My October 2014 Birchbox

Hello beauty lovers,

My October Birchbox is shipped out on October 1 and arrived on October 7.

I received samples of:
* Beauty Protector Protect & Detangle
* ModelCo Party Proof Lipstick
* dr. brandt® Exclusive Clean Up Nice Kit
* Balance Me Wonder Eye Cream
* Coastal Scents® Revealed 2 Palette Set

I am quite happy with my October 2014 box. Luckily, I did not receive any foil samples this month. I received one hair mist which smells great, one lipstick sample in a nice neutral pinkish shade that I can use everyday, an effective anti-blemish mask, an eye cream sample with 99% natural ingredients, and an eye shadow sample quad. This box definitely worths the 10 bucks I paid.

Beauty Protector Protect & Detangle hair mist sample is a good sized pump bottle. I received it in a mystery pack in August and I loved it, so I was happy to receive it in my October box. It has a beautiful floral-fruity scent which I like very much. It's a bit tricky to get the product out for the first time, you need to keep pumping for 10-15 times until you get some mist out. So, don't quit :) I mist it on my damp hair right after applying my Organix Moroccan Argan oil as usual. I use 4-5 sprays and it makes my hair less frizzy. I do not regularly use heat treatment so I cannot comment on the protection aspect. It is a good product but nothing miraculous. I may order the full size for the sake of its smell after I finish my hair products.

ModelCo Party Proof Lipstick sample is almost full size ('m not sure, maybe it is full size). I received it in the shade "Kitty" which is a beautiful pinkish nude that I can use practically to everywhere (yes, including the gym ;) ). It smells delicious and is easy to apply. It does not cake on my lips or look patchy at all. It feels soft and looks balmy-matte. It is not a long-lasting lipstick hence it requires rather frequent reapplications. I noticed that it goes down a bit faster than my other regular lipsticks, I think this is because of its creamy texture. I may order the full size after I finish my current nude lipsticks.

Dr. brandt® pores no more® vacuum cleaner is a 1 oz sample which is a good size. I think this sample will be good for at least 10-15 uses if you apply it to your entire face. I always liked dr. brandt products and use them regularly. Luckily, I haven't tried this specific product, so I was happy to receive a sample. I do not apply it to my entire face as directed, instead I apply on my concern areas (like on my zits, pores on my nose and cheeks, etc.) to save the product. It feels fresh and tingly, it has either eucalyptus or mint in its formula. It works really good to dry new pimples. I will probably order the full size when I finish the sample.  

Balance Me Wonder Eye Cream is also a 1 oz sample which is again a good size. For me the highlight of this product is that it has 99% natural ingredients. It was supposed to brighten my under eyes circles but I did not see such effect on the few times I used it. Maybe it requires a longer period of use before seeing any effects, I don't know. The scent was nice and the application was easy. I may not purchase the full size of this product since I did not see any immediate effects.

Coastal Scents® Revealed 2 Palette Set sample is a quad with earth tones (2 matte and 2 shimmer). I like the shimmer ones, but cannot say the same thing for the dark brown matte. In general, it is really difficult to blend these shadows and this patchy look was more visible with the dark brown. I couldn't get the ombre look which I usually do with 2-3 tones of beige/brown. I will definitely not purchase the full size of this product, but I am glad I received this sample before investing $34.00 into the actual palette.

For those of you who are not familiar with Birchbox yet: It is a monthly cosmetics&skin care subscription service that costs $10/month (including shipping). They usually send 4-5 deluxe samples (and sometimes regular foil ones :/ ) of usually new and trendy brands.

For more information you can check the official page here.

Disclaimer: I am not paid for this review. All opinions in this review and all of the other review in this blog are my own.

My September 2014 Birchbox

Hello beauty lovers,

My September Birchbox is shipped out on September 10 and arrived on September 16. 

I received samples of:
* Atelier Cologne Vanille Insensée Cologne Absolue* TOCCA Crema da Mano Luxe - Hand Cream* R+Co BEL AIR Smoothing Shampoo* R+Co BEL AIR Smoothing Conditioner* Harvey Prince Ageless Liquid Loofah * Shiseido Ultimune Power Infusing Concentrate* Pixi by Petra Breath of Fresh Air Lip Balm

After being disappointed by my last two boxes (July and August 2014), my September box came like a breeze. I love almost all of the items in my box and I am very happy to receive such a fantastic ensemble. I selected the Shiseido Ultimune serum which came in a very good size for a sample. The shampoo-conditioner samples were foil (single use) but they put two foil per item so the total shampoo-conditioner set is good for two uses. The lip balm is full size. Tocca hand cream sample size is very good too. Prince Harvey shower gel sample was also in a tube of 15 mL which is okay.  I still don't know why do I still receive shampoo-conditioner samples although I especially told in my profile that I do not want to receive any hair products. But that's okay this month since the Shiseido, Tocca, and Pixi items made me very happy. This box definitely worth the 10 bucks I paid and  a bit more :)

Atelier Cologne Vanille Insensée Cologne Absolue sample was a small tube (the regular perfume sample container), like all other samples of the brand this one also came with a sleek postcard. I do not like to receive fragrance samples since I am very conservative with my perfumes and I wouldn't change them frequently or based on a sample. I put this in my profile, but I guess they have to send some from time to time which is okay as long as I receive them less than 4-5 times a year. The scent was not my style. The vanilla tone is not over-powering (so, you don't have to worry about smelling like a cupcake :) ) but something makes it strong in a way that is not appealing to me. When I tired on the back of my hand it stayed for a long time, I guess the effect will be stronger when applied on pulse points.

Tocca Crema da Mano Luxe is a very good hand cream. The one I received is Bianca and it has green tea - lemon scent. Small amount of product is enough for both hands. It does not feel greasy at all, so I was able to open a bottle right after putting it on ;) The sample size is very generous and the packaging is stylish. It immediately became my new purse staple hand cream.

 

R+Co BEL AIR Smoothing Shampoo is an average quality shampoo which did not do anything special to my hair that my current shampoo didn't (my current shampoo is

Matrix Biolage Volumbloom Shampoo). It lathers well and creates good amount of bubbles but it does not have any Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLS) in the ingredients which is great news. The foaming agent used is Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate which is much gentler than SLS and it is sulfate free. People with sensitive skin can also use this shampoo since DLS is not a skin irritant like SLS. This shampoo also smells nice and the scent is not the strong-overpowering kind which is good.

 

R+Co BEL AIR Smoothing Conditioner is an average quality conditioner which did not do anything special to my hair that my current conditioner didn't (my current conditioner is

Matrix Biolage Volumbloom Conditioner). It is a gentle conditioner and the scent is similar to that of the shampoo.

 

Harvey Prince Ageless Liquid Loofah came in a standard Harvey Prince 15 mL sample tube. It has a very fresh, fruity scent that I like a lot. It did not lather well and dried my skin a little bit. Maybe it is better on normal-to-oily skin types but it didn't agree with my dry skin.

I selected Shiseido Ultimune Power Infusing Concentrate in late August. I tried a foil sample of it a while ago and liked it a lot. I thought it would be nice to receive it in a bigger sample. The 1.5 mL foil was good for 3 days (am and pm). I'm sure this 10 mL sample bottle I received will be good for a month. I liked all of the Shiseido products I used/sampled so far and this serum was not an exception to the rule. Shiseido always make high-quality products. 

Pixi by Petra Breath of Fresh Air Lip Balm came in Honey Nectar which is a nice, neutral shade that I like a lot. The sample is actually a 4 grams full size product. I like how it glides on smoothly and does not leave any marks or lines on my lips. I usually have dry lips and this balm hydrates them well. I like how it smells too. If you remember from my last Birchbox post, I am very sensitive to scents of lip products. Luckily, this lip balm has a faint fruity-floral scent which is very pleasant. The only negative thing I noticed is that the hydration fades quickly, so I have to reapply it frequently even if I don't eat or drink. Other than that it's great. It immediately became my second new purse staple after the Tocca hand cream.

The September box is a pleasant surprise for me. After two disappointing months, Birchbox made me very happy this month :) Since I received 7 samples, I was able to get $7 back through sample reviews which made my September box cost only $3. Of course, I immediately used my points to get dr. brandt® Exclusive Camera-Ready Kit which I have been eying for some time. I will review it soon in another post ;)

For those of you who are not familiar with Birchbox yet: It is a monthly cosmetics&skin care subscription service that costs $10/month (including shipping). They usually send 4-5 deluxe samples (and sometimes regular foil ones :/ ) of usually new and trendy brands.

For more information you can check the official page here.

Disclaimer: I am not paid for this review. All opinions in this review and all of the other review in this blog are my own.

My August 2014 Birchbox

Hello beauty lovers,

My August Birchbox is shipped out on August 6 and arrived on August 12. 

I received samples of:
* Benefit Total Moisture Facial Cream
* Dr. Jart+ Dis-A-Pore Beauty Balm
* Neil George Shampoo
* Neil George Conditioner
* LAQA & Co. Lip Lube

I am extremely disappointed by my August 2014 box. I received 2 foil samples, one lip balm sample in a shade that I can never use, a really bad BB cream, and two samples of shampoo and conditioner (which I especially told in my profile that I do not want to receive). This box definitely does not worth the 10 bucks I paid :/

Benefit Total Moisture cream sample was 2 small pouches, each one is good for one day (two uses). This is a very small sample size in my opinion, especially if you consider this is a paid service and samples have to be deluxe size or full size products. The cream is good in general. It has a nice scent and good consistency. It is absorbed well by my dry skin. Maybe a bit thick for summer time thou, but definitely perfect for fall and winter.

Dr. Jart+ BB is the worst pore concealing BB cream I have ever tried, and believe me I tried a lot of them. It has a herby scent very similar to Dr Brandt's Pores No More pore refiner. I used it on my nose and cheeks near my nose where my pores are the most visible. The product immediately settled into my pores and created this dotted image (product in my pores look tad lighter than the rest of my skin). It looked horrible! I will never use it.

Neil George Shampoo is an average quality shampoo which did not do anything special to my hair that my current shampoo didn't (my current shampoo is L'Oréal Professionnel Mythic Oil Shampoo). It lathers well and creates a lot of bubbles but it's only because of the Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLS) in the ingredients which is used to simulate skin burns in the lab environment. Although SLS is everywhere, but I try to pick products without it whenever I can. This shampoo has a big downside: the strong, masculine smell! I had to hold my breath until I washed it off completely. So, I don't think I will use this shampoo again.

Neil George Conditioner is an average quality conditioner which did not do anything special to my hair that my current conditioner didn't (my current conditioner is L'Oréal Professionnel Mythic Oil Conditioner). The strong, masculine smell is the problem here, too. I'm not going to use it. 

LAQA & Co. Lip Lube came in electric purple shade although my Birchbox profile reads "Classic". I don't know how the electric purple is considered to be a classic shade (?!). I still had to give it a chance before I judge it by its cover. It is true to color when applied and gives a matte finish. I can't say it moisturizes well, but at least it did not dry my lips either. It has a huge downside for me: the strong mint smell! I hate lip products with mint scent. I cannot keep them on. That's the very reason why I stopped using Burt's Bees lip balms years ago. I still cannot get myself to try another of them because of the memory of mint scent (it was a glittery white lip balm). The packaging is cute and the sample size is generous. I wish it was in another, more neutral or pink, shade so that I could maybe use it. But with the weird shade and the mint scent, I am definitely not going to use this product. 

So, you see, the August box is total loss for me. I am not happy at all :(( I hope I will get at least some items that I can use in my September 2014 box.

For those of you who are not familiar with Birchbox yet: It is a monthly cosmetics&skin care subscription service that costs $10/month (including shipping). They usually send 4-5 deluxe samples (and sometimes regular foil ones :/ ) of usually new and trendy brands.

For more information you can check the official page here.

Disclaimer: I am not paid for this review. All opinions in this review and all of the other review in this blog are my own. 

Baume in Love (Lancome)

Hello beauty lovers,

Here I am with another beautiful lip product, this time a bit more luxurious one.

I am reviewing Lancome's Baume in Love in #130 (midnight rose) shade. As you can see from the swatch the color is not dark at all, it's a tinted lipbalm. The application is super-smooth and the product keeps lips moisturized for hours. The tint is nice and definitely not overwhelming, it stays on for a longer time compared to other tinted lipbalms. Yes, this product is a bit pricey but you get what you pay for: quality.

All in all, Baume in Love is perfect for everyday use and can easily become your purse staple ;)

You can find Lancome Baume in Love lipbalms in cosmetics stores (like Sephora) and cosmetic aisles of department stores (like Macy's, Nordstrom, etc.) for MSRP $26.00

For more information and other shades you can check the official product page here.

Disclaimer: I am not paid for this review. All opinions in this review and all of the other reviews in this blog are my own.

Color Whisper (Maybelline)

Hello beauty lovers,

This is my first post in this blog and I wanted to start with a soft shaded, nice lipcolor.

I am reviewing Maybelline's Color Whisper in #40 (orange attitude) shade. As you can see from the swatch this is not really a rich-pigmented lipcolor. It's more of a tinted lipbalm. I like how smooth the application is, it just glides on. It's not drying, but not moisturizing enough for rough winter months in North America ;) It gives just a touch of color and gloss to your lips and doesn't fade away easily.

All in all, Color Whisper is perfect for those days you just want to have a low-key style.

You can find Maybelline Color Whisper lipsticks in drug stores (like Walgreens, Duane Read, etc.) and grocery stores (like Shop Rite) for MSRP $7.49

For more information and other shades you can check the official product page here.

Disclaimer: I am not paid for this review. All opinions in this review and all of the other reviews in this blog are my own.