Birchbox: December 2015

Hello you guys!  What an exciting week we have going on!  It's Christmas!!  I suppose if you don't celebrate it this week is pretty average to you, but hopefully you can still get hyped up about it!

If anything is going to get you excited for the holidays, it's got to be this gorgeous box!  The box is white with silver little designs on it (as pictured) and the bottom half is a ridiculously fun chartreuse color! Sadly I'm not sure if I have a good picture of the bottom.

The first thing that come out of the box is this $10 gift card off of a $35 purchase! From what I know this can be combined with using points, meaning if you build your points up enough you can buy something for practically free!

Next was the card detailing everything I got this month. The purple is a really pretty color but I'm not sure about it combined with the green!

And now what we've all been waiting for! The products I got in my box this month!

Coastal Scents StyleEYES Eye Shadow Palette "SocialEYES"

(SS: 2 Shadows / $2.67 ) (FS: 9 Shadows / $12.00)

This was the sample choice for the month, you could choose between three eye shadow duos or some texturizing spray and I of course went for the shadows!  For some reason I am absolutely in love with green eye shadows, so you bet that I went for the green and gold combination. These are so beautiful!

I've heard lots of good things about Coastal Scents eye shadows and I'm happy to say I can see where the hype comes from!  I am seriously in love with the way this green looks and the gold is so beautiful

Harvey Prince Sea Salt Texturizing Mist

(SS: .27 oz / $1.08 ) (FS: 6 oz / $24.00)

I am in love with Harvey Prince stuff, so I was excited to see this in my box!  Unfortunately it didn't really do a whole lot for my hair in terms of creating any sort of beach waves, but it smells amazing!  I did spray it on dry hair, which it says on the bottle you can do, but I'll try damp hair and see if that does something different. I naturally have wavy hair, so that might not help with seeing any sort of difference.

JUARA Coconut Illipe Hand & Nail Balm

(SS: .27 oz / $2.16 ) (FS: 2.5oz / $20.00 )

Yummy, this stuff smells amazing!  It definitely smells just like coconut, and it feels amazing on my hands. Perfect timing, considering today is the first day of winter!  My hands are very susceptible to cold weather so I like getting things that will help with that!

Klorane Gentle Dry Shampoo with Oat Milk

(SS: 1.06 oz / $6.61 ) (FS: 3.2 oz / $20.00 ) 

You'd think that with the way my hair is I'd use dry shampoo more, but for some reason I don't!  To me this is just like any other dry shampoo but I'll have to test it out a little more before I can really decide if I like it or not. The scent is a pretty typical dry shampoo smell, so nothing fun to report on there. I didn't see a white cast in my hair, so that's a plus!

thBalm Cosmetics "FratBoy"

(SS: ? oz / $1.50) (FS: .3 oz / $21.00 )

Despite the fact that theBalm products are amazing, my favorite thing about them is the packaging hands down. Look at how beautiful this is!  Their themes for everything is adorable, and I can't help but fall more in love every time I see it.

My only complaint comes from the size of the samples we get!  The tip of my pointer finger fits into the pan and that's about it. Getting a blush brush in there is a bit of a joke.  Unfortunately I didn't see a size on this pan so I don't have an accurate value!  I'll be using a guestimate today.

This color is so gorgeous! It's a beautiful flush of color that doesn't look too overdone at all.  Perfect as an every day blush color, especially in the winter time.

Well, that's my Birchbox for the month! I extra loved my box this month for the makeup I got!  It was great quality.  I also love the hand balm I got!  I feel like I can use all of these products and I really like that!

What do you guys think? Are you into green eye shadows as much as I am?  Do you like the smell of coconut too? Let me know!

Hugs and Kisses,
The Cornfed Princess

PopSugar Must Have: November 2015

A little less late on the PopSugar boxes, here's my review of the November box!  I'm going to avoid a lot of introduction simply because I've forgotten to take pictures of the actual box or anything other than all the products together - oops!

I feel like this box was a lot better in terms of value for me, however once again I wasn't really blown away.  It's got a wide variety of items that I can appreciate, though!

Let's just get right into it this time!

Deepa Gurnani Katie Crystal Headband - $56

Umm, this is one pricey headband. It's really not worth $56 to me and I'd never pay that much for this on my own, but I'm not going to argue with having it I suppose.  It's gorgeous and looks nice on with just about any hairstyle, up or down.  It does pinch a little bit at the base of my skull, but it feels like all headbands that have this sort of design do that, so it might just be my head.

Tarte Cosmetics Beauty & the Box Eye Shadow "Apple of My Eye" - $22

For me personally, this was the star of the show when I opened the box. Tarte is a well known brand, and I've heard great things about their eye shadows!

All of the shades were ones I instantly fell in love with. Warm neutrals? Sign me up!  They have two matte shades and two shimmery shades.

From top to bottom: Golden Delicious, Caramel, Gala, Honeycrisp.

Imagine my disappointment when I swatched and didn't get what I thought. Maybe I have Tarte on too high of a pedestal or something, but I was so unimpressed with the way these looked.  The displeasure really came from the first shade, which looks like a stunning gold in the pan. However on, it was very lacking in actual color and was just straight glitter. It was relatively patchy and just not what I was hoping for.

Caramel was my personal favorite shade from this quad. It's a very pretty orange brown that is matte. It applied evenly and was relatively pigmented.  I'd reach for this color first out of the entire quad.

West Emory Bingo Set - $20

Okay, let me confess something to you guys. I am a huge bingo nerd. Like, I love bingo.  I will play it at every opportunity I have because it's just that fun for me.  I never thought I'd need a bingo set until I got one, and now this has easily become my favorite item from the box this month.  It comes with a caller card, caller numbers, a few sheets of little silver dots, and eight cards for players. Pretty much everything you need for bingo sans the prizes!

Capri Blue Mercury Jewel Box "Rain" - $18.95

I usually love candles, but I wasn't really to excited with the smell or appearance of this one.  It's a little bit too earthy for me, and it's very rustic looking.  I prefer a more modern look to this.  It's got a wood top with the CB symbol on it (pictured above), and the actual jar for the candle looks more like it's been sitting outside for a few decades. If you're into this sort of stuff it really is pretty!

Gramr Gratitude Co. Exclusive Thanksgiving Postcard Pack - $10

If I sent postcards I think I'd be more excited, honestly.  These are very pretty and I might hang one up on my cork board, but I likely won't do much for sending these or writing notes to people.

Terrapin Ridge Farms Pecan Honey Mustard - $6

So the title sounds a bit sketchy, but this stuff is delicious! My dad and I have been dipping pretzels into this.  It also suggests putting it on a pork roast, which may have to be our next use of it.

A far better box in terms of quality, but not really worth spending $40 each month for me.  If I had that much laying around I'd continue, but for now I think I'll be holding off on any more PopSugar boxes!

What do you guys think?  What's the most exciting thing in this month's box for you? Let me know!

Hugs and Kisses,
The Cornfed Princess

PopSugar Must Have: October 2015

Hello everyone!  Today I have for you my review of the October PopSugar Must Have box!  A little late, but better late than never, right?

Here's the open box!  Nothing too flashy or fancy, but it's nicely presented. I like the color scheme of pink and white.

They include a gorgeous card with pictures of everything you get as well as details of everything and retail values.

Let's get right into it!

Why Not Me? by Mindy Kaling - $25

I love books!  Especially books written by famous people (celebrities, YouTubers, etc).  I'm currently reading Binge by Tyler Oakley and loving it!  Because of this, however, I haven't had a chance to start in on this book!  I've heard good things, so I'm just going to assume that it's awesome and leave it at that.

Savvy Sleepers Luxury Satin Pillowcase - $36

Eh.  This has super high value but personally it really isn't anything special. I've been using it just because I got it, but I really can't tell a difference in my sleep quality.  The case claims to help skin and hair, especially with tangles in hair, but again, not much of a difference.  I personally would never spend $36 on a pillowcase, and this is why. Not worth it.

Easy, Tiger Brown Paper Liquor Bag Set - $8

Another thing I'm really not super excited for!  They're cute and all, but I'm not even old enough to legally drink yet.  I'm going to end up gifting these to someone who will definitely find better uses than me.

Belgian Boys De StroopWafel - $1.59

Now this is something I can get behind for sure!  I love everything about food, and this was delicious!  It's like a waffle cookie, with caramel on the inside, which made it slightly chewy (in a good way!) I would definitely buy more of these, they were so wonderful.  You're supposed to heat it on the rim of your coffee/tea cup and eat it, but I obviously didn't bother with that. It's great either way.

The Honest Company Sea Salt + Sugar Body Scrub - $17

This is one big container of scrub!  It's got the scrub in it to exfoliate, but it also has shea butter and almond oils to moisturize at the same time. Win win!  Honestly I didn't see a huge difference using this scrub versus any other scrubs, but it's a good quality product. If you're willing to spend, I'd say go for it.

Richer Poorer Hope Slipper Socks - $15

I didn't expect to enjoy these socks quite as much as I did, honestly. They're very warm and cozy, and really a wonderful gift for anyone you may know who has cold feet!  The coolest thing about these socks is that they were made specifically for PopSugar for Breast Cancer Awareness month!

It's a 10 Miracle-Leave in Product - $11.96

For some reason I haven't gotten around to using this stuff yet! I feel like I have so many hair products currently that I'd hate to open yet another one up.  However, It's a 10 is seriously an amazing hair brand.  I used their shampoo and conditioner for a long, long time and loved every second of it!

Danielle Stevens Monogram Gift Card - $40

I likely won't be using this. It's a $40 gift card to a monogram shop, that focuses on jewelry. It's really just not in my style so if I find something for under $40 that I actually am into, I suppose I'll use it. Until then it's really not anything too exciting!

Honestly, (and I feel bad saying this), I wasn't too blown away by this month's box. While the value was there monetarily, it had a lot of things that I wouldn't have gone out and purchased myself.  This box feels targeted more towards mature women, so that's likely an issue with me liking the box itself.  Previous boxes had a lot more makeup in it, whereas this box didn't have any!  I wouldn't get this box again but unfortunately I forgot to cancel my subscription in time so I'll be reviewing November's box too!

What do you guys think? What's your favorite item?  Would you pay $36 for a pillowcase? Let me know!

Hugs and Kisses,
The Cornfed Princess

FabFitFun: Fall 2015

Hello, everyone!  If you're ever on Pinterest, you've probably seen this subscription box plastered everywhere.

It's called FabFitFun, or FFF, and is a quarterly subscription box in which you pay $49.99 and receive beauty, fitness, and lifestyle items, to name a few.

The box came with a wonderful catalog styled info card.  It detailed everything that came in the box as well as prices for each product.

Speaking of the products, let's get onto them!

Beauty Box Roundup: November 2015

Even though this post is going up half way through December, it's still my most exciting post of the month!  The post where I get to put my collection of beauty subscription boxes together to compare what I got, and the values of each box for the month, as well as usability!

By the way, yes that is still my Halloween decorations in the background. November was obviously a lazy month.

As always, the math will not be perfect!  I'm a business major, but that doesn't mean my calculations are always on point. However, they should be pretty darn close!  Full size products are marked with an asterisk.

Beauty Box 5
LA Fresh good day. Day Moisturizer: $11.76
*Kaunis Anti-Aging Facial Mask: $14.95
Altchek MD Eye Gel Pads: $4.00
*Fran Wilson MOODmatcher Luxe Twist Stick "Pink": $8.00
*The All Natural Face Vegan Matte Cream Lip & Cheek Color "Dusky Rose": $5.75
Total Box Value: $44.46

Birchbox
Sumbody Salt Scrub "Milky Rich": $1.58
Catherine Malandrino Style de Paris: $2.94
eSalon Perfect Ending Leave-in Conditioner: $3.00
Make Face Gloss: $6.25
LOC One and Done Shadow Stick "Impress Me": $10.00
Total Box Value: $23.77

Ipsy
Smashbox Full Exposure Mascara: $7.60
*Crown Brush Deluxe Pointed Crease Brush: $12.38
*Be a Bombshell Cosmetics Mechanical Eye Liner "Wild Child": $14.00
Jesse's Girl Cosmetics Eye Shadow Primer: $3.75
*Fran Wilson MOODmatcher Lipstick "Green": $4.00
Total Box Value: $41.73
 -----
TOP PRODUCTS OF THE MONTH:
*Altchek MD Eye Gel Pads - Beauty Box 5

The Verdict: 
Overall, this month was pretty darn good in terms of getting all products that I enjoyed.  Birchbox is consistently pulling the lowest value for each box, however Birchbox is also the one that gives me the most variety and introduces me to some of my favorite products.

While Ipsy's value is pretty high, that's because of two high value items in the bag. In terms of usability, we need to subtract $14 for the Eye Liner that broke right away and was poor quality anyway, and the brush was selling for $4 when I went to look at prices! I included the full retail value, but if we in total subtract the $22, the value of Ipsy this month would be $19.73; yikes!  I really did enjoy the other products, so I'm not upset, but it's kind of crazy to think that so much value relies on one or two products.

That's everything for this month you guys!  What do you think?  Which box was your favorite this month? Did any products really stand out to you? Let me know!

Hugs and Kisses,
The Cornfed Princess

Birchbox: November 2015

Ahh, Birchbox. Somehow, you always manage to excite me beyond belief when you arrive. I have yet to be disappointed in a box that I get sent, which is just awesome.  I've only had it for a few months I suppose, but that's not the point.

The box this month is beautiful!  Just look at this pattern!  And the colors are just beautiful.  It's like a chocolatey brown and a mint green, plus this beautiful floral pattern.  I am so happy Birchbox began putting out designed boxes; it seriously has become one of my favorite parts.

The card has a beautiful maroon color on it, which personally adds to the appeal.  All my products are listed here as well!

All my products laid out together this month. I got some great sample sizes, as well as the full size eyeshadow crayon by Tati!  If you guys haven't ever watched her, I highly recommend it! She has quickly become one of my favorite YouTubers around; she truly cares about giving the most accurate reviews possible and it's easy to tell by her channel.  

Enough of that, let's get to the good stuff!

Sumbody Salt Scrub "Milky Rich"

(SS: 1 oz / $1.58 ) (FS: 12 oz / $18.95)

I really enjoyed this body scrub. Unlike others I've tried, it's all scrub.  There's no liquid in it and it feels very gritty, which I love!  I always want my scrubs to feel like they're doing something for me. The scent is pretty subtle, but it smells wonderful.  It's called "milky rich" and really does smell like milk.  It's a bit sweet as well, without being super artificial.  All of the ingredients are natural oils and sea salt, so if you're conscious about that you'll be pleased with this scrub.

Catherine Malandrino Style de Paris

(SS: .06 oz /$2.94 ) (FS: 1.7 oz / $80.00)

I really enjoy perfume samples, but I hate that they take up an entire sample in each box of mine!  It only lasts a few uses and sometimes I even hate the smell, so it's an entire waste of sample.  I do enjoy the smell of this one, however.  I'm not a huge fan of the packaging, as it's not even a spray nozzle. It's a stick that you pull out of the bottle and rub on the desired areas.   The smell is pretty strong, and I get a little bit of a black licorice vibe from it.  It's also a bit spicy.  I really am a fan of this scent, even though it's not something I'd usually pick on my own!

eSalon Perfect Ending Leave-In Conditioner

(SS: 1 oz / $3.00 ) (FS: 5 oz / $15.00)

I really enjoy getting leave in conditioners, as my hair truly needs it!  It's very thick, long, and dry on the ends, but oily on top.  To use this, you put it in the ends of your hair and then brush up to the roots.  The consistency is very runny, but that's not an issue for me; I feel like I use less product because it's easier to apply everywhere.  The smell is pretty darn good, too.  It doesn't smell like hair product at all.  It left my hair feeling a lot softer and looking shinier after it dried, so I'd recommend this for sure!

Make Face Gloss

(SS: .1 oz / $6.25 ) (FS: .4 oz / $25.00)

Let's just say... this is definitely a gloss in every sense of the word.  It's clear when you apply it, and when you rub it into your skin it leaves a subtle, shiny appearance.  However, it remains tacky the entire time you wear it.  I'm not exaggerating.  I applied it and it was sticky, so I just assumed that it would go away after a little bit, like when it dried down. Not the case. A few hours later I touched my cheek and it was still kind of sticky feeling. It wasn't uncomfortable to wear at all, but I really didn't like touching my face and having it feel tacky.  Maybe it's meant to be set with a powder; I'm not 100% sure, but I'll need to look into it.

This personally is a great product for anyone who's relatively new to makeup and who doesn't want to go all out with makeup right away, as it makes a great subtle highlight. That being said, if you don't like sticky face, don't get this.

LOC (Love of Color) One & Done Shadow Stick "Impress Me"

(FS: .05 oz / $10.00) 

And now we're onto the star of the show!  This product is one of five eye shadow sticks and three lipsticks that Tati (GlamLifeGuru) has collaborated with Birchbox on.  The shade that I picked, Impress Me, is a stunning rose gold, kind of shiny brown shade.  It's very unique, and the shine is just beautiful.

Just look at how gorgeous this swatch is.  I made sure to get the best natural light possible so you guys can see just how drool-worthy it is.  Application wise, I would highly recommend using a primer.  Maybe I have oily eyelids or something, but when I used this eyeshadow without primer it creased terribly on me.  With primer, it stayed for 12 hours.  It blends for the first 30 seconds, but after that it is stuck where it is.  Not a bad thing!

Overall, I was pretty pleased with my box.  I love that Birchbox sends out such a wide variety of items; it never feels like I'm always getting the same thing (minus the perfume samples of course, but even then the scents vary greatly).

What do you guys think?  How gorgeous is that shade of eye shadow? Do you own something similar? Let me know!

Hugs and Kisses,

The Cornfed Princess

Beauty Box 5: November 2015

Hello, hello!  It's time for my unboxing for November's Beauty Box 5! 

Beauty Box 5 remains a favorite subscription of mine, and I just renewed my next three months, yay!  This month's theme was "Back to Basics" essentially, and included some pretty great products this month.

Here's everything from this month; let's go into the product breakdown now!

LA Fresh good day. Day Moisturizer

(SS: .5 oz / $11.76) (FS: 1.7 oz / $40.00)

This is a pretty good sized sample! I own a lot of moisturizers, so I don't want to open this one up just yet, but I'll let you guys know what I think when I do!  This is supposed to be a pretty clean ingredient list.  This is definitely on the pricier side, so I'm kind of hoping I don't fall in love with it or something like that.

Kaunis Anti-Aging Facial Mask

(FS: $14.95)

Guys, I love sheet masks.  To me, they are the lazy girl's ideal way of taking care of their face. That being said, at age 19 I feel like an anti-aging mask may be a little preemptive for me.  There were a few different varieties you could get, but I'm not 100% what they are.  I haven't used this yet, but as soon as I feel like pampering myself, I'll break this one out!

Altchek MD Eye Gel Pads

(SS: 2 treatments / $4.00) (FS: 10 treatments / $20.00)

These actually became my favorite product this month. I tried them out a few days after receiving them and immediately fell in love.  They go on more like a pore strip than a mask, with plastic on the back. You apply them and keep them on for at least half an hour before peeling them off.

You guys, these things work.  If you haven't had a chance to check out my Instagram picture of before and after, I'll link it here.  The dark circles I had going on before were seriously diminished in just half an hour of having these on. They felt really cool on the undereye area and very gel-like, which I like!

Taking them off didn't hurt at all, which is great, especially because the undereye is such a sensitive place.  And now here's a cute picture of me wearing them!

 
Fran Wilson MOODmatcher Luxe Twist Stick "Pink"

(FS: .1 oz / $8.00)

It's actually really funny how I got almost this exact same product in my Ipsy bag this month.  This one, however, is a bit more of a wearable, every day shade.  It's a light pink that looks quite pretty on.  The color will look different on everyone, as it reacts to body chemistry and becomes the best shade for you!  The swatch is below.

The All Natural Face Vegan Matte Cream Lip & Cheek Color "Dusky Rose"

(FS: $5.75)

Finally, everyone received this same blush.  It's supposed to be very "clean" makeup.  It's also a cream blush, which is something I've never really worked with before.  The color is a bit more brown than it looks in the pan, so I'm interested to see how it looks applied to the cheeks. The swatch shows it as very brown, though.  I'm not seeing a lot of pink.  I'm intrigued.

Here's the swatches!

I was more impressed with this box than last month's, but September is still my favorite!  I find the idea of BB5 to be an interesting one, in that they don't customize boxes based on your preferences.  It would definitely make finding color products a lot harder, as they have to be universal products. I personally think they're doing a pretty good job!

What do you guys think of this box?  What's your favorite product this time?  How amazing are those eye pads?! Let me know!

Hugs and Kisses,

The Cornfed Princess