Brazen's Friends with Benefits January 2014 Review

Well, I was just going to do a compilation of the...4 (ahem...)...mineral eye shadow subs I tried this month, but I'm still waiting on one of them - it doesn't appear to be the company's fault. The owner talked on Facebook about how USPS has had problems with tons of her packages this month. According to the tracking, they shipped it out a while ago (the 12th) and it's just been sitting somewhere in Illinois since the 22nd. <shrug> Hopefully it'll get here eventually. So, anyway, I guess I'll just split them up.

The first, one I've been with for a little while now is Brazen's Friends With Benefits. They've been pretty consistently good for me from the beginning. I wasn't thrilled with December, but only because they sent out mattes and I don't love mattes. Personal preference. Anyway, as a reminder, they have 3 levels of subscription that vary in what you get (I get silver):
1. Silver ($15) - 3 3g pots of limited edition or unreleased shadow, a 3g pot of limited edition or unreleased lipgloss, and some ordering rewards, early access to sales and a 10% discount on their site.
2. Gold ($20) - Everything in silver plus a full sized lip gloss and 15% off on their site.
3. Platinum ($25) - Everything in gold plus a full sized eye shadow and 20% off on their site.

I forgot to take a picture of the bag with everything in it, but it was fairly simple this month - a clear bag with a silver tie.

Info card (blurry, I'm sorry)

The goods! Top row: Blizzard, Snow Day, and Frostbite. Bottom: Turn up the Heat

 Yay, back to non-mattes! Rather than just state what the info card says, I'll give my own impressions of each product:

•  Blizzard - a nice dark blueish silver with a good amount of sheen (I'm not quite seeing the duochrome mentioned and I see more sheen than particle sparkle). 
• Snow Day - a light silvery white, also high sheen (also not really seeing the duochrome - maybe I have to try without a primer underneath?) 
• Frostbite - a medium shiny silver
• Turn Up the Heat - woot, another lip gloss I love! Very sparkly lightish pink. Awesome!

Swatches, top to bottom: Turn up the Heat, Blizzard, Snow Day, Frostbite

I like the 3 shadows (and I think they'd look great together!), but I'm a bit bummed that I'm not really fully seeing what the description states. I may try them out again without primer because colors tend to be much bolder with primer, so maybe I need it a bit more powdery to see all the aqua duochrome and sparkle the descriptions talk about. Funny enough, I think my favorite product this month is the lip gloss! I'll definitely use it! 

January 2014 Brazen Friends with Benefits

If you got Brazen's Friends with Benefits this month, did you like it? If you got a different level, what else did you get? If you're interested in signing up, 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.)

Ophelia's Apothecary January 2014 Review

Man, I hate to do this. This is not going to be a good review. I don't like writing bad reviews. But after a late delivery of December's Ophelia's Apothecary bag (a good bag, just didn't arrive till January), I was hoping January would make up for it by being just as good in contents, only on time. Alas, January was not good.

The bag. So far, so good.

Upon opening up the bag, I found a note, basically explaining that January was sort of a "grab bag" month, where it appeared the owner just unloaded stuff she needed to unload. I guess it was all already made, so she didn't have to worry about getting them out late at least.

Note and coupon

Dumping everything out, I saw that I got 2 small sample pots - 1 of Green Tea Cucumber Face Cream, which I believe is new to me, so I'm happy to try, and 1 of Lemony Meringue Hand Cream, which now makes my 3rd tiny pot of this, the last of which I got in last month's bag only 2 weeks ago! I suppose I could combine all 3 pots into a bigger jar and call it a day, but I'm bummed to get the same exact product in the same exact scent in 3 separate months, 2 of which were in a row! Especially when I've seen a linen spray go out in 2 other months that I didn't happen to get those months (I got something else both times). I really want to try that linen spray and the one time on Facebook I asked about whether a coupon could be used on it and where I could buy it since I couldn't find it on her site, she just liked my comment and didn't answer. Anyway, moving on.

My 3rd sample of Lemony Meringue Hand Cream and a sample of Green Tea Cucumber Face Cream

My last set of items was 11 baggies of eye shadows, 3 grams each. Normally, this would be AWESOME! That amount of shadow in a regular indie store (albeit packaged in jars, not bags) would cost probably at least $50! However. Looking at this shadow, it's clear it wasn't mixed well. I'm not sure what the ingredients are because they're not listed on the bag (a big no no - it's apparently illegal to sell mineral eye shadow without listing the ingredients on the product or with the product), but I can clearly see pigment and some random white powder ingredient just floating around. Trying to mix it into a few bags left the bag surface pure white, which makes me think that's all it will do on my eyes as well. I'm not even going to swatch these. I'll probably just throw them out. I don't know what the white stuff is. She's very particular about what she puts in her bath products, so I'm reasonably confident it's nothing dangerous, but the whole thing just turns me off. Besides, I have a huge collection of awesome, well made mineral eye shadow. I don't need to bother with subpar mineral eyeshadow. She mentioned that she was discontinuing her mineral makeup because it was too much work, so good. Focus on what you're good at.

Mineral eye shadows - the ones that appear whitish are the ones I tried to mix and you can see the white particles in some of the others.

So, next month is my last month on this current 3 month sub. If it's not impressive and filled with the stuff she does well, I'm cancelling. This month was just super disappointing. I really hope next month is better. I normally like her stuff a lot, which is why I was so bummed with this bag.

If you want to look into her subscription, go to her website. It usually is better. If you get this box already, let me know if you got different things 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.)

Relevant Nails January 2014 Review

I had previously tried Relevant Nails as a one time box just to see what kind of polish they sent out and was really pleased, so I decided to go ahead and order a 3 month subscription. Again, they aren't quite set up to do ongoing subscriptions monthly (automatic billing) yet, so you just have to buy the box month by month or you can buy 3, 6, or 12 month subscriptions paid upfront. For $16, you get 2 full size indie nail polishes! According to the Relevant Nails site, this subscription features "Rain City Lacquer, Black Sheep Lacquer, LynBDesigns, Sparkle Nail Lacquer, FLOSS GLOSS and much more!"

Once again, my order arrived packaged well with bubble wrap and squigglies.

Opening the box

 And again, I loved the colors I got! 2 gorgeous glitters! The first is called It's Inconceivable, although I couldn't figure out the brand at first. It doesn't look like any of the indie brands featured on the site and doesn't appear to have a brand written on it. There's something tiny, but cut off on the back that looks like it says ?nbdesigns.etsy.com, and I thought the ? was an r, but that's a graphic designer. Then I tried searching for just It's Inconceivable, thinking that maybe that was the brand name and not the color. That found something on Etsy! It's apparently LynBDesigns and she has a lot of really pretty colors! Anyway, that polish is nice densely packed glitter with silver, light blue, and pink.

LynBDesigns It's Inconceivable

The second polish is a Spy Princess polish in the color Spectre. I feel like this one could've been a bit more densely packed with glitter. It's a lovely clear base with light blue and silver holo glitters and if it were densely packed, I think it would be amazing, but as it is, I think it might make a better topper because it's quite sheer. The silver holo glitter does give it a really nice sparkle though! And, man, I'm really glad I looked up the brand on Etsy to link it because I didn't realize this was a glow in the dark polish! That makes it more fun! They say it's best to "charge it up" with light for a few minutes, but I just held my phone light on it for maybe 20 seconds and it definitely glows!

Spy Princess Spectre

Swatches (3 coats on top, 2 coat on bottom). I couldn't really get a good shot of the glow in the dark of Spectre.

So, again, I'm happy to get some new polish so this sub makes me happy! And the value's certainly there - my 2 polishes alone would've been $17.50, plus individual shipping on each one since they're from different Etsy shops, which would've added an additional $5.75, so $16 was a great deal! Can't wait to see what I get next month!


If you'd like to sign up, head on over to their page!

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

Birchbox January 2014 Review

Birchbox is a 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. I recently resubscribed for a year with Birchbox after being away from them for about 6 months. The theme for January was "Go Time".

After watching the sneak peek video this month, I had my eyes set on a few different products I hoped I'd get. There's a huge number of variations each box can be, so I had no idea what I'd get. Sadly, I didn't get any of the things I was hoping for, but my box didn't end up being so bad anyway.

Theme card

Info card

My first item was a set of 3 foil packets of 100% Pure lotions - a reparative cream, a smoothing night cream, and an organic caffeine eye cream (Personally, I'd value 3 foil packets at $1 combined, but calculated from oz, it's technically $4.65 for all 3 combined.). I'm glad to have a variety to try, but I think I might have preferred just one larger sample not in a foil packet. I hate foil packets. They're one time use, no matter how much you use of the packet. Otherwise, you have a messy open packet laying around and most likely, my cat would try to eat it because she likes to try to eat anything plastic or foil that's laying around, so we don't do that. Really, I would've much preferred to try the 100% Pure Fruit Pigmented Mascara instead.

100% Pure foil packets

Next up was a Fekkai Brilliant Glossing Creme in a pretty nice .45 oz sample size ($1.80 - see, now how is this cheaper than the foil packets above??). I do already have one of these that I'm pretty sure I got from Birchbox last year and haven't tried yet. I'm not really sure why - it sounds nice! I don't think my old one says olive oil on the label, but I'm not sure they make more than one variety of this, so it must just be a slightly different label. Anyway, it's supposed to make hair smooth and shiny, so I'll make sure I try it this time around!

Fekkai Brilliant Glossing Creme

The next item was a full size (1.2g) Inika Mineral Eye Shadow in the color Eternal Marine ($25, although Birchbox says $20 - that's what they're selling it for, so I guess we'll stick with $20). As expected, I'm thrilled with this, both because it's full size (although, I think it might be a tad small for full size compared to indie brands, especially at this price) and because it's mineral eye shadow! It's a nice grayish green color. I don't think I have anything like it! Also, thankfully, it has a sifter inside so it doesn't all pour out when you try to open it.

Inika Mineral Eyeshadow in Eternal Marine

My last main product in the box was a full size set of Nail Rock polish and nail glitter in red (Birchbox says $6.99, but that's how much the site lists it in British pounds, so switching to US dollars, it appears to actually be $11.31. Then again, Birchbox's site is selling it for $7, so I guess we'll go with that.). Looking at the options on the Birchbox site (because I can't find the others on the Nail Rock site), there are a few I think I would have really preferred, like the sequin green or one of the caviars, or even one of the velvets, just to see something different, but I'll probably at least try this out on an accent nail. I think all of my nails would be way too over the top.

Nail Rock Nail Glitter set

Finally, my lifestyle bonus was a set of 3 Ahmad teas (~$1?). Meh. I do like tea, but I'm avoiding caffeine for now, and none of the ones I got seem to be caffeine free, so I guess I'll just put them aside till my next period (I let myself have a bit of caffeine then).

Ahmad Teas

January 2014 Birchbox

So, all in all, not a bad box. I'll definitely try everything. I'm a little disappointed in the foil packets, but oh well. I'm happy about the shadow and polish, so I guess it evens out. Overall, this box, version 58, has an approximate value of $34.45, which is good for a $10 box!

If you get Birchbox, what did you get for January? 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.)

Stunner of the Month January 2014 Review

Stunner of the Month is a sunglasses a month subscription - they send a huge variety of sunglasses from stylish to wild. For $9 a month, you get a new pair of sunglasses! You can choose from male, female, or unisex. I went with female. It's always kind of hit and miss what I've gotten - some I've really liked, some I've thought were wearable, but not awesome, and some were just weird. What category will this month fit into?

Info card

I saw this before I opened up my little sunglasses bag (I love that you get a new bag every month!). It sounded a little masculine, but at least not too wild.

My stunners

Happily, these are totally wearable! I was (and still am a little) unsure of the big thick bar across the top and I don't usually wear aviators, but when I put them on, I think they mostly look good. Certainly good enough to wear in public and regularly. So, I'm happy this month!

Stunner of the Month January 2014

Our little bonus item this month was that little pink slap bracelet. I haven't worn slap bracelets in a LONG time. I don't think I'll be starting up again anytime soon. I may give it to Emily, but I want to make sure she won't somehow hurt herself with it.

Anyway, if you like sunglasses, particularly wilder ones, head over to their website. I'm not sure if they're still accepting the coupon code for the first month free, but it doesn't hurt to try it: trystunner (all lowercase)!

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

Wantable January 2014 Review

I decided to switch things up a little bit for my Wantable box this month. I had gotten down to some pretty narrow likes and I wanted to expand a bit to get a bit more variety this month. Just as a reminder, 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.

Somehow I forgot to take a picture of everything in the box and everything displayed together, so I'm missing those 2 shots, but I do have individual product pictures.

I figure I'll start off with my least favorite items: 2 Starlooks products. It's not that I dislike Starlooks - on the contrary, I love Starlooks! I get their subscription!  But, because I get their subscription, there's a risk of getting duplicate products when they send their stuff to different subs to send out. Like now. 2 products I already have. First up, the Starlooks Lengthening Mascara ($16). I actually do like this mascara - it lengthens pretty well (not as well as my favorite Too Faced Better Than False Lashes, but decent) and I love the hefty metal tube packaging. It just feels luxurious. The second Starlooks product was a Gem Eye Pencil in Myth ($14). Again, a great product. Lovely dark gray metallic eye liner that spreads amazingly well because the liner is so soft and buttery. But I already own every color and this is my third one in Myth. So, both of these went unopened to my trade board.

Starlooks Lengthening Mascara and Gem Eye Pencil in Myth

Now, for the part of my box that I changed up, I got 3 nail products! First, I got a Color Club polish in the color Personal Stylist ($8). It's a pretty metallic blue, but I think I have a fairly close color already, so this may or may not be traded. The website says it's a duochrome. Maybe I'd have to swatch it to see. It might have a hint of purple, maybe. Not a terribly bold duochrome though.

Color Club Personal Stylist (that hint of pink/purple you see isn't in the bottle. It's just a reflection of a pink sticker)

My other polish was a Rainbow Honey polish in the color Koi Pond, which apparently is sold out on the website ($10). I like this polish much more than the Color Club one. It's a glitter polish and it's totally different than any other color I have. This is a happy addition to my collection!

Rainbow Honey Koi Pond

My last item was a set of NCLA Nail Wraps in the design Fowl Play. I used to wear nail wraps ALL THE TIME. I'm not even sure why I haven't in a while. I guess I just have so much nail polish, I want to make sure I wear it all! Anyway, these nail wraps are really pretty! I love the peacock feather design and that there's really a good variety of specific designs in the pack. I could wear all of them in one manicure or spread it out over quite a few using them for accent nails.

NCLA Nail Wraps in Fowl Play (I apologize for the blurriness - I didn't even notice until I uploaded!)

I'm really glad I switched up my profile a bit this month. The nail products were great! Funny enough, the part that stuck to my original preferences was the part that contained dupes for me. Hopefullly next month, they'll have a couple different featured brands to send out, so I won't get so much Starlooks. I did put in my ratings that I really would prefer not to get more Starlooks, but I'm not sure how much the ratings get used. I think it's a new feature (unless I just haven't noticed till now!). Anyway, I was happy to see 5 things in the box and the overall value this month was $64. Still a bit lower than what we used to get, but I think that may just be how it is now. After they changed to 3-4 items per month and then back to 4-5 (presumably because people weren't happy with the 3-4 items), it kind of seems like the value might've stayed down a bit. It's still more than the cost of the box though, so that's all that matters. I still love my Wantable. (I may even order an extra box for next month since it was my birthday this month!)

If you are interested in signing up for this awesome subscription, here's my link! If you get Wantable, what kind of awesome stuff 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.)

Phone Case of the Month January 2014 Review

Phone Case of the Month is a subscription for iPhone 4, 4s, 5, 5s, and Samsung Galaxy S3 and S4 phones. For $10 a month (which is a pretty great deal for a phone case! Most places you have to spend at least $25!), you get a new limited edition case (only 200 of each print are made) - they are hard cases "made of Poly Carbonate and ABS (Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) with a silicone coating for a soft to the touch feel". 

Well, in my mini review for December's Phone Case of the Month, I had said I was probably only going to give them one more month to give me a case I liked a bit more than "sort of". I really wanted something a bit girlier (although they do state on their website that they strive for gender neutral). Lo and behold:

Flying High case

Adorable!! I LOVE it! Definitely girlier and I love the muted colors! I love the birds! And the balloon! I just really like this one a lot. It's just so pretty! This one definitely has convinced me to stay at least a couple more months.

Close up

If you'd like to sign up for this fun subscription, go sign up! If you use my link, you'll get $5 off your first month! Please just let me know if you have any trouble with that.

(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.)

Ophelia's Apothecary December 2013 Review

I got an Ophelia's Apothecary bag very early this month - at first I thought it was just January's arriving quite early (they usually show up near the end of the month), but looking back at my pictures, I think the last bag I took pictures of was November (certainly the last I reviewed, but December was an odd month for reviews), so this must be December's bag and I just didn't notice it hadn't arrived last month. It does make more sense that it is December, given the holiday themed bag. I don't really mind the slight delay - the beginning of the month is usually pretty slow for me with boxes, so it was nice to get some mail! And I figured I'd still post the review, especially since it was a great bag!

Ophelia's Apothecary is a great indie bath and body product subscription. For $15/month (or less if you go with a 3- or 6-month subscription), you get 4-6 handmade bath and body items (everything is paraben- and sulfate-free). When you sign up, the owner sends you an email with a survey asking about fragrance preferences, allergies, style/personality, etc to allow her to customize your box a bit. I always look forward to seeing what new stuff I'll get each month!

December's cute holiday bag

There were quite a lot of items this month inside that bag! The first thing I pulled out was a little pot of lip balm with an egg nog scent! I love egg nog and somehow forgot to partake in any this year! (Well, I did buy some, then got sick, and then when I felt a bit better, I realized it expired like 2 weeks earlier. Eek.) Anyway, this smells great!

Egg nog lip balm

Next up, a sample I have gotten 1 or 2 of already over the course of my months with this subscription, but don't mind having more of, was a little pot of Lemony Meringue Hand Cream. It smells just how it sounds and I love it because it's so nice and thick and moisturizing. 

Lemony Meringue Hand Cream

Next was a small plastic container full of sea salt (for scrubs/exfoliating) in the scent red currant and thyme. This smells great, too. Everything does!

Red Currant and Thyme sea salt

Another scrub product (and one we've gotten a few samples of lately, but they're one time use and great, so I certainly don't mind!) we got was a scoop of her sugar scoop scrub. She didn't list the scent of this one, but it's definitely a different scent than I've gotten either other time and it smells so nice. It smells like Christmas.

Sugar scoop scrub (unknown scent)

We also got a nice sized slice of shea butter soap in the scent First Snow, which, like everything else, smelled amazing. It does remind me of snow!

Shea butter soap in First Snow

One of my favorite, favorite things to get from Ophelia's Apothecary (so much so that I bought several minis separately late last year!) are her roll on perfume oils! We got one in this bag with the scent Sweet Rain, which she describes as "Clean and crisp,this sweet floral rain scent is a blend of peonies, fresh green, tulip,hydrangea and cyclomen hightlighted by fresh ozonic spring air". I typically don't like florals, but this is light and sweet and just really pleasant. I love it!

Sweet Rain perfume oil roll on

Finally, although she's mentioned lately on Facebook that she likely won't continue it, I think because it's a lot of work, she included a few samples of her own mineral eye shadow! I'm a huge sucker for mineral eye shadow, so this thrilled me! I got Snow Angel (pearly white), Col Blue Eyes (kind of a dusty teal), and Orchid (a lovely shimmery purple). I kind of regret not taking advantage of the flash sale she had clearing out her inventory of shadows! It was like $10 for 10 3g pots! Oh well. I have so much, I probably don't need more anyway...

Snow Angel, Col Blue Eyes, and Orchid eye shadow samples

December 2013 Ophelia's Apothecary bag

I'm thrilled with this month's bag. I love everything in it and the scents are all ones I like! Very happy! If you want to sign up, go to her website! If you get this box already, let me know if you got different things!

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

Julep January 2014 Review

Well, I appear to maybe, possibly, be on the mend finally. A round of steroids and currently a round of antibiotics and I'm definitely coughing less and generally feel more human. I've been able to do my normal mom stuff again, so that's always a good thing, especially since Chris is back to work now. Anyway, on to the review!

I didn't do a Julep selection post for January since I was sick around that time (Dec. 20-24), but overall, it was an interesting collection filled with different finishes that I found appealing, but a lot of pastels and similar colors, so I wasn't at all tempted to order the full collection. I chose the Bombshell box this month and added on 2 colors. I would've added on an additional product set, but I'll get to that in a minute.

I kind of like the inspirational saying. Hopefully, 2014 will be my year. 2013 sure wasn't!

On the back of the collection display card was an ad for their new products, Vanish (a cuticle softener/remover) and cuticle pusher along with a coupon (cuticle10). I just have to say that Julep did not handle the release of those 2 products well at all. They advertised the heck out of them on Facebook the week leading up to box selection time and then the day box selection opened, it became clear that a) neither one was the featured product automatically included in most of the boxes and (instead their revamped quick dry drops were - why not include the NEW product instead of the OLD one?) and b) they didn't have nearly enough stock for the amount of advertising they had done. They were sold out of the cuticle pushers before noon on the first day. I would've happily added on the set containing both Vanish and the cuticle pusher, but it wasn't available. On the very first day of selection. That's bad planning. Eventually, Julep got enough complaints that they added in a preorder option for the cuticle pusher, but again a) you were told you definitely wouldn't get it till weeks later when they came back in stock, and b) it wasn't available in the discounted set with Vanish and they ignored all questions about whether or not the set would become available again. You had to pay like $4 more for the 2 items separately. F that. So, maybe I'll eventually get it in a mystery box, but I'm not paying full price for either one. I don't even know that the 10% off code is enough for me. Especially since the code is only good till Jan 31 and the cuticle pusher still shows as out of stock. Will it be in stock before the 31st? I'd bet not. Anyway, rant over. On to the better stuff.

So, although the quick dry drops (now called Ta Da!) were an old product, I somehow never got them, so I wasn't so upset to get them. I tried them out on a manicure for my daughter (she's not great at sitting still after I paint her nails) and I was pleasantly surprised at how well they worked. Her nails were dry pretty much immediately. Granted, they all chipped the very next day, but I'm not sure how much that had to do with her being an active 3 year old rather than the drops.

Julep Ta Da! Quick Dry Drops

Oh, and before I forget to mention it, the little bonus item this month can be seen behind my hand in the above picture - it's a little set of 2 nail buffers. They're fine. No complaints, really.

The colors that came in the Bombshell box were Mae, a soft lavender satin (matte), and Margot, an "old Hollywood gold shimmer". I've been getting more into mattes lately, but I'm not sure I'm wild on Mae. Holding up the swatch stick to my hands, it's more of a "maybe I've been dead for several weeks and didn't notice" look than something I like. A little too gray and lifeless. Margot, on the other hand, is gorgeous! It's a perfect gold! Lots of shimmer and a great metallic finish. Definitely my favorite of the colors I got. For my add-ons, I added Hope, a stark white satin (matte), and Farrah, a lilac silk (kind of a matte containing shimmer, it's a bit hard to explain). I was initially a bit concerned Farrah and Mae would be too similar, but they aren't really. The color tone is similar, but the finish makes them quite different. I definitely like Farrah more than Mae. And Hope is a nice basic matte white that I know I'll get plenty of use out of.

Julep Mae, Margot, Farrah, and Hope

Swatches (Hope, Mae, Farrah, and Margot - sorry about the confusing labels. I originally mislabeled the purples.)

January 2014 Julep

Apart from the snafu with the cuticle products, I'm pretty happy with my box. There's only one color I'm not a huge fan of and overall, I'm excited to have a variety of finishes to play with. I hope the variety keeps up! I have no idea what's in store for next month. I think last February was neons or something - that was one of my skip months I think. I do think it will be bright though, to keep people's moods up in the doldrums of winter. As always, I hope for sparkles. And maybe another shadow palette (though it's probably too soon to hope for that)!

If you'd like to sign up, I'd love it if you'd sign up with my link! AND! If you use promo code, FREEBOX, you can get your first box free! You just pay shipping! I started my subscription with a similar deal! :) If you already get Julep, which box and add-ons, if any, did you pick 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.)

December 2013 Summary Part 2

Oddly, I think I might be feeling a tad better today. Still coughing some, but it's not quite as bad sounding or frequent. Hopefully, this is a sign that it's on its way out. <crosses fingers> Anyway, onto part 2 of my December sub summary. And again, I'm only doing it this way for December because I've been sick for a while and I just want to catch up. January subs will go back to normal reviews. :)

PopSugar Must Have

December's box included a Lulu Frost bracelet ($110), a set Mixt Studio wrapping paper ($9), a full size Modelco Fiber Lashxtend mascara ($24), a set of 4 Govino Go Anywhere flutes ($12.95), a package of CC Made Caramel Corn ($4), a pack of NCLA Nail Wraps ($16), and 2 packages of Ghirardelli Squares - caramel and a holiday mix (I can't find the holiday mix, so I'll guess about $10 for the 2 packages). I wasn't overly thrilled with this box. I like the nail wraps and we ate the Ghriardelli Squares, but pretty much everything else ended up in my trade list. Also, I'm baffled by the super expensive bracelet. It's ok (just not my style), but not really worth $110 to me.

Rocks Box Set 3

I was really happy with this set of bracelets. The small Gorjana Chaplin bracelet ($50) was cute, but a bit too dainty for me, so it was rated a "like". The Ashlar Drusy Wrap ($60 according to Rocks Box, $65 on the Ashlar website) put me through a range of reactions, haha. When I first saw it balled up in the organza bag, I was like, "What the? Is this a hair tie?", but then I took it out and saw the cute stone on it (I'm really liking drusy stones since discovering them through Rocks Box!), so I liked it a lot more. Really, the 2 problems I had with it were 1. The length was such that I either had to wrap it an extra time around and make it quite snug or wrap it less and have quite a bit of fabric dangling that I'd have to tuck in (and tuck back in as it fell out throughout the day), and 2. The stone kept getting turned around on my hand so that the pretty side was hiding. Too much hassle for a $60 bracelet, no matter how cute it is, so it also got a "like". The last one, the House of Harlow Sunburst Bangle ($68, link is for a different color). Oh, I loved this as soon as I saw it. The sparkly stones and the navy leather together were just so pretty. I kept my box a bit longer than usual because of this bracelet. Oh, I was so tempted to buy it. But, budgets. I do kind of wonder what kind of turn around in brands Rocks Box has. Maybe after I rack up some more credits, I could ask them to send this to me again and then I could buy it. If they still have it around by then.

Rocks Box Set 4

This was another fun set of bracelets. I'm definitely enjoying getting just bracelets from them much better than having them send me a mix. Anyway, from the top. The top wrap is a leather CC Skye Double Wrap Portico Bracelet in Silver and Black ($155 - I think this is the priciest thing they've sent me yet!). I like it because it's edgier, but the clasp popped open 2 or 3 times, which is 2 or 3 times too many for a $155 bracelet. The second bracelet is a Edge of Amber Tamri Bangle in Silver (Rocks Box prices it at $85, the Edge of Amber site prices the gunmetal color (they don't seem to have silver) at $90 on sale for $45). I really liked this bangle too. I love the shape. I'd be a little annoyed to pay even the discounted $68 from Rocks Box though when you can get a similar color (that I like just as well) on the Edge of Amber site for $45 on sale. The last set of bracelets is an interlocked pair of Anuja Tolia Polk a Dot Bangles in Silver (Rocks Box say $56, the Anuja Tolia site says $65). I just wasn't wild on this one. Very noisy jingling and so big that it pretty easily fell off my wrist unless I was wearing something else in front of it, like in the picture.

Starlooks Starbox

Well, I tried to guess which palette it was going to be based on their look book, but they surprised me and sent out an unreleased palette! I like it though! There are some really pretty colors in this - plenty for a neutral look and some to add some pop! I'm very happy with it! And a funny thing - last month, I noticed I didn't get my little monthly crystal shard (I'm not sure if it was just me or everyone, but it was not a big deal at all - it's just a tiny free touch Starlooks has always popped in the box for fun). This month, there were 2 in there! Ha! Also, an added bonus - there was a card in the box saying that starting now, Starlooks is starting a loyalty program where continuous subscribers get a free $35 gift every 3 months! Awesome!

Brazen Friends With Benefits

This month was a matte month. Meh. We got a matte very light beige/almost white and dark brown, a very light pink blush, and a dark red sparkly lip gloss. I'm not wild at all on the eye colors, but I may be able to use them mixed into other looks. The dark brown one isn't too bad now that I see it again. The blush seems very light, even for me. I do like the lip gloss, but I have to use it super sparingly to keep from looking ridiculous because it's so dark. The bonus this month was a little lip palette, but oddly, the colors are very, very similar to each other. There's seriously, like, half a shade of difference between each one, if that. I'm not a huge fan of it. For me, this month was a little bit of a let down, but that's mostly because I don't like matte colors. I appreciate getting to try a blush, but it really doesn't work for me. Hopefully next month will be back to at least a mix of sparkly and matte.

Glamour Doll Eyes Of The Month

Busted sample, Fire Breather sample, My First Time blush as eyeshadow, My First Time blush as blush, Mistletoe Makeout, and Christmas Calories Don't Count

 Well, I didn't think I'd get to pick this up this month because we were actually at the airport leaving for Disney World when the store opened up for December's OTM. My phone was going super slow, but I got it. And I'm glad I did! Apparently, December is a special month for Glamour Doll Eyes. It's considered a bonus month that is sold separately, so I couldn't get a 3 month sub starting this month (I'll have to try for that next week). It also cost a little bit more (I think it was like $9 or 10 instead of the normal $7) because she sends out more in December! Normally, its one color of the month and a bonus item, maybe 2. This month we got 2 eye shadows, a blush, 2 baggie samples, a Black Luna Lacquer nail polish, a Suds N Sass soap, a Sedona Lace blender brush, and a little bag of candy. I LOVED everything I got. My blush was purple and I even ended up really liking that!

So, that's it for December!