Boxy Charm Review - October

Boxy Charm time!

This box is $21.00 a month with free shipping and is a “beauty box subscription that surprises you each month with the best beauty products from popular and chic brands. Each box contains full size and luxury size beauty samples from preferred well-known brands.” They aim to cover a whole look from makeup to nails, which I really like. 

The theme is “Bewitched” which I can really see with some of these items. The blacks and purples fit it quite well. 

Here is the October Boxy Charm!  

 1)      Palmetto Derma Collagen Booster & Restoration Serum  –  1 oz. (FULL SIZE)

        This serum protects against aging and creates youthful, glowing, beautiful skin.  Or so they 

        say.  I am actually really curious to try it, it would probably be the most expensive product 

        I’ve ever put on my face!

        Full Size: $48.00 My Value: $48.00

 2)      Coastal Scents Eclipse Concealer Palette – .63 oz.  (FULL SIZE)

        I’m not sure how I feel about this palette.  It seems awesome that there are so many shades, but 
        I mean, how many of these could one person really use? I could use maybe one or two as a 
        regular concealer and then maybe 2-4 for contouring I suppose.  I honestly have no clue what to 
        do with the green or purple ones either….

        Full Size: $19.95 My Value: $19.95

3)   CULT/COMMERCE Nail Polish in “B’Witched” & “Spell On” – .25 oz. each  (FULL SIZE)

      Welp, these are two colors I will never use!  It's hard to tell from the picture, but one is black and 
       the other is a deep purple. They are quite pretty though, I just don’t like colors that dark! Also, 
       these bottles are half the size of a normal bottle of polish, but they are still the same cost. That’s 
       ridiculous!

       Full Size: $21.00 My Value: $21.00

4)   Be a Bombshell Eyeshadow in “Risky Business”  – .05 oz. (FULL SIZE)

      This is a beautiful shade of eyeshadow!  Almost like a shimmery brown with a hint of copper.  I 
      love it.  I will definitely be getting use out of this!

      Full Size: $14.00 My Value: $14.00

5)   Starlooks Ultra Gem Pencil in “Ultra Orchid”– .2 oz. (FULL SIZE)

      Surprise, Surprise!  The month I stop getting my Starlooks box, I end up getting yet another eye   
      liner from them. The color is a deep shimmery purple, which is quite pretty. I wonder if I can try 
      and get some use out of this?

      Full Size: $14.00 My Value: $14.00

Final Cost: $21.00

Final Value: $116.95

Well that is certainly a fantastic value!  I really hope the serum lives up to its price, then this months box will be totally worth it!  I know I’ll get use out of almost all of the other products too, so this was a good one.

If you’d like to get Boxy Charm, you can sign up here!

(Also, I swear I’m not a review blog….I just like sharing these fun things! I have not been compensated for this review.)

Wedding Day - Gettin' Pretty

Ok guys, I know I have been way slacking in this, but I FINALLY have all of our wedding pictures!! 

This week I thought I'd show you how our day started!  I got all of my bridesmaids (and my momma) the same matching, comfy dress for us to wear while getting ready.  I got them at H & M for the low price of $10 and I think they looked adorable!  I love how all of the pictures are so cohesive. I thought the dresses would be perfect for them to use another time too which made them a double bonus gift.

We spent the morning getting ready at the only hotel in Florence,AZ which was about a mile from the venue.  There is seriously nothing else in Florence. Not even a Walgreens. Or Starbucks.  Oh man.

The makeup artist was supposed to take an hour per girl, but he was pretty much a rock star and finished everyone really quickly. So we just hung around all afternoon being bored. Really though, the morning of my wedding, I was soooo stinkin bored!  I mean, I'm grateful that we definitely weren't rushed, but man, there was nothing to do.  Except watch football, which I totally did!  After this we headed over to the venue around 3pm, I'll show you those pics next week!

Without further ado....here are some pics of us girls getting ready on my wedding day!!!

(The only shot you'll ever probably see of me with no makeup, my hair a wavy mess AND no bangs - the trifecta!)

Goofing off with my extensions (used for fullness, not length)

Momma!

Lunch.....I barely ate it!

All of the girls and their pearls

My fab four :)

Being goofy....

3....2.....1....

Liftoff!

Malibu and Pineapple of course :)

Getting C's gift ready

Putting Momma's pearls on

The bride who found football :)

Next up, the Bridal Cottage at the venue!

Lip Factory Review - October

It’s time for a Lip Factory review!

Lip Factory is a monthly beauty box that is $22 a month (S&H included) and comes with 5-7 products each time.  The box aims to give you a “full face” of makeup, but its main focus is on…lips of course!  This is one of my favorites, and though more expensive than ipsy, they always send full sized products which is great!

Sometimes this box has a theme and sometimes it doesn’t. This month the theme is “You Are Beautiful.”  Ok that is just reaching.  Why do a theme at all?? I also find it odd that the booklet mentions that it is breast cancer awareness month, but not one single product goes along with that!

So here it is….the October Lip Factory box!  

       

1)     deVine Lip Shimmers in “Champagne” and “Bordeaux” – .07 oz. each (FULL SIZE)

Apparently these are all natural and made from wine, which I find interesting.  Unfortunately, I am not much into shimmery lips.  If I do go shimmery though, I at least need some color.  As you can see, Champagne is basically white.  I’m not sure who would look good in a color like that, but I know it is definitely not me!

Full Size: $8.95  My Value: $8.95

2)    Frost Cosmetics Lip Stick and Lip Gloss – ?? oz. (FULL SIZE)

Well this product didn’t come with much labeling, so I can’t give you many details.  It has no size/weight and no color.  I find the second very odd, since the brand boasts to have “150 colors.”  Now, you may be wondering, like I was, how can it be both a lip stick AND a lip gloss?  Well, basically it’s a thick gooey mess.  I opened the tube because I was curious and this stuff was stuck all over the stick.  When I closed it, it oozed out the lid.  Just plain messy.  It totally smells like grape bubbletape (remember that stuff??) and for me, this color is a definitely miss.  Brown is just not my color….

Full Size: $15.99 My Value: $15.99

3)    Michael Marcus Lipstick in “Lee” – .21 oz. (FULL SIZE)

I really like this lipstick!  The color is perfect for me and the formula doesn’t seem to be too drying. I may be adding this to my lipstick bag in my purse and putting it into daily rotation!

Full Size: $24.00 My Value: $24.00

4)    Frost Cosmetics Makeup Bag – (FULL SIZE)

I’m not gonna lie, this is probably the ugliest makeup bag I have ever seen! Its like a 

really cheap advertisement. The outside is coated in thick, cheap plastic, but the 

inside is white (!) fabric.  So yeah, when your eye shadow spills?  It’ll leave lovely 

marks on the inside of the bag that show right through to the front.  I’m gonna guess 

this will last any beauty love maybe 2 weeks before it looks dingy and dirty!

Full Size: $10.99 My Value: $10.99

5)  Ofra Eyeliner in “Grapefull” – .04 oz. (FULL SIZE)

I think I know exactly why this was included in the box this month.  The nice little product booklet I get from Lip Factory calls the color “Grapeful” which is a play on grateful I assume.  Unfortunately, whoever made the product used two L’s making the spelling “Grapefull” which makes no sense. Just my thoughts.  The color is actually pretty, it’s a very dark purple color.  I may see if I can work this into a look someday!

Full Size: $13.00 My Value: $13.00

6)  BONUS? 29 Cosmetics Lipstick in “Ripe Rose” – .16 oz. (FULL SIZE)

This product was not mentioned in the product descriptions booklet at all, which I find odd. I guess I’ll just assume it’s a nice little bonus?  I’m a little undecided on this lipstick.  It seems to be very moisturizing which I do like, but I don’t know how I feel about the color.  It looks perfect for me, but it has quite the shimmer to it, which I mentioned above I don’t like.  I think I will have to use it a few times to decide if it is a keeper or not.

Full Size: $25.00 My Value: $25.00

Final Cost: $22.00

Final Value: $72.93

Final Value with Bonus: $97.93

Even though it was a pretty awesome value, especially with the added bonus item, I just didn’t love this box.  I will probably only use one of the lipsticks and possibly the eyeliner. I know this box is called Lip Factory, but I personally love it when they go for the “full face” of makeup instead of all lips!

I think I am going to be cutting back on my beauty boxes pretty soon.  I have already stopped Starbox (I was contemplating this and their system had big issues so I just never took the time to start it back up).  Now I think I will either be cancelling this box or Boxy Charm.  I will have to look back and see how I really felt about each of those the past 6-12 months!

What do you think?

If you’d like to sign up…..use my referral number? Pretty please?  It’s 385223.

(Also, I swear I’m not a review blog….I just like sharing these fun things! I have not been compensated for this review.)

Ipsy Review - October

Ipsy time!  

It was lovely to come back from my Honeymoon with all sorts of awesome beauty goodies waiting for me!

I really think this is the best bag out there, especially for the price…just $10 a month!  If you are looking to start a beauty subscription, I would definitely try Ipsy first.

The theme of this month’s bag is “Beauty Candy” Again, the theme is a bit odd to me.  At most, 2 of the items match it!

Anyways…. Here is the October Ipsy bag!  

            1)     ECRY New York Acacia Protien BB Cream – 1 oz. (FULL SIZE)

            This is apparently a beauty balm for hair.  I guess it’s almost like a leave in conditioner?  I’m 

            not too sure I will love this, these kinds of things generally leave my hair pretty greasy.  I am 

            willing to try it though.  This one smells slightly manly which I think is odd. Also, this is a 

            full size.  I 100% thought this was a sample size!

Full Size: $12.00 My Value: $12.00

            2)    Jesse’s Girl Mineralized Baked Eye Shadow in “Graphite Frost” – .07 oz. (FULL SIZE)

            Ok what am I missing about ”baked” beauty items?  What is the big deal with these?  This 

            looks pretty cool in the packaging, but I am sure after swiping it with a brush and putting it 

            on my eye it will just be grey.  The case for this is also pretty darn big, I wouldn’t want to 

            have this taking up that much space in my beauty collection! I guess I really have to be 

            thankful though, some people got this shadow in bright blue, yellow or green!  I like this  

            color the best.

Full Size: $3.99 My Value: $3.99

            3)    Skyn Iceland  Glacial Cleansing Cloths – 10 cloths

             I could always use more makeup remover clothes.  I have no clue what makes these any 

            different than the rest on the market, but they are a welcome addition to my beauty cabinet! 

            The only thing I can say I noticed right away was the smell.  It was clean, but not 

            overpowering.  I really like that.

Full Size: $15.00 for 30 My Value: $5.00

 4)  Noyah All Natural Lipstick in “Deeply in Mauve”  – .049 oz.

Meh.  A purple lipstick like this is totally not my thing.

Full Size: $18.00 for .16 oz. My Value: $5.51

       5)  Figs & Rouge Mango Mandarin Hand Cream – .67 oz. (FULL SIZE)

This smells really good.  I think it is the perfect size and weight to throw in my purse, which is exactly what I did!  I am not much of a lotion user, but it is nice to have some just in case.  When it’s in a small, light container like this, it’s a perfect candidate!

Full Size: $6.56 My Value: $6.56

       6)  BONUS - Milani Runway Lashes in “Black” – .3 oz. (FULL SIZE)

I got the next two items with my ipsy points. I can always use another black mascara, not sure there is anything new and exciting about this one.

Full Size: $4.99 My Value: $4.99

       7)  BONUS - Milani Liquid Eye Liner Pencil in “Black” – .04 oz. (FULL SIZE)

This is the reason I chose the Milani items as my bonus gift.  I really like the sound of this eye liner.  I love liquid liners and I have just recently started using pencil liner (go me!) so I am excited to try it!

Full Size: $6.99 My Value: $6.99

 

Final Cost: $10.00

Final Value w/o Bonus: $33.06

Final Value with Bonus: $45.04

My first thought on this is it’s a pretty dang low value.  I guess I shouldn’t complain, it’s still well worth the $10 I paid! I really love most of the items and definitely see myself getting use of them.  The lipstick is a bust, but thankfully its tiny so I don’t see a big loss there!

What are your thoughts?

If you’d like to give it a try you can sign up here!

(As always, I swear I’m not a review blog….I just like sharing these things in hopes that other people will get to have the same fun that I do!  I am not compensated in any way.)