May 2018 Boxycharm

I know this post is super late, but I wanted to share what I received in May's Boxycharm. I'm sad to say this is my last box with Boxycharm. I think they're an incredible value for only $21 a month, and you receive some amazing products, but I have such a large collection already so I realized I truly did not need a subscription service anymore. 

The theme for May was Boxy Bash. The first product I received was the Pur Sculptor Highlight & Contour palette. I'm not usually one to highlight and contour, plus the contour shades are far too dark for my fair complexion. I'd probably use this palette as eyeshadow instead. One cool thing is this palette smells like chocolate. This palette retails for $30.

I got four brushes from the brand Aesthetica. A 3 Piece Eye trio and a P12 Face Brush. I don't care for the eye brushes aside from the spoolie. I use those quite frequently. The P12 brush seems nice for blush or bronzer. The trio retails for $45 and the face brush retails for $27.

I also received a Beauty Creations Liquid Lip Gloss in the shade Kiss Me. It's a really pretty rosy, red color that will likely be nice for Fall weather. This retails for $10.

I'm not a big fan of gel eyeliners, or eyeliner in general, but the Pretty Vulgar The Ink Gel Eyeliner in 01 Black List seems nice. I'll give it a try, but I'm not sure if it will stay in my collection. This liner retails for $24.

The last product is from Cover FX, and it's their Blurring Primer. I tend to like primers like this because of my large pores. Cover FX is a good brand too, so I look forward to trying this at some point. It retails for $38.

The total value of this box is $174. That's not bad at all, though I feel the brushes are far too expensive for the quality. Like I said above, this will be my last box for the foreseeable future. I enjoyed the box the few months I was subscribed, and may go back to it in the future. 

If you're subscribed to Boxycharm, what did you get in your box?

Boxycharm: March 2018 - My First Box!

I unsubscribed from Ipsy quite a while ago, and was getting the itch to try a different beauty subscription service. I've seen videos on Boxycharm, and am always impressed with the products everyone receives. Boxycharm is only $21 a month, and you receive 4-5 full size products, which makes the cost of the box very worthwhile. I subscribed around the middle of March when there was no waitlist, and received my box just a couple days ago. 

So it looks like the theme this month is called "Baecation" which is a little weird. I can't stand the word bae at all honestly, and wish it would go away. Anyway, there are different variations of the box, but everyone received the Boxycharm & PUR eyeshadow palette, which has some gorgeous colors for Spring and Summer! I cannot wait to start playing around with it, even though I've been reading some mixed reviews. The palette is worth $36, which more than pays for the box.

I'm always looking for new brushes, so I was happy to receive The Vintage Cosmetic Company Smokey Eye Brush Set. It comes with shadow, angled, and smudger brushes and the set is worth about $23. 

I'm loaded with unopened mascaras in my makeup stash and will probably never have to buy any again, but I'm excited to try out the Bellapierre Cosmetics Volumizing Mascara at some point. Volume is typically what I go for in mascara, so I hope this is a good one. This mascara is worth $20

Believe it or not, but I have never tried any eye masks, so when I saw a 3 pack of the South Mane Beauty Eye Gels, I was curious. It says these are good for puffiness, dark circles, and is moisturizing. These are all things I need, especially with a toddler. These eye gels are worth $10

The last product is something I'm really excited for, and it's the Pretty Vulgar Make Them Blush in the shade Prim Vixen, which is a bright, matte pink shade. Perfect for Spring and Summer, but it's a blush I may need to use a topper with, as I'm not really used to matte blushes. This blush is worth $26

Needless to say, I'm SO happy I pulled the trigger and decided to subscribe to Boxycharm. The whole box was worth $115! I mean, you can't really get better than that for only $21. I will be continuing my subscription to Boxycharm until I start getting bored, which hopefully isn't for a while. If you would like to check out Boxycharm yourself, you can do so via my referral link here.

If you're already subscribed to Boxycharm, what did you receive in your box?

Ulta & Sephora VIB Sale HAUL!

Hey guys! I'm so sorry I've been MIA for a few days! I haven't been feeling so great lately and really just needed to rest. Today, I have a haul to share with you of some products I've picked up within the last few weeks or so. I haven't really done much beauty shopping lately because I am trying to use up what I already have, but I wanted to treat myself a little bit!

First up is Ulta. I had placed an online order during their 21 Days of Beauty, where I picked up the Philosophy Purity Made Simple Wipes and the Too Faced Sweethearts Perfect Flush Blush in the shade Something About Berry. Each of those products were 50% off, and since I'm a Platinum member, I also received free shipping, as well as a good amount of points because Philosophy was 5X the points during that time! I've used the Philosophy wipes before and remember liking them, but I can't remember if I was wowed by them. They were only $7.50, so no real loss if I end up not liking them much. I had also been wanting to try one of the Too Faced Sweethearts blushes, but always thought they were a bit too expensive. They were only $15 at the 50% off sale price, so I ran with it. I have yet to try it, but will report back with a review!

I had gone into my local Ulta after not being in that store since October of 2015, because I had a 20% off coupon for Platinum members sent to me. I wanted to check out some skincare, so off to the store I went. I've really enjoyed being sent a bunch of goodies from Pur Cosmetics before, so I wanted to look into their skincare to see if I liked any of it. I picked up their In The Clear Clarifying Cleanser and the Soak It Up Intense Hydrating Moisturizer. A rep from the brand was there, so she was testing out a bunch of things on me to help me with my choices. The cleanser seems like it'll be great for use in the Summer as it's very cooling, and the moisturizer seems nice and light feeling, but still very hydrating at the same time.

I've heard so many amazing things about the Nip + Fab Glycolic Fix Daily Cleansing Pads, and have been very curious to try them myself. Unfortunately, I didn't look at the ingredients while in-store, and there's denatured alcohol in them. I'm trying to stay away from products that contain alcohol, and now for personal reasons (which I might mention later), I'm also staying away from Glycolic Acid. I will be returning this since I have yet to break the seal and open it. 

I really didn't have plans to buy anything from the Sephora VIB sale. In all honesty, I haven't shopped at Sephora, online or in-store, since the middle of December! Like I said above, I'm really trying to limit my purchases this year to buying mainly what I need, not just what I want. So, I limited myself to the NARS Pencil Sharpener, because the sharpeners I have just didn't cut it anymore, and the beautyblender Two.BB.Clean that comes with two regular sized original Beauty Blenders, as well as a 5 ounce Liquid Blender Cleanser. You all know my love for the Beauty Blender and I just adore their Liquid Cleanser as well, so for $40 minus the 15% discount, you really couldn't beat that. 

I finally had a reason to redeem some of my points, so I redeemed 100 points on the Lancome Bi-Facil Eye Makeup Remover, which is my all-time favorite, but it's freaking expensive. They also had a pretty great 500 point gift of Ole Henriksen products called Glow For it, which includes deluxe sizes of their African Red Tea Cleanser, Truth Sugar Glow Polishing Mask, Truth Collagen Booster (LOVE!), and Pure Truth Youth Activating Oil. I've been really into Ole Henriksen products lately, and this kit definitely seemed worth the 500 points. 

Did you buy anything from the Sephora VIB sale?

Review: Pur Cosmetics Fully Charged Magnetic Mascara

*Disclosure* Product mentioned was provided for review. All opinions are 100% honest and my own, like always

Hey guys! If you didn't know, mascara is probably one of my favorite things to apply in my makeup routine. I had received a surprise package from Pur Cosmetics that included their new Fully Charged Magnetic Mascara. I thought it had an interesting concept to it, and I was pretty excited to try something new!

According to the Pur website:

Opposites attract with this anti-aging mascara that has a magnetic polymer matrix that wraps a positively charged elastic veil around each lash to instantly lift, separate and define each lash for long-lasting performance.

For application, they say: 

Begin by placing the brush wand at the base of lashes then hold for a few seconds to set. Wiggle the wand in a back and forth motion and repeat to build. Use the wand vertically to apply to the lower lash line.  

The packaging on this mascara is pretty darn nice, and has that matte black Nars packaging feel to it. The brush looks all too familiar to me, and very much reminds me of the Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara. Bristles go every which way, and alot of product seems to collect at the very end of the wand, but I just remove that on the mascara tube. 

I have to note the scent of this, and maybe it's just my tube, but it smells a little too chemically for my liking. I also have to mention that the sixth ingredient in this is Alcohol Denat. Why?! Why is there alcohol in this?! Since using this mascara, I've noticed my natural lashes seem a little more drier than usual, and I'm pretty sure it's because of the alcohol. 

Anyway, here are some before and after pictures: 

My poor lashes are practically non-existent and have a tiny bit of curl, but otherwise they're fairly straight and very light in color. 

I gotta give it to this mascara, after just one coat, my lashes are more curled, and much more dark and separated. I feel like I can get away with just one coat of this. When I apply two coats, that's where I start to get clumping. I hate to compare this to Too Faced Better Than Sex again, but I think this performs like it with how it applies and looks after one coat. 

One thing that really bugs be about Fully Charged is that it makes my eyes itch like crazy! I'm not sure what's in this mascara that causes that effect, but it annoys me and in turn, it breaks down fast. I end up with smudges and flakes after just a few hours of wear, which is a shame because I really do love the initial application. Removal is very easy and comes off with makeup remover just fine. 

Keep in mind that I have very sensitive eyes in general, and allergy season is starting. I'm just disappointed that Fully Charged makes my eyes itch, when I don't usually have that problem. I'm honestly not sure what having a magnetic polymer matrix does in this mascara, but I don't notice anything spectacular because of it.

Overall, I would recommend this mascara if you don't have sensitive eyes and want a good amount of length, and also don't mind having alcohol near your eyeballs. I don't notice much volume, and again, Too Faced Better Than Sex provides both. 

The cost of Fully Charged is only $22 and you can find it at Ulta, the Pur website, and other online retailers. 

Have you tried this mascara?

Review: Pur HydraFluid Water Serum Foundation

*Disclosure* Products featured were provided for review. All opinions are 100% honest and my own, like always!

Hey guys! I was able to try out the Pur HydraFluid Foundation, and I have a few opinions on it. 

Here is some info on the product from the Pur website:

PÜR’s encapsulated water complex delivers Swiss Alps-sourced water to hydrate the skin for lasting radiance while providing silky, medium coverage. HydraFluid water serum foundation is incomparably lightweight yet offers the perfect amount of coverage and satisfies the desire for dewy, breathable, luminous looking skin. This is the chosen foundation to create “bare-looking” but perfect complexion whatever your skin tone or type. Water sourced from the Swiss Alps is known for its high purity and is the ideal mineral water to refresh skin.

Pur is cruelty free, each of these foundations cost $39, and there are 5 shades in the line: Light, Medium, Tan, Dark and Deep. 

Alright, my only real gripe is the color selection. I have a hard time finding foundations that are good for my really fair, cool toned skin. The lightest shade here is noticeably darker than my natural, pale as heck skin. Somehow, I was able to make it work by blending it in really well with a Beauty Blender and setting with a translucent powder. Throughout the day though, it did oxidize on me, and my husband even asked what was wrong with my face. 

Despite the bad color selection, this foundation is actually pretty nice. It did end up blending well, lasted about 4-5 hours before I noticed my skin become shiny, and it feels super lightweight, which will make it perfect for the hot Summer weather. You have to shake it up really well before you use it, since it is very liquid-y. I could see this foundation being a go-to if I had the correct shade.

Pur, if somehow you're reading this, please come out with a Fair shade! I, and many other pale girls, will be immensely grateful! 

Overall, I really feel this is a nice foundation for a variety of skin types. I'm oily, so I do have to set with powder, but I think dry skinned people will really enjoy this. If you have a skin tone that would work with this foundation, I'm jealous.

What do you think about this foundation?

Review: Pur Cosmetics Browder Perfecting Brow Powder

*Disclosure* Products featured were provided for review. All opinions are 100% honest and my own, like always!

Hi guys! I'm so excited to bring you this review today, because it has to do with eyebrows. Now, I'm usually not one to fuss over my brows. I typically just use a gel to keep them in place. When Pur Cosmetics very kindly sent me their line of brow powders, I was intrigued, yet scared, because I had no idea what to expect from them. 

The Pur Cosmetics website says:

Bold brows are in! With PÜR’s long-lasting brow powder, you don’t need to be a makeup artist to get perfectly defined brows. This unique fiber formula adds naturally bold definition to sparse and uneven brows for a look that’s always natural, never “drawn on”. Use the innovative flocked applicator to groom and sculpt for the perfect arch or reach for your eyeliner brush for double duty use as a smoky eye lining powder.

Shades L to R: Blonde, Medium Brown, Brunette

Pur Cosmetics Browder only comes in 3 shades: Blonde, Medium Brown, and Brunette. The shade I have gone for in testing out is Blonde, and for me, it seems like a good fit. I also feel like all three shades aren't too warm either, which is great for me personally. When I first tried this out, I was glad I didn't put on foundation or concealer first, because I had brow powder all over my cheeks and under my eyes. This stuff is insanely messy if you have no idea what you're doing, and I'm still getting the hang of it honestly. I haven't tried these as a powder eyeliner, but I can see that as a good option for a more natural liner look.

Once I got the powder on my brows, I had to then go in with a spoolie, and brush the heck outta them. I personally don't like that drawn on, fake look so I tried making them look as natural as possible. I do feel like this powder fills in sparse areas nicely, and once I had everything blended in well, I do feel like my brows completed my look. Like I said above, I really only set them with clear gel because I just don't like them to look over-done or fake. Once I really get the hang of using these, I may eventually branch out and start trying brow pencils and whatnot. Even though I'm a newbie with brow products, I'm pretty impressed with these Browders!

Each of these Browders costs $22 and you can find them on the Pur website, Ulta, Kohl's, pretty much wherever Pur Cosmetics is sold!

I'd love to know what your favorite brow products are in the comments! Especially for newbies like myself!

Review: PUR Cosmetics Cameo Contour Sticks

*Disclosure* These products were provided for review purposes. All opinions are 100% honest and my own, like always

Hey guys! PUR Cosmetics was so incredibly generous, and they sent me their new line of Cameo Contour Sticks to try out. I was so excited because cream contouring is the "in" thing to do, but I hadn't tested those waters yet.

Here is a description of the product from the PUR website:

Meet the final word in flawless contouring. PÜR's dual-ended contour stick adds closeup-worthy depth and dimension to your natural features with a creamy formula that sets to a picture-perfect powder finish. With use of natural, light-reflective ingredients that resemble microspheres, this 2-in-1 complexion innovation emphasizes your face’s natural highlights and shadows while simultaneously blurring the look of imperfections, such as dark spots and fine lines. As you apply and blend one or both shades with the Contour Blending Sponge, your skin also absorbs in the skin-perfecting benefits of PÜR’s own Ceretin® Complex—a proprietary blend of hydrating ceramides and age-defying vitamin A! 

Now for a list of the shade descriptions

Light - Porcelain & Light 4-in-1 Mineral Makeup; fair to fair with creamy ivory undertones 

Medium – Blush Medium & Golden Medium 4-in-1 Mineral Makeup; medium beige with blush to golden undertones  

Tan – Light Tan, Tan, & Medium Tan 4-in-1 Mineral Makeup; olive with yellow, honey and caramel undertones

Dark – Medium Dark & Golden Dark 4-in-1 Mineral Makeup; rich bronze with golden undertones  

Deep – Deep & Deeper 4-in-1 Mineral Makeup; warm with golden amber undertones 

Swatches of Light to Deep in order from top to bottom

These PUR Cameo Contour Sticks are surprisingly pretty fantastic! The shade range is pretty good too, and the lightest shade is great for my fair skin. They blend in super easily with the accompanying sponge you get in each package, but they don't blend away to nothing. The sponge is pretty nice too and you can either use it wet or dry. 

You really don't get much product in one stick, with 0.3 ounces in the whole package. Each Contour Stick costs a whopping $39.50, but you don't really need a ton of product to get the job done. It performs well overall, and with my oily skin, it doesn't budge and looks great for a long time. Since these do have a high price point for little product, you'd have to decide yourself if it's worth buying. It's a bit steep for my liking, but I'll enjoy using the lightest shade while it lasts!

You can find this product on the PUR website, at Ulta and at Kohl's.

Have you tried this product, or any cream contour sticks before?

November 2015 Favorites

Hey guys! I can't believe it's already December. I know everyone and their dog says how fast time flies, but this year really flew by for me. I have a few favorite products to share with you from the past month, so lets see what I was loving!

The first product that I've been loving is my Philosophy Lip Shine in the Peppermint Bark scent. I adore these lip shines because the scents they have are just incredible, but they don't taste that great. This particular scent just smells so amazing and gets me in more of the holiday spirit. It also makes my lips look and feel more hydrated and plump. 

Next up we have the Caolion Premium Hot & Cool Pore Pack Duo. This dual phase mask is probably one of the best masks I've tried for my skin. I want to do a full review of this, but it makes my skin look so calm and clear, and my blackheads are almost nonexistent after I use this!

Next up is the First Aid Beauty Daily Face Cream. I've been using this at night, and I have to say, this makes my skin feel so much more hydrated when I wake up in the morning. Occasionally I wake up with a few dry flakes on my skin, but not when I use this! It's soothing and hydrating, but not so hydrating to where I look like a greasy mess.

A rediscovered favorite is the Covergirl Outlast Stay Fabulous 3 in 1 Foundation in the shade 805. This foundation is just incredible. It's actually light enough for my super fair skin, it helps to keep my oils at bay, and it also gives pretty nice coverage. I wore this foundation when I got married, and it lasted threw tears, laughing and just everything that day. When I run out of other foundations I have, I will no doubt repurchase this. 

My last favorite of November is the Pur Cosmetics Eye Polish in the shade Suede. I was very kindly sent the entire 6 shades that are available, but this shade in particular is just so beautiful. It's got some gold shimmer flecks all throughout, which made my hazel eyes pop. I do have one sort of downer with this, and that is I have to layer a shadow on top of these to help prevent creasing. If I wear them on their own, I get creasing within a couple hours, and that's with using a primer underneath. Other than that, I highly recommend trying these out. I do have a full review of the range here.   

What have you been loving this past month? 

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Review: PUR Cosmetics Eye Polishes

*Disclosure* I received these products complimentary  for review purposes. All opinions are 100% honest and my own, like always!

Hello everyone! I hope everyone here in the states who celebrate Thanksgiving had an awesome one! I know I did and I ate way too much food, which I'm ok with honestly. Today's post is going to be a review on the PUR Cosmetics Eye Polishes, which are said to be an eye base + top coat, and can be used as a standalone shadow. I was so excited when I got these in the mail and I couldn't wait to swatch them all!

Here is a description of the product from the PUR website:

Make your eyes pop in a blink! This eye primer and top coat’s pure pigment creates a crease-proof eye shadow base with a luminous metallic sheen. This eye-opening formula glides on with pro precision and builds with exceptional ease with the use of the enclosed Latex-free silicone applicator. Use alone as an iridescent cream shadow, under mineral eye shadows for visibly more vibrant color or over mineral shadow as a top coat to amplify color and add dimension to your eye look!  

The eye polishes come in little round pots that look like glass, but I'm pretty sure it's just really hard plastic, so hopefully there won't be any accidents. I completely forgot to take a picture of the inside of these, but there's a little mesh lining that holds the product in and a stopper type thing on the lid so it doesn't go everywhere. Design wise, they remind me of the Stila cheek colors. These colors though are just beautiful and perfect for any kind of look!

Here are swatches of the colors shown in order from the above picture:

Cashmere: shimmery champagne
Satin: sheer crystal pink
Suede: earthy seductive neutral (their description, not mine)
Silk: prism copper
Velvet: plush amethyst
Caviar: lavish black with gold karat flecks

These colors are just absolutely stunning, and the swatches are done in one single swipe. Talk about pigmentation! Each jar comes with its own little silicone applicator, but I use a brush specifically for cream shadows. That's just easier for me, but you may choose to use your fingers as well. I also personally wouldn't use this as a top coat for shadow, just as a base or alone. Since I have very oily eyelids, I do use an eyeshadow primer first, but you might not have to if you have normal or dry lids. I'm just so amazed with these colors, and they blend out nicely and look really incredible on the eye. 

They're a bit expensive at $26 per jar, but these will last you forever as long as you keep the lid tightly closed. I find them to be worth the price though, and I really hope they make more shades, especially some matte ones!

You can find these on the PUR website, Ulta and I believe Kohl's.

What do you think of these PUR Eye Polishes?