Lip Factory April 2014

My Lipfactory Inc. box came in the mail today! So excited to receive this one, I've been hearing a lot of good things about it and was curious to see what mix of colors I would get. Each month Lip Factory sends out a beauty box containing an assortment of full sized products. At $22 it is an amazing value and one of my favorite subscription services!


The Knobs:

- OFRA Lipstick in '109 Toffee' (retails for $13)
- Color Club polish in 'Soft as Cashmere' (retails for $8)
- NYX Lip Butter in 'Peaches and Cream' (retails for $5)
- Be a Bombshell Eye Crayon in 'Black Jack' (retails for $14)
- Be a Bombshell Eye Shadow in 'tempted' (retails for $14)
- Jesses's Girl Kohl Liner in 'Dark Brown' (retails for $1.99)

Total Box Value = $55.99



The Bobs:

This lipstick is wonderful! Absolutely perfect 'my lips but better' shade for everyday use.

A very soft, lightly pigmented and moisturizing formula. Some woman prefer high pigmentation but I find that buildable lipstick looks much better for everyday use.

I will be looking into this brand more. The packaging is a nice simple lightweight plastic.

I want to start out by saying that Color Club is a nice and affordable polish brand and they have a great line up of color. But this olive tan shade looks awful on me and doesn't say Spring at all. Is it 'in' right now to wear dark Fall/Winter colors in Spring? Because out of three recent boxes I've received all of them had really dark polishes.

Personal preference aside this is a very nice polish and if you love neutrals you may like this shade. It has a good formula and no streaking.

Here is a swatch of the nail color. It's not very flattering on me unfortunately. It requires two coats for full opacity.

I really appreciate the full size polish and will be sure to gift this to someone in my family that would like it, but placing such a murky color in the 'Welcome Spring' box has me scratching my head.

Finally, a Spring color!!

NYX is a great line of good and affordable cosmetic products. Despite it's bright color it actually looks very nice when applied lightly. It moisturizing, not sticky and smells very nice!

Be a Bombshell is a fairly well known cosmetics line.

This black eye crayon works great as a thick eye pencil or to give a very nice smokey look. It allows you to easily draw the color right on the lid.

The formula is smooth, blends easily and doesn't smudge too much.

Two Be a Bombshell products in this months box!

And what a pretty color. This is a wonderful Spring/Summer color and it looks very nice when worn with pink lip color and brown liner/mascara.

The formula is smooth and pigmented.

I've been slowly falling in love with Jesse's Girl cosmetics. The brand is super affordable and is still comparable with higher end drug store lines.

I'm so happy this is a brown and not a black! Black liner is just too much for me. Brown looks much better with light skin and blond hair.

The formula is really smooth and long lasting. I didn't notice any smudging after wearing it today. Much like their lip liner the cap has a built in sharpener. So with just a twist of the cap I can keep everything precise.

Here are swatches of all products listed.

From top to bottom:

OFRA lipstick '109' - 

NYX Butter Gloss 'Peaches and Cream' - 

Be a Bombshell 'Black Jack' - 

Jessie's Girl Eyliner 'Dark Brown' - 

Be a Bombshell Eyeshadow 'tempted' - 

Final Thoughts:

Really amazing box this month, thank you very much Lip Factory! Only thing I will not be keeping is the polish and that's only because of the color. The product itself works great!

So many new products and colors to try. I'm really looking forward to May!

Julep April 2014 Mystery Box

This might be my last mystery box from Julep.com. At $25 it is a good value, but only if you don't already have what you receive. This one is a good bit better than last months, but I'm not too keen on receiving the exact same skin product that was in the Lucky Box. Instead of giving similar products and polishes that most mavens already own, why not let us try some new releases or beauty products? I know that Julep has been developing and releasing lots of new beauty goodies and would love to try some of them. Or at least don't give the same products back-to-back.

Update: I made a post on their facebook page about receiving duplicates from last month and that I really liked Emerson. The comment was not negative. They deleted it. I have no idea what to think about that. There are comments from frustrated customers that are negative and have not been removed. The only reason I can think that it was deleted was that I revealed that they were sending duplicates? So I will be taking a break from Julep.

The Knobs:

There wasn't an option to include a mystery add-on with this months mystery box. I chose the box with the baby blue/black speckled 'Emerson' polish.

A good assortment of colors, much better than last months fall left overs. With the exception of 'Tatiana' (orange glitter polish). I've received that particular polish 3-4 since becoming a Maven five months ago. Please stop including that polish in boxes Julep.


The Bobs:

From left to right:

Max- Clear polish with black/white glitter specks.

Yumi- Pink/silver clear glitter.

Emerson- Baby blue with black glitter/specks. This polish is limited edition for the April Mystery Box.

Swatching the limited edition Emerson polish.


A beautiful spring polish and one of my new favorites! It goes on fairly sheer but is easily buildable to give a fully opaque color. It does has a slight bumpy texture due to the glitter bits, but adding a top coat smooths everything out perfectly.

The other mystery box included a cool pink/purple polish with black glitter bits. I'm glad I went with Emerson, the blue looks very nice with my light skin and pink undertones.

Josephine- Smokey dark denim blue cream.

Tatiana (again)- Autumn orange glitter.

Another Glycolic Hand Scrub and seed packet. Just like last month. There was also a little Luxe Repair sample. I already own the full product but maybe someone in my family would like to try it.

I'm excited to finally try Juleps Lip Vernis!

Peony- Pinkish blush nude cream gloss.

This gloss smells nice, applies smoothly and is very moisturizing.




Final Thoughts:

2 of the 7 products I received were also sent in last months months mystery box. My absolute favorite box was when we got to choose between polish or beauty products. Since I haven't tried even half of the skin and beauty line there wasn't any product overlap. Maybe try coordinating colors to match the season? Some bright colors would be great to try out in the warmer months.

Even so, the products are great and I love the new polishes! If you're new to Julep you will probably love the mystery boxes. I was able to use the code PERK30 and get the box for only $17 so I'm not that frustrated by the product overlap.

Ipsy April 2014

My April Ipsy bag arrived in the mail today! Theme of the month: Beauty Rocks!


The Knobs:

- Sexy Hair: Root Pump Volumizing Spray Mousse
- City Color: Mousse Shadow & Highlight in 'White Gold' (full size)
- Cailyn Tinted Lip Balm in 'Apple Pink' (full size)
- Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in 'Black Velvet' (travel size)
- dr. brandt: Microdermabrasion skin exfoliant


The Bobs:

To give a little bit of a closer look~

Big Sexy is a fairly well known hair brand. I've never personally used it but I have heard good things about it. It also smells nice, which is a plus with hair products.

City Color is brand that I am unfamiliar with. My bag came with the full size product that retails for $3.99. This mousse can be used as a highlighter or shadow base. It has a very odd green tint to it but when blended in it does produce a nice dewy gold sheen. A little goes a very long way! It doesn't take but a tiny dab to cover the entire eyelid area. It works as a great base but does fade after a few hours and rub off easily. I have sensitive skin and didn't notice any redness or irritation after wearing it during the day.

Cailyn Tinted Lip Balm in 'Apple Pink' for the second time this month. I received this exact same product and color in another subscription box with no relation to Ipsy earlier in April. I got a good chuckle out of receiving it again. I love the product and was very happy to get another one! The color is a pretty dark pink and the thin part of the lid comes apart to reveal a built in lip brush applicator. My bag came with the full size which retails for $19. Great for traveling!

Like everyone else on Ipsy I was excited to receive an Urban Decay liner! Easy application, long lasting and no smudging. I normally only wear brown if I even use liner, but it's always nice to have a black color around and experiment with new styles.

dr. brandt is a brand I've seen but never tried. Their products tend to be pricey. It will take several uses to see if it's helping clear up discoloration and acne scars.


Final Thoughts:

Ipsy Glam Bags cost only $10 each month and they never cease to amaze me. The two full sized products alone are worth $23 in total. Along with the large samples and travel sized products this is one of my favorite bags so far. Thank you Ipsy! (:

Birchbox April 2014

I recently subscribed to a $10 monthly sample box called Birchbox. I've been hearing a lot about them and decided to give it a try. Many people compere and contrast Ipsy and Birchbox, but from what I've seen they offer completely different services. The price is the only similar point. Both are hit and miss.

The Knobs:

All products are sample size or part of a set.

- BeeKind Body Lotion (full size retails $15)
- Color Clud in 'Gold Struck' (set of 4 retails $13)
- Sumita Eye Pencil in 'Suman' (full size retails $11)
- Atelier Cologne in 'Orange Sanguine' (full size retails $65-$170)

Extra- KIND snacks Healthy Grains Bar in 'Maple Pumpkin Seeds with Sea Salt (15 count $11.88)


The Bobs:

The BeeKind lotion and Atelier Cologne are my favorite items from the box.

I'm not sure how I feel about having a free fragrance sample count as an item though..something about that doesn't sit right with me. I get fragrance samples free at the mall or when ordering online all the time. While it says Cologne, it's actually available in the womens section of the Birchbox store and has a very nice warm citrus smell. The BeeKind lotion has a very light and pleasant scent. It absorbs quickly and does not leave an oily residue.

Gold Struck is 1 of 4 mini polishes available in the Color Club Gala's Gem Collection set. A very pretty ivory pink gold shimmer polish. The formula is opaque after two coats but very streaky.

The black Sumita eyeliner is an excellent product! I received a small sample size in this box. It doesn't smudge, is long lasting and does an amazing job tight lining and filling the waterline.

The extra item was a tasty grain bar!

I've never tried this brand but I have seen it in the marketplace. It didn't really taste any different from other granola bars. But it was very filling and a nice treat to find in my box!



Final  Thoughts:

Very much worth the $10. Regardless of having a free fragrance sample counted as an actual item, the box was well worth the money. Birchbox is about sampling new brands and they delivered exactly what they promised. I look forward to May and continuing my subscription with them. They get brownie points for sending me tracking information and delivering everything before Ipsy even revealed their theme.

Goat Simulator

Goat Simulator is a new game from Steam that's just...really really fun and silly to play.

You play as a goat. And you explore your lovely little town.

Warning: Playing this game may cause large explosions, goats raining from the sky, alien abductions, the sudden urge to lick things and will most likely bring about the great goat apocalypse. Use caution when operating this simulator.

Enjoy!

Wantable Makeup Box April 2014

My April Wantable Makeup box arrived in the mail yesterday! Wantable.com is a monthly subscription service that offers a Makeup, Accessories or Intimates (socks, tanks, undergarments) box for $36. You can skip any month if you want to take a break or want to save money.

The Knobs:

- DEX New York Bedford Ave. lipstick in 'Tan' (retails for $22)
- Sorme Extreme Volumizing Mascara in Black (retails for $19)
- 'Tini Beauty Eye Cordial in 'Frothe' (retails for $18)
- Cailyn Tinted Lip Balm in 'Apple Pink' (retails for $19)

Total box value = $78


The Bobs:

I've received a DEX lipstick in both boxes I've tried so far. This brand seems to be great but it would be nice to receive some other brands to try. This particular color is 'Tan' which is another odd thing, I ordered a spring box and was sent a brown toned Fall/Winter color? I have warms and pinks listed in my love/like quiz section and I really hope that I start getting softer and lighter colors in the future.

The color is very nice and the formula is non-drying. It is fairly dark on me but it does give me a chance to try a bronzed pink. It would make a great cool season color.

A new brand to try! Again, not really a color I was hoping for or expecting for the spring box. It's a white cream and the formula is very smooth. It is skin toned on me and doesn't really show up but it does make a great base for loose shadow!

It's in lip gloss tube so this would make a great primer or travel highlight color.

I was really excited to receive something like this! It has one of the neatest lip packaging I've ever seen. The thin part of the lid even has a built in lip brush! So neat. (:

The color is a very pretty dark spring pink and applies smoothly with a matte finish.

Swatch time!



From top to bottom:

'Tini Beauty in 'Frothe'
DEX Bedford Ave. in 'Tan'
Cailyn Lip Balm in 'Apple Pink' (love that name)

Sorme is a brand that I'm not familiar with. The formula is nice and doesn't seem to clump. It's an amazing mascara! I didn't see any smudging until wearing for around 6 hours.

Sorme seems to be a fairly new brand and not easily purchased yet.



Final Thoughts:

This was a good box at a great value!

If I can't wear the lipstick I have family with darker skin tones that would love to try it out.

I tried limiting my quiz down to only things I would use and so far so good. I'm already looking forward to May!