January Birchbox!

I got my January Birchbox today! I'm really glad shipping wasn't an issue with this month's box, as I would have cancelled. I'm actually excited about the products in this box!

• Juicy Couture perfume: This smells quite amazing. It is fruity and floraly, but just enough to pleasant and not enough to smell like an old lady.
• Stila Smudge Stick Waterproof Eye Liner in Purple Tang YAYAYAYAYAY! I am so excited about this as I don't have any Stila liners (that I can remember, anyway) and I am just starting to use eyeliner more regularly. Purple Tang is a nice, dark purple with what appears to be pink sparkles. I LOVE SPARKLES. This is a full size item, which by itself made this box worth double what the box cost!
• 'wichcraft Granola I really do like granola (especially in yogurt!) and I am planning to throw this in my lunch bag and eat it tomorrow as part of my lunch between classes.
• BORGHESE CuraForte Moisture Intensifier I have never heard of anything like this. This product isn't a moisturizer, but something you put on (or in) your moisturizer to make it work better. This should be interesting.
• C.O. Bigelow Lavender & Peppermint Shampoo and Conditioner This smells very herbaly, which I don't normally go for. There is enough for a few uses in each of these jars, which is nice. 

There is also a Birchbox magnet, which I will stick on my roommate's fridge, like I do with all my random magnets.

Review: Yes To Blueberries Age Refresh Facial Cleansing Towelettes

I picked these up at Target a while ago as a Christmas gift, but they didn't fit in the box so I just put a few smaller things in and kept these for myself. Now, I've tried Yes to Cucumbers towelettes and I liked them. They weren't the best for removing makeup but I am learning that I am probably expecting way too much.

I was expecting a blueberry scent, but these were just musty apple scented :( They did an okay job of removing makeup and even got a little bit of my waterproof mascara off, but the smell isn't worth it. The cucumber ones smell much better and are just as effective. I definitely wouldn't repurchase these, especially since they are on the drier side of towelettes and have no texture on them, which I happen to like. They are a little pricey, too, as I got 8 for $1.99 when I could have gotten Pond's towelettes for much less.

Take that, Glowla!

So, I recently decided that my Her Name Was Glowla boxed set was too big for just the blush and eye shadow tray it contained, so I gently pried out the little pan of blush and the eye shadow. For a while I was just keeping them in a little Murad baggie I got in a sample bag, seen below. This was not convenient or safe for the eye shadows, as I almost dropped them basically every time I used them, and since they are all in the same pan it would be hard to repress them.

So, I saw the ELF Compact. It was the right size and the right price. I read somewhere (I would give credit if I could remember where--if you think you know where I read it, let me know in the comments so I can give credit where credit is due!!) that the center plastic part pops out easily, leaving the entire compact open. I simply took out the metal piece that was no longer held in my the plastic insert, and super glued those babies in. I also considered using double sided tape, but I realized I didn't have any at my house. 

They fit perfectly, leaving an extra bit in case I find something that fits in there. The compact is quite nice and opens without the popping some cheaper compacts can have. I am just so happy that I found this compact for a dollar and that my precious Benefit stuff fit inside of it. I believe these were my first higher end products and although the lip gloss, mascara and high lighters also included have since died, I love these eye shadows and the Coralista blush. 

I realize that by super gluing them in, I can't reuse the compact, but for only a buck, I don't mind, especially since it is protecting an eye shadow combination that apparently isn't available at Sephora, Ulta or the Benefit website. 

Just wanted to let you guys know easy and cheap it is to reconfigure some of the obnoxiously large boxed sets.

  

Review: NYC New York Color Liquid Lipshine in Nude York City

This is another product I received in my Holiday VoxBox from Influenster. I don't wear a lot of lip products, even though I own quite a few.
NYC is not a new brand to me. I have been using their products off and on since elementary school, when my best friend and I discovered their Roll-On Lip Gloss (which they still sell!!) and its shiny deliciousness. We probably ended up eating half of those tubes because it tasted so good. Their products are inexpensive, but not cheap. That's what I really like about this brand. I have loved basically everything I have tried from them, and I didn't break the bank doing so.
Influenster sent me NYC New York Color Liquid Lipshine in Nude York City. This gloss is amazing. I like it WAY better than the Philosophy gloss I spend ten dollars on (and regret...) and it retails for less than three bucks. There is no stickiness, there is no gross tell-tale "I'm a cheap lip gloss" smell, there is no embarassingly tween-ish package. While the wear time is a little low (an hour or two), they flexible doe-foot applicator is easy to use without a mirror.

Right: Sunlight Left: Indoors with Flash  

This shade looks rather orange on my inner wrist, but on my lips (and, I imagine, a wide variety of other skin tones) is the perfect my-lips-but-better shade. It is shimmery but does not leave a weird glittery film when the gloss part wears away.

For less than three dollars, you really can't go wrong. There are ten other shades if you don't like this particular one, but the formula is amazing! I definitely recommend it to anyone who doesn't mind reapplying their gloss every few hours.

This gloss is available at Walmart, Target and a variety of drugstores. For more information on this gloss and NYC's other products, NYC New York Color's site is the best place to go. They even list the MSRP so you know about how much you're going to pay in stores. Influenster also has a product page with information and reviews.

Disclosure: I received this product at no charge for testing purposes from Influenster's Holiday VoxBox. These opinions are my own.

December Birchbox! (finally!)

I finally got my December Birchbox today. I have been waiting for almost three weeks now. They did send out a "sorry Streamlite messed up, here's 100 Birchbox points" email, which I definitely appreciated. On to the products!

• Befine Gentle Cleanser with Sugar, Mint, Oats and Rice: This smells very natural-minty and oaty. It is paraben free and the entire brand seems to believe in the "natural is better" philosophy. The consistency is VERY liquidy. I'm not quite sure how this will work for me, but I will definitely be trying this soon.
• L'Oréal Professionnel Mythic Oil: This was hard as hell to open but you apparently need only a few drops. I have a hard time using the correct amount with oils, so we'll see how this goes.
• EBoost Orange Natural Energy Booster: It's like Emergen-C but expensive? I actually really like the pink Emergen-C, so we'll see if this beats it in the flavor/texture department. I doubt I would every buy this though, since you only get 20 packets for $28, while you get 30 packets of Emergen-C for around $10. 
• Harvey Prince Yogini perfume: They finally stepped it up a notch and included a perfume sample with a spray bottle. I am so tired of perfume samples that you have to pour out instead of spray. This smells like expensive perfume-there, but not headache-inducing. 
• ShowStoppers Designer Fashion Tape: I don't really have any use for these, as none of my clothes have much potential to malfunction/accidentally show my goods. In any case, I really wish I had gotten the nude strips so I could use them with the one dress that needs a little help sometimes, which happens to be almost see through (I have to wear nude undies/bras with it).
• Jouer Moisturizing Lip Gloss in Birchbox Pink: I really like the treatment that was included in a previous Birchbox, but I am less impressed with this sample. It smells like cheap lip gloss and it doesn't feel as nice as the lip treatment. 

December Empties!

Happy New Year to everyone!! For December's empties, I'm not doing such long reviews on each item, as I was mostly babbling. I am thinking of doing a mid-month favorites post where I pick a few things and post about them with a paragraph or so about each of them in the middle of the month. Like other blogger's monthly favorites, but shifted two weeks so the post would be on the 15th or so every month. :P If you would like more info on a specific product, please comment or email me :)

Slatkin & Co. Strawberry Patch Candle
Slatkin & Co. Spiced Cider Mini Candle
Huggies Baby Wipes I use these to clean my hands while I do my makeup so I don't smear everything everywhere.
Herbal Essences None of Your Frizziness Shampoo
Dove Ultimate Go Fresh Pomegranate Deodorant Sample
Pond's Evening Soothe Makeup Wipes
Mario Badescu Special Cucumber Lotion
Mario Badescu Ceramide Eye Gel
Mariod Badescu Aloe Moisturizer
Aletier Cologne Vanilla Intensee perfume sample
Pangea Organics Matcha Tea Mask
CVS Oil Free Makeup Remover
BBW Studly Apple PocketBac
Slatkin & Co. Vanilla Verbena candle

Bath and Body Works Secret Wonderland Triple Moisture Shower Cream
Clean and Clear Fruit Infusions Reviving Cleanser
Satin Care Sensitive Skin Shave Gel (last one!)
Garnier Fructis Pure Clean Fortifying Conditioner
L'Occitane Reparing Shampoo
Bath and Body Works i<3u mom Sweet Petals PocketBac

Secret Scent Expressions Coco Butter Kiss deodorant trial size
Pantene Fine shampoo/conditioner travel size
Slatkin and Co. Leaves mini candle
Curve Crush perfume sample
Clean Warm Cotton perfume sample (smelled like Tide but didn't last on me :( )
Mario Badescu Seaweed Night Cream

I've used quite a few samples this month:
-Dove shampoo/conditioner
-Aveeno Living Color shampoo/conditioner
-DERMAdoctor Wrinkle Revenge
-Ole Henrikson Invigorating Night Gel
-Ole Henrikson Truth Serum Collagen Booster
-Origins Plantscription anti-aging eye treatment
-Kate Somerville ExfoliKate (love that name!)
-Ole Henrikson Sheer Transformation
-Josie Maran Argan Oil
-Lancome La Base Pro x2
-Montagne Jeunesse Strawberry Souffle Mask
-The Body Shop Shea Body Butter
-Kirkland Body Lotion
-Sephora Super Supreme body butter (this was perhaps my favorite sample out of all of them)