My Allure Beauty Box and Some Samples!

HAPPY HUMP DAY EVERYONE!! Finally, a week that is flying by! I have been SO busy, and have neglected my blog once again. Sigh. To make up for it, I'll be doubling up my posts for the rest of the week! Today will be focused on my Allure Beauty Box and some samples. I have a major abundance of samples, so I thought it would be cool to try a couple every week and review them! I'll have sample reviews added on to my blog posts. Ok let's get started!

Beauty...

My Allure Beauty Box

Remember when I told you guys to get on over to Allure, in this post? Thankfully, I followed my own advice and snatched up a Holiday Beauty Box, because sadly they are now sold out. Hopefully you grabbed one too!

I was expecting this to be a box of samples and a few full-size products because the price was $29.99. I was expecting around five full-size products to justify the price.
Here is what I received in the mail:

There are more products under the bubble wrap. SIXTEEN FULL-SIZE products to be exact! My jaw dropped open! I totaled everything up, and the grand total of everything in the box was $199.97...and I only paid $29.99. How is this even possible?? I still can't wrap my head around it. I decided to try everything, except for the things I handed over to my mom, and I'll be doing reviews on the products! The first two products I tried were lip products.

NYX Glam Lipstick Aqua Luxe

The shade is called Enchanting. Believe it or not, this is the first NYX product I've ever tried! It's comparable to e.l.f in their affordability for quality products. No store around me sells this brand, so I was ecstatic to receive it in my box. I love the color too; sort of a pinky nude. When I first put it on I thought, "Wow I'm really gonna like this lipstick" because it felt so hydrating and went on very smoothly. Then after about an hour, my lips were entirely dried out. They were peeling and cracked and gross...because of the lipstick! I was very surprised and disappointed. I might still wear this lipstick with a gloss over it because I absolutely love the color, but I would never buy any on my own. I have heard great things about NYX however, so I'll still be trying more products from them!
MY GRADE: C+
AVAILABLE AT: Ulta, drugstores, nyxcosmetics.com for $6
12 SHADES 

Maybelline ColorSensational High Shine Lip Gloss

This on the other hand, I LOVE. Can you say pigmented?? This shade is called Plum Luster and this is how the bareMinerals Marvelous Moxie should have looked. This gloss goes on very smoothly, but it almost wears like a lip stain. I had no problem with drying or peeling either. It's a dream! I will no longer walk right by this in the drugstore! I can't wait to buy more shades.
MY GRADE: A
AVAILABLE AT: Target, drugstores for $6.49
12 SHADES

Now for some samples!

Philosophy Amazing Grace

I recieved this in Philosophy's Birthday Girl set, which I bought for myself for my birthday (pathetic I know). I have always been interested in trying their products so I thought this set would be the perfect way to do that. If you're looking for a gift for yourself or someone else, you can find the set here or on Amazon. Amazing Grace is Philosophy's best-selling fragrance so I was excited to see if I would like it. Ummmm ok, I LOVE it. It is the cleanest, most feminine fragrance I've ever smelled. And there's a sharpness to it...it wakes me up in the morning. I don't know how else to describe it and weirdly, philosophy doesn't list the notes. Hmm. I love it as a shower gel, but I would never use it as a shampoo. The formula is pretty thin and watery. It doesn't really do anything amazing for my skin either, but the scent makes it so worth it. I'll probably buy a bottle of it closer to the summertime, because I think it would fit the best with that time of year.
MY GRADE: A
AVAILABLE AT: Sephora, philosophy.com
Prices range from $5 to $34.50 depending on what size you get

Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Lotion

The only Cyber Monday deal I took advantage of was Ulta's. If you spent $35 you would automatically receive a free cosmetic bag full of samples. There was a good amount of samples in there, and this lotion was one of them! I've actually never tried Aveeno lotion before, I'm more of a St. Ives type of girl. It's not necessary for me to buy fragrance free products because I don't have very sensitive skin, but in the winter time, a fragrance free lotion is probably the best. I especially have issues with dry skin after I shave my legs, so I decided to use this on one of those days. Love it! It was super moisturizing and left my skin smooth for most of the day. If you have dry or sensitive skin, grab a bottle of this!
MY GRADE: A
AVAILABLE AT: Target, drugstores for $8.69 for 12 fl oz

Now for some Justice...

I wanted to see if any of the companies I'm talking about today, did anything good for the world so I did some research. Philosophy has a great program called "Shower for a Cause". You can pick from four different shower gels, each one of them correlating to a different charity.
Shower for the Cure = Women's Cancer Research Fund
Graceful Journey = Look Good Feel Better
Green = Rainforest Foundation
To Believe = Why Hunger
Learn more here. So cool right?? What a great way to try Philosophy products, and give back at the same time.

Whew that was long! That's what I get for slacking off. See you tomorrow!
Elizabeth

Kick Off Your Weekend, Look Forward to Next Week!

TGIF!!!! I just wanted to do a quick post with an inspirational quote to kick off the weekend, and give you a tentative list on what you can be looking forward to next week!

Here's the list:
My Allure Holiday Beauty Box
Samples, Samples, Samples!
Clarins 7-Wonders Gift Set (Limited Edition)
A Face Product Review
A Product I Couldn't Live Without

Get excited!!

And one of my favorite quotes relating to everything we've talked about this week: loving yourself, and not accepting harsh words from others as truth.

A quote by e e cummings, my favorite poet:

"To be nobody but yourself in a world that's doing its best to make you somebody else, is to fight the hardest battle you are ever going to fight. Never stop fighting."- e e cummings

I hope to see you all at the anti-bullying walk on Sunday! Have a great weekend!

Elizabeth 
 

My November Birchbox and an Anti-Bullying Walk

Hello everyone!! We are SOOOO close to Friday I can taste it! Is it just me, or have the weeks just been dragging by? Today I'll be talking about my November Birchbox and how it compares to my ipsy November Glam Bag. I'll also be giving you info about an Anti-Bullying Walk that is happening in my area, in memory of a young man from one of our local schools who has recently committed suicide.

Let's talk about that first:

For those of you in my area (which I'm guessing most of you are) there is an Anti-Bullying Walk happening on Sunday, December 9th in memory of Josh Pacheco. Read about him here. The group will be meeting at Fenton Middle School at 2:30 and starting the walk to Bush Park at 3:00. Feel free to bring balloons, signs, and anything that will raise awareness. I will be there with members of The Bullycide Project and I really hope to see you there! I think it will really make a statement and will give everyone a chance to stop and reflect.

Now let's throw in a little beauty!

I received my November Birchbox at the beginning of this month. Their shipping was delayed due to the hurricane in New York, so to make up for it they added 100 points to my Birchbox account, which means I have $10 towards any full-size product in the Birchbox shop. I mean how generous is that! I was very impressed with their customer service. That's the main reason I'm not cancelling my subscription. Unfortunately, I was not super impressed with my Birchbox. Let's take a look...

This month's theme was all about "Giving: giving thanks, giving back, and of course giving treats". To go along with this theme, they included a cardboard reusable envelope to give someone a gift in, but it has Birchbox written all over it, so I'll never actually use it. I consider that to be the theme of my box: things I will never use.

Here's what I got:

Color Club Nail Polish in Put a Pin In It

Full Size Bottle: $8
I love this rose gold color and it's a custom color for Birchbox which I think is cool. This is definitely one of the products that I'm the happiest about, but it doesn't get me super excited for some reason

Kerastase Masque Chroma Riche

Full-Size Jar: $61
I am definitely into hair masks lately, and I'm glad they gave me two packets instead of just one, but I will NEVER be able to spend $61 on just one thing! I almost don't want to try it, because I'm afraid that I'll love it and then not be able to afford it. Sigghhh.

Shea Terra Organics Whipped Shea Butter Body Creme

Full-Size Jar: $22
I love the scent, Bananas and Baobabs; smells like bananas and coconut! I hate jars of lotion though...I can't stand dipping my fingers into it and getting it under my fingernails. *Shudder* But I skimmed my fingers over the top and it feels...spongey. Like I pressed into it and it was bouncy. I guess that's where the "whipped" comes in, but because of that and the small opening of the jar, I couldn't even get a lot of product on my finger, let alone my hand. Sadly, I don't think I'll be using this at ALL.

Stila All Over Shimmer Liquid Luminizer

Full-Size Tube: $20
I am interested in any kind of "luminizer" product and was excited to get this in my box. And then I swatched it:

Not sure if you can tell, but there is a definite amount of sparkle in this formula. I don't mind a little bit, but I would never wear this much on my face! I might use it on my decolletage for a holiday party, but I would never use it enough to justify buying a full-size tube. Bummer.

Twistband Hair Tie

6 Pack- $10, 12 Pack- $18
Birchbox is obsessed with these hair ties and they even say you can wear them as a bracelet and they look just as cute. I just can't get behind them. For someone who puts their hair up a lot, this would be really cute, but I just don't. I wish I had gotten a different color to make it a little more fun, but oh well! I'll let someone "borrow" this and then just tell them to keep it.

They also included a sample of a men's fragrance, John Varvatos Artisan, as that product to "give away". I thought that was a cute idea, and definitely didn't mind. I gave it to my younger brother and he really likes it. They describe it as a "modern blend of energizing citrus and warm woods" which is usually the type of scent I love. Great gift idea for any man in your life!

I hate to be such a Debbie Downer, but I really was disappointed with my box and wanted to give my honest feedback. Their customer service was great however, and for only $10/month I really can't complain.

If I was to compare ipsy and Birchbox, just for this month, I would definitely pick ipsy simply for the fact that they gave me TWO full size products, both of them costing more than the subscription itself. Birchbox didn't give any...unless you count the hair tie I guess. I wonder who will win next month??

That's all for now. Hope to see you at the Anti-Bullying Walk!

Love ya,
Elizabeth

Makeup Palettes and Remembering Kristina Calco

Hello everyone! Didn't I promise that I would be back today with another blog post?? My posts are going to be set up a little differently from here on out. I'm not staying very truthful to my blog name...I'm talking about a lot of beauty, but where's the justice?? I've decided to change my posts by splitting them up into two different sections: Beauty and Justice; with those two sections featuring something different every time. I'm excited and I hope you are too!

Let's start with...

BEAUTY

Since Christmas is right around the corner, and most of you are buying gifts or making Christmas lists for yourself, I wanted to feature some Limited Edition makeup palettes that are off the chaaiiiin. I'll also be featuring a makeup palette that isn't limited edition, but would make an insanely cute gift for you or someone else. I own all of these, except for the Tarte palette. Here's to hoping I receive it as a present! Let's go!

1. Too Faced Sweet Indulgence Palette

This set contains:
16 eyeshadows
2 blushes
2 bronzers
1 highlighter
1 Shadow Insurance Eyeshadow Primer
1 exclusive double-ended brush
3 Get-the-Look cards
A $381 value for ONLY $52!!
Haven't tried anything yet, but Too Faced is an extremely trusted brand and you get so much for your money!

2. Sephora Favorites In the Glow Set

This set contains:
Nars Laguna Bronzer
Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Bronzer
Laura Mercier Golden Mosaic
Benefit High Beam
Bare Minerals Pure Radiance All Over Color
Lorac Perfectly Lit
Tarte Glisten Amazonian Blush
Stila Peony Convertible Blush
Tarte Flush Cheekstain
(all sample sizes)
A $111 value for ONLY $45!! 
This set is an AMAZING way to try high-end face products! Even though they're samples, these will last a long time...until you can afford the real size! This would be a perfect gift for someone just getting into makeup that wants to try high-end brands. Sephora is also offering other Favorites sets for fragrance, eyeliner, and mascara so check out those as well!

3. Tarte Carried Away Collector's Set

This set contains:
Amazonian Clay 12-hour Blush in Adventurous
Amazonian Clay Finishing Powder
Eight Maracuja Lipglosses
Lights, Camera, Lashes! 4-in-1 Mascara
Face Brush
24 Amazonian Clay Eyeshadows
Adventurer Bag
A $512 value for ONLY $54
The only bad thing? It's sold out online. BUT, for people in my area, it is still available at Twelve Oaks Mall and Somerset Mall! This set makes me DROOL. It is an insane value, and if you've been wanting to try Tarte like me, this will be the perfect gift.

4. theBalm Balm Jovi Rockstar Face Palette

This palette contains:
12 eyeshadows
1 highlighter
1 blush
2 creamy lip/cheek stains
$39.50 at Birchbox's website. Not sure why it's not sold on theBalm anymore.
This is the non-limited edition product that I'm featuring. theBalm is known for their clever packaging and this palette is no exception. You have three sets of eyeshadows broken up into sections, "Heavy Metal", "Classical", and "Alternative" with cute shadow names like "Third-Eye Blinded", and "Alice Copper". This offers a great range of fall/winter shades, and would make a great and eye-catching gift!

That sums up the makeup palettes! Happy shopping!

Now for...

JUSTICE

I'm always talking about makeup, but I never talk about being beautiful on the INSIDE just as much as on the outside. Not many people have both kinds of beauty, but Kristina Calco did. I portray her story in The Bullycide Project. Yesterday was the seventh anniversary of her death. Go here to read about who she was, and why she eventually ended her life at the age of 15.

Through her death, we can learn so much:
1. To be NICE...even if the favor isn't always returned
2. To TELL SOMEONE...if you or someone you know are going through dark days and tough times. Please seek help...you never have to go through anything alone.
3. To LOVE YOURSELF...inside and out, no matter what people say. In the end, all we have is ourselves, so we must have respect for our minds and bodies. Don't let someone who doesn't know the first thing about you, shape your opinion of who you are.

Learn and live all of these lessons every single day. You will help others, save lives, and make your own piece of the world a little bit better. Do it for Kristina, do it for yourself.

Love you all,
Elizabeth