Category: Face
October 2020 Ipsy Bag – You’re Magic
Good old, reliable ipsy. I can always count on ipsy for a good bag.
Not only was this month’s bag out-of-this-world black pleather with gold embossing, but the contents kicked butt, too. I’ve been using the HELL out of the Illuminati Cosmetics Quad Palette in “Secret Society”. I’ve never heard of this brand before, but it’s really good quality.
My product choice this month was Tarte Maracuja Tinted Hydrator in “Fair Neutral”. I was shocked at how much coverage was in a tinted moisturizer. For me, it gave medium coverage while feeling light om my skin. It did get all over the inside of my mask, so that was annoying.
Also in this month’s bag: Benefit Gimme Brow+ Warm Golden Blonde 2 Volumizing Eyebrow Gel (I’ll literally never use this); Essence Cosmetics Pure Nude Highlighter 010 in “Popping Champagne” (this was a nice subtle highlighter – I liked it); and Timeless Beauty Bar Apres Sea Face Sheet Mask and Face the Day Face Sheet Mask Set.
All in all, a good mix of products – I’ll use 4/5. Allure better get their shit together or I am canceling and upgrading to Ipsy Plus.
I subscribe to the basic ipsy bag for $12/month. If you’d like to try Ipsy – click here. I’ll earn 250 points if you sign up through my referral link.
October 2020 Allure Beauty Box – Screen Gab
$23 for this???
I was expecting at 4-5 full size products for $23, so imagine my surprise to get this box of tiny little random products.
The only product I’ve been using so far is the Dr. Jart+ Ceramidin Cream – I’ve been putting it on my face before I go to bed. It is a very heavy moisturizer, so not suitable for daytime. I definitely WILL use the Static Nails Liquid Glass Lacquer in “Irene”, but it is not spooky enough for the few weeks before Halloween.
Also in this month’s “Screen Gab” box: The Nue Co. Topical C (powdered vitamin C that I am supposed to mix into other face products – way too much work for me); Verso Super Eye Serum (ugh); Sigma Liquid Lipstick in “Venom” (not even full size – rude – and I haven’t been bothering with lipstick since I cannot leave the house without a mask); La Roche-Posay Lipikar Balm AP+ (I literally just put this on my hands – it is kinda nice); Wilma Schumann Hydrating Collagen Eye Pads; and Rusk Native Fig Shampoo & Conditioner...just a single use foil pack! What a rip-off!
I’ll give Allure one more month to get their shit together or I am pulling the plug.
The Allure Beauty Box just increased their price from $15 to $23/month. They also offer an option for $250/year – a savings of $26. Sign up via my referral link.
Sephora Favorites Hello! Haul-Star Heroes
So Sephora discontinues their monthly Play! sample subscription box, only to release a non-subscription sample bag every month? I figured the Hello! set wouldn’t be every month, but they’re coming out pretty regularly.
The samples in this month’s “Haul-Star Heroes” aren’t very exciting, but since Sephora is still offering free shipping, I went ahead and bit. The best sample in the set is Caudalie Vinopure Pore Purifying Gel Cleanser. It smells so good! I mean, it cleans my face just fine, but I really like the scent.
Versace Bright Crystal is one of my sister’s favorite scents – I’ve gotten it for her several times. Instead of sending her this sample, I’ve been wearing it – I kinda like it! I won’t start wearing it regularly though – I’d be annoyed if someone poached my signature scent.
Also in the set: Make Up For Ever Ultra HD Microfinishing Loose Powder; Ren Clean Skincare AHA Smart Renewal Body Serum (I wonder what this will do to my BODY?); and Lancome Monsieur Big Mascara. Meh. The set came with 15% off coupons for each of the products included, but I don’t see myself buying any of them.
My son has been bleaching the hell out of his hair, so I picked Kerastase Blond Absolu Shampoo & Conditioner for him – I’ve got him using a purple shampoo/conditioner once a week for brassiness. I also got a sample card of Laura Mercier Flawless Lumiere Radiance Perfecting Foundation – all the colors look too dark for me.
Just $138 to Beauty Insider for 2021.
September 2020 Ipsy Bag – Good Vibes
Ooooh…corduroy. This month’s ipsy bag has me feeling some kind of way. At least I don’t have to hear it rubbing together between my thighs.
My product choice this month was a Generation Clay Urban Defense Purifying Pink Clay Mask. I love me some clay masks. I used the mask today and it was very nice. It dried quickly and I could feel it sucking all the gunk out of my pores – highly recommended.
Also in this month’s “Good Vibes” bag: Sundays Nail Polish in “No 18” (visuals coming soon); tarte Big Ego mascara in “Black” (ohhh, I have so much mascara); Georgette Klinger Volcanic Mineral Scrub (this smells HORRIBLE); and Pacifica Beauty Desert Sunset Matte Blush & Bronzer Duo (used this today as well, very flattering).
Good products this month, even though the bag itself reminds me of baby poopoos.
I subscribe to the basic ipsy bag for $12/month. If you’d like to try Ipsy – click here. I’ll earn 250 points if you sign up through my referral link.
September 2020 Allure Beauty Box – Opening Up
That’s a bold move Allure, curating a box around the world opening up from COVID-19. Let’s see what Allure thinks I need to get back into the world of the living…
I’ll be honest, I’m far from the world of the living, so the only product I’ve sampled so far is the Elemis Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm. The lavender component is so strong that it made me eyes water when I used it. It did rinse clean though – IO feel like many cleansing balms do not. It’s ok, if you like cleansing balms.
The rest of the products in the box seem like a hodgepodge. I don’t use dry shampoos, so I won’t be likely to use Waterl<ss Dry Conditioner. I *might* try the Wander Beauty Unlashed Mascara and the Cleo Noir Twist Up Eyeliner in “Purple”, as well as the e.l.f. Highlighting Brush. I don’t go outside if I can help it, so it will be a while before I break out the La Roche-Posay Anthelios 50 Ultra Light Sunscreen Fluid. Oh, I also got a sheet mask – Glam Up Revitalizing Japanese Sake Sheet Mask.
This is the last $15 box – I’ll see what next month’s $23 box brings…
The Allure Beauty Box is $15/month, but they give you $5 off your first box. They also offer an option for $150/year – a savings of $30. Sign up via my referral link.
August 2020 Allure Beauty Box – On Balance
Allure Beauty Box wants to bring balance to my beauty routine this month.
I am never sad to get a rose scented product, but I am still not fully sold on facial oils. I have not yet been brave enough to try the Pixi Rose Oil Blend, but at the very least, I could use it to remove lipstick?
I have not tried the Sulwhasoo First Care Activating Serum yet either…but that’s because I’m really liking the Peach & Lily Serum from last month’s box – I use it every week day! Same goes for the Erno Lazlo Sea Mud Deep Cleansing Bar, Floss Brighten Up Highlighter in “Sunlit”, and the Looks & Meii Brightening Lift Up Perfect Fit Mask. I’ll get to them…
I HAVE tried the H2O+ Hydration Sensitive Gel Cream Moisturizer and the Whish Botanical Primer. They are both really nice products and gentle to my skin. Powder foundation sticks really well to the primer!
So…I’m going to have to make a decision about whether to keep Allure Beauty Box soon. I just got an email warning me that the price is going up to $23 with October’s box. The email promised more full size products, but I’m skeptical…they’re already on probation…
The Allure Beauty Box is $15/month, but they give you $5 off your first box. They also offer an option for $150/year – a savings of $30. Sign up via my referral link.
August 2020 Ipsy Bag – The Future is Yours
August’s ipsy bag contains futuristic products in a futuristic holographic bag.
My product choice this month was It Cosmetics Confidence in Your Beauty Sleep Night Cream. I didn’t read the description when I picked it – I wouldn’t have picked it if I had realized that it is lavender-scented. Lavender usually gives me an immediate headache, but this product was fine. I’ve been wearing it to bed with no ill effects!
Also is my cool little holographic bag: Araceli Beauty Jalisco Eyes Single in “Sombrero” (a good neutral base color – it applies like butter); Hey Honey Take Away the Drama Youth Boosting Honey & Copper Peel Off Mask; Jersey Shore Cosmetics Moisture Rich Hydrating Lip Balm in Watermelon; and MOTD Cosmetics Pigment Packer Small Shader Brush.
I also splurged on a $5 nail polish duo add-on with Cuccio Colour “Mercury Rising” and Color Club “Ghosted”. The add-ons are SUPPOSED to be shipped with your ipsy bag, but they arrived separately, about a week before my bag. What’s the point of that???
I subscribe to the basic ipsy bag for $12/month. If you’d like to try Ipsy – click here. I’ll earn 250 points if you sign up through my referral link. I am starting to get tempted to subscribe to the yearly plan…
Sephora Favorites POP – Beauty Cred
Well how about that…just a few weeks after Sephora releases a Hello! box, they release a POP box. I feel like they are playing around with price points and configurations to see what performs the best. I am not helpful at all – I’ll buy anything.
The “Beauty Cred” box contains “the next big thing in beauty”…hmm, okay. By far, the best sample in the box is the creamier than creamy Natasha Denona Eyeshadow in “Moonstone”. No wonder she charges $129 for a palette – this is some of the highest quality eyeshadow I’ve ever used. It pairs well with the Fenty Beauty Full Frontal Volume, Lift & Curl Mascara. The brush is super fluffy, but somehow doesn;t leave my lashes clumpy.
Also in this box: Lord Jones High CBD Formula Body Lotion in “Fragrance Free”; Fresh Rose Petal-Soft Deep Hydration Lip Balm (yasssssss, more lip balm); Amika Flash Instant Shine Hair Mask; and Maison Margiela REPLICA Beach Walk fragrance (I swear, I’ve gotten this sample 50 times from Sephora – get over this scent, it’s boring).
The set was a slighty higher price point, at $15, which is still pretty cheap. Oh, and it also came with a bunch of beauty-themed stickers.
I was over the moon to try the other samples I picked for my box. I love the scent of Brazilian Bum Bum Cream and now they have shampoo/conditioner. I IMMEDIATELY used the samples of Sol de Janeiro Brazilian Joia Strengthening Shampoo & Conditioner – it smells AMAZING! Ugh, they are $25 each. I also got a sample of Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant, which I have not tried yet.
$148 to VIB in 2021.
Sephora Favorites Hello! Holy-Grail Greats
As soon as I start complaining about missing subscription boxes, Sephora releases another Hello! set. Even if it’s not all that great a set, I went ahead and ordered it – just to get some mail.
I didn’t think I’d like the Farmacy Daily Greens Oil-Free Gel Moisturizer with Moringa and Papaya, but it feels really nice on my skin. It’s similar to belif Aqua Bomb in silkiness.
I wore Valentino Donna Born in Roma today and I was surprised at how much I liked it – I don’t usually like woody oriental scents. I didn’t get an Italian vibe from this scent, it was very Far Eastern.
Also in the Holy-Grail Greats set: Tarte Lights, Camera, Action 4-in-1 Mascara (meh); Moroccanoil Treatment Light (meh); Smashbox Photo Finish Vitamin Glow (interested to try it); and Supergoop! Unseen Sunscreen SPF 40 (meh).
The set was $10 and I used FREESHIP to get free shipping. The set also came with coupons for 15% off a full size purchase of each of the included products.
I’ve been saving up Beauty Insider points for several years and decided to use 500 points to get the Fresh Rose Hydration Heaven Set, which includes one of my favorite moisturizers – Rose Deep Hydration Face Cream, as well as Soy Face Cleanser, Rose Face Mask, and Sugar Rosé Tinted Lip Treatment SPF 15 (my favorite balm).
I received two fragrance samples with my order. Leila Lou by Rosie Jane is a heavy jasmine scent – it didn’t smell bad, but it was too much jasmine for me. I’ll be giving this one away. Viktor & Rolf Magic Salty Flower is more my speed. There’s a touch of jasmine in this scent, but there are more blossomy and salty accords. I’ll be keeping this one.
$163 to VIB status in 2021.
Influenster Vox Box – Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Synchronized Multi-Recovery Complex
It’s been awhile since I’ve gotten a beauty product Vox Box – the last few have been food…but I just received the newly formulated Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Synchronized Multi-Recovery Complex.
I’ll be honest, I use a wide variety of skin products and my skin tolerates a wide variety of products, but my skin REALLY likes Advanced Night Repair. It’s a lightly scented, light-weight serum. It disappears into my skin within seconds. It doesn’t break me out and when I wake up, my skin is glowing. I feel like my skintone is more even and not as dull as it was a week ago. I’ve gotten samples of the original formula Advanced Night Repair with several different Ulta orders and it was fine, but I don’t feel that it was as nice to my skin as this new formula. I’ll be super sad when my sample runs out.
Literally the only negative about this product is the price. The smallest size – 0.67 ounces – is $50 and a full ounce is $75. I would be hard pressed to spend that kind of money on a serum at 44 years old. Ask me again at 54 years old though…
As always, product was received complimentary, for reviewing purposes.