September Birchbox!

Look what came in the mail today! I am so in love with by boxes, and BirchBox is a great one! First, for those that don't know, BirchBox is a monthly subscription what costs 10 bucks a month.  It is filled with 4-5 great products!  I am on my third month and love it so far :) 

Interested in signed up? Go here: http://birch.ly/13UgHiR

Anywho, back to the important stuff! Here is the first unveiling of my box:

This month's theme is called Heritage!  This is because this month BirchBox celebrates it's third year

After all the pink paper is brushed aside, here's what the box contains

Right away my eyes jump to the biggest, brightest bottle in the box which happens to be

 Amika Bombshell Bombshell Blowout Spray! 

This packaging is just the cutest thing ever!  And it smells really good as well.  The packaging says this spray will protect, texturize, volumize and repair.  Also it should be noted that this is made for ALL hair types! woot! This sample size is a great 2 oz.  The full size is 8oz and costs $24. I wish I had time to take a shower and blowout my hair, because I am sure I am going to love it! I absolutely am so excited about this one, I'll let you know how it goes!  

*Update* I tried this and I love it! Not only did my hair dry super fast, but it also made by hair thicker yet somehow straighter all in one step. It's great!

Next Up:

Caudalie Make-Up Remover Cleansing Water

Another product I am super excited to recieve! As a girl who can never get too much make-up, I can also never get too much remover to take it all off with!  This is a very natural smelling product, I don't get any of the chemical kind of smells that I get with other cleaners For a quick demo I just drew some eyeliner on my hand and dipped a Q-tip in the Cleansing Water.  I drew it perpendicular across the eyeliner two times and this is what I end up with. Not bad for a lonely Q-tip, I'm sure it works great with some more effort and a cotton pad. The sample size is 30 mL, and a full size is 200 mL and sells for $28. That isn't bad considering how long that would probably last.

Next up, one of my favorite things, nail polish!

This is Ruffian Nail Lacquer in Hedge Fund- $10

Now, I must admit I have never heard of this brand and I would have, out shopping on my own, never purchased this color.  But here lies the beauty of BirchBox, because once I tried it on I loved it so!  The consistency is phenomenal! One of my biggest polish pet peeves is when a polish is either too think or way to runny.  This one is Goldylock's approved "just right".  The color pay off is amazing,  and I was able to get great color after one coat :) This is a full-size bottle and retails at $10.  This is amazing to me because the box itself only cost ten bucks. Winner!  The following picture is after one coat only.  It should be noted that I don't have a base coat on, but do have another color polish underneath (I'm bad about that)

Gorgeous!  Up next is by far the smallest sample. It's called Egyptian Magic and it is an all-purpose skin cream.  There is only enough for one application so I am going to wait to test it out until after my next shower!  The full size is 4oz and $38 dollars.  A little pricey for me, but if it's great I might purchase it for the upcoming skin-drying winter months.

Last but not least:  a mini eye shadow pack filled with 4 shadows.  The brand on this one is Coastal Scents.  If you're a dummy like me and thought based on the name that these might smell good, they don't haha. Anyway, here's the colors I received:

Starting from the brownish one and going clockwise swatches

Pink Silver

Persian Pink

Baby Pink

Icelandic

I was very pleasantly surprised by these colors. When I first opened them up and saw the hot pink my first reaction was "Oh Lord" but it actually looked really beautiful on my skin.  Would I wear either of the pinks as an every day shadow? No, probably not. But for a fun night out I think they would look great, especially on dark eyed girls like myself!  The Pink Silver is probably the most wearable for me, and it is so beautiful in person! I was expecting a pinkish-bronze color on my skin based on the packaging, but it looks great! The Icelandic I will play around with more, because I am hearing blue is going to be the go to color this fall, and this purply-blue would be a great addition to that trend.  Blue is also great color for eyes of all colors and shapes. Just use sparingly!  Whats pretty sweet about this eye shadow is that you can get a palate, with 88 shades and some brushes for less than 40 bucks. A steal!

Also included in the box, a card listing what each product is and how to use it. Really cool! As well as a promo code to take 30% off of items in the customer favorites section of the BirchBox shop. 

What do you guys think of your September BirchBoxes? I personally love mine!  There is not one thing that I don't think I will use. I already can't wait for next months box to come :)

Love &Happy Boxing

-Amber

Jelly Pong Pong Lip Blush

If any of you are GlossyBox subscribers then you got this product in your August Box. It seems as if lip crayons are all the rage this year, so I was super excited to try it!  

Lip blush in cranberry

I am a really big fan of pinks so I couldn't wait to get it on my lips. Firstly, a swatch:

The top line is just a single pass with the lip blush, the bottom line is several passes to really show color. On my lips it looked a little different 

This is with the lip blush on, and no flash on my camera. I think it looked a little brighter in person, but not super bright. I thought it would be beneficial to also show a picture with the flash of my camera on. I'm sure many of us have thought our makeup looked great and then say in on a flashed camera and were terrified. Here's the same blush with flash:

See what I mean?! This looks totally different under different lighting conditions. Overall, in person, I find this lip blush to be somewhat in the middle of these two pictures.  I should also mention that both pictures are done without the use of a primer or lip liner.

Price: I this is a bit more on the expensive side for what I feel lip crayons should be priced. Glossybox told me in the spoiler that this blush was valued at 20 bucks. The Jelly Pong Pong website lists this as being 12 pounds. Factor in shipping and tax and you've got yourself a pretty penny priced product. As far as I have seen, I haven't seen this product available for purchase at say an Ulta or drugstore.

Wearability: While this will probably not be my go-to lip crayon, I do like the color for every once in a while. I think with blonde hair this would look absolutely gorgeous, especially in the spring or summer!  

Other Notes: This goes on super smooth and gave my lips a silky texture.  The color didn't stay as long as  I would have liked, but it should be noted that it did not leave that dreaded ring around the lips that  can sometimes happen.

Conclusion:  I probably will not buy this lip blush after I run out.  The color is pretty, but pretty isn't enough to save it from the price and lack of staying power. There are, to me, much better lip crayons out there. Stay tuned for reviews on those :)

If you are still interested, pick it up here: http://www.jellypongpong.com/collections.asp?CategoryId=3068

What do you think of the JPP lip blush? Anybody receive the other color in your GlossyBox?

Love,

Amber

Beginnings

Hi everybody! This is my first blog so bear with me for a little while. I, like many of you, have a deep passion for cosmetics and hair products. I have been been obsessed since I was a little girl. Now, at 27, I still can not get enough! The purpose of this blog is to review amazing products, and let you know which ones are maybe not so great. I hope you find some great new products because of this site. Please let me know if there is anything you love or want me to review! I am up for trying anything :)
Peace and Love-
Amber