Ipsy/Glam Bag October 2012 Review and Swatches

Ipsy/Glam Bag has come such a long way in just under a year of sending out bags. This month's bag is exceptional proof of this. Subscribers got over and beyond what they paid for this month and items that were both great in quality and value. The theme of this month was Bombshell and they embraced this it very well with black eye liner, voluminous mascara, and even a lip stain that will rival any other you have tried before!

For the past few months similar brands have been featured over and over and this month subscribers got to try some well known brands both domestic and internationally! This month's bag with jam packed with offers and coupons to allow you to buy the products from your bag at a discount!

I would like to start with the product i loved the most!

Mirenesse Lip Bomb #2-
This was one of the best lip lacquer stains i have ever tried. It rivals my Lancome products. Glides on creamy and glossy, feels like a liquid lipstick, opaque and full coverage, and tingles just a little bit since it is also a lip plumper. This product is so all in one that if it was a band it would be that guy who has every instrument strapped to a giant drum on his back! I got quite a few hours of coverage with this. Even when my sons hand brushed against my lips the shine still remained! This company is based in Australia, so i you haven't yet heard of them, that's why. I fell so deeply in love with this product (and with information from my friend Krys) decided to check out their other products and their VIP club. This company offers so much and i promise in the up coming months you will be hearing so much more about this company from me. I have about 4 packages coming in! This product is worth $35 dollars (the bag was only $10!!)

The Balm -Whats Your Type -Body Builder- Black Mascara-
This mascara really did add "body" to my eye lashes. It was a noticeable difference but did not look over done, overly dramatic, or like false lashes. It simply added some opmh to my normal lashes which is great for normal application. I usually like a lot of drama for my lashes, but am not that great at the false lashes, this is a good medium between natural and false. It wasn't clumpy or heavy.

Coastal Scents-
At any other time i probably would have thought this sample was awesome, however, right before i received my Ipsy bag i received an order from Coastal Scents which had one of these for free. This let me know that these were a free item from Coastal Scents, and while they have worth made me feel like it was just a cheap add in. None the less, i loved these colors because they aren't what i normally wear. I am daring when it comes to cosmetics but red is one of those colors i use sparingly. This quad goes well together a creamy shimmer white, a matte red, a shimmer brown gold, and a red copper shimmer. These colors make red work on a dramatic and just everyday way. These had great pigmentation and minimal fall out. If you like these shades i suggest you check out their 88 color palettes or their matte and shimmer palettes.

Be a Bombshell liner in Onyx-
This liner was so easy to use. The applicator is a thick and looks like a felt tip pen. Glides on easy, and is a little bit thicker when applied than shown in the picture. This is great for a dramatic wing tip, thin line, or thick line. You can also get creative with this liner. If you are new to liners this might be a good choice because of precision you can achieve using it verses a liquid liner with a brush.

Couture Color - Pequi Oil Treatment-
I have been using different hair oils for a while now such as Argan Oil, Macadamia Oil, and even Moroccan Oil, and i have loved what each product has done. This product is no different. It made my hair shiny and soft. My hair is prone to being greasy at the roots so i only put a little bit on my hands and rubbed through my hair as to not deposit too much in one area. It is great to sleek down frizz at the top of your head. and i like to apply it to my ends before bed to help my dry ends to feel soft by morning but not look greasy. I think this would be a great product for those with curly hair.

Do you want a makeup bag filled with makeup sent to your door every month? Well sign up for Ipsy and receive fantastic new makeup products and a makeup bag every month for only 10 dollars!

October 2012 Birchbox Goop Box Review and Swatches

This month, Birchbox teamed up with Gweneth Paltrow's website GOOP. I decided to Goop this month, and while i am not entirely sure if i received the GOOP box or the regular box since most boxes received by members looked the same this month, my box was halfway decent.

GOOP is a website that focuses on top pics for fashion and life items. Many of these items are very over priced for the average budget. I thought this would be the best box option since i would be more likely to get higher quality and higher priced items to try. This box was no different then any other month, and while better then other boxes i have seen, my overall satisfaction is weening.

At first glace this box looks fantastic. I was initially let down when i realized that i received a grey nail polish instead of the bright berry purple that was shown on the website. Two months in a row now i have received a grey-ish polish. I am over it! Is it really possible that a site that talks about 400 dollar head bands would recommend the same Luna Bars, the one's in normal birchboxs? Something seems very off! I apologize in advance but there will be much ranting.

Products that i received:
Essie Nail Polish In Power Clutch-
This polish was featured in the sneek peek video that Birchbox released, yet only 2 out of 30!!!! possible boxes contained an Essie polish. I could go on and on about how unfair that is to most members, giving them the idea that they will receive this coveted  polish only to wind up with foil packets. I personally was happy to see the purple dark berry color on my page, but receiving this grey which was very similar to the grey i received last month (this is a lot less blue, but still grey) i feel is too redundant to be happy about. The formula was fantastic, and it applied opaquely. I have no complaints about how the product works nor its color in general, however my gripes lay with Birchbox and their inability to provide accurate items.

Naked Princess Naked Shine Luscious Lip Gloss-
I saw this on my box preview and smiled, i couldn't wait to try this gloss. I own a Naked Princess Lotion that i have been impressed with for a while. So when i saw this tiny little cardboard wrapper i was confused. Was this the intro card? Did they forget the product? Nope the sample of lip gloss was smaller than the size of a perfume sample. Really?? Really Birchbox? I get bigger and better samples for free. All that aside it was a non sticky, lightly pigmented lip gloss that left my lips shiny and moisturized.

 Joanna Vargas Daily Serum-
I would LOVE to know what genius at Birchbox said HEY! I have a brilliant idea! Lets give our subscribers a daily serum in a one use tiny tube so they can only use it once and have no idea how it works over a period of time to test its daily effect, and then we can find out how much they like this DAILY serum. To be honest, i did not even open this. I feel like this is a waste of a product. If you have tried it and liked it i am glad, my disappointment will not allow me to use such nonsense.

 Luna Fiber Bar-
I really liked this chewy chocolate bar with a little bit of raspberry flavor. Not overly sweet, tasted like a desert but healthy, and i liked how it felt filling. What i didn't like is why its in a GOOP box when it is in normal average Birchbox's.

 Kiehl's Aromatic Blends Orange Flower and Lychee Liquid Body Cleanser-
This is the one saving item of this whole box. Something new, something different, something in a useful size. I love this product. The smell is beautiful and natural. It stays on the skin for a good amount of time after the shower so your skin will smell good, but if you choose to wear perfume it wont over power it. Lathered nicely.

I know this post is filled with rant but overall Birchbox isn't terrible it just has its moments. If you would like to sign up click here!

Look who's back! The Look Bag Returns. Review and Swatches

The long awaited Look Bag from the Look Store wait is over! After a 3 month hiatus old and new members alike were able to resubscribe. After promising customers a bag and not delivering, many were skeptical, however, with the lure of 25% off for old subscribers, and the promise of two full size products, who could really say no?

When i first opened my Look Bag, which arrived in hot pink delivery bag and the look store sticker, i was happy and confused. The products were not in their little organza bag but rather next to it.

 The pink card included all the the products and their descriptions for this month. As you can see there are three full size items included!

 Intro card for the month of October.

Overall i was impressed with the list, and while i do like most of the products in this months bad there are quite a bit of pro's and con's

 The products i received are as follows :
York Lip Balm-
This product is lip balm that is supposed to  smell like a york peppermint patty. While the smell is just fine in the tube putting it on the lips is another story. It does not smell like a chocolate and mint patty but rather just very, very minty, almost like vapor rub. The sticker on the back of the box looks just like a Claire's price sticker and it is no surprise that Claire's used to sell these. It appears to be a full size item even though it isnt listed as one and I thought they might be an over stock of a discontinued product. I will address this a little later.

Stilla Matte Eyeshadow-
This is a  dark navy grey matte eyeshadow. I was pretty excited to see a Stila eyeshadow since they are continually a high quality product. At first my only complaints were that it was un-potted and unless you own a palette where you can place these in you risk possibly breaking them. If you received this i DO NOT recommend that you use it, read below to find out why!

over bare skin.

 Freeman Beautiful Body Wash-
This fruity and fresh body wash is so refreshing. I love that the sample is such a large package. I wish it was resealable since i believe this package is two uses but i couldn't use it twice due to it being in a non releasable package. It made my skin feel soft and it did product a lot of lather. My skin did not feel tight or have a residue after using this. I would like to purchase the full size version of this product.

Pop Beauty black crackle nail polish-
This is yet another full size product, but one that i am really impressed with. I am not really a fan of crackle but this has to be the smoothest, best drying, best cracking crackle i have ever tried. It contains nylon which makes it non chip (it does chip but not as badly as other brands.) Not too thick, and not too runny, i was able to create a nice design on my nails using this product.

Pixi Lip and Line Primer-
I saved the best for last. I swear, SWEAR, by this product. I have so many lipsticks that lack the right amount of pigment or just don't last as long as i would like them to, so i apply this product under them and the problem is solved. I was just starting to run out, and didn't want to spend another 18$ to get it, and low and behold there is one in my look bag. This moisturizing, smooth, primer, is nearly see through so it wont alter the color of your lipstick. With the liner you never have to worry about having the right color liner since this clear liner will have your lipstick staying within the lines all day. While i know there are other brands that offer lip primers, i believe this is the best option.

Now what's all this look below about?
Oh yeah that, well my suspicious about a possibly discontinued product were met when i received an email from the look store letting me know my Stila shadow was expired. I promptly emailed back with various questions such as- is it safe to use, and should i be worried about other products, how long has it been expired? etc. Of all the questions i asked, only one was answered, in a one line response. Very rude. I emailed back twice before i finally got a response from the CEO who simply said they can not say whether it is safe to you or not it was safe to use, and that it was made in 2006, and should be good for 7 years, and that means it expired 2 years ago (does anyone else think this math doesn't make sense?). While i understand mishaps happen, and there will be more products added to the November bag to make up for it, the rudeness and lack of good customer service, along with possible discontinued items, is a little disheartening. I was never answered about my suspicions about the other products but to be fair i Googled the York lip balm and checked ebay many sources point to it being a product that was discontinued but there is a factory excess. While it might not be expired that isn't exactly something you want to read. I look forward to next months bag with caution.