! It’s a nice herbal blend and the bit of cinnamon and vanilla, and I may need a whole box of my own so I can have a cup of this tea next to a fire.
Iron Tek Essential Protein – 1.5 lb / $35.99 – I’m not going to lie, this is really not up my alley at all. I’m not a weight lifter, nor do I use protein powders, ever. I don’t enjoy shakes either, so I have no idea what to do with this. It’s the only product I haven’t tested because it contains Stevia, and Stevia and I tend not to get along well, digestively speaking, and I’m not willing to risk feeling ill just to test something I’m really not interested in to begin with. I may save it for the spousal unit to try when he returns home, but that won’t be until well after the Endless Summer campaign has ended.

Overall, I really didn’t quite understand how these fit into an “Endless Summer” theme, but it was really neat to be able to try out some new products for free! I’m still a little bummed about the Seche nail polish arriving damaged since I did want to try out the formula even if the color wasn’t my thing, but the full size mascara and eyeliner were pretty awesome, and I definitely loved getting the tea, so that works out just fine. I will probably spring for a box of the Numi Chocolate Puerh tea since that was my absolute favorite of the three samples included, maybe even the Turmeric tea too (you can never have enough tea). All things considered, it was a lot of fun to get to try new products like this and offer feedback through Influenster and on my blog!

Full Disclosure: I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes. Thoughts and opinions are my own!

Subscription Boxes

Benevolent Beauty Box August 2016

By Sheetar 31 August 2016 31 August 2016

Another Benevolent Beauty Box has arrived! On time as usual (even if this post is going up a little late), and this month I got a bonus product which was unexpected! I know they were offering a bonus product to all members since they offered it to new subscribers, but I never emailed in with a preference since I didn’t feel like it was completely necessary to give current subscribers the same bonus offered to entice new people to sign up. Still though, a bonus product, the Colorevolution eye shadow showed up in the box! Totally unexpected but still a nice addition. Anyway, on to the contents!

Bellapierre Vanilla Bean Lip Balm – 7 g / $10 – (Full Size Product) It smells absolutely lovely! On the side of the box, the directions tell you to mix it with your favorite pigment or shimmer powder which is a neat idea! I find the balm nice and smooth without being sticky, and the vanilla scent is present but not overwhelming. Really a solid lip balm.
Manna Kadar Priming Gloss Stain – 5 g / $24 – (Full Size Product) I received this in my first Lip Monthly shipment in July, so it’s not this box’s fault that it’s a dupe, I just subscribe to too many boxes! I do really like this as an everyday lip product though – it’s enough that it’s something, but the color isn’t bold or outrageous. It looks perfectly natural on my lips and very nearly matches their natural color, plus it seems to last a good long while and the formula is creamy and smooth but still matte. I may pass this off to a friend though since I don’t need two of them, but I do like this product!
Nvey Eco Eye Shadow – 1.5 g / $17.99 – (Full Size Product) I received the color, “Mahogany,” which is a deep warm brown with a hint of shimmer. It’s heavily pigmented and the little compact even has a mirror which is a nice touch! Love the color and will definitely be using this often.
Your Minerals Transparent Veil – 7 g / $21 – (Full Size Product) I love powders like this especially for the summer months when I can’t bear to use anything heavy on my face. This goes on silky smooth and the clay content helps absorb oil. It can either be used under or over foundation, but I usually use it by itself just to give me a little more of a polished look when I’m not doing the bare minimum (eyes/lips). I particularly like the texture of this one and I’m sure it’s going to go into regular makeup rotation right away.
Paula Dunne Cougar Blush – 7 g / $19.66 – (Full Size Product) I received the color, “Punch,” which is a rosy pink. It’s probably a little too dark for my complexion and I don’t really use blush much anyway, so this is kind of a miss for me. It shows up on my cheeks as leaning over to brown, so it’s probably got some yellowish tones to it that don’t mesh with my skin tone which is already pretty red on my cheeks naturally. The formula is nice though, very easy to blend, but this just isn’t the shade for me.
Colorevolution Eyeshadow – 2 g / $12 – (Full Size Product) I received the color, “Sienna #2” which is a pink base with a gold shimmer, and this is the bonus product for the box, not part of the regular August shipment. The shimmer comes out more than the color, but it’s a really nice effect and would work well over other matte shadow that I want to glitz up a little or for a good dose of sparkle just because. The mix of the pink and gold is really growing on me and I’m loving it! More eyeshadow is always welcome and I don’t think I’ve met a color that I didn’t like!

The box value comes to $92.65 without the bonus product and $104.65 with the bonus. The box costs $29.95 for a month-to-month subscription, so this is really an incredible value! This box consistently delivers products that I’m interested in and that are ingredient-conscious and cruelty-free. It might cost more per month, but in this one, there are SIX full size products including the bonus. No foil packets! I’m really pleased, and even with the miss on the blush, the box is still well above the cost. What’s really great about this box in particular is that a bunch of these brands, I hadn’t ever heard of or tried before, so it’s refreshing to see brands that are completely new to me. As always, I’m looking forward to next month!

Subscription Boxes

Espionage Cosmetics Nexus – September 2016

By Sheetar 30 August 2016 30 August 2016

Whaaat?! It’s not even September yet! I love it when boxes ship early and exceed my expectations! The crew at Espionage Cosmetics shifted the shipping schedule around a little for the Nexus shipment which now ends up shipping between the 18-27th of each month and renews the 28th of each month for the following month, so September’s shipment went out on August 24th for me, and arrived today, the 30th. I loved getting the heads-up about the change, and being a newer subscription, I’m glad they’re keeping us in the loop as they fine tune the process. SO! This month’s theme was, “Ancient Mau,” and I had a pretty good idea cats and egypt would be involved, but as usual, you never know what sort of magic will tumble out of the glitter cloud.

Peek-A-Boo Cats – Little black cats peek around the edges of an orange-red glossy ombre base. There are even glow in the dark accents on the cats. Too cute! I have to admit that I’m more of a dog person (we have two), but I spent my youngest years being herded around by two cats, so these are absolutely welcome here! I have a feeling these are going to be saved for October so I can show them off around Halloween because the colors paired with the black cats are purrrfect (sorry, had to be done).
hieroglyphics – Okay, so the cats are cute, but this is DEFINITELY without a doubt the nail wrap I’ll be voting for this month. It’s a glossy nail wrap with gold foil accents featuring hieroglyphics and the eye of Horus. I’m a history nerd in general, but Ancient Egypt has always held fascination for me, so I am positively over the moon for these! They’re just stunningly beautiful and I cannot wait to wear them.

The nail wraps usually cost $10 each on the Espionage Cosmetics website, so the value definitely exceeds the cost of a month-to-month subscription at $15 per month. Subscribers then vote for their favorite of the two, and the winner goes on to regular sale on the website. That means Nexus subscribers get a super limited edition nail wrap that will never be produced again! As usual, I’m looking forward to seeing what they come up with for next month and I’m LOVING this subscription – I get two brand new nail wraps before they’re released to the general public, and I get to vote for my favorite and hope it wins. This whole thing is ridiculously exciting. I’m not sure any other subscription box does something like this! In case you’re thinking about subscribing and want to send me some love, hit up my referral link!

Subscription Boxes

Lip Monthly August 2016

By Sheetar 23 August 2016 22 August 2016

August’s Lip Monthly finally arrived! I’m not a big fan of this one at all, to be honest – the colors are pretty off for me, and even the bag isn’t one I’ll keep (ugh, pink AND flowers, c’mon). When I opened the bag which was delivered Monday, August 22nd, the product card was stuck to the vinyl inside the bag and left behind orange residue from the card on the bag. The colors? Two are soft, dusty rose colors, one is a neon salmon pink, and the only acceptable one is the red stain. For as much as I loved what I got in July, I’m wildly disappointed in this month’s shipment.

Hikari Dual Color Stick – .23 oz / $15 – (Full Size Product) The color I received was “Dusk” which is basically a neon salmon pink and not at all like its namesake. It’s bright, BRIGHT-bright. This isn’t a color I can wear since anything that has even the slightest yellow tone doesn’t look good on me, but it’s honestly SO bright, I can’t see how this would look good on anyone who isn’t in an 80s music video. It didn’t look that bad in the tube, but on? HUGE NO. The formula is nice and the stick is huge, but as a lip color, it’s not for me, and I really don’t use blush since I have pretty red cheeks to begin with.
Lord & Berry Lip Liner – .03 oz / $19 – (Full Size Product) People still use lip liners? I thought we had those invisible ones now and the colored ones were a thing of the past.. anyway, any sort of dusty rose sort of color isn’t for me, nor do I EVER use lip liners, so this is going straight to the trade/give-away box.
Manna Kadar Liplocked Priming Lip Wand – .09 oz / $24 – (Full Size Product) I’m honestly not sure what color I received since it isn’t printed on the product itself. It may have been on the safety seal band, but I’m at a loss! Looking at the colors online, it’s probably “J’Adore” since it’s a pinky nude which fits the color description. It looks like this pretty closely matches the other Manna Kadar Liplocked gloss I received last month though, so the two should work together pretty well. It’s a thick crayon sort of product and goes on very matte. I actually tried the Hikari color on top and as long as I went really lightly with the Hikari, it wasn’t too bad! The color is just a shade darker than my natural lip color, so it would definitely work best as a primer.
Seraphine Rosy Cheeks – .35 oz / $20 – (Full Size Product) It’s a lip and cheek stain, and the formula is almost like a cream gel consistency. I received the color, “Bloom.” Thicker than other gel stains, but thinner than liquid lipsticks. It’s got a pretty strong floral scent which to me smells a lot like roses. Again, not something I’d use on my cheeks since they don’t need to be any redder, so I tried it out on my lips. It didn’t really stain much, but instead it clumped together and went on really unevenly. I thought maybe I just needed to start with freshly exfoliated lips, so I did that and tried again, but it was exactly the same. When I rubbed the gel into my lips with my finger to better distribute it, it ended up all coming off on my finger instead. What little did stay on my lips was uneven and didn’t stain very much. I was hoping for a nice classic red stain to wear under lip balms and glosses, and it’s there, but it’s much more subtle than I expected. I think my finger is stained more red than my lips. The company does advertise that they’re cruelty free and vegan, and that this product is 95% natural, so that’s pretty awesome.

The total value of the bag comes to $79 which is great when you consider that the bag cost me just under $10 for a 4 month (buy 3 get 1 free) subscription. When you consider that I’m not really wowed by any of the products, for $10 it’s still okay, and I will use that Manna Kadar primer for sure. I really wish the company had a way to set preferences for colors so the value would consistently be worth it every month. I know that dusty rose and salmon/corals don’t work for me but berry and cool reds do. I know I don’t like lip pencils, but I love trying new stains (even if they don’t quite knock my socks off). Beyond that, for a subscription called “Lip Monthly” having two products be dual-purpose lip/cheek products isn’t really that fantastic for variety’s sake. I probably would’ve appreciated a little more variety in color too since the lip liner pencil and Manna Kadar are basically the same color (though that might be intentional). Anyway, two more months left, here’s hoping next month’s is better!

Subscription Boxes

Sephora Play! August 2016

By Sheetar 22 August 2016 22 August 2016

August’s Sephora Play! has arrived! This month’s theme was, “Wink Outside the Box,” so of course there are a bunch of products for eyes. All of these are samples, no full-size products in the lot, but for a box that costs $10, I guess that’s to be expected! It does give me a chance to try products and not end up with a full sized product that doesn’t work, so that’s good.

Make Up For Ever Artist Shadow – .07 oz / $21 – (Product is .02 oz, value of $6 by volume) The color received is I544, “Pink Granite,” though it looks less pink and more purple to me. It’s velvety smooth and iridescent. It’s a nice color, nothing really outrageous, just a pretty basic color that probably everyone can use. I’m not sure I like the packaging since it’s plastic and cardboard, but it *is* a sample, so..
Lancome Energie de Vie Smoothing & Glow Boosting Liquid Moisturizer – 1.69 oz / $55 – (Product is .16 oz, value of $5.21 by volume) The tube is probably about half full which means this is a teeny little sample of a pretty expensive product. It smells nice, and the formula is basically like a watery gel so it applies easily. I’d probably never buy it because of the price and because denatured alcohol is the 4th ingredient which is no bueno for my dry skin, and moisturizer my ass – none of my moisturizers contain alcohol! I’ll still try it though, but I can’t see how this is a good product to include here when my preferences are set to dry skin.
Algenist Complete Eye Renewal Balm – 15 mL / $68 – (Product is 7 mL, value of $31.73 by volume) This is the highest value item in the box and the one I’m least interested in. Yeah my eyes get puffy and have dark circles and wrinkles, but after trying eye cream after eye cream, nothing has ever made a difference, and I find them about as effective as water. It’s a thick cream that has a very light fresh sort of scent. So far it hasn’t irritated my eyes, and the ingredient list, outside of extracts and shea butter, has a bunch of silicones but no parabens, sulfates, or phthalates. I probably would’ve preferred getting a full-sized mascara or something else instead of this product.
Clean Reserve Eau de Parfum – .34 oz / $25 – (Product is .05 oz, value of $3.68 by volume) This is probably not a scent I’d ever pick for myself. I could smell this when I opened the box and it basically smells like fresh laundry which is a nice scent, but not for a perfume. It warms up a little on the skin with a hint of a deeper sort of musk, but it still mostly smells like laundry. It’s not too overwhelming or floral which is nice, but I don’t think I want to smell like clean clothes all day. I do like that the company is committed to eco-friendly practices, but this perfume is just not to my style, and as it’s on me while I write this, I definitely like it less and less as time goes on. It’s like I doused myself in fabric softener. I ended up having to go wash it off since it was starting to bother me.
Urban Decay Perversion Mascara – .4 oz / $22 – (Product is .1 oz, value of $5.50 by volume) It’s just a hair smaller than the travel size which is .13 oz for $10. I’ve heard LOTS of good things about this mascara, and taking a check over the ingredients, no cyclopentasiloxane or parabens! It’s a keeper! Or at least, I’ll be able to try it and see if there’s something else in it that irritates my speshul snowflake eyes.
Sephora Waterproof Contour Eye Pencil – .04 oz / $10 – (Product is .017 oz, value of $4.25 by volume) The color received is #33, “Love Affair,” which is a shimmery plum color that I rather like. It’s another product that seems to be okay for my eyes as far as the ingredients go, so I’ll have to give this a try and report back if it irritates my eyes or not!

The total value of the box by my estimation comes to $56.37 which is pretty decent for only costing $10.60 including tax. I’d definitely have preferred to see more eye makeup products (a shadow primer or fake eyelashes?) in a “Wink Outside the Box” theme and less skin care type products, or at least have one of the makeup products be full size. For the over $30 value of the eye cream, we could’ve had a mini palette from Tarte or Smashbox, or a nice mirrored compact, or something other than an eye cream (I’m really not feeling the eye cream for the price it takes up which is over half the box value). It is a good variety of products though, just not as eye-focused as I initially thought, and I do like getting a perfume sample every month even if both of them have been complete misses so far. Finding a scent you like can be a real pain and having a sample to try and think about on your own time instead of a snap decision in a store is pretty nice. Anyway, sort of mixed feelings on this box I guess – I was expecting something entirely different this month!