GlossyBox Unboxing!

First of all, shout out to my BFF and reader Jessica because today is her BIRTHDAY!!! Happy Birthday girl! xoxoxox!



image credit: google.com

This is my second GlossyBox and I am head over heels IN LOVE. The theme for September's box is Fall Forward with items that are considered the most current. The first thing I noticed was no magazine- only the little card with tell you about your items.

The first thing I noticed was the Juvexin products- pretty big samples- now that's what I'm talkin' about. The front of the bottle says the shampoo has Keratin in it and its supposed to keep your hair shiny, manageable, and frizz free for up to 5 months. That's a big claim , but I'm really excited to try this one out. Full sizes of the shampoo and conditioner are $20 each.

Next is the Kryolan for GlossyBox Moisture Rich lipstick in GLOSSY pink. I kind of really like this pink. Its not usually a color I would reach for as I'm all about the nude lip, but this color is a really nice neutral which is perfect for fall. I also like that it would look really great on a wide variety of skin tones. Love the GloosyBox symbol on the lid also! Full size is $14

When I saw this product I literally wanted to rip all my hair out of my head I was THAT excited. Missha M Perfect Cover BB Cream. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!! I just didn't even know what to do for like a whole minute. I've been wanting to try a different BB cream (a non-American one!) and just haven't bitten the bullet to do ahead and order it. After my extreme excitement (lol) I was slightly crestfallen. I know that many BB creams are very light- especially Asian ones and can leave a grey cast to the skin. I pumped out some of the product and I swear I almost passed out when I saw that it was my skin tone. O.M.G. Full size is $29.99

 

Last product is the OC 8 Professional Mattifying Gel. This is something I can always use as I have combination skin and my t-zone can get oily. Full size is $30.

Overall, I really loved this box. I really feel like I'm getting more than my money's worth with all of the full size or near full size products they include. Definitely looking forward to next month's box!

What did you think of this month's GlossyBox?

September Birchbox- Unboxing!

The September Birchbox theme is fall fashion- how exciting is that???

The first thing I noticed when I opened my box is the magazine. I really like that Birchbox is making its service more "luxurious" by including this little magazine. On one hand, I'd rather get more deluxe samples, but I did like the magazine.

The first sample is a deluxe POREfessional by Benefit. If you've read my blog in the past, you'll know this didn't work out for me, but I know I can give it to a friend whom this will work for, so this one was "meh". Full size is $29

Next was the Color Club Custom Polish. I received "Insta-this" , a beautiful bright cobalt blue. This reminds me a lot of the Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Pacific Blue that everyone's been raving about. I kept eyeballing it at the drugstore, but I'm definitely happy with this ColorClub version! Full size is $8

This little perfume sample is of Kate Spade's Twirl. I like it. Its very fruity with a bit of floral but I don't think I'll be running out to get it. Full size is $18-80

 

Next we have foil packet samples of the Nexxus Pro-Mend Split End Treatment System. I'm not the hugest fan of packet-type samples as I much prefer deluxe sizes, but I've heard good things about this line, so I am excited to try it. Full sizes range from $9.99-$14.99

Last is the twistband hair tie, I received the red one. I had purchased a pack of these in jeweltones in the Sephora version forever ago, so its nice to have received a different color one. I'm liking red for fall. I'm already thinking about a high pony with this and some matching red lipstick. A set of 12 will run you $18.

Then lastly, 2 lifestyle extras. one is a Tili Bag, which I've never heard of. It's pretty much a ziplock bag with really cute designs on it. Not incredibly useful, but its not really part of the 5 sample deal- its an extra and it is cute. Maybe I can use it to store my makeup or skincare stuff when I travel.

The last lifestyle extra is a digital download of music by Tristan Prettyman. Another "meh" inclusion.

Overall, I did like this box with my favorite items being the Color Club Polish and the twistband hair tie.
Are you subscribed to Birchbox? What did you think of this month's box?

You better believe I'm BACK! Back in the New York Groove!

Hey guys! ٩◔‿◔۶

Its great to be back after a long summer hiatus. I took a few summer courses to get ahead in my graduate program and now I finally have some time to sit back and relax. Did any of you do anything interesting this summer? Let me know below in the comments!

I also recently decided to change up my hair a bit- I can never keep the same thing for too long so I decided to go with some honey-blonde ombre. So far I'm really loving it, but give me a few weeks, I'm sure I'll change my mind! ^‿^

Anyway, I thought I'd kick off fall with my current wish list!

1) The Urban Decay Smoked Palette


Image credit: Sephora.com

I've eyed this every single time I've gone into Sephora and talked myself out of picking it up. I really love that its got neutrals in the top row and a beautiful mix of jewel tones on the bottom. Needless to say, I think I'll be caving soon.

2) Living Proof Restore Recovery Regimen

Image credit: livingproof.com

It has a price point I'm still wavering about, but it promises miracles that my hair needs; its also the recipient of the Allure Best of Beauty 2012 award.

3) The Balm Nude 'Tude Palette



Image credit: thebalm.com

I've also talked myself into putting this down every time I go to Sephora but the palette as a whole is very versatile with its mix of shimmer and matte and the colors are pigmented and buttery soft.

4) MAC lipstick in Sunny Seoul

Check out this link for some great swatches

This was literally love at first swatch. However, its been a conspiracy trying to find this color as it seems like every MAC in the tri-state area is either sold out or keeping it from me (lol) I may have to order this online.

5) Statement necklaces

Image credit: zappos.com

Whereas in the past I'd usually shy away, I suddenly can't get enough of statement necklaces.

What's on your wish list for fall?

Elf Haul!

Hey all! As finals week has been absolutely brutal, I needed a quick and cheap pick-me-up. For that, I turn to Elf. I picked up a few of the things I've been dieing to try from them, from Target:

In case you don't already know, all Elf products are ridiculously cheap and most are good quality.

From left to right, I picked up:

(1) HD Powder ($6)
(2) Flawless Finish Foundation ($3)
(3) Tone Correcting Powder ($3)
(4) Mineral Infused Primer ($3)

I'll definitely be reviewing these products once I've had a chance to play around with them.

In the mean time, have you tried any of these products? What did you think?

New Cover Girl Eye Shadows

Hey all!
Over the weekend, I was at Rite Aid and noticed a new display of Cover Girl eye shadows. The palettes had new packaging- in black and definitely more sleek. The colors were mostly cool which to me is "meh" as I tend to gravitate toward warmer colors. I saw this palette Prima Donna Diva and thought it was pretty handy- you get warm bronzes and golds but you also get a frosted light pink and a shimmery black for a nice smokey eye. I thought it would be a handy little palette to tote around in your makeup bag because it gives you so many options.

I was also curious about whether or not the new palettes had better pigmentation so as soon as I got home, I swatched the colors:

I was honestly pretty disappointed. The payoff was less than mediocre and what you see in the picture above is at least three swipes to get it to show up enough for the swatch. The quad I reviewed last week (Coffee Shop) was MUCH better quality than this one. Plus, with other drug store brands like Wet n Wild turning out eye shadows whose pigmentation is comparable to high-end brands, this is a complete let down.

I'm not sure if the lack of pigmentation was just the palette I happen to pick up, or if its the entire new line that lacks pigmentation, but I won't be picking up any others any time soon!

Have you tried any of the new Cover Girl eye shadows? What did you think?

Fashion Friday: Cute Flats!

Happy Friday everyone!

It always seems like Fridays can't come fast enough but for me, that was especially true because it was my last week of classes! Next week is finals week and after that, I have a few days to breathe before I start summer classes. What better way to celebrate than to show you a pair of flats I had been dieing for for the LONGEST time? I picked these up from Fabco shoe store for $21.99:



I haven't worn these yet, but I've wanted an affordable pair of beige ballerina style flats with a black toe for soooo long. When I saw them at Fabco, I literally pounced on them and picked up the very last pair! I checked the website for you guys in case any of you were interested, and it seems like you can't shop for Fabco online, so I found two websites- one with similar styles that are high end, and my other cost effective alternative- Payless!

Click here for a bunch of higher end flats and here to snatch up the Payless ones!

Have a great weekend!

Cover Girl Palettes

After my Cover Girl haul yesterday, I couldn't wait to swatch the eye shadows to test their quality. I was actually pleasantly surprised. First up, the Sunset trio:

This one consists of a pinky tan color, a warm gold, and a golden vanilla color (all shimmers). Though all the colors in the palette are really beautiful, I really love the first color- its perfect for day without going over the top. The middle color would be perfect for  sunlight golden look while I could see the last color making a really beautiful highlight. The quality of the shadows themselves were average compared to the newer drugstore shadows such as Wet n Wild which are really amazing quality.
Here are some swatches (no primer):

The next palette is the quad "Coffee Shop". The colors are very similar to the Sunset trio except this one contains a matte dark brown.

These swatched incredibly. The colors were much more pigmented and creamy than the trio except for the dark brown which was just a tad chalky.

Overall, I'm glad I picked up both of these palettes as I can see them becoming go-tos for travel and/or everyday looks. Plus they're super inexpensive and if you wait for a BOGO sale, they're even more of a bargain.

Happy Thursday! We're almost to the weekend! ☺

Cover Girl Haul

I've been having a not-so-great week and decided to make it better with what else? A mini drugstore haul! ᵔᴥᵔ I realized that aside from the new collections they periodically come out with, I have kind of left Cover Girl by the wayside for the likes of brands like Revlon, Maybelline, and Almay. So today, I picked up a few products from their core collection to try out:

The products are:
1. Lipslicks Tinted Lipbalm in Demure (I got all nostalgic when I saw these- I remember them from when I was a kid!!)
2. Invisible Concealer in Honey
3. Eyeshadow Trio in Golden Sunset (EmilyNoel83 on YouTube ALWAYS recommends this! I love her videos so I finally broke down and got it...)
4. Eyeshadow quad in Coffee Shop
5. CG Smoothers Foundation in Classic Tan

Have you tried any of these products? What are your favorite Cover Girl products?

Revlon Kissable Lip Stain

I was innocently perusing my local Rite Aid the other day (no I was not looking for any new makeup collections... lol) when I happen to spot the new Revlon Kissable Lip Stains. I was pretty excited about these because they seem like a low-cost alternative to the Clinique Chubby sticks. I picked up one color to check out (Charm)- the nude of course.

Right off the bat, the texture of this product reminded me more of a lipstick than a lip stain. It has a light, pleasant minty smell which wears off after a few minutes and feels hydrating on the lips- not drying as other lip stains usually are. The wear time is average for a lip product- I'd say two hours on my lips. I will say that for me, this was not a lip stain at all. However, I did pick up the lightest color of the collection and my lips are relatively pigmented. Therefore, whatever staining qualities this product has was probably lost on the darker pigmentation of my lips. Because of this, I decided to judge this product more as a lipstick than anything else.
As a lipstick, Charm is on the sheerer side, but still pigmented enough to hide most of the natural red coloring of my lips. Also, because the color is so light and glossy, if there are any dry flakes on your lips, it WILL make them much more obvious so your best bet is to exfoliate before using this product.

Swatch of Charm on my hand.

As you can see from the swatch above, Charm almost completely blends in with my skin tone. If not for the gloss, you'd barely be able to see it.

Though from the swatch on my lips it looks like a clear balm, my lips are a very dark pinky red with nothing on them. You can see how much this tones them down.

Overall, I do like this product and feel that because its in a twist-up style package, it would be perfect for touch-ups on the go. With the lighter colors in the collection, its pencil shape makes it virtually goof-proof which means that they can be applied without a mirror. Though I don't usually like darker colors on me for every day wear, I may pick up a coral or red color to test the stain quality of this product.

Have you tried the Revlon Kissable Lip Stains yet? What do you think?

NOTD: Flaming Poker

Hey all! Today I have a NOTD for you- a gel manicure I did on my sister over the weekend. I picked up the gel polish at Ulta from a brand called Pro Gel. The color is called Flaming Poker:

I'm really liking this brand of gel polish. The color was super easy to apply and I was able to achieve my desired opacity in just two coats. What I also like is that the color is reminiscent of China Glaze's cult favorite Ruby Pumps, but is more on the brighter berry red side.

I love the red glitter in this- it makes the color much more glam.
What are your favorite red polishes?