Subscription boxes

Subscription boxes: Birchbox, Ipsy

February 22, 2014

Ipsy Glambag unboxing February 2014

Posted in Beauty & Skin, Makeup / Cosmetics, Nail Polish, Skin Care, Subscription boxes

POP Beauty – Plump Pout Mini in Peony Petal – no cones, no parabens, no synthetic fragrances. Great so far. Health wise we’re actually good on this based on ingredients. Although they don’t rank as unhealthy though this does have petrolatum and mineral oil which are very unnatural. I’ve also started noticing that since I’ve switched away from using products with these ingredients, when I try something with them, they just feel … weird. The cosmetics database ranks this a 3 … BUT OMG! DOES IT SMELL BAD!!! I do not care what the report says because it smells like melted plastic!!! I don’t know what they’ve done wrong with this product but NO – I just will not be wearing this. Overwhelmingly bad smell and I talked to someone else about this – theirs smelled horrible too so it wasn’t just one bottle.

Zoya Nail Polish in Odette – ALWAYS a Zoya fan. Ipsy sent out two colors, Odette and Dot. I recently bought Brigitte and Normani from the “Naturel” collection. And with this month’s Ipsy I received Odette which is awesome and I’ll be doing a review of those shades here soon.

Mally Beauty – Evercolor Starlight Waterproof Eyeliner – no cones, none of the normal nasties. The only thing on the list that threw up a red flag was “aluminum powder.” Not sure that it was the same kind of aluminum used in say aluminum pans, I decided it was best to check the cosmetics database first for some feedback. The aluminum is a four and the overall product score is a 3 which honestly is still pretty good. Since I don’t expect to be wearing silver/gray daily I’m good with this.

First Aid Beauty – Skin Rescue Deep Cleanser with Red Clay – at first glance the ingredient list looks good. No cones and no other obvious nasties. Rates a 3 with the cosmetics database. So I think my only concern on this one will actually be how harsh it is on my skin BUT it looks like it has several good-for-your-skin oils like rosemary in there so I actually expect that this will be pretty good. The smell is decent and natural (no synthetic fragrance.)

Jesse’s Girl – 9 Pan Eye Shadow Compact – cones rule this one out for me. Plums and purples. one of the ingredients, propylparaben, rates a 10 and the overall score with the cosmetics database is a 5. I think I would steer clear of this one. They have some loose mica eyeshadows that are much healthier (but they are more on the shimmery glittery side.)

What other people got. Not in my bag but looks interesting, healthy and I might buy them:

Pacifica Hawaiian Ruby Guava Body Butter – LOVE this brand. I can use almost ALL of their products (a couple like the eyeshadow have cones in them) and the scents are all natural. Ruby Guava is one of their most popular scents for a reason. LOVE LOVE LOVE Pacifica. 20% off has me because I can easily spend money with this company.
PHYTO-C Velvet Gel
skyn ICELAND Fresh Start Mask with Ice Age Mud
NuMe Intense Renewal Mask

Sign up for Ipsy:

http://www.ipsy.com/?refer=u-h051sec1kqq5g8p
{affiliate link – I get 250 points which points equal products but it’s still a little unclear how many points to the dollar}

February 18, 2014

Birchbox February 2014 unboxing

Posted by By Hilary Baumann

Posted in Beauty & Skin, Hair, Makeup / Cosmetics, Nail Polish, Skin Care, Subscription boxes

First lets start with what you can see in these photos – this is the first time I’ve had something leak in one of my Birchboxes. When I posted this on instagram I was told to contact in**@bi******.com which I did and since I told them I hadn’t wanted to try the hair oil and nothing else was ruined they gave me some birchbox points for the trouble.

I didn’t take any additional product photos after opening this month’s box and I threw out the hair oil bottle and the packaging so let’s move on to what was inside. 🙂

COOLA Tinted Matte SPF 30 for Face – cones rule it out for me (allergy / breakouts.) I think I swatched this on my hand with a sample I received in the past though and wasn’t thrilled. I’m never thrilled with tinted moisturizers though. Love the Coola sunscreen though and I can highly recommend that!! This tinted matte moisturizing sunscreen rates a 3 with the cosmetic database. (reminder: lower is better with 0 being best and 10 being worst with regards to being healthy.)

Ruby Wing Color Changing Nail Polish in Kitten Heels – is this 3 free? I need to do a bit more research (tiny print.) Love the brightness of the shade indoors. We’ll see how this wears.

Smashbox Cosmetics Full Exposure Mascara – have to call. Not waterproof so not worth it for me. Not going to do the cosmetics database report on this one either.

Beauty Protector Protect & Oil – cones rule it out for me. Rates a 6 with the cosmetics database so even without the cones it’s a bit too high.

Smashbox Cosmetics Full Exposure Palette – Most of these don’t have cones but there are one or two shades that have cones in them. Also I’m half and half on this “card” style sample. There’s enough to try but not enough to play with. I can maybe do swatches on my arm ONCE and ONCE on my eyes and that’s it. Yes, retail it would be $49 for the full palette so I get why they couldn’t give us the full palette but this paper card seems a bit of a cop out – like something you might see for free in a magazine. Colors are good but I don’t think I’m impressed enough to buy the full set. The ingredients are long and listed out on the back of the card (and nowhere online) so I’ll have to come back to running a cosmetics database report on these.

Still not signed up for Birchbox?

http://birchbox.com?raf=3l3e7
{ yes it’s an affiliate link, I get 50 points which equals $5 credit – share the love! }

February 4, 2014

Ipsy Glambag unboxing January 2014

Posted by By Hilary Baumann

Posted in Makeup / Cosmetics, Skin Care, Subscription boxes

Elizabeth Mott Smooth Shadow Pencil – no cones and it’s an excellent healthy ingredient list. The cosmetics database brings this back as a 1 so the only additional question is whether or not it will last the day or crease a lot.

(MALIN+GOETZ) Mojito Lip Balm – the initial search on the cosmetics database had me wowed with a zero (best score ever!) but turned out that their listing for this product only had two ingredients whereas the product is now much more complex OR simply entered wrong for that listing. I created a custom report based on the longer list of ingredients and came back with a rating of a 5. Bah humbug. Other than the synthetic fragrance though it doesn’t have ingredients that have me running for the hills. If this doesn’t bother my nose I MAY try this one anyway.

Proactiv+ Mark Fading Pads – Well it’s not the usual ingredient I call out but if you see “urea” you probably have a less than healthy product. I had high hopes for this after I checked for Benzoyl Peroxide (I’m allergic to the key ingredient in the main Proactive product.) I like the idea of something with glycolic acid that would promote skin cell turnover for healthier looking skin and fading acne scarring faster however the IMIDAZOLIDINYL UREA (FORMALDEHYDE RELEASER) is not something I want on my skin. The cosmetics database report brings this product as a whole back as a 5 rating.

Sexy Hair Healthy Sexy Hair Soy Tri-Wheat Leave In Conditioner – cones so I can’t use this one personally. It’s also a 6 with the cosmetics database. This brand is fairly hit and miss. Some products that are excellent and healthy and others that might do great things for your hair but aren’t so healthy.

skiin Soothing and Smoothing Eye Cream – cones so I can’t use this one personally. It’s a 5 with the cosmetics database and it brought to my attention one other thing. I like essential oils but since Tim is allergic to certain natural oils I don’t like the vague “blend of essential oils” on the ingredient list.

Not in my bag but wish I had received (and I may try):

January 15, 2014

Birchbox unboxing January 2014

Posted by By Hilary Baumann

Posted in Nail Polish, Skin Care, Subscription boxes

Serge Normant Meta Revive Dry Conditioner – No dimethicone yay! I can try this one. But it has synthetic fragrance so boo! It ranks a 5 with the cosmetics database and a good portion of that score has to do with the added fragrance. Remember the lower the number the healthier. But I still tried it. My hair IS softer and looks less greasy but like the dry shampoos I’ve tried I’m just not wowed. Yes it will do in a pinch but one of the ingredients is starch. Starch is white and my hair is DARK brown. Used sparingly it’s ok but it does seem to make my hair look dull immediately. Use too much and you suddenly look like you’re graying. So while I’m going to keep this around, I think people with sandy and blond hair will like it better than I do. I will say though, this is the best of the dry shampoos I’ve tried (and been able to try since a few I’ve skipped due to ingredients that will cause ME to break out.)

100% Pure Hand Buttercream – excellent ingredient list! I was super excited to try this and it is the perfect wintertime hand treatment. Lots of natural organic essential oils and butters. I went ahead and ran it through the cosmetics database and it came back a 3. A little higher than expected but still not bad. And as always, look at the actual ingredients for yourself and decide. Even thought the scent is natural it is a little intense but it dissipates some. I tried this on my hands overnight and it was really good. Not a lotion I would apply before any kind of computer work but something I can see myself applying before bed.

Paula’s Choice RESIST Ultra-Light Super Antioxidant Concentrate Serum – this has cones in it. As I’ve mentioned before cones cause breakouts for me so this is a “no go” item for me personally. I went ahead though and ran it through the cosmetics database to see how healthy it is. It’s a 3 which is good. No added fragrances, no parabens … good stuff.

Nail Rock in Red Glitter Kit – I wanted to like this but there was just too much glitter everywhere after a quick test nail. Since this does not get a top coat, I expect that there will continue to be fall-out as you wear it. If you don’t mind a little loose glitter you might still like this. The nail polishes are “3-free” but as for the glitter, it doesn’t seem like anything more than dipping a freshly polished wet nail into a pot of glitter. At $7 though it’s like getting some glitter as a bonus and the red shade is still nice so I may try that solo and see how it lasts.

Under Armour Braided Mini Headbands – SO close. I wish I could wear headbands but my head is just the wrong shape no matter how good the grippy backing is. ALL headbands slide on my head quickly and try and pop off my head. This is a really cute headband though and if you like a good workout headband and know that headbands work for you, you should give this one a shot.

So I’m glad I got what I got but I find it interesting that I got no makeup this month. I’m a little concerned that I’m going to fall out of an age bracket with birchbox this year and start getting way too many face serums. We’ll see …

Still not signed up for Birchbox?

http://birchbox.com?raf=3l3e7
{ yes it’s an affiliate link, I get 50 points which equals $5 credit – share the love! }

December 28, 2013

Winter Warrior – ClothingCult giveaway

Posted by By Hilary Baumann

Posted in Beauty & Skin, Hair, Subscription boxes

Winter Warrior - ClothingCult giveaway

if you’re on mobile or an RSS reader, click through for the Rafflecopter giveaway form

Remember how I mentioned that I give away the items that I get that I know I can’t use? There are things I’m allergic or react to so I can’t try them even so I simply leave them sealed and give them away. I’ve filled another Birchbox box full of goodies so it’s that time again. Since a lot of the items had to do with winter skin care or a healthy glow, I decided to call this one winter warrior.

In this giveaway:

Pop Beauty Eyeshadow in Naturally Bare
Bliss That’s Incredi-Peel sample
Klorane Extra-Gentle dry shampoo with oat milk sample
Pixi Beauty Bronzer Subtly Suntouched
Turo Lip Balm Treatment SPF15
Tresemme Extra Firm Control Hair Spray sample
Carmex Healing Cream & Lip Balm

Using the form above you can enter two ways:

Tweet about the contest (2 entries)
Like ClothingCult on Facebook (1 entry)

One person will be randomly drawn on January 5th 2014!

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November 17, 2013

Color Club Baldwin Blues swatch

Posted by By Hilary Baumann

Posted in Nail Polish, Subscription boxes

I’ve taken Color Club “Baldwin Blues” swatch photos and videos and linked them below.

Color Club Baldwin Blues swatch nail polish video below:

Color Club in “Baldwin Blues” is listed as “a sophisticated not-quite-navy blue” but I think it has just enough of a touch of green to call it a “sophisticated deep deep teal” that I think is perfect for fall and winter. It is a color with a lot of depth to it from its glossy sheen to its creamy, no frost, no frills, no nonsense bold color. And it is BOLD – I love it. Somehow despite the unusualness of this shade, I think it will go with plenty of fall outfits.

You absolutely need to wear a base polish with this nail polish. I painted a couple of nails really quickly when it first came in and even in the couple of hours I had it on without a base coat, it looked like it had stained my nail a bit. And a top coat would also be a good idea because several of my nails have wear marks on them already because I was lazy last night and just didn’t want to wait one more round of drying time.

I must admit … I’ve been watching “Pretty Little Liars” lately and Color Club’s Baldwin Blues share reminds me of a color that the character Aria might wear (I should go back and screen capture nail polishes I like from that show … or is that a little too weird and obsessive?) 🙂

Still not signed up for Birchbox?
http://birchbox.com?raf=3l3e7
{ yes it’s an affiliate link, I get 50 points which equals $5 credit – share the love! }