Little Black Bag - June (#2)

I already posted my first bag for June from Little Black Bag. Here's the 2nd! If you don't know what Little Black Bag is, you can learn more about it in my post about my first bag.

I started out with an extra item in this bag from Klout, so I was able to get the main item I had my eye on plus several smaller ones!

As usual, my mail people managed to dent up my box, but Little Black Bag is great about packaging things securely, so nothing arrived damaged!

Before I could even look at my other items, I had to pull this one out. This bag caught my eye immediately and I absolutely HAD to have it. It came with a nice dust bag, which I appreciate - I love switching up my bags regularly, so it's nice to have these for storage.

This is the Melie Bianco fold over satchel and I LOVE IT. Oh my gosh. It feels buttery soft, it's really great quality. I adore all the little details, especially the little lock and the belt details. It's hard to photograph the color properly - it's a great gray color, slightly more warm toned than cool. 

It's the perfect size - smaller than a messenger bag, but has a ton of space. It's larger than it looks in the photo.

I am really impressed with the quality of this. It's my first Melie Bianco bag, and I am now interested in trying more.

I love the interior! The inside flap has a suede feel to it. The polka dot lining is adorable! The interior is divided into two large sections with a zipper section in the middle.  It also has the standard zipper and cell phone pockets.

The bag has a nice crossbody/shoulder strap included.

I also got my hands on two more Cargo quads! I got one in my last haul and adore it. These are huge and the packaging is just gorgeous. I'm determined to collect them all.

I received Baja and Tahiti. Baja is the perfect neutral palette for my pale skin with pink undertones. I have used it nearly every day this week. The light pink shade is gorgeous, as expected, and I was pleasantly surprised by the pretty peach shade - in the photos, it looked more orangey. The browns are pretty and subtle and great for the crease.

Tahiti is so much fun! I love greens and blues, so I lusted over this one for a while. The light gold/green color is my favorite in this one, and all four shades look gorgeous together. I can't wait to play with this one more!

This is my first Cargo lip gloss. I got the shade Nassau. It's a nice, subtle color with some shimmer. It goes on sheer, shiny, and not at all sticky. It has a nice scent to it! I love the small size for my purse.

I also completed my Lavanila rollerball collection with this one - Vanilla Grapefruit. Such a unique and lovely scent. 

The next three items are a little different. I am a renter, so my interior design options are limited when it comes to jazzing up the walls. I'm also moving in the near future, and I've been trying to think of ways to liven up my bedroom. LBB offered several wall decals this month, and I was excited to snatch some up!

 I love these vanity mirrors. There are three of them in varying sizes. The design is so pretty and will look great with my damask and vaguely parisian thing I've had going lately.

These are decals, as well. The first is a huge tree with birds. I can't wait to see how this looks on the wall. I love trees and nature themes, and I love the size of it. The second pictured is actually a chalkboard decal in the shape of a scroll! I'm excited to use this to jot down reminders to myself.

And finally, I completed my Ali Khan ring collection with this stone accent ring. This is so pretty in person, and so sparkly! It's another stretch ring, and it's nice and big and bold.

Love it! All four of the Ali Khan pieces I got this month are great quality and super pretty. I fully intend to get my hands on more.

So, here is everything I got between my two Little Black Bags this month! I love this site so much, and I really appreciate the variety! For just a bit over $100 this month, I got an amazing bag, three home decor items, six pieces of gorgeous name jewelry, five perfumes, and a lip screen, all from reputable brands. Little Black Bag has definitely cemented itself as my new favorite way to shop! 

So, have you tried it out yet? Here's my referral link if you're interested! 

Sugar Bash - a new upcoming lifestyle subscription service!

It was brought to my attention by a fellow member of MUT that there is a new subscription service getting ready to launch in the fall. It's called Sugar Bash. Here's what they have to say about their service:

We are launching our BASHbags in the Fall of 2012. We are personalizing knowledge and helping women discover and share the things they love. Our BASHbags are the finest monthly lifestyle product sampling service available. We will be bringing members great finds right to their door every month! 

So, not many details yet, but sounds like it could be good. I usually love the lifestyle extras in my subs, so I imagine I'll enjoy this. You can reserve a spot now just by entering your email address! Here is my referral link! So far, the referral link doesn't seem to offer any kind of incentive or anything, but it can't hurt to use it!

Little Black Bag - June bag #1

If you couldn't tell from my last post about Little Black Bag, I am officially addicted. I won't go too much into detail about Little Black Bag here, but if you want to know the details check out my first post about it!

Basically, it's a subscription service for accessories that offers at least $100 of handbags, accessories, and jewelry (and more) for about $50. You choose your main item and are able to spend up to a week trading your items with other members until you're happy with your bag. It is an amazing service and I am in love with it!

I actually ended up getting two bags this month (and I may or may not have opened a 3rd...)! Here is the first.

The box itself was smaller with this order, since I got small items in this one. This probably made my mailman happy...I swear he is going to hang me from the ceiling, one day. I still think their mailing boxes are the absolute cutest.

My items in this bag were wrapped up into two separate little packages. I'm forgetful, so I only photographed the first. I love that everything is always well wrapped. They are good about securely bubble-wrapping delicate items.

This is the item that I chose, and I held onto it. It's a small skull bracelet by Ali Khan. I absolutely love this bracelet! It's so cute, and I love that it's not too big, but still has a bit of an edge. It's easily adjustable and feels good and sturdy and well made. I've not wanted to take it off. This adorable bracelet retails for $24.

This is something I traded hard for - the wing ring, also by Ali Khan (I fell a little in love with Ali Khan this month!) It's hard to tell in pictures, but this ring is gorgeous and well made. I wore it yesterday and got several compliments on it just in a single trip to the grocery store. It's a stretch ring, so it fits nicely and I'm really happy with it. It retails for $22.

This is a little different from my usual style, but I absolutely adore it. It's the house necklace by Betsey Johnson. It's big and super long (goes to mid tummy on me!) and the details are adorable. I love the solid chain and the little charms on it.

The bottom of the house opens and there are little sleeping people inside! So freaking cute. Obviously this isn't going to be a necklace I wear every day, but it's an amazing statement piece and I love it. It retails for $65. I was going to take a picture of it on so you could see the length, but it just didn't play nicely with the cowl neck dress I am wearing, so that will have to wait for another day!

These are 5 different products, but since they're the same brand and similar, I decided to simplify and photograph them together. These are perfume rollerballs (and lip screen) by Lavanila. The perfumes are, in order, Pure Vanilla, Vanilla Lavender, Vanilla Coconut, and Vanilla Passionfruit. 

The lip screen is SPF 30 and has a vanilla mint scent to it. 

I love perfumes, and these rollerballs are a great size for both my purse and my vanity. I also love that they are natural and free of harmful chemicals. They smell really good and have true vanilla scent, not the artificial cookie-like scent. 

The lip screen is nice and smooth and has a great texture to it. It doesn't have a gross taste like other lip screen products I've tried have. The rollerballs are $19 each, and the lip screen is $16.

And finally, another Ali Khan ring! This is the double stone feather ring. This is so gorgeous in person! The stones sparkle in the light, and it feels nice and sturdy. This is another stretch ring. It retails for $25.

How the three Ali Khan pieces look on. I love the stretchy rings that allow you to wear them on whatever finger you choose. So pretty and fun!

In all, I'm really excited about this bag! I love everything I received, and I really got into trading with this one and ended up with things I really wanted. This bag has a retail value of $228!

If you love accessories and haven't yet tried Little Black Bag, I definitely recommend it. Just be forewarned that it is incredibly addictive, and your wallet will probably hate you. But maybe you have more self control than I do! Here's my referral link!

Pictures of my 2nd bag will be up soon, as well!

Birchbox - June (Jet Set theme)

I checked my mail today to find that my Birchbox had already shown up! This is earlier than I usually get it, so points for that, BB.

Now, I will warn you in advance that I knew what was in my box beforehand and I'm just not feeling this box. This is the first time this has happened to me in my year with Birchbox, so I apologize in advance if this review comes off as "blah, whatever".  I'm not saying the products are bad, by any means!

As always, Birchbox arrived in its cute pink mailer. I think my mailman groans when he sees this box each month, because it means my other subs are soon to follow. I'm pretty sure he hates me!

I noticed that the inside of the mailer, which is usually plain, has some cute travel related images on it to go along with this month's theme, which is Jet Set. Definitely a cute touch.

As mentioned, the theme this month is Jet Set, and it is a selection of products that are either travel friendly or imported from other lands. I'm not much of a jet setter, so that doesn't matter to me much, but I think it's adorable that they made the little card look like a post card!

This is one of the extras this month - it's a sample of Star USA cologne for men by John Varvatos. It's supposed to be a kind of promo for their new Birchbox Man service. I know many ladies were put off by this, but I don't mind it, as it was an extra and not one of my main box items.

I actually think it smells really good. I don't know a man who would get use out of it, so I plan to make a little sachet or air freshener out of it. This retails for $55 for 1.7 oz, so the value of this sample is about $1.29.

This is blendercleanser, made by and for the beautyblender. I think it's kind of an odd inclusion since I do not have a beautyblender, but oh well. I know it can also be used to wash brushes and other makeup tools. I generally prefer to use a gentle soap or baby shampoo, but I'll give this a try. It's strongly scented with lavender, which I don't love. The full size retails for $17.95. They don't list the sample size, but I estimate it to be about half an ounce, so the value is roughly $1.46.

...Is it just me, or is the packaging even more blah than usual?

This is literally the worst product they could have sent me this month. These are self tanning wipes by Comodynes. I HATE ANYTHING RELATED TO TANNING. Yes, I am very pale. I resent the implication that there is something wrong with being pale. I also resent the idea that anyone thinks I should put nasty chemicals on myself in order to stain my skin to make me look like I've been baking myself in the sun. Yeah, no thanks. That said, these wipes are supposed to create a uniform tan in 3 hours, and each wipe is supposed to cover the entire face and body. These retail for $14.99 for a pack of 8, so these two wipes are worth $3.75.

This is a product I actually love! It is Staniac by theBalm, in the shade Beauty Queen. This is a lip and cheek stain. It looks scary red in the tube, but it actually goes on as a nice, soft, sheer pink. It lasts all day. I really love it and would be excited about getting it...but I already have two of the full sized product. Still a great inclusion, though, and I'll be trading it for something. The full sized product is $17.00 for .3 oz, so this little sample is worth $2.27.

This is a completely new brand and product to me. It's Super Comb Prep & Protect spray by Number 4. This is a leave in conditioner, heat protectant, and UV shield. I don't generally like leave in products, as they tend to make my hair look dirty, but I'm willing to try this one out. It has a bit of a floral scent to it. It retails for $32 for the full size, so this sample is worth $6.88.

And, the other lifestyle extra - a tili bag. Which, if you can't tell, is basically a ziplock bag with a pattern on it. I don't buy plastic bags, as I find them incredibly wasteful. I usually love the lifestyle extras, but this one is just terrible. These ugly bags retail for $8.49 for 12, so this bag is worth .70 cents.

So, yeah. This is my least favorite Birchbox to date. I'm sure the products would be great for the right person, but there's just nothing in there that excites me. That said, I'm going to try out the leave-in and the blender cleanser, and maybe they'll surprise me. The rest will be traded with other ladies, who will hopefully enjoy them more than I do. This box has a value of about $16.35, which is also the least impressive box I've gotten, value-wise. 

That said, I still enjoy Birchbox, and if you haven't joined yet, you should! Here is my referral link.

What was in your June Birchbox?

Sally Hansen Salon Effects

So, I'll just be honest with you - I'm super lazy when it comes to my nails. I work a job that requires me to use my hands a lot, so manicures and polish in general never last long for me. As such, I just never bother to attempt nail art, no matter how much I love the looks.

I had seen the Sally Hansen Salon Effects nail strips in the stores before, but I assumed they were just stickers, and I didn't pay them much mind.

Then, I received a box in my Influenster Spring Beauty VoxBox, and upon further inspection, I was excited to discover that they are not stickers after all, but strips of real nail polish. I got Kitty Kitty, which is a cute golden leopard print.

I finally tried them, and they're nice. They're easy to apply - you just peel them off, stick them on, and trim/file them to size. They are smooth and shiny, and I have found that they last me longer than traditional nail polish. I like to use them alternating with solid colors, or as accent nails!

There are two things I don't like about them. First, each box comes with 16 strips, which is just an odd number. I realize they probably include a few extra strips in case of screw ups, but I'd just prefer either 10 or 20, because with the odd number, I always end up with one extra, even after using some as accent nails.

The other issue is the price. They cost $9.99, which is a bit more than I'd generally spend on a couple of uses of a product for my nails. I prefer to wait until they're on sale or I have a coupon.

In all though, these are a really cool product and they're worth checking out!

Below is the Kitty Kitty print shown with some very sloppily applied Color Club polish in Disco Nap.

*Disclaimer: I received a product free of charge from Influenster. I was not compensated and all opinions are my own.

Bath and Body Works Fine Fragrance Mist

I've been a fan of Bath and Body Works for as long as I can remember. I recall riding the school bus in elementary school and sharing my Country Apple lotion with my friends, and always carrying 2 or 3 hand sanitizers in my purse. It was what I always asked for for holiday and birthday gifts and my first foray into fragrance.

Even now, I always have a stash of BBW products (as seen above!) I regularly stock up on the Pocketbacs for work, and I adore the triple moisture cream for my dry skin.  I also always loved the fragrance mists, and the fact that they smelled great but were not too strong or overpowering for school or work.  I like the variety of scents offered by Bath and Body Works - a great selection for someone like myself, who appreciates fresh fruity scents as well as sweet and girly ones.

A couple of months ago, I saw that they were introducing a new Fine Fragrance Mist, which promised a finer and more even mist application and a more delicate fragrance experience. I was really excited and made a mental note to pick some up the next time I needed to replenish my fragrance stash.

Much to my delight, I soon found out that I'd be getting a Spring Beauty VoxBox from Influenster, and that one of the products included was a full sized Fine Fragrance Mist! I was so excited to try it out.

The Fine Fragrance mists are available in all of their Signature Collection scents - there are more than 20 available. They retail for $14 for an 8 ounce bottle. You can buy them inshore or online at http://www.bathandbodyworks.com .

After trying it out, I am really impressed with the Fine Fragrance Mist. First of all, the packaging is adorable. I think it's a big improvement over the previous bottles - a cylindrical bottle with a clear cap and pretty design. It looks adorable sitting on a vanity, shelf, or cabinet in the bathroom or bedroom.  I think it looks classier and more expensive than the previous packaging!  It seems like a small thing, but I am a sucker for packaging. The traditional packaging of other body sprays and mists from other companies reminds me of the cheap body sprays everyone doused themselves with in middle school...not the most pleasant association for an adult! The cap attaches securely, so I can throw it in my bag without worrying about leakage, as well.

More importantly, I love the way it applies. The mist really is light as air, and covers the body evenly without any large droplets. I find that it is as long lasting as the prior mists, if not more so - I can still smell it on myself after a full shift at work. I currently have the mist in both Pink Chiffon (pictured) and Twilight Woods (not pictured, as it's in my locker at work) and I have been reaching for them more often than both my other mists and my perfumes.

I find the Fine Fragrance mists by Bath and Body Works to be a pretty great product, and I can't wait to try more of them. Have you tried them yet? What's your favorite scent from Bath and Body Works?

*Disclaimer: I received a free product for review from Influenster. I have not been compensated and all opinions are my own.

Little Black Bag - May (my first!)

So, a few months ago, I started hearing about a new service that had popped up. Little Black Bag is a monthly subscription service. Much like Birchbox, it promises a box of items delivered to your house each month. However, instead of just beauty products, Little Black Bag carries such items as handbags, accessories, makeup, jewelry, and even some home decor.

At first, I balked at the price...LBB costs $55 a month (including shipping), and for that you get 2-4 items worth at least $100. After I started seeing the kinds of hauls people were getting, I decided to take the plunge and try it out, and I'm so glad I did. I am officially addicted!

You get to choose one item that you want, and 1-3 more items are selected for you and added to your bag.  I had a really hard time choosing my main item because there were so many things I loved!

The brands offered by Little Black Bag are awesome - you can find Betsey Johnson, Steve Madden, CARGO, Disney Couture, and countless others. The inventory is updated constantly, and there are always new things to try out. There are small handbags, large hobos and satchels, clutches, wallets, watches, sunglasses, necklaces, bracelets, earrings, makeup, wall decals, even barware.

Now, the best part: THE TRADING. If you are happy with your initial bag, you can click the ship button, and your bag will be on your way to you. However, if you aren't happy with what you have, or you are just curious what else is out there, you are able to trade items with other members for up to 7 days until you're happy with your bag!

The process is really simple - once you open your bag, your items are added to the trade gallery. To offer a trade, you just choose the item you're interested in, and then choose which item or items of yours you are willing to trade. Everyone who has the item you're interested in will get the trade offer, and simply chooses to accept it or not. You can even offer multiple items for one, which is a great option when it comes to getting the higher valued items. The trading is super addicting!

I received my first bag today! I ended up with four items with a value of $146. I have seen girls end up with much higher values, but I am happy with this because I saved almost $100, and I love and will use everything in my bag!

Here's what I got for May. (By the way, you can always open extra bags once you ship your monthly one...I did just that. Twice. LOL.)

Their shipping box is super cute. It arrived a little beat up (as is common with my local post office...) but everything inside was well packed, and nothing was damaged.

Everything came wrapped up in black tissue paper and sealed with this little sticker. Inside, the smaller items were bubble wrapped. I appreciate things like this after getting plenty of damaged packages from other companies.

These octopus earrings by 'ZAD are the only item I started with and kept until the end! I don't wear a lot of earrings, but I think these are adorable. They are a nice weight and are of good quality. I have really small ears and nearly no earlobes, and I appreciate that these weren't so big as to look stupid.

Love them! I can't wait to wear them. These have a retail value of $12.

Also by 'ZAD, this is the tusk pendant. It's a large piece, for sure. I like it, it is a nice weight and will be a great pop for the right outfit. I posted a picture of the length below, but it falls to chest level. This has a retail value of $24.

This is the Cargo eyeshadow quad in Barcelona! I traded hard for this one, as I love Cargo and these colors are just my style. It's a very good sized palette and will last forever! The packaging is pretty and sturdy.

The shadows themselves are gorgeous. They're nice and pigmented, and soft. They aren't at all chalky. The mirror is nice, as well. I am going to wear these today! This palette retails for $30.

And finally, this is the Nila Anthony buckle satchel in black. I had started with a different bag, but I fell in love with this one when it popped up and I had to have it! I love that it came with a dust bag, perfect for storage.

The bag is a great size - not as big and bulky as my messenger bags, but large enough to hold everything I need. It has an adjustable cross body strap, as well. The faux leather is a good quality, and is very soft. I love the little details, like the little scalloped edging on the flap and the buckles. Inside, there are several pockets, including one that zips. There is also a zip pocket on the back of the bag.

The lining is a cute green paisley. Adorable. This bag retails for $80.

I am really happy with this haul, I love everything I got.

Here's a terrible picture (excuse the morning hair and pajamas) to show the length of the necklace, for reference. 

If this sounds good to you, this is my referral link. Join, I think you'll love it!