Starlooks - January 2014

REFLECT, CLEANSE, and START FRESH

SURPRISE YOURSELF!

         

So sorry this post is coming at ya a bit late! I've been trying to transfer all of my files over to my new laptop so I can be set up by work for this week. I've been so incredibly preoccupied with that over this weekend that I put my blogging aside! I just realized that it's now February! Woopsie! ::giggles::

Can I just say I was soooooo far off with this month's sneak peek Looks Book guesses! They did something totally unexpected and different! Although, looking back at how they worded their sneak peek, it makes PERFECT sense now!

Here's the link to my sneak peek post -

The Charming Cheshire - Starlooks Starbox January REVEAL

Here's what Starlooks has to say about this month:

HAPPY NEW YEAR from STARLOOKS

"Time to drink a cup of kindness for Auld Lang Syne and start a'new - with a fresh body, a fresh mind and a fresh face. This month is a very special one, as we all have the opportunity to take a deep look into ourselves, say farewell to the things we want to change, and welcome our new transformations and goals. STARLOOKS encourages you to add our motto (and this month's STARBOX theme) to your list of resolutions this January:

Surprise Yourself!

Don't hit the snooze button. Wake up in time to enjoy a cup o' joe. Take a moment to notice what a beautiful winter day it is outside. Take the time to make yourself look and feel just as gorgeous on the outside as you are on the inside. But before you head out to start your day, try that new, unused eye shadow, lipstick, liner or piece of makeup you never thought you could pull off, and watch the heads turn and the compliments flow...you won't regret it, we promise. XOXO - STARLOOKS" - from 2014 January Starbox card

So here's the surprise for this month.....everyone received different variations in their Starboxes! They sent out products from random different past boxes (along with a few other products) to subscribers that haven't received them before (and if by any accident they had, Starlooks offered to replace the item with something else). So the Looks Book photos had nothing to do with what the model had ON her face...it's a fresh face! A clean fresh palette ready to try something new, absolutely anything! The possibilities are endless!

So here's what I received in mine....

 Two lip glosses, two lipsticks and an eyelash comb

I actually recognize these sets of glosses and lipsticks. Months ago Starlooks partnered with Ipsy for one of Ipsy's Glam Bags and Starlooks sent out three different shades of lip liner to be included in some Glam Bag variations including Bare (nude), Tickled Pink (bright pink) and Tipsy (bright coral-pink). After the bags went out Starlooks created a lip set for each of the three lip liners that could be purchase to complete that shade set including a matching lipstick and lipgloss for each of the three lip liners. I received the matching lip gloss and lipstick for the Tickled Pink set and the Bare set! Haha, I ALMOST lucked out because I actually received the Tickled Pink lip liner in one Glam Bag and the Tipsy in another but not the Bare, so alas....I don't have the matching liner for the Bare set or the gloss/lipstick for my Tipsy liner. Still, very excited to have two matching gloss/lipstick sets without liner regardless!

On to the review!....

LIP GLOSSES

in Coy (lg45) and Guilty Pleasure (lg46)

Coy

Guilty Pleasure

     

"A truly moisturizing, non-sticky formula available in 47 different shades. Tint ranges from sheer to opaque and finish ranges from shimmer to matte. This creamy, glassy, long-lasting gloss adds a glistening effect to any lip look. Designed to be worn alone or in combination with other Starlooks lip products for a truly customizable finish that completes any look. Each tinted Lip Gloss comes beautifully packaged in a translucent tube with a doe foot applicator." - from starlooks.com

Starlooks glosses come in one of two main finishes - Gloss or Satin. Coy is listed as a gloss and at the moment I can't find Guilty Pleasure on Starlook's website but it appears to be a gloss finish as well. The glosses appear to have little to no shimmer while the satins are very shimmery. I only have one Starlooks Lip Gloss from a previous box called Pearl Necklace, which is a super pale nude satin that doesn't have much pigmentation at all, merely adds a slight shimmer to the lips, but it's gorgeous layered over a bright colored lipstick, so I was very excited to receive some more pigmented looking glosses! The packaging style is simple, chic with what appears to be a hard plastic tube that's round on the outside but has a hexagonal shaped inside where the product is in, making it appear to be a hexagon shaped tube. The lid is a standard twist off.

SWATCHES AND APPLICATIONS:

Coy

Guilty Pleasure

     

As mentioned above in the product description, the gloss comes with a standard slim doe foot applicator. I do love how the product does gets wiped off well on the sides of the brush when removing the wand from the tube, leaving just the perfect amount on the tip for application! 

Coy

Guilty Pleasure

Coy seems to be one of their lighter to medium shades. The shade is something of a nude-peach. Guilty Pleasure may be one of the medium tones and looks like a warmer dusty rose shade. On the bottom of my hands I swiped the glosses about 2 times for pigmentation and on the top I blended one single swipe. Coy isn't not terribly pigmented when blended, it just adds a light tone of peach but when swiped thicker, the color becomes more vibrant. Guilty Pleasure has a bit more pigmentation both blended and swiped straight on.

Coy

Guilty Pleasure

On my super pink lips, Coy baaaarely shows up peach-nude at all! It actually just lightly tones down the pink tone of my lips, haha! I didn't layer it too thick, just a typical lip gloss application. Guilty Pleasure matched the pink tone of my lips beautifully, in fact it just blended right it with it and gave it a pretty solid light pink hue that also looked very natural. The formula is very nice, it's not too sticky and doesn't hang heavy on the lips. It feel slightly thicker than a regular lip gloss...something between a gloss and a lip butter in fact, which is surprising since it's not terribly pigmented. 

The wear time for these shades isn't very long at all, only about 1-2 hours till the color fades. However, I do like how it made my lips feel moisturized for a few hours after! If you want just a soft natural gloss or if your lips aren't very pink naturally and you want lighter, not so bright shades then you may want to look into getting these colors! I really love how they feel on! However, keep in mind, they don't last too long, so you'd need to reapply fairly often throughout the day. I do really love the formula as far as how they feel on my lips!

LIPSTICKS

in Tory (p152) and Cherry Rose (p121)

Tory

Cherry Rose

     
"A Pro Quality, intensely-saturated, moisturizing lipstick available in 2 amazing finishes! Whether worn alone or with other Starlooks lip products, this rich formula comes in a vast array of colors to complete every desired look. Choose from a wide variety of majestic mattes, fantastic frosts, stunning satins, and glistening glosses. Versatile and timeless, Starlooks Lipsticks are beautifully packaged in sleek, black cylinders with a slice of each specific shade conveniently visible on the bottom - each perfectly portable and easily applied directly or with a brush for a softer look. Currently available in an astonishing 69 shades!" - from starlooks.com

Starlook's lipsticks come in two different finishes, mattes and satins (however, I'm assuming there are different varieties of satins since the description states there are frost and glossy finishes as well.) SOOOOOO many colors, haha, sixty-nine! Super cute names as well including BFF, Super Woman, Rosie the Riveter, and even ::gasp:: Porn Star ::blushes!::. Heehee! The lipstick packaging is a standard lipstick tube, solid black, round and with a clear color cap at the bottom displaying the color of that lipstick. Super handy when trying to find the color you want! I hate when lipsticks don't have them, cause isn't that always an issue when trying to find that ONE COLOR you want....you go through ALL the tubes, opening and closing ::giggles::

APPLICATION & SWATCHES:

Tory

Cherry Rose

Both Tory and Cherry Rose are matte shades. Tory is a deep warm nude and Cherry Rose is a medium pink. The formula is nice and soft, with good pigmentation. The bottom of each hand has two swipes of the lipstick each and the top swatch is one swipe blended with my fingertip. I love how very buildable the colors are. You can easily wear them blended lightly or if you prefer, more heavily applied for a solid color! 

     

Tory

Over my pink lips Tory turns into a rosy mocha shade leaning towards a dark nude. I could apply some foundation or BB cream to pull a bit of the pink out and go straight up dark nude but I personally like this color as is in the picture!

Cherry Rose

I loooooooove Cherry Rose! It's a perfect medium pink with just the slightest amount of pop! You could go natural with this, retro, even edgy with a fancy eye! Great for both daytime and nighttime...in love. 

The wear time for the lipsticks is awesome. The shine lasts about 1-2 hours but the color stays vivid for about 4, and the tint lasts about 6ish with eating and drinking. It fades without getting patchy as well. Because the formula is a bit thicker and creamy it doesn't bleed outside the lips much if at all, and it doesn't feel heavy or rub off while talking. 

I'm seriously going to look into getting more of these! I only wish they had swatches of the colors on their website! The color range seems nice but it's hard to tell exactly what the color is. 

ESSENTIAL MAKEUP TOOL EXTRA

LASH BRUSH

"Does your mascara leave youwith clumpy eye lashes? Never again! Finish them off with the handy lash brush to separate the lashes into their fullest, most gorgeous pontential. Can also be used to comb your brows." - from 2014 January Starbox card

It's always nice to have a handy dandy little tool such as this however I actually have three lash/eyebrow brush combs that are part of makeup brush sets I've purchased so I'll probably be putting this aside to include in a beauty gift bag for a friend! I think it's superdupes cute!

WORTH AND PURCHASE:

Starlooks Lip Gloss in Coy:  $12

Starlooks Lip Gloss in Guilty Pleasure:  $12

Starlooks Lipstick in Tory:  $12

Starlooks Lipstick in Cherry Rose:  $12

Starlooks Lash Comb:  $0.75* (estimate)

Total Paid for Box:  $17.68* ($15 box plus $2.68 shipping)

Total Worth of Box:  $48.75

Very happy with this month's worth! I'm always pleased to see full-size products in a beauty sub and it's so awesome to be completely surprised as the Sneak Peeks barely give you a hint as to what's in the box! I estimated the price of the lash comb based on it's size and the fact that it only has the comb and not the brush side like most lash combs do. I compared it to many brands with similar products. Once again, well done Starlooks on the worth!

FINALE

So Starlooks had something to say about what type of products you may receive...here's what they said about mine....

"Did you receive a lipstick that you believe is too bold, bright or dark for you? Try it as a cream blush! Swipe your duet brush meant for creme over the lipstick and buff into the cheeks. Lipstick makes GREAT BLUSH and the Stars do it all the time!" - from 2014 January Starbox card

With that in mind I decided to try out the products I received in as many versatile ways as I could think of! I wanted to stay within the lines of being Fresh and Renewed for the new year!

   

I used my lipsticks for all my makeup! I started with my usual primers for my face and eyes, along with my BB creme, concealer and setting powder. Then I used NYX's Jumbo Pencil in Milk all over my eyelid for a brightening primer. 

I dabbed on Tory (nude lipstick) all over my eyelid with my fingertip then very lighted patted on a similar shaded eyeshadow gently over it to set it. Th eyeshadow leaned a teensy bit more pink than Tory was though. The thing with using lipsticks on your eyes is they really have to set well or they'll crease like crazy. The softer and more creamy a lipstick is, the harder it's going to be to get it to set. Matte ones work the best out of all I've tried. These lipsticks were very creamy so I made sure I had a strong primed base, blended the lipstick in super well, and lightly set it with some eyeshadow. Even then, I had veeeeery light creasing but not too apparent. I set the eyes with a setting spray as well. I then used a fluffy blush brush and swiped it over Cherry Rose (pink lipstick) then buffed it onto my cheeks. I LOVE how pink it is! I really built up the color so you can see it well but it definitely can be worn more naturally. I used Cherry Rose on my lips, heavily layered, and swiped on Guilty Pleasure (pink lip gloss) over the top of it for a glossy finish. The only Starlooks product from this box I didn't use in this look is Coy (nude lip gloss). I finished the eyes with some black mascara and a very thin line of dark brown eyeliner right above the lashes as well as very lightly under the bottom lashes just to make the lashes appear thicker. 

Well that's it for January's Starlooks Starbox review! I hope you enjoyed it! Thinking of trying out Starlooks Starbox for youself? Please do use my referral code to sign up! Just CLICK HERE and it'll get you started! For every sign up with my referral code, I get a free gift box! If you sign up for Starlooks Starbox you can share your personal referral code for a customizable gift box as well!

Starlooks Starbox is a monthly beauty subscription box for $15 plus $2.68 for domestic USPS First Class shipping. Each monthly box contains 3-4 FULL SIZED pieces of Starlooks brand makeup plus some fun little beauty extras! Past Starboxes are also available for purchase for $25 each while quantities last. Starlooks also gives their subscribers a free Birthday Box ALONG with the monthly Starbox during the subscribers birthday month! What are you waiting for.....you know you want to sign up ::wink wink::

Happy Makeuping and remember....Surprise Yourself!