Ipsy Glam Bag Review, December 2013

Oh, look another subscription box review! Ipsy is the only monthly subscription box I am currently getting. I’ve been signed up for several months now and have overall really enjoyed most of the products they have sent. Ipsy is perfect for someone who loves makeup and beauty items. Every month you receive five or six products that are often full-sized or decent sized samples. The brands range from the more affordable ones, like NYX and Pixi, to higher-end ones like Urban Decay and Smashbox.  I really look forward to getting my glam bag every month and love getting to try new products. Here is what I received in this month’s bag!

Pop Beauty Bright Up Your Life Eye Shadow Trio (Price: $7.20)

This is a smaller size of a larger palette that contains 10 eye shadows. I am really happy with these neutral colors. They are a bit metallic and shimmery, but not too glittery, which is nice. So far I have only tested them on my hand, but they seem pretty pigmented and really smooth!

NYX Extra Creamy Lipstick – Ceto (Price: $4)

I have tried NYX lip gloss before and many other products, but never a lipstick. I wore this today and was happy with the way it looked on. Luckily, they sent me a pretty safe color that looks good with my skin tone. It’s hard to tell from the picture, but it is a nude-ish pink color that is slightly frosted. This lipstick was very creamy and was not drying at all, which is nice in the winter time when my lips are lacking moisture.

Mirabella Eye Blender Brush (Price: $27)

When I first saw this brush I could tell that it was really good quality. The handle itself feels very sturdy and is heavier than most brushes. The cost of this one brush is more than double the cost of the entire bag, so that is always awesome! As much as I love makeup, one thing I have not yet splurged on is makeup brushes. I have some cheap ones from Elf and Ecotools, but nothing fancy, so I’m excited to try out this higher-end brand.

Be a Bombshell The One Stick- Flustered (Price: $16)

So, this is one of those sticks that can be used for multiple purposes. This one can be used on lips, cheeks, or eyelids (although I can’t see myself putting something red on my eyelids). Honestly, I was not all that excited to see this product. I don’t usually like 3-in-1 type products and I figured this would be something I would never use. I have only tried this on my hand, but I was actually impressed with the texture. It looks creamy in the tube, but when you rub it in it becomes this velvety smooth texture.  I might give this a try on my cheeks only because I don’t think it will work for me anywhere else. One other drawback to this is the smell! It smells exactly like a crayon. Could be worse, but meh!

Nicka K New York Nail Color- NY 122 Classic Taupe (Price: $4.99)

Lastly, the most forgettable product in this bag for me was this nail polish. I love nail polish, just not this color. I’m not really a fan of taupe colors. I just don’t think they look that great with my skin tone, so sadly I probably wont wear this. I am not familiar with this brand, so I cannot speak for the quality, but it is full-sized so that is nice.

Well, that is everything I received this month. The items in this bag are valued at a little over $59 if you bought each item individually! I think the $10/month is definitely worth it, especially because I would end up spending that much and more at Ulta anyway. 😛 If you are interested in signing up for Ipsy, click here. Thanks for reading!

Bows and Arrows,

Ashley

Disclaimer: All opinions are my own. I am not affiliated with Ipsy in any way.

PopSugar Must Have Review, December 2013

So, I received my box two days after I got notification in my email that it had been sent, which is exciting, because this month I actually didn’t spoil it for myself.  I’m usually scanning the spoiler pages over at MUT, or checking instagram for anyone hashtagging #popsugarmusthave religiously, as soon as I get my email with tracking.  I’ve been too busy the past two days to stalk social media for spoilers, and three hours before I left for work, my box arrived!  Here’s what I received in my box this month!

Lulu Frost for PopSugar Bracelet from December 2013 PopSugar Must Have Box

Lulu Frost for PopSugar Bracelet:  According to the Lulu Frost website, this bracelet is valued at $110.00!  I wore this bracelet as soon as I pulled it from the box!  I like the mixed metal combination; it can definitely be worn as an everyday bracelet either alone, or stacked with others.

Mixt Studio Holiday Gifting Set:  This eco-friendly giftwrap is valued at $9.00.  These are perfect for the holidays!  I’m sure I’ll use these up.

ModelCo Fibre LashXtend Black Mascara:  I’m excited to try this mascara.  Mascara is probably one of my favorite makeup items, however, I have pretty sensitive eyes, so not all mascara works for me.  But when I get some in subscription boxes or bags, I definitely give them a try!  This tube is valued at $24.00.

NCLA Peppermint Lane Nail Wraps:  This set of nail wraps contains enough for two uses and is valued at $16.00.  You can either mix and match them, or use one design at a time.  I am excited for these because I used to be addicted to the quick and easy nail wraps that I would buy at target all the time, and then I eventually stopped buying them, because I felt like I was wasting money when I had all this nail polish sitting at home.  But I feel like these ones were free, so I’m excited to use them for festive holiday nails!

Govino Go Anywhere Flutes:  I’ve seen these in stores before and I love this concept.  If only I were more of a drinker. The only time I could see myself using them is on New Year’s Eve, which is probably why they put them in this box.  I do believe I’ll pass these on as a Christmas present this year though.  Some of my friends will probably get more use out of them than I will.  These are valued at $12.95.

CC Made Caramel Corn in Classic Artisanal:  I haven’t opened these yet to try, but no brand I’ve ever tried has gone wrong with caramel corn! This 3 oz. bag is valued at $4.00.

Two bags of Ghirardelli Squares Chocolate:  These two bags are worth approximately $9.25 collectively.  And everyone knows and loves Ghirardelli chocolate squares!  If you’re not a chocolate lover, then you definitely know someone that is, and these full sized bags of chocolate squares make great add-ons to Christmas gifts.

This box totaled to be valued at approximately $185.00!  I will either keep and use, or gift everything I received, which to me, was definitely worth the $39.95 I spent on the box.  For information on how to sign up to receive this monthly subscription box, click here.  And don’t forget to enter in the code REFER5 at checkout to receive $5 off your first box!

Bows and Arrows, Lynda

Disclaimer:  In no way was I asked to make this review for PopSugar.

A Nature Box Review

I’ll just go ahead and admit it.  I’m kinda, sorta, slightly addicted to subscription boxes.  Not to the point that my entire income supports said addiction, but there was a point in time that I was subscribed to four different boxes at once.  I know. Four.  There are some people out there that get a different box each day of the month, so really, four is nothing in comparison. However, I just couldn’t justify it.  Nature Box, however, is one of those lucky boxes in which I decided to subscribe.

Armed with a 50% discount on my first Nature Box, thanks to Pop Sugar Must Have, and my love for subscription boxes, I signed up right away to receive awesome healthy, wholesome snack foods right at my door!  And indeed they were!  The first box they curate for you, with a variety of snack foods to try, and they even included a bonus snack, which was exciting!  After your first box, you can choose what comes in your box from there on out, via their website. This is actually my third and most recent box.

What I received in my box this month:

Firecrackers:  Spicy rice crackers

These were good.  Nothing spectacular, but not bad either.  I will say that I have finished the entire bag, granted I received them over a week ago.  They were great to have in my purse as a snack at work.  I will say that there was nothing “spicy” about them.  I rarely enjoy spicy foods, in fact, I generally avoid it if it says spicy on the label, but these were not spicy at all.  The entire bag was only 105 calories, and it took me four different attempts to snack on these before I finished the bag off, which means only 26 calories per snacking!

Far East Rice Crackers

The next snack in my box was similar to the first snack.  These differed in that they contained dried peas, and the rice crackers were seasoned a bit differently as well as coming in multiple shapes.  This entire bag contained only 140 calories!  In comparison to the last snack, I did like these better as the different shapes seemed to have a different texture.

Lemon Tea Biscuits

I love tea, so I love these little biscuits I can snack on with my morning tea!  I received these in a previous box, and I liked them so much, I ordered them again!  However, I would like to note that the lemon flavor is quite subtle, so if you’re looking for something zesty, this is not it.

Granny Smith Apples

These are dried apple slices.  And that’s literally the only ingredient, but it’s an awesome twist on eating our daily serving of fruit.  The first one I ate was strange, but I quickly became addicted and have ordered them in every other box so far.

French Vanilla Almond Granola

Let me just say, nom.  That about sums this granola up.  Nomtastic.  Seriously though, hands down the best granola I’ve ever had.  And it’s an awesome addition to yogurt, or to just eat as a cereal in the morning.

That wraps it up for the items I received this week in my Nature Box.  If you’re interested in getting Nature Box for yourself or for a friend, here are some details!

It’s $19.99 a month for 5 snacks to be delivered to your door.  For $5.00 off your first Nature Box, use the code REFER25.  Nature Box contains NO high fructose corn syrup, NO partially hydrogenated oils, NO artificial sweeteners, NO artificial flavors, NO artificial colors, and 0g trans fats! 

Bows and Arrows, ex’s and oh’s,

Lynda

Disclaimer:  These are my own views, and in no way was I contacted by Nature Box to review their products.