Spring 2015 FabFitFun Review

The Box: FabFitFun VIP

The Cost: $49.99/season

The Goods: Full size, premium beauty, fitness, fashion and wellness products guaranteed to be worth $125 or more.  

Intense Body Blast DVDs: ($27.99)  I honestly don't remember the last time I worked out.  I really need to get back to it.  I really enjoyed pilates when I did it, so I'm hoping I'll like this.

Jules Smith Watercolor Scarf: ($42)  I don't wear scarves often and when I do, it's usually when the weather is much cooler.   I'm not sure how much wear I'll get out of this one but I really like the colors of it.

Rifle Paper Co Bon Voyage Coaster Set: ($16)  I love the artwork on these.  There's no such thing as too many coasters, right?

Mirace-Gro Groables - Basil: ($1)  We already have a rather sizeable basil plant but J and I are sort of plant hoarders so we'll never say no to another one.

Orly Cake Pop: ($8)  I adore this milky pink shade.  It's just begging for nail art.

Orly BB Creme: ($15)  I feel so weird when my nails are naked, but maybe this will be good for the times I'm just too lazy to do something creative or dramatic with my nails.

Ofra Brushes - #11 & #20: ($15.95 & $29.95)  I already have several shadow brushes but, really, is there such a thing as too many makeup brushes?  The only odd thing about these is that they smell vaguely of paint.

Palmetto Derma Collagen Booster Restoration Serum: ($48)  I'm always a little hesitant to try serums as my skin is very acne-prone.  This has a lot of good reviews, even from people with acne, so I'm going to give it a shot.

Cosmos Creations - Salted Caramel: ($1.31)  I've had these before.  They're sort of a sweet version of Cheetos...both in texture and in addictiveness. 

Yasi Tattoos: FFF values these at $36 but that seems way excessive.  Also, I'm not sure that I'd want to wear a tattoo that says "swallow."

Hello Fresh Coupon: I've been debating trying Hello Fresh, so maybe this will be the incentive I needed.

Total Value: $205, not including Hello Fresh coupon and the tattoos

It's not an altogether bad box, but I think I liked the Winter box better.  I am excited to see how my skin likes the serum, though.

Spring 2015 Walmart Beauty Box Review

The Box: Walmart Beauty

The Price: $5 every quarter

The Goods: Drugstore beauty products that are appropriate for the season and for your beauty profile.

Neutrogena Healthy Skin Boosters Facial Cleanser: ($.42)  Since I mostly deal with dry skin in the winter, I feel like this probably would've been better in my last box.

Lady Gaga Fame: ($.40)  It always surprises me when I like a celebrity fragrance, but I kind of like this one.  I don't like it enough that I'd buy a bottle of it, but I'll wear the sample at least.

Dove Go Fresh Body Wash: ($.45)  Body wash is one of those things that I either am completely out of or completely drowning in.  I'll stash this somewhere in hopes that the "travel" aspect of the size will be useful sometime soon. ;)

Schwarzkopf essence ULTIME Omega Repair Moisture Shampoo and Conditioner: ($.88 each)  I've seen Schwarzkopf's got2Be brand in stores for years but I feel like I haven't seen their own brand here until recently.  I have no idea how to pronounce their name, but the products smell great.

Rimmel Lash Accelerator Mascara: ($6.82)  I've never been impressed with cosmetics that claim to make lashes grow.  I'm pretty stuck on Urban Decay Perversion, anyway.

There were also several coupons included, as well as a foil packet sample I seem to have already lost.

Total Value: $9.43ish

Disclosure: This post contains referral and/or affiliate links

March Ipsy My Glam Bag Review - Flower Power

The Box: Ipsy

The Price: $10/month

The Goods: 4-5 full and deluxe-sample sized beauty products chosen based on your beauty profile.

March's theme was Flower Power.

Boo-Boo Cover-Up - Medium: ($7.65)  This is way too dark for me.  I don't think I've *ever* had enough of a tan to need a Medium shade concealer. 

Dr. Brandt Pores No More Anti-Aging Mattifying Lotion: ($8.82)  I'm a big fan of Dr. Brandt and with summer coming up, I'm definitely going to be needing the mattifying.

NYX Butter Lipstick - Hunk: ($5.99)  I've been on a big lipstick kick lately so I was stoked when I saw this in my bag.  I'm not sure that the shade works with my purple hair, but I'll probably wear it anyway.

Pur~lisse Pur~Delicate: ($6.43)  Last year was the year of Pur~lisse in subscription boxes, but I haven't tried this particular product yet.  Hopefully that doesn't mean I'll get it in three more boxes. ;)

Vintage by Jessica Liebeskind Illuminating Face Highlighter - Crystal Pink: Oh, I like this.  It's too sparkly for daily use but it's really pretty for special occasions.

Total Value: Over $28.89

This month's bag wasn't quite as impressive as February's but it isn't the worst bag I've ever received.  I'm a big enough fan that Dr. Brandt that it didn't really matter what else they included.

Disclosure: This post contains referral links.

February Ipsy My Glam Bag Review - #ipsyLove

The Box: Ipsy

The Price: $10/month

The Goods: 4-5 full and deluxe-sample sized beauty products chosen based on your beauty profile.

February's theme was "#ipsyLove"

Emite Makeup Eyelash Curler: ($25)  I've never really been a fan of lash curlers; my lashes need volume more than they need curl.  I'll still give this one a try - if nothing else, at least it's pretty. ;)

City Color Lip Stain - Flirtini: ($4.99)  I can't quite decide whether or not this shade works for my skintone.  It is a little dry, which is pretty standard for a stain, and a little goes a long way.

Eva NYC Up All Night Volumizing Spray: ($10)  The longer my hair gets, the more desperately I need volume.  I've been mostly using dry shampoo to add volume and texture, but I'm looking forward to trying a product actually meant for that purpose. 

Mitchell and Peach Fine Radiance Face Oil: (~$20) I'm still a little skeptical about using oil on my face, but I tested it on my arm and it left it feeling soft and smooth.  The smell kind of reminds me of sunscreen, but it isn't overwhelming.  My biggest complaint is that it's a little hard to get out of the bottle.

Model Co Blush - Cosmopolitan: ($9.42)  I rarely remember to use blush, but I'm always surprised with how much of a difference it makes when I do.  I really like the pinky-peach color of this one.

Total Value: $69.41

This is the highest value bag I've received from Ipsy.  Again this month, none of the products were tested on animals.  I'm really hoping that this trend continues, or that they add a cruelty-free-only subscription option.

Disclaimer: This post contains a referral link.

January Ipsy My Glam Bag Review - Fresh Start

The Box: Ipsy

The Price: $10/month

The Goods: 4-5 full and deluxe-sample sized beauty products chosen based on your beauty profile.

January's theme was "Fresh Start."  The bag has a cool, sort of mod look to it - it's white on one side, blue on the other, and has an orange zipper and lining.

Elizabeth Mott All Over Shadow Brush: ($9.99)  This brush is a lot larger than the shadow brushes I'm used to using.  I haven't quite made up my mind whether or not I like it.

Eco-beauty Good Day. Day Moisturizer: ($11.76)  I haven't tried this yet, but I think this is the best foil packet-type packaging I've ever seen.  More companies should start this.

Pacifica Eye Shadow - Ethereal: (~$5)  As much as I love Pacifica, I don't think I need another bronze or nude eye shadow for about 3 years.

Jouer Essential Lip Enhancer: ($7.27)  I haven't used it enough to know whether or not it conditions as well as it promises, but it does feel nice on.  I'm not crazy about the rose fragrance, though - I generally prefer mint or food scented lip products.

Bella Pierre Shimmer Powder - Whesek: ($14.99)  This picture makes it look a lot darker than it actually is.  It's actually a shimmery silver color; I think I prefer how it looks without primer, though I'm not sure how the staying power will be.

J.Cat Wonder Lip Paint - Red Potion: ($4.99)  I redeemed a few of my IpsyPoints to get this.  These always look scary dark in the tube, but it's a much more wearable color when it's on.  It is a little drying, but it's nothing that can't be fixed with a little gloss or balm.

Total Value: $49.01 (not including the Lip Paint)

My favorite item this month is actually the one I got with my points.  On the bright side, all of the products I received are from cruelty-free companies!

 Disclaimer: This post contains referral and/or affiliate links.

Winter 2014 Walmart Beauty Box

The Box: Walmart Beauty

The Price: $5 every quarter

The Goods: Drugstore beauty products that are appropriate for the season and for your beauty profile.

Maybelline Color Sensational Lip Color -  Maple Kiss: ($4.97)  Browns aren't really my thing when it comes to lip color.  I think they sent me a brown lip color in the last one, too.

L'Oreal Oleo Therapy Shampoo and Conditioner: ($1.64 each)  "Oleo Therapy" makes me feel like I'm going to be washing my hair with margarine. Not a very appealing notion.

Olay Fresh Effects Everything Off!: ($1.11)  I'm pretty partial to Burt's Bees wipes, but these get great reviews.

Jergens BB Body - Light: ($1.47)  I've tried this before.  I still can't tell what makes it different from a regular lotion, but it does moisturize well.

Nivea Cocoa Butter Body Lotion: (Free Sample)

 Maybelline Dream Wonder Powder Coupon:

 Total Value: $10.83

This quarter's box was about half the value of the Fall box.  I'm not quite as impressed with this one, but for $5 I can't really complain *that* much.