Popsugar Must Have box - September 2014

I thought about cancelling Popsugar before September...not because I don't like it (I have actually loved it every month!) but because I really need to start saving money for a new computer, winter clothes...everything...but then they put out a spoiler. And the spoiler reeled me in. SO, here I am!

Popsugar is one of my favorite boxes, because they send out such a mix of things - beauty, fashion, home, tech, fitness, food...I really love the variety.

This month, they shipped much smaller boxes. For me, this is a good thing - I like having different sized boxes for storage. They're still cute and pink, though!

Tilo Scarves Modal Gradation Scarf in Raisin - I decided to wear this for the picture so you could see how cool it is. This is the spoiler item that kept me subscribed! It is a super soft, silky ombre scarf that goes from gray to a plummy raisin color. It is so soft and silky! It retails for $125...and I would never spend that much on a scarf. But for the price of the box, I am beyond happy! I love scarves, and most of mine are bright colors or busy prints. This is such a pretty autumnal neutral for me!

Letter C Design Gold Foil Arrow Pencils - This is kind of a weird inclusion for me, just because I don't even think anyone really uses pencils anymore, let alone ones that you sharpen. However, they are cute and I will use them, and stash them around the house for when I need them. They come with a sharpener which is handy, because I don't have one! These are the least exciting item for me this month, but they're definitely not a BAD item.

Oribe Superfine Purse Size Hair Spray - This is a great hairspray with a fine spray and great hold. It also smells nice! I used to hate getting hairspray in subs, and I gave it away every time. Then I chopped my hair off and started needing/wanting some hold for my style, and I regretted getting rid of all of my hairsprays. So this one is very welcome!

Rifle Paper Co Garance Dore Assorted Girls Set - This is a cute set of cards with four designs on them. I love Rifle Paper Co. and their products, and I love sending snail mail. I'll be writing notes to my penpals I've been neglecting for months on these!

Nicole Miller Stereo Earbuds - These are cute cobalt blue earbuds. I have mixed feelings about these. On one hand, I had been wishing for some earbuds or headphones from a sub for a while. And these are CUTE...I love this shade of blue and the shape is different. However, they are uncomfortable in my ears, and more importantly, the sound is not great. These only retail for $20, so I wasn't expecting anything amazing (I am a bit picky about headphones and sound quality and usually spend between $80 and $100 on them), but for that same $20, I could get something much nicer...even some basic Skullcandy buds sound better. So, good effort, Popsugar, but these just don't do it for me.

 

Nike $20 Gift Card - This is $20 to use on Nike's site and a tape measure (to measure yourself for their new bras!) I won't be getting a bra, but I will need new shoes soon, so I'll be using this, for sure. I love that it can be used on anything in the site, I hate when brands call things gift cards that aren't, but this one has no limitations!

Urban Remedy Almond Brownie - This is a raw, organic almond brownie. I honestly usually hate any kind of "raw" food involving chocolate because the texture grosses me out. But I really found myself liking this one! It is nice and chewy and not too dry. The downside is that the calorie content was crazy! I won't be buying any of these, but it was fun to try.

Ghirardelli Milk Chocolate Sea Salt & Almonds - I love me some Ghirardelli, and these are delicious. They have the perfect balance of sweet and salty for me. Popsugar can send me some of these every month, please and thanks!

Overall, I am really happy with this month! The scarf makes the box for me, and everything else is a nice bonus. It definitely feels like an early fall box. I might have a hard time cancelling again for October!

If you are interested in trying Popsugar, please feel free to sign up using my referral link here!

What do you think of this box?

Boxycharm, September 2014 Review and Unboxing

I'm such a sucker for subs. Obviously. I'd been hearing about Boxycharm for a while, but never signed up...until I saw last month's box, which was so great, I had to sign up for September!

So, this is my first box, and I have to say, I'm pretty impressed. Boxycharm is $21 a month and offers full and deluxe sized products. When they launched, they sent out all drugstore brands, but now they send out a good mix of a bit of everything!

September's theme was "Fashion Week Fabulous" and it promised runway-ready products. I received five full sized products!

The packaging is super cute! It says "Hello Charmer" on the side!

Like most other subs, it has an info card, which I love. Everything appears to be well padded. However, there was a small amount of damage to a product (and leakage of another). But, very minor, and everything still looked pretty good.

Coastal Scents Go Palette in Beijing - They sent out these Go palettes, which are inspired by different cities! Each one has 12 shadows. I really like Coastal Scents - they are my favorite cheap/budget shadows! They're always really pigmented and nicely textured.

Beijing is rosy and gold tones. As you can see, one shadow arrived broken. However, it was easy enough to clean up. These colors are very pretty and I've used it a few times!

Tarina Tarantino Eye Dream Hyperlight - This is a cute pinky toned liquid highlighter with a cool clicky-brush applicator. Other subscribers received a mascara by this brand (and I'm glad I got this!) It is really great for brightening up the eye area and I've been using it daily! So glad I finally got to try this brand!

NCLA nail lacquer - I love NCLA! I don't wear reds very often, but this one is super bright and beautiful. I think I'll wear it with a vintagey dress soon! I love NCLA's formula, it lasts pretty well on me.

Harvey Prince Hello - This is one of my favorite scents and I was SO happy to get a full purse spray of this! It did leak a bit, but I didn't mind because it just made the rest of the box smell amazing. It's a great citrusy scent that isn't too sweet or too strong, great for everyday use.

Tarte Lipsurgence lip gloss in Tipsy - This is a cute sheer coral gloss! I love tarte, and while I don't wear gloss often, I was happy to try tarte's gloss. I like it! Not too sticky, lasts pretty well, and I like this shade a lot. I love this over a lipstain!

Overall, I think this was an amazing box! The value is so great and everything is really nice.  So glad I tried Boxycharm out.

If you haven't tried it yet, please feel free to sign up! Here is my referral link!

What do you think of this box?

Ipsy - September 2014 review/unboxing

Ipsy and I have a very on-again, off-again relationship. I have joined and cancelled more times than I care to count! However, I cancelled again this month after only 2 months back with them, and I think I'm done this time.

Don't get me wrong, Ipsy is a really cool service, and they do offer great product sizes. But I think it's best suited for either those new to makeup, or those working on building up their collections. They send out things that aren't terrible, but very rarely do they send out anything new, exciting, or unique. And my makeup collection now is to the point that yet another black eyeliner or pinky lipgloss is just not exciting unless it's from a new brand or a really great color. And I feel that Ipsy sends me the same old stuff, all the time!

That said, here's my September bag.

September's theme was "Street Style", and it is reflected in the bag itself. This is one of my favorite bags from Ipsy! Soft, in a gunmetal color, with cute square studs. I'm using it in my bag right now! 

Pacifica Eye Pencil in Gunmetal - This is a shimmery gunmetal shade. It's okay! I would have loved a fall color, but this is fine. Pigmentation is okay. It is somewhat creamy. It lasts an average amount of time. NOthing terrible, nothing to write home about. 

Alterna CC Cream 10 in 1 - This is a nice product...I love a good leave-in, and I love that this one offers heat protection as well as moisture and shine. I think the "10 in 1" promise is kind of silly. Basically, it is a leave in conditioner/cream with heat protection. Calling this 10 in 1 is like calling your shoes 2 in one because they cover your feet AND protect your soles. Marketing silliness. But it works well and leaves my hair nice and soft.

Cailyn Art Touch tinted lip gloss - Oh, yay, a neutral pinky lipgloss from a brand I've sampled a thousand times, that is drugstore quality at high end prices. THE JOY. This will be passed on to a more lipgloss loving friend.

Crown Brush Infinity Dual Ended Shadow/Crease brush:  This is my favorite product this month. It is nice and soft, and I love that the crease brush is small, I needed a much smaller one for detail work. 

Nyx Hot Singles eye shadow - I got this in an oxblood shade. It's a pretty color...but I dislike Nyx eyeshadow. I love other products by them, but I find the shadows not very pigmented and quite powdery. This will also be passed along as a gift.

Overall, I just didn't think this bag was great. It was okay. Some gifts for my sister, so that's a bonus! But I am definitely over Ipsy.

What do you think?

Birchbox - September 2014 "Fresh Paint" review and unboxing

I usually get my Birchbox toward the middle of the month, and usually about a week after I get a shipping notice. So, imagine my surprise when I came home yesterday to find my box waiting for me! Definitely the earliest I have ever gotten it, before my shipping email arrived!

The theme for September is "Fresh Paint" and it's all about saying goodbye to summer and gearing up for fall's colors, textures, and fashions. It is also Birchbox's anniversary month! They sent out cute patterned boxes this month, and it sounds like the boxes might have multiple designs. Mine is adorable and I am already using it to store some samples on my shelf!

This month, Birchbox gave us the opportunity to select a sample once again. I don't remember what all of the options were, but there were 4 options and another curated box. I selected Macadamia Healing Oil Spray as my sample. I was delighted to feel how heavy my box was this month!

Here's what was inside.

You can see the cute patterned box in the back! I'm interested to see if others get different patterns! I received five samples and a "Birchbox Find", which is a mass market product they send out as an extra.

Macadamia Healing Oil Spray - This was the sample I selected. It is a lightweight oil spray for hair that fights frizz, dryness, dullness, and protects. I've used the regular oil before and really loved it, so I was excited to try the spray version! It has the same scent as the regular oil and I love how light and easy it is to apply. I love hair oils, and this one does a great job of keeping my hair soft, silky, and shiny. Once I use up my giant hair oil stash, this is probably the one I will repurchase!

TEMPTU S/B Highlighter in Champagne - This is a liquid shimmer that adds some shimmer and glow to your look! The color is called champagne, but it is actually a bit darker than what I generally think of when I think of that shade. I'm very fair, and on me, this is too dark to be a highlighter. I am going to try it out on my eyes, as a base under bronzey shadows, perhaps! I do like the shimmeryness and it is not sticky. 

Harvey Prince Hello - This is a perfume featuring meyer lemon, mandarin, other citrus, and floral notes. Harvey Prince is one of my favorite perfume brands, and I already have a rollerball of this scent. It is one of my favorites, so the sample is more than welcome! It is citrusy, and not too sweet...it is great for a hot sticky day, but not out of place for fall, either. It isn't heavy or overwhelming. 

Avene Cleanance Soap-Free Gel Cleanser - This is a cleanser infused with French thermal spring water. It is great for oily or blemish prone skin, which is exactly what I have these days! I really like this. It makes my skin feel clean and soft without feeling dry or tight. It also seems to be helping my current breakout, so bonus!

Tocca Crema de Mano in Bianca - This is a hand cream featuring a green tea and lemon scent! I have been lusting over these Tocca hand creams since the first time BB sent them out, ages ago. So excited to finally get one! This is great - the texture is moisturizing without being too heavy - it is quickly absorbed. The scent is delicious and citrusy. This made its way immediately into my bag.

BIRCHBOX FIND: Chapstick Hydration Lock - This is a double ended chapstick! One side is moisturizing, and the other is renewing. Both sides feel nice on the lips with no nasty flavor or scent. This is a great extra for fall.

Overall, I am SUPER happy with this month's Birchbox! The sample sizes are amazing and I am happy with all of the products! I am not sure how much use I'll get out of the highlighter, but the other items have already made their way into my routine. Awesome. 

If you've read my blog long, you probably know that subscription boxes are my addiction, and I've tried so many. Birchbox is the one I always go back to, and the first one I recommend to people. If you haven't tried it yet, feel free to sign up using my referral link here..

What was in your box this month?