Ipsy - March 2014

This month's ipsy theme is Destination Beauty. 

The insert card actually welcomes subscribers to Palette Island. I like the theme, but I'm a bit underwhelmed by the bag itself and products I received. We only received four products too :(

The bag's bold print is a selection from artist, and ipsy subscriber, Klari Reis. It's based on the geography of her hometown of San Francisco. It's an interesting pattern, but the thick plastic feel is odd, and it had a ridiculously strong smell when I first took it out of the pink mailer. I had to air it out for a couple of weeks, before the silly putty-like smell went away. The bag feels like it would do well being thrown in a beach bag though; so that's probably what I'll end up doing.

My bag contained:

An eyeshadow quad from Be a Bombshell, I the shade Bora Bora: The colors (Starlet/a gorgeous bronze, Bora Bora/a very beachy turquoise, Risky Business/a gold tone, and Rock Bottom/a perfect sunset-on-the horizon copper) all have a bit of shimmer, are very pigmented and blend well. I really like this quad;

Nicole by OPI's Roughles textured nail polish in the shade On What Grounds?: I'm not a fan of this textured polish. I looks like a robin's egg, asphalt hybrid. I usually love the polishes that I receive from ipsy, bit this one is no bueno;

An adorable mini Marvelous Moxie lipstick from Bare Minerals in the shade Get Ready: The packaging is adorable, the sample size is decent, and the lipstick goes smoothly, but the shade is simply too pink for me. I wish I had received the gloss instead; and

Indian Coconut Nectar Body Butter from Pacifica: This is easily my favorite item this month. I adore a good body butter. This one smells divine, and I don't even like coconut! It works well as a moisturizer without being greasy. I'll definitely be purchasing more of this, and checking out the other available scents.

What did all you other ipsters think of the March bag and selection of products? As I said, I was less than impressed. Hopefully next month is better... and we get back to receiving 5 product bags.

If you don't yet subscribe but would like to, I'd appreciate it if you used my referral link at http://bit.ly/154vUAf :).

Later gators,
M

Hey Mike, Mike, Mike, guess what day it is.

It's that time again!

My Birchbox came this past Hump Day, and it's GOOD :)

This month's theme is More Good (yea, a Thanksgiving themed box! :), and I really like the selection of goodies they chose for me.

Seriously, this month's box is chock full of goodies I actually like, and can use. (More) good on you, Birchbox.

"As any Thanksgiving feast can attest, this is not the time for holding back.  Rather, this month - and the entire holiday season- is about abundance in all forms. More thanks, more giving, more thoughtfulness, more samples, and of course more pumpkin pie and stuffing.

All month [Birchbox'll] be bringing you ideas for how you can bring more good to your life..."

More pumpkin pie and stuffing? Yes, please! I can taste my dad's cornbread stuffing already :) Man, I love Turkey Day.

This month I received:

1) Benefit Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow oil-free SPF 25 foundation: I'm excited about this. I did a quick test on the back of my hand and, while I first thought the shade would be to dark, it blended so smoothly and easily that I think it will work. I use Bare Minerals foundation, but i think this will work well as a little something extra for dark under-eye circles;

2) Ayres Midnight Tango Body Butter: The description card says that the "moisturizer has a heady (dare we say sexy?) scent", and that's 100% right. It smells AMAZING, and made my hands feel wonderfully soft. I may invest in the full-size of this one;

3) Vasanti Cosmetics BrightenUp! Enzymatic Face Rejuvenator: This face wash apparently mimics the microdermabrasion process, leaving the face smooth and glowing. We'll see how this one works. I'm using a couple of different face washes now, but I'll get around to this one eventually. It's a nice sample size though; and

4) Color Club Nail Polish: I received a cool blue color called Baldwin Blues. I love receiving nail polish, and I don't yet have a blue this shade.

My Lifestyle Extra this month was a trio of tea pouches from Mighty Leaf. I received Vanilla Bean, Organic African Nectar and the one I'm most exited to try Green Tea Tropical (a blend of sweet pineapple and guava). I'm a regular tea drinker, so I'm sure I'll enjoy these.

So, as I've said, I'm more than pleased with my November box. To all you other Birchboxers out there, what did you think of your boxes? Did they contain 'more good'?

If you're not yet a subscriber, but would like to be, I'd appreciate it if you used my referral link (share the love and all that goodness). Just click HERE :)

Later gators,
M