Glossybox - April 2013

WORK THAT BEAUTY

I'm going to jump right in and quote the card that Glossybox provided in this month's box! -

"This April, GLOSSYBOX has a thirst for beauty wellness and we are

quenching it with feel-good products! After a long winter, it's time to be

good to your body, whether it's an invigorating wash or an indulgent soak.

Feel the sun's warmth and bring on beachy waves and sun-kissed cheeks.

Bare some skin and go the no makeup-makeup route. Work your natural

beauty and be your best you with GLOSSYBOX this month."

Sounds fabulous doesn't it? I mean, I totally get what Glossybox was saying with this theme, but when I first showed my hubby all of my products and he asked what the theme of this month's box was, I simply said: "Work that Beauty". Before I had a chance to explain, he came up with the most hilarious and awesome well-rounded theme that totally takes a different direction, but fits perfectly as well. Care to hear it? Of course you do!

Presenting...

Glossybox's 2013 April Box! WORK THAT BEAUTY...beauty for your WORK!
  

Work...jobs...careers. We all have them. We all don't really like them. We all wish we could stay at home with a nice cup of coffee, watch a little tv, relax in a hot tub and just take it easy. Unfortunately, if you're like me...you just gotta go make that moolah. You know, cha-ching, the income. Nine to five can be rough, especially on your body. Wouldn't you just love a special box full of special products that's just a perfect pick-me-up for your situation? Fear no more! Have we got the perfect box for you! Let's take a look at some of the items!

  

ITEM 1 - WASH WITH JOE - COFFEEMINT INVIGORATING BODY WASH
  

Gotta get up early for work? Running late? That one quick little cup of coffee not doing it for ya? It's time to jump in the shower and completely cover yourself with coffee for that extra perk-me-up morning rinse! Wash with Joe! Prepare yourself for a soapy tingle that'll put a pep in your step, with suds that'll lather and cool you down with a scent that'll have you reaching for the sugar and cream (Sugar body scrub, that is ::wink wink:: and body cream...well you get the drift)


   

ITEM 2 - ALTERNA HAIRCARE BAMBOO STYLE BOHO WAVES TOUSLED TEXTURE MIST
   

Slaving away through the day already have you pulling your hair out with frustration? Have you totally ruined your fabulous 'do from anxiety? Here's just the thing for you...Alterna Boho Waves spray mist! Instead of your coworkers backing away slowly from your crazy yanked out hair sticking in every direction, they'll be wondering when it was you were able to sneak away to the shores to get those fabulous beachy waves! Definitely the best tousleable product for a 2 minute quick-fix! Spritz, shake and show-off that mane!
     

    

ITEM 3 - TIGI COSMETICS GLOW BLUSH in Haute
      

Did your boss just toss a ginormous stack of paperwork on your desk and casually let you know that he meant to give it to you two days ago, but, oh, by the way, it's due back by 5pm today? OK...take a deep breath...blink your eyes...nod your head....and now we've got to do something about your deathly pale face. Let's get some glow back in your cheeks with Tigi's Glow Blush in Haute! Glowy, bright and a vibrant orange-coral, just sweep this pretty baby all along the apples of your cheeks and even lightly around your chin and nose the blush up your bewildered face. With a gorgeous glow, even you could fool the toughest of bosses. Let them know you've got it handled and flash them a wink to plump up a shimmering beautiful apple of your cheek...and get busy because you've got 3 hours left...
      

      

ITEM 4 - THE HONEST COMPANY ORGANIC LIP BALM in Sweet Orange Vanilla
   

On the phone all day talking to clients? Or maybe it was just one of those days where kissing up to the boss was a must? That'll definitely lead to some serious chapped lips. Honestly, sounds like you could use some Honest Co.! Sooth those aching lips with some Sweet Orange Vanilla lip balm. A super sweet swipe of organic jojoba and oils, rich with Omega 6 and 9, helping you from 9 to 5 to keep your lips moisturized and soft. 
   
    
     

ITEM 5 - BVLGARI EAU PARFUMEE AU THE BLANC TEA BAG FOR BATH
     

You've clocked out, driven home, dragged yourself in the door, dropped your things in a trail through the front room. Ready to collapse? Drop into a tub of luxury and fragrance with these Bvlgari perfumed bath tea bags. Just slip one of these into a warm bath and settle in for a soothing, elegant, enraptured bath that'll make all of your horrendous work day just slip away. Ahhhhhh, now isn't that better?
  
  

THE REAL DEAL:

   

I seriously just love my husband, we had so much fun re-imagining this box! In all seriousness though, this box was fantastic! I just love it! Real review this time:
      

WASH WITH JOE: This body wash is phenomenal! Putting together two of my favorite scents, coffee and mint? Um, YES PLEASE. Also, a definite first for me, this wash left my skin tingly and fresh feeling! I've had shampoos and face washes that have done that, but never body washes. It lathers so well, which was surprising, it's a little more on the liquid side than a gel. My husband also loved it, so this may be something I might have to learn to share. Ahem. (If he can find where I've hid it). The scent doesn't last too long, though, if that's something you're worried about. For me it lasted about an hour to an hour and a half, but I'm perfectly fine with that! Definitely a perky fun shower and something I'll certainly be purchasing often! The only negative thing I'll say about what I received, is that the bottle is hard and you can't squeeze it, but the cap is meant to have the product squeezed out! I had to unscrew the top off and just pour it directly onto my loofah.
     

ALTERNA BAMBOO STYLE BOHO WAVES MIST: Adore. Just adore. My hair is usually difficult to work with when it's past my shoulders. Part of my hair is straight and part likes to be curly. Sometimes it's nice and curly, sometimes it couldn't care less. You never know what it's gonna do. Of course, I LOVE curly and wavy, so I'm constantly battling for it. I honestly didn't think it would work that well, boy was I shocked! 
      

Please excuse the differences in lighting for these two pictures. The top pic is in front of a window with only daylight, and a few minutes after I took it, it began pouring rain. It became much to dark outside to take good pics that showed the awesome texture of my hair, so I went into another room and turned on the lights. This light, unfortunately, casts a somewhat yellowish tone in pics, but since it doesn't effect the actual texture and look of my hair (other than coloration), I just went with it. My apologies! Back to the hair...WAVES! Look at the fabulous waves! I let my hair air dry, and while it was still damp I spritz some of the mist through it and scrunched my hair with my hands, then I let it dry about 70% of the way. Afterwards, I blow dried and brushed my bangs and gently blow dried my hair (scrunching with my fingers, since I don't have a diffuser) and reset my hair with some more of the Alterna mist and voila! It's not crunchy (a big plus) and the waves lasted for the entire day, with only a few shakes and tosses to vamp back up the volume! Excellent product!
      

TIGI COSMETIC GLOW BLUSH in HAUTE: When I first pulled this product out, I thought, "Oh no...it looks so dark!" This was a differing item in the box. Some people received different shades. Thus far, I hadn't seen this particular shade in other people's boxes, only pinks and pink-corals. This was looked bronzey-orange with some light gold shimmer. It actually came out really nice and I was shocked! Swatched it looks beautiful and turns out to have some coral hidden in it - 
   

Once again, slightly yellow-tinted lighting. SO sorry. On the right is a single swipe and you can really see the softer coral tones in it and on the left I swiped about 4 times. 

EDIT 4/28 (next day): Here's another pic of the same swatch in daylight. HOWEVER, it's still pouring rain and dark outside, so it's not that bright of a pic, but it's a lot less yellow:

 

Obviously, this blush is very buildable and I'd use it for an eyeshadow as well! The shimmer in it definitely puts a lovely glow in your face.
      

HONEST CO LIP BALM in SWEET ORANGE VANILLA: Mmmmm, it smells like an orangesicle. So tasty! I was hoping for this scent, there were two others that were sent out, Lavender Mint and Purely Simple (soothing and relieving), but Sweet Orange Vanilla sounded so fabulous! It works quite well, softening the lips and swipes on smoothly. Love it!
      

BVLGARI BATH TEA BAGS: Oh heavens, glossybox. They sent out a Bvlgari soap in this exact same fragrance in the February 2013 box, and it was just much too much for me. It had such a strong floral aroma, that I had to throw away the glossybox box it came in because it reeked of it! I ended up giving it to my mother, who just love it. I know I can't even open this packet, I know I won't like it. So I'm definitely going to gift it to someone. Mother's day is coming up, if she loved the soap, maybe I'll put this in a fun little Mother's Day basket for her! It's a shame, really, lounging in a warm bath with a fragranced bath bag sounds so nice!
      

EXCLUSIVE! - LE METIER DE BEAUTE REPLENISHING DAILY SOLUTION
  

I was a little confused with this beauty extra, since we just recieved the exact same thing back in January 2013 with the Man Repeller Box. Same foil, same size, etc. I mean, I'm certainly not complaining, since this lotion costs a small fortune! I still have so much left from the first foil. I'm somewhat scared to be using up anything so darn expensive. Maybe now that I have two I'll feel better about it! Perhaps I'll gift this as well though...share the fine things in life so to speak!
    
   

WORTH AND PURCHASE
     

Wash With Joe Body Wash: Full size $28 for 16 fl oz, I received 1 fl oz sample, so $1.75.
     

Alterna Boho Waves Mist: Full size $22 for 4.2 fl oz, I received 0.85 fl oz sample, so $4.45.
     

Tigi Blush in Haute: $22 (full-size!)
     

Honest Co. Sweet Orange Vanilla Lip Balm: 3 pack is $10.95, so $3.65 for a single. 
    

Bvlgari Bath Tea Bags: $9.50 (full-size)
    

Le Metier De Beaute Replenishing Daily Solution: Full size is $225 for 1.7 oz (I KNOW, RIGHT?), and this sample is 0.10 oz, so $13.23 roughly. 
    

Total Worth of Box: $54.58
     

So, no where near as much as last month's box, but still, a good deal for what you pay! 
  
      

FINALE
      

I washed with the fantastic body wash, spritzed my hair with the Boho Waves, and all that was left for me to try out was the Lip Balm and Blush...so I did...and here's the pic to show! -
   

I felt a little bronzed goddess with this blush. It's a very pretty shade though, not my favorite, but I have a feeling I'll be using it again when the time is right! And don't my lips look kissable soft? My husband certainly thought so...he was just dying for an orange creamsicle afterwards though ::giggles::
       

Happy Makeuping! 
      

Love, Cookie 
    

Starbox - April 2013

FESTIVAL

Time for Starlooks again! This is definitely my happy makeup sub. I feel a little posh, sophisticated and fancy when I get to open this snazzy lil box of fabulousness. 

Le Box:

 

This may sound silly, but I really appreciate the color variety of the boxes and wrapping each month. I think it's just ridiculously cute! This month the theme is Festival and it's a mix of neutral products. The box is a lovely baby blue with a...I'm going to go with black-brown lid (it almost looks black in some light, so it's either a light black or a black-brown). The tissue inside is silvery on the outside and pale green tinted on the inside. Essentially it matches the APRIL Starbox card perfectly! I love that. I'm big on artsy details. ::wink wink:: The point of this box's theme is what would you wear while out at a fun festival in the hot sun and you don't want your makeup melting off your face...so cool, breezy, but gorgeous is the goal.

Le Products:

So what would one wear out to a Festival in the hot summer sun? Why, a transluscent mineral powder, lip balm, lash boosting mascara base under mascara and a soft shimmery lipstick of course! And there's my little quarts crystal, makes me a happy gal.



ITEM 1 - TRANSLUCENT/NUDE MINERALIZED POWDER

I have found my new amazing translucent mineral powder. No joke. I completely gave up foundations about a year ago and become obsessed with BB Cream and translucent mineral powder to set my face, and up until now I was CONVINCED that Maybelline's Translucent Mineral Powder was the best I'd ever used...and I have tried several different types, but ladies...THIS is the powder of my dreams. It's light, airy, sets and stays all day (I do use a setting spray as well, but typically my powder will start to fade, however, it did not with this Starlooks powder!) and it blends perfectly into my skintone! Starlooks states:

"This Translucent/Nude powder can be used on EVERY skin tone and is mineralized,

so the ingredients allow the most natural appearance on the skin, while mattifying

and creating a velvety finish." (From Starlooks Starbox April 2013 Card)
     

I love spectrum products. I have finicky skin at times. I am quite pale, but I also have rosacea, so I appreciate products that work well for multiple tones. They also sent out a Translucent/White powder (same, except white instead of nude) because they felt like some people preferred to use a white setting powder while others prefer to see a skin-tone color, but both are usable on all skin-tones. Now about the look of the product...I love the poof, I do, it's precious...I feel so retro taking out a poof and patting it on my face for powder! I'm such a brush girl though, so I'll admit, I did take out my makeup brushes and use my flat stipple brush to apply the powder, but I learned a trick from a performing friend of mine...for your most oily spots on your face (nose, chin for me), using a powder puff and press a small amount of powder firmly (but don't rub) onto those spot a few times to set it. You don't want to use too much or it'll just flake off, but pressing settles in onto the skin better than rubbing or just lightly patting. This powder definitely is at the top of my stash for every day use! Adore it!

ITEM 2 - LASH BOOST MASCARA BASE



I've sorta kinda tried mascara bases before. I used one of those dual mascara wands, that have the white primer on one end and the black mascara on the other. So you swipe the primer on first, then flip sides and swipe the mascara on immediately afterwards. Honestly, I didn't really see a difference. THIS stuff though. WOW! It's an interesting texture...it's full of fibers that attach to your eyelashes and makes your lashes looking thicker and longer. It also is supposed to soothe and moisturize your lashes! Yes please! It was very easy to apply and I only used one coat. The brush is nice and fluffy, so I can really dig into those lashes and apply an even layer. I also loooove the sleek silver tube. I will certainly be using this often. I mean, what chic doesn't love long luxurious lashes?



ITEM 3 - TENDERGLOSS LIPSTICK in African Sunset

This was their variety item, so different people received one of three different colors. Either Trinity (appears to be a orange with golden shimmer), Polish (deep pink-mauve) or this one, African Sunset, and I have to say, this color is DARLING. Given the name and the appearance in the tube I thought..hmm..not sure if this is for me, but I was blown away when I swatched it! -

It's actually a berry-mauve! On the right is a single swipe and on the left I swiped about three times. It's shimmery in the sun and it's quite soft as it has shea butter extract in it. There are a total of 24 different shades in the Tendergloss collection and I think I will definitely be purchasing others! It's buildable, but still light, provides nice coverage without popping too much and lasts for a few hours before needing touch-ups (without eating or drinking). One thing that was a definite PLUS for me is that although I am one of those unfortunate few who can't wear lipstick that often and for that long because I get skin and saliva buildup on the edge of where my top and bottom lip meet and when I wear lipstick it creates a line that is just hideous to behold....this lipstick doesn't do that on me! Oh glorious beauty product day! It's a big deal ladies, it really is. ::hugs Tendergloss::



ITEM 4 - MINT SPF LIP BALM

Another Starlooks Exclusive Product! Last month they included a vanilla lip scrub (click HERE to see post) and it was amazing, but I'm even MORE excited for this product. Can I say it, can I swoon? MINT. I seriously can't stop smelling this little balm, it smells so amazing. I popped that little cap off, twisted the stick up and smoothed this baby all over my lips as soon as I opened my Starbox. It even soothed my allergies! I could go on and on about how much I love mint. On a side note, speaking of mint...if you have not smelled a chocolate mint plant or orange mint plant...you are missing out. I only wish you didn't have to constantly rub the leaves to smell the fragrance, or else I'd have them all over my front yard! I might look a tad bit like a crazy person constantly walking in and out of my house just to go rub the leaves of my plants every 20 minutes or so...yeah I think so. Anyhow, back to the product...::ahem::...this balm is fantastic! It's super smooth and keeps your lips baby soft for hours. I think it's absolutely perfect to wear under lipstick and glosses as well!



WORTH AND PURCHASE

Translucent Nude Mineral Powder: $19

Lash Boost Mascara Base: $15

Tendergloss Lipstick: $11

Mint SPF Lip Balm: $5

Total Worth of Box: $50

This box is even worth more than last month's box? Crazy! If you don't have a Starlooks sub, you seriously need to get one. You can't argue with the worth of this box. Paying $15 and getting a box valued at $50? Go on, try to argue with that...The Translucent powder AND the Mascara Base are both individually worth what you pay for (the powder is even more!). Starlooks, well done and thank you!


FINALE:

I used all of the products, of course, including the powder AND the lip balm under the tendergloss. I actually used Starlook's Lengthening Mascara that I received in last month's box over the Mascara Base!

I really loved the tendergloss, since my lips are naturally a berry color, this particular color just boosted the color a bit.

Here's a closer look at the eyes:

My lashes are typically stubborn little buggers. They slant downwards and are shorter than norm...they also really don't like to curl, so whatever I can do the lengthen and volumize is high on my makeup priority list. This Mascara Base certainly did the trick! I used about 2 generous coats of the lengthening mascara over it, then a third coat just on the tips of my lashes (Helps to lengthen and feather).

All in all, a fantastic summery box. Now if I can only find a Festival to go to!

Happy Makeuping! ::flutters super-long eyelashes::

Love, Cookie

Positively Polished - Featuring OPI Liquid Sand Bond Girl Collection

Wanna know the best technique to keep your polish's oil and color from separating? Just remember this one little tip....

"Shaken, not stirred..."

OK, actually, that's not true, the best thing to do is roll it. If you shake it, it can form air bubbles...but that joke had to be done! 

OPI's LIQUID SAND BOND GIRL COLLECTION!

This past week I placed an order on Ulta's website for 5 of the 6 polishes in their collection. I had originally heard that they weren't going to be available till May, but lo and behold, they were on the website and yesterday when I went to Ulta to pick up a few things I saw them there as well! The collection is named after famous Bond Girls from the entire span of Bond movies, from the original (and best in my opinion!) Sean Connery to the newest Daniel Craig. They are: Honey Ryder, Tiffany Case, Jinx, Vesper, Pussy Galore, and Solitaire. I didn't purchase Vesper, which was tough because it's a collection! However, every swatch I looked at, including professional swatches, big blogs, etc., couldn't make it look appealing! It's supposed to be a dark deep purple, but with one coat you can barely see it (and it's still streaky) and with TWO coats it turns black! Granted, black with a slight purple hue along the edge...still...a little too goth for me. If it had been a TEENSY bit more purple, I would have loved it, but I already have a purple liquid sand (OPI's Mariah Carey Can't Let Go).

Let's get started!

 This is just one coat! I knooooow, right? These polishes are amazing. I just adore them. I applied a base coat (Nailtini), then just swiped on each polish. 

Here is two coats:

Two coats definitely smooths the polishes out a bit. The only one I would say might NEED two coats is the white (Solitaire). It was a tad see-through, but not overly so. 

Time to go through the pretty colors! - 

HONEY RYDER

 I love this polish! It's a lovely muted champagne gold, with tiny shiny flecks throughout. It goes on very well, and can actually easily be a one-coater! I believe the majority of these polishes are perfect for that quick 5 minute manicure that needs to be a one-coater and dry fast...here you go! This is one of the softest gold polishes I have and is very classy, elegant and a perfect Honey Ryder match!

This is two coats in slightly shaded daylight.

 TIFFANY CASE

Tiffany Case is definitely has the most sparkle of the bunch. Several have mentioned that it's a dupe for OPI's other blue liquid sand Get Your Number, but they are quite different, I assure you. Get Your Number is a much deeper richer blue and there are large holographic glitters that can pick up other colors when reflected. Tiffany Case is a softer more icy metallic blue. Once dried, Get Your Number looks more rock-like and chunky while Tiffany Case is a lot more sand-like in texture. The blue is uniform throughout the glitter and it was a great one-coater as well, but smooths out evenly with two!

 I actually much prefer Tiffany Case to Get Your Number!

SOLITAIRE 

This was the only polish that I'd consider to not exactly be a one-coater. As I said, you could get away with it in a pinch, but it's better with two coats, possibly even three. It's a lovely white (but not too stark) with tiny silver glitter specks in it. The application was a bit gritty on the first coat and a tad streaky, but the second coat softened it a bit. It's frosty looking when the light shines on it directly, but more sparkly in softer light. 

 I could see this polish being GORGEOUS with a top coat! I bet it would look like a diamond! All in all, a lovely clean looking liquid sand polish!

PUSSY GALORE

I saved my favorite two for last! This is a baby pink liquid sand and let me tell you, this pink is divine. It is quite frosty looking when applied, with an iridescence throughout the liquid. The sand is fairly uniform, there aren't any larger pieces of glitter. It goes on very smoothly, dries gritty with one-coat and with two has an interesting, not quite smooth, frosted effect. 

  This would be what Queen Frosting from Candyland would wear...definitely.  

JINX  

The most fabulous in this collection, in my opinion, is this amazing coral-orange! It's bright, vivid and goes on so well! Easily a one-coat, I actually didn't notice much of a difference with two, other than being thicker. It has small sparkly gold flecks throughout that really make it pop and shimmer in the sun. I bet this one would be amazing with a top-coat as well!

 I'm sad this picture doesn't do it justice. I can't make my iPhone behave today. It's really stunning, I promise!

FINALE

These polishes can be purchased for $9 each and I've currently found them only at Ulta, but I'm assuming they'll be out in other stores come May. I HIGHLY recommend adding these to your stash, they are amazing...even better than the first group of Liquid Sands that OPI came out with for the Mariah Carey collection. I'm crossing my fingers that OPI continues in this direction of awesomeness! Well done!
  

Here's my fun little manicure I came up with - 
 

 I wanted to go simple, elegant but with a twist and I really loved the way Jinx and Honey Ryder looked together. So here is my twist half-moon! Or really high curved gold french tip...or whatever you'd like to call it! lol
   

 The 1st picture was taken in shade and this one is in brighter light. See how the Honey Ryder brings out the gold flecks in Jinx? Loooooove...
   

Happy Makeuping...now I must go drool over Sean Connery in You Only Live Twice...because only HE can say "Bond...James Bond." in the sexiest way possible! Me-OW!

  

Love, Cookie

Birchbox - April 2013

WOMEN'S HEALTH + BIRCHBOX

Definitely a very interesting box this month! Birchbox joined with Women's Health magazine to provide a box with tons of anti-aging, protecting, nourishing and moisturizing products. This seems like the perfect timing for these products since we're changing seasons, and your skin can really take a beating. It's important to remember that when the seasons change, so must your beauty routine! Even if it just means tiny tweaks, such as adding more SPF products, lightening your lotions, using more mattifying or shine-free products for those warmer days, etc. 

Here is what was featured in their April 2013 Sneak Peek video (with Women's Health Beauty Director, Molly Nover-Baker!)

Caudalie - Divine Oil
Nexxus - Youth Renewal Rejuvenating Elixir
StriVectin-SD - Eye Concentrate for Wrinkles
Youngblood Mineral Cosmetics - Anti-Shine Mattifier
Ojon - Rare Blend Deep Conditioner

Here is what I received! - 

There was a ton of packaging! By the time I opened everything this is what was left! -

I received lotions, the mattifying cream, the hair elixir, the eye cream and a body wash gel. This was ahem....an interesting review to do...to say the least. Prepare yourself ladies...I shall do my best!


ITEM 1 - WELEDA BODY LOTION in Pomegranate, Wild Rose & Sea Buckthorn

 I really really REALLY wanted to love these. I mean, look at the packaging, it's adorable...those pretty bright colors. Ugh, I'm such a sucker for pretty packaging! As I've mentioned before, I'm just very particular about my scents. Aromas are such a personal thing to me, as I'm sure they are to everyone else as well. Out of all of them, Pomegranate was the most tolerable to me. I assumed it would be a tart, fruity smell, but nope, it's quite strong and almost florally! I can BARELY smell the pomegranate. The Wild Rose is VERY strong and is a very deep, heavy musky scent. Much too overpowering in my opinion. Now the Sea Buckthorn...well, there are just no words lol! First of all...what IS that name? I looked it up and apparently it's a shrub. This is going to sound so prissy, but um...I really don't want to smell like a shrub! The aroma is the lightest of the three, but it's still on the deeper side. I also detect a very small smidge of a fruity scent in it, but it's being overwhelmed by something more woody. As far as the moisturizing properties, they do moisturize quite well. You don't need to use much, but a decent amount is best and they certainly leave your skin smooth and soft. The only strange thing is that, when I transferred them to my little empty jars, the Sea Buckthorn's consistency was completely different! It was much more watery! 

Here's a pic of the three side by side in the jars:

 The Pomegranate is on the right, Wild Rose in the center and Sea Buckthorn on the left. Notice how Pomegranate and Wild Rose are still creamy looking and Sea Buckthorn is flat. I poured the Buckthorn last too...it settled so fast since it was so watery. It still went on well, though, regardless of it's consistency. To see my review about the empty jars (they are so awesome!) click HERE!



ITEM 2 - YOUNGBLOOD MINERAL COSMETICS - ANTI-SHINE MATTIFIER

This was an intriguing product to play with! However, I don't think it worked that well for me ::sadness:: BUT that may be because of my makeup routine, I'm not sure. My makeup routine starts with washing my face...I use my Clarisonic with a salicylic acid face wash (in daytime). Then I use Fresh's Umbrian Clay Serum, followed with Olay's daytime lotion. I start my makeup with a face primer, then BB Cream, conceal as needed, brightener and set everything with translucent mineral powder. It was recommended to use the Youngblood Mattifier before your foundation, so since I don't use foundation I just used it before I put on my BB Cream. I kept checking my makeup every hour or so during work and I didn't notice any mattifying difference compared to my norm. In fact, my face looked a tad shiny! I applied it to my nose, center of my chin and apples of my cheeks (that's where I get shiny the most). This particular product might work better with foundation instead of BB Cream, or perhaps I did not apply enough. I just rubbed the pad of my finger in the center, then probably brushed about two strokes on each section of my face. It applied well, and it's a fairly generous sample, it seems that it'll last quite a while, but I'm not sure how often I'll be using it. I might try to procure a foundation (I don't have any! I'm strictly a BB gal now!) to retry this product, but honestly, to have to change my routine to use a new product is not that enticing. If anyone receives this same product and DOES use a foundation, please let me know how it works for you! For now, I've popped this little pan into my GlamRX Palette that I received in my Ipsy March 2013 bag! It's my sample pan palette for all my little samples I receive in my subs! For my review on the GlamRX palatte in the Ipsy March 2013 bag, click HERE!



ITEM 3 - NEXXUS YOUTH RENEWAL REJUVENATING ELIXIR

I fairly pleased with this product. As I mentioned in the beginning of this post, I would do my best to review these products, but alas, majority of these seem to be better reviewed after some time has elapsed with continuous use! What's very interesting about this Nexxus though, is I actually DID notice a small difference with only one use! I put about 4 drops in my hand and ran it through my hair, let it air dry a bit while I did my makeup, then I styled my hair as normal. My hair seemed a tad softer and it brushed out much more easily...note...that was the only thing I did different in my entire styling process. It really did not have a scent (which incidentally, I was rather grateful for after my Waleda lotion episode...my allergies were all sorts of angered after that!) and although this sample won't last too too long, I probably will be purchasing this afterwards!



ITEM 4 - STRIVECTIN-SD EYE CONCENTRATE FOR WRINKLES

Can I cry a little for getting this? ::wimper:: I don't think I'm quite ready for a wrinkle cream! I'm 27 years old! Don't get me wrong, I am BIG on taking care of your eye area. I actually began anti-aging prepping at 21. I researched good lotions to begin using and ways to keep your eyes from getting puffy as well as taking care of dark circles (which apparently I have a issue with, since my skin is fair and thin under my eyes, bummer, boo). I've spoken to a few doctors and they do recommend keeping your under-eye area well moisturized to keep the skin supple, soft and retain elasticity. Then in your 30's, continue with eye creams, and possible find some with vitamic C and/or caffiene. In your 40's it's a good idea to look for anti-aging creams like contain peptides (promotes collagen) and/or antioxidants (prevents collagen damage). 50+ ladies should consider not just anti-aging, but brightening, wrinkle-treatment and firming/smoothing eye creams. This particular product seems best for maybe mid 30's and up. I did try it though, and it goes on very smooth and you only need a teensy tiny amount! This is a generous sized sample! 



ITEM 5 - SKIN&CO ROMA CLEANSING BODY GEL with OLIVE & SICILIAN ORANGE EXTRACTS

This product has been given out in Birchbox before and almost every comment I've heard regarding it all seem to say basically the same thing (save a very few)...it smells like a man's body gel! It doesn't smell bad, by all means, but I don't really want to smell like a man! It's a tad musky, but somewhat sweet (must be the orange). It lathers really well and the scent lasts a good while. The sample size is nice, and it spreads well over your skin. OH MY, I just asked my hubby to go smell it, so I could get a man's opinion...he said: "It smells like my grandma's old purfume". Oh well...so it's really not suitable for either of us! I'm a strictly sweet bakery (brown sugar, chocolate, etc.) or fruity scented body washer. I'll probably take this to my work and ask around to see who might want it. Given that it's a stronger scented wash with a very individualized aroma, I wouldn't want to gift this randomly. 


WORTH AND PURCHASE

Going off the card that Birchbox included as well as checking out the company's websites, here's what I came up with:

Waleda Body Lotion: $16.50 for a full-size (6.8 fl oz) and the packets I received were each 0.13 fl oz, so roughly $0.95 for all three. 

Youngblood Mineral Cosmetics Anti-Shine Mattifier: $36 for full-size (0.25 oz), sample is 0.05 oz, so about $7.20. 

Nexxus Hair Elixir: $20.99 for full-size (0.94 fl oz)...however, I'm not sure where they got this price??? I just looked on Ulta's website as well as CVS and I'm finding $17.99. Furthermore, I looked Birchbox's website and this product wasn't listed for purchase...so hmm...no clue. Anyhow, given that, I'm going to go off of the $17.99 pricing. The sample size I received is 0.14 fl oz, so then it's $2.68. 


StriVectin-SD Wrinkle Eye Cream: $65 for full-size (1 oz), and the sample size is 0.25 fl oz, so about $16.25.

Skin&Co Body Gel: Full-size is $17.50 (8.45 fl oz), sample is 2 fl oz, so $4.14.

Total Worth of Box: $31.22

They also included a nice little bonus for Birchbox subscribers! A one year subscription to Women's Health magazine! You just have to fill this card in and send it in!

I may not have been absolutely wowed with this box, but once again, wonderful worth Birchbox! Especially the StriVectin, that's a very generous sample...enough to where I will definitely continue using it to see if it actually makes any difference for my black circles!


FINALE

I've had better, but what's funny is the main problem with this box is aroma. If the body gel and lotions had been scents that I liked, I would be very pleased with this box! I'm definitely going to keep using the Nexxus (my fav) and the eye cream. I'd be very interested to see how everyone uses the Youngblood and well it works! Please let me know!

Happy Makeuping Darlings!

Love, Cookie