October 2014 BoxyCharm Unboxing

Hi everyone!

I loved my BoxyCharm box so much last month that I decided to keep my subscription going and today I have a review for you of my October box. (You can see a review of my September box HERE).

For those of you who are new to BoxyCharm, it is a monthly makeup subscription service that costs $21 and they send you 4-5 full-size products, which is a great value when you consider that Ipsy and Birchbox are half that price and you only get small samples. I believe, but am not 100% sure, that BoxyCharm now has a waitlist, but I think it's shorter than Ipsy's.

This month, the 5 full-size products I was sent were:
     - Palmetto Derma Collagen Booster & Restoration Serum --> retails for $48
     - Coastal Scents Eclipse Concealer Palette --> retails for $19.95
     - Cult/Commerce x BoxyCharm "Shady" Collection Nail Polishes --> retails for $21
     - Be A Bombshell Eye Shadow --> retails for $14
     - StarLooks Ultra Gem Pencils --> retails for $14

This month's box also came with a special 20% off coupon for Palmetto Derma's website, just use the promo code BCPD2 at checkout. The coupon code is valid thru 12/31/14.

Palmetto Derma Collagen Booster & Restoration Serum
This is a serum that is intended to "protect from premature aging and creates youthful, glowing and beautiful skin, all day and night!" BoxyCharm recommends applying a small amount of the product in the morning and evening after cleansing and toning your face. Allow the product time to absorb before applying moisturizer and they do warn to keep it away from your eyes. A full-size, 1 ounce, bottle of this serum retails for $48, so this is a terrific product to receive in a subscription box as I would probably not buy this product on my own. If you're interested in buying this product, you can purchase it from Palmetto Derma's website and Amazon. I have not tried this product yet, but once I do, I will probably do a Skincare Saturday/Sunday post on it if you guys are interested.

Coastal Scents Eclipse Concealer Palette
This is the Eclipse Concealer Palette by the brand Coastal Scents that retails for $19.95 but is currently on sale for $14.95 on their website.

The palette contains 15 different shades, 11 of which are shades for you to match to your skin (some have warm tones and some have cool tones), then there are 4 other shades, a mint green shade which counteracts redness or pinkness caused from rosacea, blemishes, or capillaries around the nose and cheek areas, a pale yellow shade which conceals black, blue, or purple imperfections such as bruises or unsightly under eye halos, a lavender shade which neutralizes areas with excessive yellow pigmentation and corrects olive skin tones, and a white/silver shade can be used as a highlighter to add sheen to cheekbones, nose, eyes, etc.

This is the second Coastal Scents product I've tried and I'm honestly very impressed! The concealers are very creamy and highly pigmented. They are probably some of the best drug store concealers that I've used, they even beat many high end concealers! It may seem unnecessary to buy a palette like this since you might think that you won't use all the colors, but I find that you can use some of the shades that don't exactly match your skin tone to contour and highlight/brighten your face. I honestly love this palette and highly recommend it to anyone looking to try out some new concealers! The packaging is a heavy duty plastic so it is also a very good item to travel with as it won't get smashed in your bag. I'm really happy with how well this concealer covered my under-eye circles and brightened the area up!

Cult/Commerce x BoxyCharm "Shady" Collection Nail Polishes
I have neve heard of this nail polish before, but I like that they gave us two different colors, one a dark gray and one a deep purple. I actually really like the purple color and think I will get a lot of wear out of it this fall. I will try them out and report back on how well they wear.

Be A Bombshell Eyeshadow
Prior to receiving this product, I have previously tried a mascara and eyeshadow quad from the brand Be a Bombshell. I wasn't impressed with the mascara since it had a truly horrible smell to it, I couldn't even bear to put it on my eyelashes. On the other hand, I was very impressed with the eyeshadow quad I received.

Because I really liked the Be a Bombshell eyeshadow quad I previously received from an Ipsy/Birchbox, I was excited to receive one in this BoxyCharm. However, I was disappointed to receive this color. I don't tend to wear green eyeshadows, and since this is a dark green shimmer eyeshadow intended for a smokey eye, I don't think I will actually wear it.

However, I do like the texture of this eyeshadow, it's very smooth and finely milled. It just glides right on. I am really curious to try these solo eyeshadows in a color that I might actually wear because the quality seems really great.

Here are some hand swatches of this eyeshadow. On the left side in each photo is a heavy swatch and on the right is a light swatch (only one swipe).

StarLooks Ultra Gem Pencils
The last product in this BoxyCharm was a StarLooks Ultra Gem Pencil in the color ultra violet. I was excited to try a StarLooks pencil since I've heard really good things about them, but unfortunately this is not a color that I wear. I barely wear eyeliner since my eyes water a lot and it usually gets messy and wipes away.

The quality of this eyeshadow pencil is pretty amazing! It's a little smudgy, so if you like to smudge out your eyeliner this is a pretty good one. All in all, I'm really impressed and will definitely check out getting a more normal color one that I would actually wear.

If you do like colored eyeliner, this is a very beautiful color. It's a rich, deep blue-purple that I think would be very beautiful on people with all different eye colors. I might keep this eyeliner for New Year's Eve or some other special event just because I think it looks very beautiful on the eyes.

Final Verdict:
All in all, I think this was a great box this month! I wish that my eyeliner and eyeshadow would have been more neutral colors, but getting brighter and more different colors really pushes me to expand how I wear my makeup so I guess it's not the end of the world. I love that for about $20 a month you get to try out 5 full size products and they always retail for MUCH more than the cost of the box, so it's a great deal! For those of you who are getting tired of your Ipsy/Birchbox subscriptions, I highly recommend checking out BoxyCharm!

Are you interested in trying BoxyCharm? Are you loving any other subscription box services at the moment that you'd recommend I try? Please leave a comment below, I'd love to hear from you!

Thanks for reading!

Bath & Body Works Seasonal Haul!

Hi everyone,

Just wanted to share a recent Bath & Body Works haul with you!

About once a month, Bath & Body Works has some great sales so I really recommend signing up for their emails so that you know about them as soon as possible. The most recent sale was for 25% off all purchases, 3-Wick Candles 2 for $22, $8 Ultra Shea Body Cream, and 50% off Fall Clearance. I made my purchases at my local Bath & Body Works not online but the sale/coupon code works both ways.

This is the email I received:

Here are the items that I purchased:
          - 6 candles (2 for $22)
          - 2 candle holders (50% off)
          - 2 body lotions (50% off)
          - 1 shower gel (50% off)

Candles
Lets begin with the candles I purchased. They normally retail for $22.50 each but with the sale going on they were 2 for $22, which is a steal! I purchased 6 of them in the following scents: Leaves (I bought two of this scent, but I only showed one in the photo below), Pumpkin Caramel Latte, Sparkling Icicles, 'Tis the Season, and Spiced Apple Toddy.

Leaves

Bath & Body Works describes the scent of this candle as "Celebrate the brilliant colors of autumn with a rich blend of golden nectar, red apple and spiced berries." This is an amazing fall scent, it's powerful yet subtle and not overwhelming at the same time. I absolutely love it, hence why I got two!

Pumpkin Caramel Latte

Bath & Body Works describes the scent of this candle as "The season's best latte, crafted from a rich blend of creamy pumpkin and spiced caramel topped with frothed sweet cream." This is a nice fall candle that's not overwhelmingly sweet smelling, but still homey and warm.

Sparkling Icicles

Bath & Body Works describes the scent of this candle as "A sparkling blend of bergamot, a citrus bouquet and a touch of holiday moss, inspired by ice glittering under the sun." This is a very unique holiday scented candle, it's more of a fresh, cool scent than warm and cinnamon if that makes sense. This is probably my favorite of the candles I bought. I will definitely pick up another one once it gets colder.

'Tis the Season

Bath & Body Works describes the scent of this candle as "Celebrate the perfect holiday with a festive medley of bright red apples, cinnamon, cloves and deep green pine notes." In my mind, this is the typical, perfect Christmas season candle.

Spiced Apple Toddy

Bath & Body Works describes the scent of this candle as "A warming blend of apple brandy and spiced plum, infused with mulled cider and tart cranberry." This is such a delicious smelling candle, it's much more spiced than the previous one.

Candle Holders
In addition to all the candles that I purchased, I also got two candle holders since they were both 50% off. Buying these on sale makes them much more affordable and you don't have to feel guilty about buying several of them!

Puffed Pumpkin Candle Holder
Bath & Body Works describes this candle holder as "Cast a warm autumn glow with our rustic pumpkin candle sleeve, puffed for lifelike shape and finished in dark copper." This candle holder normally retails for $8.50 and I thought it would be perfect for the fall and as a centerpiece for Thanksgiving.

Scroll Candle Holder
Unfortunately I could not find this candle holder on the Bath & Body Works website, so I just decided to give it this name. It's a gorgeous candle holder with a scroll design all over it. It is also a distressed kind of texture in a green and gold coloring. This candle holder normally retails for $6.50 and I thought it would be gorgeous for year round!

Bath & Body
Now onto the bath and body products! I only picked up three products, two body lotions and one shower gel, all 50% off their original price of $12.50. Right now both products are on sale for 50% off ($6.25) on their website, so if you're interested buy them fast before they're gone! All three products are in the scent Orchard, which is a combination of Honeycrisp Apples and Buttered Rum. Bath & Body Works describes the scent of these products as "Enjoy a sunny afternoon in the fresh orchard air, picking juicy Honeycrisp apples and sipping hot buttered rum." The top notes in this scent are Honeycrisp Apple, Juniper Berry, and Creamy Cardamom; the mid notes are Buttered Rum, Orange Blossom, and Raspberry Nectar; and the dry notes are Redwood Musk, Golden Amber Wood, and Tonka Bean.

Orchard Triple Moisture Body Cream

Orchard Shower Gel

What fall and winter Bath & Body Works products are you enjoying right now or are most excited to try? Please leave a comment below, I would love to hear from you!

Thanks for reading!

Benefit Cosmetics: They're Real! Mascara

Hi everyone!

For this week's Mascara Monday, I have decided to review the They're Real! mascara by Benefit Cosmetics. I'm pretty late to the game on trying this mascara, as it's been out for a while now and there are TONS of reviews out there on this product, but I decided to let you guys in on my thoughts and do a review.

So to start, the full size of this mascara retails for $23 for 0.3 oz of product and the deluxe sample size retails for $10 for 0.14oz of product. You can purchase it from Sephora, Ulta, and the Benefit Cosmetics website. I actually purchased this mascara as part of the Real Steal set, which retails for $24 and includes a full size of the mascara and a deluxe sample of the They're Real! Push Up Liner. It is also available at Sephora, Ulta, and the Benefit Cosmetics website.

So all in all, this is an awesome mascara! I love the design of the bristles, they're short rubber bristles and there's bristles along the end which is great for easily doing inner and outer lashes. The bristles are ideal for brushing the product onto the lashes without them clumping together. The wand is a little flexible but mostly pretty rigid and solid. The formula of this mascara is on the wet side and it can be a little messy so do apply it carefully so you don't get it all over your face. Whether you do one coat for a more natural look or three coats for a dramatic look, I find that this product looks amazing and doesn't clump. Also, I know that some people have said that this mascara is difficult to remove, but I haven't experienced that problem. If you find that to be true, I recommend trying out the They're Real! remover.

I absolutely love the look this mascara gives my lashes! They're thick and full and look beautiful! The color is very black, but no so intense that it's unnatural. They're bold but very wearable for everyday. It's not clumpy and it doesn't make my lashes stick together. I also love the packaging of this mascara, it comes in a shiny gunmetal gray tube. The only negative I really have with this mascara is that there is a tiny smell, kind of that typical mascara smell, but it's not overwhelming or overpowering. It isn't so bad that it doesn't make me not want to wear it.

Final Verdict:
I absolutely love this mascara and would 100% buy it again! I highly recommend it and if you're interested in trying it, definitely check out the The Real Steal set! It's a great deal and only a dollar more in price than the cost of the full size mascara.

Have you tried this mascara yet? Is this a new holy grail product for you? Please leave a comment below, I would love to hear from you!

Thanks for reading!

Sephora Haul! The Holidays are coming!

Hi everyone,

Just wanted to give you a sneak peak of some new holiday gift sets and products that I recently purchased from Sephora. I have a couple more in mind that I want to get but here's some of the items I've already purchased in case you're interested in buying them too. Reviews on these products to come soon!

Makeup Gift Sets


Benefit Cosmetics - Cheeky Sweet Spot Box O' Blushes
This palette retails for $36 at Sephora and contains six of the well-known Benefit blushes (Dandelion, Bella Bamba, Sugarbomb, Hoola, Coralista, Rockateur), Watt's Up! highlighter, and a blush brush. The palette comes in an adorable tin that looks identical to the box the product is in.

Tarte - Pin Up Girl Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush Palette
This palette retails for $42 at Sephora (exclusively, I believe) and contains five blushes in a beautiful clutch case and comes with two beautiful hair pins. This item is part of the Tarte Sweet Dreams Holiday Collection.

Sephora Collection - Bottled Dreams Fragrance Sampler For Her 
This is a perfume sampler set exclusively sold Sephora for $58 that contains 8 deluxe sample size perfume bottles and a voucher to redeem a full size of one of the eight perfumes. There are several different perfume sampler sets available at Sephora, but I picked this set because I liked that you got deluxe size samples in cute bottles, rather than the usually small plastic tubes.

Holiday Products
Philosophy - Sparkling White Ginger & Have a Cherry Christmas 3-In-1 Shampoo, Shower Gel & Bubble Bath (Also pictured below are the Philosophy Fresh Cream body lotions, but they aren't holiday products as they are available year-round)
I actually purchased these as gifts for friends because they're a product I never seem to buy for myself but I know I would appreciate getting. Who doesn't love a relaxing bubble bath and some nice body lotion, especially in the chilly winter?!? The Sparkling White Ginger and Have a Cherry Christmas 3-In-1 Shampoo, Shower Gel & Bubble Bath retail for $17 and the Fresh Cream body lotions retail for $17 at Sephora.

Which holiday gift sets and products are you most excited to buy? Please leave a comment below, I would love to hear from you!

Thanks for reading!

Lush: Ayesha Fresh Face Mask

Hi everyone,

So I recently stopped by my local Lush store and picked up a couple items which I'll be reviewing over the next couple of weeks. The first item I'm reviewing today is the Ayesha Fresh Face Mask which was recommended to me by a Lush Sales Associate when I told her I was interested in a mask for dry skin that was targeted at removing dead skin and brightening the face. I'm not entirely sure this was the best mask for me, but since this was my first visit in a long while I took her advice and bought it.

This facial mask contains 2.1 oz of product and is vegetarian and preservative-free. This mask retails for $6.95 so it's very affordable and I think you could probably get between 3 and 5 uses out of it depending on how much you apply each time. This is a "fresh" product from Lush so you have to keep it in the refrigerator and they last about 2-3 weeks. I bought mine on 10/15 and it says it expires on 11/4 so you do have to use it fairly quickly. Also, once you bring back 5 face mask pots to Lush you'll get a free facial mask so in essence buy 5 get 1 free!

Lush describes the Ayesha Fresh Face Mask as "a blend of tightening and toning ingredients to refresh tired-looking skin. We use vitamin C-rich kiwi to brighten dull spots, asparagus to nourish and absorb excess oils and honey for hydrating and soothing red areas. This fresh mask is named after the fictional priestess who discovered the secret to immortality - ten minutes with it on and you’ll see why! Dull, tired and mature skin transforms for a bright, youthful glow."

To use this face mask, cleanse your face first and pat dry, then smooth a good amount of the product all over your entire face (avoiding the eyes and mouth). You should leave the mask on for about ten minutes but make sure to not let the mask dry completely.

So first off, I didn't realize this mask was intended for mature skin until I got home and read more about it. Had I known it was I probably wouldn't have gotten it as I'm 24 years old and definitely do not have mature skin. Nonetheless, I did find that this mask left my face ultra smooth and it made my skin feel tight (in a good way). It also took away all the dead skin on my face and left me really shiny for a day or two which is what I assume they refer to as the "youthful glow".

I was also very turned off by the smell of this product. It's a very strong earthy and herbal scent. I think you have to smell it for yourself to determine if you like it or not, but be aware that it's a very strong and overpowering scent.

Results:

So first the good side of this mask! Immediately after using this mask, my skin felt very soft and I could feel that my skin was nice and tight. Additionally, my pores were pretty much nonexistent after using this mask, which is something I'm always looking for in a face mask.

Now, on the negative side, with the dead skin removed from my face, I found that my skin on my face was very shiny and it even showed through my foundation and makeup. Even more problematic than that, I experienced some MASSIVE breakouts a couple of days after using this mask. I'm not talking small breakouts, I mean large breakouts and the kind the hurt under the skin.

Final Verdict:
I liked how smooth and tight this product made my skin and face feel immediately after using it, but I hate how I had massive, painful breakouts from it. I definitely won't be finishing the pot because the breakouts just aren't worth it to me. I definitely think this would be a great product for mature skin as it does have a great lifting sensation and for those who are not prone to breakouts, as that was my biggest problem with this mask. I am curious about trying another Lush facial mask, maybe the Self-Preserving Mask of Magnamity? I like that they updated the formula of that mask so you don't need to keep it in the fridge and it will last much longer!

Have you tried any of Lush facial masks? Which ones are your favorite? Please leave a comment below, I'd love to hear from you!

Thanks for reading!

PS- Sorry for not updating sooner, it's been a very busy couple of days! I'm trying to get back on track. See you all tomorrow!

Lorac: Mega PRO Palette!!

Hi everyone,

I'm so excited to share this post with you! I just received my Lorac Mega PRO Palette and had to do a blog post on it! This is a special eye shadow palette for the holiday season 2014 as part of the Lorac Royal Collection.

This palette retails for $59 from Lorac's website, but is now sold out unfortunately. It is part of the holiday collection so they may restock since it was so popular and it's not even November yet, but I don't really know. Lorac says that this is a $204 value and the total makeup in the palette is 0.62 oz. You can still purchase other items from the Lorac Holiday collection here as well as at Kohl's, Amazon, and Ulta. Each site has slightly different products so do take a look at all of them.

The packaging of the Lorac Mega PRO Palette is the same as the Lorac PRO Palettes except twice the size. It is a heavy cardboard material with that sort of NARS covering that shows fingerprints.

This palette contains 16 matte and 16 shimmer shades similar to the first and second Lorac Pro Palettes but twice the size. This palette contains 28 new shades and 4 repeat matte shades but they're essential colors - white, cream, espresso, black.

The 16 Matte Shades are: Cream, Fawn, Camel, Sepia, Dusty Plum, Orchid, Mulberry, Espresso, White, Khaki, Brown, Stone, Lilac, Wisteria, Gray, Black

The 16 Shimmer Shades are: Opal, Sand, Copper, Sienna, Apricot, Blush, Merlot, Indigo, Vanilla, Cashmere, Smokey Topaz, Dusty Rose, Granite, Maroon, Deep Teal, Caviar

Photo on the left is with a flash and the photo on the right is without a flash in natural light

The formula of these eye shadows can't be beat! They are truly the best eye shadows I have ever tried and that's not an exaggeration, they're just that good! They are so velvety smooth and the color pigmentation is incredible. I have heard some complaints that these shadows do have some fallout, but honestly that doesn't really bother me because they are so creamy and pigmented. Oftentimes, the softer and smoother the eye shadow, the more fallout that will occur just be the nature of the formula.

And now without further ado, here are some close up photos of this glorious palette and a comparison of it with the original Lorac PRO Palette that I own! All swatch photos are courtesy of Lorac since mine is so beautiful and I didn't want to start using it yet.

Matte Shades: First Two Rows

The shades on the left are taken with a flash and the shades on the right are taken without a flash in natural light

The top row of swatched shades is on darker skin and the bottom row is on lighter skin

Shimmer Shades: Second Two Rows

The shades on the left are taken with a flash and the shades on the right are taken without a flash in natural light

The top row of swatched shades is on darker skin and the bottom row is on lighter skin

Comparison with the Lorac PRO Palette

In terms of size, the Mega PRO Palette is pretty much double the size of the original PRO Palette. They are both made from heavy cardboard and are the same material on the exterior. On the inside, the Mega PRO is pretty much identical to the original PRO Palette except with four rows of eight shades instead of two.

Can you tell that I LOVE my original Lorac PRO Palette?!? I've used it a ton!

Bonus items included with the Mega PRO Palette

The only real bonus item included with the purchase of this palette was a sample of the POREfection Mattifying Face Primer. I would have loved for them to have included a small eye shadow primer like they do with the original Lorac PRO palette.

Final Verdict:

I think this is a phenomenal eye shadow palette! Although I can't give a full review of it yet since I have not swatched it myself, I think the color range of shades and offering of both matte and shimmer eye shadows makes this an amazing palette. I absolutely adore my original Lorac PRO Palette so I'm sure this will be similar and I will love it too!

Were you able to purchase the Mega PRO Palette before they sold out? What are your thoughts on it? Please leave a comment below, I would love to hear from you!

Thanks for reading!