Category: Subscription Boxes

Ipsy March 2018 Subscription Box Review

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Ipsy Bag

Cost: $10 monthly, $110 annual

Cycle: Every Month

What is it: Every month Ipsy sends out a cute makeup bag of samples and full size items. you can review your bag for points that you can trade in for reward items. The rewards change often and the range between 100 points and 1000 points. You can get up to 95 points every month.

If you want to subscribe you can subscribe HERE and skip the waitlist. That is my referral link so I do get points to spend but I’m not an affiliate I don’t make any money or anything it’s just one beauty junkie to another.

So this is my 100th post I feel like that is really monumental I am super proud of myself! I don’t know if anyone has actually read all my posts probably not but I thank you for being here.

As you can see I have changed up the design on this blog quite a bit I am still tweaking it and trying to get it perfect but I’d love to know your thoughts on it.

So this month’s bag came with markers so that you can color it. I colored it in a little just so you can. This is one of the nicer quality bags they have sent out and it is a bit bigger then than the normal bags they send. Unfortunately for I won’t use this because faces without eyes weird me out and I don’t like looking at them.

Too Faced Sex Kitten Eyeliner

Full Size: 0.2 g

Full Size Cost: $20

Sample Size: 0.1 g

Value: $10

This isn’t smudgey which is key for me but it is supposed to be triple black pigment whatever the fuck that means and I found this to not be super black at all. The packaging reminds me of old school Too Faced packaging from like mid 2000s which is super nostalgic to my formative years of buying makeup. Swatched Below.

City Color Glow Duo Cream and Powder Highlight

Full Size: Cream: 7 g Powder: 8.8 g

Full Size Cost: $5.99

Sample Size: Cream: 2.6 g Powder: 3.2 g

Value: $2.20

Another City Color mini palette thing I had really bad luck with the one they sent in January ago. I just could not get it to work and ended up throwing it away when I was on vacation because it just didn’t work for me. I couldn’t really give a used crappy product away to someone I just couldn’t do that. Again this is not full size it is just under half but it feels full size ad I like this packaging better than the full size packaging just very odd. For that price point I feel like they should have sent the full size. This is a highlighting palette that has a cream side and a powder side. The powder is super dark and the cream is super fair so this is like a palette that only half is going to work for an given person. Which is a strange set up The consistency on these seems a lot nicer so we shall see how I get these to work or if they are just as bad as the contour palette. Swatched Below.

Hikari Cosmetics Cream Pigment in Envy

Full Size: 4 g

Full Size Cost: $13

Sample Size: 2 g

Value: $6.50

 

 

So this is cool it a pressed cream pigment kind of like those L’oreal Infallible ones. I like the texture but you have to be careful because it can chunk up and ball up if you aren’t careful you have to build it thinly and not dig in the pan. In this packaging I think it is going to dry out pretty fast things like this need to be in a jar with a screw top usually. This is a really pretty shimmery green. I love the texture of these type of eyeshadows so this will definitely get used. These are perfect for a quick five minute out the door look. Swatched Below.

With Flash:

No Flash:

Glossier Balm Dotcom in Mint

Full Size: 15 ml

Full Size Cost: $12

Sample Size: 7 ml

Value: $5.60

This is the thing I was most excited about I have been dying to try this for so long that when I saw this was an option this month I was so hoping I would get it and I did; for once I lucked out. This is super minty to start with you can smell it and taste it and feel the cooling mintyness on your lips. It is a thick slightly sticky balm but in a good way it feels great on the lips and rubbed in to the skin. Now that I know how much I like it I will probably buy up more of these. It is technically a skin salve and it does feel really good and balmy rubbed in to the skin.

Goldfaden MD Solution Facial Detox

Full Size:  50 ml

Full Size Cost: $65

Sample Size: 20 ml

Value: $26

This came when my skin was breaking out pretty bad and this mask did seem to help aclear out a lot of the congestion in my skin and helped draw out the breakouts that were coming up and heal the ones that were already there. So I am a fan of this. I am not a fan of the price, but this is a pretty high value sample for Ipsy.

I am really happy with this months bag I got all things in my wheel house I love 3 of my 5 items and one is $26 dollars so that is more than worth it to me this is the month to beat this year for Ipsy. Oh and checking back in with the leaky lipstick from last month I contacted Ipsy and they sent me a new one no problem that wasn’t leaking so that was great.

Quick Summary:

Total Value: $50.30

Skincare: 2

Makeup: 3

Tools: 0

Hair Care: 0

Perfume: 0

Other: 0

And as far as sizes:

Full Size: 0

Deluxe Sample: 4

Sample: 1

<3 Nightmare Before Makeup

Sephora Play! 2017 Year in Review

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Sephora Play!

Cost: $10.00 monthly + tax

Cycle: Every Month

What is it: Every month our favorite money sucking store Sephora sends out a curated box of higher end samples to try out.  Every month you receive 5 samples and a perfume sample.  The boxes are customized with a few different variations being sent out each month.

There is a small survey that Sephora has you take that helps Sephora curate a box to your needs. There is also a card included in the box for a complimentary mini makeover (which are complimentary any way so I don’t really get that) and 50 extra points if you purchase something in store.

I had fun with the Ipsy review I did so I decided to do Sephora Play as well. My other subscriptions I haven’t had for a whole calendar year so I can’t really do them. So let’s see how Sephora did for the year and find out how they did compared to Ipsy.

Month Value Product
January $31.36 6
February $39.42 6
March $32.47 6
April $36.91 6
May $54.46 6
June $31.64 6
July $39.48 6
August $45.37 6
September $36.79 7
October $40.36 6
November $59.55 6
December $46.84 6

Total: $494.65

Products: 73

Every Month but one I got 6 products so I did get more products then Ipsy overall but 11 of those were perfumes so that’s with a grain of salt some people don’t like the perfume samples I’m ok with them in this box.

I paid $1.64 per item I received so actually a little less per item then Ipsy and getting higher end products, but these are all sample sizes and usually you get some full sizes with Ipsy so they are still pretty equal in my mind.

Average Bag Value: $41.22

Coming about $6 under the average value of Ipsy.

Top 5 Favorite Items

  1.  March – Glam Glow Glowstarter  in Nude Glow – $6.86
  2. April – Sephora Waterproof Eye Makeup Remover – $1.88
  3. October – Make Up For Ever Ultra HD Foundation – $6.81
  4. January – Tarte Frxxxtion Stick – $4.84
  5. August – Korres Golden Krocus Ageless Elixir Serum – $13.07

So my Top Five comes to a grand total of $33.46. Wow that was a really low value I have some serious mixed feelings…

My thing here is dollar wise I seem to get alot more for my money with Ipsy so if that is your main concern just getting the biggest return on your money Ipsy is the way to go hands down.

Me personally though I get more use out of my Sephora Play products. I use them up more often I declutter or give away much less of what I get in my Sephora box and generally like and use more of what I get. Even if I seem to be getting less for my money I am still getting a great value.

<3 Nightmare Before Makeup

Sephora Play! February 2018 Subscription Box Review

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Sephora Play!

Cost: $10.00 monthly + tax

Cycle: Every Month

What is it: Every month our favorite money sucking store Sephora sends out a curated box of higher end samples to try out.  Every month you receive 5 samples and a perfume sample.  The boxes are customized with a few different variations being sent out each month.

There is a small survey that Sephora has you take that helps Sephora curate a box to your needs. There is also a card included in the box for a complimentary mini makeover (which are complimentary any way so I don’t really get that) and 50 extra points if you purchase something in store.

Makeup and skincare this month that is what I expect from Sephora.

The bag this month I find really creepy. It reminds me of like a retro doll you’d see in an antique shop and I just kind it creepy.

First Aid Beauty Ginger & Turmeric Vitamin C Jelly Mask

Full Size: 4 oz

Full Size Cost: $32

Sample Size: 0.75 oz

Value: $6

This was a really interesting mask like it so completely sunk into my skin that I really didn’t need to wash it off. It definitely smells like ginger and turmeric which isn’t my preference for scents that is for sure. It didn’t really do that much it was slightly brightening but really nothing to write home about.

Peter Thomas Roth Firmx Peeling Gel

Full Size: 100 ml

Full Size Cost: $28.49

Sample Size: 15 ml

Value: $4.27

Another nice skincare item I always want to try more Peter Thomas Roth products but they are so pricey. This is one of those ones that is supposed to ball off your dead skin cells. I think it worked better then others of this type I have tried. my skin did look and feel a little smoother but not as much as I would expect I wanted it to do more.

Sephora Gel Gloss in 04 Perfect Nude

Full Size: 0.11 oz

Full Size Cost: $12

Sample Size: 0.1 oz

Value: $10.91

Why is there no picture of this I have no idea. Sorry. I also am not swatching this it is totally sealed and I don’t use gloss so why spoil it for the person I’ll pass this on to. But this product really pisses me off because I got it in fucking November same shade too. And 2 Novembers ago I got it in pink so like what the fuck really send something else.

Tory Burch Love Relentlessly Perfume

Full Size: 100 ml

Full Size Cost: $118

Sample Size: 1.5 ml

Value: $1.77

I love this perfume maybe I’ll have to buy it one day. It is super girly not feminine i know that is an odd description but its how I feel.

Lancôme Drama Liqui-Pencil in Côte D’Azur

Full Size: 1.2 g

Full Size Cost: $23

Sample Size: 0.5 g

Value: $9.58

I love that we got a liner that isn’t black this brighter blue is so fun. I have wanted to try these eyeliners they seem really cool. This went on very smooth and didn’t smudge which I like. I was expecting more impact then the color provide but I am not dissatisfied. Swatched Below.

Make Up For Ever Artist Rouge Lipstick in M500

Full Size: 3.5 g

Full Size Cost: $22

Sample Size: 1.4 g

Value: $8.80

This is a nice deep wine red color. It is a matte but not a super matte almost like a satin matte. I realy like it this is right up my color alley so I’ll finally get some use of out a Make Up For Ever product that I got sent. Swatched Below.

I like that there was a good mix of skincare and makeup. I really liked the new skincare that I get to try so I’m satisfied with this month. I am really annoyed about the repeat lip product that seems really lazy and cost cutting on Sephora’s part and I do not find that acceptable.

Total Value: $41.33

Skincare: 2

Makeup: 3

Tools: 0

Hair Care: 0

Perfume: 1

Other: 0

And as far as sizes:

Full Size: 0

Deluxe Sample: 2

Sample: 4

<3 Nightmare Before Makeup