Boxycharm November 2014 Unboxing and Review

Hi everyone! This is my review for the November Boxycharm box. This is my first Boxycharm and I have to say that I’m very impressed. If you don’t know Boxycharm is a monthly beauty subscription service which gives you deluxe to full sized samples each month. The cost per month is $21.00 and if you live in Florida you have to pay taxes (I live here so I had to pay taxes). If you have not received your box and you want to be surprised please stop reading here. 

The first thing I saw and grabbed out of the box (because it was huge) is this Keven.Murphy Color.Bug. This is a full sized product and retails from $20.00 - $25.00. This is a color chalk which you wipe on and wash out easily at the end of the night. My bug is in silver and while I have not tried this yet I’m really excited to try it. 

I was so excited to see this MicaBeauty Eye Primer(who am I kidding when I opened the box I was excited – I really need to get this lighting fixed so I can video my facial reactions). This is a full sized product and it retails for $44.95. This is a waterproof primer for eye shadow. The consistency is really nice and it goes on smoothly with no creasing. I used this for some eye shadow and it worked perfectly. I’m a huge Urban Decay Primer Potion fan but this outperformed that. I think I may have found a new primer. 

I smeared this bellapierre Shimmer Powder on my hand as soon as I opened it. This is a full sized product and retails for $14.99. This is a mineral powder and adds a really nice shimmer to your eyes (or like me wherever you want to be shimmery). 

I continued my boxgasm with this TARINA TARANTINO Eyelicity Glitter Liner. This liner is full sized and retails for $16.00. I almost bought a similar product at The Makeup Show this past weekend and I am so glad I did not. I love this shimmery eyeliner. You can use a little to make your eyes look larger or completely glam your eyes up to the high heavens. 

I saved this one for last on purpose. This is the OFRA Cosmetics Pressed Blush in paradise pink. This OFRA Blush is full sized with a retail value of $24.95. This color looks a bit dark in the pan and if you’re very light skinned it won’t work for you (or maybe it will depends on the look you like). I however, love the tint and again, almost bought a blush in the same tone this weekend. Boxycharm was psychic for me this month! 

Here is a swatch off all the colors blush, eye liner, and the shimmer in that order from bottom to top.

I am in love with this box. If this is the type of product’s I can expect from Boxycharm then I am going to be having a boxgasm every month. They hit this one out of the park for me and I can’t wait until December's box. 

November 2014 Birchbox Unboxing and Review (spoilers)

First off, I have to say that this box was much better then my last. This time I did opt for the special box this one was The Happy Holiday Hacks Featured box. Now, I hope (maybe) that next month I won't be tempted to get a special box and I'll actually give you a review on the general box (but if it's to good to pass up - I'm apologizing now). Now, if you haven't opened your box and don't want to know what's in it don't continue reading (smile). 

The first product out of the box is the amkia Nourishing Mask. Full sized cost - $28. This is a paraben-free treatment that conditions and repairs your hair with see buckthorn berry. The smell is very fresh and not to over powering, and we know that’s an issue for me. At first I was not sure what this was. I thought it was a face mask and I was thinking “Oh no, something my face won’t be able to handle” but I was happy to note that the card said it was a deep treatment for your hair. THIS I need. My hair and I are at odds all the time. Now I will say I don’t treat it very well (did you see the running photo from last post?) and since I’ve been trying to be more proactive about treatment (angry face) and my hair (I have thin hair but that’s for another post) I really am looking forward to see if this helps my dry hair.

The next sample that excitedly pulled out of the box was Not Soap, Radio Joy Inducing Body Wash (seriously read the bottle). Full sized cost - $16. Not Soap, Radio is lemon-scented cleanser which will brighten your outlook while you later (according to the lovely card Birchbox includes). It is also paraben-free. I love the smell of this. It’s not to strong (so it does not smell like floor cleaner) but still gives a nice fresh smell of lemon. I love citrus smells (Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue!) and I can’t wait to use this with my Lush Ocean Scrub.

Now we come to the dr. brandt pores no more vacuum cleaner. Full sized cost - $45. I’m not opening this product because I won’t be using it. I am lucky that I do not have black heads (yay for something not on ma face). I will be gifting this to a friend and will let you know how it works for her.

I did not notice this product until after I opened the pillow box but I’m going to mention it before I talk about the pillow box. This is MAKE Silk Cream Lipstick & Lip Primer. Full-sized cost - $36. I am 100% going to try this. Since I opened this box late in the day I will put it on tomorrow and give you an update in a future post. I’m not sure about the lip primer because I’ve never used one before. So, I will look it up and see what it’s supposed to do and tell you guys if it works (yes I know the basics behind it – laugh).  I am severely lacking in the lipstick department (I will rectify this soon – Sephora is having their 20% VIB sale right now). So, this MAKE sample is perfect timing for me.

Now onto the pillow box contents which included a RUFFIAN Nail Lacquer in RUFFIAN Naked. Full sized cost - $10 and a bonus! The bonus is a Firecracker ChocoPod. First let me talk about the chocolate. This is so funny to me. I was just looking at this at World Market (a store with lots of chocolate and other things from around the world). It has pop-rocks in it people! It’s great!

The RUFFIAN Nail Lacquer is a great nude color. It’s very opaque and looks like it will be a one coat application. I just did my nails before I opened this box, so I will show you a swatch on my nail as soon as I change my color.

Overall this box, to me, is amazing. I love every product in it (even the dr. brandt). I can’t wait to try my products and to tell you all how much I liked or hated them (smile). 

Yves Saint Laurent Fusion Ink Foundation SPF18 Review and First Impressions

You guys are going to get to see my really pissed off rosacea face today. Don't you feel lucky? Since my cancer diagnosis I haven't used much makeup. At first I spent 6 weeks in the hospital and then another 9 months of treatment. I had no desire to put on makeup. I know that for some, putting on the makeup and doing the little things helps them along with treatment. For me, it just made me tired thinking about it. Also, my eyes were affected by the Leukemia so I was all blurry anyway and looked perfect! 

Now that I'm a few months removed from treatment I've started playing with my makeup again. First my makeup bag was MIA. Korean Tiger mom likes to put things away when no one is using them. This means that you might be able to find it later but probably not. Luckily we found it! Sad to say though that some of the makeup was bad, dried out, or melted (I have no idea how). I've replaced many of my staples, Hourglass Mineral Veil, UrbanDecay Eye Primer, and Make Up Forever Aqua eyeliner in navy blue, but my foundations (Smashbox hydrating powder and Cargo HD) were a lost cause. 

I went on the hunt for a new foundation and as we all know, my face has been crazy lately. I tried a few (I'll post about those later) but I have to talk about the YSL Fusion Ink Foundation. This foundation comes in 16 shades and retails for $60.00. Now let's pause here. I had no intention of spending $60.00 on a foundation. It's pricey and I realize that for most it might be too pricey. However, sometimes you get what you pay for and this is one of those times. 

I was color matched as Ivory which is not the color I would have picked for myself. If you're a little iffy on your color I highly recommend you go into a retailer and get color matched. My original intention was to get color matched at Sephora and then take advantage of Sephora's VIB and VIB Rogue free deluxe sample, but I was so blown away by the product that I purchased it on the spot. 

These are the only products I used - Hourglass Primer (travel size), Shiseido foundation brush, and my YSL Fusion Ink Foundation.

This is a very close-up picture (egads) of my face before I applied the foundation. I applied one layer of foundation by placing the foundation on my hand, and then, using my foundation brush, I picked up the product a little at a time applying all over my face. Remember, a little goes a long way. If I were to compare it to drops I would say about 5 drops of the foundation. Fusion Ink is a wet foundation but it dries to a powder-like finish which is very soft.

And this is after. 

This is a comparison of both the right and left side of my face before and after the foundation application. 

These are very close shots of my face and as you can see the red spots, broken capillaries and rosacea redness are gone. If you notice, I got closer to take the after photos. It also does not look like I have any foundation on. There is no caking or buildup, and it is not holding onto any of the dry patches on my cheeks or emphasizing any wrinkles. It is silky smooth, goes on very easy, and literally vanishes. It really just looks like perfect skin. 

I am just amazed by the Yves Saint Laurent Fusion Ink Foundation. Even with my rosacea and very dry skin it leaves a perfect finish. YSL Fusion Ink foundation is now my all-time favorite foundation and well worth the higher end price tag.

My First Birchbox - Unboxing and Review

For those that don't know Birchbox is a monthly subscription company centered around beauty. For ten dollars a month Birchbox sends you four to five samples (sometimes deluxe samples) of vary products. Since I want to branch out makeup and beauty wise I decided to subscribe. I was not given this box and purchased it with my own money (for those who might be wondering) and even if it was given to me I would still give you my honest impression of the service. 

First let me say that I received a Laggies box. I was disappointing from the get go because I just wanted a regular Birchbox. I did call Birchbox costumer service and while the woman was very pleasant she told me that I had put in a special code when I ordered (I don't remember doing that) and because of that I received this box. She also stated there was nothing they could do about the box (I did say I wanted the regular one). 

So, my review might be a little tarnished by the fact that I did not receive exactly what I wanted. 

First off I am a Rockstar just in case anyone was wondering (carefully placed finger over address). 

This is what my box looked like (see the Laggies?).

Here is what the inside of my box looks like. It's really nice packaging and there of course is a card that explains everything in the box. I know that's what the card is because I have watched a ton of unboxing videos on youtube. Don't judge me, you don't know my life (laugh). 

...and this is what came in my box. 

The first product is Beauty Protector protect and detangle. The full-size price is $21.95 and this is a deluxe sized sample. The info card says it locks in color, protects from heat damage, and adds silkiness. 

My take - It has a pretty strong smell. The base of it is citrus (grapefruit to me) mixed with something medicinal. I don't need this because I don't need a detangler but I will try it to see if it does soften. I'm pretty picky with scents so I'm not sure how this is going to smell once I put it in my hair. It should be interesting. 

The second product is Vasanti Cosmetics BrightenUp! Enymatic Face Rejuvenator. The full-size price is $34.00. The info card says it mimics the effects of microdermabrasion for glowing, smooth skin. 

My take - Well I have no take really (laughing). I didn't open it and will be giving it away. As you know from previous blog posts I have rosacea and am having a bit of a flare at the moment. Since this has little rough beads in it I wont use it on my skin. That's all I need - to make my face worse! 

The next product is TOCCA Crema De Mano in Bianca. The full-size price is $8 - $20. The info card states that it's loaded with essential oils and that this green tea and lemon lotion absorbs in a flash.

My take - This also has a very strong perfume smell. You do get a wiff of the lemon but it has a very flowerly perfume smell that reminds me of an older ladies perfume. I'm not a fan of the smell and I wont be using this product.

This little box had two prodcuct's A ModelCo POWERLASH high impact black mascara full-size $20 and a Sage +Fasten eaude parfum in Onward (roller ball) full-size $50. 

My take - I'm going to have fun with the mascara. I've been out of mascara for awhile and this will last me a good while because I don't wear mascara that much. The perfume I actually like (I bet you didn't see that one coming. I like clean fresh scents and I'm not sure if it's the grapefruit smell but I really appreciate it. It has a sweet undertone but not overly sweet. I really like this product and will use it. 

Overall this box was just OK for me. Like I said before I was disappointed by the fact that it wasn't the regular October box. I had a feeling that the scents were going to be to much for me when I opened the box and got a face full of perfume. The box was worth the $10 simply because I know that if I didn't have rosacea I'd use the Vasante scrub as well. 

If you want to subscribe to Birchbox yourself you can click on the link below (it's my private invite link) or just go to www.birchbox.com (smile).  

https://www.birchbox.com/invite/2whw9