Glossybox March 2014

I decided to give Glossybox one more try. I'm pretty impressed with the items and it actually shipped on time this month!

These seem to be hit or miss and the customer service has never been very good. I'm not fond of the fact that they keep deleting comments and blocking certain customers from posting on their facebook page. But the value of items in this months box plus the fact that it shipped in a reasonable amount of time has me considering re-subscribing for next month.

The Knobs: 

- Alex and Ani: Scent 7 Hand Cream (retails for $16)
- Etre Belle Cosmetics: Liplift Peel (retails for $17.80)
- Sisley Paris: Black Rose Cream Mask (2.1 oz full size retails for $158)
- Alterna Haircare: Bamboo Volume Plumping Strand Expand (4 oz full size retails for $22)
- Nails Inc: Baker Street (.33 oz full size retails for $9.50)


Bonus Item: Alex and Ani Swan Charm Bangle (retails for $28)


The Bobs:

The Alex and Ani hand cream included in the box was a full size product! It has a nice and fresh smell that's hard to place but I really like it. I does a great job moisturizing, leaving my hands feeling very soft. I love that it doesn't feel oily!

I may consider purchasing more products from this company.

I have a problem with dry lips so this is a great product to try out. The fact that it's full size is even better!

The instructions say to apply a small amount to the lips in a circular motion once a week or as needed. Remove after a minute with a damp cotton pad.

After one application it does seem to have helped with exfoliating a little but wasn't very moisturizing. I had to apply a lip butter after using this product.

The product has a nice scent and actually seems to work pretty well. The packaging was a little warped but this is just a sample size so it's no issue.

The directions on the tube say to massage into freshly cleaned damp hair from root to tip, then blow dry as usual.

I don't use a blow dryer on my hair but even allowing it to air dry gave me good results. I'm sure blow drying would work twice as well though!

I'm only 25 so I don't really need or want to use a youth mask. So I'll be handing this off to an older family member that might be interested in using it. At only 0.38 oz It's a really small sample. I'm not sure how many uses this will give someone.

The product smells really nice. The original full size product is incredibly expensive! $158 for a 2.1 oz product sounds ridiculous to me.

I'm always excited to receive new nail polish and colors to try in subscription boxes!

I have not tried this brand before. The formula is very smooth and streak free. It was pretty opaque in one coat but two coats would most likely be needed with such an eye catching color.

This is a pretty good polish sample at 0.13 oz.

Swatch time! I'm wearing 'Baker Street' with one coat. This color looks great on light skin like mine and would probably also compliment ladies with darker complexions.

This color isn't something I would pick up in a store but it actually looks really nice on me. I've already received a compliment today! (:

Such a nice Cobalt Blue.

And last, but certainly not least, the bonus jewelry item!

This is a $28 trendy silver Swan bangle from Alex and Ani. I don't have anything like this and I really like it! Their site has some very lovely jewelry pieces.

It looks great worn alone or with other bracelets.








Final Thoughts:

I actually really liked this box! Some very nice luxury products to try and a new accessories line to check out. At  $21 this box was a great value. The two full sized products and bangle come to $61.80 alone; that and two deluxe samples were well worth the wait. Great job Glossybox and thank you for a wonderful month!

The Yawhg

My family and I have been really enjoying a very unique game called 'The Yawhg'!

Up to four players can join in on the fun. You have 6 weeks before the dreaded Yawhg comes to destroy your city! Make decisions and build stats to prepare.

Check out the game for yourself at www.theyawhg.com

The choices you make determine the outcome. Will you rise to meet the challenge or accept your fate?

It is currently available on Steam for $9.99

Lip Factory March 2014

Look what I just got in the mail today! Lip Factory is a monthly beauty subscription service for $21.00 (includes shipping). March was an 'It's all about the lips' month, which means all products included were for the lips.

The Knobs:

- Jesse's Girl: Vitamin E Treatment (retails for $3)
- Jesse's Girl Lip Liner: Naked (retails for $1.99)
- Cargo Lip Quad: South Beach (retails for $24)
- Ellovi: Lip Butter (retails for $5)
- Mirenesse Lip Bomb: #16 (retails for $34.90)

All products included in this box are full size!

Total box value = $68.89!


The Bobs:

Jesse's Girl is a brand that I've received in other beauty boxes and I've found it to be good quality for the price. The packaging for their Lip Treatment feels pretty solid, although the one that I received rattles when it's not screwed up or down completely.This is considered a 'color-free moisturizing lipstick' and it seems to work like a charm. I have to say that it works really well and feels great on the lips!

The lip liner is from the same brand and also works really well for something that costs only $2. A neat feature it has is a sharpener built right into the cap. Very handy!

Cargo is a well known and big cosmetics brand name. I am very excited to try something from them!

Their lip gloss quad has really nice packaging. Each color has it's own section to keep the product separated.

I will be purchasing more Cargo lip products in the future!

Here are the swatches from Cargo's South Beach Quad.

The formula is very soft and smooth, when applied it isn't sticky or heavy. The colors are very pretty pink neutrals that would look great on pretty much anyone.

Mirenesse Lip Bomb is an interesting product. The color I received was #16 and unfortunately has a gold tone to it. I have very pale skin with pink undertones. It looks like a peachy nude in the tube so I was a little disappointed. But I have a younger sister with an olive complexion so this will look great on her!

The product does not smear and is quite long lasting. However, it is very thick and sticky. A little goes a long way with this lip gloss. If you don't mind the heavy feel and want a long lasting lip color then this is for you!

ellovi is a a brand I have never heard of before. This lip butter has lots of good oils listed in the ingredients and feels really nice on the lips. The shape of the tube is very unique.

Swatched on my hand:



Jesse's Girl lip liner in 'Naked'

Mirenesse Lip Bomb in '16'










Final Thoughts:

I'm impressed with everything in this months box! A really great value with new things to try. While some of the products don't really go well with me personally that doesn't mean they are not fantastic products in their own right. At $21 this is a very generous beauty box. Thank you very much Lip Factory!

Eldemore Species Sneak Peek

Now that I have some verification that members of Eldemore.com are stopping by here I've decided to post up a special Sneak Peek of an upcoming species!

Here is how a concept starts. On lined paper of my notebook. Sometimes while attending classes. But don't follow my example. Pay attention in class!

It's a vague section of the pencil sketch lines that will be used as a guide when I start fine tuning everything in photoshop. (:

This species will be revealed along with a new map location later this year!



Say hello to the first stages of the Arch Dragon.

Julep Lucky Mystery Box

Julep released their Mystery Box for the month of March!

I really liked their mystery box last month, in that we could choose what type of products we would be receiving. This time it was all polish (10 of them!) with the exception of  a 3 fl oz. hand scrub and some..flower seeds? But no complaints from me on the flowers, Forget-Me-Nots are one of my favorites! They were probably added in as a special little freebie.

I purchased the $25 Shannon Box and added the $15 mystery bundle at check out for a total of $40.

The Box:

This month is an interesting variety of colors and finishes. From darks to lights and cream finish to crackle.

I was very lucky that none of the products sent were overlaps of colors I already own.





The Knobs & Bobs:

The Lucky Mystery Box I chose came with 'Shannon', a pretty mint green shimmer with a silk/matte finish.

This is a really pretty color!


The finish is soft and dries very quickly.

From left to right:

Tatiana- Autumn orange glitter
Clara- Peachy nude cream
Blakely- Purple/Green chrome
Char- Dark navy blue cream
Fiore- Deep brown purple cream
Alaina- Taupe cream
Shannon- Mint green shimmer silk

I will be giving these three away to one of my younger sisters who is also into nail polish.

I already own a white and the other two polishes just don't look good with my skin tone.

From left to right:

Kennedy- Yellow tinted tan cream
Nicolette- White cream
Sabrina- Orange glitter crackle

And finally we have these:

Forget-Me-Not flower seeds
Glycolic Hand Scrub with natural apricot seeds
Freedom Polymer Top Coat (very very tiny 3 mL size)

I will be planting the seeds once the weather gets a bit warmer!

The Glycolic scrub is an exfolient for your hands and body. This product is paraben and sulfate-free.

At only 3 mL this is good sized top coat sample.

Final Thoughts:

I have to admit that I'm not crazy about most of the box. Many of these I felt were left over fall/winter stock. Some of them can be found on sale at Julep.com for under $5. It may have just been my bad luck that I received mostly dark colors though. But this box still does have a great deal of product for $40! Any polishes I don't like I can easily use as gifts for friends and family. (:

Ipsy March 2014

It's that time of the month again! I just got my Ipsy Glam Bag in the mail today.

I have to say that I'm very happy with this months selection for my bag!


March 2014 Bag:

The Knobs:

- Pacifica 'Indian Coconut Nectar' Body Butter 2.5 fl oz.
- bareMinerals Marvelous Moxie sample lipstick in 'Get Ready'
- Be A Bombshell 'Bora Bora' Eyshadow Quad
- Nicole by OPI Roughles nail polish in 'On What Grounds'



The Bobs:

I am very pleased and impressed with this bag. For only $10 I received some very nice products.

Pacifica is a great company and brand. I've been a fan for several years now but never tried their body butter. This travel size is great for tossing in my purse! I'm not the biggest fan of coconut scents, but this actually smells really good! This smells like Summer in a bottle.

bareMinerals is another great brand! I've been eyeing the Moxie line for a while now. 'Get Ready' is a really pretty color that looks great on any skin tone or color.

A really nice bonus is a promo code to receive a free Lash Domination sample and free shipping on my next purchase from the bareMminerals online store.

Be A Bombshell is always a welcome treat from Ipsy. I'm really excited to branch out of my comfort zone and try a little bit of color. The shadows are nicely pigmented with no fall out. Nice soft shadows that would look great on light and dark skin alike.

This is a full size product and retails for $14!

Swatches!

Top swatch is bareMinerals Moxie lipstick in 'Get Ready' (such a pretty color)

Quad swatches in order:
Bora Bora
Starlet
Rock Bottom
Risky Business

Textured polishes are something that I tend to stay away from. I'm not really sure how I feel about this one. The color is such a pretty blue! I love the color. This polish is opaque in one coat and dries very quickly. The texture feells like...sandpaper. I don't know how else to describe it.

I tried to zoom in as much as my phone would allow to show the texture.

Really pretty Robins Egg Blue color. The texture particles are a slightly darker blue and a muted red.


I only used one coat. A little goes a long way with this polish.

I may put a top coat on to try and lessen the texture feel. I'm really conflicted with this one. I'll try it out over the next few days and see how it goes.








Final Thoughts:

I really loved the March bag! Two unique full sized products and two good sized samples.

The bag itself was a special design for Ipsy subscribers by the artist show in the image.

Thank you for the amazing bag Ipsy!

20 Personal Facts

I've decided to put aside my trust issues and post up some random personal facts about myself. Talking about makeup, games, and the like is easy. Talking about myself is hard. But maybe after reading this you'll learn a little bit more about me. (:



1. I have serious trust issues.
2. I love love love sushi!
3. It may seem like I have a lot of makeup but really I have quite a small collection. Everything fits in a small 3 drawer plastic box.
4. I've been almost struck by lightning twice. I have always been afraid of thunderstorms.
5. While I believe in God (I have my reasons) I have no interest in 'converting' anyone and truly enjoy learning about other cultures and religions. The world is a wonderful place filled with so many different people.
6. I battle with clinical depression daily. It is a constant struggle that often leaves me exhausted and sad.
7. I have two dogs that are different as night and day and I wouldn't have it any other way.
8. My little sister is my best friend. We've been through a lot together.
9. I have never been in a relationship and I'm ok with that. Now is the time for me to get to know myself.
10. I'm a very boring person. My idea of fun is drawing, reading or playing a PC game in the comfort of my own room.
11. I love cherry cola.
12. I think one of the reason that I order things online is so that I have something to look forward to in the mail.
13. I do not like tomatoes.
14. I am overweight. It's the main reason I have decided against making Youtube videos.
15. I have a hard time seeing certain colors. It makes my job as a website artist very difficult.
16. My favorite color is Imperial Purple.
17. I smile when I get nervous.
18. Winter is my favorite season.
19. I work better at night when everything is calm and quiet.
20. I love painting my nails! Feeling like a green day? How about yellow? Maybe blue? I'm always changing them.

10th Carol Reed Mystery Releasing!

MDNA Games is releasing another title in the Carol Reed series this month!

Bosch's Damnation is looking to be a very interesting game. If you love point driven games that feature photographed scenes then you will love this series. It's very relaxing and entertaining.

A demo is currently available if you want to try out a tiny portion of the game to get a feel for it here.

Edit: The game is now available for digital download and disk order!

The site includes the story, gallery, information and demos to many of the series titles. All of them are very good and I strongly recommend them to any old school mystery lovers out there! (:

Wantable Makeup Box March 2014

I recently found out about this subscription service and loved everything about it. Wantable.com has a subscription service that allows you to customize your box and what you would like to receive. They offer 3 boxes; Accessories, Makeup and Intimates. All products included in each box are full size! You can purchase a single non-subscription box for $40 or purchase a monthly subscription with an automated fee of $36, saving you $4 per box. I chose to try the makeup box for $40. I liked it so much that I also subscribed for the monthly service. You can change which box you want for the month (like switching from makeup to accessories) or skip a month if your funds are low or you don't really like or need any of of the products offered. It does seem a little pricey but considering everything is full sized and the products offered..I personally think the box is well worth it.


So for the month of March I received this awesome Makeup box:

The Knobs: 

- Liberty Republic SPELLBOUND nail polish in 'Elixer' (retails for $14)
- DEX New York Lipstick in 'Aapricot' (retails for $22)
- Michael Marcus Prime Foundation Brush (retails for $20)
- Girlactik Beauty Eyeliner Grey (retails for $19)

Total Box Value = $75



The Bobs:

Here is my personal customization chart:

What I love is in red, what I like is in blue and what I dislike is in black. You will never receive something you've disliked. And if I had not liked my box I could return it for a full refund! This customer service of this company is top notch from what I've seen.



I received a lipstick, eye liner, nail polish and tool in my box. All of the colors compliment fair tones. I'd say they did an amazing job the my products, thank you Wantable!


____

The Spellbound polish 'Elixer' is a gorgeous color and looks great on my nails! It seems to dry quickly and is opaque in just one coat! It's been a challenge to find a nail color that is pretty, not too dark against my fair skin and doesn't looked washed out with my skins pink undertone. I love this color!

The DEX Court Street lipstick in 'Apricot' is another gorgeous color. The packaging also claims that this brand is cruelty free and that is always a plus. I don't have anything with bronzy/orange undertones and I'm very happy to add this to my growing lip collection. The color stays on well and doesn't dry my lips out. It will make a lovely spring and summer color!

I included tools in my 'love' category because I don't really have any. I have a few cheap eye shadow and powder brushes but they tend to fall apart and get bristles all over the place. I don't have any primer or foundation brushes and I instantly noticed the difference in quality. The Michael Marcus Prime Brush is extremely soft yet still sturdy enough to blend.

Girlactik Beauty Grey Liner is a rich, smooth grey eye liner. I love the grey color much more then black or brown! It has a flat angled edge instead of the usual point that most liners have. It goes on smooth and you can use the flat end and smudge it slightly for a smokey eye look or use the edge for a more precise line. This color looks great with fair skin and blond hair! It stays in place and does not smudge or run.


Final Thoughts:

I am very impressed with the Wantable subscription box and believe that it is worth the price for the individual customization and product choices. Everything I received was tailored to my chart and only shades that would work with fair skin were included. Boxes are sent out based on the order date. I ordered this box a few days ago and have already received it while other subscription services haven't even begun shipping.