Tag: Makeup

Macy’s Beauty Box March 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.

So this bag was all skincare so this post is really hard to write. I mean there is nothing to swatch and alot of it is anti-aging products that I can’t really see results from so this bag is kinda just a waste to me.

I like the bag this month though so that is a plus I guess.

Carolina Herrera Good Girl Perfume

Full Size: 50 ml

Full Size Cost: $90

Sample Size: 1.5 ml

Value: $2.70

This is a very strong perfume.  This is the perfume that comes in the bottle shaped like the a high heel. I wasn’t a huge fan but my mom loves it so I passed it on to her she actually has the full size.

SK-II Facial Treatment Essence

Full Size: 160 ml

Full Size Cost: $179

Sample Size: 10 ml

Value: $11.19

Holy crap this is expensive I think this might be the most expensive item I have ever gotten like even more then perfumes. Like that is nuts. This is supposed to be a hydrating toner that increases radiance but on me it seems pretty matiffying and smoothing. Which I don’t mind just totally the opposite of what it is supposed to do.

Clarins Extra Firming Jour

Full Size: 50 ml

Full Size Cost: $86

Sample Size: 5 ml

Value: $8.60

This is a say cream with spf eh not to exciting and not a whole lot to say about it. I mean what is to write.

Estēe Lauder Resilience Lift Night Cream

Full Size: 29.5 ml

Full Size Cost: $55

Sample Size: 5 ml

Value: $9.32

This is a cream looks solid in the jar but is surprisingly light on the skin which is night I don’t like really heavy thick face creams.

Mac Strobe Cream in Pinklite

Full Size: 50 ml

Full Size Cost: $33

Sample Size: 6 ml

Value: $3.96

I tried swatching this but it was kinda impossible to get to show up. This is just like a lit from within type of glowy product to put on alone or under makeup. These are my favorite kind of things because I don’t wear foundation all the time. Pinklite has pink undertones.

Lancôme Advanced Génifique Youth Activating Concentrate

Full Size: 8 ml

Full Size Cost: $20

Sample Size: 8 ml

Value: $20

Obviously this isn’t a full size but you can buy this sample size and with how expensive it is this seemed fair to use that price. It feels nice on the skin but I don’t like it as much as the Korres Golden crocus one I got from a sephora play at one point.

Total: $55.77

So I like that they kinda gave you a whole skincare routine of really expensive products to try. You have your day cream, some no-makeup makeup, a toner, a night cream, and a serum. I would have maybe preferred like a toner or a mask or an eye cream to the strobe cream just to make it more of a full routine that I could take traveling  but all in all it it was a good setup and a well thought out curation just a bit boring. Like getting really nice socks for Christmas you’ll like them while you use them but they aren’t exciting when you open them.

<3 Nightmare Before Makeup

Boxycharm March 2018 Subscription Box Review

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Boxycharm

Cost: $21

Cycle: Every Month

What is it:

Boxycharm sends out 4 to 5 full size  items every month which makes it really unique among the  boxes I subscribe to.  It is a nice change to get all full size products especially for the reasonable price of $21 which is usually less then the cost of one item in the box.

If you would like to subscribe you can use my referral link HERE. I don’t get anything other then points but would really appreciate it but do as you feel comfortable you are also welcome to use the link in the header that leads to the regular homepage.

You can also review your products and get “charms” which are their versions of points that you can use as money off in their shop.

Another month another Boxycharm to dig into.

I like that they sent a brush sent with the palette.

Pretty Vulgar Make them Blush in 111 Prim Vixen

Full Size: 6 g

Full Size Cost: $26

Sample Size: 6 g

Value: $26

Oh god this color I can’t but the packaging is just so pretty. It it pretty cheap feeling but it is so cute with its pretty mirrored gold and the little bird on it.

True bubblegum pink.

Trying out some new swatch stencils. Really liking it.

The Vintage Cosmetics Company Smokey Eye Brush Set

Full Size: 3 brush set

Full Size Cost: $19.99

Sample Size: 3 brush set

Value: $19.99

i love how these brush have little sayings on them playing off one for the money two for the show.  I have seen this brand before mostly in like Walgreens. So it is definitely a drugstore brand that I have never tried before. These same brushes also come in a larger 5 piece set. These are fairly soft and seem like ok quality. They are not as high quality as the Luxie brushes they normally send are.

Butter London Double Decker Mascara

Full Size: o.41 oz

Full Size Cost: $20

Sample Size: 0.41 oz

Value: $20

The inside of the box is so freaking cute like gothic toile

This is a drier mascara that is a fluffy natural bristle wand so this should be my new favorite mascara. And is going to be my next one in rotation when the month is over so excited.

Pür Cosmetics x Boxycharm Eyeshadow Palette

Full Size: 1.5 g x 12

Full Size Cost: $36

Sample Size: 1.5 g x 12

Value: $36

Before we get into this review this is not worth $36 please do not buy it for that price.

So when I saw spoilers I was super excited for this but it doesn’t swatch great its kinda dusty I don’t know the colors look just a little off in real like I am not super happy with this palette. It seems like not alot of effort was put into this collaboration. There isn’t alot of consistency between the formulas of the shades.

South Mane 3 Eye Gel Packs

Full Size: 3 Eye Gels

Full Size Cost: $9

Sample Size: 3 Eye Gels

Value: $9

I really enjoyed these. These were very drippy when I pulled them out of the pack ad was really worried they wouldn’t stick to my skin but they stuck just fine. These start off as pretty think pink gummy things to put on your eyes. They are quite cold feeling under your eyes. I didn’t see a difference in dark circles but they were very hydrating and helped with puffiness. The gels also like lost half their thickness after being on for thirty minutes.

Total: $110.99

Seems like Boxycharm is going a bit down hill lately in the price and quality department. Seems like a lot of casts offs rather then thoughtfully curated products. It is still a great value for the money as usually you I love at least one thing that is worth the value of the box but I feel like I am getting alot of things that aren’t that great or useful to me.

<3 Nightmare Before Makeup

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