BautyCon Beauty Box: Spring 2016

Hello everyone!  Wrapping up all of my April beauty boxes is going to be this BeautyCon box!

Each quarter a different "celebrity" or personality curates a box.  The box for Spring 2016 was curated by Grav3yardGirl, AKA Bunny!  She's one of the first beauty channels on YouTube I started watching and has been a favorite YouTuber of mine for a long while. I'd considered this box for a little while but seeing her name on it sold me. That's the power of endorsement everyone!

When you open the box it has this little cardboard cover that tells you about how to post on social media if you're interested in doing that!

If you're impatient like me you probably don't care and ripped the packaging open and moved all the cards. Here's the box open so you can see everything in it!  The packaging itself is supposed to be like a baby (very Bunny).

On top of the packaging was this pretty portrait of Bunny.  I'm not exactly sure what I'd do with it (I don't frame pictures of other people) but it's cool nonetheless.

The info card doesn't have a lot of actual information on it, but it does have a list of everything that came in the box!

Look at all this stuff!  When I pulled everything out of the box and laid it out I was left with this massive pile.  I really enjoy the fact that isn't all just one thing; this box delves into items that aren't just makeup which is great to see! Again, it's a very Bunny-like thing to me!  Her channel isn't just beauty, and the box also not being just beauty is pretty cool.

Enough chit chat, let's get right into all this! Head's up, it's going to be a long post because of all this stuff I have to show you!

BeautyCon x Grav3yardGirl Keychain

 Okay, if you're not a Bunny fan you probably will not understand what's going on with this.  Bunny has a collection of "creepy dolls" that she regularly features on her channel.  This exact keychain is actually a model of one of her dolls.  I don't think this is the most inclusive item in the box for someone who may have paid annually or started a subscription with this box.  However, if you're an avid Bunny fan you'll love this.

BeautyCon x Grav3yardGirl Hair Ties

Bunny has a lot of hair that she likes to put up in a "sassy bun".  I think these are so cute!  She loves gator green and swamp colors, and tie die to boot.  These are SO Bunny it almost hurts. These aren't the best hair ties for me when used by itself, but it makes a super pretty accent after you use a better tie.

Beautyblender micro.mini's

 Another very Bunny product!  She loves using these mini beauty blenders to get into the little crevices of your face. I'm not sure I'll ever use these simply because it's easier to me to just keep using my actual beauty blender on everything. Either way, they're cute!

Benefit Cosmetics They're Real Mascara

 I didn't expect this one!  Unfortunately I got a sample of this in my Birchbox a few months ago, so now there's two samples for me to use up.  I've heard that this works super well but is really hard to get off, so we'll see what happens.

Dolls Kill $20 Gift Card

Bunny shops here a lot, so it's cool to see a gift card!  It's especially great if you love the way that she dresses.  I haven't looked at the website yet to decide if this is something I'd be super interested in but I'll do that soon. Can't look free money in the mouth!

Garnier SkinActive Purifying Oil-Free Cleansing Towelettes

I love makeup wipes!  They are my favorite way to clean my face, as I have always said and will always stand by.  These are especially cool because they have charcoal on them, which is supposed to help with pores. These may be my next batch of makeup wipes once my current ones are gone!

GlamGlow YouthMud Tinglexfoliate Treatment

For those of you who don't know, Glamglow is one heck of an expensive brand.  Getting a sample that is this relatively large size is so cool!  Apparently it's got some good reviews on it so I'm excited to rotate this into my routine.

Maybelline NY The Rock Nudes Palette

How cool is it to get a whole palette in the box? Drugstore or not this is awesome for anyone who loves makeup.  It's got pretty average pigmentation, which is good for those of us (me) who aren't the greatest at applying shadows and maybe does not want to have crazy eyes.  There's a good range of smokey shades, some pretty mattes and a few color pops.  I'd say this is a pretty solid palette overall!

Murad Essential-C Day Moisture SPF 30

Bunny has raved about Murad for years now, so it's pretty cool to get some to try for myself!  It's not very cheap, so I love samples of pricey things.  This is a great daytime moisturizer!  SPF for your face is essential to keep from damaging the skin, so having a moisturizer that contains it takes one step that you can forget out of the equation.

NCLA Grav3yardGirl Designer Nail Wraps

I'd suggest you guys take a second to look closely at each of the patterns on these nail wraps. How weird and fun are they?  There's a couple I probably won't use (I'm looking at you creepy doll faces) but some of them are super pretty and would be gorgeous accent nails. 

NYX Matte Finish Setting Spray

This is the first finishing spray I've gotten, surprisingly!  I have yet to try it out, mostly because I have dry skin and I'd rather have a little shininess over looking flat and even more dry. However, my foundation does tend to be a little too dewy for me sometimes, so I'll try it out on those days I'm not in the mood to look sweaty!

Pacifica Power of Love Natural Lipstick

  I actually got a different shade of this in my Ipsy bag for December.  This color isn't very red, instead it's a neutral brown color.  I've heard a lot of people saying it smells like burning plastic but I can't remember being disgusted by the smell personally. Keep this in mind if you really love the way it looks but are sensitive to smell!

Well, that's it!  I personally really liked this box, especially the Bunny themed items.  If you're a fan of her, I think that's part of what makes this box so special.  If you aren't a fan of Bunny, this box may not be as appealing to you, especially because she has such an eclectic sense of fashion and makeup choices. 

What do you think? Would you use the key chain?  Isn't it awesome getting a full palette in a beauty box? Let me know!

xoxo,
The Cornfed Princess

Lancome Haul + GWP

Hello, everyone!  A while ago (probably close to a month or two; yikes!) Lancome had this amazing deal. If you bought $35 worth of products, you got this 7 piece gift set.  I'm kind of a sucker for free things, so I carefully perused the counter and found two items (totaling up to about $42) and then called it good!

Here's everything in the gift-with-purchase set!  It came with a bag, two face creams, a mascara sample, a lipstick, concealer, and powder foundation. There were some choices with this purchase, including what creams you wanted, whether you got the foundation/concealer or the primer/blush, and the color of your lipstick.

Before I get into the gift set, I'm going to show you guys the awesome new lipsticks I got!

Color Design Matte Lipstick "Inconspicuous"

The first lipstick I got was the Color Design Matte Lipstick in the shade Inconspicuous (128).  It's such a pretty brown nude color!  I'm absolutely in love with brown nudes right now, mostly because the pink nudes I find tend to be too light and don't show on my lips properly.  The swatch shows a much more caramelly color, but it's so pretty!  One of these will run you $23, and they have 5 shades on the website in the matte color. Obviously they also have the cream based colors if you prefer that!

Color Design Matte Lip Crayon "Contain Yourself"

 The next item I got was the Color Design Matte Lip Crayon in the shade Contain Yourself (110).  I'm a little confused as to what this color actually is!  In the store it looked very orange, and in a video with Dani, it's completely orange on her. However, if you look at the swatch it's far more red on me!  I was hoping for a more orange color just because I own plenty of reds, but I won't complain.  One of these costs $24, and there's 10 shades to choose from. 

That's it for the haul!  Now I'll move on to the GWP, which is the star of the show personally!

First, you got to choose a bag. I went with this beautiful white and pink bag with script written on it.  It's a very large bag, and can fit quite a bit of makeup in it (a full face).  I threw a beauty blender, foundation, concealer, giant bronzer, highlighter, blush, and mascara.  There was still some space, but it's not quite wide enough for any brushes to fit if they aren't travel sized.

There were three different lip colors to choose from, and I picked this gorgeous pink shade called Love It.  Unlike the two lip products I bought, this one is a cream finish and not matte.  That's okay; variety is the spice of life! Or however that saying goes.  It's such a pretty color, I'm glad I chose it! The other choices were another brown nude, and a super bright fuchsia pink.

There were three different sets that you could get of their skincare line. My set was directed at younger skin, and focused less on wrinkes and more on dark circles, evenness, and moisturizing. The Visionnaire is a day cream that plumps the skin and attacks pores, wrinkles, and skin texture.

The Genefique Yeux (thank goodness I'm typing these and not saying them out loud) is focused solely on the eye area.  It's meant to diminish the appearance of dark circles, fine lines, and bags.  I tend to have issues with my circles so this is awesome!  Plus the full size of this is $67; yikes!

The next two products were this matching foundation and concealer!  The foundation is in the shade Buff II 220, and the concealer is in the shade Clair II.  The foundation is obviously in a powder format.  I got this set over the primer/blush because at the time I didn't own any foundations that matched my skin (the one I had was 3 shades too light), however now that I own my MAC foundation I probably won't ever use this.

The concealer, when I tried it out, was way too orange for my skin for some reason.  It must have been my lighting.  I gave it to my friend and she's loving it, so I'm happy about that!

Finally, I got one of their most popular mascaras!  It is Definicils, and the product focus is to separate and lengthen lashes.  It is listed as their most popular mascara "for over 15 years", so I'd imagine it better be good!  I have lots of mascaras right now to try out, so this one will have to wait but I'm excited to see how it looks on me!

Well, that's it!  I thought the lipsticks and the free gift were too good to pass up and show you guys. If you have a chance to check out some free GWP from these brands, do it!  The more high end brand gift with purchase are always amazing price for what you get, and if you like using their products but aren't willing to shell out a bunch of money without trying it first, this is a great option!

What do you guys think? Have you ever tried a Lancome product before? Are there any you want to try out? Let me know!

xoxo,
The Cornfed Princess

Target Beauty Box: April 2016

Hello everyone!  If you've never heard of this box before, you're probably thinking: since when did Target get a beauty box? What's going on with this?  Fear not, I'm hear to answer!  The Target Beauty Box is not a subscription box; rather, it is a box Target comes out with about once a month that you have to buy from the website. It is not available in stores and usually sells out within the day, most times within hours.

The price point is anywhere from $5-$7.  Recently they're been $7, but for what you get it is absolutely worth the price point.

They usually include one full size lip product and a TON of travel size samples.  I have yet to get a sample from the Target Beauty Box that had me scratching my head and thinking "really?".  As you can see above, there is so much stuff for only $7!

They even include a small information card!  It includes the brand, product, and a small description of each item.  This is better than some regular subscription boxes, so that's pretty cool!  I enjoy having this card around for quick reference if I have a question about what a product is. I'd rather not search Target.com to find what I have.

Let's just go ahead and hop into what I got this month!

Maybelline Dream Velvet Foundation

I'm excited to see this in my box because I've been wanting to try out some drugstore foundations but have been nervous about just buying it.  Mine came in the shade 20 Classic Ivory, however there were various shades sent out for each person. While I think this will match me, if someone with darker skin got this they probably wouldn't be too happy.   That's the problem with including color specific products in boxes without quizzes; you can send someone a product that will not work for them!

Laneige Water Bank Soothing Mask

You guys probably already know that I love sheet masks, and this is no different! They make lazy girl skincare so easy!  Laneige seems to be in every Target box. While I don't have an issue with it personally, if you're someone who doesn't like brand repetition you may want to take note of this.

Pantene AIRspray Hair Spray

There isn't a whole lot of hold in this hairspray, but it's not necessarily meant to be super hold; it's flexible hold.  The cool thing about this spray is that it's alcohol free, which means it won't dry your hair out quite so much. Also it smells like apples when it gets sprayed!  I am in love.

CoverGirl Colorlicious Lipstick "Tempt Berry"

Here's the full size lip product I got this month! Unfortunately the tip got smooshed on its way to my home, but that's okay!  This is a super pretty berry red color.  A little dark for me and for spring (I want corals and baby pinks!), but I can look past that.  They send different colors to each box, so while I got this color, you may have gotten a pink nude. It's all chance!

Hawaiian Tropic Island Sport SPF 30 Lotion

Yay, sunscreen! I know that's a weird thing to be excited for, but I can't seem to find any that isn't painfully expensive.  I know that this is a great brand, unfortunately one I wouldn't invest in.  I'm okay with using the Target brand stuff.  Since I have this though I'll be using it until it's all gone come summer time!

Marlowe No. 022 Body Butter

I've never actually heard of this brand before.  I think the packaging is pretty cool looking, but I've never seen this in store. I guess I don't look at lotions very often; I get so many it's unbelievable.  Anyway, this seriously looks like high end stuff; it's very minimalist and yet looks so pretty!

Simple Cleansing Facial Wipes

I've heard a lot about these cleansing wipes!  Mostly good things, thankfully.  I love facial wipes, and if I find that getting samples is the best way to keep from wasting money on ones that don't work for me.  When I crack these open I'll be giving my two cents on these.

CeraVe Healing Ointment

 I wasn't really sure what to think of this for a while. What exactly is it for? Any skin? Your face? I still am not exactly sure, so I'd rather not put it on my face just in case.  I have eczema, so I definitely deal with major dry skin.  I'll have to test this and see what I think!

Well, that's the April Target beauty box!  Like I stated before, the value for your money is just ridiculous!  The thing I love most about this box is that if you fall in love with a product, you won't be spending an entire paycheck to get it.  This is such a convenient box for those who would like to try a "subscription" box but don't want to commit or are on a budget and are looking for samples before you buy.

What do you think? Is it worth $7? Would you like to see Target make this a subscription? Let me know!

xoxo,
The Cornfed Princess

Birchbox: April 2016

Hello, everyone!  Wrapping this week up is going to be my Birchbox!

Oh my gosh, I am beyond in love with Rifle Paper Co. Anything evenly slightly pertaining to it or looking something like it immediately becomes my favorite item ever. This box is no different.  I have to find some way to display this piece of gorgeous in my room.  Its beauty must be shown to the world!

Look, a card I remembered to take a picture of!  It has all of the information about each product, including the price of the full size item if you really love it.  Super useful information, especially if you're a beginner to the beauty world or it's a unique product!

Not very much for makeup this month. That's pretty common for Birchbox but it feels especially true this month. I do like the wide array of products offered, however!  It feels like a nice balance of skincare and haircare, with a little makeup thrown in there.

Let's jump into the reviews now!

amika Silken Up Dry Conditioner

I've heard of dry shampoo, but never of dry conditioner!  As far as I can tell it's meant to make your hair feel less "clean" like a dry shampoo, and more soft, like you just conditioned? That would make the most sense!  Amika products smell wonderful, and I do have a dry shampoo in this brand too.  Maybe I'll try them out together and see what happens. Hair cocktail!

Au Naturale Mini Face Palette "Lively"

This was one of the most disappointing samples I have ever gotten in any box of mine.  It's really hard to see in the picture, but my finger barely fit into each pan.  On top of that, it was almost impossible to get any product out of them without making a mess.  I wish there was some way to get each pan out without tearing it all apart but since it's plastic I'm not too hopeful.

The product itself is pretty, but I haven't applied it to my face just yet.  They're all a cream consistency.  I'm just so turned off by the packaging, I'm not sure if I want to put that much effort into using these.  Also, the shadow is very subtle; it was hard to get a lot of good color.

The bottom swatch is the lipstick, the middle is the blush, and the top is the shadow (yes, there is a swatch there).

Briogeo Don't Despair, Repair!  Deep Conditioning Mask

I seem to be getting all sorts of Briogeo this month! They've both been from this line, as well.  This is the deep conditioning mask.  I have yet to try it out, but I also own about a million other hair masks and deep conditioners right now.  This will be on the back burner for now!

derma e Purifying 2-in-1 Charcoal Mask

Charcoal masks are so in right now! I own a lot of derma e samples and I've heard good things. Currently I have a lot of masks in que to use, but this one might get bumped up.  I have major problems with my pores right now, so I'm excited to see if this helps at all!

Marcelle 3-in-1 Micellar Solution

Another hot trending product!  Micellar water has become one of the most popular cleansing products on the market, and it seems like everyone is talking about it!  I've been interested in trying it out, but I haven't wanted to invest in a large bottle if it's not good for me, so I'm glad to see this in my box.

Well, that's it!  I got a great mix of products, and a couple that I'm beyond excited to try out.  The micellar water and charcoal mask will be perfect for me right now.  The only product I'm disappointed in is the makeup sample; it's too small to even use and the shadow has no pigment.

What do you guys think? Have you ever used micellar water?  Do you like using charcoal for your face? Let me know!

xoxo,
The Cornfed Princess