September Allure Beauty Box

Allure Beauty Box…  How do I love thee?  Let me count the ways.  One:  Full-size Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush.  Two:  Drunk Elephant Skin Care.  Soooo many products of theirs are on my Wish List.   Three:  Promo codes for 20% purchases at both these brand’s websites.    Four:
I could continue but it’s already well documented that Allure is my favorite subscription box so I’ll keep the rest of my gushing to myself.

This month’s box –

Drunk Elephant Lala Retro Whipped Cream

Living Proof Full Dry Volume Blast

Beautyblender Micro Mini

Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Eye

Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-hour blush in “Dazzled”

The Tarte Blush in “Dazzled” will be a nice addition to my blush wardrobe!  At first I was a little bummed that I didn’t receive “Captivating” which is a warm peach shade and typically what I lean towards, but then I realized, “Really Kristina?  Do you need another peach blush?”  Honestly, need is subjective where makeup is concerned but now I can say I’m expanding my horizons with a pretty dusty rose shade!

As I mentioned earlier, I have quite a few Drunk Elephant items on my Wish List.  This Whipped Cream moisturizer sounds absolutely delightful for my already dry skin that’s about to get even drier as the weather cools.  I’m also looking forward to trying the volumizing spray from Living Proof.  I love their dry shampoo so we’ll see if this Dry Volume Blast gives my hair when it’s freshly washed the oomph and grip I need.

Can’t wait for next month’s!

September Birchbox

The September edition of my Birchbox arrived yesterday.  I feel like I've been waiting for forever for this thing!  The enclosed card stated this box is "all about you - and making your routine easier, faster, and more fun."  I think I'm going to have to check my profile because I received two products for oily or acne-prone skin whereas my skin is definitively dry and I rarely breakout.  Oh well, the mattifying toner at least can go to my daughter!

The contents:

• Avene Cleanance MAT Mattifying Toner
• Briogeo Rosarco Milk Reparative Leave-In Conditioning Spray
• Evologie Intensive Blemish Serum
• Pixi by Petra LipLift Max in "Honey Sheen"
• Wilma Schumann Skin Care Mouth & Lips Age-Defying Masque

The "Honey Sheen" shade of the gloss I received looks to be a peachy-nude which is absolutely one of my favorite lip colors, and I already know I like the Briogeo Leave-In conditioner.  My lips don't need any plumping as of yet but I'll never turn down testing a new mask lol! While the mattifying toner is definitely going to my teenage daughter, I'll have to look into the ingredients of the blemish serum before I decide what to do with that one.

Target Beauty Box - August

Target's August's Beauty Box is full of products to make the most of your daily routine.  I don't grab one of these every month, but with 2 full-size products and every item being something either my daughter or I use, it was a great value!

The contents:

• Dove Clear Finish Dry Spray Deodorant (full-size)
• Up&Up 25-ct Facial Wipes (full-size)
• Biore Deep Cleansing Pore Strips (1 count)
• SpaLife Nourishing Facial Mask
• Herbal Essences Argan Oil Shampoo
• Garnier Clearly Brighter Daily Scrub

Did you grab one this month?  Which product were you most excited about?

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!

July Allure Beauty Box and Gift

This month the editors at Allure put together the summer essentials they use to look amazing despite the heat and humidity.  With it being 95 outside today the timing on this couldn’t be more perfect!  And…  I received an amazing surprise in the mail!

What I got:

Briogeo Rosarco Blow Dry Perfection & Heat Protectant Crème

Feel Brilliant Bamboo Charcoal Facial Sheet Mask

Redken Fashion Waves 07 Sea Salt Spray

Burt’s Bees Complete Nourishment Facial Oil

Wander Beauty Lipstick in “Barely There”

Cargo Swimmables Water Resistant Blush in “Bali”

Beauty for Real Lip Revival Exfoliating + Hydrating Lip Scrub

All products I haven’t tried previously and I’m not even sure which one I’m most excited to test first.  Maybe the facial oil.  I love argan oil and am interested to see if Burt’s Bee’s blend of rose hip and primrose oils is even better!  (Or if it will make me break out.)

And the surprise?  Two full-size Marc Jacobs lip glosses that I received for being a long-standing subscriber!  The colors they sent me are “Hey You” which is a bright pink/cherry shade, and “Moonglow” which is a pale pink/nude.

I’ve said many times that Allure’s Beauty Box is my favorite out of all the boxes I’ve subscribed to (both past and present).  It’s good to know they love me back!

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!

Wal-Mart Spring 2017 "Me Moment" Beauty Box

Remember the special edition "Me Moment" beauty box I mentioned that I had opted into in place of my Trendsetter box last month?  It finally arrived late last week!

Colgate Optic White Toothpaste

Ban Powder Fresh Roll-On Deodorant

Soapbox Soothe & Replenish Body Wash

Jergens Natural Glow Wet Skin Moisturizer

Gliss Ultra Moisture Shampoo and Conditioner

John Frieda Frizz Ease Moisturizing Conditioner

Sinful Colours Limited Edition Porcelain Matte Nail Color in "Mad Matter"

Neutrogena Hydro Boost Lip Shine in "50 Radiant Rose"

SOO AE Purifying Black Charcoal Sheet Mask

Aveeno Positively Radiant 60 Second In-Shower Facial (sample packet)

Aveeno Positively Radiant Overnight Hydrating Facial (sample packet)

Rimmel Stay Matte Lightweight Liquid Mousse Foundation in 200 (sample packet)

For a measly $5, I will never complain about the contents of Wal-Mart's beauty boxes, but I was a little disappointed to see so many duplicates from the Classic box I received earlier.  5 of them in fact.  The duplicates were the toothpaste, deodorant, body wash, and the splotch inducing* wet skin moisturizer.  I also received another Gliss shampoo and conditioner set albeit in a different formula so I'm not sure than counts entirely or not.

Out of the new items I received I'm most excited about the sheet mask and the Aveeno facial packets.  My daughter and I have declared Wednesday and Sunday evenings as "mask nights" so I've really been able to work through my stash of skincare lately!

I'm also pretty excited about the new LE Porcelain Matte nail polish from Sinful Colours as I don't own any matte finishes and I love neutral shades like "Mad Matter".   As for the last two items, I may pass the Frizz Ease conditioner on to my curly haired daughter since she deals with frizz more than I do, but the lip gloss is going straight into my bag since it's a very wearable rose!

Once again, a stellar box - few new items I'm excited to try and several staple items for only $5!

*I received the Jergens Natural Glow Wet Skin Moisturizer in a previous beauty box.  Absolutely no “natural glow” is to be found with this product and I've tested it 3x now.  Varying splotches of yellow, orange, and brown are be found instead.  My legs end up resembling those of a short, splotchy giraffe no matter what I try

April Allure Beauty Box

The theme for this month's box is "Shine On" and fittingly contains products to give you radiant and glowing complexion. According to the editor this box has got you covered whether you're celebrating a happy moment or just figuring out how to get through Tuesday!

• Ahava Mineral Body Lotion
• Dr. Brandt PoreDermabrasion Pore Perfecting Exfoliator
• Skin & Co roma Truffle Therapy Eye Concentrate
• The BrowGal by Tonya Crooks Highlighter Pencil in O2
• Laritzy Lip Pencil in Cabernet

This box was both a hit and (somewhat) of a miss for me which is pretty unusual for my favorite beauty box!  I'm happy with both of the skincare items as well as the body lotion, but unfortunately both of the cosmetics (each are full-size!) were a bit of a miss due to the shades I received.

As for skincare, Dr. Brandt's Microdermabrasion is one of my favorite exfoliators so I have no doubt that I'll love this PoreDermabrasion also.  I'm always more than happy to test out a new eye cream too.  Even though I'm just starting to see fine lines around my eyes I'd like to keep them from worsening for as long as possible and  Skin&Co Roma Truffle Therapy Eye Concentrate gets great reviews.

As far as bath and body goes, I have a couple of Ahava products in my shower currently so their Mineral Body Lotion will fit right in with my daily routine.  It is said to have a clean floral scent so it should pair nicely with many of my spring/summer fragrances.
And onto the makeup... 

The Highlighter Pencil from The BrowGal by Tonya Crooks is a product that's right up my alley!  One side conceals rogue hairs between appointments while the other side highlights.  Unfortunately, I received shade 02 which is too dark for my fair and pinky-toned skin.  At only $20 and free shipping on their site though, I may go ahead and order the lighter 01 myself!

Lastly, I received a Laritzy Lip Pencil in "Cabernet".   As the name would imply, it is a deep and rich red.  I love Cabernet in the form of wine but red lip color just never seems to work for me.  Most of the shades on their site are sold-out so I may try and blot this down like I do any other too-dark lip color and wear it as a muted lip stain.

April Birchbox

"Pretty beauty packaging might have us at "hello," but in the long run it's what's on the inside that matters the most."

The above is quoted from the card that accompanied the items in my box and that's the focus this month - what's inside.  Vitamin C, charcoal, salicylic acid... all ingredients inside this month's products because Birchbox knows we all like to look good on the outside too and that's what those ingredients do!

 

• Benefit Cosmetics the POREfessional Primer
• Michael Todd Blue Green Algae Antibacterial Toner
• Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant
• R+Co High Dive Moisture & Shine Creme
• The Beauty Crop GRLPWR Liquid Lipstick in Imma Bawse

Benefit POREfessional is my daughter's favorite primer so that will be going directly to her along with the Michael Todd Toner.  The Blue Green Algae Antibacterial Toner is described as being gentle but still able to rid skin of oil and impurities.  Sounds perfect for sensitive and acne prone skin!

The Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant from Paula's Choice has been on my "to-try" list for awhile now.  I've heard great things about it's ability to fight wrinkles and acne while leaving skin baby smooth besides, so I'm excited to try it for sure!  Then, R+Co High Dive is a product that doubles as a leave-in conditioner and a pre-styling frizz fighter, so I'm certainly looking forward to testing that on my long frizzy locks.

While the GRLPWR Liquid Lipstick from The Beauty Crop sounds amazing, (it's supposedly long-wearing, matte, and moisturizing,) I unfortunately received a color I just will not wear.  "Imma Bawse" is a very deep and rich red that is too bold for my taste and not very flattering to my coloring either.  I'm sure one of my friends will love it though, so it'll be set aside for one of them to snag at our next get together.

Graze Box Review

I've been subscribing to Graze for a couple of years now.  I have no idea why it took me so long to write a post about it.  I love it!  I've subscribed to a couple of other snack boxes over the years but this is the only one I've stuck with.

 

Graze Snack Box allows you to decide how often you want to receive a box, from weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly.  They also allow you to rate the snacks you receive and customize your boxes.  If you tag something as a "Love" you'll receive it fairly frequently.  If you "trash" it you'll never receive it again.  They make it easy to do too.  As you can see from the screenshot below, I "trashed" Banana Cream Pie.  I do not like their chewy banana coins.  At all.  So I sorted the snacks by category on their site, scrolled through all the fruit, and trashed everything with banana coins.

 

A booklet with nutritional information is included with every order so it's easy to avoid certain allergens and/or stay on track with calories or carbs.  You can even order boxes specific to diet plans by choosing low-sugar or low-calorie (under 150 calories) snack boxes.
If a snack subscription box is something you might be interested in you can check it out here - https://www.graze.com/us/.  If you'd like to get your first and fifth box free you can enter my referral code below and help me earn free snacks too!  Happy snacking!



Wal-Mart Spring 2017 Beauty Box - Classic

My Spring "Classic" Beauty Box arrived last week!  Typically I receive both of my Wal-Mart Beauty Boxes within a day or so of each other, but I'm still waiting on the second one so I figured I'd go ahead and post.  A couple of weeks back I received an email from Wal-Mart asking me if I wanted to opt-in to a special edition "Me Moment" Beauty Box in place of my Trendsetter, (I did), and I'm thinking that is why the normal scheduling is off.  Hopefully they won't keep me waiting too long!

 

 

My "Classic" Box contained:

• Colgate Optic White Toothpaste
• Ban Roll-On Deodorant
• Schwarzkopf Gliss Hair Repair Shampoo and Conditioner
• Soapbox Soothe & Replenish Body Wash
• Jergens Natural Glow Wet Skin Moisturizer
• Pure Ice Nail Polish in "Hautumn"
• SOO AE Vitamin Collagen Essence Mask

I'm most excited about the sheet mask and toothpaste!  The sheet mask because it's a brightening version (dull and dry skin here), and the toothpaste because well... toothpaste.

Deodorant is another item I always love receiving.  It's been ages since I've used a roll-on deodorant and I don't have pleasant memories of the last one I tried, but I'm cautiously optimistic about this one.  According to the packaging, Ban protects for a solid 24 hours and glides on clear with no messy white residue.   Hopefully that last part means no more walking around fanning my under arms while pleading with it to go ahead and dry already!

As always, this Beauty Box is a major steal for $5 and I can't even complain about the Jergens* because of it!  The contents are always a "win" even if one is actually a major miss!

*Side note - I received the Jergens Natural Glow Wet Skin Moisturizer in a previous beauty box and set about testing it immediately.  Absolutely no "natural glow" was to be found.  Varying splotches of yellow, orange, and brown were to be found instead.  My legs resembled those of a short, splotchy giraffe. Thank goodness it's still cool out and pants are in order!


March Allure Beauty Box

I'm excited to say that March's Allure Beauty Box arrived yesterday!  It contains one product I'm familiar with (and love), two new to me brands, and a bonus sample of deodorant. (And who doesn't need a travel size of that for their gym bag?!?

 

• Akar Skin Ruby Tint Lip Butter
• Derma E Vitamin C Concentrated Serum
• John Freida Luxurious Volume 7 Day Volume In-Shower Treatment
• Londontown Lakur Enhanced Color in "Cheerio"
• Londontown Kur Nourishing Cuticle Oil
• *bonus* Secret Invisible Solid Antiperspirant/deodorant in "Cool Waterlily"

I've never heard of the brand Londontown before, but being the product junkie that I am, I'm always happy to welcome a new brand into my home!  According the beauty editors at Allure, the Lakur Enhanced Colour polish  will give me opaque coverage in two coats and a gel-like finish in three.  (Bonus for those who avoid animal products - it's vegan!)  The Kur Nourishing Cuticle Oil will supposedly extend the wear of my nail polish while it's strengthening and improving my nails.  If your nails chip as quickly as mine do then that's a major selling point!  Whether I'll be impressed or disappointed remains to be seen!

The other new to me brand is Akar Skin.  I received a pocket friendly little tub of their Ruby Tint Lip Butter and couldn't wait to try it!  The color is gorgeous (I dare say it may be my new MLBB lip gloss) and it isn't heavily scented. 

This is the third time that I've received 7 Day Volume from a subscription box!  I suppose it's bound to happen when one subscribes to several boxes.  Fortunately, I happen to really enjoy this product and don't mind getting it again in the least!  Speaking of repeats, Derma E is a brand I come across fairly often in my subscriptions.  I find their products to be good quality overall and extremely well priced, so I'm kind of surprised I don't hear about them more often.  Their  Vitamin C Concentrated Serum looks to be no exception to their typical good quality and contains hyaluronic acid to moisturize while it brightens.

March Birchbox

This month's theme is "Pretty Mighty" and contains "powerful, high-performance products for equally powerful women."

 

• Bioderma Hydrabio H20
• Cargo Swimmables Water Resistant Bronzer - Medium
• Coastal Scents Revealed Smoky Eye Shadow
• Kiehl's Super Multi-Corrective Cream
• PARLOR by Jeff Chastain Touchable Curl Cream

One of the things I love about beauty boxes is that even if a product isn't something I'll use, there is nearly a 100% chance that I know someone who will!  In this case, that product is the Touchable Curl Cream.  I do not have curly hair, but my oldest daughter does, and I'm sure she'll love the serum like frizz fighter!
I'm a little concerned that Cargo's Bronzer will be too dark for me to use as a bronzer since I'm so fair.  I'll try it with a light hand and a fan brush and see what happens!  If nothing else I can always use it as an eye shadow (bronze is very flattering to blue eyes after all) - it may even work with the 2 shades I received in my Coastal Scents mini palette.

I really liked the sensitive version of Bioderma's Micelle Solution that I tried previously so I'm willing to bet I'll like this hydrating version even more.  My skin seems to have made the switch from "combination dry" to plain old "dry" so I use anything hydrating I can get my hands on.  Speaking of hydrating... there's hyaluronic acid in the Super Multi-Corrective Cream from Kiehl's! Fingers crossed it doesn't make me break out! (I am apparently cursed because though my skin is showing signs of aging and is as dry as a desert, I still get product related pimples. Blech.)

February Birchbox

The latest Birchbox showed up in my mailbox a couple of days ago and contained the following:

 

• Balance Me Congested Skin Serum
• Davines SU Hair & Body Wash
• Dr. Jart+ Premium Beauty Balm SPF 45+
• Juliette Has a Gun "Not a Perfume"
• LAQA & Co. Avo Lip Butter in "Ninza"

Since the Avo Lip Butter is, well, called a butter, I was thinking it was going to be pretty sheer.  I was wrong.  This is a full-coverage lipstick!  Applied straight outta the tube this deep berry shade is way too dark for my liking, however after heavily blotting with a tissue it made for a beautiful berry pink lip stain.  The other makeup item I received was a BB Cream from Dr. Jart+ in shade "01 Light-Medium".  Here's to hoping Dr. Jart+ comes out with a shade "00 Fair" or something because I found "01" to be a bit too dark unfortunately.

Juliette Has a Gun "Not a Perfume" is definitely intriguing.  It contains only a single note: Cetalox.   It is very unobtrusive and ideal for those who are sensitive to fragrance.  I find it pleasant enough but as I prefer fragrance with a bit more "oomph" (like gourmand or woody scents) this one won't be a purchase for me.

I'm definitely looking forward to using Davine's SU Hair & Body Wash this summer!  It's supposed to prevent and treat hair damage from the sun and also soothe sun irritated skin, so it's certainly something this fair skinned girl will be reaching for.  I don't get breakouts often anymore (knock on wood), but they do still happen so I'll be reaching for the Congested Skin Serum from Balance Me as soon as one does.

Overall a great box with lots of new-to-me products and a $10 off promo code!

February Allure Beauty Box

I know I've raved about the Allure Beauty Box before (probably several times actually) but I just can't help it.  It's my favorite for good reason!  This month's box contains 2 full-size products (with a combined value of nearly $60), a beautiful smelling candle, and skincare to make you glow!

As far as the skincare goes, I have already tried and loved First Aid Beauty's Facial Radiance Pads.  They instantly remove dry and flaky skin without any irritation and are a major last minute rescue.  I also received Olay Eyes Pro-Retinol Eye Treatment to reduce the appearance of the lines and wrinkles I'm really starting to notice.  (Eek!  Let's nip these in bud shall we?)

The full-size cosmetics I received are the Cargo Colorstick in "Champagne" and Beautycounter Lengthening Mascara.  Can't wait to see how the Cargo stacks up against my current favorite highlighter, Watt's Up by Benefit!  And I know I've mentioned I have what may be the world's shortest lashes so I'm happy to put this lengthening mascara to the test too.  Also included was a deluxe sample of GrandeLips Hydrating Lip Plumper. I was blessed with full lips so I personally have no need for this, but I have several friends who are always on the lookout for great new lip plumpers, so I'll be gifting this to one of them! 

Last but certainly not least, my nose was greeted with the scent of roses the second I opened the box.  A tea light sized Red Flower Moroccan Rose Candle was inside!  I used to use their body oil all the time and this little candle smells just as lovely!

January Allure Beauty Box

Allure proves once again why they are my favorite beauty box and consistently the best valued.  This month's box contains 2 full-sized products along with other products I'm over the moon for too!

 

The full-sized products are a Doucce Freematic Eye Shadow Palette with shimmery plum, matte black, pearly white, and slate gray shades, and a Burt's Bees Lipstick in "Blush Basin" which is a very neural and wearable shade described as "rosy-nude".
Next up are two products I have already tried and liked!  I received dry shampoo (which is a major hair care staple of mine) from Oscar Blandi and Dr. Brandt's Microdermabrasion to help me deal with my dry and flaky winter skin.
Finally, who doesn't love face masks and new makeup brushes?!  I received a sheet mask from BioBelle in #Beautyscoop which is their hydrating and line-reducing mask, and a travel-size Sigma E70 Medium Angled Shading Brush.
Absolutely love!

January Birchbox

January's Birchbox theme is "New Year New Perspective" and is described as being full of products that will make you "feel like the greatest version of your (already great) self." Let's see what what we've got! :D

• ARROW Endure Water-Resistant Mascara
• Living Proof Perfect Hair Day Dry Shampoo
• NUXE Moisturizer Cream Crème Fraiche de Beaute
• PARLOR by Jeff Chastain Moisturizing & Repairing Shampoo (plus bonus sample packet of conditioner)
• Sunday Riley Good Genes All-in-One Lactic Acid Treatment
• ORIGINS GinZing Refreshing Eye Cream (bonus sample packet)

The things I'm most excited about are the Living Proof Dry Shampoo (I believe I've discussed my serious love dry shampoo previously.  Several times probably.) and the Sunday Riley Lactic Acid Treatment.  The Good Genes Lactic Acid Treatment gets rave reviews from people with problematic skin so I'm hoping it does something, anything, for the cyst I've got on my chin right now!

Described as being a drink of water for the skin, the NUXE Moisturizer Cream will be the first thing I slather on tomorrow morning!  Lately I have just been a dry and flaky mess.  My face feels like it's going to crack and even my scalp is getting in on the dry and flaky action.  I guess I should count myself lucky to have received the Parlor Shampoo  since it's sulfate-free and thus not as moisture stripping as traditional shampoo.

Last but not least is the ARROW Mascara.  It's vegan!  I don't typically seek out vegan products but I appreciate them and will happily add them to my routine when the opportunity arises.  It's also water-resistant which means I can be my sappy self and tear up while watching tv, reading, scrolling through Pinterest...  and not end up looking like a raccoon!

Wal-Mart Winter Beauty Boxes

Both my "Classic" and "Trendsetter" beauty boxes arrived earlier this week and my daughter's "Trendsetter" box followed just a few day later.  We always get just a little excited to see what we both received and whether we'll be doing any swapping!

The "Classic" box for winter contained the following:

• Curel Hydra Therapy Wet Skin Moisturizer
• Dove Go Fresh Revitalize Body Wash
• Ponds Rejuveness Anti-Wrinkle Cream
• CoverGirl Lashblast Volume Mascara
• Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Body Yogurt
• Dove Nutrium Ultra Nourishing Hair Care Trio (samples)

My "Trendsetter" box:

• Curel Hydra Therapy Wet Skin Moisturizer
• Dove Dry Oil Moisture Nourishing Body Wash
• Vaseline Intensive Care Advanced Repair Lotion
• TRESemme Fresh Start Volumizing Dry Shampoo
• Neutrogena Norweigan Formula Hand Cream
• Garnier Whole Blends Green Apple & Green Tea Shampoo and Conditioner (samples)
• LOreal Paris Age Perfect Cell Renewal Serum and Cream (samples)

My 14 year-old daughter's "Trendsetter" box contained slightly different items this month.  She didn't receive the Vaseline lotion, the dry shampoo, or the serum and cream samples.  Instead, she received a Dove Go Fresh Deodorant and the same CoverGirl mascara I received in the "Classic" version.

These seasonal Beauty Boxes continue to be an absolute steal at $5 each!  Can't wait to see what goodies will be in the Spring boxes!

December Allure Beauty Box

My December Allure Beauty Box arrived and contained the following:

 

 

I love lemon scented anything so I'm happy I received Coastal Salt & Soul Heavenly Hand Cream in Mediterranean Citrus!  It's described as an uplifting scent where "sea salt and warm ocean accords mix with fresh Grecian citron and earthy verbena."  It smells amazing and will be a great spring/summer scent!

I adore universal highlighters and though European Wax Center's Oh My Brow! Brow Highlighter is, well, labeled for brows, both the mini mag and website declare that it's amazing on your cheekbones too.  I'm excited to try it and hope it's as creamy as it looks!

I think I've mentioned before that "turkey neck" seems to strike early in my family.  One of my goals in life is to prevent this for as long as possible so needless to say, I embrace neck cream with open arms any time I receive one.  Tula Advanced Neck Cream is no exception.

Unfortunately for me, I'm worrying about aging skin and still worrying about breakouts.  Fortunately for me, SkinCeuticals understands and has Blemish + Age Defense serum to battle both at the same time!  I intend to use this solely on my chin (which is the only place I ever breakout) so a bottle should last for eons.

Also for skincare, I received Embryolisse Lait-Crème Concentre. I've heard fabulous things about it and it's been on my "to-try" list for awhile.  I've hesitated in trying it though because some acne-prone reviewers say it caused quite a few breakouts.  I guess it's time to give it a go!

Last but not least, I also received Beautyblender Liquid Blendercleanser .  I thought that Beautyblender's solid cleanser did a great job of cleaning both sponges and brushes so I'm certain the liquid version will as well.

So Choix December Samples

My December sample picks have arrived !

 

This month I chose:

 Chanel Rouge Allure Intense Lip Colour in "104 Passion"

Marc Jacobs New Nudes Sheer Lip Gel in "108 Have We Met"

Marc Jacobs New Nudes Sheer Lip Gel in "114 Understudy"

Guerlain Lingerie De Peau Natural Perfection Foundation SPF 20 in "00N"

Tom Ford Bronzing Primer

With flash.  Swatched from L to R in order listed above.

If you’d like to learn more about So Choix you can check out their FAQs, and if you’d like to sign-up I’d be much obliged if you did so through my referral link!  Happy sampling!