Tag: Makeup

Macy’s Beauty Box May 2018 Subscription Box Review

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Macy’s Beauty Box

Cost: $15

Cycle: Every Month

What is it: So Macy’s has hopped on the subscription box bandwagon and this is their first box. Every month you will get a bag, a $5 off coupon, 5 deluxe samples and 1 bonus sample. Why not just say 6? I don’t get it.

All the brands will be brands you can find in Macy’s which is cool they sell Mac and a lot of other brands that are never to rarely in subscription boxes.

The cool thing about the coupon is that it is good in stores and online (beauty ships free at Macy’s) also Macy’s does have sales and $5 dollar products so if you are strategic you can score a free product every month. Depending on your state you may still have to pay tax but that is still basically free.

Wow this is the first Macy’s ever that has been all makeup up. As usual the bag quality is nice but not something I like but they make great gifts, I like to make my own little gift set time things and these bags are perfect for it.

Tarte Park Ave Princess Bronzer

Full Size: 9 g

Full Size Cost: $30

Sample Size: 3 g

Value: $10

I have one of these already so the swatch is from mine and this will move on to a new home I don’t need two of this bronzer I don’t particularly care for it. I would believe the claims that this is waterproof because once it is on your face it doesn’t move I find it really hard to blend out and it is shimmery which I don’t like in my bronzer.  This also has a strange under tone it is like a warm yellow it just doesn’t look quite right on me. Swatched Below.

Nudestix Nudies in Illumi-Naughty

Full Size: 8 g

Full Size Cost: $30

Sample Size: 1.7 g

Value: $6.38

I swear I have had this before but can’t find it anywhere. That aside this is one of those kinda dewy kinda shimmery highlight sticks it is a little more glowy sheen which is not the kind of highlight I usually go for but I’m sure I’ll use it. Swatched Below.

DermaBlend Glow Creator in Gold

Full Size: 15 ml

Full Size Cost: $33

Sample Size: 4 ml

Value: $8.80

This is a gold shimmery mix in highlighter it says it can be worn alone but it doesn’t work that way you need to mix this into another liquid product and it will add a gold radiance to what ever you mix it into. Swatched Below.

It Cosmetics Brow Power in Universal Taupe

Full Size: 0.0056 g

Full Size Cost: $24

Sample Size: 0.0018 oz

Value: $7.71

This has a pretty soft spoolie and a pretty stiff pencil I received this same on in a Boxycharm at one point.

Benefit Bad Gal Bang Mascara

Full Size: 8.5 g

Full Size Cost: $24

Sample Size: 3 g

Value: $8.47

Sorry this picture came out so dark.  I have been dying to try this mascara but refused to buy it.  The brush has really short rubber spike snot my favorite type but we shall see.

Dolce & Gabbana Garden Perfume

Full Size: 50 ml

Full Size Cost: $94

Sample Size: 1.5 ml

Value: $2.82

This perfume is just trying to hard it is a floral oriental gourmand scent like really trying way to hard to many scents thrown together.

This was the most makeup heavy bag Macy’s has ever set out which is a nice change of pace I like that they scent out a mix of classics like the bronzer and the brow pencil and some more interesting products like the two highlighters.

Total Value: $44.18

Skincare: 0

Makeup: 5

Tools: 0

Hair Care: 0

Perfume: 1

Other: 0

And as far as sizes:

Full Size: 0

Deluxe Sample: 0

Sample: 6

<3 Nightmare Before Makeup

 

Ipsy May 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.

I planned to have a review up before this of a new palette but these past two weeks have been a real rollercoaster of highs and lows and I just couldn’t. The lows were so bad and I’m still waiting for the dust to kind of settle, I’m still to upset and shaken to really even function right now so if this review is kinda subdued. I will probably talk about what happened eventually but not right now.

Common Labs GGlutamin C Real Jel Mask

Full Size: 1 mask

Full Size Cost: $4

Sample Size: 2 masks

Value: $8

I am super excited to try these out but I had already used my new Tarte exfoliating Knock out treatment and obviously can’t layer this on top if I still want to have a face. I really like the whole chemical exfoliation followed by a mask so when I have a moment to unwind I am going to treat myself to this since it is a longer mask like 20 minutes. I like that I got two so I can see if a repeat use increases the effectiveness.

First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Hydrating Serum

Full Size: 30 ml

Full Size Cost: $36

Sample Size: 7.5 ml

Value: $9

I don’t have a whole lot of use for a hydrating serum. I know its super extra but sometimes I’ll use the ones I get on my hands I need more hydration there then I do on my face.  I don’t know if I will use this or pass it on.

SLMissGlam Sparkle Everyday Glam Beauty Sponge

Full Size: Yes

Full Size Cost: $17.50

Um this is almost as much as a beauty blender and it is tiny. It is about an inch and a half tall it is so so soft and squishy though i wish it was a bit bigger but it the closest that I have felt to the texture of a beauty blender. I don’t actually love the softness of the Beauty Blender I like a bit firmer of a sponge but this is really nice. I like when sponges have a flat edge like this one does. I was prepared to not like this at all because I really don’t need anymore sponges, but I was pleasantly surprised.

trèStique Mini Matte Blur Stick

Full Size: 6.1 g

Full Size Cost: $28

Sample Size: 1.1 g

Value: $5.05

This feels so insane on the skin. Like my skin felt primer and blurred and smooth but like wet and hydrated and matte all at the same time it was really wild.  The value on this is sort of an estimate because the full size also comes with blotting papers that are stored in the tube as well it is really cool but made figuring out the value more of a guess.

Air Repair Complexion Quenching Facial Mist

Full Size: 59 ml

Full Size Cost: $9.99

Sample Size: 10 ml

Value: $1.69

I wanted to like this because I like facial mists alot but this didn’t do much for me. The sprayer made me feel like I was being drenched and it really just felt like water not scent no extra boost of hydration or cooling nothing really just water on my face. You ca apparently buy this at Target which is kinda cool.

So there was nothing to swatch this month and this bag almost felt like they sent me a bag meant for someone else this wasn’t really my needs or tastes exactly so it was just an odd month. I am considering not renewing my subscription in September I don’t know that I need so many samples in my life and so many bags but we’ll see.

Quick Summary:

Total Value: $41.24

Skincare: 4

Makeup: 1

Tools: 1

Hair Care: 0

Perfume: 0

Other: 0

And as far as sizes:

Full Size: 3

Deluxe Sample: 0

Sample: 3

<3 Nightmare Before Makeup

What’s In My Trash? April 2018

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I actually couldn’t fit all my items in one picture this month. I had so many full size and big items that I couldn’t get them all in sorry for the really crappy pictures. This is a really long post. At the end this month I have a new way I am keeping track of everything I find it interesting so you can read more about it at the end if you are interesting.

There is everything all lumped together in my empties bucket.

Skincare (13)

Pond’s Exfoliating Renewal Face Wipes these have the scrubby dots that make your face feel nice and clean. They also have Pond’s cold cream in them so they are really gentle on the skin. Because of the cold cream my skin feels a little sticky and residuey after I use these which is my only complaint.

Repurchase: Maybe, if they are on sale again I got these for really cheap with sales and coupons.

 

L’Oreal Revitalift Intensive Overnight Mask I hate this it had the thickest stickest texture and it was really hard to get out of the jar.  It was slime almost it would reform back into a flat smooth surface after every time I used it. It didn’t absorb easily into my skin at all and smelt odd I was not a fan.

Repurchase: No

 

Primark One Strip Cleansing Nose Pore Strips I’m pretty sure I have reviewed these before but they are terrible they don’t pull anything out and just leave a sticky residue on my nose.

Repurchase: No

 

Sephora Express Cleansing & Exfoliating Wipes these were on clearance and can tell why they are so scratchy and abrasive on the skin like I could not stand them they hurt so bad. My girlfriend really liked them and like how abrasive they are so maybe if you need really over the top exfoliation you would like these but I hated them.

Repurchase: No

 

Sephora Green Tea Sleeping Mask this is god for so many uses and is really cheap I like this for sucking up oil before I go to bed I just put it on and my face is more matte in the morning which is nice. This is the second one of these I have gone through.

Repurchase: Yes

 

L’Oreal Detox and Brighten Pure Clay Mask this is the black on I really enjoyed these I never would have thought to pick up or try any of these but these were sent through a samping company for me to try and review and I fell in love with them. I love the heavy glass jar it comes in because it feels super fancy. This black clay one is meant to brighten and like clean out some pore congestion. There are five versions now all for different uses, I have tried four and I rank this one third.  I liked that it made my skin feel a lot smoother but I need more for cleaning out my pores and I have others that clean them out better.  If you want a no irritating smoothing mask that will not make oily acne prone skin worse give this one a try.

Repurchase: Maybe

 

The Body Shop Tea Tree Skin Clearing Clay Mask this is holy grail status for clearing up my misbehaving skin.  When I have really bad deep breakouts or breakouts that just won’t go away this is my go to mask and really helps clear them up so much faster.  It is a huge pain in the ass to wash off though and very messy but the results are worth it. It really helps clear and soothe painful break outs and just all sorts of pimple related unhappiness.

Repurchase: Yes

 

Peter Thomas Roth Max Complexion Correction Pads (2) I wanted to not like these I really really did because they are ridiculously expensive.  Since I stopped using Oxy pads I have been really missing that step in my routine and my skin has been so much more congested since I have stopped but at the same time the alcohol content was really  not doing my skin any favors I really like these I may need to pick these up. They made my skin feel cleaner and felt like over time they would help with the horrible pore congestion I get.

Repurchase: Maybe

 

Neutrogena Makeup Remover Cleansing Towelettes I feel like these are the OG makeup wipes lol they are still good I got a bunch on sale at one point these are good they are nice and gentle on the skin they aren’t the best or the worst at removing makeup or swatches.

Repurchase: Yes

 

Simple Pleasures Vanilla Cranberry Scented Face Wipes I like these wipes from swatches and like wiping like my neck if its hot I get these for really cheap around Christmas at Ulta.

Repurchase: Yes

 

Kate Somerville EradiKate this is one of those Sulphur drying treatments I didn’t like this at all I don’t feel like it did anything for my pimples. This would also flake off my face and make a mess as it dried which I really hated.  Also this is fairly expensive and there is a much cheaper one form Mario Badescu so if you really have a deep desire to try a product like this I go for that one.

Repurchase: No

 

Peter Thomas Roth 24k Gold Hydra-Gel Eye Patches these did absolutely nothing. There was no point to it at all.

Repurchase: No

Random (3)

Degree Motionsense Ultraclear Deodorant I really like degree deodorants they work really well.  They go through pretty fast though.

Repurchase: Yes

 

Secret Invisible Solid Deodorant these are fine not quite as good as the degree ones but I will get whatever is on sale so in the future I would get this again.

Repurchase: Yes

 

Mauloa Paper N Planning Swatch Stencils these are some swatch stencils that make curvy lines.  I bought a few different types from her Etsy shop. They are good quality and I really like them this style just didn’t work out for me it was too hard to use. I need something that is like one sticker and apply. Every stripe needed to be applied individually and it was really hard for me to space them out and line them up straight these were too much work for me not a style I prefer. I like that once you apply them nothing seeps under the edges so you can get a really clean swatch.  They are fun to use when I feel like being really extra. I would repurchase some of her other styles (the adhesive is only going to last so long obviously) but not this one.

Repurchase: No

Home Scents (12)

Victoria Secret Pink Vanilla and Shea Butter Body Mist this smells like something a little girl would wear and I bought it when I was much much younger I used it up over the month as a room spray but the scent just isn’t my taste anymore. This is one of those products I have just been hanging on to forever for no reason because I didn’t like it enough to use it but there was so much left that seemed a waster to throughout.

Repurchase: No

 

Bath and Body Works White Mint Latte Candle this smells so much like a Starbucks drink.  It is nice and chocolatey and coffee I would definitely get this again during Christmas.

Repurchase: Yes

 

Bath and Body Works Scentportable in Vanilla Bean I love vanilla scents so this was nice I just don’t find these to last long or be very strong in the car. I am just trying to work through the ones I have.

Repurchase: No

 

Bath and Body Works Be Mine (Hot Cocoa and Cream) this is not the same as the regular hot cocoa and cream candle that I love so much this actually smells better and the notes are actually different.

Repurchase: Yes

 

Bath and Body Works Hot Cocoa and Cream candle this is one of my favorite candles ever I love it. It smells like a Hershey’s bar.

Repurchase: Yes

 

Home & Body Company Soap Quotes Lemon Verbena Room Spray I picked this up on a whim at TJ Maxx because it was really cute and smelled really good. It is a good room spray it smells nice freshens up the room. It takes a lot though so these run out really fast so I don’t think they are worth it.

Repurchase: Maybe

 

Fortune Cookie Soap Company Pillow Spray in Briar Rose this was a great sweet comforting citrus scent that I love spraying on my pillows before bed I will really miss this but I went through this so fast it barely lasted 2 months.

Repurchase: No

 

Fortune Cookie Soap Company Personal Space spray in Prince Valium I love the personal space sprays from FCS and Prince Valium is one of my favorite scent they do it smells like a really nice hotel and it is really relaxing smell.

Repurchase: Yes

 

Bath and Body Works Warmth Candle (Fireside Comfort) this was eh to me it smelled like a fire kinda but not enough for me to really enjoy it and it wasn’t strong enough.

Repurchase: No

 

Bath and Body Works Whiskey Butterscotch this was a really strong candle the throw was ridiculously good and the scent lasted really long even after the candle was out.  This also melted down really well in my warmer I was able to get more uses then normal out of it.  This is a very sweet vanilla caramel scent.

Repurchase: Yes

 

Bath and Body Works Lavender Marshmallow this smelled so so good it was so sweet and marshmallowy but the lavender helped cut through the sweetness. Lavender has been growing on me lately I used to hate it. And at first this burned so pretty the wax was this gorgeous purple color and then half way through it started burning horribly it was so uneven and started to almost be burnt in some spots it was really unfortunate.  I’ve notice the pastel colored waxes seem to have this problem, because of how it burned it threw off the scent at the end so I would not repurchase.

Repurchase: No

 

Bath and Body Works Wallflower in At the Beach I love the at the beach scent and this smelled so nice as a wall flower so beachy and clean, I do feel like this got used up faster then other scents which was a bit odd but I loved this scent it is just so good.

Repurchase: Yes, already have

Lip Balm (2)

Purlisse Daily Lip Nourisher this was horrible I am actually decluttering the second one I have of this. This had a terrible texture like chunky Vaseline and it dried my lips out more than it did anything else.

Repurchase: No

 

Basin Lime Sugar Lip Balm this was ok I didn’t love it it was a little gritty and not the most moisturizing and the flavor was a little two fake tasting and smelling.

Repurchase: No

Declutter (3)

Purlisse Daily Lip Nourisher Ugh see review on the one I did manage to finish.

 

Dior Lip Addict Lip Glow in Matte Raspberry this was very odd it is a lip balm and moisturizing but matte which was cool but this just isn’t the type of thing I’m into and I didn’t love how these balms like slip and slide all over your lips.

 

Dior Lip Addict Lip Glow in Holo Pink This is a very shimmer glittery lip balm with no really color though. Again not a product I enjoy.

Makeup (1)

Eyeko Eye Do Liquid Liner this was terrible I know it gets rave reviews and I don’t know if I got a bad one because this was so bad like possibly the worst liquid liner I have ever use.  It was far from the waterproof it claimed if I even gently touched my eye it smeared every where and I could not get a clean straight neat line with this.  It just bleed and smeared and skipped and just was horrible. I will day it was very black but I mean that’s a small consolation prize  for all the makeup looks this ruined in the process of me trying to make this work.

Repurchase: No

Lotion (2)

True Blue Spa Super Softening Hand Lotion Mini this has been discontinued. Bath and Body Works has two new products to replace them and I have tried them the paraffin lotion is exactly the same but the moisture factor is a bit improved and the new active line one that is supposed to replace True Blue is ok idk about that one really yet.  This was a really thick paraffin hand cream that was good during winter it has a light citrusy scent that I am a fan of. This is a little now sticky or waxy or oily but a little something like you can feel it on your hand which I don’t love so I only used this at night.

Repurchase: No, discontinued

 

Ulta Beauty Sugared Vanilla Ultra Rich Body Butter this was definitely a rich body cream I wasn’t in love with the scent on this the vanilla was just a little meh but the formula was nice so I would try on this cream in other scents. It was thick and took a bit to absorb but didn’t make me feel greasy.

Repurchase: No

Bodycare (7)

Fortune Cookie Soap Company Exfoliating Body Wash in Master the scent on this was great a nice fruity scent and that’s where all the good stuff ends.  This was really messy it splattered everywhere and left a huge mess in my shower the exfoliators clogged up the pump and it wouldn’t go through so I had to pour it out this really needed to be in a squeeze tube.

Repurchase: No

 

Fortune Cookie Soap Company Polyjuice Potion Bath Bomb, this was a mini sample so it was already all crunched up and powdery so it was more of a fizzy bath salt. I love the PJP scent but this bath bomb was filled with glitter and I was covered in it when I got out of the bath no Bueno.

Repurchase: No

 

Village Naturals Therapy Aches + Pains Muscle Relief Mineral Bath Soak this smelled so mentholly and minty. It definitely helped ease a lot of the muscle and tendon pain I was having in my legs but the bigger more intense knotted area of pain it didn’t do a whole lot for. I don’t really go for baths so I won’t buy this but if I was really suffering I would run to Walmart to pick it up.

Repurchase: No

 

Pūrlisse Coconut Oil + Coffee Body Scrub this smelled nice it was a fine, but it is pricey for what it is you can see my review in April’s Ipsy bag. The nice thing about using something up in one sitting that you just got is that you never have to put it away lol.

Repurchase: No

 

Lush Father Christmas Bath Bomb yea I know its April lol but this is like an orange citrus scent that doesn’t scream Christmas to me.  It smelled nice turned my bath a nice green color and made my skin feel soft. I am not a huge bath person so I have a really large collection of bath bombs that take me forever to get through. I get these in all sorts of ways and I won’t go out of my way to buy them bath bombs are just a thing that show up in my life and then live in my bathroom cabinet.

Repurchase: No

 

Kneipp Body Wash in Almond Blossom I did not like the scent of this and it wasn’t pleasant to use which is something I have never said about a body wash before it felt really sticky and dry when I was using it. They make a foam body wash that I am really curios to try though.

Repurchase: No

 

Fortune Cookie Soap Company Solid Sugar Scrub in Eat Cake this was not the scrub for me it was a very aggressive scrub but left a really thick white coating of moisturizer on my skin that would not sink in or come off. I don’t have dry skin that I think would benefit from this type of product. It smelled amazing though.

Repurchase: No

 

Perfume (3)

Juicy Couture Malibu Surf I found this randomly at like a Khols. I love Juicy Couture perfumes so I snagged it I don’t know anything about it but I’m pretty sure it was limited edition. I liked it it was a nice summery scent.

Repurchase: Yes, If I ever saw it again

 

Juicy Couture Peace Love & Juicy Couture so I know that this is in an entirely different bottle but this is my travel/small reusable atomizer that I use. So I found some teeny tiny bottle of my favorite discontinued perfume and emptied them all into here and have now finished that up. I lucked out and found 3 bottles of this stuff at Marshall’s so I am finally able to start using it again I love this perfume more than I can explain. It is a light almost beachy hippie scent.

Repurchase: Yes

 

Juicy Couture Couture La La Malibu this is the limited edition Malibu version of the Couture La La perfume. I like La La a lot but this one was a lot better it was fresher and brighter. I don’t think I can get this anywhere any more but I would if I could.

Repurchase: If I could

 

Haircare (1)

Rock Your Hair Dry Shampoo this was a perfectly good dry shampoo if you want something really simple.  Didn’t really have a scent and didn’t leave much of a white cast.  It absorbed oil well enough but this is not the kind of dry shampoo you can just layer into your hair day after day it would stop working once it was built up into your hair.

Repurchase: No

Total This Month: 47

Total: 252

Average per Day: 2.1 items

Category Totals:

Skincare: 44

Makeup: 15

Declutter: 98

Home Scents: 27

Lip Balm: 11

Lotion: 3

Bodycare: 19

Perfume: 11

Random: 20

Haircare: 4

I want to break everything down into these categories so I can really see what I use and what I don’t so I know what not to buy or buy less of in the future. Like I have so much lotion on back up and I am starting to see that I do not go through it very fast so I really don’t need to buy so much of it. My problem is I always find it for like ridiculous sales but i need to learn to say no even if it is a good deal.

<3 Nightmare Before Makeup