cosmetics – Page 25 – Forty, Flirty & Fabulous

BoxyCharm Subscription Box Review — April 2018

My April BoxyCharm finally arrived. It was supposed to be here last week, but stopped moving on Friday. I got it yesterday and I was so happy!

Boxycharm is just $21 a month for 5-6 beauty items, most of them full-sized.

Here is what I received:

BrowGal Instatint Eyebrow Gel in Light Hair 03
slmiss glam shadow brush duo
Dr. Brandt- Pores No More Vacuum Cleaner Purifying Mask
MAC Liptensity Lipstick in Burnt Violet
ColourPop Element of Surprise Palette (Subscribers will receive 1 of 5 ColourPop palettes)

I am so happy with this box — even though I will probably only use two or three of the items. Spoilers were released saying that we would get 1 of 5 variations of the ColourPop palette. I have 3 of the 5 that were shown, so I thought for sure I would receive one I had, but I got a new one (to me)! And I really wanted the Element of Surprise!
Lets start with that:

First of all, I love the color purple. The packaging on this is stunning! This is a pretty neutral palette with a couple of pops of color and a couple of shimmers/glitters. I think this will be amazing for all seasons. I will do a palette review of this sometime — I’ll just add it to the pile of palettes I need to review!

This is the other item I was really excited about. I’ve used them once and like them okay, they are a little larger than the blending and shadow brushes I usually use. I need to play with them more. They are beautiful! I love the colors and the little gems. The brushes are P15, eyes shadow brush (pink) and the L34 Blend Beauty (purple). The handles also say BoxyCharm, so they must be a collaboration.

I’m not sure about this. I do have larger pores, but I think its due to aging. And my pores are always larger during allergy season, so I don’t know if I want to mess with them. We’ll see. I might sell this on eBay.

This brand gets really good reviews. But I can’t use this. My brows are so dark their almost black. I will pass it on to my daughter who is blond. She will love it!

I have no idea what to do with this! I found out a couple of months ago that we were getting MAC in a future box and I was so excited. The issue is that I wear nude or light pink lip colors. Plus, I don’t know who I could give this to — I don’t have any friends wh like Gothic purple lips! Lol! I’m sure someone could rock this, so I might sell it on eBay.

Next month the spoiler brands are Pretty Vulgar, Cover FX and Pur Cosmetics. I like all of those brands. The Pretty Vulgar is a pot of cream or gel eyeliner. It’s super cute packaging. I haven’t heard of the others yet, so we’ll see. I think I’ll stay with BoxyCharm at least one more month. Honestly, even thought it’s always an amazing value, I only use one or two of the products I get each month.

Do you subscribe to BoxyCharm? What palette did you get this month?

Julep Maven April 2018 Subscription Box Review

I have been so busy with reviews that I haven’t had a chance to post my April Julep Maven box.

I have been a subscriber for 5 years now. And I love it! You don’t have to take a box each month, you can skip if you want to. Which is so nice if I’m short a month or if I’m not feeling any of the items. The cost is $24.99 a month ($19.99 a month with a 3-month subscription).

I also love that you can customize your box. When I first started subscribing, I could choose from curated boxes, but now, I get to curate my own! This month I chose the Way Butter Hydrating Lip Sheer in Macaroon and two shimmery nail polishes. I also recieved a third polish (the reddish one) as a freebie!

This month had glittery polishes and the amazing lip butters!

I chose the colors Maribel (Caribbean Surf Iridescent Chrome) and Danielle (Cerulean Wave Duochrome). The free polish wasn’t from this month’s collection, but it does fit in. The shade is Lula (Pomegranate Multidimensional Glitter). These are all gorgeous for spring and summer. I wore Danielle last week and it is bright!

This is my favorite product this month. They had these last summer or the one before and they had a different name. So I have a couple in darker shades. I really love this nude shade Macaroon. It’s gorgeous for anytime of the year. Plus it feels amazing on. I love the gunmetal packaging, too. The lid is magnetic so it clicks shut, which is so much fun. This costs $20, or $16 if you’re a Maven. Being a Maven gives you a discount in everything you purchase. It’s a better deal to subscribe, though, and you can choose one or two of these in a monthly box. You can subscribe here.

Are you a Maven? What did you choose this month?

Fresh and New Spring Makeup Part 2

Happy Sunday! It’s snowing in Kansas City, the second weekend in a row! We don’t get a lot of snow, so this is pretty irritating. My daughter’s lacrosse game has been cancelled again — she’s still waiting to play the first game of the season!

I did a new (and new to me) Spring makeup post last week. You can read it here. I still have more products I have been trying for the first time that I wanted to share. Here are some of my new faves:

Hard Candy Fox in a Box Scented Marbleized Baked Powder ($7 USD) The packaging on these powders are so fun and they smell good, too! The packaging has a scratch and sniff sticker, so you can see what the powder smells like.

There are five shades, 3 bronzers and two blushes. That’s what the Wal-Mart website shows. I do have the lightest bronzer called Girl Boss. It’s so light and shimmery that I use it as a highlighter. It’s very glowy. I also have the blush Girl Next Door. It’s a pretty soft pink.

The Hard Candy Fox in A Box Scented Marbleized Baked Powder are available at Walmart and Walmart.com.

Pixi Beauty Palette Chloette ($24 USD) — This palette is a collaboration between Pixi and You Tuber Chloe Morello. The palette contains Chloe’s favorite shades inspired by love and romance. Super silky blush and eye shades bring that “in-love glow” to your complexion & lids. Plus, there is a trio of matte eye contour & liner shades that double as brow powders to define.

This colors are really soft and pretty. The shimmery eye shadows can double as highlighters. This will be really nice in the summer and it will be great to have one palette that takes care of most of a makeup look.

Purchase at http://www.pixibeauty.com, Target.com and Target stores

Maybelline New York Master Precise Ink Metallic Eyeliner ($8.99 USD) — This broad range of eyeliners provides brilliant metallic, pop and glitter finishes for show stopping eyes. The high impact shades come in 7 vibrant colors that last up to 12 hours! This works well for a cut crease or a pop of color. I have the Solar Gold shade and it looks really nice over a black liner.

Maybelline New York Curvitude Liner ($8.99 USD) Maybelline’s first angled eyeliner hugs tightly to the curve of the lash line for the most sensationally refined eyes. The angled pen reaches over the lid and effortlessly fills above and behind lashes, while the 0.2MM flex tip precisely glides between every lash to create a fuller lash line. I haven’t tried this one yet, but I think it would make doing a winged liner easier.

Maybelline New York Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner ($9.99 USD) Combining the precision of liquid eyeliner with the ease of a gel formula, Lasting Drama gives intense color that stays all day. The gel formula holds more pigments than a traditional liquid liner, to create the most intense color. This comes in 4 shades — Blackest Black, Brown, Charcoal and Eggplant. I don’t usually wear black liner, but this one is so pigmented and rich! I love it for waterlines and tight lining and the other shades for definition and color. You could definitely do a wing with these, too.

***NEW Maybelline New York Master Fixer Makeup Remover Pen*** ($7.99 USD) Everyone makes mistakes! See mishaps disappear in the blink of an eye with Maybelline’s makeup corrector tool. Now, correct liner mistakes instantly, all without ruining your look. Maybelline’s makeup remover pen touches up any smudges or marks without leaving behind a greasy feeling.

Available at Maybelline.com

ybf Fall in Love Lipstick & Lipgloss duo ($22 USD) — This lightly scented, hydrating lipstick and lip gloss duo is suitable for every skin tone and will leave lips looking bold and voluptuous. With a creamy paraben-free formula infused with Smart Active Complexes, lips are rich, luminous and smooth for a soft n’ silky, pout.

The lipstick comes with a convenient case with a protractible mirror attached, making it the perfect lip essential to take and apply on the go.

The shades are Passionate Pink (in the photo above), Bloomin’ Berry/Rockin’ Raspberry, Regal & Romantic Red, & Kissable Coral. The lipsticks are very creamy and moisturizing. My favorite is the gloss. It is gorgeous, hydrating and not sticky at all!

Available at ybfbeauty.com

What products have you been loving this spring, and are looking forward to using in the summer?

Ulta 21 Days of Beauty Haul

I did just a little shopping in the recent Ulta 21 Days of Beauty. I waited towards the end to shop because I was trying to be good and the items I most wanted were at the end of the sale!

I went to the store at the beginning of April and picked out a few things, then made an online order on the last day of the sale. Here’s what I got:

The day I went in was just for the Urban Decay Primer Potion. I’ve needed an eye primer and I realized that I’ve never had a full tube of this with the wand, just samples sizes! I believe this was $12 on sale.

My pores get larger during allergy season, so I asked a girl who worked at Ulta for a drugstore primer that helps with enlarged pores. She suggested the NYX Pore Filler. And since NYX was BOGO half off, I also picked up the Total Control Drop Foundation.

I am really liking the primer. I just use it on the areas that have large pores and it does help fill them. I’m still trying to figure out how to best apply the foundation. If you have any tips, let me know!

On the last day of the sale, I placed an online order because I really wanted to try the Mac Fix+ setting spray. I’ve heard so much about it and am excited to try it. It was on sale for $13, a great price!

I’ve only tried samples of the Too Faced Better Than Sex mascara. This was $11.50 on sale. I really like the full size. The tube is really luxe.

And I received a deluxe sample of the Clinique Deluxe Liquid Facial Soap in Mild. I might take this on vacation, or try it later.

This last product was not on sale, but I have been wanting it!

This is the Too Faced Life’s A Festival Eye Shadow Palette. Ulta describes it as a “a duo-chrome eye shadow palette that contains ethereal pigments that reflect different colors depending on how light hits them and is infused with rose quartz for added love energy. Matte & pearl shadows are highly pigmented and compliment duo-chrome tones. Large center half-moon pan is a highlighter with an iridescent finish that can be used on the eyes, face, and body, plus there’s a magical citrus scent for limitless festival vibes.”

Here’s just a quick swatch of a few of the shades:

So pretty! Real talk here — I’m not planning to go to a festival and I’m going to be 50 in a couple of months — but, I really love duo-chrome eye shadows! This just makes me so happy and ready for the warmer months! Plus it smells good. The Ulta website said it’s citrus-scented, but I think it smells like Smarties candies! I’m going to play with this and do a full review soon.

I usually don’t get beauty products for my birthday, so I’m starting to purchase things for myself since it’s a HUGE birthday year!

Did you purchase anything at the Ulta 21 Days sale? Also, make sure you check out their current sale, the Spring Haul. Some of the products are up to 50% off. I placed an order today. And on Sunday the deals will switch for the next week. And I’ll probably be shopping again. Lol!

Switch Up Your Look This Spring With Fresh New Makeup!

I have been testing lots of new (and new to me) makeup this spring. I tend to go more glowy and fun in the spring. I’ve put away my dark shadows and lipsticks, lighter and brighter is better!

Here are some of my new faves:

essence fresh & fit awake primer ($5.99 USD) — This is a shimmery, glowy primer! It is a lightweight formula with fine, light-reflecting pigments preps skin for a flawless finish and helps makeup stay put. It contains vitamins and cranberry water. It’s areally nice affordable primer.

Purchase at Ulta.com/ Ulta

Jane Iredale Glow Time Full Coverage Mineral BB Cream ($48 USD) — This is not a new product, but there is a new shade, BB4, Medium light with neutral undertones. There are 10 shades total. Glow Time covers blemishes, minimizes the appearance of pores, disguises wrinkles and smoothes and brightens skin.

Water resistant to 40 minutes.
Minimizes the appearance of pores and helps disguise fine lines and wrinkles.
Smoothes and brightens skin.
Non-comedogenic, hypoallergenic, sensitivity tested, clinically tested, dermatologist tested.

Purchase at janeiredale.com

RIMMEL LONDON InstaPur Duo Contour Stick ($6.99 USD) — Swipe and blend, that’s all you need to do with RIMMEL LONDON INSTA DUO CONTOUR STICK. Regardless of where you are, keep this portable duo on hand to define and highlight your features. Formula & Benefits: Selfie approved formula, Dual sided applicator, Ultra-smooth formula, available in three duos to work with your skin tone. Available Shades: Light, Medium and Dark. The color I have and that is in the photo above is Light.

Purchase at a mass market retailer near you.

Elizabeth Ardern Limited Edition Beautiful Color Moisturizing Lipstick — Elizabeth Arden Limited Edition Beautiful Color Moisturizing Lipstick

Elizabeth Arden Limited Edition Beautiful Color Moisturizing Lipstick ($26.50 USD) — Chosen by brand Storyteller-in-Chief, Reese Witherspoon, this statement-making red shade is soft and comfortable to wear. “Red lipstick can be incredibly powerful—it makes you feel like you can take on the world,” notes Reese. “The March On lipstick channels this power to help actually change the world.”* Clinically proven to keep lips moisturized all day, Beautiful Color Moisturizing Lipstick is infused with moisture-enriched pigments that provide rich, lasting color. Volulip™ helps to seal in moisture to give lips a fuller, appearance. Natural emollient Shea Butter locks-in moisture, soothes and protects lips, and a powerful blend of Vitamins A, C, and E help keeps them looking moisturized and healthy.

*100% of the proceeds of the limited edition red lipstick will go to UN Women, a global champion for gender equality and female empowerment.

Purchase at http://www.elizabetharden.com

Petal To The Metal

Buff And Tumble

Shakin_ Sherbert

Midnight Drive

One of my favorite quick-dry polishes, Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Formula has a new formula and new shades! The newly upgraded 3-in-1 formula with built in base and top coat, boasts an updated bottle, a revamped formula and fabulous shade additions. The shades above included muted and bold shades. The pink metallic on top is called Petal to the Metal and it is gorgeous! One coat looked amazing, but two coats was more opaque and it lasted for days!

Purchase these at a mass market retailer near you

What are your favorite spring products? Leave a comment and let me know. And i will be doing some hauls and more eye shadow palette reviews soon!

IT Cosmetics Friends & Family Event — April 10-15 2018

It’s time for the IT Cosmetics Friends & Family Event! IT Cosmetics is rewarding their loyal IT Girls with exclusive access to the semi-annual friends & family sale, an event that you DEFINITELY don’t want to miss!

The offer is 25% Off Any $30 itcosmetics.com order (pre tax and shipping). The code is FRIENDS2018.

This sale runs from April 10^th thru the 15^th.

I love IT Cosmetics and am going to check out the sale in the morning. Are you going to pick anything up?

Project Pan April-June 2018

I’m doing another Project Pan! It’s my second one ever and the second one this year. I’m going to do quarterly Project Pans in 2018 and see how it goes.

My first one (you can read about here)

I included makeup this time! I don’t have any pressed powder products, and don’t know when I will. I’m not close to pan on any pressed shadows, blushes, bronzers etc, because I have so many and like to use different products every day.

Starting with my much loved Maybelline Fit Me! loose powder. I have recently purchased a new powder (and new foundation and concealers) and want to start trying them, so I need to use this up. I’ve been using it for months. Same with the IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Lines foundation and Bye Bye Under Eye concealer. I received all of these in the fall and have been wearing them on and off. It’s time to finish them. They are all so nice and I have been loving them.

I was looking through my stash and saw that I hit a little pan on my ColourPop Super Shock Shadow in Reversible. I’m going to try to top off my eye looks with this and maybe even use it as a highlighter.

I also have a body lotion and and hair glossing cream. The Philosophy Snow Angel smells so good. It’s a fresh floral scent and is actually really nice for spring. I received it before Christmas and I haven’t used it up because it is thick and hard to squeeze out of the bottle. I need to leave it on it’s side to be able to use it.

The Oscar Blandi Glossing Cream smells amazing! I use it on wet hair to make it manageable and on dry hair for shine. I’ve had it for a while. It’s close to being finished.

The majority of the pan is skincare. These are the first three products I need to use up. The Ofra Peptide Cleanser is about half full, the H2O+ Waterbright moisturizer is about 3/4 full and I’m not sure about the Neocutis night cream. I’ve had these since last summer/fall so it’s time to use them up!

Here are the last three products! The eye hope is about half full. The Reclaim Botanical neck cream and the Perfectly Posh the ritual mask have both only been used a few times. I need to start using neck cream every day again and I need to give the mask a good try!

I will be doing the first update at the end of April. Wish me luck!

Are you doing a Project Pan this year? How’s it going?

Pixi Beauty + Dulce Candy Collaboration

Happy Saturday! I’m happy to share with you the new Pixi Beauty and influencer Dulce Candy. I was sent this for my honest review. Let’s check these palettes out!

Pixi Beauty Cafe con Dolce ($24 USD) — Here is the description from Pixi website:

Bring out your natural beauty and enliven your complexion, lids and cheeks with this multi-use palette. Powder to cream blush, face glow, and lid hues enhance & add luminosity. Swish on these gorgeous shades to recreate Dulce’s stunning looks!

Here are swatches of the palette:

The texture of these powders are very creamy. I like to apply them with my fingers. They work well as a highlighter or eye shadow. There are so many shades to choose from, too. My only issue is that most of these are too dark to use as a highlighter on my light skin.

Here is Dulce’s new lip palette:

Dulce’s Lip Candy ($24 USD) — I’ve been wanting a lip palette. This one is:

A universally flattering assortment of shades curated by Dulce applies easily & adheres smoothly, adding velvety rich colour to both lips and cheeks. This multi-use formula contains antioxidants and minerals to keep skin soft and hydrated.

Swatches of the lip palette:

I really like this palette. I’m a nude and light pink lipstick girl, and there are so many great soft shades in this. I like to use a lip brush for application, and it also works for mixing colors. The finish of this palette is semi-matte. It’s fairly hydrating but not super moisturizing. I only wish this palette had a mirror. It would make it easier to do lips on the go!

Have you tried either of these or any of the other Pixi Beauty collaborations?

March 2018 Beauty Favorites

It’s so crazy that it’s already April! March went by so fast! I did enjoy trying new products and I have lots more to test and review. I’m always looking for new favorites. Here are the ones I used again and again in March:

Makeup Revolution Reloaded Palette in Newtrals 2. ($7 USD). I talked about this in an ULTA haul, and I still haven’t swatched and reviewed it. My bad! I am going to try to review it in the next week or two. I can say that this is so pigmented and the colors are gorgeous, especially the shimmers. I think that it is definately worth the price and am looking forward to trying more Makeup Revolution eye shadows.

Nip + Fab Glycolic Fix Daily Cleansing Pads (12.99 USD) — I have been using this for weeks now and I have been loving how my skin looks! It includes 60 radiance-boosting pads, soaked in exfoliating glycolic acid (2.8%) retexture + resurface skin whilst witch hazel helps to tone. Also includes hyaluronic acid + soothing blue daisy helps to reveal brighter + smoother looking skin. I use this once or twice a day and love how smooth my skin is! It helps my makeup to apply more evenly, too!

IT Cosmetics Je Ne Sais Quoi Hydrating Color Awakening Lip Treatment Serum — I recieved this in a TSV kit on QVC. It is infused with butters, oils, hyaluronic acid, and antioxidants. It starts out very light pink, then adjusts to a bright pink on my lips.

Zoella Beauty Sweet Inspirations ($12.95): This is inspired by the sweet scent of macaroons. To me, it smells like vanilla and is a warm scent. It smells so yummy and I love wearing it for work because it isn’t overly floral or cloying.

Jane Iredale Limited Edition Snap Happy Makeup Kit ($58 USD) — This is a cute little makeup stack that includes:

PureMatte® Finish Powder – translucent
Whisper PurePressed® Blush – shimmery peachy pink
Brown Sugar PurePressed® Eye Shadow Triple – warm brown, shimmery peach, shimmery copper eggplant

I love all of these products and they work well together. The powder is translucent and works well as a finishing powder. The blush is light and a little sparkly, nice for spring and summer. These are all shimmery and so nicely pigmented. This kit will be good for traveling, too.

Julep No Limits ($24 USD) — This creme can be used on face, hands or body. I like to keep this in my purse. It’s so hydrating for my hands. I think it would be to heavy for my face. I received this in my November 2017 Julep Maven box.

What were your most reached for products this month?

LUSH Easter Bath Products Review

Happy Easter! My daughter and I went to LUSH last weekend and picked up a few new bath products. We got a couple of Easter bath bombs and some of their new bath oils.

Free Rangers – Purple ($9.95 USD) — This is a huge bath bomb that splits into two halves and we used it for two baths (my daughter took the head)! It has bergamot oil and blackcurrant absolute perfume. You can also get this in orange and blue. This is a very frothy bath bomb! It turned the water bright pink and left my skin so soft!

Golden Egg ($7.95 USD) — This is so glittery! Bergamot and sweet, wild orange oils help to tone and brighten the skin. This is more of a bath melt than a bomb. It released a lot of glitter at first, then just kind of floated. It did fizz a little and it smelled really good. But if you are looking for a super fizzy bomb, this is not it. LUSH has a lot of amazing bath bombs, though.

Delight ($6.95 USD) — The bath oils slowly melt into the water and leave skin very soft. This one is silver and blue and includes organic jojoba oil and fair trade organic shea butter.

Happy Thoughts ($5.95 USD) — This peachy-orange oil softens my skin with cocoa and shea butters. Also contains Himalayan rock, Brazilian orange oil and neroli oil tones.

Mmmelting Marshmallow Moment ($5.95 USD) — Fair trade cocoa butter and coconut oil are in this slowly melting oil. It is two-toned vivid pink and golden yellow and smells like cotton candy.

The Easter products are still available to purchase at www.lushusa.com. Have you tried any of these or the bath oils?