December Beauty Army Review + Swatches

 I had no clue what I was getting this month in my Beauty Army box, cuz I totally forgot what I had selected. When I got the box it was a total surprise(yay I love surprises!)

Love the fact that they added some holiday love to the box :) It comes off, but it's the thought that matters, right?

Yay for more holiday love!

My box looked really packed and heavy this month, yay!

Bath and Body Works – Body Wash in Twilight Woods 3fl oz/88m: $5. This smells amazing! I love the size too! Such a cute bottle.

Skinn Cosmetics – Twin Set in Pink Tulip: Full size, $18.50. Love the lipstick color, this smells just like my other Twin set, it has a grape candy kind of smell. This came with some lipstick smashed on the lid, but it was sealed, so that's fine. The lip gloss is sheer, but you can build it up to a soft sheer pink. The lipstick is really creamy and pigmented and the shade is a Barbie pink kind of color. I loved it, then again, I love pink lipstick!

Mark. – Glow Baby Glow in Blow Kisses:  Full size, $6.50. This is a really thick lip gloss, it's very pigmented and it doesn't take a lot of effort to make it look bright red. The downside is though, the red is really warm and it could make your teeth look yellow. This would be perfect if it had a bit more blue in it. This will never beat my new go to bright red lip gloss from this month's Ipsy bag, Be a Bombshell in Hot Mess.

 

Jonathan – Dirt Texturizing Paste 0.7oz:  $5.42. I love texturizing pastes. The one I currently use is from Wen, but I know it's life will eventually come to an end. This should work amazing for me on the day I wash my hair, it should  help with freeze and flyaways. A big plus is that this product smells delicious! Also, even if it's a small jar, I know this will last me for a long long time. This product is not greasy at all! Which was a surprise for me. I grabbed some of it and rubbed it between my hands and it didn't feel greasy, it felt more like something moist(that sounds gross lol). It added great shine to my hair without making it look dirty and also amazing volume. I think I'm gonna become addicted to this.

Macadamia - Deep Repair Masque 0.5 fl oz/15ml: $1.536. I love the Macadamia Oil I got in my October Beauty Army, so I know for sure I would love this. I love hair masques to begin with, so I know for sure this will be with me the next time I wash my hair.

Whip Hand – Loose Pigment Eyeshadow in Green Beret 0.2oz: $2.8. This is a really pretty green pigment, you can either build it up or wear it sheer to add a slight amount of color. I really like it, but I have another pigment that looks a lot like this one from Coastal Scents, so I probably will trade it away.

Swatches: Top to bottom: Mark, Glow Baby Glow in Blow Kisses, Skinn Cosmetics Twin set Lip gloss and lipstick, Whip Hand Loose Pigment Eyeshadow in Green Beret.

Total Value and Final Thoughts:

 The total value of my Beauty Army for this month is: $39.72, which is amazing value considering the subscription costs $12 a moth. I'm getting a bit over 3 times what I paid for.

Once again, I'm happy with my Beauty Army box. I had to play with the options for a bit, to be able to get these items. I would love it if they removed the B & BW products from the selection though, cuz getting them 2 months in a row is kinda boring. 

 If I don't see anything interesting next month I will definitely skip it, but I don't think I will be canceling my Beauty Army subscription anytime soon. I love the fact that I can actually pick what I will get. In my opinion though, they do need a bit more variety. I also love the fact that they actually have full size products to pick from.

I love my Beauty Army and I love the system they work with. I've never ever had any problem with this subscription and I definitely recommend it. At the end of the day if you chose the items and not them, so that's always a plus. I just really hope they add some more items to the mix, make up items if possible, cuz I'm really not interested in getting something like tea from them LOL.

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


What did you like the most in your Beauty Army box this month?

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

December's Glossybox Review

 Glossybox is a beauty related subscription service, present in over 15 countries, that provides you with 5 deluxe sized samples each month. There are 4 different payment options: 

• Monthly: $21 a month + free shipping.
• 3 month subscription: $60 + free shipping.
• 6 month subscription: $115 + free shipping.
• 12 month subscription: $220  + free shipping.

 I got...neither one of those. I'm getting these boxes(cuz I grabbed two) this month, cuz I got it with a 40% discount from black friday, so it ended up being $13.48. I also grabbed a gift box(that I gifted to myself), which ended up costing $10.70 with some discount code and a promo. I would have stayed subscribed if this was the regular price, heck even if it was $15 a month I'd stay subscribed. Right now my plan is to cancel and not cuz I don't like the products, but for other reasons that I'll talk about in a bit.

 I was a good girl and I didn't look at any spoilers, somewhere I read someone talking about rings and that got me a bit scared. I'm a size 9 for rings and that's on my ring finger, so I was a bit sad thinking what ever I get won't fit. Then again, by mistake, I read someone got earrings, I'm allergic to anything, but gold and palladium and of course they won't be sending either. Then someone said they got a bracelet and then someone else said they got a necklace. There was hope! That made me excited, the hope that at the end of the day I might get something I could actually wear. There's something, in my really humble opinion, I think they should've asked customers is their ring size. It's not Glossybox's fault that I'm allergic to...well almost everything when it comes to earrings, but they could help it whether I can wear the ring they send or not.

   Anyways, onto my box, I was super excited when I got it this morning, well afternoon. Our mail lady always gets here at like 3 when the sun is almost gone and I have to hurry if I want to get any "sun light" to take a picture. Yes, "sun light" cuz I haven't seen the sun in such a long time, it's not even funny. I'm in upstate New York and lately the weather has been horrible up here, it hasn't snowed, but there's no sun. Oh my! How I miss the sunny days in my always-sunny-always-summer Costa Rica. *sad face*

The box came with Glossybox's own little magazine, which talks about latest trends from the runway and some other topics. Speaking of which, I'm a huge fan of power lips! Love some fierce lips! Also the box itself is pale pink and is really sturdy, definitely a keeper!

Gorgeous xmas themed wrapping. I'm missing xmas. My bf's house is not decorated, there's not even a tree here :'( it's sad. I miss my family's cooking: chocolate chips, tamales(hispanic thing), Stollen(german traditional cake) and regular xmas cake. Oh well, guess I'll have to do some baking!

This box looks really packed. It did not seem amazing at first glance though.

*Sigh* earrings I won't be able to wear.

Forest Essentials –Luxurious Ayurveda Bath & Shower Oil 100ml: $10.71, full size is $21.42 for 200ml. I like the idea of a shower oil, but I'm so picky when it comes to scents and this one is a bit too overwhelming for me. I'll be either trading it or giving it away as a present. Either way I'm sure whoever gets it will enjoy it.

Oscar Blandi –Pronto Dry Heat Protect Spray 21.3g/.75oz:  $4.34 , full size is $23 for 113g/4oz. I'm excited to try this out, if I feel like straightening my hair. My hair is wavy with a bit of curl and most of the time I just love wearing it as is.

Heartland FragranceCo. -  Bath Salts in White Ginger 5.5oz: $1.83, full size is $10 for 30g. The smell on this is really really intense, so I will probably trade it off or give it away as a present.

Ecru New York - Cosmetic Hair Care Acacia Protein Oil: 1 ml/0.03fl oz, full size is 50ml and goes for $30. This was just a little extra, I love trying new hair oils, so I can't wait to try this one.

Zoya – Nail Polish in Storm: Full size, $6. This is the item I loved the most. I actually have never tried Zoya and I loved the color I got. Sadly I got the same color in both boxes, but oh well, I'll trade or give away the extra. This color is amazing for the holidays, but also a great color for a night out, love it!

Pleats Please by Issey Miyake: This is another little extra, love the fact that it's actually a small spray bottle.

Jewelmint - Earrings: $29. I got these earrings in one of the boxes, they are cute, but sadly I can't wear them, or my ears will suffer. Luckily a girl that got 2 of the same necklace contacted me and I will trade them with her. I'm glad I got something out of this, yay!

Jewelmint - Ring: $29. I got this ring in the other box and I was shocked when I put it on cuz, it fits! I love it, it's super cute and I'm not really a ring person, so for me to be in love with this ring really means a lot. I couldn't find this ring or the earrings on the Jewelmint website, I looked everywhere, my guess is that it's sold out.

Box's Value and Final Thoughts:

  The value of my box(either one) is $51.88, which is good even if I would've paid full price for it($21). The value, for me personally is still worth the money, cuz the two items I actually liked (ring/earrings and nail polish) add up to $35, which still covers for more than the full price of the box.

 However, I won't keep my Glossybox subscription, not cuz the products are bad, cuz they're not, they are great products, but just not for me. Mainly, it's cuz I've been hearing lots of customer service horror stories. Being a former customer service agent(and probably will be again when I go back to work), this is something that really matters to me. I don't like dealing with companies that  have bad customer service, cuz in the long run that might cause really bad problems for you and the company.

I'd rather end my relationship with Glossybox on a happy note, and if I hear later on that their customer service improved, then I might resubscribe. 

I'm a little upset that both boxes were exactly the same, but I guess I can't complain. It's a random thing, some people got a lipstick instead of the Oscar Blandi product, and I wish I would've gotten that in at least one of the boxes. Then again, oh well, it's random.

I think Glossybox is definitely worth it, however subscribe, but consider risk, the fact that some people have had bad customer service experiences, does not mean that you will, but then again, you might.

I hope you liked my review and sorry for rambling off so much today, I guess I had lots to say.

What was your favorite product in this month's Glossybox?

If you want to subscribe to Glossybox, you can click here. Or copy and paste this link in your navigation toolbar:  http://www.glossybox.com/referal?CI=MzI3MDg=

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

Deborah Lippmann Haul & Swatches!

  I made a huge order of Deborah Lippmann nail polishes, cuz I got my hands on a $10 off code. Which ended up making each one of them between $6 and $9 each! I couldn't resist such a deal, and I've been drooling over her nail polishes for the longest time.  I went ahead and picked up 7 full sized ones and a duo of minis.  I was so excited when I received them! Look at all those boxes, that's where my babies came!

Look at all my babies! I see lots of purple here. I don't know if I've mentioned this before, but yes purple IS my favorite color, I love it! Which is why out of 9 nail polishes I got 4  purple shades. :3

Deborah Lippmann - Candy Shop:

 

 

 I mentioned a "dupe" of this on this previous post, which is Claire's Candy Shop, it looks close, but I just needed the real thing so I got it.

Love the gorgeous flakes in this nail polish and the milky pink color, the Claire's one is a bit more hot pink.

Candy Shop's swatch: this took 3 coats! 

Deborah Lippmann: Sweet Dreams:

 

  
Love the song, when I was getting this I got that song stuck in my head the whole day.  

Love the flake in this one, it's so different and I don't have anything like this!

  Sweet Dream's swatch: 4 coats. The color is really sheer, so it needs 4 coats to look like this or maybe 3 thicker coats.
 

Deborah Lippmann - Good Girl Gone Bad: 

 

 

The flake in this one is super cute! 

 

Good Girl Gone Bad Swatch: 2 coats. In my opinion this is the lowest maintenance one, cuz it was super easy to achieve a really pigmented look. Zoya's Roxy, could be a dupe for this, Julep's Barbara is alike in the shade, but the flake is way different, you can see a swatch of Julep's Barbara here.

Deborah Lippmann - Bad Romance: 

 

I of course love this song and love Lady Gaga, at some point I even knew the choreography for it, I forgot it though. 

All the purple shades I got look a bit cooler in the pictures, but they actually are warmer shades of purple. This one looks a bit warmer in real life. Revlon's Scandalous looks close to this.

Bad Romance Swatch:  3 coats, I guess 2 thicker coats would do as well, but I love the fact that the black does end up looking black.

Deborah Lippmann - Call Me Irresponsible:

 

 

I was super close to passing up on this color, but I have such a big issue with purple that I couldn't. This color is a bit warmer in real life than in the pictures.

Call Me Irresponsible Swatch: This took 4 coats. The color is really sheer with one coat, but you can definitely build it up to show a bit more. I did 4 thin coats, but if the coats are thicker you might not need as many.

Deborah Lippmann - Let's Go Crazy:

 

I really like this nail polish, I've been wearing it for 3 days now and I have no chipping at all( I used Seche Vite for my top coat), the nail polish is very dark, so some of the flakes might not show.

This nail polish is not black, it's a dark warm purple. It looks like it has more blue than red in this picture, but it's the opposite.

  

Deborah Lippmann - Ray Of Light:

 

I'm not the biggest fan of blue, but I really like this color, and love the gold/coppery flake in it.

 The flake in this nail polish is like the one in Sweet Dreams, these two came in a duo and they're both minis.

 
Ray Of Light Swatch: 3 coats.

  Deborah Lippmann - Across The Universe:

 

  
Such a cute nail polish, I knew I couldn't go without buying this one, it's so gorgeous. 

 

I love all the different shades of blue, green and turquoise in these flakes. A possible dupe for this, could be Revlon's Radiant.

Across The Universe Swatch: 4 coats. You can do less and use it like an extra "effect" to another color, or just wear it sheer, but I decided to build it up.

Deborah Lippmann - Glitter In The Air: 

 

This one I knew I wanted since the moment I saw it, love this nail polish and love the song too!

So pretty! <3 A dupe for this nail polish, could be Revlon's Whimsical.

Glitter In The Air Swatch: 4 coats. You can use a light color as a base and then you could just do 2 coats of this.


I love all my new babies, and I'm super glad I got them. I went through a bunch of Deborah Lippmann nail polishes and picked the ones that jumped out at me the most, these are the ones that did. I don't think I will be getting more Deborah Lippmann nail polishes for a while, or at least until she releases new shades. Hope you liked my little haul.

Tell me, which is your favorite Deborah Lippmann nail polish? Mine is Let's Go Crazy...or maybe Glitter In The Air? I don't know, probably all the ones I have are my favorites :D

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