January Glossybox First Impressions!

If you don't want to read this click here to watch my video. Otherwise here's a summary of my January box.

First of all this is super late because its curated by The Man Repeller and her fans went crazy over this box and Glossybox was overwhelmed. Second of all, I got four boxes for some bizarre reason. Here's what was in my box:


Estee Lauder Sumptuous Extreme Mascara in Extreme Black
Sample was a small tube (about half-sized)
Full-sized- $25 at esteelauder.com
I'm excited to try this but I hope I don't like it. I don't want to fall in love with it and then miss it after its gone because I'm not going to spend that much on mascara.


Fresh Umbrian Clay Mattifying Serum
Sample was 1.7 oz
Full-sized is $35 for 1 oz
This is something I'm also excited to try. I've never tried any of the Fresh skin care products so we'll see how this works. I have oily skin so if this works this will be good.


Sebastian Professional Potion 9
Sample was 1.7 oz
Full-sized is $19 for 5.1 oz through Sebastian Professional Salons
From what I pumped out of the bottle already, this is an orange cream-gel that smells like coconuts. Its supposed to be a pre-styling lotion that conditions and smooths hair and helps hold your style.


Le Metier de Beaute Daily Replenishing Daily Solution
Sample was a dinky foil packet
Full-sized- $225 for 1.7 oz exclusively at Neiman Marcus
This is something else I hope I don't like because its ridiculously expensive and is not something I'm going to ever buy.

Tarte Glamazon Pure Performance Lipstick in Fierce
Sample is full-sized-$26
This lipstick is very smooth and creamy and I really wish it was a better color but unfortunately its a bright, orange-y red. It doesn't look good on my skin tone and makes my blemishes more obvious. Its just a little bright for my tastes.

O.P.I. Liquid Sand Nail Lacquer in Can't Let Go
Sample is full-sized- $9
This nail polish has a unique texture. It dries matte with glitter in it. Its a pretty purple color. I'm very happy with this.

Narciso Rodriguez for Her Eau de Toilette
Sample is a small spritzer
Full-sized is $25 for a rollerball, $52 for 1 oz, $77 for 1.6 oz, or $104 for 3.3 oz
I don't love this smell but its not awful. It is floral, musky, and has a touch of powder. It smells kind of grandma-y but not the worst I've ever smelled.

The total value of this is $77.21. Well times four because I have four boxes. I can't say for sure because I haven't actually tried most of it yet but I feel like this might be worth it. I really wish the lipstick was a different color. If it was more wearable I definitely would say this is so worth it. But I'm gonna try everything and review everything individually and I'll get back to you.

First Video!-Glossybox November and December- Was It Worth It?

So this is my first video attempt! I apologize for the crappy awkwardness of it. For all you Negative Nancy's out there, yes I know I said um and like way too many times and I played with my hair too much and the angle is weird but I will try to get better about my videos. Here it is!

Okay so I couldn't get it to upload but I uploaded it to YouTube so here's the link. Ugh. I just watched it again and its really just awful so I apologize but I promise I will try to get better at this.

And just a update on my January Glossybox. . .I checked the tracking today and my box is currently two states away. I'm hoping to get it Monday or Tuesday. If anyone cares.

Popsugar Must Have Box January

This box is a little more expensive (okay a lot more) at $35 a month but it’s also a better deal (supposedly). It sends you all full-sized products and is guaranteed to be worth at least $100. They also have a luxury edition which is $100. Popsugar’s must haves are not just beauty products. They are home décor items, jewelry, food items, and beauty items. For example, Novembers box included a bracelet, a yoga dvd, a set of three gourmet spices, a set of thank-you cards, a box of donut mix, a lip balm, and a free credit for style mint (which is a clothing website). Based on reviews I’ve seen for other months it seems like sometimes they send more beauty products than anything else and sometimes its more homey type items. I have mixed feelings about this kind of box because usually with beauty items I will at least try everything I get and unless I really super hate it I will probably use it up (for example I’m using up a moisturizer that is way too hydrating for my oily face right now by only using it once every other day and that seems to be not bothering my skin too much), but if I get a bracelet that I think is horribly ugly, I’m gonna feel bad just throwing it away. I suppose I could always give it to somebody. Anyway I signed up for this to see what it was all about and I’ll give it a couple months before I decide anything. When I first signed up I was told I would have to wait until February but then I got told that I got bumped up to January (I guess someone must have cancelled their subscription or something) so I got mine a little early. Yay!

This was a happy surprise today on my doorstep. When Popsugar had first sent me the email saying they had shipped my Must Have box I checked the tracking a couple times and it was just moving up the west coast. California, another city in Northern California, Oregon, Washington. That doesn’t make any sense to me because I live on the east coast so I just figured it would be a while before I actually got my box and stopped tracking it. So when I see this big white box on my doorstep I thought, “What could that be? I haven’t ordered anything that big.” Lo and behold, its my Must Have box! 

Pink!

This box is pretty big. Its about four times the size of any Glossybox or Beauty Army box I’ve gotten. Inside it, wrapped up in pretty pink paper was. . .

Look at all the food! Okay in this picture there is a Think Thin Crunch Caramel Chocolate Dipped Mixed Nut Bar (which is broken but still perfectly edible), a Think thin Creamy Peanut Butter High Protein Bar, a Think Thin Divine Dark Chocolate Coconut Bar (all $1.99 each), two Pop Bar Hot Chocolates on a Stick (one in milk chocolate and one in dark chocolate and $2.99) and a shaker jar of Jet-Puffed Mallow-Bits ($2.59)! I am excited about all of it! I’ve never tried any of the Think Thin bars but they sound good and who doesn’t love chocolate! Its interesting that they sent me the mini-marshallows too because I actually have already bought these a couple times and think they’re a fabulous invention. A little explanation about the Hot Chocolate on a Stick, I thought it was just like a chocolate lollipop but the back of it says to heat up some milk and stir the chocolate into it until it melts. Literally Hot Chocolate on a Stick! I think that’s fabulous. I’ll tell you all how everything was after I eat it! Oh plus there’s a coupon for $1 off two Think Thin bars.

 

The next thing is this watch. Its made my Remix, its called the Timebomb and it retails for $44.95 (although this particular one is a Popsugar exclusive and the ones on Remixes website do not look exactly the same). I do have to wear a watch at work but I have several of them and this would not be something I would have bought for myself. It claims it comes in a variety of “fun” colors, but as you can see mine is boring white. The watch face is also HUGE! Its kind of ridiculous. It does have super soft silicone straps but its so heavy and uncomfortable that I don’t think I’ll be wearing it often. Or at all. So lose there Popsugar. 

Look how tiny and cute it is!

Next, is a lip balm from Epicuren. Its SPF 15 and contains tea tree oil and aloe vera. Apparently this is some sort of exclusive brand that you have to have special privileges to buy and sell. One website I found said you have to be a authorized buyer but I didn't look into what exactly it takes to be authorized. Anyway, I found this little pot on Amazon for $9.50. They also have it in stick form (which I would really prefer). I don’t know if any of you have ever smelled tea tree oil but that’s what this smells (and tastes) like). It a quite obnoxious earthy, herbal smell that actually smells like someone left their rosemary too long in the fridge and it got all moldy. I’m not kidding. On the plus side, this seems to moisturize well and has a pleasant tingliness on the lips that’s quite refreshing. I don’t usually like lip balm in pots though. I prefer tubes or sticks that I can just put on my lips without having to get my fingers all greasy. I really haven’t decided if I like this or not. I’ll let you know. 

Last but not least (well actually, maybe least) is a Merrithew Stability Ball (with air pump included). This retails for $38.99 at www.merrithew.com. Now, in theory this is great and all but I already have a stability ball that has been thrown in storage because I never use it. Although actually now that I think about it I think part of the reason that I never used the one I have its because it was a little too big and awkward to sit on. I’m gonna give this a shot and see what happens but I’m not holding my breath. They do give you a nice little card with some exercises to do with the stability ball. 

There also is a $15 off voucher for Casetagram to make your own phone or tablet cover using your photos. I’m definitely not gonna use that.

Overall I was disappointed with this box. Reviews of previous boxes I’ve seen have had a lot more stuff in them and stuff I would use. The Hot Chocolate on a stick is pretty fantastic but the Think Thin bars are not expensive and I could buy those at any grocery store. the watch was something I will not wear, the lip balm smells horrendous and I already have a stability ball I don’t use. Not including the coupon and voucher the box has a value of $107.98 but I'm probably not going to use most of the stuff. So big flop and not worth my money. For a fairly expensive sample box I was expecting more. But I’ll give them a couple more chances to redeem themselves. Three strikes and you’re out Popsugar!

More Sample Boxes!

If you don’t like any of the ones I have mentioned already, or just want to try out some other sample beauty boxes, here are some other options.

Beauty Fix- http://beautyfix.com

This is an expensive box, at $49.99 but its only every season (which I assume means 4 times a year). You get 8 products, which you get to pick out of a selection that their “expert” (whoever that is) picks for you.
Just looking over some of the products it seems like they have a good selection of decent sized samples (and some full-sized things) covering make-up, skin care, hair care, and even some beauty tools. I’m not sure how many they give you to pick from but if its as many as they show for sample products than seems like it would be worth it.

TestTube- http://testtube.newbeauty.com

This is another quarterly one but its only $29.99 (although it isn’t free shipping which is unusual). This promises to be a $250 value and includes a magazine (which looks bigger than the little Glossymag), deluxe sample and full-sized products (it looks like 9 or 10), gift cards and special offers for spalook.com, and they email you video tutorials for how to use the products (which I actually think is pretty cool). Some of the brands they have given out before (such as Philosphy, Dr. Brandt, and CellCeuticals are certainly things that I have been wanting to try. I will probably try this at some point (I can only spend so much money a month on beauty products! Gosh!).

Julep Maven Sample Box- http://www.julep.com/quiz/default

This box is nail based and only contains one brand. Julep Maven. Apparently its some famous nail salon in Washington. For $19.99 a month they send you two full-sized nail polishes and one full-sized product (related to mani/pedis) as well as some special extras occasionally. Occasionally they have specials where for the first month you receive four full-sized nail polishes (and get to choose two of them). I’m not sure how often they do this but they were having this special in November or December. This certainly would be appealing for anyone who is addicted to having their nails painted. I for one, am not so big on the nail painting, and if I was to sign up for something like this I would want to be able to pick my colors. Because I’m picky about what I have on my nails. This would not be worth it to me but I thought I’d tell you about it.

Laquerous- http://www.laquerous.com

This one isn’t exactly a sample box per say. Its more like Netflix. Or Gamefly. Or Rent the Runway. Except with nail polish. Every month, for $18, you receive 3 bottles of nail polish (that you have added to a lust list). You paint your nails with them or take them to your manicurist to have her do it, then when you are done with it you mail it back and get more. Now maybe to some people this may sound like a great idea. But it doesn’t make much sense to me. First of all, doesn’t your manicurist have a zillion nail colors anyway? Second of all, if I’m spending $18 on nail polish (I’m sorry but that’s kind of a lot) I’m using up the bottle. I’m not painting my nails three times and then sending it back. And second of all, I think its kind of icky to use nail polish that who know how many other people have used. I don’t know where their hands have been. What if they have some nail fungus or whatever? I would never sign up for this in a million years. But there you go. If it sounds like your thing go for it.

So there you are. Some other sample beauty box options. I think the TestTube sounds like the only one I will try. Beautyfix is too expensive. For that much everything would have to be full-sized to make that worth my while. But if I run out of sample boxes to try, maybe I’ll look into it further. I suppose I could just make sure as much as possible in my box was full-sized.

Beauty Army January- First Impressions

I don’t usually post twice in one day but I just got my January Beauty Army box! Yay! This month is Beauty Army’s birthday so we get an extra 7th pick! I was much happier overall with my picks this month than I was last month. I read somewhere that if you keep retaking the beauty profile quiz your choices will change until you get a mix you are happy with. I did that this time but honestly most of the things I ended up picking were in my first mix so I really didn’t need to. My one complaint is that every time I took quiz I continued to say I had oily skin and in every group of samples to pick from there were two moisturizers for dry skin. That doesn’t make much sense but whatever. Here are my choices.

Mark. Scanda-Lash Brown Mascara
Sample- full-sized- $6.50

This was the extra pick. You had a choice of black or brown. I chose brown for something different. I’ve always used black mascara but I figured the brown might be a little subtler. This is small for a full-sized mascara (actually really small) but mascara is always welcome. I’ve tried some other mark. products but not the mascara. I’ll write a full review after I’ve worn it for a full day.

Bath & Body Works Paris Amour Shower Gel
Sample- 3 oz
Full-sized- $11 for 10 oz

I wouldn’t really consider Bath & Body Works to be really high-end but I love their products. This is a decent sample sized shower gel. I use a lot of shower gel though so it will probably last me less than a week. We’ll see. I’ve never smelled this particular smell but its wonderful. Its kind of fruity which doesn’t really spring to mind Paris for me but oh well. I normally wouldn’t use this in the winter because my hair is super dry and my past experience with Bath & Body Works has been that the shower gels are not moisturizing but this says it is shea-enriched so I’m hoping it will be moisturizing.  A full-review will follow.

Ineke Hothouse Flower Perfume
Sample- 0.05 oz
Full-sized- $95 for 2.5 oz

I was not going to pick this because I have so much perfume already but I read gardenia and had to pick it. I love gardenia. This is a wonderfully bright and fresh gardenia. I love it. I know some people complain about getting little perfume samples in their boxes but I am not going to complain. I actually read a review of a sample box somewhere (I can’t remember where it was now or which box it was) where the person who was writing it said she used up a sample vial in two or three days. Two or three days! I would have to take a bath in the stuff for it to last me that long! I spray one spritz on one wrist and then dab my other wrist (not rub, dab) on it, then spray down my shirt. It sounds weird but I read it in a fashion magazine or something somewhere. The heat from the core of your body makes the perfume waft up to your face throughout the day. Plus if it gets on my bra it last longer because perfume sticks to cloth better than skin. Shut up it works for me! Okay anyway so one of these little vials lasts me for a few weeks. Which is worth it to me.  Alright that’s it for my tangent. Moving on.

Mark. Hook Up Lip Gloss in Blow Kisses
Sample- Full-sized- $6.50

I got one of these lip glosses in Honey last month and I love it. Blow Kisses is a bold red. it’s a little bold for my tastes but I decided to try it because I already know I love Mark. lip glosses. This red, once I’ve put it on, actually isn’t that bold. Its pretty sheer, which is good for me but for someone else who likes the bold red look, maybe not so much. I also have a lot of blemishes around my mouth right now and the red just makes them more obvious. So. . I don’t know if I like this. I’ll have to think on it or try it with some foundation and a lot of concealer.

Yes to Blueberries Firming Eye Treatment
Sample- foil packet
Full-sized- $19.99 for 0.5 oz

Another product I don’t really consider high-end but I am excited to try it. I’ve used some products from the Yes to Tomatoes line with mostly good results and I’m always looking for a good eye cream so I’m excited to use this. I’m not thrilled about the foil packet but an eye treatment will probably last me a while so I’ll overlook it.

Lash Card Mascara Shields
Sample- 2 shields
Full-sized- $13.98 for 20 shields

This is a brilliant idea. I don’t know how many times I’ve blinked a little or pushed the mascara back a little too far and gotten it on my eyelid. If I’ve already done my eye shadow I have to wipe it off and start all over. Its kind of frustrating. These shields are curved to fit your eye lid to protect your eye lid from the mascara. I’ll use these tomorrow so expect a review pretty quickly.

Whip Hand Cosmetics Special Forces Loose Pigment Eyeshadow
Sample- 0.03 oz
Full-sized- $14 for 0.1 oz

This is an exclusive color created for Beauty Army. It’s a peachy color with a little bit of shimmer. It looks like it would make an excellent lid color. I’ll review it fully after I’ve seen how it lasts.

Overall I’m thinking I’ll be much happier this month then I was last month. According to my calculations this box is worth $27.80. Even without the extra gift its worth a little more than last month so I am happy. We’ll see after I try all of my products though. And just an added note, the box everything came in was pink this month (last month it was white). I had been using last months box to store small samples in but I’ve transferred everything into the pretty pink one!

Beauty Army December Box- Was It Worth It?

To recap all the things I got from this box:

Fiafini Delicate Cleansing Emulsion- $28 for 4 oz at beatuyarmy.com (I found this as low as $11 at amazon.com)- A good cleanser from what I can tell. I would be interested to try it for a longer period of time but I have quite a back up stock of facial cleansers right now.

Mark Hook Up Lip Gloss in Honey- $6.50 at beautyarmy.com ($5 at amazon.com)- A nice neutral lip gloss that I will use plenty of. And full-sized!

Macadamia Natural Oil Deep Repair Masque- $33 for 8.5 oz at beautyarmy.com ($11.99 at cosmeu.com)- I really couldn’t judge it from just one use but seemed to condition my hair well. A little expensive for my budget though.

Nelson J Argan Oil 7 Non-Foaming Shampoo- $36 for two 8 oz bottles at beautyarmy.com- Left my hair shiny and smooth but greasy and not particularly soft. I had to wash out the residue after using it. I don’t think I will be purchasing this.

Emani Minerals Foundation Primer and Hydrating Serum- $28 for 0.84 oz at beautyarmy.com- I loved this. This was the one thing I wasn’t even sure I was going to use and I ended up buying some for when I run out. It controls oil and feels like a baby angels bottom.

Ruddy Water Blushed Towelette- $22 for 24 towelettes at beautyarmy.com  (roller ball of unknown size $16.50 and blooming mist of unknown size $12 at shop.ruddywater.com)- The smell was okay but my towelette was dried out. And I would never use perfume towelettes.

So was it worth it? Hmm. I don’t know. I tally up two thumbs up, one thumbs down, two neutrals and one somewhere in between neutral and thumbs down. I do have a full-sized lip gloss to show for it and found a oil-controlling serum I love but other than that I wasn’t thrilled. However I have already picked my January box out and I am much happier with that (there’s only one foil packet!). Overall this box was barely worth my $12 but I’m hopeful things will improve.

Nelson J Argan Oil 7 Non-Foaming Shampoo- December Beauty Army

 $36 for two 8 oz bottles at beautyarmy.com

When I first got this in my Beauty Army box I was a little bummed I didn’t get the conditioner that goes with this but then as I was researching it, I found out there is no conditioner. This shampoo is supposedly shampoo, conditioner, detangler, shine serum, color protection, smoothing serum, and pre-styling lotion all in one. Its also sulfate and paraben free. IF it actually worked like it claims to it would be awesome. It would probably be my new holy grail hair product. I hate layering stuff in my hair because I feel like it weighs it down and makes it a little greasy sometimes. If one product could do all of the stuff this is supposed to in one application that would be amazing. But its not that amazing.

This shampoo is a white cream with little blue beads in it. I’m not really sure what the blue beads are supposed to do. Besides get stuck in my hair. Yeah, I was picking them out for hours after I shampooed. Maybe their supposed to exfoliate your scalp? I really don’t know. Anyway, the shampoo has a lovely sweet minty smell that’s reminiscent of candy canes. The directions say to work it through damp hair, starting at the roots. It says to comb it through with a wide-toothed comb and then rinse it out. It doesn’t foam up at all (obviously since its called non-foaming shampoo). I was a little skeptical because to me foaming up equates to cleaning (I have been brainwashed by the sulfates of modern beauty care) but I was pleasantly surprised by how clean and soft my hair felt as I was rinsing it out. Once it dried my hair certainly was shiny and soft but it also was a little limp and not as clean as it usually is. With the next few washes it got progressively more greasy. Either it left build up I my hair or it just didn’t shampoo out the oil or both. I finally got tired of looking like a grease monkey and broke out my regular shampoo. I did use the Argan Oil 7 as a conditioner of sorts and it worked really well for that. My hair was probably shinier and smoother than its ever been without using a flat iron. Despite that I will probably not be buying this. I read some reviews of it online that seemed positive so I’m not sure what my problem was. Either my hair is super oily or I was using too much of it.

So bottom line, it smells delicious and as long as I used another shampoo it works well to make my hair super shiny and smooth but does not work alone as a shampoo. It does not clean well and leaves a greasy residue. Plus the annoying little beads. So I'm not buying it.