Ipsy: Street Style, September 2014

I love September because my birthday is in September. 

So, this year, for my birthday, I asked fiance to get me a joint birthday/Christmas present of a fancy DSLR camera because my DSLR is way out-dated, as in I got it in 2007, and with our wedding, in exactly six months from today, and our road trip honeymoon up the west coast, I wanted a camera to capture it all.

So yesterday, he gave me this:

A Nikon DSLR, so maybe my pictures for this blog will be better now ;P

This came in the mail on Friday... Only I've been way too busy to actually open it and check it out. Gotta love the school year. Oh and then, I knew that I was getting my new camera this weekend, and wanted to wait till I had it to open it :P

Ipsy  costs a measly ten dollars a month. For that ten dollars, you get a brand-new makeup bag filled with 4-6 products based on a style profile that you make when you sign up for it.

It's a mixture of full-size and sample size products, and you always get a good value for your dollar. The bag itself is pretty useful to, I've used them to travel, for pencil and pen cases, and they have a myriad of other uses.

This month's Ipsy theme was "street style."

I like the color of the bag, I do like silver, but I would've liked it better without the silver studs near the zipper.

This is what was in my bag. Mind you, I hadn't bothered to check out spoilers or anything. So I really had no clue, nor do I know why I got two of the same product. I think it was just a lucky extra? Because when I checked my glam room, there was nothing missing from it that it claimed I was going to get but hadn't in the bag. 

Briogeo Don't Despair, Repair, deep conditioning mask, worth about $5.00, based on the prize of a full-size product, which is about 5 ounces, and this one is 1 ounce, and the full-price is about twenty-six dollars.

I've never tried a hair mask before, but my hair is dry and damaged, especially since I swim almost every day as a workout... gotta get in shape for the wedding... and chlorine is a killer to my hair. So I'd like to see if this does anything to my hair to make it healthier. 

If it does, I may consider picking up a full-size.

Nyx Hot Singles Eyeshadow, in Asphyxiation, full-size, worth $4.50.

I like eyeshadow. I like this color. 

This is the color on my hand. It's a nice matte color with the right amount of sparkle, and the color sort of reminds me of Tardis blue. Blue is a good color on me because I have blue eyes.

Pacifica Natural-Proof Eye Pencil, in fringe, worth about $6.00 because it looks like it's about half the size of a regular eye-liner pencil.

On my hand.

Eyeliner is my favorite type of makeup. I could use a good brown pencil. It isn't a color I would have chosen for myself, I prefer blacks/grays/blues, but it's a welcome addition to my eyeliner collection :)

Crown Brush, infinity Shadow/Crease duet brush, worth $7.00.

I like eyeshadow brushes. Lately I've been seeing how useful they are to apply to eyeshadow with, so I'm eager to have another one to play with.

Cailyn Art-Tinted Lip Gloss, in Basic instinct, times two, worth a total of $38.00

Like I said, I have no idea why I got two of them, the exact same product and the exact same color.

Here it is on my hand.

It's a nice nude pink, and the color looks nice on my skin tone. I don't really wear lip gloss too much, but if I do decide to wear it, I do think that's a good color for me.

So the total worth of my bag is... about $60.00

Not too shabby.

For the most part, I think this was a great bag, it had products that I may not always use, but if do chose to use, they're good for me.

Gotta love Ipsy, always a great bang for your buck :)

I'm already looking forward to the October bag, especially since I LOVE HALLOWEEN.

Starbox: April 2014

 My Starbox arrived today.

Starbox is the subscription box service from Starlooks. It's on the cheaper side, compared to some of the other boxes, at about $15.00 per month, and it consists entirely out of Starlooks makeup products, which are all full-size products. You will never receive any sample sizes from them, all products will be full-size.

I would like to state that, for now, this will be my last Starbox. I actually really liked their April box, but I'm currently on FMLA, due to needing surgery to remove uterine cancer [aka a hysterectomy, full on, ovaries included] and am not making money from work. I'm not quite sure how FMLA works, I mean, I get the general gist of it, but as a teacher, I am unsure if I will be unpaid till my FMLA ends or until the end of this school year, which is July 2014 since they balance our paychecks out for an entire year.

But the point is, I really had to cut down my spending on subscription boxes because I need to afford to pay for stuff like surgery, food, etc. The only two boxes/bags I am keeping is Ipsy and Julep, the rest will be on hiatus until I can afford them again after going back to work, or if I win the lottery.

This was the inside look at the box.

Starbox  is also my kitty's favorite subscription box because they love to play with the string that holds the box closed. Sorin grabbed it, at the first chance, he had.

Another look at the contents of the box.

Starlooks Wildflower Mix, worth $1.00. This was sort of an add-on for all subscribers. I attempted to plant wildflowers this spring, and they're sitting on my balcony in a pot. They've sprouted and look like green weeds. So if my wildflowers fail, I'm very happy to have a back up packet of seeds

Starlooks lip gloss in Climax, worth $12.00

I'm not really a lip sort of girl, but if I chose to wear lip makeup, it would be lip gloss.I really do like this color too. It's the right pinch of color with the right amount of pink sparkle. I would wear this color.

Starlooks 5 Shade Palette in Tokyo, worth $41.00. I did not do swatches of all the colors. I am so happy to finally receive a Starlooks eye shadow palette. I've heard such good things about their eye shadow and I'm excited I have some of my own now. 

The colors don't have names. From l to r:

The first color is a pretty shimmery light gold color. The second color is a grayish gold color. The next color is a bright spring green. Then a reddish orange. Then a brownish red color. They're not normally colors I wear, but I think they're a good mixture of experimental colors that I may be able to have some fun with.

Overall Value: $54.00, more than double what I paid for this box. 

I will miss my Starbox, but I need to do what I have to do, and hopefully once things are better for me, both health-wise and financially, I can add it back onto my subscription list :)

They are a great value subscription for their money, and they're especially good if you have a thing for lip color, seeing as every single box that I've gotten from them has had some sort of lip product ;)

Starbox, one day we shall meet again.

Starlooks Starbox January 2014

So, my first Starbox finally came, and I have to say I'm a bit disappointed.

First of all Starbox comes from Starlooks. It's a makeup subscription that consists entirely of Starlooks products. One of the pros is that it's very affordable when compared to Wantable or some of the more expensive makeup subscription boxes, it's only about $15.00 per month, and you get 4 full-size makeup products, and a makeup tool.

This month, Starlooks did something different with their Starbox.  They sent every subscriber different products. Up until this month, every subscriber had gotten the same thing.

This was my first ever Starbox.

It comes in a white envelope, and it's the perfect size to fit into my tiny apartment mailbox, which is always a plus. The box itself is cute too, it looks like a present. My orange tabby Ajani immediately stole that silver string from the box and started playing with it.

It comes with a sheet that describes this month's theme. January's theme was "Surprise Yourself." It's all about not being afraid to take risks, which is a major girl power theme, so props for that.

This was the unboxing, four mystery products, a tool, and tiny quartz crystal.

This was one of the products I really liked that I received in my box. It's Starlooks Infinity Eyeliner in Milky Way, worth $13.00, as all products in a Starbox are full-size makeup products.

It's a creme based eyeliner, that can probably be used as a shadow, as well. It's silvery white, which is totally one of my wedding colors, so I approve. I've also always loved silver/white eye-products because I feel like they make me look more awake than I actually am, and they blend very nicely with other colors.

A Mascara Comb, price unknown, so I'll go with $8.00 based on a similar type product I found via a google search.

Not gonna lie, at first I had no idea what it was, but it made the perfect brush for my Rainbow Dash. Then I actually looked at the information card and realized what it was.

It's supposed to separate your lashes after you apply mascara and get rid of clumps. This has happened to me before, so I'm eager to see if it really does what it says it does.

Now, THIS IS WHAT DISAPPOINTED ME, I GOT THREE LIP PRODUCTS!!!

I don't do lipstick, I don't like lipstick. This is the same problem I had with my Wantable this month, I don't like lip products, yet they sent me two of them. 

Why three lip products? Why not one lip product, maybe an eyeshadow or a mascara or even an eyeliner. I was very sad I didn't get a pencil eyeliner. 

Oh this is the handy dandy information card that told me what the lash brush was.

My first Infinity Lipstick in Endless Satin, worth $15.000

And my second Infinity Lipstick in Eons Matte, also worth $15.00

Endless Satin is on top. Eons Matte is the bottom color.

I don't like lipstick, I won't wear lipstick. I only used the lipstick to make these swatches for anyone, who reads this. I want to give away these lipsticks, FREE OF CHARGE, so somebody can get a use from them. If you read this, and you're interested, please comment, and I can pick somebody to send both of these lipsticks to. 

My third lip product, Tender Gloss in Puzzy, worth $13.00

That very slight shimmery color in the bottom left corner of my hand is the color. I had to swatch a lot even to get that much to shimmer. This is the only lip product that I got that I have any interest in, and that's only because it's more a gloss than lipstick. It will just give my lips a slight shimmer, and I'm okay with that. I do like lip gloss and lip gloss like products.

My tiny crystal, every box comes with a crystal since they sparkle like stars.

I spent $15.00 and maybe two something for shipping, and I got products worth $64.00.

So yes, the Starbox is definitely worth its price.

My biggest qualm with it is just that I got a lot of lip products and not much of a variety. I'm sure a lip lover would have LOVED this box, I am just not a lip lover.

It's only their first month, they still have a chance with me. I just hope there's more of a variety of product for the February box. 

Again, I have two lipstick colors that are just going to sit and gather dust. If you read this, and want them, FREE OF CHARGE, please comment, and I will pick somebody to receive them.

Wantable: January

Wantable is one of my more expensive subscription boxes. You pay $36.00 per month [$45.00 for a one-time deal], and get a box of 5 full-size beauty products [and usually one free sample] that are hand-picked by you based on your answers to a very specific quiz that they have you to take, where you really can specify your loves/likes/dislikes.

You always get products you love, you occasionally get a product you like [although this month, I got two of my likes], and never get a product you hate.

 Mine looks like this: I LOVE medium, eyeliner, nail polish, lash product, eye shadows, and tools. I LIKE lip color and complexion products. I DISLIKE brows, blush, highlighter, and bronzer.

The test is very specific towards the products you love too. For example, if you only like bright colored and glitter nail polish, you can specify that, if you only want crazy eyeliner colors, you can specify that. Based on your answers and preferences, your products are handpicked for you, every month.

It is more expensive than the other boxes I get, but it's definitely tailored towards what I like and not as much of a gamble as other boxes are.

Wantable doesn't just do makeup. They also have an intimates subscription that has underwear, as well as lounge wear, and I've heard good things about it. They also have an accessory box. I just get their makeup box though.

They have super speedy shipping, your box gets to you in two days.  They also have amazing customer service. They charged me twice for my January box, and before I even noticed the double-charge, they had emailed me, apologizing for it, canceled the charge, and crediting me ten dollars on my next box. 

So, as aforementioned, Wantable is a little more pricey than some subscription boxes, but definitely worth it for their personalization and customer service.

Onto the Box:

It managed to get to me, even in the great Texas ice storm that canceled every single school district around me, and caused over thirty highway accidents. It's also small enough that it managed to fit into my tiny apartment mailbox along with the latest Tee Fury  that I had ordered.  I like it when boxes fit into my mailbox because then I don't need to go into the office, where they have that tempting coffee machine that makes delicious steamers, to claim my package.

This is the inside of the box. For the record, this is my second Wantable box.

All the products in the box are protected by layers and layers of gray foam.

This was the box under the foam.

Rainbow Honey nailpolish in Hanami, worth $10.00. "Hanami is a beautiful blend of rose, pink, white, and iridescent glitters in a sheer and shimmery pink base." It's a really pretty pink color, and I've heard good things about Rainbow Honey, in general, so I look forward to it's tenure on my nails.

A Michael Marcus Prime Foundation Brush, worth $20.00. I don't really wear foundation, I don't like the feel of it on my face, and I don't ever find a color that blends well enough with my skin, so this sort of tool is rather meh, for me. One of my more make-up savy friends may be inheriting it.

Or, if I knew that people read my blog, maybe I'd do a give-away, I have all sorts of double Julep nailpolishes, and some other stuff like this, that just sit in a pile, and it'd be fun to do a give-away with them, I just don't know if I have any readers, who would be interested, in such a thing.

FACE Stockholm Pot Gloss Grand, worth $19.00

I got a FACE Stockholm pot, last month, in a different color. I really like their lip pots. They go on very sheer with a nice shimmer, and they don't feel that heavy on my lips. This color is slightly darker than the color that I got last month, but it goes on generally the same. They're nude enough that they just give a hint of color, which is nice.

Beauty for Real, True Color Lip Cream Barely There, worth $22.00

The second lip product that I got this month. Lip Products are a like for me, so I'm sort of surprised that I got two of them. I would have preferred a mascara or eye shadow instead of two lip products, but whatever.

It looks very pink, and very shimmery when I did a swatch of it on my hand. I haven't tried it on my lips yet, so I'm not sure if it blends in well on my lips, so it is barely there, or it will give my lips color.  I'm meh about it, but it has nothing to do with the product, itself, I'm just not much of a lip person.

However, I do think it's nifty that it comes with a mirror on the side of the product, so you can check out, how it looks, on the go, and anywhere.

Be a Bombshell Eyeliner Teal, worth $14.00. 

I'm intrigued by the pen-like tip of this eyeliner, when I did a swatch on my hand, it had a really nice fine tip, and I think it will be a really nice product to apply on my eyes, and I also love the color, it reminds me of the color pens I used to write notes to my best friend in high school with, we were all about crazy colored pens in teal and pink and purple.

I also really like any sort of blue color eye product because I feel like it brings out my eye color, which is blue-gray. I also like bright colors.

A sample of Sorme Treat & Tint in Light Honey. It's a "multi-purpose skin perfecting BB Cream with the power of argan oil concentrate and SPF 30. BB cream provides instant luminosity, even tone, smoothness, and hydration of the skin."

Wantable usually sends a free sample with every box.

So, I paid $36.00 for my box, and received $85.00 worth of makeup, which is definitely double what I paid, initially.

I'm mostly satisfied with this box. I'm sort of meh at the two lip products, but I wouldn't say I was angry or anything. Wantable also has a great return policy, if you don't like things, you can send them back, no questions asked.  I don't feel a need to do that though, even with the two lip products.

But, as I've said before, if you have some money to spare, and want a very personable box full of makeup, definitely check out Wantable.