October Birchbox

 This is what I received in my October Birchbox. The theme of this Birchbox was "Prep & Prime." I was so so on this Birchbox. There wasn't any product that I would go out and purchase. So let's get down to the review.

Ouidad Moisture Lock Leave-in Conditioner. I really like this. The second I put it on my damp hair, I knew it was a good product. My only complaint is that it is for curly hair and I have straight hair. Sometimes my hair has a mind of its own and some parts of it will try to curl and this product only helped it. I had little wispy curls ringing my face while the rest of my hair was pin straight. That being said, if Ouidad makes a Leave-in Conditioner for straight hair I will purchase it. I'm even considering buying their shampoo and conditioner to give that a try (if I ever break up with Paul Mitchell that is). I have to say that this is probably my favorite product that came in this month's Birchbox.

Laura Geller Spackle Primer in Bronze. I read that a lot of people love this primer but I just don't get it. It did nothing for me. I saw no illuminating bronzy glow on my skin after using it like the product suggested there would be. It also did nothing to hold my foundation on. I don't know if I was using it incorrectly or something but I just didn't think this product was worth all the fanfare.

Juno Transformative Lipid Serum. I would absolutely never ever purchase this. First of all, I'm 21. I have no fine lines or wrinkles and I really don't see the point of using a serum at my age. I used it a couple times on my face just to give it a fair try but I really don't see the big deal. It made my skin soft but I can do that with moisturizer. The main reason I would never purchase this, however, is because it costs $125. Seriously? I'm even disappointed in Birchbox for sending me such an expensive thing. Sure it's great to try out all sorts of things but I'm really not going to go out and drop $125 on an expensive serum. I'd rather buy 3 Urban Decay palettes. I will have to look through my beauty survey on the Birchbox site to see what I entered to deserve this. I was really disappointed that I didn't get the adorable Anastasia lip gloss that other people got. Oh well.

Ahava Mineral Hand Cream. I like this hand cream but not enough to purchase it. This is in part due to the smell. Sometimes I'd rather things just not have a scent at all because they are just too overwhelming and gross. This is the case with this hand cream. I did like what it does for my hands, but the scent gives me a headache instantaneously.

Ahava Dermud Foot Cream. I might purchase this product if the price is right. My feet are disgusting. They are dry as a bone and my heals are cracked. One of the people I follow on Youtube (TotalMakeupJunkie101) suggested Vaseline on the foot with a sock over it overnight to solve this problem. That's a great solution but this foot cream is even better. I could see a difference the next morning after I used it. I wish I had gotten a larger sample of this but I think this was my treat for the month so I understand why I didn't.

Well that's all I received. I was a little disappointed but what can you do? I don't feel as if I have gotten any truly fantastic products in the Birchboxes I have received so far but then again this was only my second month. Hopefully next month will knock my socks off!

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September Favorites (late!)

So as September is back to school month for most people, my favorite things from the month were mostly about convenience. I used a lot of these products daily!

So first is DKNY's Be Delicious in Fresh Blossom. I love this scent for fall as it smells just like apples. My boyfriend likes it too. He told me it smells like an apple pie, and really is there anything better than smelling like apple pie this time of year? The only warning I have about this product is to go lightly with it. It lasts for a very long time and can be  overpowering if you use too much. I would suggest using one spray on the wrist and then tapping it everywhere else you want it. If I use too much, I get a headache.

The next product I really love, in September especially, is Bath and Body Work's pocket bac. Pictured here is the scent "Island Margarita" but I must have 10 others. I have them attached to all of my bags and I keep on in my pocket at work. I really don't know what I would do without these puppies. Sometimes you just need to sanitize and Bath and Body Works lets you do it with flair.

So the next thing I have pictured is a MAC lip gloss in Viva Glam VI (I also have the lipstick in the same shade name). I love this as it is very very long lasting and well pigmented. I have had this gloss forever and I would definitely say it is my go-to gloss for everyday stuff. I tend to stick to more natural pigments when it comes to lip stuff so this suits me perfectly. When my lips are washed out, this gloss pumps them up. I really don't have enough good things to say about it.

So the next thing is MAC shade stick in Street Cool. I can't tell you have nice it is to have this when you don't have enough time to do your eyes. I just slap this on and I'm set for the day. It stays in place for a very long time and it looks good! I know that MAC isn't the only company that makes these kinds of eye crayons so I would definitely advise people to go pick up an eye crayon in a neutral color for those days that you just don't have time to go all out.

The final product in my September favorites is the Too Faced Ooh La Rouge blush/bronzer combo in Avant Garde. For convenience I like this even better than blush sticks. I use each color and don't have to worry about using my fingers to blend it in. I love the way the colors work together and it has been my go-to blush/bronzer for a while now.

Well I hoped you liked this! Please leave questions or comments. Tell me what your favorites are!

Oops

I, like a complete idiot, deleted all my photos from Picasa Web Albums without really thinking that they wouldn't link correctly to this site. I will try to get them back and it will be a frustrating process but I don't think I can stand to see those damn apostrophes where the pictures are supposed to be... *Sigh*

Benetint and Posietint Review

I had to try something from Benefit because Benefit was one of the brands I've never even touched before, and I felt like these two were n high regard so I tried these! These are in the mini-size which you can get in a 3-pack (with high beam) for $15 on Sephora, or you can be crafty like me and get the two for 8 on ebay.

Benetint and Posietint are billed as lip and cheek stains and let me tell you, when they say stain they mean stain. If you put these on, they aren't going to budge without a proper makeup remover (which is why I love them!).

So we will start with Benetint. I don't know if any of you have Duwop's Twilight Lip Venom but I would say Benetint is formulated like that. When applying it to the cheeks it works like a charm although you need to blend and you need to blend fast to give yourself the perfect hue. Benetint smells like roses and leaves you with the perfect blush all day! What more could you want? Well if you insist on using it to stain your lips as well, that's where it gets tricky. You can't just brush it on like you would with a gloss. The formula is sort of oily and I've found that it only really sticks to certain parts of my lips (Twilight Lip Venom does the same). You really have to get in there with your finger and work to blend in the color evenly, and if you want a darker color you need to layer it. If you ask me, stains that are formulated specifically for the lips (like MAC long wear lip color) work much more effectively for lip color and I prefer to use Benetint as a cheek color.

Now on to Posietint. Posietint does not smell like roses, in fact it is not scented (it has a natural chemical smell). Posietint also has a different formulation. It is less oily than Benetint and feels more like a lip gloss would. I love Posietint! I think I like it even more than Benetint because of the color. Although the color isn't perfect for lips as it is very light, I think this gives the prettiest flush to cheeks. I also like it it in small doses on the lips. I find it easier to blend than Benetint and it is a lot more forgiving if you make mistakes.

I'm not sure if I would ever buy the full sizes of these products since so much comes in the minis but I love them!

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