MyGlam <- Now Ispy Bag! September Edition!

This month is my 2nd MyGlam bag. I found out that the company has re branded themselves as Ipsy when I received it, and that's cool as long as the products they are putting out stay consistent they can call themselves whatever they want.  I am pretty happy with this month, and I will be staying with them as a company I do believe! One thing that was included that I didn't really take pictures of is a $20.00 off coupon for JustFab which is another subscriptions service for Shoes, Handbags, and Accessories. I will definitely use the coupon, I love love love shoes. I already have 2 pair sitting in my cart on the site. Here are the products I received in this months bag.

Don't you love the neon pink mailer! I am saving them to send stuff back out in.

This is the actual bag for this month. I really like it. It will be handy for the days I don't want to lug around my suitcase but just need a few items. The fact that it has a strap makes it perfect. Like last month there is no value on the bag itself.

Also like last month there is another Andreas's Choice Circus Collection polish. This color is the last of the collection. It's called Tightrope. I wasn't very impressed with the polish I got from this collection last month, it is really thick and goopy. I hope the formula on this color is better. Again, because this collection has not launched there is no value here either.

Now for the things that have a value in the bag. First up is a SOHO smudge brush. I have seen this brand around for quite a while and have wondered how well they are made. Now I have an answer and I didn't even have to go out and buy it myself! It is very nice, I really like the thickness of the bristles and the fact that it isn't overly stiff to use. The brush is very light and is made from aluminum. The value on this brush is $6.99.

Yay for the next item!!! This is a MiraBella eyeshadow pan in Semi Formal. the color is very nice and goes on smoothly, I used it last night to go to my daughters first football game she was cheering for. The one thing I wasn't really thrilled with is that it's just the pan, there is no container for it, so finding a place to store it so it doesn't break is a bit challenging. I really wish they would have sent it in some kind of little palette the paper wrapping just isn't sturdy enough. The value of this is $10.00. 

The next item is Jane Cosmetics Sparkle Gloss in Sparkle Pink. I did some looking on this because I had never heard of the brand before and found out that these are sold in packs of three which it really kind of nice, there is a sheer gloss, the sparkle gloss, and an intense gloss. There are 2 different sets with different colors. I like this gloss, it has a nice color to it and isn't sticky. To tell you all the truth dear readers I am in Lip Gloss overload. It seems like I have been getting gloss in almost all of my boxes lately. The sample value of this is $3.33.

The last item in my bag is Carol's Daughter Monoi Repairing Split End Sealer. I haven't tried this out yet, but will this evening. The sample value for this is $5.58.

The total value for MyGlam bag this month is $25.90, remember this price is without the full sized nail polish and the bag itself. I am impressed. The variety of products in the bag are great! I will have another surprise for you dear readers soon, you will love it, I know I do!!! And stay tuned for shoe happiness!!!

September's BirchBox... AKA Meh Blah Box.

This month's  BirchBox is pretty Meh. You would think with the seasons changing it would be a great box, but I don't think that they put a whole lot of thought into it. I don't know if it is because they have way to much going on to put the effort in or they just don't care at this point and are all about the money they are raking in through their tons of subscribers. Right now to be very honest I am holding on for the points, which are a great perk. So here it is... 

 

Here are the initial unboxing photos, if you can see it there is a little magazine included this month... It's called the Fall Look Book. Personally I think they should have put more time into the products they included and less time trying to put out a magazine. I do not subscribe to BirchBox for a magazine, I subscribe to them to try out new products. And here they are, the meh products....

First up, Boscia Oil-Free Nightly Hydration cream. I tried this out for the first time this evening and it is nice, not to heavy at all. There is no scent so that is a good thing. We shall see how it does over time. The sample size is large so it will last a while to give me a true feel for it. The sample value is $12.85, this is the bulk of the value of the box.

Next is Mon Jasmine Noir by Bvlgari. OMG ick ick ick. The top notes are jasmine, but then the old lady comes out, STRONG, and it stays there... I might try this again, but it's definitely not something I would grab as a first, second, or third choice. The only thing it has going for it is that it is a spray top. The sample value is $2.49.

On a normal day I would be thrilled about a Color Club polish, I love their formula. The color here looks like neon green. In person it is about the same color as Baby Food, think pureed peas or green beans. Pretty unappealing. The bad part about it is that it has a really cute name and is part of an exclusive collection by BirchBox. It's called Tweet Me. I think I am going to use it as an accent nail color for my daughter when I do her nails tomorrow. The sample value is $3.73.

Finally in the box of Meh, is my single happy dance item. This is a twistband hair tie, I received one in my very first BirchBox and loved it, but I did not love the price for 6 ties it is $14.00. So to now have 2 is awesome!!!! I really like the design on this one too, the lacy print is very very nice! Crossing my fingers that every season brings a new twistband to me, or maybe I will use some of my points to buy a pack. The sample value is $1.83.

Last of the "beauty" related items is the WEI to Go Sleep Over Kit. This sample has ticked me off. Why you ask? Because it is unusable for me. I am light skinned with pink undertones, and they sent me a medium color with yellow undertones... When you use BirchBox you fill out a beauty profile, it asks what your skin tone is, I chose light... This is the second time I have received a totally unusable color. This sample pack is worth $6.00. I have added it to my giveaway collection, which has been growing recently. 

This is the Life Style extra that BirchBox included this month. These are Mighty Leaf Tea Company tea bags. I haven't tried any of them yet, waiting for it to cool down a bit before I fully throw myself into the joys of Fall I guess. I do like that there are 3 different caffeine levels included! The sample value of these are $1.99. 

So, there we are... Pretty Blah... The box value isn't even that impressive it is $28.89. I really hope that BirchBox really steps it up. I mean just think there is so much that you can do with October, HALLOWEEN anyone!!!!

Sample Society September! Fabulous!!!!

As fall threatens in the rest of the US we here in South GA are still enjoying the summer heat, and rain, and rain, and how bout a little more rain. All of this rain has made me feel pretty blah, but I found all my pep as soon as my Sample society box came in this month!!! It's awesome. So lets dive right in.

Here are all the unboxing photos, lovin the pink tissue paper!!!

Up first is a Stila Smudge Crayon in Umber. I love this color! As you can see it is great for a hard line liner or looks fab blended out for all over eye shadow! I am currently obsessed with these smudge crayons, no matter what company they come from!!! Need more!!! The retail on this sample sized crayon is $11.00.

Next up is Diptyque Fragrance, I go the Eau Duelle scent. This is really awesome stuff!!! I really really really want a bottle of it, but I don't think the 15 off of 50 coupon the box comes with will take enough off the 120.00 a bottle price tag. It has a very woodsy scent that I adore and a spritz top! The sample value of this is $3.10.

A while back I got a Borghese lotion in this sample box and I loved it, now I get to be in love with another Borghese product this time a cosmetic! This is Borghese B Gloss Lip Gloss in Fiore. The color is amazing, it is on the thick side of gloss, but it's not sticky which is nice. I will be using this a lot I think! The sample value is $14.09.

I fracking love masks, so I was thrilled when I saw that we got the Ahava Purifying Mud Mask. The fact that it is Acne clearing is just icing!!! I haven't had a chance until this evening to try it so I cannot say how it will work for me. The value on this is $6.13, and it is a BIG sample so I will be able to use it a few times to really get a feel for how much I like it!

Last is a HUGE sample! CellCeuticals Extremely Gentle Skin Cleanser I am excited to try this. Lately I have been using black soap on my face and it has been amazing thus far, but I have been needing a pre wash cleanser to get the makeup off before I actually give my face a deep wash. This sample is priced at $10.44.

The box total for this month is $44.76. I will tell you what dear readers, from day one this has been my favorite Subscription I have used, and if there ever comes a day when I have to cut all my subs to one this will be the keeper. It has knocked it out of the park since the first box!!!

Influenster Naturals VoxBox!!!

A while back I got my Mom VoxBox from Influenster. As a quick refresher about Influenster, you register with them and them complete badge quizzes to help them get to know you. Every month or so they put out a VoxBox, if you meet their demographic you get a box in the mail totally free full of goodies to try out and give your opinion on. They also do challenges with the products in the box that can win you prizes or put you in the running for one of the upcoming VoxBoxes. Through the Mom Box I won a $25.00 gift card to Amazon.com!

This time around I was able to meet the demographics for the Naturals VoxBox, and I am so glad I did! The products are really awesome and there are a couple that I know now that I will be buying on a regular basis!!! Since it was free for me to try these products I am just going to give an overall box worth instead of going over what each sample was worth, unless it is a full sized product. The total box worth is $21.02. So here's what was in my box! 

I am going to start with the Original Dish Drying Mat. This seems like a pretty neat product, but it is not something I would really use in my day to day life. With that said we camp a lot, and I have a large camp kitchen that I like to keep stocked with all kinds of things that are useful! This dish drying mat will be a perfect addition to it! With camping there is always a limited amount of stuff you can bring along so being able to cut down on dish towels will be great! The retail price is $4.99.

This is LypSyl Intense Protection LypMoisturizer. OMG I am in love! This product is amazing! It goes on your lips super smooth and lasts a really long time, the one thing that bums me out is having to reapply lip balm all the time because it just doesn't last. This blows all that out, it has a very nice minty tingle that I adore! It has both beeswax and shea butter in it which really moisturizes. I will definatley buy this product when I run out. It is another full size product and it retails for $2.87, not a bad price at all!

Oh, and how cute is the bee detailing that is on the push up slide!!!! LOVE!

Next up is EBoost. I have not tried this out yet, but it seems intriguing. The claims are that it boosts your mood, focus, and immunity with natural ingredients and no crash. I might have to try this after a really hard work out at the gym. Goodness knows I need to boost my mood and focus after that!

As a Momma of a highly active Diva 6 year old I really like this product. They are Clean well All Natural Hand Sanitizing Wipes. We are always on the go and there is always a moment along the way when Diva has gotten her hands or face dirty, of has fallen down and hurt herself. I think I will throw this into my mini first aid kit I always keep with me just in case one of these not so rare instances occur!

GeoDeo is a deodorant, I know, not the most glamorous product ever, but it is nifty! I have been using this for a few days because I was running low anyway on my normal deodorant. Don't you love when things pop up just in the nick of time?? I really like it! The fragrance is Island and is very light and tropical, it keeps me dry and not stinky so that is a big plus! It is a clear solid so that is really nice for days that I am wearing a tank top (which is a lot, I do live in SE GA) or a dark colored shirt. I haven't put it to the ultimate gym test yet but I have high hopes for it! The only downer is the price, it is $5.99 for a 2.3 oz stick, that is pretty steep especially when I can usually run up on the 2 packs of Dove Deo for around $7.00.

Last of the products that every box contained is Nectresse which is a zero calorie sweetener. It says it is 100% natural... But, it's made by Splenda, and we all know Splenda is about as far from all natural as you can get. That makes me kind of wary about this. I will have to look farther into this to see if it's all natural claims are true. I haven't used this one yet either, I really don't drink much that isn't either already sweetened or is sweet at all. 

The last product in my VoxBox was one chosen based on my demographic. I got the SheaMoisture Organic Raw Shea Butter Baby Eczema Bar Soap. Yeah, I know it says for Baby, but I don't care about that. This is going to be another one of those OMG I have to have this in my shower for evers type of products. It smells amazing and the lather is perfect! It really makes you feel super clean and my skin has been super soft! It retails for $4.99 for a 5 oz bar, that is a really good price! I am going to be looking into what other products SheaMoisture has to offer! 

So, that was my VoxBox this time around. I am sure there will be at least one more blog post about one of the individual products to come for a challenge so stay tuned to get a more in depth look at one of these. If you would like to sign up for Influenster the website is: http://www.influenster.com/

So I Won a $25.00 gift card from Amazon. Here's what I got!

A while back I did a review on Dino Lingo that came in my Influenster Mom Box. I guess they liked it because I won a $25.00 gift card for Amazon.com for the review blog post! Link to post http://ssbeautyreview.blogspot.com/2012/07/dino-lingo.html Woot Woot!!!! Of course since I knew before hand that I was getting the gift card I already knew what I was going to use it on. Here are the products I bought!

Coastal Scents Go Palette in Sydney and Shany Cosmetics Aluminum case with cosmetics included. I got them both for $28.70.

I am going to start with the Coastal Scents Palette! The cost on these are $8.95 and there are 7 different cities to choose from, after getting this one I am definitely going to be buying the rest of the set!!! Here's why!

First off the packaging is great! I really like that the outer box has both the picture of the country to go along with the city name. In this case the palette is based on Sydney, Australia! The compact is about the size of my palm. It is very sturdy and has the push button open instead of where you have to dig your fingers in the little slot to open it up. 

 Here she is all opened up. The colors are AMAZING!!! I loved them as soon as I saw them on the website, but they did no justice to how they look in real life, this picture doesn't even hold a candle to the truly brilliant vibrant colors!!! I cannot wait to start trying out each and every color!

Since this is just one in the collection of 7 I am going to share the stock pics of the other 6 with their names and my order of which ones are going to be next for me to buy!!! Remember these are just the stock pictures from Amazon.com. 

There are so many other products that Coastal Scents offers as well! I intend to thoroughly check all that they have to offer out!!! www.coastalscents.com

Ok, now on to the big item/s. When I saw this case I knew I haddddd to have it, not really because of the makeup inside but really for the case itself. I like to read reviews on anything I am even contemplating buying so when I saw what everyone was saying about the case and some of the cosmetics I knew exactly where the bulk of my 25.00 was going! The case cost a whopping $19.75.

Sorry for the icky picture quality, there were so many shiny bits and bobs that my camera was just not wanting to cooperate with me at all! Even without the cosmetics the case itself is so worth the 19.75 all by its lonesome! Makeup= Icing on the Cake!!! The case is aluminum and really really sturdy, as you can tell it will hold a whole lot! I am thinking of using it as my eyeshadow storage and then when needed my travel makeup case! Now lets get into the cosmetics it came with. At first I was confused because I ordered the product from Shany Cosmetics, but all the makeup said Cameo after a little googling I found out they are the same company.

Here are the items!

4 nail polishes, I know the first and last one look like the same color, but their not. One is more red and the other is more brown. I haven't tested these out yet, so we will see how they do.

4 Lipsticks. I really like these colors! They all have a shimmery quality and as you can see the one on the bottom left has a purpley iridescent to it as well. These seem to be alright. I used the one on the bottom right the other evening to go to a training meeting, it is very light, but when paired with Jouer gloss in Tender it is a match made in heaven the peach from the gloss makes this lipstick have so much depth!

2 Blush colors. I love blush so these are a win for me! I used the one on the right for the training meeting as well. It builds nicely, and is more pale pink than the picture seems, to much yellow light in my house.

It came with one large brush, a brow brush, a compact that will fit any of the square products, several foam applicators, a small brush to fit in the compact and 2l liner pencils one eye in black and brown, and one in light and dark pink for lips, I will be using both as eyeliner though.

The  final products in the box are eye shadows, 8 squares, with 4 each for a grand total of 32 colors! The colors are all very very nice and I like that they are set up like each is a different eye look. I have tested these out and while they are not super pigmented like say a Korres shadow, they are build able and not at all crappy to work with.

So for 3 something out of my pocket I think I did pretty well with this purchase! I hope that next voxbox I will be able to win another brand challenge so I can continue to try out some pretty cool stuff!

What do you think of this haul?

Glade Expressions Collection Product Testing!

Hey guys as you know I am a BzzAgent. As a BzzAgent every once in a while I get the opportunity to try out new products on the market at no cost to me, all they want from me is my opinion. This time around I was trying out the new Glade Expressions line of home fragrance.

 

I was able to pick up 2 of the starter kits at no cost. I chose the Lavender and Juniper Berry Oil Diffuser Starter kit, and the Cotton and Italian Mandarin Mister Starter kit.

 This is the Oil Diffuser. I chose to put it in the Kitchen as that is where the bulk of odors come from. I really really love the scent, but it just does not spread and permeate through the room as much as I would like it to. I think these are best suited for small closed spaces, like bathrooms. I normally can barely smell it unless I am standing right in front of it. The thing I do like is that it really fits into room decor nicely! I might buy refills for it to use in Diva's bathroom.

 This beauty on the other hand I am in love with! The easy squeeze handle makes it awesome!!! I always end up getting stuff on my fingers when using the top button air fresheners, no issue here!!! The scent is lovely, it neutralizes odors quickly, and the scent lingers for quite a while! I will definitely buy refills for this Mister and may buy a couple more to keep around the house for easy access!!!

Well, until later, be happy!