ColourPop Haul #2

Fall Collection

I love fall. I think we covered this in our last post, but it's ok. It's finally cooling down here in Ohio, and leaves are falling, and I'm just too happy for life. Then there's all the wonderful fall makeup. Vampy lips, smokey eyes, pale skin. It's all my favorite.
This post is long awaited. Long, long awaited. In my last ColourPop order, I bought 2 matte lippie stix, 4 eye shadows, and a highlighter. As I mentioned in the last haul, I'm just really impressed with the quality of these products when they're so affordable. The major drawback (to me) is that they're online only. I wish they were sold in stores, so I could swatch and see what I like. Luckily, I haven't disliked anything yet!

 Swatches

All swatches are one good swipe on an unprimed arm. 

Swatches in action

Below, I'm using I Spy on the center of the lid, and some of the red is Central Perk. I did blend in some of the red from the Coastal Scent's Revealed 2 palette in the darker parts. I Spy, in my opinion, applies better using your finger tip. It has a very creamy texture, but it's not a cream. Does that make sense? I love the colors here and think they're perfect for fall. If you follow my IG, you might have seen that I'm slightly obsessed with red shadows. I literally swatch every single one I see in stores. While Central Perk isn't super pigmented, I really like it as a transition for some of my more pigmented, darker reds, like the one in the Revealed 2 palette.

The lip color below is Nevermind. It's really a nice dark plum-y red. I dabbed a bit of the highlighter, Stole the Show, in the center of my lips to give it a bit more dimension! This is one of those that is the reason I wish ColourPop was sold in stores. While I really like the color, it's just so dark and I'm struggling to find a time to wear it. In all honesty, I could wear it with any neutral eye look, I'm just scared of the intensity. This is wayyy darker than my typical vamp shades, and I've just recently gotten into the purple lippies! This one is a burgundy-purple. Really pretty, but really dark.

Ignoring my ears (we went to a Renaissance Festival), I smoked out Plaid on my eyes and dabbed the highlighter, Stole the Show, in the center of my lids, and I have Grunge on my lips. Literally the perfect lip color for fall. I think I've worn Grunge every time I've worn lipstick in the past month. I can't get enough of it.
I'm really liking Plaid for an all-over smoky look. It's a good change from the typical black smoky eye. The color is what I think of when I think of traditional green plaid, and I love it!
Stole the Show has more glitter in it that Lunch Money does. If you're unaware, Lunch Money is the highlighter I bought in my last haul, which is a shimmery champagne. This one is white. Like, white, white. And glittery. Not sure how I feel about it as an actual highlighter, but I will certainly use it to dab on the middle of my lids or lips!

Everything in this haul if from their fall collection, and I'm in love. No complaints about anything, and I'm seriously contemplating ordering another Grunge so I don't run out anytime soon!

Ipsy Bag Review

September 2015

So, I recently switched from Birchbox to Ipsy. It had nothing to do with me being unhappy with the service. I was just starting to get some duplicates, and I wasn't really enjoying what I was receiving anymore! I definitely could have changed up my beauty profile, but the allure of getting something new was too much. So, I switched to Ipsy. I noticed they had more of the popular high-end brands, like Tarte, Too Faced, etc, which I liked. So, here we are...

This month, I got the Nyx shadow trio, argan oil, hand cream, brow gel, and a matte lip pencil!

Shadow Trio

ipsy x Nyx Shadow Trio: The black is matte, while the cream and brown shades are shimmery. Swatching this with my finger to my arm, I was certainly not impressed. The shades were not pigmented whatsoever. However, once I was using my brushes, some primer, and my lid, they showed up quite a bit better. Still not ridiculously pigmented, but it's definitely a nice little palette for fall.

Matte Lip Crayon

 tre'StiQue Matte Lip Crayon: Below, I have on the matte lip pencil and, obviously, the shadow. The lip color didn't really work for my skin tone. In person, it's a bit more peach, and I'm just not a fan. It didn't help that I had chapped up lips. Real cute!

Argan Oil

Octavio Molina Hair Argan Oil: I love argan oil. I'm that girl that takes a good hour doing her makeup, then typically doesn't even brush her hair. To be fair, doing makeup is almost therapeutic for me. I'm too lazy, and basically over it by the time I get to my hair. However, I have really long hair that I don't like cutting. Argan oil definitely helps my fried, crispy ends! This one doesn't smell nearly as good as some of my other ones, but it performs just as well!

Tinted Brow Gel

Elizabeth Mott Queen of the Fill Tinted Brow Gel: I really wasn't expecting to like this much, and I think I'm still up in the air about it. It only comes in two colors, either a blonde or brown. The blonde is a good color to tone down my slightly-darker-than-they-should-be brows, so that's a plus. I'm just used to my Dip Brow, so maybe I'm just biased. Anyone with black brows won't be able to use this, though, as it doesn't come in black!

Ultra Repair Cream

First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream: If you're looking for something that smells pleasant, keep on looking. It's not that this stinks, but it sort of smells like baby cream. Like, baby butt cream, ya know what I'm talking about? But, I mean, if you're in need of some intense moisture and you don't mind the smell, go for it! It's extremely moisturizing. It took a while for it to absorb fully into the skin, but eventually it did. It wasn't too oily while it was absorbing, so that's a plus!

Sorry this is pretty short and lacking more photos!

What did you guys get in your bags or Birchboxes!? Let me know in the comments below!

ColourPop Haul #1

*Heart Eyes Emoji*

Have you ever bought something thinking, "this is going to look awful on me," but you just had to know? I can't tell you how many times I've done that. Especially when something is only online, and I can't swatch it. This also makes me just ridiculously nervous. Which is why I just now got around to trying out ColourPop products. 

Where have I been?!

If you haven't heard of them, let me give you a little run down. The site, ColourPop, offers a variety of products from liquid lipsticks, normal lipsticks and lip pencils to eye shadows, blushes, and highlights. All for under $8. No, that's not a typo. So, we're calling this "Haul #1" because I just got done ordering 7 more items from their fall line. Stay tuned for that.

Swatches

So, let's talk about these shadows for a minute. These are only $5, and they're quite pigmented and really good quality for that price! Envy comes out as a gray with purple glitter. I'll most likely be using these over black. Already have, and it looks wonderful! If you look at the photo two down, you can see how Envy looks in the pot.  I'll certainly be using Chipper as either an inner corner highlight or lid color. And, basically, Effect will pair really nice with Chipper, so that's exciting! Yay, coordination!

All the swatches are one good circle around the pot.

That highlighter. Guys, it is so buttery and creamy and just so soft. Like, so soft. It certainly has a more champaign tone. In the order I just did, I'm getting what looks like a pure white one. For the summer, this champaign highlight was perfect with my skin tone, but it's time to get pale! 

Orders come with personalized notes! There's nothing I love more than personalization. I'm sure they get tons of orders, and to write each person a note is just really cool. 

Liquid Lipsticks

Truth be told, I've been eyeing Anastasia's liquid lipsticks. I just haven't gotten around to buying one yet. These are only $6! Crazy!! They certainly stayed on for longer than 8 hours, and didn't budge. There was a small amount of feathering by the time I took them off, but nothing to get upset about. They are extremely drying, so moisturize those lips before you put them on!

Zipper

This is what I ordered and thought I'd look awful in! But, I feel like it certainly fits my more grungey side, and I love it.

Tulle

The bottle is certainly a bit deceiving. I feel like when it's applied, it's much darker than it looks, but I'm 100% ok with that. It's definitely a red with an almost brown undertone.

If you can't tell, I'm very pleased with the items I got from ColourPop. I'll definitely be getting some more liquid lipsticks sometime soon! 

Leave me some recommendations in the comments below if you have a favorite!

Anastasia Beverly Hills

Shadow Couture Palette Review

Hello, there! It's been a bit since we've spoken! We (the boyfriend and I) had a few personal things going on, and I needed to direct my attention to that. However, I'm certainly back, as I've been buying makeup like a madwoman.

I recently, on my lunch break, picked up this gorgeous palette. Ulta is literally too close for my wallet's safety. I was really close to becoming a platinum member, so clearly, I needed to get something. Right?! Isn't that how that works?

So, I picked up this palette, and I love it. It has some great shades, and a combination of matte and shimmer shades. Some of the shimmers are actually more like glittery, but I'm ok with it. When you spray your brush with a finishing spray, it looks so so pretty!

Swatches

 Here are some swatches of the palette. The shades match up with the palette. These are so pigmented. I do have a primer on my arm, but that's really just because I'm so pale, and I wanted the lighter shades to actually show up. Besides being extremely pigmented, they also have amazing stay power. My shadow didn't crease at all, not one bit. Let's be gross for a minute, I didn't take my eye makeup off before I went to bed, and guess what? I woke up with perfect makeup. The shadows had faded a bit, but they were still clearly there.

Let's be real here, Anastasia never disappoints.

In the picture below, I'm using Morocco and Fudge in the crease, Bellini and Chic on the lid.

I haven't been bold enough to use Azul yet, but I'm really excited to get into it and get out of my comfort zone. Definitely recommend this palette if you're looking for something new with fun colors! For $30, it is certainly worth it.

I'm debating on whether or not I want to start a YouTube channel. Would anyone even care if I did?! I don't think I have much of a "following."

Let me know in the comments below. (:

Tarte Energy Noir Palette

True Life: I'm Obsessed with Fall Makeup

Seriously, though, I'm obsessed with fall everything. 

Oxblood, flannels, vampy lips, vampy eyes, porcelain skin, combat boots, black skinny jeans, crunchy leaves, cool breeze... Need I continue? Have I gotten it across that I live for fall?

Tarte's new fall palette is this gorgeous Energy Noir clay palette. Take a deep breath, because I'm about to gush about how perfect it is. Preface: I love Tarte.

Let's get some swatches in here.

Look. At. Those. They're so pretty. Look how well that highlighter goes with the blush! *sigh*

Ok, so let's break this palette down. The top left six shades are all eye shadows. 4 matte shades and 2 shimmer shades. The bottom 2 left rectangles are shadow liners. Obviously, the large one is the blush, and the rectangle under that is the highlight.

Shadows

The shadows are really pretty. In the matte shades, there's a white, a nice grayish shade, a deep brown, and a lilac mauve. All these shades are highly pigmented and really true to color. I think I've used 3 of these shadows in a look already, and they are so easy to blend. If you've used the Tartelette matte palette, these mattes are to par with those. They're wonderful.

The two shimmers are in the center, and I'm in love with them. Charged Up has different hints when you're in different lighting. It looks like a nice gray shimmer, but in the swatch it almost looks like a taupe-y nude. Up to Slate does the same thing. It's a silvery purple shimmer. Both of these are so creamy and so easy to blend into the mattes.

I personally don't feel like they have any more fall out than other shadows.  They just go so well together, and I can't handle it.

Liners

These are also matte, clearly. I actually haven't used them as liners. I've blended that Power Plum into my outer corner, though, and it's wonderful. They do feel a little drier than the shadows, so I think if you wet an angled brush, they'd make a perfect subtle or deeper liner. Definitely something you could build on. 

Blush

This blush is gorgeous. Gorgeous. It's so, so highly pigmented. You only need a tiny bit to get it done. I feel like it has a hint of mauve in it, which is perfect for fall.

Highlighter

I've only recently become a highlighter fan. Like, really recent. Maybe 2 months ago. This one is more on the champagne side, and it just compliments the blush perfectly. I currently have a tan (ugh!), but once I get back to my lighter tone, I think it'll look perfect. As I'm just starting to like highlighting my face, I'm not on board with "strobing." BUT I bet this shade would be great for it this summer, because it's really pigmented, creamy, and just really bright when applied.

Unfiltered photos of me using the palette.

All over the lid and up to the brow bone: Stone Unturned

Transition shade: Misty Mauve

Inner and outer corner: Dark Drive & Power Plum

Center of the lid: Charged Up

Blush on the cheeks.

The palette is currently for sale online, at Ulta, Sephora, and Tarte (obviously). It's supposed to be hitting shelves on the 23rd, this Thursday.

What are you ladies thinking? Anyone going to pick it up?!

Makeup Haul

Ulta, Nordstrom Rack, and BirchBox

*Credit to the boyfriend for finding the perfect meme.

Ulta

Nyx Pristmatic Eye Shadow in Frostbite. This is my second of these shadows, and I just love it. It's this iridescent purple-y white. Ugh. The texture of this shadow is ridiculously silky. If you're ever perusing Ulta, touch them. They have crazy high pigment. I also have it in the shade Mermaid, but that has more of the shimmer/glitter texture. Not mad, because the color is gorgeous.

In the picture below, I have it on top of the next product.

Nyx Jumbo Eye Pencil in Lavender and Rust. So, the lavender is just that. A super soft purple that I bought solely because it brought out the purple tones in the Frostbite shadow. I seriously love the two together! I also bought the rust to go under a shadow as well. I've been loving red shadows. Is it fall yet? The pencils blend out really nicely, and they come in so many shades. My only problem is sharpening them. I've watched the little hacks, but I've yet to successfully sharpen it.

Left to right swatches: Lavender jumbo pencil, Rust jumbo pencil, Frostbite shadow from above.

Nyx Soft Matte Lip Cream in Transylvania. I wish I could convey how much I love a dark lip.  Like, a dark lip in fall with porcelain skin is my perfect look. I now have two of these, because I thought I lost the original that I scoured the Earth for. Literally, it was sold out for months. I also can't tell you how much I love these matte lip creams. I'm not a fan of glossy lips, so these are perfect. They last a good amount of time, but they're also easy to tuck in your purse and touch up when you need to.  So, Transylvania is a deep red with some purple undertones. It's actual perfection.
Here it is in all of it's glory:

Nordstrom Rack

Stila Coming Clean Revitalizing Gel Cleanser. Anyone else think of Hilary Duff's "Coming Clean" song? No... just me? There was a time when I got the Stila Face the Day moisturizer, and I was in love with it. Really liked it. So when I was browsing the make up at Nordstrom Rack, I saw this and just grabbed it. Let me just say that since I've starting using this, Tea Tree Water and 9 to 5 from LUSH, my skin has actually been looking clearer. Way less breakouts, guys, and that's important!


Urban Decay 24/7 Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner in Revolver. So, this one, I just took a gamble on. It's a gunmetal color, which I love. However, it does have a metallic finish. I'm so-so on that so far. I've only tried it on a darker shadow look (you'll see below), but I think it would look way better on a lighter look. It definitely doesn't budge, though!

BirchBox

Leaving the best for last, because I got so many great things. *insert heart eyeballs emoji here*

Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Kit in Light to Medium. I've been itching to get a contour kit for quite some time now, and I'm so glad I held out for it. The colors blend nicely, and they aren't too, too orange for a pale girl. I come across that a lot, and no thanks to the orange skin! I'm just overall really happy that I can do a more natural contour or a more dramatic one depending on how I'm feeling.

Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade in Taupe. Here's another product I just had to have. Basically everybody on YouTube uses this, and it always looks so flawless. Not only can you make your brows look really natural, but it also holds your them down and in place. I learned really quick that you only need the tiniest amount to get the whole brow done. It looked like a took a taupe sharpie to my face the first time. Not cute.

Coastal Scents Revealed 2 palette. This is the baby of the haul. I'm just so happy with it. Originally, I bought this for that deep red color in the bottom row. (4th in from the right) However, upon swatching, I'm literally in love with this palette. It's going to be a staple for fall, for sure. Tons of mauves, reds, browns, and golds. 

Here is that gorgeous red in action. Seriously, can you handle it? I can't. I've also got on the Urban Decay liner and contour palette, because it was all new, and I just had to play with it all!

What are some of your favorite recent purchases?!

My Current Beauty Favorites

Batiste Dry Shampoo

Dry shampoo is a necessity for me, unless I feel like washing my hair every night. (Which I don't) Basically, my head is a grease pot on the 24-hour dot. It's real cute. I've tried quite a few dry shampoos and this is by far the best I've tried.  Currently, I have (L to R) Refresh, Original, and Wild. I usually have a bunch of the Wild scent, but they always seem to run low on that at Ulta, so I trapped the other 2. Totally in love with Refresh now.

LUSH 9 to 5 and Tea Tree Water 

I love tea tree oil. We've definitely discussed the benefits here.  My skin is mostly oily and has occasional breakouts, mostly when I'm stressing out. Typically, when I wake up in the morning, I've got a nice sheen of oil on my face. Since I've started spritzing with tea tree oil at night and moisturizing with 9 to 5, that's not the case. At night, after I shower and wash my face, I spritz my face with like, 3 to 4 pumps of the Tea Tree Water and massage it in with my hands. Then I rub in a small amount of the 9 to 5 moisturizer. Guys, a little goes a loooong way. It literally melts into your skin without leaving any residue. My skin is ridiculously soft afterwards. Another plus is that it isn't extremely fragrant.

Tarte Amazonian Clay Foundation

I'd been wanting to try this foundation for quite some time when I bought it, and I'm happy to say, it doesn't disappoint. I'm currently using this in the shade Fair Sand. As would be expected from a clay foundation, it has a matte finish, and they have a pretty wide color selection, in my opinion. I typically wear this on the weekends, as like, my special foundation. Mostly due to the price. It stays really well throughout the day, and I typically only have to blot my face once. 

NYX Photo-Loving Primer

Anyone else have some blotchy, red skin, or just naturally rosy cheeks? If so, you need to try a green primer under your foundation. This stuff works wonders. I will say it's a little oily, so you need to make sure to shake it well before applying. But after applied, it doesn't make my skin any more oily than normal. And it helps give me that porcelain look I love. *insert sassy emoji here*

NYX Voluptuous Mascara

More life problems? I have hooded eye. If you're a hooded eye gal, you understand the struggles of opening your eyes after applying mascara or liquid liner. I actually love this NYX mascara so much that I have an extra in my drawer all the time. It has a drier formula, so I don't have to worry about it leaving cute little polka dots on my brow bone if I open my eyes. It also gives my lashes a ton of volume. I usually start with this, then do a second layer with a lengthening mascara. Seriously, I swear by this stuff. If you have any other drier formula mascara's, leave it in the comments! I'm always looking for new mascaras.

Benefit Hoola Bronzer and Cargo Water Resistant Blush

These are both products I discovered through my Birchbox subscription.  A few tries of each of them, and I was totally hooked. So, the Cargo blush is water proof. I can definitely attest to that, since I go straight from work to the gym, and my blush is still right where I put it. I'm using the color Bali. It's just this nice peachy-pink, and I adore it. The Hoola bronzer I use almost daily for my contour. Since I have pretty pale skin, I don't need a super deep bronzer or contour shade. This one is on the lighter end, although, it does have the bronzer quality of being slightly orange. But, it could definitely just look orange against my skin.

Lippies you'll find in my purse:

I have to make a confession. I'm addicted to lipstick. It's a real problem. Not for me, for my boyfriend. It takes me forever when I'm perusing Ulta for new stuff. I'm always drawn to lipsticks, but then I just stand there and stare at them because I can't remember what I have at home. So, these are the ones in my purse alone. I typically go with a more neutral shade during the week, because I'm at work, and it just seems weird to walk in with red lipstick on. To sit in a cubicle. So, let's do this thing from left to right.

Too Faced Melted in Fig. It's this awesome dusty rose color, and it's not too glossy.

NARS Satin Lip Pencil in Rikugien. It's another rose pink color. I like wearing this under the two NYX lip creams coming up.

Smashbox Be Legendary Lipstick in Pretty Social. This one is a lighter, almost sheer, lavender pink. Again, I wear this under a matte cream.

NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in London. This is a darker neutral color. I can basically lightly layer this over any color, and I just love the outcome. I'm not into glossy finishes, if you can't tell.

NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Cairo. This one is a lighter, brighter, peachy neutral. I wear this a lot during the week over the NARS.

NYX High Voltage Lipstick in Flawless. Super pigmented neutral that kind of falls between the two matte creams in color. I wish this line was matte, because they are amazingly pigmented and have some great colors. Again, I just dab a matte cream over it, and I'm good to go.

If you have any favorites that you swear by,  please comment below. I'm so indecisive when I walk into Ulta or Sephora, so something to go off would be great! (; 

Tea Tree Oil

Apothecary Extracts 100% Pure Australian Tea Tree Oil

What is tea tree oil?

Guys. I love tea tree oil. It's an essential oil that serves as an antibacterial, antimicrobial, antiseptic, antiviral, fungicide, insecticide, and stimulant. Among many other things. It's an oil that is extracted from the stems and leaves of the tea tree that is native to Australia. They've been using it forever, and now it's spread to the rest of the world!

Basically, as an antibacterial, tea tree oil is absolutely wonderful as part of your skin care regimen. It's also wonderful for your hair! If you massage it into your scalp, in diluted amounts, it helps keep your hair moisturized, reduces that amount of dandruff, and reduces the chance of premature hair loss. Who can beat that from an all natural product? If you do a simple google search, you will see the massive amounts of benefits you can get from this product.

So what's better about this one versus the plethora of others on the market? For me personally, the label. I just love the label. It's cute. But on a serious note, this bottle makes it really easy to add just the right amount of drops into the recipe of your choosing. Speaking of recipes, it comes with an ebook that features 50+ recipes for the use of tea tree oil in various situations. Hair, skin, household cleaning. Everything. As for me, I love putting this in a toner, and they have a great recipe for that! The product is high quality, and that's what you need with something you're going to be putting on your face and hair. 

Interested now?

Check it out on Amazon!
Or hit up their website:

http://www.apothecaryextracts.com/

Have you tried tea tree oil?! What's your favorite use of this essential oil!?

This post is sponsored by Brandbacker, but I wouldn't give false good reviews to my lovely readers. 

Birchbox Review - September 2014

Hoooray!

I think I've mentioned this before, but I love when my BirchBox comes! It's like a little present every month. To myself. (: That's ok with me. I absolutely love the new option to choose one of the items in your box. I'm glad we can kind of customize it! Plus, this month's box is adorable!

If you are unaware, Birchbox is a monthly makeup subscription. It's great if you're into discovering new, high-end products, without just jumping off the deep end and buying it. I've found so many new brands and products that I love. The subscription is $10/month in the US, shipping included.

Here's what I received this month:

Acure Organics Day Cream Gotu Kola Stem Cell + 1% CGF ($18.99 for 1.75 oz.)
Sample Size: 1 fl. oz.
Value: $10.85
This was my favorite product out of the box! Although this day cream is a little thick, I love it. It makes me so happy to find vegan products that I love. When I used this, it absorbed into the skin, and it didn't leave me oily throughout the day, like I'm used to. However, it is a good idea to set your face with a matte powder after applying this and your foundation!

TEMPTU S/B Highlighter ($27.50 for 1 oz.)
Sample Size: 0.1 fl. oz.
Value: $2.75
I have fairly pale skin. Typically, I make it a little more pale than it is, but I just love the vintage porcelain skin. This only comes in champagne, which is alright if you aren't really pale or you're wearing blush. I actually really like it when I'm wearing blush, because it blends in really nicely. But if I'm not wearing blush,  you can just see a little patch of shimmery peach on my cheekbone, and I'm not a fan of that. Plus, it's almost like glitter when it's in the sun. I think I'm just being picky, though.

Davines OI / Shampoo ($27 for 280 ml)
Sample Size: 12 ml
Value: $1.16

My hair has been on a strict sulfate-free, cleansing conditioner diet. But, I gave it up for a couple days to try this out! Surprisingly, it didn't lather, which is something associated with typical, sulfate shampoos. It did a great job of cleaning my hair, and, when used with the conditioner, my hair was so silky soft. However, I wasn't able to go more than a day without washing it, which is why I've moved away from sulfate shampoos!

Davines OI / Conditioner ($32 for 250 ml)

Sample Size: 75 ml

Value: $9.60

I was super pleased with the sample size of this product! I'll also probably be able to reuse the container after, but that's besides the point. As mentioned with the shampoo, this left my hair really silky. I didn't have to fuss with any products to detangle my hair after my shower, either, which is always good. However, as my hair has been on a sulfate-free diet, I wasn't able to go longer than a day without washing it!

Harvey Prince Ageless Liquid Loofah ($22 for 12 oz.)

Sample Size: 15 ml

Value: $0.93

So, when I think of a liquid loofah and exfoliation, I'm thinking that there must be some kind of bead or, I don't know, sugar or salt in the product. Something to give it a little grit to exfoliate. Nope. It's pure liquid. I really like to exfoliate with my loofah, but this product is saying I don't need one? False. You still need one. All in all, this was just not for me.

Real Chemistry Luminous 3-Minute Peel ($48.00 for 1.7 fl. oz.)

Sample Size: 0.17 fl. oz.
Value: $4.80

If you're expecting a product that dries to your face and you can peel it off or wipe it off, like a mask, I would not recommend. I was so confused after using it and reading the "peel" part. It dried to my skin pretty quickly, so the circular massage for 2-3 minutes didn't happen. I'd just be rubbing my skin?

Davines OI / Oil Absolute Beautifying Potion ($41 for 4 oz.)
Sample Size: Missing!
Value: N/A
This was missing out of my box!

Total Box Value: $30.09
This box was great! I literally always find at least one product out of my BirchBox that makes it all worth it! I'm really interested in trying more products from Acure Organics!

What was your favorite product this month!? Or do you have another subscription you can't live without? (:

Perfectly Posh

Please allow me to introduce you to a line that I've fallen in love with. I wish you could all hear the obnoxious, high-pitched "eeeeeeeee" of happiness! Use your imagination.

I'm sure most of you have heard of LUSH. I know I've used many products from them. But they are expensive. Like, $30 for the body wash and shampoo and conditioner I like. Yeah, no. But who doesn't like the natural, cruelty-free products? There is a solution to this dilemma!

Perfectly Posh

Seriously, guys. Here's the perks:

Naturally based

USA made

Sustainable Ingredients

Sulfate, Paraben, Lanolin, and Phthalates Free

Loaded with essential oils

Cruelty-Free

All of their products are under $25, and when you buy 5 items, you get the 6th free. Pretty cool! I had the absolute pleasure of testing 5 samples, and let me just tell you. I am sold. Boyfriend is sold. Kitty is sold. (She's unaware). I'll share with you what I received and what I thought of it.

Let's start with my favorite:

Mint for Each Other scrub

Excuse me a moment, while I sigh in happiness. I was not expecting the wonderful feels I got from this product. You know that awesome feel you get from Vicks vapor rub when you put it on your chest? When I used this in the shower, the first thing I got hit with was the amazing peppermint smells. Nasal congestion? What's that? It was literally amazing. Then I washed it off, and my skin got this icy hot feel, and it was just, ugh. I literally let out a sigh of happiness. So awkward, but so good. Boyfriend-approved, as well.

Pamperology: Honey and Annatto Mask Mix

Um, excuse me? I get to mix my own masks? Pretty damn cool. There a several different recipes you can choose from, or you can make up your own. Let's think about this. Instead of buying several different masks that focus on one thing, you can use this one mix, using different ingredients, and cover a whole range of stuff! Want to brighten your skin? Combine 1 Tbsp. mix with 1/2 plain yogurt. Want to fight aging? Combine 1 Tbsp. mix with a smashed avocado. Pretty awesome way to get the most for your money.

Shine Bright Like a Diamond

Go ahead and try to use this without singing. This is an awesome exfoliator. I used this after I had washed my face for the night. It doesn't have too much of a scent, just a clean smell to me. It's packed full of essential oils, so while it's rubbing away the dead skin, it's also leaving your skin moisturized. I, personally, have an oily face, and the oils in this didn't make it worse at all. I'm typically worried about that. It did, however, leave my skin super soft. Awesome stuff.

Dragon Mojo

The name of this is just right up my ally. I'm not really sure what dragons smell like, but I imagine it would be something spicy like this. I could definitely smell the wasabi and ginger in this product! I promise that's not a weird thing either. Along with those, it has caffeine, cocoa, shea, and glycerin to tighten, moisturize, calm inflammation, and bring an anti-oxidant to the skin. It absorbs into the skin fairly quickly and leaves silky smooth hands! No oily residue is always a plus!

Classic Snarky Bar

I have an awful problem with having rough, dry elbows. It's kinda gross. This thing is designed specifically for any areas on your body that are rough and dry. Seriously. It's loaded with shea butter, leaving behind a nice amount of moisture and a light shea scent. I personally love the smell of shea butter. While this bar is way too abrasive for normal skin, if you have any bothersome rough spots, I highly recommend. This will do the job.

Check them out here!

Have you guys tried this line?! What were your thoughts? I'd love to hear from you! <3>

Birchbox Review - August 2014

Hooraaaay!! 

Another month of Birchbox is here! They've been doing this really cool thing, where you can choose one of the products that goes in your box (or an entirely different box)! My pick wasn't in the box, but I was late to pick and didn't really care. However, I did get the cream eyeshadow. Now, I'm typically not fond of cream shadows... But this one didn't budge when I did a swatch on my hand, so that makes me a little optimistic.

Let's get down to the box!

Key West Aloe Moisturizing Lotion ($12 for 6 fl.oz.)

Sample size: 1 fl. oz.

Value: $2

I love the smell of this. It smells wonderful. It absorbs into the skin really fast and doesn't leave my hands all greasy. It also makes my hands super soft. I'm on board with this.

Laura Geller Beauty Cool Lids Cream Eyeshadow ($19 for .26 fl. oz.)

Sample size: .17 fl. oz.

Value: $12.34

Here's a little swatch of this. It's a really nice neutral shimmer. It also didn't budge after it dried, which is typically what I have problems with. All in all, I love the color and, if it stays this well, it will be amazing.

nügg Beauty Revitalizing Face Mask  ($14.99/5-pack)

Sample size: 1 pack

Value: $3

I'm pretty sure if I used this in the morning, I would be wide awake. The mint in this mask is powerful. I'm not complaining, though. I think it left my whole being feeling refreshed, and my face is nice and smooth.

Neil George Shampoo ($9.00 for 3.38 fl. oz.)

Sample size: 1.69 fl. oz.

Value: $4.50

Although the combo of this and the conditioner did really well at leaving my hair silky, I'm a little disappointed that it has sulfate in it. I've been trying out some sulfate-free shampoos lately. However, this definitely did the job of cleaning my hair.

Neil George Conditioner ($9.00 for 3.38 fl. oz.)

Sample size: 1.69 fl. oz.

Value: $4.50

As I said above, using this with the shampoo left my hair really silky. I made sure not to put any oils or leave-in conditioners in after showering, so I knew the full effects. Even my slightly sad ends don't feel so sad! That's always a good thing.

Total Value: $26.34

Not bad! I always love the sample lotions, because I can keep them on my desk. They're the perfect size. All in all, I'm not mad with this box, but it was not a memorable one for me.

I'd also like to state that I recently got 4 products (Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish™ Hot Cloth Cleanser Starter Kit, Cargo Water Resistant Blush in Los Cabos, Yes To™ Blueberries Cleansing Facial Towelettes, and Supergoop! Fusion Lip Balm SPF 30+ in Acai) for $11.99. Bless your little soul, BirchBox points!
BirchBox has the best customer service that I have experienced so far. Last month, I received a sample that was way darker than my skin tone and, without me saying anything, they sent me an email saying that they were adding 100 points ($10) to my account! Also, my Cargo blush was in crumbles, and they sent me a new one, as well as 100 more points without a fuss!