Review

#BEAUTYCONBFF

Until recently I was unaware the Beautycon made a monthly box. I saw an ad for it on my Facebook (I know, I’ve been seeing a lot on there lately) and was super intrigued. Mostly perhaps because this month the box was curated by Bethany Mota.

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I did read spoilers ahead of time, so I knew what I’d be getting, but that didn’t make me any less excited about receiving it. I couldn’t wait for it to get here! It was packaged pretty well, but unfortunately the eye shadow was cracked and separated. Otherwise though I’m very happy!

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These are deemed Bethany’s “winter essentials” and this is definitely a super fun box. The packaging, items – it all mixes together for a sugary sweet box of all things girly. Here is a peek inside the box:

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Murad Hydrating Toner – I can’t wait to try this! I’ve heard great things about Murad

Essie Marshmallow Nail Color

Maybelline NY The Falsies Push Up Mascara

Soap & Glory Hand Food Hydrating Hand Cream – Love this hand cream for keeping in my purse. Super small and portable.

Garnier Fructis Root Amp Lifting Spray Mousse

Disney Minnie Mouse Tattoo Junkee Jewelry Inspired Tattoos

Disney Sequin Minnie Mouse Ears – I’m hoping to get to Disney soon, so these and the tattoos are perfect!

NIKE $20 Gift Card Off $50 Purchase – This came in the cutest, tiniest shoe box!

Revlon Ultra HD Matte Lipcolor

ColourPop Highlighter – Sadly this was broken, but I think I can still use it because it is so creamy! LOVE the color!

Aeropostale $10 Gift Card Off $50 Purchase

Beautycon Gold Digger Notebook – This came super scratched, but is still so cute and I love the gold!

Have any of you tried this box? Thoughts??

I LOVE Love With Food

After being diagnosed with stomach problems a few years back I’ve gotten used to having to hunt for fun new gluten free foods. I came across Love with Food a while back, and was so excited to find that I could get a box of gluten free foods delivered to my door monthly. I stopped for a bit, but picked back up again after grabbing a deal on Black Friday. I’m SO glad I did. Since coming back to the box I’ve had amazing snacks in my boxes and I just had to share. They also make boxes that aren’t gluten free as well. Plus for every box, a meal is donated to feed a hungry child in the US. That is awesome! EVERYONE should check out this box! Click here to go to their website.

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Not all items are pictured in the box above, because I ate them already!!

Included in my box:

Dried garcinia Indica Superfruit by Sant – you add this to water. I haven’t tried it yet but should be good!

Corn and Sea Salt Chips by The Better Chip

Oat Chocolate Chip Coconut Whenever Bars by Pamela’s Products

Gluten Free Brown Sugar & Maple Oatmeal Cup by Bob’s Red Mill

Handmade Sea Salt Caramel by Annie B’s

Dark Chocolate Toffee by Dave’s Sweet Tooth – SO. GOOD.

Snickerdoodle by Cybele’s Free to Eat

Baked Mac N’ Cheese Puffs by Snikiddy – I HAVE to buy more of these. They are the best thing ever.

Rosemary Truffle Gourmet Popcorn by Pop Art

Almond Butter and Cashew Pecan Energy Balls by Betty Lou’s

These are my new favorite!

People x The Voice Box

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I’ve been home sick for the past week, and during my endless hours of Facebooking, I came across an ad for a box put together around the show The Voice. Full disclosure, I don’t watch the show. I know what it is, I like the judges, but ultimately, I just don’t watch it. However, this box caught my eye.

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It was put together by People.com, and is officially called People x The Voice Gift Box. The concept was that they put together a gift box designed around the three rotating female judges: Gwen Stefani, Christina Aguilera, and Shakira. Originally it retailed for $49.99 but is on sale for $20! They say the value of the box is $150, and I very much believe that. The brands are AWESOME. This is a serious find. Click here to check it out! Note: I paid for this myself, and came across it on my own – I just love this box!

My favorite thing in the box is the adorable pair of sunglasses by celeb favorite Quay. These retail alone for $50! Screen Shot 2016-01-16 at 12.21.09 PM.png

The Ban.do coffee mug is one that I have seen all over, and probably wouldn’t have gone out of my way to get it, but only paying $20 for the box alone made it worth it. Plus it is pretty cute!

Screen Shot 2016-01-16 at 12.21.33 PM.png The poppin notebook is cute, and I’m a lover of stationery, so I’m positive this will get used!

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I like Laqa & Co, and I LOVE this color. I seriously can’t wait to give it a try. Mine doesn’t look as dark as the picture below – mine is a light nude.

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These earrings from Bauble Bar are adorbs! I wore them yesterday and just adore them. Note – they are very hard to take on and off, but so worth it!

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These last two items are ok, and I’ll probably use them. I’m not a huge fan of Julep’s formula, but I’ll give it a shot! And the konjac sponge from Julep comes pre-moistened, so it should be interesting to try! Screen Shot 2016-01-16 at 12.22.12 PM.png

Review: BoxyCharm July 2015

I have read so many reviews of how great BoxyCharm is, and just needed to see for myself! I love that nearly all the products are full size!

MDMflow Greater Than Mascara – (new to American market)

The packaging is gorgeous! I’m excited to try it. BoxyCharm did send an email out saying that you need to prime it before use, which is a little scary. But hopefully if I did it correctly this will be amazing!

Vasanti Professional Blush Brush – $29

This brush is nice and I love getting brushes in boxes. I definitely think I can use this for conturing!

yourMinerals Transparent Veil Setting Powder – $26

I’m not a big fan of this brand, but I’m willing to give this a shot.

gorge I’ll make you look amazing daily spray – $29.95

I’m super excited for this since I have crazy frizzy hair. I saw this was in another box this month too – so I’m hoping that’s a good sign!

OFRA Cosmetics Lip Liner – $13

I don’t use lip liners that often, so I might trade this.

Overall I’m excited with the products I received and am looking forward to seeing what I get next month!

Review: Allure Beauty Box July 2015

This month is the first time the Allure Beauty Box has been put out under its new name – it was previously Sample Society. I LOVED this month! Such great brands, and decent sized products. WTG Allure!

Bumble and Bumble Hairdresser’s Invisible Oil Heat/UV Protective Primer – Full Size $27

I found out about this from my salon and already have the full size and a travel. So glad to have another! It makes my hair silky soft and really protects it. I won’t travel without it!

SuperGoop! Defense Refresh Setting Mist Broad Spectrum Sunscreen SPF 50 – Full Size $28

I feel like I’ve been SuperGooped out, but I saw this product on one of the talkshows recently and really wanted to try it. I’m really into setting sprays and so excited this was in the box.

Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Eye Serum Synchronized Complex II – Full Size $65

I’ve love these serums forever, and already used a different one. I swear by them and believe they make my skin look so much better.

Oscar Blandi Pronto Invisible Volumizing Dry Shampoo Spray– Full Size $25

I’ve had this in a bunch of boxes, and it works pretty well so I’m always glad to have more dry shampoo.

Estee Lauder Sumptuous Infinite Daring Length + Volume Mascara in Black – Full Size

I just tried this and love it. It definitely brings the volume.

Invisibobble – $8 for 3

This is a clear hairtie that looks like a telephone cord. Super weird, not sure how I feel about it.

Overall I LOVED this box. Keep it up Allure!

Review: Stitchfix July 2015

I decided to try this based on a friend’s recommendation. Basically you sign up and fill out an extensive profile and link your social media and pinterest to the site. Then a personal shopper selects items for you and ships you out a box based on your likes. I was really intrigued by this idea. At $20 it costs significantly less than Le Tote (which I hated, btw) and seemed like a good idea. I even wrote my stylist a note at their prompting telling her my favorite colors and what I was looking for. What came in my box was far from what I wanted.

They send this card describing how to style your pieces:

This was the first piece I pulled out. I’m not a fan of the pattern and its cheaply made. They were asking around $50 for it….

I included that I have a really short torso, and things like this next piece wouldn’t be possible. Not great:

I did say I liked dresses, but due to being bigger on the bottom this wasn’t the best choice for me, but nice color though:

This next shirt wasn’t bad, but wasn’t great:

The only thing I LOVED was this necklace. Gorgeous color! I purchased it for sure. The nice thing is that the $20 you pay for the box goes toward the price of the item. So it was $34 and I paid an additional $14. If you buy all the items you get 25% off the order.

Who else has tried Stitchfix? Thoughts?

Review: Southern Lilly Lady

On Instagram I follow @southernlillylady, a blogger who recently started her own subscription box. She dresses primarily in Lilly Pulitzer in her photos, and I thought I would fall IN LOVE with this box without ever even knowing what was in it. It is $20 per box and you need to commit to three boxes (I got so excited I only read the fine print later…) You can buy the box here. FullSizeRender 18

Anyway, when the box arrived it was totally crushed and partially opened. So that was bummer #1. Then I opened it and was super bummed with the contents. There is no booklet or anything, just the products.

It came with a mason jar with a lemonade recipe, a bunch of paper straws, some tropical bath powder, pineapple earrings and a sparkly bracelet. The jewelry aside I’m not that into the other items. Its not like the drink came with a mix or was immediately useful. I can go to the store and buy a box of mason jars for nothing. I adore the concept though and am hoping next months is much better, and perhaps a little more luxurious to reflect the title of the box.

Review: Birchbox July 2015

This month I absolutely hated my Birchbox. Super disappointing. I either have the products already, or can’t use the new ones. I really wish I had done the curated box, and regret missing the deadline for it.

Bumble and bumble Hairdresser’s Invisible Oil – Full Size $39

I love this B&B line, but I have SO many samples of this stuff that it will take me forever to get through it!

Harvey Prince Hello Body Cream – Full Size $22

I have so many bottles of the harvey Prince perfumes, and I’m not a huge fan of the scents. This lotion is no different. The smell is long lasting, and I’m just not into the citrus-floral scent.

Juice Beauty Green Apple Peel Sensitive – Full Size $39

I have this already, and might be able to use another tube. I barely use the one I have because I’m not fond of the scent. But I think I might be able to use this.

stila look at me liquid lipstick trio – Set of 3 $20

I received the bright red version, and the color won’t work well with my skin color. I wear a lot of red, but I just don’t see this working. Its going in my swap pile!

Supergoop! Anti-Aging City Sunscreen Serum SPF 30 – Full Size $42

I feel like all boxes send Supergoop! in the summer and I’m incredibly overloaded with it! I definitely like the brand but I need to unload a few of the products.

How were your Birchboxes this month?! Let me know in the comments!

Review: Sephora Sun Safety Kit

When I first heard this was being released, I was so incredibly excited. I love sets like this, and appreciate the chance to test out products before I make a big purchase. [Note: This is the full kit, not the one from JC Penney which was smaller]. Now that I’ve had time to play with some of the products, I want to offer my mid summer opinion. Those I know or have tried are in bold.

The Sephora Sun Safety Kit includes 16 products:

– 0.2 oz AmorePacific Natural Protector SPF 30

– 0.3 oz Clarins UV Plus Anti-Pollution Broad Spectrum SPF 50

– 0.5 oz Clinique Moisture Surge CC Cream Broad Spectrum SPF 30 in Light Medium

THIS IS MY FAVORITE. Okay, so I got a little excited, but I’ve been using this as a foundation because it covers so well and I absolutely love it. It makes my skin look flawless, and it is definitely full coverage.

– 0.25 oz Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare™ Dark Spot Sun Defense Broad Spectrum SPF 50 Sunscreen

– 0.17 oz Dr. Jart+ Premium Beauty Balm SPF 45

– 0.08 oz Fresh® Sugar Lip Treatment SPF 15

I LOVE THIS. I had never tried a Fresh lip treatment before, and generally don’t wear lip balm type products. This has the BEST smell, and I always through it in my bag to head to the pool or beach. Can’t be beat.

– 0.5 oz Josie Maran Cosmetics Argan Daily Moisturizer SPF 47

I love the consistency of this, but haven’t used it enough to have a strong opinion.

– 0.34 oz Korres Yoghurt Nourishing Fluid Veil Broad Spectrum SPF 30

– 0.17 oz Murad® Invisiblur™ Perfecting Shield Broad Spectrum SPF 30

This felt pretty great when I applied it. I’ve never tried a Murad product before this. Anyone have any thoughts?

– 0.1 oz Ole Henriksen total truth™ eye crème SPF 15

I used this every night before I picked this bag up, and am thrilled to have another sample.

– 0.5 oz Origins VitaZing™ Broad Spectrum SPF 15 Energy-Boosting Moisturizer with Mangosteen

I am a huge fan of Origins face creams, and this one is just as good as anything I’ve tried.

– Peter Thomas Roth Max Sheer All Day Moisture Defense® Lotion SPF 30

– 0.6 oz Shiseido Ultimate Sun Protection Cream SPF 50+ WetForce Broad Spectrum Water Resistant (80 Minutes)

– 1.69 oz St. Tropez One Night Only in Light-Medium

Can’t wait to try this! I’m a little afraid it might transfer, but St. Tropez is a favorite brand of mine.

– 0.34 oz Supergoop!® City Sunscreen Serum SPF 30

Supergoop! is always great. It does its job, but this doesn’t make me jump up and down.

– 0.34 oz Vita Liberata Passion Flower & Argan Dry Oil Broad Spectrum SPF 50

– Travel bag

I threw this out after I unpacked it. It is large, and could definitely store a lot of stuff, but I just didn’t have room for it.

16 products for $32! I’m working my way through the other products. Who else picked this up? Thoughts?

REVIEW WEEK!

Hi Everyone! I’ve decided that since I have SO many boxes/things to review this month that I will make this review week! I’m going to post a review everyday starting tomorrow!

GabGoesGlam

Beauty. Lifestyle. Fashion.