Labels

Nails (62) Beauty Boxes (38) NOTD (36) Reviews (35) Make Up (24) Julep (16) Hauls (15) Seche Vite (10) Revlon (9) Makeup (6) Wet n Wild (6) Skin Care (5) Tools and Brushes (5) Birchbox (4) OPI (4) Beauty Army (3) Butter LONDON (3) Essie (3) Hard Candy (3) Orly (3) Sephora (3) Urban Decay (3) Borghese (2) BzzAgent (2) Coastal Scents (2) Essence (2) FOTD (2) Hair Care (2) Ipsy (2) KBShimmer (2) MICA Beauty Cosmetics (2) Maybelline (2) Murad (2) NYX (2) Nailtiques (2) Neutrogena (2) Nicole by OPI (2) Real Techniques (2) Rimmel (2) Sample Society (2) Sinful Colors (2) Tarte (2) elf (2) AHAVA (1) Almay (1) Alterna (1) Amore Pacific (1) Ardell (1) Be A Bombshell (1) Beauty Blender (1) Benefit (1) Chanel (1) Clarisonic (1) Clinique (1) CoTZ (1) Deborah Lippmann (1) E.L.F (1) Eco Tools (1) Estée Lauder (1) Eve Lom (1) Fresh (1) Glam RX (1) Goody (1) Hanskin (1) Holiday Lights (1) Influenster (1) J.R Watkins (1) Jane Iredale (1) Jane Tran (1) Juice Beauty (1) LA Fresh (1) LaRocca (1) Laura Mercier (1) Le Métier de Beauté (1) Liebster Blog Award (1) Living Proof (1) Lorac (1) MUFE (1) Macadamia (1) Nailtini (1) New Beauty Test Tube (1) Ouidad (1) POP Beauty (1) Philosophy (1) Pixi (1) Randomness (1) Ruby Wing (1) Sally Hansen (1) Sation (1) Sebastian (1) Sexy Hair (1) Shea Terra (1) Simple (1) Smashbox (1) Soho (1) Sonia Kashuk (1) Starlooks (1) TIGI (1) Tokidoki (1) Too Faced (1) Twistband (1) Two Cosmetics (1) Ulta (1) Vaseline (1) Wet n Wild Fergie (1) YSL (1) Yaby (1) bareMinerals (1)

Thursday, November 29, 2012

Benefit Sexy Little Stoaways Review

  I picked this up in October or so, just to try out several different Benefit products and to create an opinion about them. I'd rather grab something with deluxe sized samples to form an opinion about the products and if I love them, I just grab a full size.




This set contains:

Swatches
- 0.1 oz Bella Bamba (1): A 3D brightening pink face powder, as described by Benefit. This is my go to blush, I LOVE LOVE LOVE this blush. The shimmer in it is subtle, but beautiful, the smell is amazing( as it is with most Benefit products), it adds a subtle glow to your face. I just can't get enough of this blush, I love the end result with it and I enjoy applying it cuz of the smell. It's a great scent, I would describe it as a fruity, fresh and sweet smell. The size for both this and Bella Bamba is nice enough to last for a while,and plenty for you to create an opinion about. Will definitely buy a full size when I'm out( or maybe before!).

- 0.25 oz 'That Gal' Brightening Face Primer (2): Didn't find anything particularly special about this product. I didn't see any brightening effect on my skin, but it does have a really nice sweet strawberry like smell to it. Won't be buying a full size.

- 0.08 oz Sun Beam (3): Golden bronze complexion highlighter. This is a great highlighter for the brow bone and cheek bone areas. It has a subtle shine and glitter to it, that just makes you look glow and look bright without the shinny. I really liked this product and it's one of my favorites from this kit. This product doesn't have any special smell, or at least none that I could tell. Might buy a full size of this.

- 0.08 oz Cha Cha Tint (4): Mango-tinted lip and cheek stain. This cheek stain brings a really natural glow to your cheeks, some people complain and say it leaves marks on your skin. Well, you have to apply it quick cuz it dries FAST, so if you put it on and leave there for even like 3 seconds it might leave a mark. Make sure, that as soon as you apply it to your cheeks, you blend it in. For the lips, it adds just a bit of color to them. In my case, it doesn't show much, cuz my lips are really pigmented to begin with. For both lip and cheek application, dot it on and blend it in, I use my fingers and it works great. This product is OK, it won't be my go to blush for sure, but for a day when I don't want to be worrying a lot about my lip color, or if I want to go with a more natural glow on my cheeks I will definitely use it. It's the same as Sub Beam, it doesn't have any particular scent to it. Won't be buying a full size.


- 0.08 oz Ooh La Lift (5): Instant under eye brightening boost. I really don't notice much of a difference with this product and I have given it plenty of chances to show me it's powers, but I've been let down everytime I give it a chance. I think we will be breaking up as soon as this deluxe size is done. It has no scent. Won't buy a full size of this product.

- 0.08 oz Stay Don’t Stray (6): Stay-put primer for concealers and eye shadows. As an eyeshadow primer, this is useless, or at least for me. The colors don't look bright at all and the creasing is very apparent! It's insane, there is so much creasing with this product. I've given it SO many chances and it always let me down. As an under eye concealer, it's OK, it hides my dark circles a little bit, but nothing special. As a concealer primer, well, I just don't use it cuz I apply primer to my whole face and most of my primers do just fine. This product was a complete let down, I don't like it and don't recomend it, this is my opinion though, it might work for some other people, but for me it just doesn't cut it. Won't buy a full size.


- 1 oz It’s Potent! Eye Cream: This product is just fine, I didn't notice a major difference with my under-eye circles. I apply it daily in the morning, as part of my regular routine and then at night, over my eye cream. I feel that this is not that moisturizing. I haven't really seen any changes. The packaging is cute, the little glass jar has that vintage look Benefit is famous for, but just the packaging doesn't make it worth it. I will definitely not be buying a full size.


- 0.14 oz BADgal Lash Mascara (7): Didn't see anything special about this mascara, the brush is too big and the wand too short. I know this is a sample size, but the brush is SO big that I can't get product on the whole thing. 

- 0.25 oz The POREfessional (8): I love how this product feels on my skin, it feels just like velvet. I don't see a major change in the size of my pores, but just for that amazing velvety sensation I get, I will be buying a full size. I just can't live without this anymore.

- 0.1 oz Hoola (9): Bronzing powder. This is my go to bronzer for contouring. I won't use anything else, but this to countour my face. It's matte, so it works great for contouring. I don't really use bronzer for anything else. This product is not extremely pigmented, but you can build it up and that's just what I want from a bronzer. If you apply too much by accident, you'll just look horrible and this gives you a little more control. The smell is OK, it just smells like powder foundation, which is fine. I will definitely buy a full size of this product, cuz I can't live without it. I use this product every time I do my make up.

I'm really happy with this kit, even if I didn't love everything. I did discover some products I just can't live without now. I totally recommend this if you want to try different Benefit products, it's only $36 at Sephora. I actually think is a great deal. Some products I didn't love and they might end up being your new HGs. Every skin type is different, every person is different, so what works for me might not work for you and vice versa. If you do pick this up, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Disclaimer: I purchased this with my own money, and this is my own personal opinion :)

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Sephora Haul November/October

 I know this might be a bit late(SUPER LATE!), cuz it's already November(almost December), but I wanted to show the things I picked up from Sephora during the last 2 months. I also wanted to make sure that I had an opinion about the products I bought before I posted, just so I can review them as well.
  This was not all a single purchase, cuz I like to take advantage of the freebies you can get from Sephora. What I do is, split what I want into orders of around $50 or more(to get free shipping of course), so all together I placed 3 online orders and made 1 purchase at the physical store.

First order:


This set contains:
- 0.1 oz Bella Bamba
- 0.25 oz 'That Gal' Brightening Face Primer
- 0.08 oz Sun Beam
- 0.08 oz Cha Cha Tint
- 0.08 oz Ooh La Lift
- 0.08 oz Stay Don’t Stray
- 1 oz It’s Potent! Eye Cream
- 0.14 oz BADgal Lash Mascara
- 0.25 oz The POREfessional
- 0.1 oz Hoola 

                                                                     Click here for the review.



 This set contains:
- 0.1 oz Eyecolor in Soft Focus Velour in Velvet Clay
- 0.006 oz Big & Bright Eyeliner in Black Coffee
- 0.1 oz Prime Time Primer Shadow in Champagne Toast (bronzed toffee)
- 0.16 oz Flawless Definition Mascara in Black
Click here for the review.

 Freebies (iLoveMeSomeFreebies!):


 


 Second Order:

  Benefit- How To Look The Best At Everything in Light

This set contains:
- 0.25 oz The POREfessional
- 0.23 oz Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow SPF 25 PA+++ in "Cheers To Me" Champagne
- 2 x 0.05 oz Boi-ing in 01 and 02.
- 0.14 oz "Hello Flawless!" in "Me, Vain?" Champagne.


Clinique- Clarifying lotion #3 (16.5 Oz)
 


 Freebies( they had a special, where you would get 5 free samples and that was the reason why I made this order! Yes, I'm a sucker for samples):

  BECCA -Shimmering Skin Perfector SPF 25+ in Opal: This was too dark for me and went straight to the trash cuz it was already opened when I found this out.

 
Swatches: Mushroom on the left, Sin on the Right





 








Best in Classic It Kit: In case you haven't heard about it, Sephora is giving a make up pouch with 9 samples when you use the code: ITKIT at check out, some are pretty generous samples too! Is that the reason why I HAD TO make a purchase at Sephora? Yes...maybe! Nah, I really wanted a Beauty Blender for the longest time and I love Urban Decay, so I made my bf grab this for me as our month-aniversary present :D







Fourth Order:

Make Up Forever - HD Invisible Cover Foundation in 120 Soft Sand

Urban Decay - All Nighter Long Lasting Make Up Setting Spray (0.34 Oz) 

Sephora By OPI - Matte Top Coat

No samples with this order cuz it was at the physical store, and I forgot to ask for them (sad face).



 I think I did a lot of damage during these two months at Sephora, but I discovered some HGs. I will post the reviews of the items in this haul soon, some of them are already done and I will link them to this post. I'm really happy with all my purchases and getting a box from Sephora almost weekly was really exciting! This is not just one order cuz I like to get samples, a lot! So, what I do when I buy things from Sephora is- make different orders of around $50 or more, that way I get both free shipping and more samples! Hope you liked this haul as much as I liked receiving all of this items!

  I always use Ebates when I shop online, with Ebates, you get a percentage of your purchase back, and right now there's an 8% cash back on Sephora! I totally took advantage of that and my cash back from Ebates right now is $21 or so! $21 of free money that I'll get back JUST for doing what I would normally do(shop at Sephora! <3) and will likely spend it there(LOL). I totally recommend this just to, you know, repair all the damage done by our Sephora purchases... I know I've done some MAJOR damage this year!

 

 Disclaimer: I purchased this with my own money, and this is my own personal opinion :)

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

November Beauty Army


  For those who don't know what Beauty Army is, it's a monthly subscription service that lets you choose up to 6 luxury beauty samples for $12 and also some full size products. Your samples will be based on your beauty profile and then you will be able to grab 6 samples out of the 9 listed. Their products could be: make up, hair care, skin care, body, fragrance, nails and men's samples. The great thing about them is that if you don't want your box for the month cuz you don't like the products, you can just skip that month!
  
  I wasn't too excited about getting this box cuz I didn't really like some of the products I got. When it's time to pick your products, you can always play around a little with your beauty profile to change the products you get there, I was doing it for a while and would still not get the thing I wanted the most(Shea Terra Whipped Body Cream in Gingered Pumpkin). I gave up and just went with the best options I had. One of them was a mystery product which got me excited!



This month's Beauty Army's box was black! I love black and I love Beauty Army boxes cuz they are sturdy and you can use them to store stuff. I use them to store make up and nail polish!


:O I see pink!  One thing I am glad about this month, is that there are no foil package samples!

First, the samples I didn't like!


Bath and Body Works - Japanese Cherry Blossom Shower Gel: Sample Value: $3.28 (3 fl oz/88ml), full size is $11 for 10 fl oz./295 ml. I really didn't like the smell of this, but it's my personal preference, and I already have a Philosophy Shower Gel that I love. This will go toward a trade, probably or I will give it to someone as a gift.


M.A.D Skincare - Daytime Defense Shielding Moisturizer: Sample Value: $4.80 (0.13 oz/5ml), full size is $48 for 1.7oz/50ml. This was my "mystery" sample. This item was in my selection window and I didn't want it, when I picked mystery sample I thought I would get something that was not on my selection window, boy was I wrong! Not using this one either, going to be a trade item or something. I already have my moisturizers that I like and I also have some small samples that I can go through.


Suntegrity- 5 In 1 Natural Moisturizing Face Sunscreen Tinted in Light: Sample Value: $6.30 (.25oz/7g), full size is $45 for 1.7 oz/50g. The reviews about this item were not the greatest. I heard it doesn't work great on oily skin and my combination skin tends to go to the oily side.  Sadly I read the reviews after I picked it, so there was nothing I could do about it, this will also be a trade item.

Now, the stuff I did like:



You Da Balm – Coconut Natural Lip Balm: Sample Value:$3 (1 tube), full size on Beauty Army is 3 tubes for $8.99. I really liked this item and it's great for this weather in NY. Right now, my lips are drying a lot, so I keep this by my bed side. It has a really nice coconut smell, it smells just like real coconut and has a slight coconut taste. I like this a lot and might grab it if it shows up on my selection window again.



SkinnCosmetics - Twin Set in Coral Poppy: $18.50 Full Size. Both items have a pleasant and tasty grape candy smell, the bf loved it and so did I! The applicator on the lip gloss is meh, it doesn't dispense enough product, so I've had to grab the product 4 times for it to give me a decent amount of it. The lip stick is very creamy and easy to apply. The lip gloss is really sheer, so it basically only adds some sparkle and shine. It has a pretty thick consistency and it's really sticky, which bothered me a bit.


They look great on, the colors are cute, and it works wether you use them alone or together! I liked this product.


WhipHand – Loose pigment eyeshadow in Lock + Loaded: Sample Value: $2.80 (0.02oz), full size is $14 for 0.10 oz. It's a cute taupey-brownish color. If you use just a tiny bit, you can go for a bit of spark or, you can build it up for the color to show. It has good pigment= and it blends well. I liked this one, but did not like the tiny jar it came in. They make it hard to get the product, but it's ok I'll find a way to fix that. Overall the product is great!


It doesn't really look as taupe in this picture, but it is like taupe and brown. It does have a gorgeous sparkle to it, though.

The total value of my box is: $38.68, so a bit over 3 times of what I paid and that's great!

Even if I didn't like 3 of my samples, I'm still really satisfied with Beauty Army.  I won't be dropping them anytime soon. I love this service and they always seem to make my happy at the end of the day.

If you want to subscribe to Beauty Army, you can click here, or just copy and paste this link on the navigation bar:https://beautyarmy.com/account/registration/?referral_id=4ac4804c5a82a5427d88b75ca6031bcc

Monday, November 19, 2012

Shea Terra Whipped Shea Butter Review



  I was really excited to try out the Shea Terra - Whipped Shea Butter Moisturizing Body Cream in Gingered Pumpkin since I saw it on my Beauty Army selection window, but then sadly it disappeared (cuz I went back to take a picture and it was gone!*sad face*). I heard great things about the smell and about Shea Terra in general, their products are organic and usually over 90% natural!

...Shea Terra Organics was the vision of Tammie’s quest to create markets for natural products from third world countries, which would help alleviate poverty while preserving diminishing habitats. Sufferers of skin ailments across the world sought out Tammie’s therapeutic grade shea butter products because they were amazingly affordable at a time when shea butter was sold at hundreds of dollars per pound. “Shea butter, straight from the African source, was really cheap. So many people needed it for its therapeutic benefits, but could not afford it due to its artificially high price. Women across the shea butter belt literally had tons they couldn’t sell due to low demand of this 'costly' butter. What I did was make high quality shea butter products available to everyone at unheard of prices. The result was a shea butter revolution. Large bulk suppliers, selling to the skin care industry, further undercut my prices and shea butter has spread like wildfire ever since. I am very pleased with this accomplishment. Finally, there is a demand market for the women to sell their shea butter, and so many sufferers with painful and disfiguring skin care problems are now able to afford relief,” expresses Tammie Umbel. Shea Terra Organics’ original company, African Shea Butter Company, successfully catapulted into an already saturated skin care market, setting new trends in the industry.
                                                                           
                                                                                            -Taken from Shea Terra's website.



  I was so sad when I couldn't get my Whipped Body Cream. I knew I had to do something, that was to buy a full size! I used a 15% off coupon that I got from Beauty Army and bought this.

The size of the Body Cream is really nice, 9oz. I got my product really quick and they were nice enough to send free samples as well!!!



 The texture of this product is amazing, as well as the smell! OMG! As soon as I got it, I just wanted to grab a spoon and eat it! It has a sweet cinnamon and pumpkin smell. I love it and it stays for hours without being annoying, it's a rather subtle smell. It helps that it's whipped, but it's still a body butter. Don't expect it to be as easy to apply as a regular body lotion, it might take a bit longer to apply it, but it's totally worth it! I totally recommend this, especially for the winter. It leaves your skin moisturized and feeling great! Another great thing about it, is that a little goes a long way so a jar like this will last for a while, so when you think about it makes the price a great deal!

  This product is sold on Beauty Army for $18, but it's sent by Shea Terra.

  The samples I got were:



- African Wild Sage & Cinnamon In the Wild Hand & Bath Bar
: When I got this, I thought it was candy! And I almost tried it out, turns out, it's soap! This has a really natural smell a little bit like cinnamon to me.
-Argan & Green Coffee Around-Eye Serum

  I love this product so much! Ever since I got it, I just can't stop using it! 

  You can check it out here. If you do grab it, hope you love it as much as I do! This is my new HG body moisturizer.


Saturday, November 17, 2012

Ipsy/My Glam November Glam Bag



  I've been following Ipsy/My Glam since it launched. Being outside of the US when this happened, I couldn't really subscribe and when I was actually able to do so, people were really disappointed with it. Last month's bag(October) was great. 

 Subscribers got:
-Coastal Scents - Eyeshadow Quad
-Couture Colour - Pequi Oil Treatment
-Be A Bombshell - Eye Liner
-Mirenesse- Lip Bomb Glossy Lacquer Stain
-The Balm - What's your type? "the body builder" Black Mascara

 After that amazing bag, I said: I HAVE TO get this! This month was my first Ipsy Glam Bag. In case you don't know what ipsy is, it's a company founded by a well known youtube vlogger make up guru called: Michelle Phan. This is a monthly subscription service that goes for $10 a month and delivers 4-5 deluxe samples and full sizes products picked by their stylists to your door, which could be make up, hair care, skin care and nail care. They of course have free shipping(a thing I love so much! I just LOVE free shipping! XD)

  Now that you know what this service is, I can show you what I got. I was really excited to get this box, cuz thanks to Make Up Talk posts I already knew what I was getting.




Did I mention they also send you a cute make up bag each month? And look at the size of everything! Isn't it great?!


 
bareMinerals– Marvelous Moxie Lip Gloss in Daredevil: The sample value is $8.40 for 0.7 fl oz, the full size is $18 for 0.15 fl oz. This is my favorite product from the whole bag, it lasts a really long time. It's a bit sticky, but not uncomfortable. It has a really nice sweet smell and it feels minty when you're wearing it (maybe cuz it's supposed to be a lip plumper).


When I saw the color I was unsure about how it would look on me cuz it's so dark, but it actually looks great. It's sheer, but it does add some cute color without looking bad. I'm just so in love with this lipgloss, I'm picking up a 6 pack from Sephora.


Nailtini – Nail Lacquer in Millionaire: $13 Full Size. This is a gorgeous glittery lacquer! I haven't tried it by itself, but I have it on top of another color. It's been like 3 days and I see no chipping, it still looks great.




You can see it here, on top of essie - Sexy Divide.



StarletCosmetics – Eye Pencil in Black The Total Absence of Light: $11 for the full Size. This product is meh...that's all I can say, it's really sheer and ashy for a black, it doesn't have a lot of pigment and is not easy to apply. I had to go back and forth several times for it to show. I don't really like it and think it's quite overpriced for the "quality" of it.




Benefit– They're Real! Mascara in Black: The sample is $7.6 0.1oz, the full size is $23 for 0.3 oz. This product is OK, I don't really get all the hype. It does make my eyelashes look longer, but with no volume. I didn't get any fall out though, which is always a plus. I don't love it and it's not my HG, but I don't hate it either, as I said before, it's just OK.

 theBalm - Meet Matt(e) matte eyeshadow in Matt Batali: The sample is $3.83 single eyeshadow, full size is $34.50 for 9 eye shadows. This is a really cute eyeshadow, really pigmented and the color is like eggplant, with grey and brown tones. I haven't tried it out just yet, but with the swatch I can tell, I will like it and it will work great.




A close up look of the mascara and eyeliner here, you can tell how the color of the eyeliner is super ashy and really sheer, or at least in my opinion it looks kinda sheer.

This month, there were two items that might variate per bag. You could either get  the mascara
Benefit– They're Real! Mascara in Black or Chella - Defining Eyebrow Gel, and the
StarletCosmetics - Eye Pencil in Black could be either black or brown. I wanted the mascara and eye pencil in black, and that's exactly what I got. I was really happy to see that I got exactly what I wanted, but it would be understandable if I didn't since it's totally random. I always love trying out new mascara and my eyebrows are not unruly, they always stay in place, so I don't really need an eyebrow gel.

The total value my glam bag for this month is: $40.83, with two full size products and nicely sized deluxe samples. I can say I'm satisfied with my glam bag, I love everything I got(except the eye pencil), it was totally worth the money and the products were great(except the eye pencil). I really can't complain even with...you know, the eye pencil, it was a great bag  and I can't wait to see what I will be getting next month.

I do know, not all of their bags will have only make up products(boo!!), but I still think I will stay with them. After my first month, I love this service and won't be canceling anytime soon, unless the quality drops to previous bags, when the customers were really unhappy.

If you want to subscribe to Ipsy and get your own glam bag, you can click here, or access this link:http://www.ipsy.com/

If you do go ahead and subscribe, I hope you have the same luck I had and love your products!

Julep September Product Lover's Mystery Box

  I got an email from Julep about this Mystery Box, there were two choices: Polish Lovers and Product Lover's box. You are guarantied at least $60 worth of product and you can get up to $200(a few lucky ones will). This box was $19.99 with free shipping, same as a monthly Julep Maven box.

Freebie Julep tote.
 

Here's what I got :

Fast dry top coat: Regular Price:$14.00/Maven Price:$11.20. This top coat is really good, makes my nail polish stay on longer and not chip. I like this, but I love my Seche Vite too much, so now I don't really use it much.

Mystery color: Regular Price:$14.00/Maven Price:$11.20. Same size as any other nail polish, so I'd say it's the same price. This is a cremé dark taupe-ish color with a hint of olive green in it. I really loved this color and think it will work for fall.

Crystal Nail File: Regular Price: $6/Maven Price: $4.80. I love this item, cuz it will last for a while (or might not cuz I drop everything). It works just like it should and I'm happy with it, it's my go to file now.
Julep Glow on age Defying Hand Brightener: Regular price:$32.00/Maven Price:$25.60. This product smells amazing. I'm really picky with scents because some scents might give me a headache, but this one doesn’t give me a headache and stays for a while. Your hands will smell good without it annoying you and my skin absorbed it really fast! I gave this to my bf's mom cuz I don't think I need to be using any kind of anti aging products yet, since I'm only 21.

Total Value: $66
Total Value for Mavens: $52.80

 I'm not really happy with this box, cuz I really only liked 2 items (nail polish and file) so it wasn't really worth my time and money. I promised myself I wouldn't get another Julep Mystery box, but I fell for it again in October. Now I know, I won't fall for a "mystery" box again. I love Julep, but I'm happy with their monthly service, these mystery boxes just won't do for me. I won't cancel Julep anytime soon, but I won't buy these anymore.
  
  If you want to subscribe to Julep, here's the link: http://www.julep.com/rewardsref/index/refer/id/68437/


Thursday, November 15, 2012

September Beauty Army Box

 This will be my first Beauty Army box and I didn't know I could play around with my beauty profile to change my samples, so the value of my box is not the greatest and the products I got are not my favorite.
 If you don't know what it is, Beauty Army is a monthly subscription service that lets you choose up to 6 luxury beauty samples for $12 and also some full size products. Your samples will be based on your beauty profile and then you will be able to grab 6 samples out of the 9 listed. 


I love their boxes, this one is being used to hold some of my make up brushes!


Even if I hate the whole camouflage look, their box is still super cute! 


Here are my very TINY samples, I hate foil samples too, but I didn't really have a lot of choices.

Fiafini - Divine Hydration Moisturizer: Sample value: $3.85 for 0.17 oz, full size goes for $38.50 for 1.7oz. I got 15 uses out of this, which is a lot for a foil sample. This has a really fresh smell to it and my skin absorbs it super fast. I didn't feel a difference on my skin and didn't notice any difference on my wrinkles, oh wait a minute, I don't have them! So, again don't need this kind of product. But overall I guess it was OK.

Freeman - Psssssst Instant Spray Shampoo: Sample Value: $2.8 for 1.76 oz, full size goes for $5.59 for 5.3 oz. I love this product! My hair is normal, and I wash it only once a week. Even at the week mark it's still not oily or dirty, but I just use this if I need to add some volume or if for some reason it's looking a bit oily and I have no time to wash it. It works great, it  adds awesome volume and makes it look clean. Make sure you don't apply a lot of it though and you apply it at the distance they recommend(6-8'' away from your hair). If you don't it will create a weird film that is indeed really visible.

Atopalm - Intensive Moisturizing Cream: Sample Value: $1.91 for 0.25 fl oz, full size goes for $23.99 for 3.4 fl oz. Just as the name says, this product is really moisturizing without leaving a greasy feeling. I like it, but the sample is a bit small for my taste, so I've only used it for my hands. I like the smell, it's really natural smelling, like an herbal kind of smell.

Atzen  - Protective Day Cream: Sample Value: $4.74 for 0.1 fl oz/3 ml, full size goes for $79 for 1.7 fl oz/50ml. This has a really pleasant lemon smell. I don't like the fact that this is an anti aging product, cuz I don't like them much. It's odd that I didn't select anti aging products when creating my profile on Beauty Army, yet I still get them on my selection screen.

Cellceuticals- Ceractive Active Moisture + Barrier Repair Skin Treatment: Sample Value:$7.9 for .33 fl oz/10ml , full size goes for $47.50 for 2 fl oz. I haven't tried this out just yet, but I tried it on my hand and it was really moisturizing, but I think I will keep this for the winter and see how it goes.

Youngblood - Mineral Primer: Sample Value:$4.38 for 0.17fl oz/5ml , full size goes for $34.28 for 1 fl oz/30 ml. I love this primer so much! It makes my skin feel like velvet and I love how it gets the skin ready for my mineral foundation.

 The total value of my box is: $25.58.
I guess this is OK and double what I paid for the box. I loved some of the products and wish I didn't get some of the products (anti aging stuff). I would've liked to get more make up in my boxes. Now that I know, I will be playing with my profile some more to get the samples I want. I do love this subscription though and don't think I will be canceling it anytime soon.

This subscription it's totally worth my money if I pick my products well, just know if you tweak your profile a little bit, your samples will change immediately and you'll get different products. Play with this to get what you want.

 



Tuesday, November 13, 2012

November Beauty Bar's Sample Society



  Sample Society is a monthly subscription service from Beauty Bar in collaboration with Allure magazine, that sends you five deluxe - sized high end product samples to your door for $15 a month.
 With the subscription you'll get a $15 Gift Code to redeem on a $50 purchase when you include any of the products from the brands you've sampled that month.
  You also get a one year subscription to Allure magazine, as a bonus, which has a $12 value.
  This is my first month subscribed to Sample Society and I was super excited when I got my box.

Isn't their box super cute? 

Oh the goodies!

 As they said,the samples are deluxe sized, so you get more than one use to make up your mind about getting the full size item.

Alterna– Bamboo Smooth Kendi Dry Oil Mist: 30ml/1 fl oz $5.76. The full size is 125ml/4.2 fl oz and goes for $24. I really liked this oil, it made my hair shiny without making it oily and it has a nice fresh smell.

 Diptyque– Volutes Eau de Toilette: 2ml/0.06 fl oz. $2.40. Tull size is 100ml /3.4 fl oz and goes for $120. I didn't really like this perfume cuz the scent is a bit too strong for me and my nose is weak when it comes to strong scents (it gets itchy and I get headaches).

DiegoDalla Palma – Lipstick in 42(Frost Golden Brick): Sample is about 20% of the full size(can't tell cuz there's no weight info on it), so going by that, it would be about $6.80, the full size goes for $34.

Isn't this super pretty? When I saw the color the first time, I thought it wouldn't look good on  me cuz it looked orange in the tube, but it goes on kinda pink and it's super cute, I LOVE it! I could even give in and buy a full size.

L'occtiane– Shea Hand Cream: $3.33 10ml/0.3 oz . The full size is 30ml/1oz and goes for $10. I have a love/hate relationship with this product, I love what it does and how easily my skin absorbs it, but I have issues with the smell, it makes my nose itchy and it doesn't go away. If I were to get this in full size, I would just pick another scent.

Dermalogica– Precleanse Oil: 30ml/1 fl oz $7. The full size is 150ml/5.1 fl oz and goes for $35. This is an interesting product, when you first apply it, it's an oil and then you have to wet your hands and keep on rubbing it into your skin untill it emulsifies. This is a good product, but I already know of a cleanser that will do the work without a pre- cleanse, so I don't think I would go for a full size of this.

 The Total Value of my box is: $25.29! Which is pretty good considering the size of the samples.

I'm really happy with most of what I got, except the perfume, but I will add it as an extra in a trade, so that's fine. All the products are great quality and will definitely last for more than one use.
 Sample Society lived up to my standards, it's a great subscription service for a great price. I don't think I will be canceling this service any time soon. I can't wait to see what I will get next month!
 I love this service, if you want to subscribe to it, here's the link: https://www.beautybar.com/login.qs?returnurl=/SampleSociety/shipping.qs?Source=SS
If you do subscribe I hope you love this service as much as I do!