December 2016 Beauteque BB Bag Subscription Review and Coupon Code

Beauteque BB Bag

Cost: $24 monthly

Cycle: Every Month

What is it: A Korean beauty subscription service that sends beauty and skin care items monthly.  Along with English instructions for products that do not have them.  Each month you get a makeup bag and they promise all full size products.  The claim the value is triple the cost of the box and that you will receive at least six products.  They also have a sheet mask subscription called Mask Maven that sends only sheet masks every month.


So Beauteque provides a nice detailed information card, that also lists the price of each item. Later on you’ll once again see that I found these to be less then accurate.

They also included a code for 10% and the code is BBREFER10.

So I’m not much of a fan of the bags they have sent. I have no need for more make up bags as I would assume most beauty junkies and subscription box addicts have more then enough at this point. I would prefer another product instead or even just do with out.

Scinic All Day Pore Control Toner

Full Size: 9.5 oz

Full Size Cost: $21.99

Sample Size: 6.76 oz

Value: $15.65

I am was super excited to get this. It is a liquid and powder toner, so there is a powder in the toner and you shake to combine and it is supposed to dry to a powdery matte finish on the skin. It is supposed to help mattify skin and clear out sebum in your pores and that is definitely a skincare concern of mine. I used this toner after cleansing my face with the cleansers I received in this box. It has a nice fresh lightly bamboo smell to it. It left my skin tight smooth and dry, but not mattified.  I can not attest to the long term effects of controlling sebum but I do plan to continue using this.

Tsaio Charcoal Deep Purifying Cleanser

Full Size: 100 g

Full Size Cost: $11.99

Sample Size: 100 g

Value: $11.99

Another product I was super excited about, I love charcoal masks and skin care they work really well with my skin so a charcoal cleanser is something I will totally use up. This has charcoal, bergamot and lemon as the first three ingredients which seems like a nice line up and I like that I can pronounce all the major ingredients.  This product comes out of the tube as a silvery/grey creamy paste it is a little weird to describe. It lathers up to a thin lather on the skin and washes away easily.  My skin felt clean but not that dry squeaky clean feeling.

Holika Holika Pig Nose Clear Steam Starter

Full Size: 30 ml

Full Size Cost: $5

Sample Size: 30 ml

Value: $5

So this is a cool product its like a little mini mask for your blackheads.  You massage it on for 3 to 5 minutes and then rinse off and it is supposed to loosen blackheads and absorb oils. It is a clear get that warms up as you rub it in, they don’t mention that in the info card.  This made my skin feel very sticky, but the toner took away the sticky feeling and cooled my skin.  I did notice this baling up a little after I had rubbed it in. I do not know if this is from actually clearing pores or just the product itself balling up I did not see an immediate difference. This product is $7 on the memebox website and is on sale for $5 as of right now.

Kinepin Wheet Feet Stone

Full Size: Yes

Full Size Cost: $4.99

Nothing super special about a pumice stone but a solid usable product all the same. It is a nice size as well. Not quite the $8 value they claim though.

Holika Holika Golden Monkey Lip Patch

Full Size: Yes

Full Size Cost: $4

Oh this is cool I have been dying to try one of these lip mask things and my lips have been so chapped lately. I can’t wait to use this and have a little lip pamper session before a night out. The monkeys are so cute.

Vov Color Song Eyes in 7244 She’s a Golden Beige

Full Size: 2 g

Full Size Cost: $10.99

Sample Size: 2 g

Value: $10.99

I wish I had gotten a different shade golden glimmer eye shadows are just so common I feel but it is very smooth and soft with a really fine glitter shimmer to it.  I think this will look really pretty as a highlight so that is how I intend to try it out. Swatched below.


Total: $52.62

Listed Value: $68.47

Just like last month the box came very late and the value is lower than the listed value. Putting all that aside I am in love with this month’s box and really excited to use all of these products and it was literally a box made for my skin type even those they don’t customize by skin type. I imagine people with dry skin will not be pleased with this month’s box but last month’s box was more about moisture so there is a balance.

<3 Nightmare Before Makeup

November 2016 Beauteque BB Bag Subscription Review and Coupon Code

Beauteque BB Bag

Cost: $24 monthly

Cycle: Every Month

What is it: A Korean beauty subscription service that sends beauty and skin care items monthly.  Along with English instructions for products that do not have them.  Each month you get a makeup bag and they promise all full size products.  The claim the value is triple the cost of the box and that you will receive at least six products.  They also have a sheet mask subscription called Mask Maven that sends only sheet masks every month.


So Beauteque provides a nice detailed information card, that also lists the price of each item. Later on you’ll see that I found these to be less then accurate.

They also included a code for 10% and the code is BBREFER10.

So lets jump on into this review its gona be a bumpy ride. Spoiler Alert I wasn’t that happy.

Premium Deoproce Strawberry Yogurt Massage Cream

Full Size: 300 g

Full Size Cost: $13.99

Sample Size: 300 g

Value: $13.99

So this is a huge tub with a ton of product unfortunately it is worth significantly less than the listed value.  I also found it here for a shocking $4.22 rather than the $22 that Beauteque listed.  The product smells really nice and I patch tested it left my skin with a decent amount of glow but it is a lot more moisturizing then I would like to put on my face.  Also the last time I used a strawberry product on my face I broke out horribly with itchy red painful pimples it was very weird and I have shied away from Strawberry products since but I may give this a try since the patch test seems to have gone ok.

Tsaio Traveler’s Herb Diary Herbal Blend Body Care Kit

Full Size: 90 ml

Full Size Cost: $12.99

Sample Size: 90 ml

Value: $12.99

So this has super cute packaging and I love the convenience of a little travel set all in its own bag.  This again was not worth the listed price and it is a little odd that it doesn’t come with conditioner.  I was also really put off by the fact that each little bottle has the same spiel about making your skin look good including the shampoo feel like something got lost in translation.

 

VOV Lip Care Balm

Full Size: 10 g

Full Size Cost: $2.67

Sample Size: 10 g

Value: $2.67

This came with the cutest fruit basket design but it was just on the wrapper.  This reminds me of something you would pick up at the dollar store and way under the listed value. It seems to have been either sold out or removed both from Beauteque and from Amazon. I do not like pot style lip product that I have to dip my fingers into I feel like they are just dirty and germy and do not prefer them.  This balm is very moisturizing and has a really nice fruit/strawberry candy smell and a sheer pink tint that did not swatch well.

Yadah Claude Monet Hand Cream in Quai du Louvre

Full Size: 40 ml

Full Size Cost: $7.99

Sample Size: 40 ml

Value: $7.99

Very light hand cream and I do love the art packaging.  I wish I had either received two different ones or a totally different product rather than having two of the exact same thing which seems like a waste of a space in the box.  It is worth almost double the listed value which is nice considering the other products.

VOV Nail Polish in Orange

Full Size: Yes, amount unknown

Full Size Cost: $7.50

Value: $7.50

So I as anyone who reads this or knows me knows I HATE nail polish and never use it so I gave this away and forgot to take a picture oops, sorry.  It was in a really hideous orange color, I also am not fond of the color orange.  This was sent separately which I appreciate that way if it broke it would not ruin everything.  I could not find this for sale anywhere so I will use the listed value it was definitely full size though.

Cuticle Cutter

Full Size: Yes

Full Size Cost: $7.50

Value: $3.99

These have a nice sturdy feeling to them and very sharp blades.  There is even a little attachment to push back your cuticles which is a nice bonus.  There is even a cover for the blades these are pretty great I have little use for them but I have no complaints about this product.  They are currently on sale so I am going to use that price in my value calculation.


Box Total: $57.12

Listed Total: $65

I am not really happy with either the curation or the value of this box.  I have yet to receive my December box and Beauteque is going to have to do a lot to impress me.  I do not recommend this box as of right now.

<3 Nightmare Before Makeup

 

December 2016 Sephora Play! Subscription Box Review

Sephora Play!

Cost: $10.70 monthly

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.  Even one used to receive the same samples but they have now it seems officially switched into using box variations.

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.


So this month we got a black bag instead of the standard white bag. HOpe they keep this up it would be nice to get different colored bags. The black with the rose gold was very pretty.

Elizabeth and James Perfume in Nirvana Rose

Full Size: 0.34 oz

Full Size Cost: $25

Sample Size: 0.07 oz

Value: $5.15

As usual I hate the perfume. I am allergic to roses and don’t like the rose scent any way so this was passed along to my mom.

Sephora Cream Lip Stain in 01 Always Red

Full Size: 5 ml

Full Size Cost: $14

Sample Size: 1.3 ml

Value: $3.64

OMG this is awesome its super lightweight matte liquid lip and it isn’t drying it doesn’t transfer a ton like it gets off a little if you eat or like touch your mouth but if your drink it does not come off. It is fantastic I am absolutely going to pick up more they come in 40 different colors including unique ones like blue and purple. The only con is that it is not very log wearing it does need to be reapplied roughly every four hours but that is due to how comfortable it is these are definitely in my top favorite liquid lipsticks.

They are also super opaque and not patchy. This one was a touch streaky on the first layer but the second pass of the applicator fixes all the streakiness and it is gorgeous.

No Flash

Flash

Urban Decay All-Nighter Long Lasting Makeup Setting Spray

Full Size: 4 oz

Full Size Cost: $31

Sample Size: 0.5 oz

Value: $3.88

I am so excited I’ve wanted to try this forever! But its so expensive for a setting spray that I never would buy it.

Lancôme Hypnôse Drama Mascara in Excessive Black

Full Size: 0.22 oz

Full Size Cost: $27.50

Sample Size: 0.135 oz

Value: $16.88

Now Lancôme mascara is always weird to me it has a nice fluffy brush which I like but the formula is always to wet and clumpy and smears all over on me it just isn’t worth the price drug store mascara always preforms better for me.

Make Up For Ever Step 1 Skin Equalizer Primer

Full Size: 1 oz

Full Size Cost: $37

Sample Size: 0.16 oz

Value: $5.92

Damn that is expensive for a primer. I have a few of these that I have never gotten around to trying these little sample primers I usually save for traveling.

Drybar Detox Dry Shampoo

Full Size: 3.5 oz

Full Size Cost: $23

Sample Size: 0.8 oz

Value: $5.26

And last but not least dry shampoo. I so did not want to like this because I rarely use dry shampoo and this is a lot of money for dry shampoo. But I love it it works well makes my hair look clean and shiny and it smells so so so good. This can will probably be gone in no time.


Total: $40.73

Definitely not the highest value of products in a Sephora box but I found two products I loved and something I really wanted to try so it was a good box. Sephora Play! is always a good box I totally recommend it.

And for a quick summary of product types and sizes in case that’s interesting for anyone:

Skincare: 0

Makeup: 3

Tools: 0

Hair Care: 1

Perfume: 1

Other: 1

And as far as sizes:

Full Size: 0

Deluxe Sample: 2

Sample: 4

<3 Nightmare Before Makeup