October Birchbox and Influenster

I feel like Birchbox is very hit and miss. Some months I like and others I don't. I have had Birchbox for 4 months now and I think I will continue the subscription. For those who are not familiar  Birchbox is a monthly subscription. For $10 a month, you get a box full of samples.

This months samples were: 

Karuna Hydrating Treatment Mask - 4 for $28

Lulu Organics Lavender + Clary Sage Hair Powder - $30

Naked Princess Luscious Lip Gloss - $26

Embryolisse Lait-Creme Conentre - $16

Also came with a Lifestyle Extra being LUNA Lemon Zest bar  - 15 for $18.75

In October's Birchbox, I am most excited about the mask and dry shampoo. The description on the mask says it has natto which is a Japanese Soy bean to help dull skin. I still have not found a dry shampoo that works so I am excited to try this powder.

I got my first VoxBox from influenster in the mail today. Influenster is like an online community where you can join to be a member and complete surveys, write reviews, etc. to gain badges. When you earn badges, you can get discount on products and services. To get a VoxBox, you enter and they select which member to send a VoxBox out to. According to their website it is stated as, "Qualified members are selected based on their demographics, Expert Badges, and social activity. Each program is directed at a different demographic. In order to qualify, you must unlock Expert Badges in your areas of expertise. If you fit the demographics and your badges are a match for the VoxBox's theme, you'll have better chances of qualifying. We also encourage members to be active on social media."

This Quad comes with a primer and illuminator

These are swatches without using the primer

These are swatches with the primer the quad comes with

As you can see, the shadows pigmentation is different with the primer. Without the primer, the shimmers from the shadow do not show up as well as they do with the primer. The darkest gray is chalky, but they all feel smooth to the touch.

My Glam BAG?? disappointing.

My Glam Bag is a monthly subscription service where you receive samples every month for $10. They send you this cheap make up bag every time containing pretty crappy stuff. I did not even take a picture of this month because I was so upset, half of them are thrown in the trash. I understand its only 10 dollars so I cannot complain too much, but I rather pay more for a monthly subscription box/bag that is better worth it.

That bag had 2 make up brushes that are crap from my glam, nail heart bling which is very tacky, sample of a perfume, and a lipstick from Studio Gear in a brick brown red color. After this I decided to try for another month and see how I liked it. So I did not take a picture of it, but I received a bag that was a cheap envelope bag, a NYX round lipstick, a sample size philosophy moisturizer, anti-frizz nourishing cream, and a Marbella permanent eyeliner pen.  They send everyone the same item, except I think the shades of lipsticks given are at random. So this bag was better, but still not up to par. The eyeliner is not opaque unless you go over it at least 4 times. I have straight hair, not curly, so I probably will just give away the anti-frizz cream. In the end that leaves me with only using 2 of the samples. USELESS. I canceled my subscription today and signed up for Glossybox. Glossybox is $21 a month, but like I mentioned before, I am willing to pay more if the samples are better. I hope Glossybox doesn't let me down!

Guerlain Météorites Compact Powder

The prupose of this powder is to make the skin look illuminating and matte. This powder is a very light texture and very smooth. It is a very sheer coverage so I don't recomment purchasing this powder if you are looking to use as a powder foundation. I use this to set my liquid foundation. It is a hefty price of $56.00, however I do recommend it if you fit the shades they have. Thisa powder only comes in three shades, but this powder blends so well that I believe most skin tones will be able to use this powder to set their liquid foundations.

Overall rating: 4.5 out of 5

Illamasqua Matt Primer

I recently purchased this primer at my local Sephora because I was looking for a primer to keep my face matte.   This product is a Sephora exclusive and can be found on their website. I currently use Smashbox Photofinish in original. I love Smashbox's smooth application however it did not keep matte for longer than 2 hrs. My t-zone gets oily easily. The Illamasqua's matte primer has an SPF of 15 and contains UVA and UVB filters. A little of this product goes a long way. It is in a squeeze tube with a watery consistency, similar to a light weight face lotion. However, once applied it smooths out very well into a matte finish. The watery consistency dries out very quick once applied and rubbed on the face. The smell is very nice as well, its a sweet floral scent, but very very light. My face stayed matte for about 5 hours which is quite long since my t-zone gets oily quick. I like it very much and would recommend for those with combination skin, however I don't love it to say its a holy grail product. Hoping to find that one product that will help control my oil dramatically.

Price: $30

Over all rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Loreal Color Riche Lip Balms

I had to struggle to get my hands on Revlon Lip Butters, and although many people love them, I actually do not care for them. I don't like them, nor hate them. They are very pigmented, however they do not feel that moisturizing. I don't think they should deserve to be called "lip butters." I went to my local CVS and found Loreal's new tinted lip balms  on display and I love them. The are so glossy and moisturizing with just enough color that a lip balm should have. Very slight pigmentation so I do not recommend it for those who are looking for a lip product with vibrant vivid colors. I do recommend it for those who are looking for a hint of color on their lips while having moisturized lips, esp in this dry winter weather. There are currently 8 different shades. By the way, these lip balms smell like fruity candy!

Price: $6-8

Pigmentation: 3 out of 5 stars

Lasting Powder: 4 out of 5 stars

Color Selection: 3 out of 5 stars

Lip hydration: 5 out of 5 stars

I promise the pigmentation is slightly more vibrant than my swatch

Chanel Perfection Lumiere

This foundation is by thus far, the best foundation I have tried. I enjoyed the Mat Lumiere, but I prefer the Perfection Lumiere over the mat. The Perfection Lumiere is a medium to full coverage foundation that actually, keeps my face just as mat as the Mat Lumiere. The foundation finishes to a satin-powder finish therefore no setting power is needed; however, I use the Chanel Poudre to set this foundation and this combination goes perfectly together. I also use my sigma f80 and f82 with this foundation. Chanel foundations have a rose scent. The Perfection Lumiere's rose perfumed scent is quite strong, much more noticeable than the Mat Lumiere. I actually enjoy the smell, but for those who are sensitive to products that have scents, I do not recommend this product. I also do not recommend this product for those who have dry skin because it may just accentuate dry patches on the skin. For those who don't mind and has combination or oily skin, I recommend this product.

Price: $55

Lasting Power: 5 out of 5

Color Range Selections: 4.5 out of 5

Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette

The Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette comes with 12 eye shadows, a dual ended brush, and a mini lip gloss. One side of the brush is a flat shader brush and the other side is a crease blending brush. The brush works very well. The package is different from the first Naked palette because the first one was a suede magnetic box while the new one is a tin metal box. Both come with mirrors. All the eye shadows are very pigmented, silky soft in texture, and blends wonderfully; which is what is expected from Urban Decay shadows anyways. The matte black shadow is a little rough in texture but is a perfect matte black to make a nice smokey eye. This palette has 3 matte shadows, 1 shadow that has a slight sheen, and 7 shadows that have little specs of glitter. You cannot feel the glitter when you apply the shadows. Like the first Naked, this palette is limited and can be a little frustrating to get your hands on. If you go on urban decay's website you can sign up to be notified when the next round will be released.

Price: $50

Pigmentation: 5 out of 5 stars

Color pay off: 5 out of 5 stars

Lasting Power: 5 out of 5 stars

I definitely recommend this product.

Chanel Poudre Universelle Compacte

This is a powder typically to set liquid foundation, but could be used alone. This powder is very sheer and the powder has a very fine texture and is very compact. This powder is supposed to help mattify the face from their formula based on their micronised talc. There are 5 shades available, however I believe most department stores and Chanel counters only carry 4 shades. I really like how the powder applies with a fllat top brush. A regular powder brush will not be able to pick up much product because of how compact the powder is. I feel as though a regular powder brush will waste product. When I use a flat top powder brush the powder goes on extremely natural looking and blends wonderfully. I have a very oily t-zone so the powder only kept me mattified for 4 hours without having to retouch. One thing to remember is do not be shocked if the powder looks dark because I am a mac NC30, Chanel Perfection Lumiere in beige 30, Chanel Mat Lumiere in beige 40; but I am in translucent 3 in this powder which is the third darkest out of the 4 shades available. Also I noticed when you try to order this powder online, the color block swatches they show you are not true to color. I would repurchase this powder again.

Price: varies from $45-55 

(I purchased mine from Macy's they sell it for $45 while Neiman Marcus sells it for $55)

Lasting Power: 4 out of 5 stars

Oil Control: 4 out of 5 stars

Laura Mercier

Book of Nudes


This palette contains 8 shadows (0.03 oz), 1 cake eyeliner (0.04 oz), and 3 veil shades (0.02 oz). The eye shadows pigmentation quality is different for every shadow. However, most have good pigmentation. The cake liner is chalky but fair in quality when used wet. The creme veils are blush, bronzer, and golden highlight veils. Pigmentation on veils are very good, however they feel oily rather than creamy so lasting power is only at fair. I do not recommend the veils for those with oily skin. This product is limited edition.

Pigmentation for shadows: 4 out of 5 stars.

Lasting power for eye shadows and liner: 4 out of 5 stars.

Pigmentation for veils: 5 out of 5 stars.

Lasting power for veils: 3 out of 5 stars.

Color pay off: 4 out of 5 stars.

Price: $48.00

Kat Von D True Romance Shadow Palette in Saint

Saint is a neutral palette. I love neutrals, I don't think I can have enough of them. Comes with 8 shadows and all the eye shadows are .05 oz. The shadows are very pigmented and the texture is very silky. Some shadows have more fall out than others, but that is typical of shadows that are creamy and silky. I love this palette. The packaging is okay. Seems sturdy, but I do think the look is kind of cheap. It is a tin metal type of material. It also  came with a mini eyeliner which I do not of have swatches of because I forgot to take them. The eyeliner is creamy, easy to apply, but does not last long on my water line. I would rate the eyeliner 3.5 out of 5 stars. Milani is still the best pencil eyeliner I have tried so far. Ratings for the eye shadows:

Pigmentation: 5 out of 5 stars.

Lasting power: 4 out of 5 stars.

Texture: 5 out of 5 stars.

Packaging: 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Color pay off: 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Price: $35.00

I don't think my swatches are doing the colors justice. I apologize.

Body Shop Lip Scuff and Hard Candy Heavy Duty Glamoflauge Concealer

Body Shop Lip Scuff:
Body Shop's website describes it as: A moisturizing lip care product that gently exfoliates the lips to help remove dead skin cells, leaving the lips feeling smooth, soft and conditioned.


My opinion: This lip scrub smells like a slight mint. Smell is not too strong, it's actually pretty pleasant. It is basically a lip balm with beads that is supposed to exfoliate and hydrate lips at the same time; uhm no. FAIL. I don't find this product moisturizing at all. It actually dries out my lips. I tried to scrub my lips but it failed miserably. It only left part of chapped lipped skin slightly peeled off so I have to pull off the rest of the dead skin and my lips just end up bleeding. This scruff fails at its purpose. My friend also tried this and she had the same effects I did. This product does not leave my lips soft and conditioned. I DO NOT recommend this product. 0 out of 5 stars. That serious.

Hard Candy Heavy Duty Glamofauge Concealer
This is a multi-purpose use concealer for dark circles, blemishes, uneven skin tone, and tattoo cover up. Contains .71oz of product. This product is very heavy. A little goes a long way, seriously. All I need is less than a pee size, literally just a dot of product and covers my bags on both eyes completely. I have really dark circles no matter what how much I sleep or drink fluids. So far, this is the best coverage concealer I have tried. When set with a powder, no visible creasing for over 8 hours. I purchased this because I saw it at my local Walmart. I was planning on purchasing Kat Von D's concealer, however I don't want to purchase it anymore because I am very content with the results of the Hard Candy Concealer. One downfall is there are only three colors to choose from: light, medium, tan.

Coverage: 5 out of 5 stars.

Color Pay off: 5 out of 5 stars.

Color Selection: 3 out of 5 stars.

Lasting Power: 5 out of 5 stars.

Price: $6.00

On the left you can see my hand without the concealer, my veins show. On the right with the concealers you cannot see my veins at all.

Danmari All About Cheeks Palette

I've received this as a birthday gift from one of my best friends. Picture and swatches are below. Over all I really like this palette. Nars desire is very pigmented so I would recommend using a duo fiber brush, and or a light hand to apply this color. It is also the only matte color in this palette. All the other colors have slight shimmer. Super orgasm has more shimmer and reflexes than all the other colors in this palette. Fortunately, the glitters from super orgasm does not appear like a glittery mess on your face. The packaging is like every other Nars blush packaging. Sleek and velvet matte black. There are six colors and each contain .12 oz. This palette comes with a large mirror and is perfect for traveling. This palette is limited edition for the holidays so go grab them now!  Pigmentation: 5 out of 5 stars. Packaging: 5 out of 5 stars. Color pay off: 5 out of  5 stars. Lasting power: 4.5 out of 5 stars. Price: $65.00 I apologize for the dirtiness, I swatched and used them before taking the picture.

Suave Dry Shampoo

Price I purchased it for: $2.74

I was in Target and I saw this dry shampoo and I decided to purchase it for two reasons:

1. It is a raved product on YouTube

2. It is inexpensive

Unfortunately, this product does not get rid of the oil. I have no idea why it is highly talked about and how it receives good reviews. It smells good, but it does not fulfill its purpose. I will not repurchase this nor do I recommend it.

I give this product 1 out of 5 stars. 1 star for the smell.

More e.l.f reviews

Swatches will come later when I get the chance to take pictures and upload.

e.l.f. Studio Endless Eyes Pro Eyeshadow Palette – Limited Edition

Price: $10

This palette contains 100 eye shadows. This product has poor pigmentation. Some colors are better than others. I would recommend this product toward younger make up users such as middle school and possibly early high school. Fall out is a minimum and its pretty fine in texture. It is easy to blend, but the color payoff just doesn't do it justice. It's a good addition to you collection if you are a beginner. However, for those who are not beginners, will be dissatisfied and disappointed about this product. Note to make up beginners, there are other eye shadows from the website and drug stores that are much better than this particular palette.

I rate this 2.5 out of 5 stars.

e.l.f. Studio Conditioning Lip Balm SPF 15

Price: $3

This is a pretty raved product on YouTube. The color payoff is good considering it's a lip balm. Texture is thin and not sticky. Moisturizing and contains Vitamin A&E and SPF 15. The only downside is the packaging. Just like their cream liners, the top is hard to screw on properly preventing the product from drying out. Another downside to the packaging is that its hard to scoop out the product. I hate getting lip balm in my nails, but its hard to avoid with this packaging. I recommend using a lip brush with this product.
I rate this 4 out of 5 stars.

e.l.f. Studio Angled Contour Brush

Price: $3

This brush is amazing. I absolutely love love love <3 it. Its great for contouring the outer V and blending as well. Suitable for many eye shapes. I have small asian eyelid folds it works great. Soft (like all of e.l.f's studio brushes) and dense; a brush that does not shed. 

I rate this 5 out 5 stars.

e.l.f. Studio Angled Eyeliner Brush

Price: $3

This eyeliner brush is very good at precise lining. Great for the inner lids and every day eyeliner wear. It takes patience if you want to use this liner for a thick dramatic eye line. Very thin hair and easy to clean. I would definitely recommend this product.
I rate this 4.5 out of 5 stars.

e.l.f. Studio Matte Lip Color

Price: $3

This purchase was very satisfying. These lip colors have Vitamin A, C & E. Comes with four colors. They are very creamy and the color pay off is very good. Lasting power with drinking and eating was about 2hrs. Lasting power without drinking or eating was about 4hrs. Not the best in lasting power. Definitely makes your lips look matte; therefore it serves the purpose of the product. Like any other matte lip products, it can be drying on your lips over time so make sure lips are completely moisturized before using this product.
I rate this 4.5 out of 5 stars.