Glossybox - November

For November, Glossybox went with a theme of "Tis the Season", promising gifts of luxury for the holiday party season. I actually got my box before I got my shipping confirmation, so its arrival was a surprise this month!

Here's what I got this month!

It's a small thing, but I always appreciate the cute little GlossyMag they include...it gives me something to leaf through on my breaks at work!

I continue to love the way Glossybox is packaged. Even if the contents are less than exciting, the little ribbon and paper make it feel like a present. I got five products this month.

Incoco Nail Polish Applique - A nail applique strip made of 100% real nail polish including base, color, and top coat for brilliant, long-lasting results. 

These are a pretty, shimmery deep red color. I have used similar strips before and I love how smooth and long lasting they are! I have already set up a trade, I'll be trading these for one of the perfume sticks they sent out this month that I did not receive, but they look like a good product!

Nume Style Arganics Argan Oil - A perfect complement to any hair and skincare regimen, this argan oil is rich in Vitamin E and other beneficial fatty acids.

This is my least favorite item in the box. While I love hair oils, we've gotten so many lately, and this one is actually full of tons of silicones, and the argan oil is far down in the ingredient list. I dislike misleading names like this.

We also got a code for $100 off Nume styling tools...I don't heat style my hair, so if you're interested in this code, let me know and it's yours!

Skin & Co Roma: Truffle Serum - Give your face a boost and slow down signs of aging using this Italian serum infused with peptides, pure extracts of tuber melanosporum and hyaluronic acid.

I find this product interesting. It is, however, a very small amount of product in a too-large tube. There is enough for several applications, though, and I tried it this morning. Feels nice and light going on. 

Kryolan for Glossybox Blusher in Glossy Rosewood - The micronized pigments in this semi-transparent cream powder allow for a vivid yet light application.

This is the product that I was supposed to get last month, but it was missing from my box, and then they sent me a different (but higher value) replacement. So, I was really excited to get it this month! I LOVE THIS BLUSH. It goes on smooth and blends beautifully, and is sheer and pretty. Love it. This is by far my favorite item in the box.

Illamasqua LTD -Lip & Eye Medium Pencil - Designed to glide over your skin and create a long lasting highly pigmented finish, this creamy pencil lets you write a different story with every look.

I received the color Rump - a light baby blue. I love that they market their pencils as all-purpose, good for the eyes, lips, or body instead of differentiating them by types. They sent out many shades ranging from this light blue to bright red to basic black and brown. I love this color, so pretty in the waterline with my blue and silver shadows. 

In all honesty, this is the first Glossybox I've been a little disappointed in. It's definitely not a terrible box - the Illamasqua pencil and Kryolan blusher more than pay for the box alone, but it doesn't have the wow factor that my other boxes from them have had. I do think the other box variations were better than this one! However, I am still happy with Glossybox in general, and I'm excited to see what next month brings.

Have you ever tried any of these products? What are your favorite products for the season?

Barkbox - October and November

Rowan got his November Barkbox today, which made me realize that I had never posted our October box! So, this is a two in one post.

Barkbox is a monthly subscription service for dogs! They are a great company - 10% of their profits go to shelters, and they send out only safe, healthy items for your dog. They offer three box sizes for small, medium, and large dogs. Each month, you receive healthy snacks and treats, toys, and lifestyle items, and even gift codes!

If this interests you, feel free to sign up via my invitation link here. Doing so will save you $5!

So, here's what we received for October and November! For reference, we get the large box.

Here's the October box! I misplaced the info card for this box, since I was thinking I had already posted it. So, this won't be very detailed...sorry! But it included tooth cleaning gel, an organic wool ball (Ro loves this!), some Feelgood treats, some cute poop bags, and a Humunga-stache toy! Rowan is a little freaked out by the mustache, but he adored the wool ball and the treats...and I appreciated the poop bags!

And here's the November box! It seems to have a bit of a Thanksgiving theme to it! It includes:

Bionic bone - This is a super tough orange rubber chew toy that can be frozen and stuffed with treats. Ro loves toys like this, especially with some peanut butter inside!  I'll be using this today to distract him while I put up some Christmas decorations!

Fruitables - Pumpkin and Mango treats. These smell so good, like fruit snacks! They are made of 100% natural organic ingredients. These are soft and seem like they will be chewy.

Acadia Antlers Rope Antler Chew...this is a rope with a piece of antler attached! Don't worry, Acadia uses only naturally shed antler to make their toys. This is the first thing Ro stole out of the box, and seems to be his favorite. This toy is a Barkbox exclusive!

Mr. Barksmiths Pumpkin Patch smoothie - this is so cute. It's a little cup you pop in the freezer, and then give your dog a healthy frozen treat. I'll give this to Ro when I'm eating my pumpkin pie!

Also included in the box were a $10 gift card to mrchewy.com, a $10 discount on dog sitting services from rover.com, and a one month subscription to dogtv.com.

Rowan and I continue to be happy with Barkbox, and he always knows what it is as soon as he sees it. If you have a dog, I definitely recommend it! They're a great company to support!

Glossybox update

So, in my post about my October Glossybox, I had stated that I was missing an item - I had received only 4 items, and the Kryolan blush I was supposed to receive was missing. I had heard mixed reviews about their customer service, and so I decided that seeing how they handled the situation would determine whether or not I continued to subscribe!

Well, things didn't look good at first...it took me over 2 weeks to finally get ahold of them. Their offices and warehouse are in New York and New Jersey, so I decided to be patient, due to the Hurricane. I'm glad to say that after several emails. I received a replacement item today!

The item I was supposed to get was a Kryolan blush. They must have run out of that item, so they sent me a basq Calm Resilient Body Oil. It is a full sized product (2 ounces) and it retails for $20. It has a lavender pear fragrance as promises to strengthen, tone, and protect the skin. It states that it is especially good for pregnancy and weight loss. It's free of nasty chemicals and is cruelty free.

I have to admit that I was a little sad to miss out on the blush, just because I was really interested in it, and I loved the Kryolan lipstick I received from them previously. But, this is definitely a fair replacement, and I appreciate them making it right. I will continue to be a subscriber.

the goodies company taster's box - November

A couple of month's ago, I started seeing people pop up talking about a new company called "The Goodies Company".  They are a monthly subscription that sends out a box of snacks each month! The current price is $7 a month, and beta subscribers lock in that price for the length of their subscription. They are currently in beta mode, so after signing up, I waited for over a month before I finally got in. This morning, I got my first box!

The first thing that struck me was how BIG this box is! If you have subbed to Love With Food, this is at least 3 times the size of those boxes!

For size comparison, here it is with a Wii-mote on top.It's also about twice as deep as the Wii-mote.

Presentation is really nice! The card says this month's theme is "Entertaining Made Simple" and it comes with foods great for parties, movie nights, and game nights. The back of the card lists the items received.

This month, they included a bonus - a canvas farmer's market bag! This seems nice and sturdy and it's a good size. Happy to get it!

This is chocolate soufflé mix by Flourless Bliss. This comes with enough mix for two soufflés. I've never had one, but I love chocolate, so I'm excited to try these!

I'll admit that I already ate these! Bobbysue's nuts in original. These are amazing! It's pecans, cashews, and almonds with a sweet spicy coating. Super addictive. I will be buying more of these!

I love tea and pumpkin things, so I know I'll love this Pumpkin Spice tea by Bigelow. I'll have it after work tonight!

This is Lotus Bakeries Biscoff Spread. I have had this before, and it's SO good! It looks and has the texture of creamy peanut butter, but it tastes like cookies! Yum. 

These are American Vintage Wine Biscuits in White Wine, Shallot, and Cayenne flavor. These are my other favorite item in the box...they have a nice hearty crispy texture, and you can really taste flavors! I love the wine and shallot combination. Really interested in trying more of these.

This is a Dark Quinoa chocolate bar by Alter Ego. Pictured with the Wii-mote because it's huge! I love crunchy bars, so I'm excited to try this.

And finally, Oogies White Cheddar popcorn. I am a popcorn fanatic, and how can you go wrong with white cheddar? This will be my after work snack tonight!

In all, I am super happy with this box! For $7, I got a lot of things to try, and I love that there's a combination of salty and sweet things. This sub is a great value. If you like trying new snacks, I recommend you sign up for their beta at their website!

Starlooks - Monographic Eyeshadow Palette review

I included this palette in my October favorites, but I like it so much that I wanted to talk about it a little more!

This is a 5 color palette by Starlooks! It was sent out in the September Starbox. If you haven't heard of Starbox, it is a monthly program in which Starlooks send out a few of their makeup products monthly. It is $15 a month, and the products are all full sized. They are a small company and they make awesome, high quality products! While many sub programs tend to send out either their most popular products or ones they are getting ready to discontinue, I love that Starlooks sends out some of their newest products...in fact, we got this palette before it was even on the website!

This is a very unique palette, in my opinion! The five shades all have a white base. At first glance, they just look like pastels, but they are actually opalescent shades with gorgeous shimmery sheen. The five shades are gold, opal, pink, purple, and mint green. 

This palette was designed so that the shades can be used as a highlighter, on their own for a light shadow look, or over other shadows to alter their color. They are awesome! Nice and buttery and they are beautiful alone AND on top of other products. They go on sheer (in a good way) but are easily buildable.

Here are the five shades swatched on Starlooks' clear primer. The lighting and angle are weird because I wanted to show their awesome opalescent sheen!

And here they are on a black cream base. I love the way they look on the black. I've also worn them on top of other shadows and I love the way they transform shades (the opal is great for lightening up a too dark shadow, as well.)

This has become a daily go-to palette for me...they make perfect inner corner and browbone highlighters for any look. I'm really interested in trying more of the Starlooks shadows.

What do you think of shades like these? What is your favorite daily palette?

NYC New York Color IndividualEyes Custom Compact - review

Eye shadow is my absolute favorite makeup item. I can't get enough of it. So the most exciting item in my Beauty Blogger VoxBox from Influenster was the NYC New York Color Individual Eyes Custom Compact.

These palettes are all in one compacts. Each contains primer, luminator, and four shadow shades. They come in a variety of shades designed to enhance your specific eye color.

I received the "Dark Shadows" compact, which is shades of black, gray, and white. Obviously this is a neutral palette and not one specifically for my green eyes, but grays are my neutrals of choice, so I am okay with it!

The quality is decent for such an affordable brand - the shadows are decently pigmented and over primer, they last all day for me. The primer isn't the best I've tried, but it does it's job. I especially like the two lighter shadows, they are nice and the silver is just the right amount of shimmery. The illuminator also acts well as a base and is very creamy.

There is a bit of fallout, especially with the darker shades, but it is easy enough to clean up.

These retail for $5 and for that price, I think they're a great buy. I might pick up another one!

Disclaimer: I received this product for free from Influenster. I was not otherwise compensated, and all opinions are my own.

Not Your Mother's Kinky Moves Curl Defining Hair Cream - review

I have thick wavy hair that is currently growing out years and years of coloring and damage. So, babying it with treatments and creams is a must! I was happy to receive Not Your Mother's Kinky Moves in my Influenster VoxBox!

This is a curl defining cream that contains grapeseed and jasmine, and that is exactly what it smells like to me! It's a fairly light cream with the consistency of a lotion. It is easy to work through the hair, and I found that it does eliminate frizz and flyaways without weighing hair down!

My favorite way to use it is to apply to wet hair after shampooing. I then braid my hair and sleep on it. When I wake in the morning, I have neat waves with no frizz. It's truly a great product.

Not Your Mother's has a whole line of styling products, and I am very interested in trying more of them. This product works well on my light waves, but would probably be even better on truly curly hair!

Have you tried anything by this brand? What are your favorite haircare brands?

Disclaimer: I received this product free from Influenster. I was not otherwise compensated. All opinions are my own.

Bath & Body Works Fall Mini Candle review

I absolutely love candles, so I was really excited to receive a mini candle from Bath & Body Works for free in my Influenster Beauty Blogger VoxBox!

I've used candles from Bath & Body Works for years, and they are probably my absolute favorite candles. They are highly fragranced and made of vegetable wax. They also have lead free wicks. Their candles come in 4 sizes ranging from these minis to their large 3-wicks. They sell candles made by both Slatkin and White Barn, and both are very high quality. They come in a huge variety of scents! They have regular year round scents and they also have a huge assortment of seasonal scents, as well as limited edition collections.

The scent I received was Nutmeg and Spice by White Barn. This scent is described as "a cozy concoction of spiced caramel and nutmeg", and it is a nice, warm, sweet, spicy scent. This is a new scent to me and I really love it! It made my entire apartment smell warm and homey and welcoming. If you like warm, cozy, spicy scents, I definitely recommend this one!

Other scents that are currently available that I have personally tried and loved are Cider Lane, Leaves, Marshmallow Fireside, Frosted Cupcake, Creamy Pumpkin, and French Baguette.

You can get these mini candles for 2 for $5 at (http://www.bathandbodyworks.com. I think the fall and winter scents are the best ones, so I plan to stock up before the holidays!

Have you tried these candles? What are your favorite scents?


*Disclaimer: I received this product free of charge. I was not otherwise compensated and all opinions are my own.

October favorites

So, yeah...I'm a couple of days late with this, and as I post it, I realize that I forgot a product, and probably my #1 product this month (so I added it on, but it's not in the group shot). Apparently, I'm full of failure this month! Oh well. Here are the products I was reaching for on the regular in October!

I'm really loving one of Bath & Body Works' new scents, Cashmere Glow. It's described as "golden peach and shimmering vanilla wrapped in soft cashmere musk". To me, it is just a warm, cuddly scent with a bit of sweetness. I'll probably wear it all winter.

I had never heard of Starlooks before a friend was kind enough to gift this palette to me. I fell in love with it and have decided to subscribe to their Starbox subscription program! This is the Monographic 5 shade pallette, I LOVE THESE. Each has a white base with different opalescent shades: Gold, Opal, Pink, Purple, and Mint. They are designed to be worn alone, as a highlighter, or over other shades to transform them. They're beautiful and soft and I adore them.

The trick stick highlighter by Vapour Organic has become a daily staple for me...I love its subtle glowy shimmer, and it's really easy to use. It has a fairly dry consistency which keeps it subtle without being hard. I've been using it on my browbones and cheekbones nearly every day.

This L'oreal Double Extend mascara has really impressed me for a drugstore brand! It's double ended, a 2 step product. The gold side contains a primer and serum to be applied before the mascara. Together, they provide length and fullness while staying soft. I've been reaching for this more often than any of my other mascaras.

I like hair oils in general, but this Pequi Oil Treatment by Couture Colour is just awesome. It smells a bit coconutty, and it's super light. My hair is shiny and manageable when I use it.

I am not a lipstick person by any means, and I have never had a lipstick I actually really liked before this one! It's the Kryolan lipstick in Glossy Pink made just for Glossybox. It doubles as a stain. It's a nice pink color that looks natural on me, and it lasts for a long time. Love it! I wish it was available for purchase.

So, here they are: the things I have been loving lately. Have you tried any of these products?

Sircle Samples - more goodies!

I got another package from Sircle Samples yesterday, so I thought I'd share my latest freebies from them.

I've posted about Sircle Samples before, but if you haven't heard of them, they're a site that offers free products in exchange for points, which you earn by doing surveys and reviewing products. They're still a pretty new site, and samples do tend to pop up at random times, so keep that in mind if you join! Sometimes there will be multiple products to choose from and sometimes you might go a couple of weeks with nothing. But, it's free, so I suppose one can't complain!

I know some have complained that they tend to use a few cheap brands (elf and NYX) over and over, but personally, I get that as a new company, it takes time to build brand relationships...and yet again, it's FREE. I've gotten a set of really nice RAW natural beauty brushes from them as well as Glamour Doll Eyes eyeshadow, so I'm happy!

If you haven't joined yet, here is my referral link. They do sometimes have a waiting list.

Here are my most recent goodies.

From Left: elf nail polish, elf liquid eyeliner, elf Hypershine lip gloss, and Sircle Samples compact mirror. They also threw in two chocolate coins!

The polish is in the shade "Flirty Fuchsia" and it is brighter than it appears in the photo! It is a nice bright pink color, almost bubble gum-ish. Definitely a cute color and I will use it.

The liquid eyeliner is in silver! I was worried I'd get yet another black liner, so I was happy to get this one. It's a whitish silver, and shimmery and will be a fun way to brighten things up.

The hypershine lip gloss is in Cherry Tart, a nice reddish pink color. The formula is a bit sticky, as elf glosses tend to be, but not horribly so. I love that it applies with a brush, and it's the right amount of glossiness for me. It found it's way into my purse already.

The compact is cute and a good size for my purse, as well.

Have you joined Sircle Samples yet?