Ulta NYX Mini-Haul

  I was dying to try out some more NYX products and since no local store carries them(though I heard Sears might have them), I decided to get some stuff from Ulta.

I didn't get a lot, just a few things I really wanted to try out.

NYX - Single Eye Shadow in Cherry

NYX - Single Eye Shadow in Hot Orange

NYX - Ultra Pearl Mania Loose Pearl Eye Shadow In Yellow

NYX - Studio Liquid Liner in Extreme Purple

NYX - Xtreme Lip Cream in Candy Land

Essence - Eye Pencil in White 04( I know it's not NYX, but I needed a white eye pencil.)

I know this is not much of a haul, but I really wanted more NYX products. The total after tax and shipping was: $23.18. Ulta has BOGO 50% off.  I think the price of NYX products is amazing and so is the quality most of the time.

Review and swatches coming soon!

January Birchbox+review and swatches

I'm sure everyone that is into subscription boxes has heard about Birchbox, but in case you haven't. Birchbox is a monthly subscription service that delivers high end lifestyle, grooming and beauty samples for $10 a month.

Not only do you get to try out new products every month, but their points system is pretty kewl(which is why I joined). You get 10 points automatically with your first box(100 pts = $10 off a full size order), you also get 10 pts for each survey you fill out about the products in your box. You get 1 point for each $1 spent on their store in full size products and you get 50 points for referring people. So basically, you will get at least 4 products in your box, which means, 4 surveys/reviews = 40 points. Meaning you get $4 for their store, so technically the box ends up being $6(because you get the $4 to spend on their store, not to be used on the monthly boxes).

That point system got me to fall in love, but their customer service made me say: I do! Having a customer service background and being a customer service trainer, I love good customer service, because I know good customer service IS possible. So when I find a company with good customer service, I'm pleased!

The reason I'm referring to their customer service is because I was on the wait list for a long time. I was told to contact them and tell them that I had been in the wait list for over 4 weeks and they would be able to help me out. So I contacted them and they were having technical difficulties at the time(which is understandable and it happens, I've been there), so the girl said she would call me back and she did, however I couldn't subscribe right then because I didn't have my CC info. I called the next day(half asleep) and the girl was super polite, super nice and really understanding when I couldn't remember how phonetics worked and couldn't spell out my name(brain no worky in the morning!!). I told her it would be great if I could still get the January box, and she said she didn't think it could happen...well it did! I contacted them last week around the middle of the week(22nd), my box shipped out last Friday(25th) and I got my box on Monday(28th)!!!! Without even getting my box I was already pleased.

Anyways, the important matter in this post...my box!

 

Loving the cute little box...oh those little things that make me happy.

List of items I got, then again every sub box does that.

New Year themed card thingie, says basically to make the best of this year, yay!

This looks decent, not too exciting, but decent.

Number 4 – Clarifying Shampoo(52ml/1.75 fl oz):$6.66, full size goes is $32 for 250ml. I'm not sure if I will use this, though I might. It has no sulfates which is awesome for me, because I've been using a cleansing conditioner for a while now and when I use regular shampoo with sulfates my hair is not happy. Might give this a try, it smells a bit like the Moroccan Oil products which is kinda meh. However, I wouldn't really spend THIS much on a shampoo(I get the huge bottle of Wen, so it's not as expensive). Either way it's nice to get a fancy shampoo! Would be perfect for those days when you just want to pamper yourself ^^.

Caudalie – Vinexpert Radiance Day Cream SPF 15(3ml/0.1 fl oz): $5.63, full size goes for $75 for 40ml/1.3 oz(pricey!). Just when I was running out of samples for a day time moisturizer I get this! It's like the universe doesn't want me to open up my new moisturizer, which it's totally fine, I will make the huge sacrifice of trying out new fancy moisturizers everyday from now on! I'm excited to try this out. I tried Caudalie -Premier Cru La Crème before and I really liked it(review here). The container is pretty small, but it should last at least a week. My other Caudalie sample was the same size and it lasted me a bit over a week.

 Deborah Lippmann –The Stripper to Go(1 mitt): $2, full size is 10 mitts for $12. I'm intrigued to try this out, reviews say that this is amazing and really removes polish easily. Can't wait to try it out. OK, as soon as I was done typing that last sentence, I decided to try this out, against a sand polish(maybe from a Glossybox O.O).

 

 

Here's my little mitt. What you have to do is place it on your finger and remove your polish!

Before:

 

  

As you can see the task was a hard one, but I managed to remove most of it with the mitt. I'm sure if it was regular nail polish it would've been easier.

After:

 

I really like the end result and I would love to buy a full size of this, however I think it's a bit over priced(of course, it's Deborah Lippmann). I'd rather just buy nail polish remover and textured cotton squares.

Aerie – Shimmer Fragrance: Can't find the value of the sample, because I don't know how much product there is in there. Full size retails for $39.95. I don't hate this fragrance, I like it, but it's not for me. If someone else was wearing it, I would like it, but I wouldn't wear it.

 

 

Eyeko – Skinny Liquid Eyeliner in Black(1.2g/0.04oz):$8.6, full size is 0.07oz and goes for $15. First thing I noticed when I got this...super hard to open, which I think it's OK, because that way I make sure it won't dry evar! I went into trying this with the thought that I had already found my loved one and only eye liner in Lorac's Front of the Line Pro(reviewed here). But when I tried this out I really liked it! It gives me as much precision as Lorac's and it's a really dark black. One not so awesome thing is that this is not water proof, but that's not a deal breaker. This is a deep black eyeliner, one stroke pigments perfectly. I recommend this as much as I recommend the Lorac, definitely a winner! Love it!

Swatch:

 

That's just one stroke!

Value and review:

   The total value of my box(not including the value of the perfume sample) is $22.89.

   I'm really happy with my Birchbox. I like the variety of items I got this month, not a fan of perfume samples, but the rest of the goodies make up for it. 

  My favorite from this box has to be the Eyeko Eyeliner for sure and then the Deborah Lippmann Striper to go would be second.
   I love trying new things and that's exactly what I got from this month's Birchbox. I'm so glad I decided to subscribe and I know I will enjoy my boxes. I definitely recommend this subscription if you want to try out new things. If you expect big sized samples, this might not be for you, but if you want a lil' box of cute surprises then this will be the right fit.
 

  If you want to subscribe to Birchbox, you can click here. Or copy & paste this link on your navigation bar: https://www.birchbox.com?raf=58jbc

Disclaimer: I purchased this with my own money, and this is my own personal opinion :) Link is a referral link.

NOTD: January 29th

 I decided to add some color to my day and go with a sparkly hot pink today!!

 I was going through my pinks and found one that was still new, so first time wearing this baby. At some point I was tempted to do a jelly, but since it was the first time, I decided to go with just this one.

This beauty is 3 coats of Deborah Lippmann Sweet Dreams with one coat of Seche Vite. Every time I read the name it brings the song to my head! I love love love 80's pop! The color is a bright pink with holographic flakes. I love this color, but I don't love the coverage all that much, then again most Deborah Lippmann nail polishes are gels and don't have a lot of coverage and this color is so pretty I don't mind!

The color is better shown on the first two pictures and the flakes look better in the last one. It was so hard to take decent pictures of this, because the sun was hiding today *sad face*.

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

Lorac's Close Up: Real Life to Red Carpet Eye Tuturial REVIEW

 I mentioned this set on my Dermstore Haul post. This set's name is HUGE! So, I'm sorry about the gigantic tittle. 

 Products included in this set: 

• Front Of The Line PRO Liquid Eyeliner In Black ($23)
• Behind The Scenes Eye Primer ($21)
• Special Effects Conditioning, Defining, & Lengthening Mascara in Black ($23)
• Starry-Eyed Baked Eye Shadow Trio in Movie Star ($26)
• Double ended blending/smudging brush

 Total value of the set $93(set retails for $37).

 The value is pretty awesome, BUT at the end of the day, that's not the only thing that matters. If the products don't meet up to your expectations, then it doesn't matter what the value of what you paid for is, right?

Front Of The Line PRO Liquid Eyeliner In Black: This is my HG eyeliner. I've tried others since I got this one and I just keep coming back to it. The tip is felt, the Dermstore site says it's a sponge tip, but it's not. There's not one thing on the description Lorac gives this product that is not true!


Lorac's description:

This high-performing no-smudge, no-budge, water-resistant liquid eye liner boasts a unique automatic delivery system that provides a clean, precise application. The flexible tip provides ultimate control, accuracy and smooth strokes, so you’ll never miss your lines. From very fine to dramatically bold, this versatile pro will take you to the front of the line every time!

Taken from Lorac's official website.

No-smudge/No-budge: Both true, once applied and dried this will stay right where YOU want it to stay and won't move an inch! Unless you go into rage mode and scratch your eyes of course, but then again at that point your make up will be so messy it doesn't matter anymore!

Water-resistant: Yes! I was playing with it drawing on my hand(wasting product!), and tried washing it off with water. I had to scrub a bunch for it to come off, so it definitely is water-resistant.

Clean, precise application/Ultimate control/Accuracy/Smooth Strokes: Yes, yes, yes, YES! That is the thing I love the most about this product! It gives "shaky-hands" me so much precision! It's amazing, from thin lines to a sexy winged look, I can do it all! This liner makes me feel like Wonderwoman! I can take on the world with it! No seriously, you should see me when I don't use this thing, my eyeliner is a mess! I love this thing! It has worked great for me, I just love how precisely it applies the product.

Swatches:

 

From left to right: Special Effects Mascara, Behind the Scenes Eye Primer, Front of the Line Pro Liquid Eyeliner.

Behind The Scenes Eye Primer: I have combo-oily skin and my lids can and will get oily by the end of the day. With this primer I get no creasing whatsoever, I feel like my eye shadow lasts longer with this than with Urban Decay's Primer Potion or even Too Faced Shadow Insurance. It makes the colors more vibrant, but that's kinda the point of a primer, right? One thing I love about it is- you don't need a lot for it to work, meaning, a little DOES go a long way. It doesn't feel oily, it's actually oil free and it doesn't leave those weird patches of primer I've gotten from Urban Decay's Primer Potion. It's also paraben and fragrance free. I will definitely repurchase once I'm out, though I don't think that will be anytime soon, because mine is .53oz and I know it'll last me a while. 

Another product I recommend for sure :)

Special Effects Conditioning, Defining, & Lengthening Mascara: Meh...That's all I can say, even with a "lash primer" this didn't do much for me. It kinda holds the curl and it coats my lashes with color, but that's pretty much it. It defines them I guess, but no volume at all...I like volume more than length I guess, but if you are after length this might be for you. It doesn't flake off throughout the day and it doesn't give you raccoon eyes which is awesome. Not a favorite, wouldn't recommend it if you like voluminous lashes, but if you already have volume and want length then go for it.

Wearing the mascara in both pictures, my lashes are barely visible :(

Starry-Eyed Baked Eye Shadow Trio in Movie Star: I LOVE this trio! It's gorge! The texture is super creamy, it has almost no fall out and the colors are pigmented. You can wear it for a daily look with the 2 lightest shades or add the black for a sexy night look. I love love love this trio, so much that all 3 colors have a dent already. I hope all shades for this product are as good as these, if so- I totally recommend this! The packaging is really sturdy. It's definitely dropsey(bf's nickname for me, self explanatory) proof! An awesome plus is the fact that there's a lot of product. The trio is 4.25g.

Swatches:

Natural light, no primer.

Natural light, the ones in the far right(after that tiny black line)- with primer, the ones on the left- without.

 Double ended blending/smudging brush: This brush is meh...the bristles are a bit rough and I doesn't apply eye shadow all that well. 

Overall review: 

 The products I fell in love with are so amazing and some are even HGs, so I don't care for the ones I didn't like that much. At the end of the day I achieved what I wanted, to try different products from Lorac. Overall I'm really really pleased and happy with this kit and I would definitely recommend it if you are curious about Lorac products, or need to stock up on eye make up products. This kit is amazing, several products are amazing, the value is great and it's not too expensive. 

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

January Beauty Army(swatches+review)

  I think the Newgistics delivery people lost their GPS, or their trucks broke down...or they simply decided to take their time to deliver my Beauty Army box to me...I got it yesterday(Saturday)! Isn't that sad? Oh well, I was super excited it when I finally got it(as usual)!

  I was a total noob and completely forgot to pick my mascara, but I emailed customer service and they replied ASAP and told me they would add it in my box for next month. I'm always super happy with their customer service, usually I'm not a fan of emailing customer service as much as calling, because I feel like no one will read my email, but they do reply their emails and their customer service is amazing! Which is always a plus!

Love the cute card with balloons this month!

Bunch of goodies! Yay!

Dermisa - Skin Fade Cream(0.90oz/25g): $3.99, full size is $7.99 for 50g. I haven't tried this out yet, but I kinda want to see what it does to some of my post break out spots. I dont't know if this works, but I love the fact that it's quite affordable if it does indeed work.

Lash Card(2 cards): $1.40, full size has 10 cards and goes for $6.99. I tried this out the other day and it was really hard to place it. I think using this is a bit pointless, it's easier to just be careful when applying mascara. I wouldn't buy this product.
 

Not Your Mother's - She's a Tease Volumizing Hairspray(2oz/56g): $1.5,
full size is $5.99 for 226g. I haven't tried this out and don't know if I will keep it, since I got a volumizing spray from my Ipsy bag this month, although, maybe I will try it because I didn't like the one from Ipsy all that much.

Nelson J Beverly Hills - Argan Oil 7 in 1 Non- Foaming Shampoo(1oz/30ml):$2.25, full size is $20 for 8oz(Beauty Army has a promo for 2 bottles at $36 a pair). I haven't heard the greatest reviews about this, but I might give it a try.

 

 

Whip Hand Cosmetics - Loose Pigment Eyeshadow in Special Forces(.75/.2 oz): $2.80, full size is $14 for 0.1 oz. I like these pigments, they are really pigmented and the shades are pretty. Sad thing is, they changed the packaging this month and this one spilled over my stuff. On the bright side it wasn't too much, but it's still not the greatest thing. I still like these pigments and so far I have all the ones they have released.

Swatches:

Natural light, no primer.

Mark. - Glow Baby Glow Hook Up Lip Gloss in Honey: $6.50 full size. The color for this gloss is pretty cute and consistency of the gloss is thick. I don't know if I want to keep it, I just feel like I have too much lip gloss...oh the hoarding!

 

 Swatches: 

 Natural light no primer of course.

Value and review:

 $18.44...Wow! That's not good at all! Only $6 more than what the subscription costs. Oh well! That's the thing about Beauty Army, I can't blame them for the items I got, because I pick what I get. I still like BA, but I haven't found a lot of items I like in my selection windows lately, in spite of changing around my profile. Also, I HATE Newgistics with the passion of a thousand burning suns! They are horrible, they take forever to deliver packages! Ugh! My package went to NJ, then to my local Post Office in NY, then to MA and finally back to my NY PO...wtf?

 Either way, I wish Beauty Army changed their shipping company. And at the end of the day, if I don't like my selection window, I can always skip, right?

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

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