Glossy Box - June 2013

Hey All  -

I got my June GlossyBox recently and this time it was very late as well. Same as last month. But this time they did email us and let us know it was going to be late because there was an issue with getting one of the products. So even though it's June's box, I got in July!  GlossyBox is a monthly subscription service that is $21.00 a month. You can see what I got in my May box here. I was pretty excited about this box since they hinted at what we would be getting early in the month. Follow them on Twitter or on Facebook to get hints of what will be in the next up and coming box!! This month's box was items that Dallas Shaw picked out. I've never heard of her before, but after looking her up she seems to be one talented lady! The packaging on this month's box was also adorable. So here is what I got! 

How cute is this! 

A better look outside the box! 

1.) c. Booth Honey Almond Nourishing Dry Oil Mist 

Elegant, nourishing oils absorb quickly into skin to smooth and soften while providing hydration. This dramatically lightweight dry oil for face and body imparts a light, lasting glow for instant radiance. Infused with gentle, sweet blend of honey and almond, it's the ultimate aromatic indulgence for the skin and senses. Full Size: $8 / 4 fl. oz. It's funny I got this in my box, because I recently purchased this brand/scent in a bottle of lotion from Ulta a couple of weeks ago. I like the smell, kind of. I love the scent of Honey and of Almond and them together. But I feel like there is something else in the smell that I'm not really sure about. I still enjoy it though. I've never used a dry oil before and it's nice. I sprayed it on my skin, rubbed it in and it sinks in pretty quickly. I really like it. I'm excited to use it more. 

Value: $4 - Total Value: $4

2.) SpaRitual Favorites Nail Polish in Shooting Star Shimmer

SpaRitual offers a wide range of fun, sophisticated and modern shades to help you express the most colorful side of you. The nail lacquers are crafted out of naturally formulated, vegan, certified-organic and fair-trade ingredients, resulting in superior texture and quality. Full Size: $12 / 15 ml. I think the color is so pretty. I also really like that it's a more natural nail polish. I did a swatch of the nail polish on a nail wheel and it was almost opaque in one coat. Since I haven't used it yet on my nails, I'm not sure what the wear will be like. The color is more of a fall color in my book so it might be a while until I put it on my nails. 

Value: $12 - Total Value: $16

3.) Oscar de La Renta Essential Luxuries

Inspired by the designer's mastery of fashion, Oscar de la Renta introduces a tailored line of six unique scents imbued with his love of beauty and luxury. Comprised of specially sourced ingredients of the most exceptional quality, each fragrance echoes the close connections to our Oscar's vibrant life and loves, and perfectly speaks his language - find joy, be sparkling, feel gorgeous. Full Size $150 / 3.4 fl oz. 

Back: (L to R) MI CORAZON, SARGASSO, SANTO DOMINGO, 

Front: (L to R) ORIENTAL LACE, GRANADA, COALINA

I know Oscar de la Renta is suppose to have amazing things, I don't get it. After sniffing all of these scents, none of them are up my alley at all. The 2 that I could probably manage to wear is Sargasso and Santa Domingo. Some of them don't smell good to me at all. I'm also really not into fragrances. I own 3 perfumes and that's about it. I have 1 scent for summer and 1 scent for winter and then added another one to my collection a months ago. If you want to read the notes of what each is suppose to smell like you can find it on their website here. If anyone would like to try these, let me know because I would like to find them a home that they would be loved in. (Note, as I was writing this I sprayed a couple in the air to get a whiff and now I have a headache!! :( Not good!) 

Value: I'm not really sure how to put a value on this: Maybe like $10 or so?? - Total Value: $26

4.) Philip B. Styling Gel 

Philip B products revitalize every type of hair while evoking a warming, cooling or refreshing sensation and delivering glossy, radiant hair. The brands' botanical products caters to a broad range of hair types - dry/damaged, colored/chemically treated, thinning/volumizing, wavy/curly/frizzy, flat/very fine, flaky scalp, oily and normal. Full Size$6.00 / 2 fl oz.  Well considering I don't use gel in my hair, this is no use to me! I will be giving it away or adding to my collection of things I need to sell on ebay. 

Value: $6.00 - Total Value: $32.00

5.) Tarte Complexion Enhancing Lipstick in Medium to Tan 

Get total lip therapy in a beautiful nude shade that's uniquely you! These creamy lipsticks have a glossy, tinted core that gives the appearance of fuller-looking, luscious lips. Thanks to complexion-enhancing pigments and emollient waxes, lips have never appeared more youthful. Full Size: $14.50 / .12 oz. 

I saw that we were getting a lipstick in this box and I was excited. I love Tarte products so was excited to get this. The color is actually nice when they mix together on your lips. It seems really moisturizing. 

Value: $14.50 - Total Value: $46.50

So overall this box was better than last months. The value of about $46.50 is over double what I paid for the box. I also did estimate the value of the Oscar de la Renta perfumes. I will get use out of the lipstick, dry oil spray and the nail polish. The other items I will probably gift. 

You can read more about and sign up for Glossy Box here.

Let me know if you have any questions. Do you think I should keep getting these boxes or not??? I would love to get your opinion!!

Thank you so much for reading!! 

-Jill

Products I've used up - June 2013 - Part 2

Hey All  -

I used up a lot of products in June so I'm breaking this up into 2 different parts. So here is part 2. If you haven't you can see the products I used up in May here and Part 1 here. I'll let you know what I thought of the product and if I would re-purchase or not. So, here we go!

Starting from left to right: 

Aquaphor healing ointment

Thoughts: I love this stuff to use on my lips. This is the little tube I kept at my desk at work that I finally used up. This is not only great for lips but also dry spots on your skin. These little tubes are awesome to keep just about anywhere. High recommend if you having really dry lips. 

Re-purchase: Yes, of course! I actually already have. These small little tubes come in a pack of 2 for about $5 and last a really long time. I think I will always have some of this around at all times.

Maybelline Baby Lips in Peppermint

Thoughts: I also kept this tube at my work and has been used up for quite a long time. I like this as a lip balm until I got a new tube (currently have at work) and not a fan anymore. I'm not sure if they changed the formula or if my lips just don't like it anymore. But I did enjoy using this tube up. It's just a clear lip balm with  an SPF of 15. 

Re-purchase: I'm not sure I would. I do enjoy using the other colors of these baby lips, but this one I'm not sure I would re-purchase. 

First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Lip Therapy

Thoughts: Yep, another lip product. This lip balm was nice I bought this probably like a year and a half ago. It was time for it to be done. I didn't use it very often. I bought it when my lips where crazy dry. I thought it helped but not a ton. The bottle did end up cracking near the top of the tube which wasn't very good. The product has a pretty thick consistency. 

Re-purchase: No, I would not re-purchase this lip balm. I can find better inexpensive alternatives to this. 

Le Metier De Beaute Replenishing Daily Solutions.

Thoughts: This is the sample of face lotion I got in my April Glossybox. You can read that post here. But this sample was worth about $13 and let's just say, I am completely not impressed. Granted, the sample was the smallest size possible but I was still able to use it for a couple of days since you didn't really need a lot to cover your face. But I didn't see any improvement in my skin and it didn't do any better than my regular face lotion. 

Re-purchase: NO!!! There is no way I would purchase a full size of this. Especially at the price tag of $225. 

L"oreal Voluminous Carbon Black 

Thoughts: I got this again after people telling me they loved it. I did really like it. It give you crazy amount of volume and length as well. The color is super black as you can see. I do like the brush. It can sometimes makes your lashes feel crunchy, which I don't like Once it started drying out on my it also started to flake on me. I would suggest giving it a whirl if you are looking for a new mascara to try. 

Re-purchase: Yes, I would probably re-purchase. Currently though I have lots of tubes that I need to use up before I even think about buying another mascara. 

Cover Girl Lash Blast Fusion Water resistant

Thoughts: It was a nice mascara. I have this one in water resistant because I heard that putting on a thin coat of waterproof mascara before another mascara will help your eyelashes stay curled and for a while I thought mine where becoming droopy during the day. This did help a little bit with that problem but I didn't think it helped that much. It is now all dried up so I can't use it anymore. I would probably never use this mascara without putting something else over the top since it didn't do much. I used to use this mascara all the time, but now I could never see myself just using this. 

Re-purchase: Maybe, I would. If I was looking for something that gives you more natural looking lashes. 

Finest Nutrition Tea Tree Oil

Thoughts: I bought this after using up my Body Shop Tea Tree Oil. I use this on acne spots and also I put it in my hair. The smell of this stuff is not good at all. But once you put it on your skin you can't smell it. If I put it in my hair, the smell will linger but I just deal with it. I got 2 of these on a buy one get one free deal so it was a better price than The Body Shop one as you get twice or 3 times the amount of product. 

Re-purchase: I will probably not re-purchase this brand of Tea Tree Oil again. I want to try others. I mean, they all are almost all the same. But I will always have Tea Tree Oil on hand since there is so many uses for it. 

The last item is:

Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch Highlighting Concealer

Thoughts: I used up a makeup product!!! I got this after hearing so many good things about it. I think the color I had was Ivory, which is probably the lightest or 2nd lightest color. I really loved this stuff. I used this under my eyes and sometimes I used it to highlight my cheek bones. I sometimes would use it alone under my eyes and sometimes I would use it over the top of a peach corrector. I loved the look it gave. The packaging is worn off but I really like the brush applicator it has. 

Re-purchase: Yes, I plan on re-purchasing once I use up some other concealers I have. This also comes in Radiant that I heard is great as well. So if you are looking for something that is just brightening without the concealer part, you have that option. 

So, that's all the stuff I used up this month.  As you can see I've had some of these products for a while. But it's always good knowing your using the products you purchase. 

Hopefully this helped you in some way. Please, let me know if you have any questions. 

Thank you so much for reading!!

-Jill 

Products I'v used up - June 2013 - Part 1

Hey All  -

I used up a lot of products in June so I'm breaking this up into 2 different parts. So here is part 1. If you haven't you can see the products I used up in May here. I'll let you know what I thought of the product and if I would re-purchase or not. So, here we go! 

Starting from the left back row:

Soap & Glory Hand Food

Thoughts: Yes, I finished up another one of these. I had this bottle at work and recently used it up. I'm saying what I said last month that at first I was a really big fan of this hand cream, but the more I used it the more I didn't like it. The smell isn't that great and honestly during the winter it wasn't moisturizing enough. 

Re-purchase: No, I wouldn't. It's kind of pricey and I found a better hand cream that I like better that's easily more accessible. 

Jergens Natural Glow Daily Moisturizer

Thoughts: I have owned this product for a really long time and just started using it up again when it started to get nicer out. It's a nice moisturizer that I used pretty much solely on my legs. This doesn't smell very good and would leave your legs kind of sparkly. But if I used it a couple of days in a row, I could definitely see a difference in the color on my legs. 

Re-purchase: Yes, I would probably re-purchase. I think they have improved their formula since I bought this bottle. But lord knows I need to do something about my white legs!! 

Huggies Natural Care wipes

Thoughts: These are my favorite wipes that I like to use. Again, I explained in my May edition of products I've used up why I use them. But in brief I use them in the morning to wipe my hands on when I'm putting on my makeup. These are just the right consistency that I like to use.

Re-purchase: YES, I would. These are my favorite wipes that I have used so far. 

Up & Up Exfoliating Cotton Rounds

Thoughts: I didn't like these. I thought they would be nice to use for my face, but I didn't even use that side of them on my face at all. I thought they were kind of abrasive and since the face wipes are use are also exfoliating I didn't think I would need these. I do enjoy using the up & up brand of cotton rounds though, just not these ones. 

Re-purchase: No, I would not re-purchase these. 

Equate Exfoliating Wet Cleansing towelettes

Thoughts: I use these everyday to take my makeup off when I get home from work. They are by far the best makeup remover wipes I have tried and I have tried A LOT! This is the new packaging from what you may have seen in my Night time skin care routine. They feel nice on the skin and get off the majority of my makeup. I don't use these to take off my eye makeup solely but I do rub it over my eyes after using the eye makeup remover. 

Re-purchase: YES, absolutely. I will always have these on hand. 

Now starting with the front row (from right to left)

Lush The Olive Branch Shower Gel

Thoughts: I liked this shower gel. It smelled really good. On the website it says it smells like citrus with mandarin and lemon which I think it does. It was pretty moisturizing. I got this in a set from Lush along with some other goodies. It's a small size bottle but I only used it like once a week or so, so it lasted me quite a long time. It was a very liquidy shower gel that you had to shake up before you could use. 

Re-purchase: No, I wouldn't re-purchase. It is quite expensive for what it is. You can find better shower gel at the drugstore for a better price. 

Equate Oil Free Eye Makeup Remover

Thoughts: This is my second time having it and again I am not impressed. I just don't think it does a great job at removing my eye makeup. I just felt like I had to use so much product to get everything off. This stuff didn't burn my eyes which was good. 

Re-purchase: No, I will not re-purchase! I'm still on the hunt for a good inexpensive eye makeup remover. So again, if you know of any please let me know!! 

VitaFusion Omega 3 Gummy Vitamins

Thoughts: What do I say about these?? They taste good and since I don't love taking fish oil, these are my other alternative. They do the job! 

Re-purchase: Already have! This time not on clearance! haha

Last product 

Global Keratin balancing Shampoo & Conditioner 

Thoughts: I got these in my Glossybox a couple months ago. I didn't start using them right away. I probably only used these once a week and always used them together. They smelled really good and did make my hair feel nice. I don't know if they exactly "balanced" my hair or not but they were nice. 

Re-purchase: No, I wouldn't purchase the full size of these. I'm not even sure what the cost would be anymore. 

Sorry folks, that was quite a few products I've used up! Hopefully, you stuck around to read all about them! Let me know if you have any questions! 

Part 2 will be coming shortly.

Thank you so much for reading!! 

-Jill 

Mary Kay Influenster Vox-Box - June 2013

Hey All -

I recently became eligible for this box from Influenster. Influenster is a website where you can unlock "badges" that will help you get these boxes based on your interests to try new products. The boxes are completely free. They just want your feedback on the products as well as for you to promote the products on social media. I received a box from Influenster about a year or 2 ago but I haven't gotten anything since that box. So when I got an email to say I was being considered for this box, I went and took the survey to become eligible and they picked me! About 2 weeks later I had this Mary Kay beauty box sitting on my door step! Here is what came in my box along with my first impressions of the products. 

As you can see the excitement when I opened this box with all these amazing products! I have tried a few Mary Kay products before but none of the products I received. And me being the beauty junkie I am, I love to try new products. 

Here is the Mary Kay catalog that came in the box. It shows you all of the products they have to offer. 

The card they included: 

Now onto the products I got!! 

Item #1 - Mary Kay Lash Love Lengthening Mascara. 

LASHlicious! Long. Strong. Seriously separated lashes. 

1st Impression: It definitely lengthens the lashes. I'm not really a fan of the wand, I think it takes me longer to apply the mascara. The formula seems pretty good. I did see quite a bit of length and separation. I like my mascara to add volume as well so since it didn't really add volume, I thought I needed to add a coat of a volumizing mascara. The mascara did not smudge or flake on me, which is a plus. This mascara retails for $15.

Item #2 - Mary Kay Lash Primer.

Dramatic definition. Fuller-looking lashes. 

1st Impression: I was very surprised when I opened the tube and it was clear and not white. Most lash primers I have tried or seen are white. Since it was clear, I wasn't sure if any product was getting onto my lashes or not. I had to feel the brush to make sure there was actually product on it. It seemed like a pretty dry formula for a lash primer. Honestly, I didn't see a difference in it doing anything to my lashes. After using this and the mascara my lashes were not crunchy. I do need to give this product a bit more time. This lash primer retails for $15. 

Item #3 - Mary Kay True Dimensions Lip Stick in Pink Cherie. 

Intensely moisturizing. Exquisitely smoothing.

Swatch: 

1st Impression: I really like the color of this lipstick. It certainly feels like a moisturizing formula. I've only worn it once and since it's pretty glossy on the lips, I didn't need to put a gloss over the top. I'm going to have to wear this more to be able to give a better review of it. The packaging is awesome on this product though. It took me a while at first to figure out how to open it. The top is clear and you have to press down on it and it pushes the lipstick down and out the bottom of the silver tube. It's unique, I don't know of any other lipstick that has packaging like this. You know for sure, that it will not open in your purse. You just have to make sure you twist the product all the way down before putting it back together. The retail of this website is $18.

Item $4 - Mary Kay Cream Eye Color/Concealer Brush.

The perfect brush for applying any cream product. 

1st Impression: Like I need another brush to add to my collection, who am I kidding I don't think I could have enough. I used this brush with the next product I got but it's a cream eye shadow. It worked great for the application of the product. It's really a soft but stiff brush that didn't shed any. I think this will be great for applying cream eye shadows since I use them almost everyday. This brush retails for $10.

Item #5 - Mary Kay Cream Eye Color in Violet Storm 

Soft, creamy, long-wearing formula. 

Swatch: 

Top: One swipe, Bottom: Built up a little. 

1st Impression: I was very excited to get a purple cream shadow since I don't own any other. The swatches above are not doing the color justice at all. It's a very pretty purple iridescent color with a little bit of duo chrome in it. The formula is very creamy. I used it the other day with the brush talked about above and it went on so smooth. I did use a primer and topped it with shadow but it lasted all day. Even the swatches on my hand, I had to scrub a little to get off. So far I'm really enjoying it. I have another look planned out to use it this week. This cream shadow retails for $22.

Total value of this box was $80 that I got for free. 

I plan on doing a follow up review on these products after I have used them more. 

You can sign up for here for Influenster. 

Let me know if you have any questions! 

Thank you so much for reading! 

-Jill 

Target Beauty Box

Hey All -

I recently received the Target Beauty box I purchased from their website. I purchased the box on 4/30 and received it about a week and a half ago. I purchased the box for $5 and they only sell a certain number of them. So when I saw that they were available I nabbed one. I had received some kind of beauty bag from Target before so I for sure thought it would be good! But see what I got in into below and my thoughts! 

This is how it came: 

And this was what was inside: 

The card that came inside:

After reading the card, it seems that this is going to be a monthly thing they are going to do. Similar to Glossybox, Birchbox or Ipsy. As you can see it also came with a coupon for $3 off a $15 beauty purchase. Since it did cost me $5 for the box, and I got a $3 coupon really the box cost me $2. 

So now into what I got:

Gilette Venus & Olay Razor. I'm pretty excited this was in the box because razors are pretty expensive. This retails for about $8.99 (on their website). So the value of the box has already been covered. 

L'Oreal Magic skin beautifier BB cream in Light. I despise these foil packet things so I wasn't excited I got one of these in the box. I've never tried this stuff before, but I am excited to give it a whirl. The sample is probably enough for 1 maybe 2 applications depending on how much I'll need. To me that is not enough product to determine if you like something or not. I honestly wasn't expecting to get foil packets in this box. 

Next item: 

La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo, Dual action acne treatment. I have never heard of this brand before. Apparently it used to only be available through a dermatologist but will now be available at Target. Even though this is a foil packet, I'm excited to try this since I have acne prone skin. We will see if it does what it says it does. 

I also got: 

Sally Hansen Salon Effects Real Nail Polish strips in Queen of the Jungle. I have used these before but only as accent nails. I'm not a huge fan of the print of these but excited to give them a whirl again. Note, that they only fit certain nail types so if your nails don't have a similar shape that they are in, they would look really ridiculous! These also retail for about $7-9 which is a great value for the box. 

The last item I got was: 

Fekkai Glossing Cream. I've never used Fekkai products and I'm really not interested in trying this. A friend of mine told me I should sell it on Ebay. So I might do that or I might give it to someone that might actually enjoy it. I know Fekkai is a pretty expensive brand so I'm sure this sample is worth quite a bit. 

Overall, the box was valued way way over what I paid for it. But honestly I wasn't that excited about it. I was most excited about the razor. The BB cream and acne treatment lotion should be interesting to use. But the Glossing cream I'm not really interested in and the Sally Hansen would have been better with a different print. 

I'm not sure I would purchase another month of this box or not, but it was fun to see what they sent out. 

Let me know if you have any questions! 

Be sure to follow me on Twitter because I like to keep people aware of deals I see on there. You can also follow Target on twitter where they tweet out the links to deals like this. 

Thank you so much for reading!! 

-Jill