August Birchbox

Easy Does It - "Effortless days call for an effortless routine."

My August Birchbox contained the following:

• Acure Organics Day Cream
• Benefit Gimme Brown Volumizing Fiber Gel in “3 Medium”
• Glamglow Thirstymud Hydrating Treatment
• Marcelle City Multi-Protection Tinted Cream SPF 25 in “Fair”
• Oribe Gold Lust Dry Shampoo

I already know and love Thirstymud, Gimme Brow, and Oribe Dry Shampoo, so a big “Yay!” for travel-size versions to take on my next trip.  Acure Organics is one of my favorite brands for argan oil so I have no doubt I’ll love their Day Cream, and while Marcelle’s products have been hit or miss for me in the past, I have my fingers crossed on this Tinted Cream!

Wal-Mart Summer Beauty Boxes

Both of my seasonal Wal-Mart Beauty Boxes arrived earlier this week!  Is it silly that I'm most excited about a sponge?  (Maybe a little bit lol!)  Though to be fair, I do use a lot of masks so anything that makes them easier (and less messy) to remove is golden in my book!

The contents of my "Trendsetter" box

• Schwarzkopf Got 2b Ultra Glued Invincible Styling Gel
• imPress Press-On Manicure
• Ecotools Mask Remover Sponges
• Simple Cleansing Facial Wipes
• Pantene Dream Care Shampoo and Conditioner
• Real Techniques Brush Cleansing Gel (sample packet)

My "Classic" box was full of daily necessities as always.  The dry shampoo was inexplicably missing it's cap upon arrival...

The contents:

• Banana Boat Dry Balance Sunscreen
• Dove Volume & Fullness Dry Shampoo
• Ponds Original Fresh Towelettes
• Pantene Dream Care Shampoo and Conditioner
• ROC Multi Correxion 5 in 1 Chest, Neck, and Face Cream
• Burt's Bees Skin Nourishment Night Cream (sample packet)

As always these are a super steal at $5 each!  If you haven't signed up for yours yet you can do so here.

Target Beauty Box - June

Hello Sunshine!

Target's June Beauty Box is all about products that will keep you looking summer ready all month long!

• John Frieda Beach Blonde Sea Salt Spray
• Masque Bar Soothing Sheet Mask
• NYX Gotcha Covered Concealer in "Medium"
• Aussie 3-Minute Miracle Mask Treatment
• Hawaiian Tropic Island Sport Sunscreen
• Schick Hydro Silk Women's Razor
• Sinful Colors Nail Polish in "Island Coral"

Every single thing in this box is something I will use almost immediately - the NYX Concealer is definitely too dark for me to use as a concealer, but I think I will try a drop or two mixed with moisturizer and see if that works for some sheer coverage.  Other than that, every thing else is spot on!

Time to go get a pedicure with my new coral polish! :D

Allure and Birchbox - May

Both of these Beauty Boxes showed up in my mailbox on the same day last week.  I am so far behind on things I want to post about (new cookbook, a major antique cookbook score, and recipes) that I decided to combine both boxes into one post and shorten it up a bit!

• Drunk Elephant Umbra Sheer Physical Daily Defense SPF 30
• Skinfix Foaming Clay Cleanser
• This Works Stress Check Breath In Fragrance
• Luxie Beauty Rose Gold Tapered Blending Eye Brush 205
• Doucce Eyeshadow Mono in "Jody"
• Kneipp Lavender Body Oil

I'm most excited about the Drunk Elephant sunscreen in this box.  I've been having an issue with facial sunscreen and eye irritation lately.  Even when I'm careful to keep it away from my eyes they will start to burn and water whenever I use SPF on my face. Not sure what's going there, but needless to say, I'm on the search for a new one because I am way too fair to go without sunscreen in the summer!

• Davines MINU Shampoo and Conditioner
• Living Proof Perfect Hair Day In-Shower Styler
• The Beauty Crop Fabulous Flocking Lashes Mascara
• Tocca Giulietta Eau de Parfum
• Vita Liberata Fabulous Self Tanning Gradual Lotion

Am I the only one who thinks it's fun that the Fabulous Flocking Mascara has a flock of flamingos on the package?! I'm going to assume "No"! :) And despite the fact that I have a laundry list of self-tanning fiascos under my belt, I'm still cautiously optimistic that I'll find one that doesn't turn me orange.  I will report back on my success or failure of the Vita Liberata in a future post!

Love It, Like It, or Lose It v. 10

It's been awhile since I've done one of these!  It certainly hasn't been for my lack of testing out new products either.  Between work, kids, sports, old dogs with ailments... you know life in general... sometimes I lose track of what I'm doing.  (But we could all write an entire post on that couldn't we!?)

This product testing round, I came across a "new" product that was actually new to me 2 years ago.  I didn't like it then, I don't like it now, and I didn't realize it until I got online to write a review and saw that I'd already written one!  (Clinique Superprimer in case you're wondering.)  That is precisely why I write these posts - to keep track!

Coola Daydream Mineral Primer SPF 30 - "A weightless, multitasking primer for flawless makeup, infused with Coola’s signature Plant Protection® and a mineral broad-spectrum SPF 30 sunscreen to protect the skin."

Thoughts:  I was pleasantly surprised by this product!  I expected a mineral primer with SPF to be thick and chalky but this isn't at all.  It feels almost serum like during application and does a decent job of blurring pores.  Seems best for oily to normal skin types.

Clinque Superprimer - "Lightweight, oil-free primer creates an ideal makeup canvas."

Thoughts:  The above description is literally all it does.  Helps my skin feel a bit smoother but it doesn't do anything for pores, fine lines, or foundation longevity.  On my 3rd use I put it on only half my face - I could feel a slight difference in application (easier to blend on the one side) but I couldn't see any difference in the way my foundation looked. When I checked again hours later I still couldn't see any difference.  I definitely prefer a multi-tasking primer.

MAC In Extreme Dimension 3D Mascara - "A carbon black mascara with a large molded brush that creates extreme volume and curl."

Thoughts -  This does give a bit of curl but I found it pretty lacking otherwise.  2 coats was absolutely necessary for volume and length.  Didn't smudge.

Bumble and Bumble Hairdressers Invisible Oil Primer - "Infused with 6 featherlight oils it helps soften, detangle, de-frizz, tame flyaways, ease styling and protect against breakage, heat-styling and UV damage."

Thoughts -   I saw a noticeable reduction in frizziness when using this prior to blow drying and flat ironing.  Love the UV protection for my colored hair!  It's ok as a detangler after showering.

L'Oreal Color Vibrancy Shampoo and Conditioner - "Instantly nourishes and helps shield color from fading, leaving hair protected and color vibrant over time. Experience 8 weeks of vibrant color*"

Thoughts - I wasn't a huge fan of the shampoo - it smelled nice and did well removing buildup but it left my hair feeling straw-like.  I really liked the conditioner though and found it to be very moisturizing.  It also left my hair nearly tangle free.