Today is my birthday (ahh!) and I thought I would share with you the birthday dinner makeup look I wore this weekend.
I kept everything pretty low key and went out to a delishhhh dinner – but ya know – any excuse to glam it up, i’ll take it!
I loveee this look. I think it is simple enough for really any occasion, but the red lips really bring some drama and fun. Follow me on my new Instagram page to get more day to day looks and product details – @little.miss.melis :).
The last beauty subscription box for the month I have to share with you is Boxycharm. Boxycharm is a little different than Ipsy and Birchbox as the price is $21. However, you get A LOT for your money. Each box comes with 5 items and they are usually all full sized (sometimes you get one LARGE deluxe sample). Each box usually has over $100 worth of products in it as well – SO IMPRESSIVE.
July 2015 Boxycharm
Anyway, now for the goodies in this month’s box!
July 2015 Boxycharm : Product Details Below
This month’s box included the following products:
Vasanti Professional Blush Brush – $29 Value: This brush is pretty small. I don’t know that I will use it for blush but it is a great brush for powder under the eyes or even a contour. I don’t know that I would pay $29 dollars for it but it is extremely soft and seems like a great brush! I always love getting brushes in my boxes 🙂 always so fun to try them out.
yourMinerals Transparent Veil Setting Powder – $26 Value: I have already tried this as a concealer setting powder and it is amazing! It is extremely brightening and made my under eyes look ready to go the entire night out!. Highly recommend – and a great product in this box! It might even be my favorite this month.
OFRA Cosmetics Universal Eyebrow Pencil – $13 Value: I tried this product already as well – I am waiting for my brow wiz replacement in the mail! I think this product is ok… not my favorite for a brow pencil because it is pretty creamy. I personally like my brow pencils to be a little waxier. I think this would actually be a great eyeliner and the brown color is ideal for a natural look.
MDMflow Mascara – $35 Value: This product has been in the UK (I thinkkk) and is now being introduced to the US through boxycharm. I used this last night on top of my Loreal telescopic and find it to be a super thin formula. I think this would be great for a “no makeup , makeup” look just as a little eyelash tint. I don’t know that it would really add any volume or length though.
Gorge I’ll Make You Look Amazing Daily Spray – $29.95 Value: I also used this last night and OMG – the smell is sooo good. It has a coconut smell that I could literally bathe in. Sooo yummy. I can’t say as much about the effectiveness of the product. I think it did help to make my hair shiny and was useful as a heat protectant, but I don’t know that it did anything to make my hair softer feeling. Still LOVE the smell and will keep using it as a heat protectant and shine spray. I think my second fave product this month!
I am always sooooo impressed with my Boxycharm boxes. Packing $133 dollars worth of product into a box that costs $21. I call that a win everyday. So impressed and can’t wait to see what they bring next month!
Hope you enjoyed the post – sign up for boxycharm here.
I just got my July Birchbox in the mail! I know in my previous Ipsy post I had mentioned that I cancelled my subscription – however, I was lucky enough to get a 6 month subscription as a gift :).
July 2015 Birchbox
Sign up for Birchbox here! I will say that while my initial feelings on Birchbox were a little mehh – they too have really upped their game and have started to include some great brands and samples (as you will see below)!
Samples (left to right): amika – texture spray, COOLA – cucmber sunscreen, Stila – stay all day liquid lipstick, dr. brant – microdermabrasion exfoliant, and Juice Beauty – CC Cream
In my box this month – actually can we first talk about how adorable this box is. Sooo pretty! I will def. be holding on to this beauty for storage. Back to the point – in this month’s box I got the following samples:
amika – Un.Done Texture Spray – This product would be ideal for flat or dull hair. I have insanely curly and frizzy hair – so the last thing I need is more texture. I may try using this after flat ironing my hair though, when I want a more Victoria Secret kinda look.
COOLA – Classic SPF 30 Cucumber Moisturizer for Face – This is a super lightweight sunscreen. Sample size is pretty small but it smells delish!
Stila – Stay all Day Liquid Lipstick (shade Venizia) – I was SO EXCITED when I saw that we were getting one of the stay all day liquid lipsticks! I currently own the shade Bellisima and it is such a great formula I can’t wait to try out this shade!
Stila – stay all day liquid lipstick – Shade Venizia
This is a bright pinky/red coral shade that fits in perfectly with my current coral obsession this summer. These also smell amazing and have a moussey texture so they are fairly easy to apply and less drying than other liquid lipsticks. I highhhhhly recommend these if you are debating between these and say the Anastasia or Kat Von D versions.
Stila – stay all day liquid lipstick in Venizia
dr. Brant – Microdermabrasion skin exfoliant – I haven’t tried this product out yet but I love skin exfoliants. I have dry skin so anything I can do to bring some life back into it helps! I have heard really great things about this product and can’t wait to try it. A+ to Birchbox from me for this sample!
Juice Beauty – Stem Cellular CC Cream – I love a good CC cream and here is where the sample size gets to me. I like to be able to try out a CC cream / foundation a couple of times before splurging as most are notttt super wallet friendly. I know Juice Beauty is utilizes great ingredients and this product specifically targets anti-aging. (Side Note – if any of you got this product it does say to apply to slightly damp skin for best application) I recommend spraying a little bit of Mac’s fix + (mentioned previously here). I LOVE the lavender limited edition scent of the fix + if you can get your hands on it!
The one con of Birchbox is really the sample size. I do think they give really quality products and all the brands they include are well respected. However, I typically get enough product to try a sample once or twice – which for me kinda sucks. When I compare it to some of the more “deluxe” product samples or even full sized items I receive in my ipsy bag I just feel as though I don’t get as much for my $10. I will say though, for someone who likes skincare – Birchbox may be the box for you. I find that I do get a lot of really amazing skincare products – and the smaller samples are great for travel!
I just received my ipsy bag (yayy!) and figured I would come on here and show you all what it included. I know before I signed up for any subscription services I did a lot of research into ipsy vs. birchbox vs. boxycharm – so hopefully this will help you out in your decision!
June 2015 Ipsy Bag
I ended up subscribing to all three (don’t judge me). After a couple months I unsubscribed from Birchbox – mainly because I got Shampoo in all three of the boxes I got – AFTER rating it 1 star. I have super high maintenance, intensely curly, frizzy and thick hair so a “thickening” shampoo is just not going to work for me. Anyway, I LOVE my Ipsy bag. This months bag is one of the best that I have received. I have found they are really upping their game with the brands and types of products they are giving out. Subscribe to Ipsy here.
June 2015 Ipsy Bag Products – see below for details
In the June 2015 Ipsy Bag I received the following products (clockwise starting with the tweezers – if looking at the picture above):
Crown Brush – Professional Tweezers: I was super excited about these because I figured I could keep them in my purse for emergency touch ups. However, I went to go try them this morning and they are to put it bluntly – very blunt / non effective. I could see myself using them for non tweezing purposes, but the points simply do not come together tight enough to do anything helpful to my eyebrows :(. Sad because they are so cute.
Jersey Shore Cosmetics – Mongongo Vanilla Coconut Cream Lip Conditioner: I have a lot of chapstick so I wasn’t super excited about this product. That being said, can you ever really have too much chapstick. This product smells great and is pretty conditioning on the lips. It also provides UV protection which is HUGE for me – and is 100% cruelty free!
Bare Republic Naturals – SPF 30 Tinted Mineral Face Sunscreen Lotion: I have a lot of tinted sunscreens/moisturizers that I have gotten in my subscription boxes. They are great for travel and for days you don’t want to put any foundation or heavy makeup on.
Tarte – Park Avenue Princess Bronzer: I was most excited to get this in my bag! I have heard great things about it and was debating buying the full size version anyway. When I saw this I was so excited! The sample size is pretty large and its perfect for travel! I wore this bronzer today in the areas I would normally contour as a way to warm up the face and so far I am loving it.
Ofra Cosmetics – Bliss Eyeshadow: I was actually not super excited about this product but once I saw it in person I was so excited! This is the PERFECT everyday color that I wear non stop. I put it on this morning after popping it into my z palette and I don’t know if I will ever use another shadow again. It is sooo pretty – you could even use it as a highlight on your cheekbones too! Def exceeded my expectations.
Overall, I was super impressed with getting Tarte in this months bag – I think for $10 the amount of product and quality of product you get is amazing. I am super happy and can’t wait for next months bag!
If you are not yet subscribed and want to try it out – Click Here! I highly recommend Ipsy over other subscription services if you like makeup. The $10 price tag can’t be beat and I think the sample size / quality is better than other services I’ve tried.
If you would like to see any of these products used in a look – or have any questions about Ipsy let me know!
LittleMissMelis 