October Glossybox Product Review

Yet again Glossybox hits the nail on the head with the October Spa Luxe box. The products this month just oozed luxury to me and made me think of wearing my hair up, minimal make up, and over sized shirts and sweatshirts.

I always love seeing how neatly this box is packed. I need to find a use for all the ribbons though...

This month there were 5 products and a coupon. The loofa and the lip duo were both full sized which was nice.

This is the first product in the box that I tried. This Shea Souffle by Carol's Daughter smells wonderful! It is sweet and a bit floral and gave me goosebumps when I smelled it. I smothered my hands with this and put them in some cotton gloves to keep in the moisture. This stuff is thick and creamy and has a very smooth texture to it. It rubs in nicely and doesn't leave a greasy film on your skin. If 8 oz goes for $20, then this 4 oz tub goes for $10 on their website (and the link takes you right to the page on their website for this product). This makes me want to try more products from Carol's Daughter!

This full sized Peppermint Exfoliating Loofa Soap from Heartland Fragrance Co. is perfect for the Fall/Winter. The smell is not too strong, the texture and lather of the soap is nice and thick, the loofa is rough enough to exfoliate with out being painful and it left me feeling fresh and tingly and not dry. At $8 for this soap, these will be wonderful stocking stuffers this Christmas! Their website also has flavors like Blood Orange, Sweet Lavender, and Vanilla....yum!

I love hair products. They are so addicting! I was intrigued by this Luminous Shine Mist from Alterna Bamboo because it says it has organic bamboo and Indian gooseberry in it. It is supposed to control frizz and fly aways. I spritzed this over my hair after quickly blow drying it and running out the door. It smells very good, like a clean, organic fragrance. I really did not get to look at my hair until I got back home and it looked so glossy and smooth that it surprised me. I ran the flat iron through my hair and it felt so soft and healthy. Only a few squirts lasted until I washed my hair 2 days later ( I can't wash it every day because it is curly and fragile). This made my hair look healthy and shiny and feel great. After reviewing the website, I learned that it also has Color Hold Technology which is an added bonus.

 
Natassja Skin Enzyme Facial Peel was an exciting product to try. I have never done an at home peel so this was a first. The peel uses an enzyme that is naturally occurring in papaya and has Omega-3s as well as vitamins A,C, and E to revive the skin's appearance. I followed the instructions on the tub and applied to my face and waited 3 minutes. It said when it starts to liquefy its ready and that when you rub it off you may have clumps of dead skin. I did not experience the liquefying or the clumps, but my face did feel amazingly soft and supple as well as hydrated afterwards. The tub says you can do the peel either daily or every other day.I plan to use it every other day until the tub is gone and since you do not need a lot that will be about 2 weeks. At $40 for 2 oz on their website its not a bad price.

I have never heard of Model Cosmetics before and this lip duo.  The lip stick is "dusk" and the gloss is "striptease". I really liked the texture of both the lipstick and the lip gloss. They were both creamy and they smelled and tasted a bit like vanilla. The info card says this product is $39, however I looked it up online and found something similar for about $20.

Here is a photo with my normal make up on with both the lipstick and the lip gloss on. It is a great neutral color and I think it will look really good to vamp up my day time make up. I am very pleased with this lip duo and I think I will be considering this brand in the future.

 

There was this little card in the box as well for Physique 57 which I looked up and read that it is "an innovative workout program that combines isometric exercises and orthopedic stretches to systematically lengthen and sculpt your muscles and create a beautiful, lean body". Now, I am so short there is nothing that could make me "long" but damn don't I wish I was lean! On the back of this card there is a code for a 20% discount on the work out DVDs. I looked at the Express 30 Minute Full Body Workout DVD  and the cost for the DVD is $24.95 which I found reasonable. However with only a 20% the discount it is not motivation enough for me to purchase this with out trying it first. Thanks for the little extra thought though Glossybox!

Well that is everything in the October Glossybox and I am still really enjoying all the products. As always, I can't wait until the next month's box :)

 

Jenn

 



December 2012 Glossy Box

December's Glossybox is here! It is the last box in 2012 and they definitely went out with a bang.


This is another beauty box with the theme of making you look great for holiday parties and they included a piece of jewelry as a gift for subscribers.

I love how they used festive print tissue paper in the packing! It was very adorable. I think there was supposed to be a red ribbon around it as well, but  mine was wadded up amongst the packing materials....oops!

 First up is this gorgeous polish from Zoya called Storm. This is my first Zoya polish so I was very excited to try it. I painted some on the information card (which is white) and 2 coats made it opaque. The glitter really stands out! It reminds me of a starry night. Here is the link to the Zoya website where this retails for $8.

Next product I was excited to try is this Bath & Shower Oil in Madurai Jasmine & Mogra From Forest Essentials Luxurious Ayurveda. I love using oils after I shower for moisturizing since they tend to be more light weight than lotions and they don't become slimy if you sweat. This oil has a very zesty/floral scent and spreads nicely into the skin and is absorbed quickly. My skin felt soft, dewy and hydrated for hours after I applied it! I could not find the value of this 3.38 oz bottle, but the info card says 6 oz is $22...so let's guess that this is around $10.

I like seeing hair products and I am always in the market for a new styling product. This Dry Styling Heat Protect Spray from Oscar Blandi sounds like a product with a purpose. The instructions say to spray into hair either before blow drying or on dry hair before styling with heat tools. It has keratin and is supposed to reduce breakage, provides shine and even holds the style! It has a very strong, breathtaking smell right out of the can but quickly dissipates. This is half the size of a travel size can ($11)  so I am going to guess that this goes for $5.

There is a sample of the Pleats Please by Issey Miyake fragrance. The name makes no sense to me and the way they have the words is confusing to read. This is a very floral, frilly, feminine scent. Its very sweet and girly. I think this would be a great fragrance for the spring or summer.

There was also a sample of ECRU New York Acacia Protein Oil (for hair). This product can be used in both wet and dry hair and it is supposed to moisturize hair and reduce drying time while it protects your hair from heat damage.

Yey! Another product from Heartland Fragrance Co. and it is White Ginger Epsom Bath Salts! I loved the loofa-soap that was included in the October box and I was excited to try something else from the brand. I read on their website that soaking in Epsom salt is supposed to increase magnesium levels which will improve sleep and concentration and relieve stress by flushing toxins from the body. They suggest soaking in an Epsom salt bath for 12 minutes on a weekly basis....I sense a New Year's resolution coming on!

Last up is the gift from Glossybox! This ring from Stylemint.com came in a little black velvet bag and definitely makes a statement. While it is not my style, it fits my middle finger so I figure I will wear it and see what happens. It is silvery and sparkly and it was a lovely gift from Glossybox.

And there we have it! The last Glossybox for 2012 and what a box it was! There were 7 fantastic products in generous sample sizes. I can not wait to see what is in store for 2013!



Jenn



September Glossybox Product Reviews

Glossybox nailed it this month! Not only did it only take 3 days for them to get the box to me, but the products were huge! I got 3 full sized products and 2 travel sized products.

This month's theme is Fall Forward. The products are a look at new formulas, technologies and colors of the season as well as forward thinking essentials. This month there were 3 full sized products totaling $74.

 

Here we go!

• Missha M Perfect Cover BB Cream SPF 42 in golden glow- I don't know how Glossybox nailed it this month, but they totally got the shade right for this $30 BB cream! They really made up for last month's box when they sent that awesome lip stuff in the horrid color. This BB cream was in golden beige and matched my skin perfectly. Unlike Boscia's BB cream, this one went on really smooth, had a great texture, was dewy, felt moisturizing, and had a nice smell to it.  At first I thought I needed 3 pumps, but that was enough to cover my face, neck, decolletage and my shoulders LOL. Even 2 pumps was too much. A little bit of this goes a long way. One and a half pumps covers my face and neck. I have used this almost every day since I got it. It has thicker coverage than my Too Faced BB which is nice for the coming winter.

Ignore my goofy face, but I wanted to share the BB cream results. On the left side of my face I did not apply the cream and on the right I applied only a thin layer of cream. This cream really gives a nice airbrushed finish to the skin without being thick like foundation. I used to be strictly a tinted moisturizer girl, but since BB creams hit the market, I am officially converted. Now take a look at the color on my lips......because that is the next product!

• Kryolan for Glossybox  Moisture Rich Lipstick in GLOSSY pink- you can really feel the vitamin E in this lipstick. I am not a lipstick girl, but I might toss on this in the evening at some point. The color looks like a mix of bubble gum and mauve. It says "the perfect pop of pink it supposed to compliment all skin tones and lifestyles" (lifestyles? really?) The color is not terrible. Maybe this will get some usage.

My lipstick was stuck in the cap when I got it :(  But I popped it out and stuffed it back into the right end and it works just fine.

• OC8 Professional Mattifying Gel- This product has a weird smell to it. That was the first thing that I noticed. It is a cloudy color and when it goes on it does not feel matte. I used it under my BB cream that was sent in the box and it worked really well. I got a little oily around my nose around 11 pm, but everything else stayed nice and matte. I tried this product again when I went out for a nice dinner and it had pretty good results. I just wish it did not have that funny smell to it. It does a good job keeping my skin from looking oily so this may get used quite a bit regardless of the smell.
• Global Keratin Hair Taming System Shampoo and Conditioner- This shampoo and conditioner claims that it will keep your hair from getting frizzy for up to 5 months....but my question is: 5 months from when? The first use? the completion of the travel set? what? I used both and they smell wonderful. They are not floral, which I like.  Its more of an oriental scent. It did not say on the bottle if it was safe for color treated hair....but I took the chance and forged on. I did not use my flat iron on my hair and it did not seem to help that much with the frizz upon the first usage, but the second day my hair was much less frizzy. I used it again the next time I washed my hair and this time I really noticed a huge difference. My hair was smooth and sleek and the ends seemed more under control.

Well that is everything! So excited for the October box :)

 

Jenn



November Birchbox

The November Birchbox is here! I was not disappointed with this month's box and I loved the fact that this month they are supporting The Art of Elysium which is a non-profit organization that encourages actors, artists, designers and musicians to dedicate their time to children who are battling various medical conditions.

On to the products!

I will start with the "lifestyle extra" which is a Chuao Chocolatier ChocoPod. I got the honeycomb flavor which is a yummy chocolate in the shape of a leaf with caramelized little crisps of honey in silky smooth chocolate. It was seriously heaven :) It is larger than a piece of Dove chocolate and only has 50 calories. So sad they only sent one! Even more disappointed to see that these little suckers are more than a $1 a piece! You can get a 7-pack of assorted ChocoPods for $7.95......or if you are on a budget like me you can just raid the left over Halloween candy for fun-sized packs of M&M's.

This was in the box this month as well. It is a little box from Birchbox where you can put a little gift in it and give it to some one you appreciate. On the back it says"a little something for you!" and then has boxes you can check like "Because you are the cat's pajamas"  and "P.S. XOXO". Cute idea. I may have to save this and brighten some one's day with this. Also, I saw on this on pinterest where you can do this with toilet paper rolls :)

This was my only full sized product this month. It is a tube of Model Co. Fibre Lashxtend Lengthing Mascara. This mascara has tiny lash extending fibers to add length.  I was seriously WOW-ed by this mascara! It had a nice fluffy brush, the formula went on well with out being clumpy and my lashes look very long and natural. This would be a great every day mascara. I am going to try to layer this mascara with another one for the faux-falsies look to see the result. Model Co is starting to impress me! Check here to see the lip duo from Model Co that was in my October Glossybox :)

Here is a close up of my eyelashes with the Model Co Lashxtend Mascara. The look LOOOOONG! Its a light formula and after 2 coats this was the result. You can see the little fibers that add length in the brush and they line up nicely with your lashes. 

 

This was the product I was looking forward to! I love Stila and was excited for this All Over Shimmer Liquid Luminizer. I got the Pink Shimmer Color and you can definitely see the pink. I applied this to my cheek bones and brow bones and it was light and easily blended.  The shimmer pieces are a bit larger than I expected, but I like it. I can see other colors like blue and purple in there, but it does not look like children's play make up. This is great on bare skin as well as over tinted moisturizer and BB cream. It really adds dimension to the skin and keeps it from looking flat. Yet another great product by Stila! And think this little travel tube will last quite a while.

This little tester of the Jouer Fragrance Cornucopia was adorable. It is a little roller ball and the product is a perfume oil.  Its a mix of gardenia, jasmine, and honeysuckle. Not really my type of scent but I tried it. It s VERY floral and smells just like fresh flowers. My little roller ball doesn't really pick up enough product so I really have to shake it, but a little bit of this product is very potent.  Gardenia must be the smell this season because I got a gardenia candle in my September PopSugar box.

Here we have a sample of Curly Hair Solutions Curl Keeper. This product kind of scares me  because in the directions it says not to move hair in the first few minutes after application so it can work on the frizz. I gave it a try and followed the directions. This serum is clear and has a light, clean smell. I applied it all over and did not touch my hair for over 15 minutes. Then I used a diffuser to finish drying my hair. It definitely helped with the frizz I get when my hair is curly and made it glossy. It did not help define my curls or help shape them.

Here is a picture of my hair after blow drying.  Unfortunately the curl did not hold and about an hour and half later the curls were limp and unrecognizable. I will give it another try and see if I have better results. 

 

And lastly we have this card for Chromatic Gallery. This is a company where you can design your own heels! You can choose your heel height, color, material, or even choose from collections like "cocktail" or "bridal". Each pair of shoes is $88 and here is a code for $15 off. Feel free to take this code and try them out! It is BIRCHBOX15. If you do try them out, I would love for you to let me know about your experience in the comments below!

And there is the November box! I can really only value this month's box at $24 for the mascara as I can not find a value for the luminizer. I love a great mascara so it was worth the $10 this month. Maybe Birchbox is getting their stuff together and working towards great boxes like they sent out over the Summer.... hopefully :)

 

Jenn

 

 

 

 

 

 

September Birchbox- Late Late Late :(

I would love to have a box to review for September, however my Birchbox is either really late or not coming.
I have emailed Birchbox's customer service and they have yet to respond. I called them and the automated message said to leave a voicemail. I did, but no one has gotten back to me.

I called USPS and was told that after UPS drops the load at the sorting center (which is 2 hours away from me) that it could take up to 14 days to get to me. (I find this hard to believe since I have received 3 boxes so far with no problems) The customer service rep for USPS said they are putting in a ticket for an investigation to where my package is. Maybe if Birchbox's customer service ever gets back to me, they can start talking to me about a refund because it sounds like this box is lost.

So here it is, September 21st, and I am still box-less.

My Glossybox showed up in 3 days and thank the heavens for that! :) At least now I have some great products to enjoy.

Stay tuned! If this post gets updated, it means the box came in.

Jenn

UPDATE: Finally someone from Birchbox contacted me regarding my missing box (after 3 emails and one voicmail left). They are going to wait until the 26th and if I still haven't received my box they are going to send a replacement.  By the way, my full sized order came IN 3 DAYS! So why can't the sub box come that quickly? Glossybox does :)

UPDATE #2: On September 25th my box finally showed up.

 

Everything was pretty small this month. I don't have even one full sized product. There was also a lot of propaganda in this month's box LOL. There was the usual card with info product information, a little envelope with some fashion tape, a "Fall Colorbook" with not many new ideas, and then a card with a code for $25 if you spend $75 for a clothing company.

Here is everything in the box. Not a single full sized item.

• Skin, An Apothecary Soy Body Whip in Poppy- this has a nice texture, very strong scent, and didn't leave me feeling greasy. This little tub will be good to keep in my purse especially with the colder weather coming. My poor elbows get so dry.

• Twistband Birchbox Custom Lace Hair tie- just one hair tie :) its kind of cute. Its nice and stretchy, claims that it is ouch free and I guess we will see. I don't often put my hair up so I will be saving this for a day when I am volunteering. I would definitely not be paying $14 for 6 of these or $22 for 12 of them. I will stick to my hundreds of Goodys black elastic hair bands that collectively I think are still under $14.

• Jouer Matte Moisture Tint- this sample is laughably small! Its so freaking tiny I almost lost t in the tissue paper! I took a pic next to one of my EOS lip balms to give you an idea just how small it is. I may get 2 uses out of it.....maybe. Color looks like it might actually work for me. Everything I have been reading is talking about trading in your tinted moisturizers this Fall and Winter for BB creams since they are heavier, so it was weird to get this in a Fall box. This might have been a product better suited for the Summer.

• Kate Spade Twirl Fragrance- the description of fruity and floral is definitely spot on. I am more of an Oriental or Musk kind of girl come the Fall. This would be a nice Spring or Summer fragrance.

• Color Club Birchbox Custom polish- my polish is called "Insta-this" and is a bright blue. It is only a mini polish (really Birchbox? you couldn't spring for a full sized one for only $8 and give me just one full sized product?) Looks like a fun color and I am excited to try it. I only have one other Color Club polish and it is a glitter one.

• Hollywood Fashion Secrets Fashion Tape- This is an interesting little "lifestyle extra". It says "helps conquer wandering bra straps and unruly hems"....but with DDD's like mine, the straps don't wander Birchbox LOL. On the back of the envelope it says "eliminate blouse gaps, secure plunging necklines, hold accessories in place and adjust jean length. I am really not sure I have any of those problems....but maybe I will be more adventurous with my clothing this season and I may end up having a need for these.

Well, that's it. Box received and reviewed in less than an hour. In my opinion, this box kinda sucked. Comparing it to my August Box or my July Box or my awesome June Box (which was my first box) this one fell very short.....then add to the fact I had to wait for so long to get it? Yeah. Not happy. I will give them one more month. My October box will be the deciding box!

 

Jenn