GlossyBox & GlamGlow Fan Friday Giveaway!

I have what might be the literal most exciting news EVER.

Okay...it might not be quite that exciting, but for me, it's freaking awesome! I won the GlossyBox Fan Friday Giveaway! I have never won anything in my entire life, so when I got the e-mail, I just stared at it in disbelief for a good three minutes before running around the house and squealing like a six year old girl. 

I enter into all of the instagram giveaways that my different sub boxes do, but I honestly wan't even sure if real people actually won them. Or if they did, I was certain that they chose the winners with care to ensure that high profile bloggers, youtubers or instagrammers won. Better for advertisement, ya know? That's probably incredibly naive of me, since I never actually look into who wins, I just see those people posting winnings occasionally and assumed.

So needless to say, I was doubtful even after I got the e-mail. I followed the instructions and never heard anything back, but yesterday my prize showed up!!

Not only did I win a giveaway, I won the one that I was dying to have! Anyone who reads my posts on a regular basis knows that I got a sample of the GlamGlow PowerMud in a previous GlossyBox and was super excited for it. GlamGlow is a brand that is raved about pretty much across the board in the beauty world, but each tiny little pot of face mask is $69! Holy cow, are you kidding me! That's expensive and I would never buy one without having tried it first and knowing that it was worth that kind of money. And the prize was their entire FULL SIZE line of masks!

Check it out:

Woohoo! First of all, the packaging is adorable! Each one is packaged slightly differently, but with a similar layout. It included the SuperMud Clearing Treatment, the YouthMud Tinglexfoliate Treatment, the ThirstyMud Hydrating Treatment, the PowerMud DualCleanse Treatment and the BrightMud Eye Treatment. A $345 value!

As cute as the packaging is, I will say that it is a bit excessive, considering the size of the jars. I'll also note that for whatever reason the SuperMud treatment is smaller than the rest at only 1.2 ounces instead of 1.7 ounces.

How fun is this?? I can't wait to try these out and see what the hype is all about!

A huge thank you to GlossyBox and GlamGlow for these amazing prizes, and a big reminder to anyone who says "I'm not even going to bother entering because I'll never win", keep doing it! If I can win, a girl with just a few instagram followers, no youtube channel and a blog that only my mom reads, so can you!

Until next time guys!!

Glossybox vs BoxyCharm June 2015

Happy Tuesday everyone! It's the last day of the month so I've officially made it! Today I'm going to talk about my June Glossybox and BoxyCharm. For those of you who aren't familiar, they are both beauty subscription boxes sent out on a monthly basis. They are both $21 per month and for the most part, worth every penny (especially one of the two, you'll see which later).

I'm going to start by talking about Glossybox. This month my box came right on time, unlike last month when it barely made it to me in the month of May. I've heard they've had some shipping issues and while it's annoying, it doesn't really make a huge difference to me as long as I get it at some point. Glossy box generally has "deluxe" sized samples. Bigger than a regular sample size, but not a full size by any means.

There was no custom box this month, so it just came in its usual pink and black box, always beautifully packaged:

This box had a decent assortment of items, but I wish that there would've been a hair product in the box this month.

These are the two products I was the least excited about. A Jojoba Radiance Cleansing Polish by The Aloe Source and and aloe gel by Etre Belle Cosmetics. The cleansing polish will definitely be used. I love trying new cleansers, but I have so many right now I'm a little bit overwhelmed with them. I was NOT excited to receive aloe vera in my box. I feel the same way about this as I felt about the Supergoop! sunscreen I got in my Birchbox, meh.

I also received an Orly Nail Lacquer in this months box. I can't paint my nails (because my boss tells me so, that's why!), so nail polish is always a bit of a bummer. This is a fun summer color, but it seems a little cheap that it wasn't a full sized nail polish, just a mini.

I can honestly say that I've never used a lip plumper, so I'm kind of excited to try this City Cosmetics City Lips. Again though, nothing special.

The Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara was the item I was most looking forward to. I've heard lots about it and I can't wait to try it. I already have three open mascaras on rotation though, so it will have to wait. It's a pretty standard size for a sample mascara, however I am really surprised at the packaging. It seems very gimmicky for such a high end brand. Hopefully it lives up to its hype!

Overall, I wasn't that impressed with this months Glossybox. It definitely paid for itself but with the exception of the mascara, nothing really wowed me.

The theme for BoxyCharm this month was 'Sea La Vie' and it seemed completely appropriate for June:

At my very first peek I could tell that BoxyCharm nailed it a lot closer than Glossybox did this month!

My very favorite item in the box is the Highlighting Cream from The Beauty Crop. I absolutely LOVE this highlight! I spent a weekend out of town with my girlfriends and every time we took a picture I said "Girls, this highlight is on FLEEK!" They weren't amused.

The Bellapierre Cosmetics Kabuki Brush is also really nice. Its firm and full, but nice and soft. Also, according to the info card, it retails for $29.99....are you kidding me?! It's going to be great for travel!

I received a nail polish in this box too, but I'm much more excited about this one. It's a full sized ncLA Nail Lacquer from their Nudes collection and it is beautiful! This nail polish makes me sad that I can't paint my nails, because it is gorgeous!

The Cargo Eye Shadow single is also nice - and it's huge for a shadow single! I don't wear a lot of light purples, but it's a very pretty shimmery color and I'll definitely be giving it a try!

The last item in June's BoxyCharm is a Chlorophyll Lifting Mask by Eslor ($38.00, guys, HOW DO THEY DO IT?!). I'm incredibly intrigued by this mask. It looks almost like aloe vera and smells kind of funky, I've got to admit. But I love skincare products, so I can't wait to try it out!

This month, BoxyCharm was the clear winner for me. They just included more products that make sense for me and that I will get regular use out of. I would also absolutely repurchase the highlighting cream and when I find a product that I like that much, I'm thrilled.

What did you guys think of your boxes this month? How do you feel about getting products like aloe vera and sunscreen?

Here are the links, in case anyone is interested:

Glossybox: https://www.glossybox.com/referal?CI=MTU5NDIw

BoxyCharm: https://www.boxycharm.com/rewardsref/index/refer/id/53695/

BIG PS....I freaking won the Glossybox Glam Glow Fan Friday Giveaway! I got the e-mail yesterday! Are you kidding me! I never win anything! I have no idea when it will get to me or how any of that works, I just followed the instructions in the e-mail, but I will post about my prize when it gets here!! Squee! So excited!

ipsy vs Birchbox June 2015

I'm getting this one done in the right month guys! I just want to apologize again for the delays in recent posts. It really has been one of the craziest and most exciting months of my life, but things are starting to settle down and normalize again and now that I have my camera and computer here at my fiancés (and mine now too) house, I should be able to keep up a little bit better.

June is one of my favorite months out of the year (and this one hasn't disappointed) so I couldn't wait to receive my June boxes. All four of them were just okay for me. I didn't hate them, but I wasn't entirely thrilled with them either. I'll start with ipsy:

The theme this month was Swim Into Beauty and I will say that I LOVE the bag. It is so cute! I don't really know that it matches the theme though:

It is very soft and seems to be pretty well made. I like the design a lot, I just feel that it would've been better suited for a winter month. I would've like to have gotten a bag that felt more summery.

The first two items are the treStique Mini Eyeshadow Crayon in the color Venetian Gold and the J Cat Liptitude 24/7 Hydrating Lip Stain. I haven't had a chance to try the eyeshadow crayon yet, but it feels really smooth and had good staying power when I swatched it. I love any lip products, so I was really excited to receive the lip stain! It's a very pretty pink that I think will look nice, maybe even for every day.

The next products are the Smashbox Photo Finish Primer and the Dr. Brandt Pores No More Vacuum Cleaner. I knew from the sneak peeks that I would either receive the primer or a Too Faced liquid lipstick. I've been dying to try the liquid lipstick and I've already tried the primer, so I was a little bit bummed to get it. My sister likes it, so I might pass it on to her. I was excited about the dr. brandt face mask. I love skincare and it felt really nice when I tried it, so this one was a big win for me!

The last item was the Keratherapy Daily Smoothing Cream. When I first opened my bag, I thought this was a hand cream and I was so disappointed. I don't need any more hand creams, and I have incredibly dry hands from working in food service and washing my hands so frequently, so I take great care with the ones I purchase. About three days later I discovered that this was NOT for my hands, it was for my hair! And I love it! It smells great and it truly does cut down on the blow dry time, just as it says. Out of the items in this months bag, this would be the one I repurchase.

Overall, ipsy had some wins, some okays and a big miss for me. For $10, I'm not complaining. The one thing I will say that I dislike about ipsy is the lack of info card. Every other box has a card detailing the products inside and it is incredibly handy. It drives me a little nuts when I have to get online to find product info for my ipsy bag!

Birchbox was so cute this month! I love that their boxes are always designed differently. Eventually I'll have to start throwing some away or reusing them for gifting or something, but right now I just want to hang onto all of them!

This month came with a free extra! I love free extras!

These were my least favorite items. A tiny fragrance sample of the CLEAN Fresh Laundry. It gets really good reviews, and I think its okay, it just isn't my favorite scent. The other is a Supergoop! sunscreen. I wasn't thrilled to receive a sunscreen in my box. Anyone who knows me knows that I'm not a regular sunscreen user (I know, I know). Not a bad product, just not a great one for me.

The next products are both skincare, and we all know how I love skincare! The Liz Earle Instant Boost Skin Tonic Spritzer is really nice. I haven't used it a ton yet, but it is incredibly refreshing and I love that it is in a spray bottle. The Vasanti Cosmetics BrightenUp! Enzymatic Face Rejuvenator is also really nice. Probably the nicest scrub exfoliator I've ever used. It left my face feeling silky smooth and very clean. Definitely something I could see myself repurchasing.

I also got a Marcelle Waterproof Eyeliner. The formula is really nice, but the color I'm unsure about. I generally only use brown or black liners, but I might give it a try. I also tend to not use waterproof makeup because I hate removing it, but with lake time coming, who knows? My extra was the Pura Vida Lace Headband. I've never been a headband wearer, but this one is so cute I just might become one. I was literally delighted when I opened my box and saw this...adorable!

Overall, just like ipsy, this box had wins, okays and misses for me. Not a bad month, but not one that blew my mind. Maybe I'm just picky. Again, for $10, I'm not complaining!

Here are the links for ipsy and Birchbox, incase anyone is interested! What were your favorite items this month?

ipsy: https://www.ipsy.com/r/u33pk

Birchbox: https://www.birchbox.com/invite/4x189

GlossyBox vs BoxyCharm May 2015

Happy middle of June everyone! I realize that I'm incredibly behind with this post and its for a couple of reasons:

1. My GlossyBox didn't get to me until the 29th of May (seriously GlossyBox, seriously?)

2. I GOT ENGAGED!

3. I moved in with my now fiance and his son. Today was the first time in two weeks I've had my computer and camera, so I'm finally able to keep up again

4. I spent five days sick and in bed in the last two weeks

Anyway, let's get into it!

This months BoxyCharm theme was Bold & beautiful and I really loved the vibe:

The first two items were the Bodyography eyebrow trio and eyebrow pencil (with spoolie, spooly?) They are both really nice quality, but I was bummed out that they were considered two separate items. I like diversity in my boxes and two products for the same purpose was kind of disappointing.

The next was a ModelCo bronzer. It's really dark for my current skin tone, but its very pretty. It does have quite a lot of shimmery bits in it. I prefer a matte bronzer, but I'm sure it will still get used!

I have been loving lip products so I was thrilled about this lipstick from The Lip Bar. The other color option was a very bright purple, so I was relieved to pull out this gorgeous color.

The last item was this lauren b nail polish. I'm not a huge fan of green, but I think this color would be fun for the lake on my toes and I'll definitely use it during the summer.

Overall I was pretty happy with this (last) months BoxyCharm. There wasn't anything in it that thrilled me, but there also wasn't anything in it that won't get used, so I'm a happy girl!

This months GlossyBox didn't have a theme (I don't think):

These were the two products I was the most excited about. The Glamglow Powermud Dualcleanse treatment and the Clearista Retexturizing Gel. I love anything skincare related. The downside was that these are both really small sizes at .5 ounces. With a $21/month charge I hope for more.

The first item is a Doucce lipstick. The color is absolutely gorgeous, however I'm definitely not in love with the formula. It's a matte lipstick, but it is so incredibly dry that its almost hard to apply. I'll have to play with it some more to see if I can make it work, because the color is stunning.

The second item is a teeez base coat. First of all, the packaging is ADORABLE. The packaging alone makes me want to buy more of these polishes. I haven't had a chance to try it out yet, but I thought the idea of getting a base coat in a box was really nice.

The last item is a Sebastian Stylbrid 9 multi-benefit hairspray. I haven't had a chance to try this out, but it claims to have 9 care and styling effects to create versatile looks. I will say that it smells really nice and I'm looking forward to using it!

I feel roughly the same way about May's Glossybox as I do the BoxyCharm. Nothing in either of them that I hate, but nothing in them that I'm losing my mind excited about. Either way, they were both definitely worth their cost this month!

What was your favorite item in your boxes this month?

ipsy vs Birchbox May 2015

Good morning everyone! Sorry for the delay in posting this, May has been a busy month! Between Mothers Day, my moms birthday and a cousins wedding, I've been running around like crazy! I've had both ipsy and Birchbox sitting next to my vanity for weeks just dying to be photographed so I could put them away and I finally got around to it! So, let's get into it! I received Birchbox first, so we will do that first!

This months box was curated by the founder of Cupcakes and Cashmere and is SO cute, and for whatever reason, the box design seems oddly May appropriate!

The Dr. Jart BB cream was slightly too dark for my current skin tone, in a month or two, I think it will be perfect. I've been mixing it with my moisturizer for an extra layer of coverage and I'm really happy with it so far.

The Yu Be Moisturizing Skin Cream was my one disappointment in the May Birchbox. I honestly can't even tell you about the quality of the product because I absolutely hate the smell. It is incredibly overwhelming and unpleasant.

The Marcelle Clay Mask was just an okay item. I love anything skin care related and I'm certainly not unhappy with it, it just didn't seem incredible. I'll definitely use it up though!

I was excited to receive this eyeshadow quad from Coastal Scents. I got the full Revealed 2 palette in my BoxyCharm last month and have been using it like crazy, so this was a definite win for me.

The last item is the No. 4 Super Comb Prep & Protect. I'm obsessed with anything heat protecting for my hair, so this is a win! Plus, it smells great!

Ipsy came just a few days later!

The bag this month is SO cute! And it feels like its a nice quality and sturdy bag. The theme this month was Jetsetter.

The Organic Farm hair oil was probably the item I was the most excited for because I love hair products. It has an okay smell, not great, but not amazing. I do notice that I have to be careful not to apply it too close to my scalp or it makes me oily. I guess it is hair oil. Duh.

The Nuxe face cleanser is the one product I haven't tried. It's a really nice size and it smells great though.

I love getting well known high end brands in subscription boxes so getting this Urban Decay lip primer pencil plus two bonus glosses was exciting. Its a pretty good size for a sample too.

I'm just learning how to do my brows and going through a painful growing out process on them, so I was happy to get the Chella brow pencil. I've been using the Anastasia Brow Wiz, but I'm excited to give this a try!

The last item was a Jesse's Girl loose eyeshadow. The color is pretty, I'm just not a huge fan of loose products because I tend to make a huge mess. I'll give it a try on a day when I'm feeling brave and don't have anywhere to be!

So, that's all for ipsy and Birchbox. I'll have my BoxyCharm vs Glossybox coming when I receive my Glossybox (it just shipped today) and I'll have a review coming on the Mother's Day Glossbox I ordered separately.

Birchbox : https://www.birchbox.com/invite/4x189

ipsy : https://www.ipsy.com/new?refer=u33pk

Let me know what you guys thought of your boxes this month, and I'll see you next time!

Glossybox vs BoxyCharm April 2015

We're getting crazy with the back to back posts this week (look at me go!)

I received my BoxyCharm yesterday and my Glossybox late last week and I am so excited about them! These are $21 a month boxes and I was really hoping that they would live up to their heftier price tags! (And they did!)

I'll start with Glossybox since it was the first one I received. First I want to talk about the shipping. I was incredibly hesitant to sign up for Glossybox because I read a ton of reviews that said the boxes were sometimes up to three weeks late and the customer service was awful. I can't speak to the customer service as I haven't had to deal with them, but my box shipped within 5-10 days of billing (just as it said it would) and was at my doorstep within a reasonable amount of time. Zero complaints from me for the first month!

 First of all, the box itself is adorable. I love the cross between pop art, pinup and beauty. It already has a permanent home on my vanity. In addition to my five items they included a cute little makeup bag from the company that designed the box (Thursday Friday) and a 50% off coupon for the website. While the coupon wasn't that great of a deal (the company is offering the same thing if you sign up for their email list) I ordered a bag anyway because I had just been thinking I needed a new one!

I've been wanting to try a gel eyeliner pencil so I was excited to receive this one by Julep in the color Olive. I'm not completely thrilled with the color, but it goes on so smoothly and is very pigmented, I'll be experimenting with the color and seeing how I can make it work.

The ModelCo Lashxtend was free with the box since I used a coupon when I signed up. It is NOT one of the box items. It is an okay product. I was excited to try it because it has little fibers that cling to your eyelashes, supposedly to make them more full. It isn't a bad mascara, but nothing special.

I am already in love with the Estee Lauder Enlighten Dark Spot Correcting Night Serum. It smells great, feels great and it's probably my imagination but I swear the acne scars on my cheeks are starting to look better already.

The Aerin Waterlily Sun fragrance is just 'meh' for me. The packaging is so cute and I was really hoping to love it but I just don't. I will either gift it to someone who likes it or use it when I want a change.

I LOVE this Marrakesh Endz hair treatment. It smells amazing and really makes my ends feel more smooth and less flyaway. I'm super happy with this product.

I was absolutely horrified when I pulled this out of the box. This picture does not do justice to just how safety cone orange this product is. It is hands down, the brightest thing I own. It is the brightest thing in the room I'm sitting in. It doesn't come out quite so badly if it isn't layered on too thick, but I would only ever use it as a base for something else.

Overall, I was pretty happy with my first Glossybox, but for me the clear winner was BoxyCharm. The reason I signed up was because I saw that this month included the Coastal Scents Revealed2 eyeshadow palette. It was already on my wishlist, and the price of the box covered it. Shipping was fast (although it was the last box I received, I did order it later in the month) and everything came intact.

Everything in the box except the fragrance was full sized, I love that!

There were two different options you could've received from OFRA and I was glad I got this one. The other was (I believe) a loose mineral powder and I just saw myself making an enormous mess with that one. I haven't had a chance to really try this on my cheeks, but it seems very shimmery and I'll probably end up using it more as an eyeshadow.

I was really excited to try Hello by Harvey Prince and I was felt slightly let down. Everyone raves about how much they love this scent, and it really just didn't do it for me. It's okay, and I'll keep it but I definitely wouldn't purchase a full size.

The Jing Ai Velvet Shine Lip Jewel is really nice. The color is a little bit much for me, but it applies really well and was super pigmented. I'd love to try it in a more neutral color.

I can't wait to use this after I shower today. I tried it on my dry hair when I opened the box and I really like the consistency and the smell. I'm hoping that it will help tame some of my out of control flyaways and my frizz!

I can't say enough good things about the Coastal Scents Revealed 2 Palette. As I said before, this is the reason I signed up for BoxyCharm and I am absolutely not disappointed. The colors are gorgeous, incredibly pigmented and I just cannot wait to use the heck out of the palette.

Overall, BoxyCharm was my winner but I was really happy with my Glossybox as well. There is definitely value in the box far above and beyond what I paid and all of the products will be getting used! I'm already excited for next month!

Here are the links for these two boxes, in case anyone is interested!

Glossybox : http://www.glossybox.com/referal?CI=MTU5NDIw

BoxyCharm : https://www.boxycharm.com/rewardsref/index/refer/id/53695/

ipsy vs Birchbox April 2015

ipsy and Birchbox both came last week and I've had a chance to test out all of the products that came! I'm not going to break down prices, because tons of bloggers and youtubers already do it, and I don't see a reason. They are sample sizes and I knew that when I was signing up.

These are the two $10 boxes I subscribed to (Glossybox and BoxyCharm coming later this week). I was very happy with the billing and shipping times on them and nothing in either of them came broken!

I'm going to start with Birchbox because that was the first one I received:

Birchbox was too cute! I absolutely adore the box designed by Rifle Paper Company! It already has a spot on my vanity!

I was really excited to receive the Jane Iredale lip & cheek stain and so far, it hasn't disappointed. I'm really new to lip color, so this was a great intro for me since it isn't super pigmented. Smells delicious and looks great!

The Supergoop CC cream was a bit too dark for me, and although I loved the way it applied and felt, it just didn't quite seem to work for my skins texture. 

All of have to say about the Templespa Face & Body Balm is that I did not like it. Didn't have much moisturizing power for my always dry hands and I HATED the scent. Very 'spa' like. Too much for me.

A lot of people complained about the way the Harvey Prince Yogini smelled so I was a bit worried, but I LOVE it. It's a bit more musky and earthy than I would normally pick for myself, but I'm a huge fan!

The Real Chemistry Luminous 3-Minute Peel was easily my favorite product in my box. It is absolutely disgusting to use because you can feel the dead skin balling up and coming off, but my face felt incredible afterward. I will absolutely be purchasing a full size in the future.

And now, onto ipsy:

I loved the Beautifully Bohemian theme this month! It definitely spoke to my big bouncy hair dreams! The bag is super cute, I could see it being a perfect bag for the beach!

I'm unimpressed with the Starlooks lipgloss. It felt like a cheaper product and definitely not one that I would purchase. It doesn't add any color, just a shimmer and shine on the lips. It's nice over top of something else though, and it smells really great, so I'll give it that.

The Aromachology perfume was the item that I was least looking forward to. I love fragrances, but the packaging just looked so boring in the sneak peaks that I couldn't get excited about it. As it turns out, it smells incredible. Definitely the best thing that I've smelled all month, and its a rollerball, which I love.

The Hikari blush was my favorite product in this bag. It's a much brighter color blush than I would normally go for, but it's so playful that I love it!

I have been getting really into my skincare lately, so I'm always excited to try any kind of serum or facial treatment and I really like this hey honey serum. It smells really nice and isn't too heavy. Whether it provides any results or not remains to be seen!

I'm absolutely going to be purchasing an eyeshadow palette from theBalm. I really loved this color and while it wasn't crazy pigmented, it was really beautiful! I'm a sucker for purple hued eyeshadow, so no complaining from me!

Overall, I am really happy with my samples from ipsy and Birchbox this month. The only product I can say for sure that I will not ever use again is the face and hand cream, other than that, I'm pleased with this first month!

Here are the links, in case anyone is interested:

Birchbox : https://www.birchbox.com/invite/4x189

ipsy : https://www.ipsy.com/r/u33pk