October Birchbox 2013: Mass Review

As my November box makes its way toward me, I figure it's about time I drag myself away from work to review my October box. Honestly, I thought this box was awful when I first opened it. And in the end, I wasn't super impressed. Shame on you, Birchbox! I expect more from you after this long.

First is the Alison Raffaele Reality Base Foundation. This product was terribly packaged, for one. The label had already come off, leaving a sticky residue all over the bottle. And I think it would be impossible to get all of the product out of this sample.

Think, you say? Don't you know for certain?

No, because I didn't use this product. At all.

Do you see how dark and yellow that product is? Like, whoa. I'm super light skinned, as I stated in my Birchbox profile. And they send me something that even my tan friends think is yellow. 

So it's not totally their fault, I get it. But the product is also....mediocre, to put it lightly. It was really runny. The coverage was thick and impossible the blend. I just wasn't blown away. Especially not for a price tag of $38. I'd rather not pay an arm and a leg to end up streaky and yellow. Thanks, but no thanks.

---

Next was the POP Beauty Aqua Lacquer. This may be one of the weirdest lip glosses I've ever gotten. And I'm not a fan of lip gloss to begin with. 

The applicator for this product is supposed to be a "unique spatula-like applicator brush" that makes application easy. Ha. Ha ha! It's awkward and hard to get just right. I would have preferred a doe foot applicator or even just a squeeze tube. Instead, it's a combination of squeeze tube and weird "patented" (aka gimmicky) spatula. Great. 

And on top of that, the gloss just isn't that great. It thick and sticky, unlike what all of the marketing about this product says. It also tastes awful, which only matters for people like me that lick and bite their lips constantly. 

As far as hydration goes, that part was nice. It does about as well a decent lip balm. Nothing earth shattering, but hey, you take what you can get. 

Unfortunately for me, I kind of like the color. Just enough to maybe use it once or twice before it gets forgotten at the bottom of my makeup drawer. Oh, well.

---

By far, one of my favorite things in the box was the Chapstick product. ChapStick Hydration Lock is my new favorite daily lip product. At this point, I've almost used the whole stick that I got in my Birchbox. 

This stuff is super moisturizing. It makes even my chapped lips feel like butter. And as winter creeps ever onward, I'm going to be glad to have a constant supply of this in my vanity. And my purse. And my other purse. And my backpack. And my wallet. 

What? I'm a hoarder for lip balms. 

There's not a whole lot to say about this, though, other than it's awesome. Great moisture, nice scent/flavor, and the usual Chapstick quality. No complaints here.

---
The last product in my box was a twofer, although that's almost a shame. I feel like since they're packaged together, it should count for one product. But eh, what are you going to do?

The Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser and Liz Earle Pure Muslin Cloths are nice quality. And they should be, for the cost. The polish is nice, although using it on dry skin was odd to say the least. Definitely different from what I'm used to. 

The polish did, however, leave my skin baby soft. I kept stroking my cheek because I was impressed at how well it had exfoliated all of those awful dry patches that come with swatching products on a near daily basis. It smoothed everything out and gave me this gorgeous glow. It also didn't make my skin red like most focused exfoliators. 

The cloth helped with that. I usually use a microfiber scrubber for my face, but this muslin was just as nice, if not better. It's become a staple in my bathroom and I use it even when I don't use the Liz Earle polishing cleanser. 

Overall, a half and half box. Two flops, two winners. Maybe Novemeber will be better? 

Thanks for reading! 

Review: Primavera Calming Cream Cleanser

**This product was provided to me by a representative of the company. I am reviewing without being asked. My review is not influenced in any way.**

My husband, with his epic charisma, managed to get me a bunch of free samples from someone he did work for. This is a company I had never heard of prior to receiving these samples. No press, no word of mouth, nothing. Needless to say, I was a little surprised. In my honest opinion, this company deserves a much bigger following!

                                                                                      

It’s company from Germany that focuses on everything natural. Organic, fresh, cold-pressed. Essentials oils are the highlights of these products, as are the sustainable ingredients. And that’s something that makes me happy. I can read everything on the back of the bottles and not feel at all concerned about what’s going onto my skin and into my body. And that’s a nice relief.

This cream cleanser is the first thing I tried and it’s absolutely wonderful. The formula soaked a bit into my microfiber face scrubber, so I applied it with my fingers. It didn’t foam up, which was weird at first, but my skin still felt clean afterwards.

The smell is wonderful and rich. Very woodsy. It reminds me of walking into Aveda during the winter, when they have the heavy forest scents out. It’s not unpleasant in the slightest. Unisex, but in the best possible way.

My skin still felt a little tight after using it, but not nearly as bad as some of the American products I have tried. I also noticed that, like the chamomile claims, it reduced some of the redness in my face. Always a good thing, especially as summer is approaching and I’ll need the chamomile to keep my skin from looking like I just ran a marathon when I really just stepped outside to check the mail.

This is definitely a brand to check out. Especially if you have sensitive skin. I’ll be reviewing more of their products in the near future, since the representative was kind enough to give me tons of wonderful samples.

http://www.primaveralife.com/en/

Thanks for reading!

A to Z: X is for eXfoliation

This is a review of Aveeno's Smart Essneitla Daily Detoxifying Scrub.

This was a sample I received in one of Target's beauty bags, and it's what I carry with me on long trips.

Overall, I feel like exfoliation is something that everyone has strong feelings about. Some people do it every day, some never. Either way, pretty much everyone in the beauty industry has an opinion about exfoliating, and every opinion seems to be different. 

My opinion? I exfoliate very slightly with the face scrubbies I reviewed previously. Every time I was my face, I use that. I wouldn't term that exfoliation, though. It's more of a deep scrub. 

I exfoliate pretty seldomly, to be perfectly honest. I feel that if you scrub off too much skin, it's either going to be really dry or really oily. And I know this because my skin likes to go both ways. If I exfoliate too often my skin either flakes off or I break out because of all of the oil. 

I find that exfoliating once a week or even once every two weeks is perfect for me. That, in addition to using the face scrubbie, keeps my skin relatively balanced and happy. 

When I do need to exfoliate, I pull this stuff out of my travel bag. 

The exfoliating bits are small, so I don't feel like I'm sandpapering my face off. The solution that the bits are suspended in is gentle and cleansing. It doesn't make my skin feel tighter than usual. It doesn't cause any adverse reactions for me. And while the ingredients aren't exactly wonderful (sulfates are the third ingredient), I use this so seldom that I don't think it's going to cause any long term effects. 

This is a pretty decent product for the price, and I know that it's getting the job done in the safest way possible. 

Thanks for reading!

A to Z: M is for Microfiber (And Minerals)

Apologies for the late post, guys. I went on a spontaneous road trip with my best friends yesterday. And let me tell you, getting out and about for the day was absolutely marvelous. I'll make up for it by reviewing two products today! That's right, two for the price of one!

Not that my posts cost you anything, but y'know...

First up is a dollar store find that has completely changed my skin. 

This little thing is about the size of my palm, made of microfiber, and is perfect as a facial scrubber. In fact, the packaging once said that was what it was for. 

Before using these microfiber scrubbies, I used my hands to wash my face. A little squirt of cleanser, some gentle rubbing, bam. Done. And during that time, I had pretty bad acne. 

Now, I didn't know this then, but apparently that wasn't cutting it for my skin. I needed exfoliation. I needed a deeper clean. And then the dollar store stepped in. 

Ever since I have started using these little green circles of amazing, my acne has mostly cleared up. The scrubs on one side are perfect for daily use. Exfoliating, but gentle about it. Not so intense that my skin is dry and red afterwards. The other side, the mesh side, is perfect for days when I feel really grimy or think my skin could use an extra scrub. It's a little bit more exfoliating. 

And the best part is, I can throw these into the washer and dryer with my regular clothes. Completely reusable, over and over again. In fact, I have rotated between the same three of these for over two years now. Once a week or once every two weeks (depending on when I remember), I toss them in the laundry and use a clean one. And on and on it goes. 

My skin is happy, and healthy, and glowing. No complaints from me, especially since I only spent a dollar on all three.

Next is my mineral makeup. Now, I know this is a hot topic right now, but here's my two cents. For what it's worth. (Two cents.)

I use the standard BareMinerals powder in fair. It's fast, it's simple, it does exactly what I need it to do. I've mentioned that I don't like wearing a lot of heavy makeup, and this stuff is about as light as it gets. 

I personally love that I can just brush some on and immediately look more put together than I did before. It's awesome before work because if I'm running behind, I will still look like I woke up brilliant and beaming.

And another great thing? It lasts all day! I don't refresh my makeup much throughout the day, but this stuff holds up to the standard work day just fine. In fact, when I wash my face at night, I still take some of it off. 

The blush that I use is also BareMinerals. It's The Natural High, one of their recent special collections. I didn't go into the store wanting blush, but after the salesperson applied some, I loved the way it looked. So I walked out of the store a little poorer, but happier. 

This blush is a nice, light pink with a slightly peachy undertone. My photos all seem to pull out that peach color. It's actually a little more pink in person than it is in the above pictures. Here's a picture from a beauty blogger I absolutely adore, Temptalia, that captures a better image of the color.

This is a very buildable color. I can apply just a little for a naturally fresh look. Or a little more to look like I'm super vibrant and flushed. It's an absolutely wonderful color. 

Now, for a mini discussion. I know that right now, there is an article circulating that mineral makeup isn't as good as everyone says. That it clogs pores. Makes your pores look bigger. Has bad chemical reactions for some people. Doesn't have enough SPF for what is advertised. 

In fact, some out there absolutely hate mineral makeup for these reasons. 

But for me, I have never had these problems. I don't notice a difference with my pores. I haven't had any bad reactions. And it doesn't make me break out (unlike some liquid foundations I've tried). I feel that just like with any makeup, you need to find the one that is right for you. Liquid, powder, cream, whatever. The beauty industry is vast and specialized. So go out there and find what is right for you. What makes your skin and soul happy. 

Thanks for reading, and again, apologies for being late!

A to Z: C is for Cleanser

Facial cleanser that is!

For this post, I'm going to review my current face wash, which is Biore's Combination Skin Balancing Cleanser.

I'm usually not one to be swayed by names, but when I was in desperate need of a face wash because I was out, I had no choice. I ran to the CVS by my work and picked up this bottle of Biore because I recognized the name, it said it was for combination skin, and it was relatively cheap. I have owned a few Biore things in the past, and they worked pretty decently, so I went for it.

This product is...alright. I have mixed feelings about it. 

I figured, with the nice price tag and the talk of moisture and balancing, it would be great for my dry, winter skin. 

And really, it's ok. It's not some miracle product. It's not perfect by a long shot. After using this product, my skin still feels a little tight and dry, like with most cleansers. And it doesn't seem to "balance" my skin as well as I was hoping. 

I wish that, since it's such a well known brand, it worked a little better. I still have serious dry spots on my cheeks and an oily T-zone. It just helps keep my face clean without making the problem worse.

For now, I rely on my moisturizer (which you'll see in a couple of days) to keep my skin healthy. I hope that soon I'll be able to find a cleanser I can absolutely adore. And when I find it, trust me, you guys will be the first to hear about it. 

Thanks for reading!

Review: Burt's Bee Sensitive Cleansing Towelettes

Let's put this simply: I'm lazy.

Well, I prefer to say low maintenance. But the truth is, I don't want to have to wash my face morning and night. It's a pain to pull my hair back, lean over the sink, get water everywhere, never rinse it off completely. So for a long time, I didn't wash my face but once a day, if I showered. Makeup on at night? Didn't matter. I would rather go to sleep with makeup on my face than have to take the time to wash my face before I went to bed.

And then I discovered the magic of face wipes.

Glorious, wonderful invention of wo/man.

I've been bouncing around between brands for a while now. The problem is that a lot of the wipes leave my skin feeling dry and tight, which is awful. Even with moisturizer, I feel like there's a residue. And let's be honest, I started using wipes because I'm lazy, so I'm not inclined to rinse my face after using a face wipe. It feels pointless to me. Like, why use a wipe when you still have to rinse the residue off of your face?

Luckily, I have finally found a wipe that's nice, clean, and feels good on my skin.

These little guys are really affordable (about the same as a standard pack of any other brand at CVS), and they feel really nice.

The wipes are thick, first and foremost. Not thin and flimsy like many brands (Equate, for one). There's more than enough surface area for me to remove all of my makeup easily with a single wipe. 

The ingredients are all pretty respectable, which is important when a product is soaking into the skin on your face. The smell is pleasant, not too noticeable. And best of all, it doesn't make my skin feel strange. Unlike Biore's Daily Cleansing wipes, there is no tingling sensation. No weird needle-like pain. My skin doesn't feel taut or dried out. 

Now, I would still apply moisturizer after using these, because like any soap product, it does pull away a bit of your skin's natural moisture. But this is, thus far, the least offensive wipes I've discovered.

Plus, I already use Burt's Bees lotions, balms, cremes, and chapsticks. Why not add one more of their products to my regimen?

Thanks for reading!