Tag: Subscription Box

January Birchbox – Relax & Recharge
I got my Birchbox on Friday, but I’ve been so busy (and feeling a bot under the weather), that I haven’t had time to mess with it – I really need to relax and recharge!
A coincidence that January’s theme is “Relax & Recharge”? I think not…Inside my box: Balance Me Wonder Eye Cream (I need to start testing all the eye creams I receive); Briogeo “Don’t Despair! Repair” Deep Conditioning Mask (I actually used this today – I have been using the sample I received in my September Ipsy Bag about once a week for the past month – my hair is already fairly healthy, so I haven’t really noticed a difference); Manna Kadar Lip Locked priming gloss stain in “All of Me” (finally a Manna Kadar product I might try – I keep getting highlighters); Perlier Intensive Nurturing Body Balm in “Shea Lavender” (I ABSOLUTELY LOVE the Perlier Body Balm from my June Birchbox – it’s the reason I picked this curated box); When Travelmate Sheet Mask; and 2 teapigs tea temples (I assume that is a fancy name for a tea bag?) – “Liquorice and Peppermint” (gross) and “Chamomile Flowers” (maybe not gross).
I am committing to trying all these products within the next week – maybe they will make me feel less run down and snotty?
If you would like to try Birchbox, click on my referral link – https://www.birchbox.com/invite/5453f – I’ll get 50 points if you join.

January Julep Maven Box – The Chrysalis Collection
If Julep hadn’t given us the option of customizing our boxes, I probably would have quit by now. This last month, they added even more options to the boxes – they offer items from previous months now!
January starts anew with “The Chrysalis Collection”. Julep Luxe Lip Treatment is new this month – it’s a sheer, cooling lip tint. I chose “Sheer Fig”. I also chose one of their new shades of Gel Eye Glider – “Olive”. I picked one polish – Classic with a Twist “Maryam” – dark merlot shimmer. As a bonus, I received “Tyra” Metamorphic Top Coat – every one got one of the their three new top coats…the others are “Tilda” and “Bjork”. There was also a little box of Junior Mints…I already ate them. My mom loved Junior Mints. I can’t eat them without thinking of how that’s what she would always buy when we went to the movies…
This is one of the best boxes so far!
Not a Julep Maven? CLICK HERE to join! Get a FREE Snow Day Welcome Box with code HIFRIEND!

December Birchbox – Decked Out
I would like to say that I’m going to apologize for how behind I am on posting…but nope.
I got my “Decked Out” December Birchbox on Thursday and I am absolutely loving getting to pick a sample each month. This month I chose Vasanti Kajal Extreme Intense Eye Pencil in “Rose Gold”. I wore it yesterday and today. It doesn’t work well over other eye shadows, but today I wore it alone and it looks outstanding – very subtle. I also got Ojon rare blend oil Moisture Therapy; SeaRX Microdermabrasion Face and Body Scrub; Mirenesse Mattfinity Lip Rouge in “8. Sydney”; and another Rusk Dry Texture Spray (got one in my last Allure Beauty Box) and promptly gave it to my other daughter, Loo.
If you would like to try Birchbox, click on my referral link – https://www.birchbox.com/invite/5453f – I’ll get 50 points if you join.

December Ipsy Bag – Thinking of You
I got my ipsy bag on Saturday, but I’ve been a bit bogged down in boxes…
“Thinking of you” is this month’s theme. The bag itself is everything – I love it. It is getting switched into my purse ASAP.
Inside my bag: Bumble and bumble. Repair Blow Dry; Cailyn Cosmetics Just Mineral Eye Polish in “#5 Orchid” (This is the weirdest product ever – I can’t wait to try it!); Nourish Organic Renewing Eye Cream; NYX Cosmetics Butter Lip Balm in “Parfait”; and tarte deluxe lights, camera, lashes 4-in-1 mascara (because I NEED more mascara).
If you’d like to try Ipsy – click here. I’ll earn 250 points if you sign up through my link.

December Beauty Box 5 – Merry & Bright
I got my Beauty Box 5 and Ipsy bag on Saturday, but as you can tell, I’m getting a little backed up in hoard…
This month’s theme is “Merry & Bright”. This is a very odd box. Inside: Jaqua “Pink Champagne” Hand Creme with Meadowfoam Seed Oil (What the fuck is meadowfoam? It kind of smells like diaper ointment…); Absolute! New York Nail Polish Remover Pads in “Lavender” (I tried it last night and after some furious rubbing, I got all the polish and glitter off one nail. There is NO WAY one pad will work on all 10 nails. It’s non-acetone and smells like freshly poured asphalt, NOT lavender); Juice Beauty Stem Cellular Mostiurizer (I’ve heard good things about Juice Beauty – excited); Nanacoco Nail Polish in “Emerald” (So pretty); and Lucky Brand “Lucky Number 6” (a spicy, oriental scent that reminds me of B&BW “Japanese Cherry Blossom”).
No makeup. What????

December Julep Maven Box – The Countdown Collection
Once again, I got my Julep Box on the 5th – they’re really getting really good at their shipping times. My Julep Box was buried among 8 packages yesterday – a Harry & David box from my boss (pears from Oregon – yum), my Shutterfly Calendars and the rest from Amazon! I only have a few more gifts to buy left…
“The Countdown Collection” stars Orbital Eye Shadow, a shimmery shadow that can be worn dry OR wet. I picked “airglow” – champagne with rose gold pearlescence. I love baked wet/dry shadows, so I hope it’s similar! I also customized the shadows in my box: It Girl “Sharna” – bronze-dipped full-coverage microglitter – and Boho Glam “Chatoya” – bright platinum glitter top coat. For a treat, there were 2 Red Bird Southern Refresh-mints.
Since I switched to the customizable box, I can no longer use my Jules to pay for boxes. I was sad, until I realized that I had so many Jules that I could use them on other stuff – like their new holiday line. I picked SWEEP – The Photogenic Palette. It a palette of 11 neutral shades – matte and shimmer. 11 is such an odd number, but whatever. Even though there’s a sea of naked/nude palettes on the market, I feel like I gotta get em all!
Not a Julep Maven? CLICK HERE to join! Get a FREE Jingle Bells Welcome Box with code TREAT!

November Ipsy Bag – Girl Meets Glitter
I got my ipsy bag on Friday, so sorry for the delay!
November’s bag is “Girl Meets Glitter” and I totally LOVE the glittery plastic bag from Forever 21 Cosmetics. I haven’t stepped foot in a Forever 21 in over a decade…maybe not since the 90s?
Inside my bag: Be A Bombshell Cosmetics Eye Base in “Submission”, a creamy gold taupe; J. Cat Beauty Lip Paint in “Red Potion”; Marc Anthony Oil of Morocco Argan Oil Volume Shine Hairspray; Starlooks Gem Eye Pencil in “Ultra Orchid”; and TEMPTU S/B Highlighter in “Pink Pearl” – and now I have 2 of these and have no idea what to do with them.
This is a pretty decent bag, but none of the products seem to go together. Gold eye shadow base with purple eye liner and red lipstick? Maybe if I was Lady Gaga…
If you’d like to try Ipsy – click here. I’ll earn 250 points if you sign up through my link.

November Birchbox – BuzzFeed Life
My Birchbox got here yesterday, but it was my night to cook dinner and frozen pizzas don’t magically cook themselves!
Instead of the regular box, I chose the special BuzzFeed Life curated box. Inside my box: amika Perk Up Dry Shampoo (I know, I know – I have a dozen of these and I never use it); Dr. Jart+ Pore Minimalist Mask (it has charcoal serum – I’ll be using this soon); Dr. Lipp Original Nipple Balm for Lips (Uhhhh…); Greenleaf Signature Candle in “Silver Spruce” (OMG, I could smell it THROUGH the box and outer shipping box – it’s like an entire 9 foot Xmas Tree); and Mirenesse iCurl Secret Weapon 24hr Mascara. There is also a cute sticker that says “cute” – cute!
If you would like to try Birchbox, click on my referral link – https://www.birchbox.com/invite/5453f – I’ll get 50 points if you join.

November Beauty Box 5 – Gracefully Grounded
Just like last month, I got my Beauty Box 5 on the same day (Saturday) that I got the shipping email. I understand them hedging their bets – why not send the emails a bit later than they day the drop them in the mail? No matter what, I get them pretty quick since they are based in Austin.
“Gracefully Grounded” is November’s theme. Inside my box: L’Oreal Paris Nail Color (Really – another polish without a name? I thought L’Oreal always names their polishes? I call this one Bright Ass Tomato Red…); DenTek Floss Picks + Case (perfect for my purse); HASK Macadamia Revitalizing Shine Oil; Laura Ashley Body Butter in “Cherry Blossom” (Is Laura Ashley still around or is this product left over from the 80s?); and Dove Deep Moisture Body Wash (I got a full size in my Allure Beauty Box, but haven’t tried it yet.)
My BFF didn’t get hers until today – I FINALLY got one of my boxes before her!

November Julep Maven Box – The Friendsgiving Collection
I got my Julep box yesterday – but I wanted to try the Length Matters Wow-Impact Mascara before writing the review.
Holy shit – this is absolutely the BEST mascara I’ve ever used. (Keep in mind that I’ve gotten over a dozen mascaras in the past few months – I’ve tried EVERYTHING.) The formula goes on smooth with no clumping and really does make your lashes look a zillion miles long. It’s very similar to my previous favorite mascara – Maybelline Lash Stiletto. The bottle designs is good, too – it doesn’t squish out of the top of the tube when you put the wand back in – I HATE that. This mascara is worth the $26 retail price.
Back to the rest of the box…November is “The Friendsgiving Collection”. I customized my box to get Bombshell “Fazia” – liquid garnet shimmer – and It Girl “Kiki” – oceanic silver shimmer, in addition to the Length Matters Wow-Impact Mascara.
Also included in my box were 2 of the best caramels I have ever had – Goetze’s Caramel Creams. I ate them immediately and did not share. They were more buttery than Paula Deen’s underpants!








