Empties #2

Hello!  Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!  I've been having a blur of a week (just accepted two jobs) and I'm planning a 40+ person themed party!!  Yikes!

For my empties, I'm sort of cheating because most of my empties are samples.  I just really like trying lots of new products.  I hardly have any "regular" products because I vary my shampoo, conditioner, lotion, foundation, blush, and lip product daily.  This probably isn't a very good thing to do, but it's what I like doing at the moment.

Here are the products I tried and finished:

• My H2O Plus Spa Sea Salt Hydrating Body Butter (from my Project 10 Pan... hooray!!)
• Ojon Rare Blend Conditioner ($34 for full size)  This was one of my favorites!!
• Menza Facial Wash (from August Beauty Army Box)
• Nelson J Argan Oil 7 Non-Foaming Shampoo (also from August Beauty Army Box.  It worked but I want my suds! I actually didn't care for this shampoo because I missed the bubbles.  They help me feel like I'm really cleaning my hair.)
• Bare Minerals Foundation SPF 15 (full size)
• Celine Dion Belong Perfume (sample that I've had since I can't even remember how long, but I won't be purchasing the full size because I really want Jo Malone!)
• Michael Todd Charcoal Facial Scrub (I LOVE! And will keep repurchasing over and over again.  I also received a good size of this in my August Ipsy bag!)
• Lancome Genifique Serum samples (Lancome counters were giving away a week supply of serum samples to try.  I was actually really impressed with this serum!  It was hydrating and did seem to make my skin more radiant!  I have two deluxe bottles so I can continue using it for the next few weeks!!)  

Have you ever tried anything from Ojon?

Birchbox August 2013

Sadface!

Other than the lipstick, I am really quite sad about my box this month.  

There are two plastic packets of Malin+Goetz Grapefruit face cleanser 

A super small Coastal Scents eyeshadow quad 

KMS California Freeshape Hot Flex Spray

Tape (really?) ShowStoppers Designer Fashion Tape

Model Co Lipstick (pleased with this item - good Fall color)

I confess to being bummed out about this month's box because the plastic face wash packets only provide about 1-2 days of product.  The mini-quad is something that Coastal Scents usually sends for free whenever you make a purchase.

I do like the lipstick, but I ended up feeling like the box was pretty empty and the value just wasn't there.  I wish the boxes were more consistent (value wise) and were all more like the Birchbox for CEW!

Oh well, I'm excited the weekend is almost here!  It seems like everyone is moving or having a birthday  so it's going to be super busy!

Do you have any fun weekend plans?

Ipsy Bag August 2013

Ipsy Glam bag is a monthly beauty subscription service.  A one year plan costs $110 (about $9.20 per month).  So it ends up being an amazing deal if you're sent a bag filled with good products.

Aside from not getting the Urban Decay lipstick, I'm really happy with my August 2013 Ipsy Glambag!  There are 5 products in each bag.  The August bag is a bright purple with gold lettering and inside I received the following products:

Noya Vanilla Chapstick 

NYX Cream Blush in Golden

Pixi Mascara

Pacifica BB Cream 

Michael Todd Jojoba Charcoal Facial Scrub

I was going to re-purchase the Michael Todd scrub anyway, so now I can hold off on that purchase for just a little bit longer!

Have you tried the NYX Cream Blushes?

What's In My Bag? (Santa Clara, CA)

Today I'm heading down to Santa Clara, CA!  I might be doing a little shopping at Santana Row, but I'm going to try really hard not to buy anything new!! I'll be taking just a few items with me in my  Rebecca Minkoff Mini Mac, including:

-Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette (obsessed with this!)
-Benefit Hello Flawless Foundation (testing it out!)
-Mac Fluidline in Blacktrack
-Healthy Sexy Hair Soy Tri-Wheat Leave In Conditioner (I picked up the travel size for $2 at Ulta)
-The Body Shop Raspberry Lip Butter (of course!)
-YSL Rouge Volupte Shine #13
-Wet n Wild Blush in Heather Silk
-Maybelline Color Tattoo in Bad to the Bronze

I'm going to visit some of my best friends & I'm so excited to see them!!  

Here we are in SF!

Have you been to the hearts in San Francisco?

Birchbox for CEW

Before going on Project 10 Pan, I decided I would make a few last minute purchases.  So a couple of days ago, my Birchbox for CEW arrived!  This was a special, limited edition box that was sold separate from the monthly subscription boxes on the Birchbox website.  

Mass Appeal - Birchbox for CEW

Included in this box, which I bought here for $12, is listed below:

Burt Bees Ultimate Care Hand Cream

L'Oreal Paris Infallible Eyeshadow in Golden Emerald

Nivea A Kiss of Olive Oil & Lemon Moisture Rich Lip Care

Olay Pro-X Spot Fading Treatment

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Romantic

Simple Revitalizing Eye Roll-on

I also had a 20% off code so this box only cost me $9.60! Totally worth it!

Have you tried any of these products before?

Color Me Monthly Subscription

I read on the blog, Unpack the Box, about this flash sale from Color Me Monthly where you can sign up for the first month of nail polish for only $1!  This is a Friday Flash Sale that ends July 28th!  Color Me Monthly is a nail polish subscription service that sends you one polish every month (regular price: $7/month) with no shipping cost.  I had never heard of this company before, but I'm curious to see how a CMM polish compares to my favorites (OPI, Butter London, and Essie)!

Nail polish was specifically excluded from the P10P list of prohibited items so my $1 purchase does not break the rules!  Day #2: still going strong!

Yes to Cucumbers Facial Towelettes

This item was in my July Beauty Army Box and it was my first time using a Yes to Cucumbers Facial Towelette.  I've heard a lot about them and was excited to see how it would work for me.

These have a light smell of cucumber and I appreciate that it isn't an overpowering scent.  It was very gentle on my skin and removed the majority of my makeup.  I did use an Ahava All In One Toning Cleanser after to remove the rest of the makeup on my face.  Overall, I was really pleased with this product.  

Good thing I liked it because I already have an order on the way from the Yes To company.  They actually ran out of stock of the items I purchased after I had placed my order.  My order still hasn't arrived and it has been about two weeks!  :-(  I used a Living Social (www.livingsocial.com) discount $25 for $50 worth of product; plus, since Living Social was having a July special (code July20) for 20% off any order, I ended up paying the discount website $20 for $50 worth of product.  

Here is my order:

1 Yes to Cucumbers 45 ct Facial Towelettes - VALUE SIZE! - $8.49

1 Yes to Blueberries Healthy Hair Repair Shampoo - $7.99

1 Yes to Grapefruit CC Cream - Light - $15.99

1 Yes to Blueberries Softening Facial Exfoliator - $9.99

1 Yes to Grapefruit Daily Facial Scrub - $9.99  

With tax and shipping, this order cost me a total of $32.

This purchase was made before my P10P started.

Beauty Army (What's Left Of Box #1)

For some reason, I thought it would be a great idea to receive a monthly box of beauty samples.  That decision was made before I decided to do a Product 10 Pan (which I'll post about soon) and discovered that a monthly box of new products is the LAST thing I need.  As I was going through my makeup/beauty collection looking for products to use up, I realized that I probably have a lifetime supply of samples!!

So, for better or worse, I recently received my first monthly Beauty Army box.  This subscription service allows you to pick the six products you receive in your box.  I believe the selection to choose from changes daily & is based on your style preference.  It costs $12/month or you can get an annual subscription for $132 ($12/month + one free box) My next selection date is scheduled for August 6th!

Box #1

Empty because I already used products!

What I got in my box:

- Egyptian Magic All Purpose Skin Cream

- Yes To Cucumbers On-The-Go Facial Towelette

- Cotz Face For Natural Skin Tone (SPF 40)

- Addiction NV Gel Liner Pot in Starstruck

- Menza Daily Face Wash

- Pida Exfoliating Gel

I used the Pida Exfoliating Gel before one of my baths by massaging the gel onto my dry skin.  It felt like the soft granules were doing a good job of exfoliating and removing any dead skin, but I probably won't be purchasing the full size at a list price of $54.  I have far too many other exfoliators I have to finish up before I can even consider getting a new one!

I was ABSOLUTELY impressed with the Menza Daily Face Wash.  It lasted me almost a week!  I know this product is supposed to be for men, but I don't care what gender a product is supposed to be made for as long as it works.  It was soft and gentle, didn't have a nasty chemical smell, and really worked to remove any "spots" I had.  The full size is $40 and I'll seriously consider purchasing this product once I finish the basket of facial cleansers I need to get through first.  

You may notice that going through the products I already own will be a recurring theme.  I am an addict.  I need help! :-)

I still need to try:

Yes to Cucumbers Facial Towelette

Egyptian Magic All Purpose Skin Cream

Cotz Face For Natural Skin SPF 40

Coin used for scale.

The Addiction NV Gel Liner Pot in Starstruck is beautiful!  It is a bright silver color that I have been using almost daily with my Mac Fluidline in Blacktrack (to create a gradient effect).  I love the cute little pot and there is a surprising amount of product inside too!

(insert gel liner pot)