Urban Decay 24/7 Glide on Lip Pencil. Meh.

I was REALLY excited to try this product. I know Urban Decay puts out awesome products and I have been thinking about try to use a lip liner or lip primer for a while. When I got this in my Ipsy bag I knew immediately that I could just toss the purple gloss away, because I am not even close to being bold enough to try that. I planned to try to pink shade, but obviously just once or twice because the container isn't resealable.

I tried the product twice. The primer went on nicely. I read that I wasn't supposed to just line my lips, but rather almost fill them in. The pink color was awful on me, and I didn't like the smell or texture, so I wiped my lips clean and started over, this time using a clinique lipstick and gloss combination.  I would say that the product lasted on my lips for about an hour and a half before I needed to reapply. When I used the liner with a different lipstick and gloss combination today I got just about the same amount of time out of it before noticing I needed to add product.

Definitely not impressed. More let down.

Birchbox May 2015

Birchbox is the very first box that I subscribed to. It is the one that got me hooked and the beauty box concept and, sadly, the one that has let me down the most and the one that I like the least.

I originally signed up for their service because I wanted makeup samples. I knew that other beauty products would be included, of course, but I was expecting mainly makeup in the boxes. To date I haven't received more than two makeup samples in any box, and at times just one. The saving grace is that in every box there seems to be one thing that I love (makeup or not) and as such I haven't given up on it yet. Birchbox focuses more on other beauty products, such as hair care, lotions, and perfumes. The subscription is $10 a month and shows up for me around the 7th or 8th of the month.

This month's box is Cupcakes and Cashmere. Included are a CC cream by Juice Beauty, a leave in conditioner by Number 4 Hair Care, a small sample of Harvey Prince's Sincerely perfume, a small sample of Coastal Scents Revealed 3 palette, and an oxygenating cream moisturizer by Naobay.

I am the least excited about the perfume sample. I actually wear a perfume by Harvey Prince daily, but I am not a huge fan of Sincerely. At least it has a pump and will fit easy in a purse if needed. Seriously though, Birchbox, STOP SENDING ME PERFUME!

The leave in conditioner smells really nice, and I also got a leave in conditioner from Ipsy this month, so I'll have to see which one I like better... Either way, I don't regularly need or use a leave in product.

The Oxygenating cream smells like Fruit Loops. Seriously. It is an off yellow color too. I'll try it, but I am hesitant.

I've seen the Revealed Palette online numerous times but haven't ever tried it. I love using a palette though and currently use one from TheBalm cosmetics. I'll give this one a shot.

So I've tried this CC cream before, and I LOVE IT. I used to use one from Clinique that wasn't working for me, and I find this one to be perfect. I can already say that when this sample runs out I'll be buying the full size product.

April 2015 Glossy Box

This is my first experience with Glossy Box.  I subscribed mid April and after samples apparently being backordered I didn't receive this box until May 11th.  It is my understanding that the April box sold out and I pretty much got some left over products.  My account says that I should be getting my May box between the 8th and the 20th, but the status of my shipment says the box hasn't been packed yet so we will see if I receive it in time this month.

So Glossy Box differentiates itself from other boxes by including full size or "luxury size" samples of high end, niche, or trendy brands.  It runs $21 a month, with each box being worth much more than that monthly cost.

My box included a nail polish by NCLA, Calvin Klein's Reveal, a moisturizer by Juice Beauty, a color safe shampoo by Nexxus, and an eye rejuvenation serum by City Cosmetics.

So right off the bat, it is late spring and they have sent me a dark red nail polish!  The color is really pretty, but I won't be giving it a second thought until Winter.

I'm super excited about the rejuvenation serum.  I have the typical dark circles under my eyes that come along with being 35, and I am excited to see if this will help get rid of them.

The perfume sample is nice!  It is large and comes in a really pretty bottle.  It smells great too.

I have mixed feelings about the Juice Beauty moisturizer.  I've received a CC cream from them before that I can't live without, and I've received a face mask from them that was terrible.  We'll see what side of the fence this lands on.

I'm not sure what to think about the shampoo!  It smells really nice, but with my curly, color treated, hair I don't really use a shampoo without its matching conditioner...

At any rate, I am excited to try what I got, but even more excited about receiving my May box!

May 2015 Ipsy bag is here!

To date Ipsy is my absolute favorite subscription.  Unlike other "boxes" Ipsy comes in a fun makeup bag that matches whatever the monthly theme may be.  While they will put other beauty products in the bag, the majority of what you receive is makeup, and frequently they put makeup brushes in their bag which I love because quality brushes are not cheap.  Ipsy is a month to month subscription and it is $10 per month.  I usually receive my bag around the 10th.

This months theme is "Jetsetter" and I was pretty happy with what I received:

The bag this month was from Breakups To Makeup and is of fairly good quality.  Its bigger than I was expecting and can fit quite a bit in it.  Its contents included a tapered blending eye brush from Luxie Beauty, a matte finish moisturizer from Amie, a leave in conditioner spray from Briogio, a lip pencil with lip gloss from Urban Decay, and an eye liner by BellaPierre.

I'm immediately excited about the matte face lotion because summer is coming up, which for me means going makeup free frequently and it is hard to come by a lotion that doesn't make my face look like I rubbed it down with babyoil.

I was actually about to buy some black eyeliner this weekend because I ran out, so receiving a full size liner this month was great.

I'll end up saving the blending brush for a bit because I have one I am using right now that works fine.

While excited about the lip liner, the glosses were a bit of a let down.  I am not bold enough to try to pull of a purple gloss, and the pinkish color gloss comes in a foil packet that isn't resealable so I won't get many uses out of it.

I am least excited about the leave in conditioner, as it isn't a product I use much, but I will give it a try!

Transforming

When Mike proposed to me two years ago I was through the roof with excitement. With a list a mile long of things to do to prepare for the wedding, who was going to take care of my makeup for the big day was always on the back of my mind. The only thing I knew for sure is that I could not be trusted to take care of it myself. I suck at doing makeup. Always have.We ended up spending a pretty penny to have it done professionally. I found a girl who studied under Bobbi Brown and used to do makeup on Broadway. She did an amazing job. My makeup was perfect. I could not stop staring at myself, and I was hesitant to wash my face when it was all over. The takeaway for me was that at 34 years old, I needed to go ahead and learn to do my own makeup.

Since the wedding just over a year ago I have slowly learned a few tricks of the trade, and I have learned that the few things that I thought I knew about makeup were either incorrect or out of date. I have learned that the easiest way to figure out how to use a product is to ask the technicians at the store to show you how to put it on. I have learned that nothing will be perfect the first time and you need to practice (and if practicing a smoky eye you will probably end up looking like you have two black eyes at first). I have learned that bronzers and blushes can keep my extremely fair skin from looking ghostly in photographs. I have learned that organization is the key to everything. I have learned that some products are worth spending more money on than others. I have learned to invest in a good set of makeup brushes because all the applicators that come along with products are pretty much worthless. I have learned that applying makeup can actually be fun!

Through all of this, my biggest takeaway is that I cannot afford to buy every product that I want to try. I am at times hesitant to purchase things for fear that it will not work out for me. In the past few months I have found a solution for this that has become my latest obsession: monthly beauty box subscriptions. By now everyone has heard of Birchbox, and rightly so as it is the original monthly beauty box, but what I was not aware of until recently was the amount of boxes available. There are a TON! Not just for makeup either, but really for anything you can think of. I think I have finally settled on the boxes that I will be staying with for a while (limited only by the amount that I am willing to spend).

Most of the time when I become obsessed with something I also become obsessed with telling people about it, so here is where I plan to do just that. I am currently subscribed to Birchbox, Ipsy, Glossybox, and Boxycharm, and I'll let you know what is great about them... Also what isn't so great. I'll also let you know about the products I receive that I didn't know I needed but can no longer live without, and the ones that have already been thrown away. I am sure there will, of course, be many opportunities for a laugh at my expense with my makeup failings ;-)