beauty

Review: Glossybox February 2015

Last month I didn’t cancel my plan before the monthly deadline, so I wound up receiving the February box. I have to say, as annoyed as I was at myself for not remembering to cancel earlier, the theme of the February box was adorable.

Julep Color Treat in Heartleigh – Full Size $14

This is so cute for February, but I don’t find Julep nail polishes to be all that great. There is a tip included on the card regarding how to best use it, but I don’t think I’ll be giving this a shot.

Unwash Bio-Cleansing Conditioner – Full Size $36

This is supposed to replace shampoo and conditioner. I’m always skeptical of these types of products, but considering I have crazy hair I’m always willing to try new products.

Royal Apothic Tinties Lip Butter in Pink – Full Size $14

This is the cutest little tin of lip balm. I prefer lip gloss to these little pots, but it would look cute just sitting on a dresser as a decorative item.

Scalisi Skincare Cleanser and Exfoliator – $25

This promises to be a “mini facial” and I’m SO excited to try it. I’m testing cleansers and I can’t wait to add this one to the list.

Rituals Cosmetics Foaming Shower Gel Sensation in Yogi Flow – $15

I wanted so badly to love this product. The packaging is adorable. However, when I tried it out the Indian rose scent was so incredibly overwhelming, there is no way I could use this. Total bummer.

I thought the presentation and products in the box are adorable. They all have a romantic vibe and would be perfect for date nights.

Review: Birchbox February 2015

Last year I suspended my subscription to Birchbox because I became unhappy with the selection of samples in the box. Over the past few months I’ve been closely following what changes Birchbox has made, and I decided to give it another shot. I must say – this box was a great way to begin!

theBalm cosmetics – Read My Lips Lip Gloss – BAM! Full size $15

I am a huge fan of theBalm since discovering their products from Birchbox ages ago. This color is ok – definitely more of a summer color, but I love the formula. I may be purchasing some other colors.

Paula’s Choice Clinical KP Treatment Cloths – Full size $22.40

I also discovered Paula’s Choice through BB, and it is another brand that I absolutely adore. I have yet to use these, and while I don’t have keratosis pilaris, I still want to see how they are on my skin.

Laura Geller Beauty – GlamLASH Dramatic Volumizing Mascara – Full size $24

This is another mainstay brand, and I was thrilled to receive an LG mascara. I LOVE this mascara, which is surprising, because the brush is so itty bitty. Usually I layer on a few mascaras for the effect I like, but I love how this looks!

Harvey Prince – Ageless – Full size $55

I have yet to try this, and to be honest, I used to hate receiving perfume samples. I recently looked through my pile of them, and I have received over 4 different samples from Harvey Prince, so I wasn’t that excited. However, I want to test all of the perfumes for my blog, so this makes a great addition to the pile.

Davines MINU Shampoo & Hair Serum – Shampoo Full size $25 – Serum Full size $23.50

I haven’t tried the shampoo yet, and I’m curious to see how it works. I have however tried the serum (hence the open package in the photos) and I’m not thrilled with the smell. But I have crazy hair, and am always looking to try new photos.

Review: Sample Society February 2015

Back in January I purchased a subscription to Sample Society. This is a subscription from BeautyBar.com and Allure Magazine. Last month there was a great coupon that allowed me to purchase a one month subscription for $10, instead of the regular price of $15. I adore Allure Magazine, and thought this would be the ideal opportunity to give this a try.

nugg Face Mask in Deep Cleansing, Revitalizing and Hydrating – $9.87

I have yet to give these a try, but I’m researching different types of face masks for a future post, and thought these would be perfect to add to the mix.

Nails Inc Polish in Prince’s Palace – Value $9

Gorgeous light purple. I don’t wear this type of color often, but because it seems to be on the grey side, I’m willing to give it a shot.

Batiste Dry Shampoo in Blush – $1.75

I always love dry shampoo, but I can’t get beyond the scent of this one. I find it to be very floral-y and I will most likely be swapping this one.

Chloe Love Story Perfume Sample – $3

I was very excited to try this, and am thankful for the sample. However, the scent is a little strong for me, so I doubt it would be something I can wear everyday.

StriVectin Intensive Illuminating Serum – $22.25

This was the most exciting item in the box for me. I’m thrilled to be able to try this, and the sample size is quite generous.

Overall, I’m relatively happy with this box. I always love having things to try, and I’m always up to swap some things for products I can use. I’m not sure if I’ll continue to subscribe, but the box isn’t that expensive, so I’d be interested to see what next month brings.

Guest Blog Post – All About Red Lipstick

I recently did a guest blog over at Posh & Spicy... and the post just went up today. Click on the link and go check it out!

Favorites: January 2015

It is hard to believe the first month of 2015 has already come to an end. I wanted to start a monthly series where I share my favorite products, as well as ones that I discover each month.

Over the past few months I have been searching for a new make up primer. I came across several blogs that highly recommended Too Faced’s Hangover Rx Replenishing Face Primer. It leaves my face looking slightly dewy, which I like, and it is filled with ingredients that help to rejuvenate the skin. Although I’ve now tried several primers, I find myself reaching for this one 99% of the time.

Recently I re-discovered one of my absolute favorite perfumes: Givenchy’s Hot Couture. According to Sephora.com it has hints of Raspberry Dew, Jasmine, Bergamot, and White Musk. I only have this in the roller ball size, but I can’t get enough.

While watching YouTube videos I came across several vloggers who mentioned Buxom’s Full-on Lip Cream in the color White Russian. It is a gorgeous nude/pink, and OMG – I haven’t left the house without it in weeks. It leaves your lips tingling, and has a minty smell. The color is beautiful and while this is definitely a sticky lip gloss, it is also very creamy.

Another item I have been searching for over the past few months is a new wallet. I’m picky about wallets, because I like wallets that are easily accessible for me. While surfing ShopBop.com I came across a Rebecca Minkoff wallet that I just adore. It is their Continental Single Snap Wallet in Crimson (click here for a similar wallet). Fortunately the wallet was on major sale AND since they are partnered with Amazon I was able to buy it through Amazon and use a bunch of gift cards that I received for Christmas. Sadly the wallet is no longer available but the link above will show their updated version of mine, which is now in a GORGEOUS marble pattern.

The last product I discovered this month is Korres’ Volcanic Minerals Volumizing Mascara. I received it in the holiday GlossyBox. I typically use mascaras that are very dark, and enhance and volumize my lashes, and this does not disappoint.

Let me know if you discovered any other great products this month!!

Review: GlossyBox January 2015

Today I received my January GlossyBox, which I was very excited to receive. I should mention two things: 1) I purchased this box on my own and 2) I have had extremely unpleasant experiences with GB in the past.

I was a GlossyBox subscriber for several months last year, and enjoyed the box very much. Eventually though I decided to cut down on my subscription boxes, and decided to cancel for a while. In December I purchased the holiday box (which I LOVED, btw) but it took so incredibly long to ship. After a long back and forth with GB, the box unfortunately arrived after Christmas. I had previously purchased an offer from Ruelala and wanted to use it for the January box because two items caught my eye – the toner and the Tweez Trendy Cosmetics brush. Unfortunately I received the Tarte brush, and while I can use it, it wasn’t what I had hoped would be in the box. (I absolutely love Tarte products, but again, it wasn’t what caught my eye).

Now for the box:

The first item is the Skin&Co Roma Truffle Therapy Serum. I’m super excited to try this – it has an interesting fragrance. While it isn’t a heavy scent, it may bother some who are sensitive to smells. It absorbs rather quickly into the skin, and I’m excited to use this over a long period of time. The downside is that the full size tube is $80.

Next is the Tarte Undercover Bamboo Concealer Brush. Fortunately I could really use a nice concealer brush, but as I mentioned above, is a bit of a bummer.

The Kueshi Revitalizing Face Toner was one of the items I fell in love with in another blogger’s review – and it does not disappoint. I adore the fragrance of aloe vera, camomille and calendula. I’m looking forward to using this product and lucky for me, unlike many other GB subscribers, my toner made it completely intact.

The Vichy Purete Thermale 3-in-1 One Step Cleanser is new to me. I’m not necessarily new to the brand, but this product is new for me. I love trying new cleansers and believe I will get great use out of this product.

The final item in the box, Lollipops Eye Pencil in Goodbye Moon is a new brand for me. I enjoy receiving eye liners that aren’t pencils that I need to sharpen. So I will definitely give this a shot. Plus, being a Jersey girl, I can’t pass up anything pink AND leopard print.

In the box was a $40 Hello Fresh gift card. I’ve explored the site in the past and I’m not sure that I’d be their best customer (cooking isn’t quite my forte)… but I’m totally willing to give the service a shot.

Overall, I will get use out of everything in the box, and am pleased that I waited for January to use my Ruelala offer.

Making Resolutions Real: Closet Clean up

Like many girls, I absolutely love to shop. However, I know that I can’t buy things without purging the old things in my closet. Over the past few years I’ve found three different opportunities to clean things out and make some extra money.

Since I work in fundraising I’m all for donating clothes and gently used products to places like the Salvation Army, but considering some of my things still have tags on them, it almost felt like I was throwing away money. After some googling I found Threadflip. It is a website where you can sell clothing and accessories that are new or in fairly decent condition. You can list any brand and the recommended asking price is 20-40% of the retail price you paid. I base my prices on how much I have used the item, and how much I’m looking to get it out of the house. Oh, and the company takes a 20% commission. Over the past year and a half I’ve made over $500 and sold about 35 items. I choose to pay for shipping for my customers, but you can also let the buyer pay the shipping if you wish. Some I only make $2-$3, but to me thats better than nothing. You also can use their white glove service where they list the item for you and take care of everything. Since I have so many things listed, I preferred to do it myself. Things can take a while to sell, but eventually they will! Click on the screen shot below to visit my “closet”:

Poshmark is another site I use to sell things. I should disclose that I’ve only recently joined, and already sold my first item. The downside to this site is that you can only list items through the app on your phone – you can’t do so online, unlike Threadflip. Also, people often ask to trade or pay through Paypal which isn’t sanctioned by the site. I had no problems with my first sale, and they require the buyer to pay $4.99 in shipping. It appears as though their commission is about 15%, but I had trouble confirming that on their site. Oh, and their support staff are fantastic! Click below to visit my “closet”!

The final site is for those of you who, like me, are obsessed with subscription boxes. Mysubscriptionaddiction.com is a review site, and they also offer a swap forum as well. The swap site is great! You have to list the item, what box it is from and the condition of the item. Each party is responsible for the shipping, and it really runs on an honor system. I’ve had several swaps so far, and its great to get items you can use for those that would be sitting in your closet and drawers. I tend to swap make up, but you can swap anything from any box listed on the site (and there are tons!) I absolutely LOVE this. Click on the link above to get swapping!!

Do any of you use these types of site to clean out your closets? Share in the comments other sites/ideas – I’m always looking to try new things!

Get to Know Me: Daily Routine

I thought the best way to give readers insight into my personal taste would be to highlight my daily routine.

One of my absolute “must haves” is my Clarisonic Plus. I’ve had it for several years now, and while its not quite working properly, I just can’t let it go! The bright fuchsia color adds a nice pop to my white bathroom counter, and I can’t rave enough about this product. It keeps my skin clear, and feeling soft – so great that I have to bring it with me when I travel. (That is actually hard because the plus has a massive charger) The other perk to this version of the Clairsonic is that it has a brush head that you can use on your body. This is PERFECT for the summer and scrubbing off self tanner. The face wash that I reach for daily is the Bliss Fabulous Foaming Face Wash. The scent is so enticing and along with the Clarisonic the results leave my skin in the best condition I’ve ever seen.

Every morning I use Origins Refreshing Eye Cream which helps with the puffiness under my eyes which I have pretty regularly.

The following is the rest of my routine:

Smashbox Photo Finish Light Primer

e.l.f. HD Lifting Concealer

BeautyBlender

Make Up Forever HD Foundation Shade N118

Smashbox Contour Palette

Anastasia Brow Wiz – Taupe

Anastasia Clear Brow Gel

Chella Ivory Lace Highlighter

Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner

Josie Maran Argan Black Oil Mascara

Benefit Dallas Blush

Ben Nye Banana Luxury Powder

My lip gloss (and blush) tend to change pretty regularly. I’m going to do a post highlighting some of my recent favorites!

Just another blog?

I know you’re thinking that you’ve stumbled across yet another “beauty blog.” And while, yes I blog about beauty products, my goal is to go beyond being just another blog. I’ve loved all things make up related since I was little – I can even remember my first trip to Sephora as a teenager (corny, I know). In late 2014 I made a promise to myself to make the new year the best one yet, and I want to do everything I can to live up to that. Since I spend most of my free time reading other blogs and watching YouTube videos, I realized I wanted to add my voice to the ever growing blogging community. So welcome to my blog where I will highlight not only one of my biggest passions, but also my journey to living my best life possible.

GabGoesGlam

Beauty. Lifestyle. Fashion.