Three months of Starlooks

Let's jump right in, shall we?

December

This past December was my first holiday as a Starlooks Starbox subscriber; and if that was how they celebrate every December, then it won't be my last :)

A brief reminder, Starbox is the subscription box offered by the makeup line Starlooks. Each box generally includes 3-4 full-sized products from their makeup line, and costs $15 a month (plus shipping).

In addition to sending out only full-sized products, Starlooks sends subscribers a special birthday Starbox during their birthday month (love that!). In the December box, they included an insert staying that the Company would now also be rewarding subscribers with a new loyalty program. Very nice :)

December's box contained a gorgeous 15 shade eyeshadow palette called "New Years Eve 2014". These types of palettes retail on their site for a whopping $99! I must admit that that is exceptional value for the purchase price.

The palette itself is well made; and the included colors are stunning. Most of the shades have some summer, but there are also 5 matte shades - a little something for everyone. This was a great Starbox month.

January

January's box was all about versatility, and finding new uses for different makeup products.

One of the glosses was labeled Satin. I don't remember the other. Both broken items have been tossed. The lipstick was a color that I would never wear, and was instantly given away. I, unfortunately, don't even remember the shade. The Obsidian eyeliner is a nice, if not exciting, product; and the lash comb was a useful bonus. 

That's all well and good, but both lip glosses in my box arrived damaged. There were no stoppers in the vials, so when opened them, it was just a big mess. I have contacted Starlooks multiple times since receiving the box. Each time, I have been assured that replacement items will be sent to me, but nothing has been received.

Since, Starlooks prides themselves on customer service, this is especially disappointing.

February

I love how the two models are throwing so much shade at each other on this insert card.

February's theme was Futurism, and featured a whole host of sparkly metallic products.

I received a creamy, long-lasting lipstick (in the shade Lilu), a cream shadow in Hologram , and a buildable pigment in the shade Tungsten.

I also received a grey, nylon headband. Starlooks included this bonus as an aid to keep hair off your face when doing makeup; and this, plus the pigment are my favorite box items this month. I could take or leave the shimmery gloss and pinkish-creamish-gold shadow.

Hopefully next month will be better.

This box also included the loyalty reward for being a steady 3 month box subscriber. When Starlooks first announced that they would be providing loyalty rewards, I assumed that they would send out a random extra product, or two, to subscribers. They did much better.

They gave us $35 off of any order! Very nice :) I have yet to use my code, but I'll probably pick up a couple of lipsticks in colors that are more my style.

If you're interested in subscribing to Starbox, I would appreciate it if you used my referral link. Thanks in advance :)

Later gators,
M

Round 'em up!

It's round up time!

I've now received all of my September subscriptions and, of all my makeup-centered boxes, Birchbox is this month's winner.

I ended up loving the Fox Hunt Ruffian Nail Polish I received in my box. The color is so vibrant and goes on so smooth...it's a clear, perfect for Fall, winner.

Starbox comes in 2nd thanks to the Pearl Necklace lip gloss; and ipsy is a distant 3rd this month. The NYX Sparkle White eyeshadow I received in my bag is ok but, unfortunately, that was the theme of this month's ipsy bag - just ok.

I'm excited to see what next month brings! :)

What about all of you? How did your September subscriptions stack up?

Later gators,
M

Celebrating Classic Beauty

I'm a bit late with my review of my September ipsy bag. In all honesty though, I'm glad I waited a bit to post my thoughts as I've now had a bit more time to try out some of the goodies that I received.

This month's ipsy theme is Classic Beauty.

At first I wasn't too keen on the items that I received; but I've changed my mind on most of the bag.

This month's bag itself doesn't measure up to last month's purple gorgeousness. I love the royal blue color, and don't mind the pattern. The material, however, is not the best; but I'll definitely find a use for it.

Every subscriber received a sample of the life palette from the EM makeup line. I received the "look 4 natural talent" sampler, and almost threw the little pamphlet away without noticing the sample. It was a cute extra.

The first item that I pulled from my bag were two pairs of Skyn Iceland Hydro Cool Firming Eye Gels. I haven't tried these out as of yet, but I'm happy to have received them, and that more than a single set was sent out.

Everyone received the It's So Big Volumizing Mascara by Elizabeth Mott, and a NYX Single Eye Shadow (I received the color Sparkle White). I definitely don't need another mascara right now, but I'll gift it to someone. I also wish that is received another shade of shadow, but I'll deal.

Lastly, I received the Pouty Pop Lip Crayon in color Rose Romance, and the Obsidian Kohl Eye Pencil by Starlooks.

The rose-colored lip pencil plus the white eyeshadow, equals me thinking that ipsy isn't taking my ipsyMatch answers into account at all. I've also read some reviews which say that it has a tendency to dry out the lips, so I'm not that excited to try it.

I was initially disappointed to see a Starlooks product in my bag since I also subscribe to that Company's monthly box; but I've never received a Kohl pencil, so I got over it. The pencil has a nice deep black color, and goes on smooth - thumbs up.

All in all, I feel pretty neutral about this month's bag. There was nothing that I was super excited about, but also nothing that I was sorry to receive. Hopefully, October brings a Halloween themed bag with more treats than tricks (no more mascara for a while please ipsy! :)

If you subscribe to ipsy, how did you like your bag? 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

This Starbox seems less Star and more basic Box

My first Starlooks Starbox was delivered along with my Birchbox. It was a happy mail day. Two boxes and no bills :)

Starbox is a monthly subscription service from Starlooks in which they feature their own line of products. For $15 a month (plus shipping), you're sent 3-4 full size products plus a "bonus gift".



This month's special edition box was curated by Natalie Corona, a makeup guru who's big on YouTube and loves Starlooks products. She picked the colors to coincide with the month's mermaid theme.

 

Along with the insert card, and a few other papers (including a Natalie Corona "bio"), the box contained two Infinity Lipsticks, Glitter Glam in the color "Emerald", a red prism and a small crystal.

This lipstick (in the forefront of the pic) is in the color "Endless", and it's a bronzy shade with a frosty shine. I like it. Per the insert, Starlooks' Infinity Lipsticks stay "moisturizing and smooth all day...[and are] completely waterproof!"

The color "Eons" (in the rear of the pic) is a matte lipstick with a more pink tone. I like both shades (with Endless slightly edging out Eons), but don't love them.

The Glitter Glam is basically just a vial of loose glitter. I don't really get how to wear it, and frankly I feel that it would be a pain to work with. Just taking it out of the box, there's already glitter everywhere. I'll check out a few videos to see if I get any ideas for how I can use it in a way that would be comfortable for me; but it may end up being gifted to a friend or used in a craft project somewhere.

The "prism" is a joke. I love red, but looking at it doesn't inspire the mermaid feel.

The crystal I received was actually broken at one end resulting in a jagged shard that scraped my hand as I reached into the box. I'll be calling Starlooks soon to discuss.

Overall, I'm disappointed with the box. Hopefully next month's is better, or that may be the end of my relationship with Starlooks.

Later gators,
M

P.S. (9/2/13 edit): One of the inserts in the box included a 20% off promo code! Head to www.starlooks.com and use the code "LOVEMYSTARLOOKSLIPS" at checkout to save 20% on all Starlooks lip products. The code is valid until 9/10/13 :)

P.P.S. (9/3/13 edit): So far, Starlooks customer service has been amazing. It's always nice to deal with a company that truly cares about the customer's shopping experience. I sent them an email on 8/31 regarding the broken prism, etc. and they responded with a detailed email on 9/2. The email stated, in part:

"I am so very sorry about this. We try to take as much care as we can to pack the boxes accordingly. ...We will ship you a new box right away and be sure to add some extra padding to the items. We will also include a free gift as a consolation for your first box arriving the way it did."

 

I am looking forward to this replacement box, and my next scheduled monthly box, even more now. Way to go Starlooks! :)