September Unboxing of Birchbox, boxycharm, and ipsy glam bag

Sweetie with September's Boxycharm and ipsy 

I have all three of my subscription boxes to reveal in one post at one time for the month of September. I am pleasantly surprised that I didn't feel the need to track down the packages as they all arrived in a timely manner.

A little side note to add is that I am dealing with a reaction from previous makeup/lotions/something in my eye area which I think could have originated from the Olay Regenerist serum from a limited edition box I bought last month. Right now my skin is dry, irritated and peeling as if I burned it and it has been going on for over a week. I threw out the Olay serum. The under eye area is so sensitive, but the fact that it appears to have affected under my brow as well, I do not know what to think at this point. Mascara? Or could it be that the variety of new things I have been trying is aggravating the situation? But it really is focused on the one area so I don't think I can attribute it to any foundations, powders, face lotions. The under eye specific product would be the eye makeup or Olay serum.

Because of this irritation, I am much more interested in more natural and organic ingredients in products and it would be nice to find a facial product with healing qualities!

Onwards to the boxes!

September Birchbox

The first box to arrive was Birchbox. If you want to join Birchbox, please use my referral link here! 

Included in this box:
Dear Clark Volumizing Tonic- 'Because everything is big in Texas'. Marketed to men?

ModelCo Ultra Long-Lasting Lipstick - A bright red lipstick to give to my hip daughter.

dr. brandt® pores no more® cleanser - This was a selection that I was able to choose to be part of my box. I would enjoy a product that will minimize my pores, and I have a lot of different brands tailored to this need. I have not found anything that I can recommend yet, I am using this sparingly however.

Harvey Prince Hello A tiny perfume sample but it does smell fresh and pretty, though not something I would purchase.

Benefit Gimme Brow Volumizing Fiber Gel The trend of brow focus continues. I have minimal brows and never in my forty plus years have I even thought about them. I guess I can start worrying about them now, joy.

The product I wanted was the Dr. Brandt. A small sample as usual, but for the $10 for the box as a whole is worth it. When the products are all samples, it is truly a vague estimate to put a value on it. I view samples as things that are given away for free as promotions, so technically freebies.

September Boxycharm

The Boxycharm arrived next, and this is the subscription that costs twice as much as the others. The reason is because you don't get the teeny samples. The product is full sized and actually gives you something to work with.

The product in September's Boxycharm that I was happy to try first was the Hydromilk lotion, since my skin has been through a lot lately.

The Previse Skincare HydroMilk Hydrating Lotion is valued at $48.00 alone. You need to emulsify this within your palms first though, and I forget to do that first. Tried it for a few days and it hasn't fixed anything as far as my irritated skin goes.

Vasanti Professional Foundation Brush $32 - I finally can throw away my old Estee Lauder brush!

tarte SmolderEyes Amazonian Clay Waterproof liner $22 - something I will definitely use, the tarte brand is a great one to own.

Chella Eyebrow defining gel- $22- my poor eyebrows need defining I suppose. 'Use sparingly'.

Scratch Nail Wraps, in the Lacework pattern for $12 - Very intrigued about these, they came with the little stick needed to smooth on the wraps, along with a file. Already an improvement over jamberry: cheaper, and no heat required!

And a bonus for this box was the Kardashian Beauty Black Seed Dry Oil in a travel size, to provide glorious shiny hair.

September ipsy

And finally the September ipsy glambag. Hooray for no crazy lipstick hues! ipsy is all about samples, so again, no true estimate of a dollar value for the following products, except for perhaps the eye pencil.

Pixi by Petra Brow Powder Trio - cute little talc brow powder.
Acure Brightening Facial Scrub - Use three times a week, so it's something I assume would exfoliate. It states it is Vegan, which is great, sulfate free, gluten free etc.
NAOBAY Natural & OrganicOxygenating Moisturizing Cream - protects, and moisturizes! The first ingredient is water and then tons of things I can't spell or pronounce. There is alcohol as well, so I'm not going to go nuts with applying, though it does have organic plant extracts.
NYX Cosmeticsipsy Eye Shadow Trio - Cute little fall colors eyeshadow, to go with..
J. Cat Beauty#MOTD Waterproof Slide on Pencil for Eyes in Bronze - very bronze at first glance, but it doesn't go on thick and bright. Definitely more of a highlighting type pencil.

Here is my ipsy referral link. So far I still  haven't really figured out what to do with the actual bags, but ipsy is doing well with providing different makeup things to try. A good value so far.

With special thanks to Sweetie the cat for helping to model my samples.

 

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Unboxing the August ipsy glam bag, Birchbox and BoxyCharm August Subscriptions

Unveiling the Monthly Subscription boxes can be really fun.. or a little downer. But if you look at the total picture, and the total spend, you gotta remember the value.

My first ipsy bag arrived in a timely manner, compared to several complaints on their Facebook page. My personal complaint was the whole personalization thing that ipsy does when you join probably doesn't get considered. I posted earlier about the disappointment between the "potential" items coming in August, versus what I had actually received. And I really don't know what I'm going to do with multiple cosmetic bags. But, at $10.00 a pop, it's still a pretty good investment.

ipsy August $10

Use my ipsy referral link if you are interested in joining.
I joined ipsy because I wanted more makeup options, and the initial sneak peek did have some intriguing non-makeup items such as two different primers, but I didn't receive either one, bummer.

The lipstick from noyah is a pretty color (desert rose), so I got lucky there, but it is TINY. Reminds me of the old days when my mom was selling Avon and we had lots of small lipsticks around the house!

There was from JUARA Skincare Turmeric Antioxidant Radiance Facial Mask. This stuff is pretty lightweight and not muddy feeling; I would love to add this to my daily regimen, but at $35.00 for 3 ounces I don't see that happening.

Skone Cosmetics Luxe Doubler Eye/Lip Pencil in Wine -- Putting a wine on my eyes is perfect if I want the Zombies Ate My Face look. So I attempted the lip function but yeah, wine on my fair face is just yuck. Why is the color wine making a comeback? I received two wine colored items in my other Ulta beauty bag and gave those to my daughter already, as she rocks a Goth look.

Briogeo Blossom & Bloom ™ Ginseng + Biotin Volumizer - this is another blowdry hair product. I would really like to see some product where it is a put on dry hair and style as usual; instead everything is apply to wet/damp hair. Not helpful when every single hair styler is for use on wet hair. This has citrussy scent to it and seems great for those who consider themselves beach babes. Being a land locked working mom, that's more of a long lost dream.

And probably the cutest color ever is Trust Fund Beauty Nail Polish in Elegantly Wasted. I instagrammed my manicure because it was so awesome:

Completely cool to realize this is a Vegan product, and eco-friendly. This nail polish is about $17.00 a bottle but even my manicurist asked where I got it, etc. Since I love it so much, I actually would consider purchasing more from the brand even though in my right mind I would shy away from the price. This nail polish pretty much SAVED the ipsy glam bag for August!

Birchbox August $10

I joined Birchbox too at $10.00 a month though it's difficult to place a real value on the box overall since like ipsy these are sample size. The products as shown in the picture, from left to right:

Macadamia Professional™ Style Extend Dry Shampoo:
I love the dry shampoo idea, and it's the first time I've tried it. I didn't notice any earth shattering difference on my second day hair, but that means it didn't build up and it is probably doing what it's meant to. Not a miracle product by any means.

I also tried the Dr. Brandt microdermabrasion exfoliant and it works well. Never in a million years would I spend the cash on what it's going for in retail dollars ($78 for 2 ounces), so YAY for Birchbox for sharing the love and showing us stuff we could never afford in real life.

R+Co Park Ave Blow Out Balm - I haven't tried yet. For $28 for the five ounces this better be gold but judging from other reviewers I am not going to be too excited to try it. It will have to be on a day that I won't mind my hair is weighed down or crisp apparently.

Air Repair Complexion Boosting Moisturizer
Received a little sample of this, which runs for $20 for two ounces. It's a moisturizer, and nothing fancy. I've used it, it seems to moisturize, and it's pricey.

LAQA & Co.’s lovable lip crayons:  The orange pencil is orange. Very orange. And not forgiving on dry lips. This one went straight to my daughter. Not interested in using it on my cheeks, and not interested in the line in general. Nothing to be considered completely special this month for Birchbox. Moving on..

Boxycharm August $21

Since I became crazed/obsessed over trying new things, I ordered the Boxycharm subscription box at $21.00 a month. I got turned on to this one because of the Coastal Scents Revealed 3 eyeshadow palette, which on sale is $20.00. Damn Facebook for showing me the 'sponsored' page from Boxycharm and making me order my third subscription box.

I like this palette very much -- but I'm still trying to find something that doesn't wind up looking the SAME on my face. There are a lot of nice neutrals here that I look forward to playing with this fall. But it seems whenever I blend something over my primer, it just looks shiny. I am still a work in progress.

This MicaBeauty gel eyeliner was such a hit with me! It was full size and the box also came with a Seta Eyeliner brush worth $16.00. The brand's website actually has the eyeliner packaged differently and coming with its own brush, and several colors for $35 each. Very tempting!

 Check out this pic of me with the eyeliner and the Coastal Scents palette:

Love this gel eyeliner!

The eyeliner lasted ALL DAY long, isn't that fantastic? I'm talking 12 + hours, and it was still holding its own after my Jillian Michaels workout.

Also in the Boxycharm box was a So Susan Statement Skin pencil which is a type of highlighter stick which would be great for the new strobing highlighting trend. You need to definitely blend it with a sponge otherwise is looks cakey flakey weird.

The blue bottle was a Nios Shield Leave-In Conditioner. Since I am still loving my Living Proof products I haven't gotten around to trying this yet. $26.00 for this which is really designed for those folks who want to protect their scalp from sunburn, which I can see would be a need for those folks with thin or light hair working in the garden or getting a tan. And also another Vegan product, yay!

The Verdict: Boxycharm at $21.00 was fantastic value-wise, with items that I will use and probably love! All of Boxycharm's items are FULL SIZE, and not samples. This August box is worth a retail value of around $115.00.  Boxycharm's website is a little bland though. Not much to see there, so I am hoping they are working on that. And there is no personalization option with this. You get what everyone else gets, the end. 

ipsy and birchbox are good for those pricey things that will be fun to test out but it seems the Boxycharm is the real keeper. This is my first month doing a subscription service at all, so we shall see how my tastes change!  

This post contains referral links = if you join using my referral link I get points to use against future purchases. YAY!

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Birchbox Limited Editions

Since I couldn't wait for my first Birchbox subscription box to arrive, I splurged and ordered two exclusive kits that were offered via the Birchbox website this week. There is a special if you order both of these kits you get $5.00 off, which essentially pays for the shipping (*USA), so my order total was $33.00.

Mass Appeal Beauty Collection - Birchbox for CEW $15.00

Included in this box:

Burt’s Bees® Lip Crayon in Sedona Sands – Full size ($6.39 on Amazon) - I absolutely love this type of lipstick, where it is an actual stick and not the old school sloppy kind. This was the first thing I opened and tried right away. Really nice smooth color.

Cetaphil® Gentle Skin Cleansing Cloths – 10-Pack (travel size, about $4.39 on Amazon)-Cetaphil is the first choice for sensitive and dry skin in my house.

LANEIGE Water Sleeping Mask – Sample size, 20ml-Say what? LOL It turns out it is a cream you leave on overnight, to use once or twice a week, and reviews say it goes a long way to hydrate skin.

Olay™ Regenerist Luminous Dark Circle Correcting HydraSwirl™ Eye Cream – Full size, about $20 on Amazon- Olay is a good brand when you are trying not to break the bank. I've used several of their products and this product is formulated for dark circles, but it also states it is supposed to help with fine lines which is my problem. It's a really pretty pump dispenser and it does go on smooth, but will have to wear it sparingly as there seems to be reviewers who have developed reactions! Update: ME TOO! Stay away from this crap!!!

Rimmel Scandaleyes Rockin' Curves – Full size-$5- I've bought Rimmel products from the drugstore before, and I do like their mascara. What's cool about this is the broken heart brush!

< ---It's got a neat curve to it!

Simple® Skincare Ultra-Light Gel Moisturizer – Full size, about $9, from the sensitive skin experts this restores, softens and smooths skin with multi-vitamins. It's got another pump feature and it comes out like a lightweight gel, and glides on. I wouldn't say it is truly ultra light, unless you use a lot less than I did!

Prestige Headliners Beauty Collection - Birchbox for CEW $18.00

Included in this box:

Benefit Cosmetics They're Real! Push-Up Liner – Sample size-This liner is perfect for those who can pull off that thick heavy dramatically lined look.

COOLA® SPF 50 Sport - Mango - Sample size- a sunscreen/moisturizer combo that will be great for skimming the pool and reading outside, watering the plants, etc.

Fekkai Hair Fragrance Mist - Crème Vanillée – Travel size, $5- I did try this out already and the mist does fade after a few hours but still a neat idea especially if you are around smokers etc.

GLAMGLOW POWERMUD™ Dualcleanse Treatment – Sample size

GLAMGLOW THIRSTYMUD™ Hydrating Treatment – Deluxe sample size - This is expensive stuff for full size! I should save it to try it out for my dry skin during the winter.

Marula Pure Marula Facial Oil – Sample size- I have a Tarte Maracuja oil and I really don't get what the fuss is about but there are some folks who really think it's awesome. But 50ml of this stuff is $78.00. Liquid gold! I will pay a little more attention to it and use it also on my neck and decolletage which tends to be forgotten about.

NUDESTIX Lip + Cheek Pencil – Full size (shades will vary, I got Blush)- $24 when it comes with a case and sharpener, which I will need to find one for this when the time comes. I tested it and it does glide on smooth and has staying power as it's not too creamy, but I hate that whole 'wooden pencil' smell while applying it. I haven't gotten good at anything other than powder blushes, I need a good blender sponge for when I want to try out different cheek options. The theory behind this line is "natural" and barely there look, which I can relate to.


Really amazing shipping speed considering it was standard as I ordered this on August 4th and it was shipped via USPS Priority mail and arrived promptly on August 7th. I've ordered from places where shipping is more than the $5.00 and they don't offer tracking like they do either.

Even though this product isn't the monthly subscription box, I am already won over by Birchbox. Some of these items I certainly did not NEED, but this is all about trying new things and seeing what will help me age gracefully instead of just getting old!

If you want to join Birchbox, please use my referral link here!

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