October Birchbox

Good Lord, how you frustrate me, Birchbox!! Now, imagine me yelling that into the Grand Canyon as Sheldon Cooper as the Flash would do.

For the first time ever, I watched a Birchbox preview video and they were talking about all these amazing brands that would be featured like Chantecaille and Eyeko and Goop, so of course I was really excited. They did mention that there was a Goop box and a "Transformations" box, so considering my horrible Birchbox luck, it figures that I received the "other" box. I guess in the end it didn't really make that much of a difference because even the Goop box recipients seemed pretty disappointed. Well, this was the last straw with Birchbox and I have cancelled the service (again). I've been really happy with Glossybox and Sample Society AND I have a glut of samples at the moment, so it won't be a big loss to lose Birchbox. Here's what I received this month...

Harvey Prince Eau Flirt (full size $55-98) - This fragrance claims to have been "clinically proven to attract men with its wickedly irresistible fragrance." Hmm interesting, I can't really say I've had men throwing themselves at me, but it does smell nice enough. The website says it has "warm, tempting notes of pumpkin pie and lavender," but I'm getting more of clean, crisp and a little fruity vibe. Oh well (or eau well?), I am awful at describing fragrances.

Mox Botanicals Pomegranate & Fig Lip Butter (full size $16) - This was alright, makes my lips smooth and has a nice scent, but nothing I'm blown away by. I also literally have a million lip balms to get through, so I wasn't that excited to get another one.

Supergoop City Sunscreen Serum (full size $20-42) - More packets of sunscreen. Woo hoo. Not. Okay, in all honesty, I really do like SPF moisturizers so I will give this a go, but I'm not thrilled about the packet aspect.

theBalm Cosmetics Mary-Lou Manizer (full size $24) - This one I was actually excited about. I've been looking for a new highlighter and Mary-Lou Manizer was on my list. It is a shimmery, golden champagne color and although you can look a little too glow-y if applied with a heavy hand, it really blends very well. What is your favorite highlighter? I'm trying to decide between Mary-Lou Manizer, MAC Soft & Gentle and Dior Amber Diamonds. Suggestions?

Luna Protein Chocolate Peanut Butter (full size 15 bars for $14.99) - I've had Luna bars before, mostly as samples I pick up from races and other events. They don't taste amazing (like for example, a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup), but they are admittedly a lot better than most (ahem, Powerbar). I think Luna bars have too many calories though - 190 for this little thing is pretty steep. My favorite protein/snack/health bars are still the Kind Bars which are delicious and made with a very good and short ingredient list.

So that's all for Birchbox. I'm a little sad to see them go, but they really need to make some improvements. I think they should charge a little more like they do for their men's box and include better items. That's my two cents anyway!

October Glossybox

After my disappointing Birchbox and Sample Society, I am having a total love affair with Glossybox. Like I said, it costs a little more ($23 something in CA, including tax), but you really get mostly deluxe to full size products from amazing brands.

I just realized that while cleaning up this morning, I seem to have thrown away the product info card so I'm going to have to wing it and do some googling to figure out the descriptions and prices! I think the theme of the month was something like a home spa day, but if it was up to me, I would have called it the month of amazing smelling products. Yeah, that doesn't sound as nice, but whateves. Here we go...

Alterna Bamboo Luminous Shine Mist (full size $22) - I always enjoy a good shine spray and this should come in handy since a sleek look is in for fall. I'm not super familiar with the Alterna brand although I have received quite a few samples of their products through beauty boxes and shops. What are your favorite Alterna products?

Carol's Daughter Almond Cookie Shea Souffle (full size $13.50) - OMG holy deliciousness! I love love love the way this smells! I love it so much that I already placed an order for the spa set which includes a shower gel, scrub, oil and another souffle. The smell kind of reminds me of the L'Occitane almond line - a little nutty, marzipan-y, and sweet. I'm not usually one for sweet/cookie type scents, but this one blew me away. The texture is reminiscent of a body butter, but as the name suggests, it is a lighter more whipped consistency.  I have so many shower products waiting to be used, but I can't think of any more appropriate for the holidays than this one.

Heartland Fragrance Co. Exfoliating Loofa Soap (full size $8) - This is an interesting product in that there is a piece of loofa inside of a glycerin soap. I'm always looking for scrubs and exfoliating products, so this will definitely be useful. I received the Secret Garden scent which smells more fruity than floral to me, but delicious none the less.

Nastassja Skin Enzyme Facial Peel (full size $40) - Another product that smell amazing - very citrusy and fresh. You just need to put a thin layer on your face and neck, let it sit for 2-3 minutes, then massage in circular motions. Dead skin is supposed to start pilling off. This is perfect because I just used up the last of my REN Glycolactic Renewal Mask so I needed a new exfoliating product.

Model Co. Lipstick/Gloss duo (full size $39) - I'm not entirely sure if this is an actual product because I can't find it on their website. I think the full size price just reflects the cost of a lipstick plus the cost of a lipgloss. In any case, $39 is pretty steep even if you are getting two products. I've never had a lipstick before that smells so good! It smells like gummy candies or something. I like that the color is a very wearable pinky brown with a peachy nude gloss. However, I will say that lipstick/gloss is really big and somewhat unwieldy when applying the lipstick side. There is also a built in mirror on the side, but it sort of defeats the purpose because you can't really use the mirror and the lipstick at the same time if that makes any sense.

Overall, another great Glossybox. I can't wait for my next one!

October Sample Society

I have to admit, I think this is the most disappointing Sample Society box I have received thus far. All of the samples are really small and there aren't any cosmetic items! Boo :( Here's what I received...

Jane Iredale Tantasia Self Tanner (full size $36) - Is it just me or does the name totally make you think of Fangtasia from True Blood?? I'm not a big fan of self tanners as I'm generally pretty naturally tan year round. Plus this sample is so small, I'm not really sure if it will cover both my legs. It's safe for use on face, but I'm kind of afraid of ending up with an orange mug.

Kate Somerville ExfoliKate Intensive Exfoliating Treatment (full size $85) - This is the item that I'm most excited to try. I love exfoliators, although I doubt I will ever shell out $85 for one! It must be quite strong since it says to use only once or twice a week.

Aromachology Clean & Fresh Eau de Parfum (full size $100) - Again, not a huge fan of perfume samples, but this one is pretty cute and has a cap. It smells alright, but kinda soap-y. I guess it would be good for after getting out of the shower.

Oscar Blandi Pronto Wet Hair Care Conditioner (full size $28) - I think I saw on a few blogs that this is meant for use after the dry shampoo. They must have misread the bottle because it clearly says to use after the Pronto Wet Instant Volume Shampoo. I wish they would have sent the matching shampoo because I like my hair products to match like that.

Erno Laszlo Phormula 3-9 Repair Balm (full size $245) - First of all, wtf does "phormula" mean?? And second $245?! WOW! I tried a bit on my hand and it is very thick and balm like. I'm sure it will be great for cold, dry winters, but yeah, I don't think I can spend that much on a moisturizer.

Herban Essentials Lavender Towelette - This was just a freebie hand sanitizing wipe. I'll probably keep this in my purse, but I always forget to use them and they end up dried up :P

That's it! This box was disappointing, but I'm usually very happy with my Sample Society boxes. I hope next month improves!

(Another) Ulta Haul

Left to Right: NYX Terra Cotta, NYX Antwerp, NYX, Stockholm, NYX Lala, Revlon Sugar Plum 

Sooo remember the other day I said there was a big sale at Ulta on NYX, Revlon, Almay and Physicians Formula? Well, I sorta stopped by and picked up a few things... Honestly, I need another lip product like I need a hole in the head, but I ended up with 4 new lippies. The thing is, you won't believe how much I paid for all this stuff - $7! They were all 40% off, plus I had a $5 off coupon and $6 in reward card credits. I'm like a freakin extreme couponer! Here's what I hauled....

NYX Powder Blush in Terra Cotta - I bought this because Essie Button said it was a dupe of Nars Luster and a gorgeous peachy shade. I couldn't agree more! This is a slightly shimmery peach color that looks very natural. I had no idea how soft and pigmented NYX blushes are! They are amazing with my Real Techniques blush brush and I can't wait to pick up more.

NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Antwerp and Stockholm - Antwerp is a pinky coral and Stockholm in a nude pink brown. I am super impressed with these lip creams. Basically they're like lip glosses, but without the glossiness. Ha! They're creamy, pigmented and a lot easier to wear than most matte lipsticks. They have good lasting power and although they do get a little dry, you can layer over or under it with some balm.

NYX Round Lipstick in Lala - This is my first Round lipstick and wow - so creamy, pigmented and such an amazing bargain! Regularly they're something like $3.99 and after all my discounts, I think I only paid $1 something. I picked Lala because I was looking for something plummy, mauvey and fall appropriate. This was the perfect shade and I can't wait to wear it once the temperature drops a few (or 30) degrees.

Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter in Sugar Plum - I think this is my 8th lip butter. Basically I was looking for a sheerer, easy to wear version of Lala. The color is pretty similar to Berry Smoothie, but a little less pink. This isn't my favorite lip butter shade, but I'm sure I'll get some use out of this this fall.