Happy New Year!

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May 2014 be filled with love, laughter, peace, and the perfect lip gloss that your hair doesn't stick to.  May you find that perfect moisturizer that erases wrinkles and makes your skin soft and glowy.  May you find a mascara that doesn't clump or give raccoon eyes, and may your eyeshadow never crease. ;-)

A Few Whiffs of Beauty Product Nostalgia

     Scent is such a powerful thing. Now don't worry, I'm not referring to my ten year old son's socks, or my dog after he's been out in the rain.  I'm thinking about how a scent, or a whiff of something can trigger a memory, or a person, or a wave of nostalgia for times past.  The smell of sliced, raw potatoes instantly transports me to my Aunt Grace's kitchen, where she would always have something good bubbling away on the stove.  The scent of garlic and dinner rolls toasting takes me to a childhood holiday dinner at Grandma's house, with relatives laughing and teasing . On the not so pleasant side of things, the smell of a nearby paper mill while travelling will remind me of a previous job I had-one I disliked very much, which was near a paper mill.  My mood changes instantly, and the unhappy feelings I had during that time in my life are conjured back up.
     The smell of certain beauty products bring back waves of nostalgia, also.  Noxema, the old fashioned, white creamy stuff in the blue jar, will always remind me of my Mom.  All during my childhood, my mother washed her face with Noxema (or the Kroger brand equivalent of it), and even used it as a moisturizer.  Noxema was kind of my Mom's cure-all, much like Windex was for the father in My Big Fat Greek Wedding.  Have a sunburn? You'd better go and put some Noxema on it!  Need to shave your legs? Use some Noxema.  Knees and elbows feel rough and dry? Put some Noxema on them.  Go get some Noxema and wash off your makeup before bed! One whiff of that peculiar, unique, menthol-and-something-else product reminds me of kissing my mother's soft, smooth, and freshly washed cheek good night.  For the record, my Mom is now in her late 60's, and still has very soft skin, and practically no wrinkles, even though I think she finally moved on from Noxema a few years ago.  Maybe she really was on to something!
     Triple Lanolin Handcream, in the off white bottle, with the greenish cap, and the fancy, script writing on the tube, will forever remind me of my Grandma.  I'm not sure they still even sell this hand cream, but I still remember the scent.  When I was little, my Grandma always had a tube of this stuff sitting around, along with a fancy white, cylindrical bottle of L'air de Temp perfume.  My Grandma passed away a few months ago, and I feel the urge to find some Triple Lanolin so I can wear it, and feel like I'm getting a hug from her.

      The scents of other beauty products take me back to less special, or important memories or times.  Aussie Sprunch Spray, with it's vaguely grape, chemical smell reminds me of junior high school, when I'd use it to tease up my permed hair.  White Shoulders perfume reminds me of a very huggy church lady from my childhood who always flirted a bit with my dad, much to my mother's annoyance.  Jergen's Original Cherry Almond scent hand soap reminds me of another Aunt's house.  I could go on, I'm sure.
     What scents do you associate memories or people with?

Lip Factory-My New Favorite Subscription!

     Ok, so after my disappointing December Wantable and Birchboxes, a not terribly exciting, first Sample Society box (I'll review that one next), and yet another "meh" Ipsy Glam Bag, I was so excited when I opened up my very first Lip Factory box! I love makeup, particularly lip products, so I think this subscription and I are going to get along just fine!
     For $22 a month, Lip Factory will send out a box of 5-7 makeup products.  Despite the name, not all of the products they send are lip products, but lips are definitely the focus.  This is right up my alley, as I'm more willing to experiment with lip products, and find that out of all the products I receive from my sub boxes, the lip products are the ones I reach for the most.  When you sign up, you fill out a little questionaire about your skin tone, current foundation brand and color, eye color and preferences.  One question asked me if I like bold colors or nudes.  Well, I hate nude lipstick, but I'm not a fan of really bold eye shadow or bright blushes.  There was no middle ground type answer, so I selected "bold colors", hoping to avoid concealer-colored lipsticks and lip glosees.
     Without further adieu (adoo?, ado?, how do you spell that?), here's what I received in my December Lip Factory box.

J. Cat Fab Five Eye Shadow Palette in Greatest Flash-This is apparently where the "I like bold colors" selection I mentioned above comes into play, as this palette contains some pretty bold shades, as far as I'm concerned.  Lime green, lemon yellow, electric blue, bright pink, bright lavender.  These aren't my style at all, but that's ok, because I'm trading with someone who received a nude palette!

Boho Balm Lip and Cheek Stain in Pink Rouge-This pretty little tin contains two shades of lip/cheek stain, as you can see in the picture.  I've mostly just used this on my lips, but it has a pleasant, subtle smell and taste, and feels nice and creamy on the lips.  It doesn't last long, but seems to be pretty moisturizing.

Essence Clear Brow and Lash Gel-This is a great product to receive in a sub box, one I gad been hoping to receive.  Too bad that I finally broke down and bought some Anastasia Brow Gel on my own, but this will get used, also.

NCLA Nail Polish in Emerald Dream-This is a glitter polish with emerald green, purple and black glitter.  It came in a nice, big bottle, and is 5 free.  I don't like glitter polishes, so I'm hoping to trade this for something different.

Model Co Lipstick in Luella-This is where that "bold colors" thing is paying off for me! Luella is a nice, dark berry color, and I really like it.  I've received other Model Co lipsticks in other subs, but they've been lighted colors, more like the color my lips are already, so it was nice to get one with some more color to it! This lipstick, while not super long wearing, is nice and creamy and moisturizing, and it comes with a mirror built into the side of the packaging.

Cell Ceuticals Pumpkin Enzyme Cleanse sample-I haven't tried this yet, as I'm swamped with similar samples to try out.  I don't mind receiving skin care samples in a make up box, as long as they don't skimp on the actual products, like Wantable did this moth, when they sent me a tiny, hotel-sized soap, and fewer makeup products.  I will certainly try this eventually!

Here's the product that gave me the biggest surprise:

Michael Marcus Moisturizing Lip Balm-Ok, if you've read any of my other blog posts, then you know how I feel about Michael Marcus products.  They turn up in all subscription boxes, and are usually crap.  Not this! This is a clear lip balm that tastes and smells like peppermint, but doesn't burn my lips.  I've worn it over, under, and without other lip products, and I love it!  Adds a little shine and moisture, and makes my breath smell nice. I may not have the product name exactly right, as I threw away the box, and there are no labels on the product itself.

So, 6 full sized products, all makeup, for $22.  This really blows Wantable out of the water! Wantable sends 4-5 supposedly full sized makeup products for $36 a month.  If I compare my December boxes from both companies, Lip Factory is so much more impressive!  I'm hoping that this isn't just an extra good box, and that they are all like this.

If you would like to subscribe to Lip Factory, I would appreciate it if you used my referral number, as I can receive $5 worth of products from Lip Factory anytime someone uses my referral.  When you sign up, you receive the same benefits. (I will update soon with my referral code-I cannot locate it on the website, so I've contacted Lip Factory.)

Wantable December-Where I Complain and Whine

    I have to say that I've been putting off writing my review of my December Wantable box, because much like with my December Birchbox, I feel somehow slighted.  I'm disappointed not only with the products I received, but, also like Birchbox, I am disappointed with the sizes of the products I received.  However, unlike Birchbox, which is a $10 a month sample size subscription, Wantable is a $36 a month full sized product subscription. I can shrug up my $10 Birchbox disappointment much easier than a $36 disappointment.  I'm also sort of disappointed that I'm disappointed, if that makes sense.  I really want to like Wantable! It's one of the few all makeup subscriptions, and one of the few which offers full sized products, in what are supposed to be only nice/luxury type brands.  I was quite pleased with my November box, after some profile tweaking due to some unflattering colors I received in previous boxes.  But this one? Not so much.
     Here's what I received. (Kind of sad that I have to look at the picture to jog my memory of what I got, since I don't actually use any of this stuff.)

Manna Kadar Sheer Glo Full Sized-I received a sample size of this in my Birchbox this month, so Manna Kadar must really be on a mission to unload sell some shimmer lotion! I tried my Birchbox sample, and couldn't even tell that I was wearing it, so I decided not to even open this full sized bottle.  I'm hoping I can trade it.  In my first Wantable box, I received some Manna Kadar eye primer, which I was not impressed with either.  I found it to be too greasy to be used as a primer.  I suppose I'm just not a fan of this brand.

Pomegranet Nail Polish in Penny Wisher-This shade immediately reminded me of my mother, as she's been wearing shades similar to this since the 80's.  She's now the owner of a new nail polish. This rose gold color is right in fashion, I can't really fault Wantable here, but it has spurred me to do some more profile tweaking.

Michael Marcus Lipstick in Debbie-ugh.  If you've read any of my other blog posts, then you probably know how I feel about Michael Marcus.  This seems to be a "filler" brand that subscription companies use, as no one seems to have heard of this brand outside of subscriptions, and the quality is total crap.  I've received a couple of Michael Marcus eyeliner pencils that do not even write on my eyelids at all, and a few other things. (Although, I did receive a cool Michael Marcus item in my Lip Factory box-stay tuned to find out about that.)  Anyhow, this shade is a bright tomato red-similar to the shade of the lip pencil I received in my Ipsy bag this month, so I don't need anymore bright reds.  I'm hoping to trade this item, too, but I doubt anyone will want it!

Japonesque Make Up Brush-Ok, some people think makeup brushes are great, and have been thrilled with the Japonesque products they've received.  I guess that may mean that I'm too picky, because I am completely unenthused by this brush.  First of all, it's travel sized.  To me, that doesn't equate to "full sized". Wantable is supposed to be all full sized items.  I mostly use my fingers to apply shadow (I know, I know-it gets the shadows oily, etc.), and the little spongy applicator thingies, because I feel like I get more control that way, and brushes seem to pick up too much product.  I always feel like I'm wasting precious product when I see how much I am lifting off with the brush.  More profile tweaking necessary to eliminate "tools".

Lanoun Agg-Tval Eggwhite Soap-This is a sample size, but I'm told it's an "extra", so sample size is ok. This product kind of annoys me, because this is a makeup only subscription box, and this is soap.  I really don't need a tiny little bar of soap! We have hard water, and I have sensitive skin, so I don't use actual soap products, anyhow.  Since it's a sample, I normally wouldn't mind, but since I don't like anything else in the box, this is just more disappointment.

Wah, wah, wah.  I feel like Debbie Downer.  I want to like it, I really do! But, I kind of hate all of it. Wantable has a great return policy-if you don't like your box, you can return it.  I was going to return this month, but my husband threw away half of the protective packaging material, and I just didn't feel like trying to get it all packed up safely again, and dealing with the post office.  This was a big waste of money, though, as I've used nothing from this box yet, and the only thing I might use is the brush.  Mom was happy with her nail polish, but I could have bought her a bottle of pretty polish for a lot less than $36.

Wantable recently decreased the amount of products they are sending and their box values.  I really noticed the change in product quality and quantity this month.  I've tweaked my profile again, so hopefully next month will be better, but if not, I may cancel and try something else.

Wantable, I really, really want to like you!

Disclaimer-I paid for this with my own money, and all opinions are my own.  By clicking on any links in this post, and then signing up, I would receive a discount on a future Wantable box.

Birchbox December-Where's the Beef?

Ok, you have to be "of a certain age" to get that reference, but really, when I opened this month's Birchbox, that was my reaction.  Everything in the box this month was teeny tiny! I know it's a sample service, but wow-these items are small!

Here's what I received this month:

Number 4 Non-Aerosol Hairspray-This is supposed to be really great hairspray for some reason.  I used it once, and, well, it's just hairspray. I prefer aerosol hairspray, because the finer mist helps add body to my fine hair, but this will still get used up.  Boring, but usable.

Manna Kadar Sheer Glo Shimmer Lotion-Apparently this stuff is supposed to be a big deal, too.  I must be really hard to impress, because I'm not excited about this stuff at all.  Mostly because I received a full size of it in my Wantable box, as compared to this itsy, bitsy .27 oz tube.  I did try wearing this a couple of times, but I couldn't even tell I did anything different.  I suppose if I had great skin and didn't wear makeup, this might show up a little better. Meh.

Harvey Prince Hello-I actually like this perfume sample, as it has a nice scent, and I will get a few uses out of it, although I wish it were a little bigger.

Embryolisse Lait-Creme Concentrate moisturizer-This is the one product I was actually excited about receiving.  that is, until I opened up the box and saw the minuscule little tube.  I should have taken a picture of it, it's even smaller than the Manna Kadar, at a measly, .17 oz.  If you believe the Birchbox hype, this is a must have product for makeup artists, as it can be used as a makeup priming moisturizer, makeup remover, or body lotion. The sample size is way too small for me to try out all of those uses.  I did use it once as a makeup primer.  I didn't notice any extra staying power of my makeup, and I had a HUGE pimple forming by the end of the day.  So, I guess it's safe to say that I'm not a fan of this sample!

Twistband-I didn't include this in the picture, because it fell out of the deep, cavernous recesses of my nearly empty box, and I didn't even notice it was missing.  I received a single, silver twistband.  One. Twistband.  I'm sorry, but am I the only person that thinks that is kind of pathetic? A single, solitary pony tail holder? Beauty Box 5 sent me a whole pack in my first box. Sure, I'll use it, but c'mon.

Birchbox Screen Cleaner-This is supposed to be an extra.  I received one in my Birchbox Man box, as well.  What you see in the picture is mostly packaging, the actual item is a 1 inch square little thing that can stick to your phone, and you can use the non sticky side to wipe off your screen. I threw the last one away, and this one is going there, too.

I usually like Birchbox pretty well, as I've discovered some great products through this service, but I can't help but feel like they scooped up the tiny little crumbs from the bottom of the barrel and threw them in my box this month.  Bah Humbug!

Disclaimer-I paid for this subscription, and all opinions are my own.  By clicking on any links in this post, and then subscribing to Birchbox, you are helping me to earn Birchbox points.

December's Ipsy Glam Bag

    This was another lackluster month for Ipsy, as far as I was concerned, and I think many feel the same way.  I'm not terribly disappointed in it this month, as I will get use out of some of the items in my bag, but I'm not excited, either.  First of all, I and many others are getting tired of finding repeat brands in our Ipsy bags month after month, especially the brands that seem to be unknown outside of subscription boxes, like J. Cat and Be a Bombshell.  As long as the products are useful, I still feel like I'm getting my ten dollars worth, but it would be nice to sample some other brands.

     Here's what I received this month:

First of all, I don't know how I left the cute makeup bag out of the picture! It was a really nice one this month, with it's shiny, patent-leather like, diamond quilted pattern with red lining.  I really need to find a good use for it.

Pop Beauty Bright Up Your Life Eyeshadow Trio-Boy, that's a ridiculously long name for an eye shadow palette! Pop is another repeat brand for Ipsy, but at least it is a more well known brand.  I received a Pop Beauty Crayon in Fushia Flirt in my first Ipsy bag in July.  The trio I received is in various shades of gray.  They all have shimmer to them, more shimmer than I typically like to wear, but they are nice and festive for the holidays, I suppose.  The colors aren't terribly pigmented, which is ok by me for these particular shades.  the longevity of wear seemed to be average, based on the one time I wore them.  The product size was really nice.

J. Cat Beauty The Big Lip Pencil in Red Rose-Aside from the frustration with repeat, never-heard-of-outside-subscriptions brands, another frequent complaint with Ipsy, is that they send out too many red lip products.  I have to agree.  I feel like I get a red lip product just about every month! I don't wear a lot of red.  This particular red, a bright, tomato red, actually looks decent on me, but since I don't usually wear red, I felt a little self conscious the one time I wore this.  It was kind of like my lips were the most noticeable thing about me.  I suppose that's my problem, though, not Ipsy's. ;-) I ended up toning it down with a brown eye crayon pencil, which actually looked kind of nice.

Be a Bombshell One Stick in Sunset-Yep, another Be a Bombshell product.  They must be giving every subscription service tons of their products and begging them to distribute them.  I don't really mind this brand, but how about something new for a change, Ipsy? Anyhow, this product is meant to be used as a lipstick, a blush and and eye product.  I received Sunset, the color that I was hoping for, actually.  it is a corally-orange color that looks nice on my lips.  I haven't tried it on my cheeks yet, but may try it in the spring.  I can't imagine putting this on my eyes....  It feels decent on my lips, not really creamy, but....well, the texture is hard to describe.  It's not drying, or unpleasant, though, and doesn't smell as bad as some of their other products.

Salon Perfect Perfectly Natural Eye Lashes-I've lucked out in the fact that this is the first and only set of eyelashes that I've received from a subscription, as this is one product that I will not use at all.  I'm totally happy with my own eyelashes, so these are going up for trade.

Mirabella Eye Blender Brush-Apparently, this is an expensive brush to go out and buy, and a lot of people love it.  I just don't get a great deal of use out of makeup brushes, so I'm not super enthused.  I'll use it eventually, I suppose.

So, there you have it! Overall, not too bad, I'll get enough use out of the products to justify my subscription this month.

Disclaimer-this subscription has been purchased with my own money, and all opinions are my own.  Clicking on links in this post, and then subscribing, earns Ipsy Points for me. 

More Subscription Reviews Coming Soon!

Whew! As a first grade teacher, this was a looooonnnng week! Excited kids, tired teachers, administrators who still expect things to continue as normal.... Anyhow-it's over, and I have 2 glorious weeks to not think(too much) about work! That means I'll be able to catch up on blogging!

Stay tuned for reviews on my December Ipsy Glam Bag, my December Birchbox (which finally showed up!), my first Sample Society box, my rather disappointing December Wantable Makeup box, my fisrt Lip Factory Box (hint-I big, fat, hairy, LOVED it!), AND my December One Radiant.

Wow, when I type all of those out, it sounds kind of ridiculous that I subscribe to all those things, but it's so exciting to get fun stuff in the mail!  I hope to get a few posts up about other things besides box reviews, but I certainly don't want to interrupt the busy schedule I have set for myself of sleeping late, watching cheesey tv shows late at night, lounging around the house in my jammies, enjoying my family, and pretending that the outside world doesn't exist for the next two weeks. I've got my priorities, you know? ;-)

OneRadiant November Box Review

Well, since I've already received my December OneRadiant box, I guess it's time to review my November box! I wasn't really slacking on it, I promise-I wanted to try all of the products for a fair amount of time before reviewing.

This was my first box out of my 3 month subscription to OneRadiant.  OneRadiant is a skin care only box.  I purchased a 3 month subscription for $36, as I am still on the hunt for the perfect anti-aging moisturizer and dark circle removing eye cream.

Even though this seems to be a much less well known subscription service, I was very pleased with the professional presentation of my box.  The enclosed card did a nice job explaining the use of each product, and the sample sizes were generous-perfect for trying things out for a few weeks to get a real idea of how well they work.  Everything was packaged neatly and safely.

Here is what I received, and my thoughts on each.

CellCeuticals Extreme Defense Anti-Cell Damage Skin Treatment-This is a day treatment that contains vitamins C and E and green tea.  The first thing I noticed about this product was the odd scent.  It reminds me of a hardware store, like Lowe's.  It's kind of a lumber and glue scent.  I used this daily for a couple of weeks until it started to give me white heads, so I had to stop using it.  I have this problem with many moisturizers, which is why I love this type of sample service-I can try it out before I waste money on a full size.

Clearogen Acne Lotion-I found that this product actually caused me to breakout more, so I only used it a few times.

DoshaCare Sakala Firming Eye Gel-I like how quickly this gel sinks into the skin.  I can apply makeup afterwards without feeling like I'm applying it to greasy skin.  I've been using it for about a month, and while I haven't seen any dramatic results, I haven't had any problems with it, either.

pH Advantage AM Facial Multi Complex SPF 20- I received 4 cardboard pouches of this product in a nice little, reusable mesh bag.  Each pouch contains a generous amount of cream.  I've been able to get at least 4 uses from each pouch.  This product also has a weird scent, kind of a fake, chemically citrus smell.  It's not terribly pleasant, but it doesn't linger, so I don't mind.  I've used the product for about 2 weeks, and I haven't had any noticeable effects, good or bad.

derma e Vitamin A Glycolic Cleanser-I received 2 small foil packets of this, but I have not tried them yet, as I've been working through similar products received in other subscription boxes.

So, all in all, I'm pleased with this sample.  It's nice to be able to sample skin care products before purchasing, as they tend to be quite expensive.  I've wasted more money than I care to admit on skin care products that broke me out or didn't work.  I'm hoping to discover my "Holy Grail" skin care products!

Disclaimer: I purchased this subscription with my own money, and all thoughts are my own.  Clicking on any links in this post and then subscribing to OneRadiant, earns 50 reward points, or a $5 value for me through OneRadiant.