BoxyCharm Unboxing December 2014

I had been debating on joining a subscription box service because there are so many different ones out there and all of them with mixed reviews. So, I took my time and after reviewing and listening to other people's opinions, I decided that spending $21.00 a month for full and luxury sized beauty products would be my cup of tea. So, I joined BoxyCharm and received my first box last month.

Let me share with you my December BoxyCharm:

I was super excited about getting Coastal Scents "Revealed" palette, something that I had been wanting for a long time! It retails for $39.95, so I think already my BoxyCharm paid for itself (a few times over!) I have already played with this palette and have opinions about it, so stay tuned!

I am not a lash-girl and own only one other pair of lashes besides these that I received in my box. These look very beautiful, but I just never know where to wear fake eyelashes. I guess I must experiment with these soon! These Lina Lashes Luxury Mink Lashes retail for $30.00

This Mistura Beauty Solutions Retractable Beauty Brush retails for $19.99 and is so very soft on the face! This will be very good for taking on a trip, it is very travel friendly!

I have never heard of the brand, Be A Bombshell, so I was very excited to try their lip product since I am a lippie junkie! This full sized lip product retails for $14.00 and I have already tested this out and have a definite opinion on this, so you will be hearing about it soon!

This Eva NYC Texture Spray is a travel sized bottle, which is awesome because I am going to be traveling to NYC in May and hope to take this with me. First, I need to test this out a few times to see how this performs! From reading the card that explains the products, it seems this product could range anywhere between $7.00-$12.00, no doubt depending on size.

So, I am very excited and pleased with what I got in my BoxyCharm this month and can't wait to play with all of these new beauty goodies! Next time, when I get my box I will share what is inside sooner so you can decide if you would like to purchase that month's box yourself!

For all that I got inside my box, the $21.00 was well spent!





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Mally's Black Friday Surprise Goodie Bag 2014

I just wanted to share with you all what I received in the mail last week! I had been waiting for Mally Beauty's surprise goodie bag for a loooong time after I had ordered it, but it was well worth the wait! This was her Black Friday deal this year that included well over $100 worth of products inside for just $25! You know I had to snatch this beauty deal up!

Some of these products are new to me, so I am going to have such a good time playing around with them, and soon I will let you know what my thoughts are on these.

I truly hope that next year she also has a Black Friday deal like this going on, because it is such an amazing way to try her products for an unbelievable price. So, definitely keep your eyes open next November!




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Mally's Age Rebel Shadow Sticks

Today I am bringing you another Mally Beauty review, because I have found that this past year I have been highly pleased with her products. These three Age Rebel Shadow Sticks came in a kit that I purchased on mallybeauty.com that included a few other eyeliners, yet I cannot see this same kit on her website anymore. Individually these retail for $28.00 and come in six colors.

Let me share the colors I have with you!

I have the colors:

*Sugar- white-champagne with a frost finish
*Jade- golden olive green with a metallic finish
*Burnished Violet- taupe/lavender with a metallic finish

These are geared toward more mature eyelids and claim to rehydrate the skin and help to brighten the eyes to make them look more awake. I don't have mature eyelids myself this point in my life, but I was most interested in finding out if the claim that these are budge proof was true.

Let me start by saying that I have oily skin, which includes oily lids, so I always have to wear eyeshadow primer, even if products claim to be long wearing and budge proof. Yet, I always test out these products without primer just to see if any of these have the staying power to stand alone. When I have worn these on their own with no primer whatsoever, they surprised me by lasting a good six hours! After the six hour mark I did notice that some creasing was starting, but I think for my oily lids, it held up pretty well. With primer, this goes strong all day long!

The formula is so silky the product glides across the lids without tugging.When they claim that this is a hydrating formula, I can agree with it in the sense that this is very very smooth. Application is so effortless and the color is so pigmented that is makes applying it quick and easy; just blend it out! I would advise to blend it out quickly, because in a matter of less than a minute, this will set and will NOT move! Awesome, isn't it?!

The packaging is gorgeous! I love the light green shiny package because it looks so sleek and sophisticated. The cap clicks securely on the pencil so the product is well protected and safe from getting nicked. I also appreciate that this is a twist pencil and it can retract into itself when you place the cap back on.

Left to right: Sugar, Jade and Burnished Violet

Burnished Violet is my favorite of the three and looks beautiful on brown eyes! Jade is a wearable green because of the golden undertones that it has. I like using this as an eyeliner for the upper or lower lashes, also. Sugar is my least favorite and tends to skip when applied, despite its smooth application.

When I am in a rush in the morning all I have to do is apply this all over the lid and blend it out and I am good to go, because these look phenomenal on their own. There is no need to even think about it when applying these!

I definitely love these shadow sticks and can't wait to try the other three in this line!




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bareMinerals Ready Eyeshadow Duo In, "The Epiphany"

I got this great Bare Minerals set awhile back that included a whole bunch of their best selling products, so of course I just had to buy it so I could test out a few items! I was excited to try their Ready Eyeshadow Duo in the color palette, "The Epiphany" that includes the eyeshadows, "A-ha" and "Foreshadow". The full sized version of this same product retails for $20.00 and can be found at retail store like Ulta, Sephora and bareMinerals counters.

As you can see, this package is seriously small, it fits inside the palm of my hand. But, I assure you, despite the little package, you do get a lot of product! This is a great sample size with neutral colors that you can wear everyday, so you will get a lot of use out of this tiny little palette.

Left: A-ha
Right: Foreshadow

Left: A-ha
Right: Foreshadow

"A-ha" is such a beautiful champagne color with a frosted finish. It definitely brightens up the eyes when worn all over the lid. The color payoff on this eyeshadow is excellent, which is thanks to the velvety formula of this eyeshadow!

"Foreshadow" is a true deep dark brown with a matte finish. Even for a matte, this packs a punch of color as well! Some matte eyeshadows come off as chalky and hard, but not this matte formula; this is just as soft as the frosty finish of "A-ha".

The formulation of these eyeshadows is so soft and buttery, they blend effortlessly and beautifully onto the eyes. I was very impressed with the high pigmentation that these shadows offered, even for the matte eyeshadow. These eyeshadows are some of the most pleasurably soft shadows that I have ever touched and used, they truly have amazed me!

Overall, I am in love with these eyeshadows because the formula is amazing and the pigmentation is out of this world! I highly recommend that you give these a whirl!

Have you tried these before? What duos or palettes are your favorites?




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Elf's Studio Line Lip Exfoliator

It is winter and my lips get chapped, they get dry and flakey, which is no good for someone like me who loves wearing lip products! When it comes to exfoliating my lips I had used a homemade lip scrub that I had posted about a few years ago when I had first started blogging that you can find here if you are interested. I had got it from the beautiful Marlena from Makeup Geek! Consistently I have used this recipe because it certainly works and is cheaper than buying the high-end fancy lip scrubs that I have been very tempted to purchase several times in the recent past! Trust me, this recipe is tried and true, if you want to give it a whirl :)

Yet, I have been intrigued to test out Elf's Lip Exfoliator from their studio line and happened to shrug my shoulders at the $3.00 price tag when I was at my local Wal Mart one day and threw it into my cart. After having this for about two months now I thought I would share my thoughts about this with you!

Just so you know, this is CLEAR ;)

I must admit that for such cheap prices, Elf has some very sleek looking packaging that I just love! The lid clicks snuggly back into place so you don't ever have to worry about losing the top to this! I despise cruddy lose enclosing tops to any makeup product!

I took the before picture of this in anticipation of doing a review on it. You can see, it's even shaped like a lipstick, formed to glide onto your lips. I love how you can see the sugar inside the product, the whole stick looks so smooth and clean, it's dying to be used!

And this is what it look like after several uses! I just love how you can see the sugar breaking out of the product, because this is what really scrubs the dead skin off your lips!

I use this once a week, although sometimes I have used it twice a week depending on how dried out my lips have been. I don't ever suggest exfoliating more often than that because the skin on the lips is so delicate that once a week should be enough.

I swipe this bad boy across my lips until I feel enough product has been slathered on, and than I rub my lips together for a few seconds to really work the sugar into my lips. After that I take a cotton pad and get it damp so I can rub the sugar right off. I like to use straight up Vaseline after I exfoliate because nothing is as moisturizing as petroleum jelly!

My lips instantly feel smooth as butter!

The scent is not my favorite, because it smells like cheap brown sugar to me... and the taste (because you will taste this as you use it) is like cheap brown sugar. Comparing the taste to the homemade sugar/honey exfoliator I have used, the Elf exfoliator is not my favorite scent or taste.

BUT, it does deliver on its promise to remove dead skin and leave your lips feeling smooth and hydrated! Honestly, despite the scent and taste (please, don't eat this product!) I would use this again and repurchase this again because it will do the same job that any high-end lip exfoliator will do, but with a much more attractive price tag!

What are your thoughts on this?




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Mini Target Haul!

I love Target, but really, who doesn't, right?! Tonight my hubby and I went looking around at Target and I found some fun little things that I had to bring home with me. And the best part, they where ALL on clearance!

It's a small little haul, but still fun!

This is a very fuchsia wallet that is just tiny enough for a few credit cards inside and also a handy slot for you to place your phone! Originally it was $5.00 but I got it for $1.50! I was thinking that this would be great for when I am traveling so I do not have to carry around a bulky wallet.

I saw this Limited Edition Signature Soy candle in Warm Mulled Cider (which was not pictured in the haul pic above because I have it lit in my living room ) on clearance for $5.00, original price was $10.00! Since I am a candle fiend and really fell in love with this company's Pumpkin Cheesecake candle last month, I thought I would give this one a whirl. To me, it smells just like a cinnamon gummy bear! Yummy!

This is Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure nail polish in the color Gray-t Escape. Origionallyit retails for $6.49 but I got it for $3.24. It is a light grey-pink color and very neutral. I really like it and am wearing it right now, but I think this one is a three-coater polish, because it applied kinda streaky. I will let you all know my thoughts on this soon.

This is what I was most excited about! A Marc Jacobs four-piece fragrance set on clearance for $22.48, which was a steal since it was $44.99 before! I had to get this because I adore the Honey fragrance and thought that I would gift the other three to my mom while I keep Honey for myself. This set includes the two different Daisy fragrances, Dot and Honey. These are all .13oz, and come in their cute bottles!

How fun! Have you guys picked up any exciting and fun clearance items lately? Let me know what treasures you found!



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Mally High-Shine Liquid Lipstick Pens

Lipgloss is one of those products that I fall for every single time, and Mally Beauty's High-Shine Liquid Lipsticks are no exception! This lipgloss is one of Mally's best sellers and retail for $20.00. They come in 31 different colors to chose from, so there is a color that will suit everybody's likes.

The colors I have are:

Raspberry- Deep rose pink with fine shimmer

Peach Sorbet- Peachy pink with a creme finish

Blossom- Light mauve with fine shimmer with a metallic finish (metallic in my opinion)

Punch- Deep pink with a creme finish

Gorgelina- Baby pink with shimmer*

Starburst- Baby pink with shimmer*
*There is absolutely no difference in color or finish between Gorgelina and Starburst

On Mally's website the claim of this product is that this is a 4-in-1 product because this formula acts as your lip primer, lipstick, lipgloss and lip liner all in one. Now, that is a mighty heavy claim, so I thought since I have six of these colors and have used these for well over a year now that  I would share my thoughts with you.

Lip Primer: A primer is supposed to let the product you are applying over it last for a considerably long time, so I have a few issues with this claim. Naturally, because this is a glossy product the gloss will wear off over time as will the color intensity. But, after a few hours the stickiness of this formula is still left on the lips. The stickiness is what helps the product last, but just don't expect your lips to look like they did when you first applied it.

Lipstick: A lipstick is full of pigmentation, and I expect intense pigmentation from a lipstick, so with this particular claim, I am on the fence with, because while it does pack a pretty punch of color, it is not opaque like a lipstick. The product comes off more subtle like a gloss does, not a lipstick. 

Lipgloss: Of course this is glossy! It leaves a beautiful shine of color on the lips! Enough said!

Lip Liner: Now this left me a touch confused, because to me a lip liner defines the lips, and to me this does not perform like a liner should. But, I never expect a lipgloss to define my lips and this product does not line and define like pencil liner would, yet, at the same time, it does not travel outside the lines of the lips. Still, this claim it makes I cannot agree with.

The brush applicator I enjoy more than I thought I would. This is a twist up product and the gloss comes out of the brush tip. It is a (originally) white plastic brush and glides the gloss across the lips very precisely. Even though it is a plastic tipped brush, it does not leave the gloss streaky on the lips. 

Overall, the formula, while it has a subtle stickiness to it (which I feel helps it last), is more creamy and wears comfortably on the lips. When applying it,  I caution you that a little bit goes a very long way! Use this sparingly, because if you apply too much it will look goopy. So, start with a  dab, because that is enough for this product to do its job gorgeously!

If you are not a fan of sparkles in your lipgloss, you are not alone, because neither am I! But the sparkles in Mally's lipgloss are more of a extremely fine shimmer that I believe helps to make the gloss appear more shiny on the lips. There are no chunky glitters in this gloss! 

If you want your lips too have the color and glossiness that it had the first time you applied it, you will have to reapply this after eating and drinking, because it will wear off some. But, for me that is no big deal. 

There is a subtle scent to this product that I can't quite place. It's not strong and overwhelming; it is more of a faintly sweet scent. After wearing it for a few minutes you can't smell it, so it does not bother me. But, than again, I like my lipgloss to have a sweet scent, so I like it!

On to the swatches!

Left to right:
Blossom, Starburst, Peach Sorbet, Raspberry, Gorgelina, Punch

Blossom

Starburst

Peach Sorbet

Raspberry

Gorgelina

Punch

If you want to try a beautiful high end lipgloss, I highly reccomend that you give Mally's High-Shine Liquid Lipstick Pens a try. Personally, I really enjoy this lipgloss, which is why I have collected six of them over time and am looking forward to adding more to my collection! 

If you have tried this product, let me know which colors are your favorites so I can give them a try! 

Have A Great Day!