Wednesday, June 11, 2014

June 2014 Wantable makeup review

I've been getting Wantable for a while now. My makeup stash is getting pretty big, so I'm actually getting an accessory box soon and if I like it, I think I'll end up putting the makeup version on hold for a bit. Either way, it's a pretty cool box - for $36/month (or $40 if you just want to buy a single box without a subscription), you get 4-5 full size premium makeup products (they also have an accessory subscription and an intimates subscription if either of those is your thing). When you sign up, you fill out a quiz that has you rate different makeup types (like lipstick, blush, and eyeshadow) as love, like, or dislike and within those categories, you rate things like application type (like cream vs. powder blush) and colors (like neutral vs. brights). Things that you rate as dislike, you will never get in your box, while things you love are more likely to show up than things you like.
Opening the box
 Last month, I was advised to take out all my "likes" and just have "loves" or "dislikes" to try to narrow down more specifically the things I wanted to see in my box. I think it worked out ok. My box definitely wasn't as basic as last month's, so I'm happy about that.
Info sheet
My first product was a Chella Eyeliner Pen in the color Indigo ($24). Sadly, I already have one of these from another subscription (my swatch is from the one I already had open), so this is almost definitely going to the trade pile. It's a nice eyeliner though. Smooth crisp line, highly pigmented, and easy to use. Not a bad color, although not one I'd use daily.
Chella Eyeliner Pen in Indigo
My next product was a Mirabella Colour Queen Shadow Duo with the colors Titan and Haute (Wantable says $30, but the Mirabella website says $28). I really like that this is a compact with 2 separate colors in it. That being said, when I tried to flip the top color up, it promptly fell out of it's slot. Thankfully, it didn't break, but when I pushed it back down, it definitely left a bit of an imprint (I think because it had been sitting out in the heat). It seems to be in there well enough now, but a tad disappointing. Also, while I do like bold colors, blue is not really the best color on me. If I'm going to get bold colors, I'd prefer purple or green. But, I'll definitely at least try to make it work. I do love how pigmented they are for sure. I hate when you have to apply like 18 coats of pressed shadow to make it even show up.
Mirabella Colour Queen Shadow Duo in Titan/Haute
Next up was another Mirabella product, their Eye Definer in the color Bronze ($19). I really liked this eye pencil! It has a great creamy consistency that glides right on and nice pigmentation. I like the specific color I got, too. I actually wouldn't mind trying their other colors as well.
Mirabella Eye Definer in Bronze
My last product was a Vincent Longo La Riviera Sun Bronzer in the color Cassata ($32). I decided to branch out just a little and go for a bronzer product, since it is summer and my skin doesn't really have any shade other than "practically translucent white" and red. This probably isn't my favorite bronzer since, unexpectedly, it doesn't show up that well on me in spite of being what appears to be their second darkest bronzer color (according to the site pictures at least - it looked pretty light to me in person), but it's not bad. Maybe I just need to play around it and be a bit more heavy handed.
Vincent Longo La Riviera Sun Bronzer in Cassata
Swatches: Barely noticeable on the left is the Vincent Longo bronzer, on the right top to bottom we have Mirabella eyeshadow duo, Chella pen, and Mirabella pencil.
June 2014 Wantable makeup box
So, overall, this was a decent box. Technically, they're all good choices and fit my profile, so that makes me happy. I definitely like the Mirabella pencil the best from the box and I think I would've liked the other 2 eye products a bit more had I a) not had the Chella already and b) maybe gotten a different color shadow duo. The bronzer remains to be determined. But this is kind of why I'm thinking of taking a short break from the makeup subscription. I have so much that there's not a whole lot to excite me as much anymore. I would love to come back to it at some point for sure because I love getting makeup in the mail, but I think I need to just pause it for now and work through some of my stash. I do really hope the accessory box is awesome and I can get that in the meantime!

If you are interested in signing up for Wantable, here's my link! If you already get Wantable, what kind of products did you get this month?

(And just a disclaimer: I bought this box myself and was not compensated for this review in any way. All opinions are my own. I have included referral links.)


Saturday, May 31, 2014

May 2014 Birchbox Review

Birchbox is another nice inexpensive sub where, for $10 a month (or less if you subscribe for a year), you get 4-6 sample products (though looking through my history, I have a box of 8 in there!). They're usually of the smaller variety, given that this is only a $10 sub, but there's occasionally a full sized item thrown in too. When you sign up, you fill out a profile (basic stuff - skin type, hair color/type, what basic kinds of products you like, etc) and there are I think 50 possible box combinations each month that you can get, which is, I suppose, somewhat based on your profile. You can also review your items each month, which doesn't have any impact on your future boxes, but does give you points - 10 points per review (100 points = $10) which you can ultimately use in their pretty large shop, which sells full size products. The theme for May was "Freewheeling".
Opening the box
Info card
My first item this month was a Cynthia Rowley Beauty Eyeliner ($16). I believe these are exclusive to Birchbox. For some reason, I got 2 of these. I think that may have been a mistake. Especially since they were both the same silver color! Anyway, I don't use silver eyeliner a whole lot, since it's a pretty bold look to do all over your eye, but I have been using it just to add a little brightness to the inner corners of my eyes and a little accent to the outer edge as well. I also recently saw a really cute look where a person kind of layered silver and black for a semi-smokey look, so I'll definitely be trying that! The eyeliner has a really nice, smooth glide! I'm tempted to buy the Charcoal color as well (although, I'm not sure I NEED it - I have so much eyeliner!).
Cynthia Rowley Beauty Eyeliner
My next set of products was a set of 2 foil packets of Kerastase Cristaliste shampoo and conditioner ($2). I hate foil packets. This was one use. That being said, I brought it along with me on our trip up to NJ for Memorial Day weekend and I'm not sure if it was just the change in shower water (and total lack of humidity afterwards) or if it was this, but my hair looked FANTASTIC after I used it. In spite of it's fairly hefty price tag, I'm tempted to buy some. The Birchbox site only has the big size, which would cost me $79 for the 2 (or I could just buy the shampoo and get a sample of the conditioner free with the code KERASTASECONDITION, but it's just a sample size), but I should have $40 in BB points after next month's box, so that would help. On the other hand, since I'm not entirely sure it wasn't just the change in water (that's why I really wish we'd gotten small bottles rather than foil packets!), I could just buy the small size set from the Kerastase website for $36. Choices...
Kerastase Cristaliste shampoo and conditioner
Next up was a small sample tube of Noya Beauty Lip Gloss in Summertime Peach ($8). I'm surprised this little tube is worth $8. I'm a terrible judge of size, so reading that the full size is 3mL means nothing to me - off the top of my head, I have no idea if that's a normal size or not for lip gloss - but the little 1.5 mL sample looks tiny for $8! Anyway, the color isn't great on me. I hoped it would work out since I'm doing better with adding some color to my lips and glosses and colored balms are my go-tos, but it was just too orangey/peach for my skin. It didn't feel sticky though, so that's a plus, and it's kosher, if that's something that's important to you.
Noya Beauty Lip Gloss
Next was a nice sized tube of Perlier Body Cream in Shea Almond ($4.29). The 2 possible scents BB had were Shea Almond and Shea Lavender and I'm soo happy I got almond! I like lavender, too, but I've been on a huge almond kick lately. This one doesn't smell quite as good as some of my other almond scented lotions and oils, but I'll definitely still use it! It moisturizes nicely, too!
Perlier Body Cream in Shea Almond
My last product was a slice of Sumbody Body Soap ($5.95). This was one small size bar of the set of 3 small bars you'd get in Birchbox's Sumbody soap set. I got the "milky rich" scent, which is vanilla/citrus (yum!) and they all contain "olive and coconut oils, goat milk, shea and cocoa butters, and aromatherapy essential oils". I don't typically use bar soaps, but this one sounds pretty nice, so I'll definitely be trying it out. I just spend 5 minutes browsing their site and I'm intrigued by their other products as well!
Sumbody Body Soap
Swatches of the Noya lip gloss and Cynthia Rowley eyeliner
May 2014 Birchbox
I was pretty happy with this box! I found a few new brands I may buy more from, which is the whole point of these boxes! The only dud for me was the lip gloss, so I call this box a win.

If you get Birchbox, what did you get for May? I know there are quite a lot of variations. If you don't already get Birchbox and are interested in signing up, please use my link!


(And just a disclaimer: I bought this box myself. I was not compensated for this review in any way. All opinions are my own. I have included referral links.)

Ipsy May 2014 Review

Ipsy is one of my favorite inexpensive sub boxes! For only $10 a month, you get 4-5 samples or full size makeup and beauty products plus a cute makeup bag every month! May's theme was "Fresh Picks". This month definitely seemed to lean more towards skin care, which isn't really my favorite, but most months have mostly makeup, so one skin month every once in a while isn't too bad.

May's bag - super cute!
I really like this month's bag. It's a nice fabric bag rather than the usual stiffer plastic or whatever else makeup bags are made of.

My first product is Hang Ten Classic Sport spf 50 sunscreen ($3.82). I may keep this in my bag for Chris to use, but my skin and Emily's skin are too senstive for a lot of sunscreens. We both use the mineral type baby sunscreens and even then, occasionally I'll still break out in small bumps and Emily's eczema flares us a bit if I don't get her washed off with a bath immediately upon coming inside. Also, can someone answer something for me? I know oxybenzone was determined to not be good to put on your skin (hormone disruption I think), and this product specifically points out that it's oxybenzone free, but what about avobenzone? Wouldn't that be in the same family? Is that problematic as well or is that one ok? If you want to try anything from their website, use code IPSY2014 for 25% off until 6/30/14.
Hang Ten Sunscreen
Next up, I got an Eva NYC Therapy Session Hair Mask ($12). This one I definitely will try. It's supposed to make your hair softer and more manageable by hydrating with Argan oil and strengthening with Keravis protein. Sounds good to me. If you want to try anything from their website, use code IPSY to get 65% off (until 6/15/14)! That's a pretty nice deal!
Eva NYC Therapy Session Hair Mask
My next product was a tube of Olive Natural Beauty Lip Balm ($5.95) in refreshing rosemary. I do generally prefer lip balms to lip colors (some glosses are ok, I just don't like heavy lipsticks), so I was happy to see this. I'm still a little mixed on whether I like the scent of it, but it feels really great on, so I'll use it anyway! The offer here is 20% off any order plus a free gift with code OLIVEIPSY (until 7/31/14).
Olive Natural Beauty Lip Balm
Next up was a 1 oz tub of Derma e Microdermabrasion Scrub ($16.20). This is a pretty good sized/valued item, and I'm excited to try it, but I'm not 100% sure I can while pregnant. Maybe it just sounds harsh to me? Anyone know if I can use it? I wrote to their customer service asking, so hopefully I'll find out soon enough! Anyway, they're offering 30% off any order with the code IPSY0514 through 7/31/14.
Derma e Microdermabrasion Scrub
My last item, and probably the one I was most excited to see, was a Pacifica Mineral Eyeshadow Duo ($5?). These duos were apparently made just for Ipsy and the colors they contain can be found in the Charmed ($17) and Mystical ($14) palettes. I think my version, which contains a pretty light purple and a sparkly white, is from the Charmed palette. The pigmentation was ok - I have better luck obviously with loose pigments compared to pressed shadows like this - but the colors were very pretty, so I'm sure I'll use it. The Pacifica code is ipsybeauty for 25% off any purchase through 6/30/14. I really like Pacifica stuff, so I may use that one!
Pacifica Mineral Eyeshadow Duo
Swatches of the Pacifica Mineral Eyeshadow Duo
May 2014 Ipsy bag
Overall, I thought this bag was ok. I mainly like Ipsy for the makeup, so to only get one piece of makeup was a little bit of a bummer for me. That being said, there's really only 1 thing in the bag I probably won't use at all (the sunscreen) and I'm mostly looking forward to at least trying everything else, so it's certainly not a total loss. Just a skin heavy bag, which isn't as exciting as pretty makeup.


What did you get in your bag this month? If you want to subscribe, please use my link! If you haven't tried it and you like makeup/beauty stuff, you should!

(And just a disclaimer: I bought this box myself and was not compensated for this review in any way. All opinions are my own. I have included referral links.)


Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Rocks Box Set #9

Rocks Box doesn't have a set box they send out to everyone each month (plus you can get more than one box a month for the same monthly fee anyway!), so this review isn't technically a May specific one, but I did get it this month, so here it is!

Rocks Box is a jewelry rental subscription - it's kind of like Netflix. For $19 (or less if you go with a longer subscription), you get a box of 3 pieces of jewelry, wear them as long as you'd like, then pack it back up in the included paid envelope, and they send you another when they get it back (as many times as you'd like per month - I've managed to squeeze 3 into one month once, but usually it's more like 1-2, depending on how long I want to wear the jewelry they send). A twist to this box is that if your really love something you get, you can buy it from them at 20% off retail (you just keep the piece and they charge you for it). When you sign up, you take a quiz to determine your style and the kinds of pieces you want (earrings/necklaces/bracelets/rings) so that the pieces they send you are tailored to that style. When you send a box back, you also fill out some feedback on the pieces you got, which they take into account for your next box.

I'm still requesting only bracelets from Rocks Box, since that's really all I want right now. When I sent my last box in (I even bought something from that box!), I had made a few requests for this month and they absolutely listened!
Opening the box
Info sheet
First up, I've gotten a few Nakamol wrap bracelets in my boxes (the first was in Set #2 and the second was the box just before this, which I didn't review because I was only finally starting to feel better in my second trimester - though I wish I had - that box was PERFECT) and I really love the style, but I'm just waiting for the perfect color to appear in my box before I buy one. So, in my last return, I had requested a different color Nakamol Beaded Leather Wrap Bracelet (retails $55, Rocks Box price $44). The color I got this month was Bronze and Silver. Definitely cute, like they all are, but perhaps blends into my skin a bit much. I do like it because it's neutral enough to go with anything though. I just don't think this is the one I'll buy.
Nakamol wrap bracelet
Wearing it! (I really love that top section of beads - shiny!)
 Next up, back in Set #3, I got an amazing House of Harlow Sunburst Bangle (retail $68, Rocks Box price $54.40) that I really regretted sending back, so I asked if they still had it, expecting them to say no. They didn't have that exact one (the navy and silver), but they did send me a black and gold one! I'm not as big a fan of gold, but I love the style of this bracelet so much, I think I may love it anyway. I've worn it a few times and I think having a gold piece or 2 maybe isn't a terrible idea! Lets me mix it up a bit. Also, I can't find the silver and navy one ANYWHERE, full retail price or not, even on eBay, so I think I may be out of luck on that one anyway.
House of Harlow Sunburst Bangle
And on.
Those were my only 2 requests, so my third item was a surprise. It was an Urban Gem Pave Link Chain Bracelet (retail $60, Rocks Box price $48). This is the second Urban Gem item I've gotten and like the first, I'm still not sure if they have a website because I can't find it. But, anyway, it's not bad. It's a silver link bracelet with little rhinestones on each link. Not bad, but not something I'm terribly drawn to, so no temptation to buy this one.
Urban Gem Pave Link Chain Bracelet
And on.
All 3 pieces from my set #9
Overall, I'm again really impressed with Rocks Box. They definitely look at feedback and I was so happy to see both of my requests fulfilled! This box is such a fun way to experiment with jewelry and wear new pieces. I love opening the box and seeing if there's something that makes me go "oooooh!" I've had this set about 2 weeks now, so I think I'll be packing it up (except for maybe the House of Harlow bracelet, which I'm pretty sure I'm buying) so I can get another set!

If you'd like to try this awesome box, you can sign up with my link and get $10 off your first month! If you already get Rocks Box, what kinds of pieces do you get? Anything you've loved and bought?

(And just a disclaimer: I bought this box myself and was not compensated for this review in any way. All opinions are my own. I have included referral links.)

Thursday, May 15, 2014

Social Bliss Style Box April 2014 Review

Ok, so this is technically an April review, but I don't know what happened - somehow I didn't get my April Social Bliss Style Box till like a week ago. I even emailed them about it, never got an email back (probably my only complaint about them - I don't feel their communication is terribly great - I'll make a little note on that again near the end of the post), but my box magically showed up like 3 days later with a Priority 2 day shipping label on it and some extra goodies inside that made it seem like they knew it was late. I would've liked an email, but that'll do. Anyway. In spite of this little snafu, I do really, really like this subscription! It's just so fun and feels like a real treat to get in the mail.

The Social Bliss Style Box is a pretty new (started in January) subscription. For $39.95 plus shipping and handling (or less if you go with a longer plan), you get a box of style goodies worth at least $100 and sometimes up to $200 (that's what they're saying May will be!). The boxes I've gotten (and the 1 I didn't) so far have included items like jewelry, makeup or nail items, scarves, and a "big ticket" item like a purse or clutch. I have LOVED almost everything they've sent so far. I even bought the clutch I missed out on in January because it was so me (and I was tempted to find the necklace as well!). It is a slightly more expensive subscription, but every month so far has felt like receiving a pretty extravagant gift!
Opening the box
The boxes are nicely packaged. Tissue paper and a ribbon tied around everything and bubble wrap around anything even slightly fragile (I have to admit, I had already dug through the box before taking the above picture, so it doesn't look quite as nice as I found it!). The box usually ships the last week of each month (which makes it kind of nice if you get more than one subscription box during the month, since most companies ship out early or mid-month! Spread out the joy!)
Info card (descriptions and values)
As I mentioned above, my box was obviously a bit late and I'm pretty sure they realized that because I got 2 bonus items in my box that weren't listed. One of them was actually an item that subscribers were eligible to get by using a special code applied to their account. It was put out on Facebook I believe and I'm not sure if that one was limited to a certain number of subscribers or not, but either way, I wasn't able to use it because I didn't have an actual account page with my gift subscription. But, looks like I got it anyway because my box was late! It was a set of cute Bohemian Circle Motif Earrings from Fig Tree Jewelry ($22). I haven't really done much with my earrings beyond metal studs or rhinestone studs since Emily was born, even though clearly she's out of the "yank earrings" phase (though I'm about to enter another!), but these are pretty cute. They're actually quite delicate for larger earrings. These also came with a 15% off coupon code and the site does have some really cute bracelets, but hoo, they're not cheap. Even with 15% off.
Bohemian Circle Motif Earrings from Fig Tree Jewelry
My second bonus item was a She Smoked Matte Collection nail polish in a gray color. I'm not really sure where to price this because I can't find their website, but Amazon sells a set of 24 including what looks like this color for $31, sooo, not much ($1.29). Everyone actually got one of these in the February box, but I think everyone got pink in that box. I don't have many matte nail polishes, so I'll probably keep this one. I haven't swatched it yet though, so I'm not sure how it looks or how the formula is yet. 
She Smoked Matte Collection nail polish
Onto the items everyone got in the April box! First up, we got a sample size Too Faced Better Than Sex mascara in black (Social Bliss says $15. Full size is $23, so sure). I have actually gotten a sample size of this in some other subscription, though I can't remember which. Although Too Faced does make my current favorite mascara, Better Than False Lashes, I'm not as much a fan of this one. It winds up a little too thick and clumpy for me. Oh well, I know a lot of people do really like this one, so I'm sure more people were happy with this.
Too Faced Better Than Sex mascara
I'm not sure of the brand of the next item, so I can't find a link for it to confirm price, but the next item was a set of Touch of Sparkle Cubic Zirconia earrings ($50 - I'm really not sure these are worth quite that much, they don't really feel like $50 earrings). These are fine, but definitely not my favorite item I've gotten from Social Bliss. Apart from the value issue, I'm just not into fancy looking jewelry. I don't have very many occasions where I'd even think about wearing these. Even at weddings, I tend to stick to my own style. They're not bad, just not my style.
Touch of Sparkle Cubic Zirconia earrings
Next, we got a really cute black flower mirror compact. Again, I'm not sure on brand, so I can't really link this either, but their value was $5, which seems reasonable. Definitely useful, too - it's a double mirror with regular and magnified. Inexpensive, but cute! And going in my purse!
Little Black Compact
The last of the smaller items was a nail art kit by Stella. Again, not something I'm finding online, but their value is $7, which seems reasonable for something sold in America, although technically you could order similar kits from China for less on Amazon (and just wait ages for it to arrive!). It's a cute set of various sized clear rhinestones for nail art.
Stella Nail Art Kit
Finally, the big item of the box was an Izzy & Ali bag ($129). Oddly, I can't find this on the Izzy & Ali site anymore, but I swear it was there less than a week ago (I think it was called a Hannah bag) - I checked to see the other color options. Maybe it's an older style and was just taken off. Anyway, although the info card shows 3 color options (black, gray, and navy) all of which are perfectly nice, I did not get any of those colors. Which is kind of a shame. I got yellow. Hm. Well, at least I can honestly say I do not own any other yellow bag! It's kind of a mustardy yellow and definitely isn't a color I'd choose on my own, but I may hang on to it and see if it grows on me (I do like it more today than I did the day I got it, so maybe it will!). It's still a bit more classy of a style than I'd go for in addition to being not my favorite color, but maybe I should shake up my accessories from time to time? If not, I actually think my sister might really like it, so either way, I'm not too disappointed.
Izzy & Ali shoulder bag (also, you can't really see it, but the strap is mostly a chain)
April 2014 Social Bliss Style Box

Writing this up, I do notice kind of an interesting thing. I'm not entirely sure where they find some of what they send. It's not easy to look up brands for everything (or check their values). However. Usually, the "big ticket item" is branded or at least appears to be very nice quality, at least to me. And even if some of the items are slightly less expensive wild cards, so far, I've been happy. February's slightly more boho themed box in particular was a fantastic box where I loved almost everything - a really awesome clutch/wallet, a gorgeous scarf, and an amazing ring were the big highlights of that box! I'm also pretty sure I would've liked most of January's rockstar themed box had I gotten it (that was the box that had the clutch I bought!). The past 2 months have been a bit classier in theme, which isn't really my style, but I can at least appreciate that for someone who does like that style, they were pretty great too!

Overall, this month is kind of up in the air for me - I'm still kind of undecided on whether or not I like the bag, but I do still think it's well worth what I paid for the box. Social Bliss's value totals up to $206, not including my bonus items and even if it's worth slightly less than that (like those earrings), it's still well over the price of the box. It really comes down to personal style preference for the monthly theme of the box and in particular, for the big item of the box, since that's where the majority of the value tends to come from.

So, now the one potential negative thing I do want to point out is that their communication with gift subs seems to be a bit odd, for me at least. During my 3 month gift sub (I only signed up for the gift sub to avoid the auto-renew, just in case I didn't like the subscription), I didn't get one email from them. No confirmation that I subscribed, no tracking emails, no promotional code emails, nothing. I didn't even have a "my subscription" page in my online account, so I couldn't check anything (or add the bonus item code to my account last month, though funny enough, that didn't turn out to be a problem!). After a week of waiting for the initial confirmation of my subscription (I only had a credit card charge for proof), I just emailed them and got a response a few days later confirming that I had in fact subscribed, but I still didn't get any tracking from that point on. I think maybe the reason for this is simply that it was a gift sub. This was my only experience with a gift subscription from any company I think, so maybe they're all like this. It's meant to be a bit more of a surprise for the recipient (even though the recipient in this case was just myself).

Either way, I'm glad I switched over to a regular auto-renewing 3 month plan instead (since I do love the sub!) because now I seem to be getting those emails.  I got an immediate subscription confirmation email and I expect that this month, like everyone else, I'll actually get a tracking email. I definitely prefer getting emails - I like to know that things are confirmed and I like the ability to track my packages.

If you'd like to subscribe to this really cool subscription, head on over to their site!

(And just a disclaimer: I bought this box myself and was not compensated for this review in any way. All opinions are my own. I have included referral links.)

Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Wantable Makeup May 2014 Review

I've been getting Wantable for a while now and for a while it was my absolute favorite box. I still like it, but I think I'm getting into makeup overload territory, so I may end up putting this box on hold for a few months while I use up my gigantic stash. Regardless of my personal stash, it's still a pretty cool box - for $36/month (or $40 if you just want to buy a single box without a subscriptions), you get 4-5 full size premium makeup products (they also have a jewelry subscription and a new intimates subscription if either of those is your thing - it's not mine.). When you sign up, you fill out a quiz that has you rate different makeup types (like lipstick, blush, and eyeshadow) as love, like, or dislike and within those categories, you rate things like application type (like cream vs. powder blush) and colors (like neutral vs. brights). Things that you rate as dislike, you will never get in your box, while things you love are more likely to show up than things you like.
Opening the box
The first thing I've noticed about my past 2 boxes is that the box itself seems to be getting smaller. I'm still getting the same amount of things at least for the past 6 months or so, so I guess it's probably better that they use smaller boxes and thinner packing. Nothing is damaged, so I'm all for a little less trash. They do seem to have done away with the little bonus product they used to include every month as well. It wasn't always a product I loved and was usually pretty small, but it was a nice touch I thought.
Info sheet
Now, I had done a few months of expanded preferences to try to shake up what I was getting, but I was finding that I just wasn't always a huge fan of the stuff I was getting within those expanded categories (blush, nail polish, tools, lip gloss), so I just went back to my old preferences where I pretty much only want eye stuff. Let's see what I got.

First up, was a Three Custom Color AfterGlow Shimmer Creme ($22.50). This is a cream highlighter. It's a pretty color in the container, but not my favorite on - it's a little hard to see applied. This is also a repeat brand for me. I don't expect new brands every month, but this is my 3rd Three Custom Color product, I think at least 2 of which are highlighters. I can't remember if the 3rd is a shadow or another highlighter. I know my preferences are a bit limited, but how about those Vincent Longo eyeshadow trios advertised as a featured product this month on the Wantable site? That would've been a product in my "love" category, too, instead of just "like".
Three Custom Color AfterGlow Shimmer Creme
My second product was a Sorme Extreme Volumizing Mascara in black ($19 according to Wantable, but the Sorme site doesn't actually sell anything, so I looked on Amazon and found it for $13.99). I'm hopeful seeing the words "extreme volumizing", so I'm all for trying this one out. The brush seems decent, although not as thick as my favorite mascaras tend to be.
Sorme Extreme Volumizing Mascara in black
Next up was another black mascara. Hm. A little bummed to see 2 black mascaras in the same box. Especially when the site talks about pops of color in eyeshadow and mascara this month. Anyway, this one is something referred to as (PL_) Beauty Mascara Holy Grail ($24). I originally couldn't find anything related to this company online, but then I realized the info sheet just didn't print it right, it's (PLA)Beauty. Their site still doesn't list this particular product though and several of the products are shown as "image coming soon", which makes me a little hesitant about the brand and the value given. This is my highest value item in the box and I can't prove that in any way. Nor does it really look it, honestly. While the Sorme product was in a Sorme box, this mascara was just sitting in the Wantable box, no (PLA)Beauty box around it, no shrink wrap, nothing. How do I know it hasn't been opened? I like to think that anything sent back to Wantable would be thrown out if it arrives unsealed (if they even accept returns on products you've tried out), but I don't really know for sure. I did just send them an email about it, so we'll see what they say about it. I probably won't be trying it though, honestly. Even if it were sealed, it's a thin brush that looks like it would give a more natural look.
(PLA)Beauty Holy Grail Mascara
My last product was an Eddie Funkhouser Ultra Definition Eye Lining Stylus ($10.99). This was probably my favorite item out of the box, although that's still not saying a WHOLE lot. I do like black liquid liner, so this is definitely usable. I do have quite a few black liners already though, and this one is a tad watery, but an extra coat seems to fix that well enough. I guess I might've preferred a different color, especially since I have neutrals marked just as "like" for right now so I don't overload on black liners, but oh well.
Eddie Funkhouser Ultra Definition Eye Lining Stylus

May 2014 Wantable makeup box
So. Honestly, this box was a bit underwhelming for me. I usually love, LOVE this subscription, but the past 2 months (including this one) just haven't been fantastic for me. I'm not sure if I've just been a subscriber too long and my preferences are too limited, so I've tried everything they've got or what. They do seem to advertise new featured brands each month though, so I'm just not sure that's it. Why not send me the new brands?

They did change their quiz maybe a month or 2 ago and while I think some categories might be better, I'm not terribly happy with some omissions, like the deletion of the choice between dramatic and natural mascara. You can only rate black or color mascara now. Which means I may end up with natural looking mascara that I hate! For me, it's go big or forget it! None of that natural stuff! (If you like natural mascara, that's totally cool - I just don't like it on me.)

But anyway, with this month's box, I did notice a slightly weird set of choices for me. They all fit my preferences decently, but I got 2 black mascaras (set as "like", not "love"), a highlighter (another "like", not "love"), and a black eyeliner (my only "love" category, but only a "like" color, since I have a bajillion black liners). All very basic and not a whole lot of variety. Meanwhile, the little blurb on their site and in the info sheet about their featured brands this month both mention pops of color in eyeshadow (and the picture for the month is totally focused on eyeshadow!) and mascara. I just wish I got a box that was a bit more on theme this month. I'm not entirely sure how strictly they follow their monthly themes, though. I mentioned all this in my email as well (politely), mostly just asking what's up and if they have any ideas on how I can tweak my quiz to get some better matches next month.

UPDATE: Ok, I hadn't finished this post last night in time to actually post it and in the meantime, I heard back already from Wantable. I definitely have to give it to them for their customer service. The couple times I've written them an email, I hear back quickly and they're very helpful with their answers. So, basically, they looked at my profile and said it's not too strict, but it may help to try to set things only to "love" or "dislike" for next month (get rid of the "likes") and see what that does.  She also said all the (PLA)Beauty mascaras came like that and they do not resend things that are sent back from other customers, so that's good enough for me. I'm still not sure I'm a huge fan of the brand, but I'm sure it's not used at least. Finally, they apologized for me getting 2 black mascaras and said that shouldn't have happened and offered to send me a replacement item to make up for it. She also said they'd throw in one extra item to make up for me being pretty unhappy with the whole box this month. Really, all I hoped for was some advise on my profile and an answer to the question about the unsealed mascara, which I got quickly, so I was already happy enough with that. Their offer to send me a couple replacement products really seemed above and beyond to me and I definitely appreciate that. So, yay for awesome customer service!

If you are interested in signing up for Wantable, here's my link! If you already get Wantable, what kind of products did you get this month?

(And just a disclaimer: I bought this box myself and was not compensated for this review in any way. All opinions are my own. I have included referral links.)