Wednesday, October 28, 2015
Lip Monthly: October 2015
Hey guys! This is a different bag than the usual ones I do.
It's a little less popular than the traditional Ipsy and Birchbox subscriptions, but I wanted to still give it a shot and see how it measured up!
It came in a cute little makeup bag (very Ipsy-like!), that was kind of brown and purple, with white detailing at the top.
It also has a card with the products and values on it, which is beating Ipsy in that department!
I do have to say, product-wise I give it to Ipsy, though! It's not that the products I got are bad necessarily, but I'll get more into it later. For now, let's look at what I got! Please note, swatches are all at the bottom of the post!
Saturday, October 24, 2015
Beauty Box 5: October 2015
Hello everyone! So, my Beauty Box 5 finally arrived this month! It's supposed to ship out on the 8th of every month, but due to a product arriving late, the boxes didn't go out until after the 15th! On top of that my post office messed up on my box delivery so I got it even later, boo!
What is BeautyBox5?
BeautyBox5 is a monthly subscription service in which you receive 5 sample size and full sized products! It costs $12/month unless you order 3, 6, or 12 months at a time. If you do that, you receive a pretty nice discount! Sounds like a deal? Go check it out!
This month's theme was "Think Pink!" which is not surprising; everyone wants to support Breast Cancer Awareness this month!
I do have to say, BB5 did a great job with sticking to the theme this month. Every product I received was pink! That being said, I was far less impressed with the box this month versus last month both value wise and product wise.
What's in my box this month?
I was definitely most excited for this product! It's a cute little Kabuki Brush, and it is so soft. It's also absolutely beautiful. Pink and rhinestones, what more could a girl ask for? The only complaint is that this brush is so little! However, if it works there's no reason to argue.
This product is seriously so gorgeous! Unfortunately when it arrived there was some of it on my cap as you can see, but the product itself was just fine otherwise. The shade that I got was a very vibrant pink, almost purple looking, and stunning. A color I will definitely be wearing during this time of year, it is just gorgeous!
It's a lot more pigmented than most lip balms, which you wouldn't usually expect. It still feels very soft and nice on the lips, though. Very high quality from what I can tell!
Good thing I love pink, otherwise I think I might have been very disappointed with this. They are two knotted hair ties. While I can always use more hair ties, I have my trusty black ones that I use at all times and keep on my wrists. I just don't know if I'm ever going to get to using these is all.
BeautyBox5 is a monthly subscription service in which you receive 5 sample size and full sized products! It costs $12/month unless you order 3, 6, or 12 months at a time. If you do that, you receive a pretty nice discount! Sounds like a deal? Go check it out!
What's in my box this month?
Happy Hands HapyFace Makeup Cleansing Cloth
(FS: $3.99)
So, this is certainly the most interesting product I got in this box. It's supposed to be machine washable and takes off your makeup with just water! I'm going to be honest, I have yet to try it out! I just keep using the makeup wipes I already own. However, if this thing does work I'll be sure to rave about it!
Ferro Cosmetics Pink Rhinestone Kabuki Brush
(FS: $25)
Styli-Style Perfect Pout Long Lasting Balm Stick in "Mischievous Magenta"
(FS: $4.99)
Knotty Hair Ties
(FS: $4.00)
Nubar Nail Polish Mini in "Pinktober"
(FS: $4.99)
I have to say, I'm most disappointed in this product this month. While it is 3 free, which is great, the formula left something to be desired. It was very thin, and applied incredibly streaky and sheer. The watch below has three coats and there are still spots where you can see my nail showing through. I might have to try it out again and see if something's changed from last time, but for now I'm just not a fan.
Verdict:
Eh. I'm really not too excited about everything that came in my my box this month. This isn't the only subscription I'm not crazy over this month, so maybe it's just because of the changing season or something, I don't know! I'm most pumped about the lip balm honestly, because the color is just beautiful on me!
What do you guys think? Are you impressed with what I got? Was it a worse box than last month? Let me know!
Hugs and Kisses,
The Cornfed Princess
Tuesday, October 20, 2015
Ipsy: October 2015
Do you know what this is?
This is Ipsy's mailer! Yay, I'm so excited! I didn't sign up in time last month to get the September bag (which sounded kind of bleh to me), so this is my first Ipsy bag!
What is Ipsy?
Ipsy is a monthly beauty subsciption box in which you receive 4-6 sample and full sized products inside a fashionable makeup bag! It costs $10 a month with free shipping in the United States. Sound interesting? Check it out!
The bag this month was a super shiny gold, and the theme was "Alter Ego". I'm not really sure if any of MY products screamed alter ego, but hey, the picture on my card is pretty cool looking so I won't argue.
Surprise! The back of the bag is a super shiny black. I really enjoy the way the bag looks, so I'll definitely figure out some way to actually use it other than let it sit and rot in a drawer of mine.
Here's the overview of all my products for this month! No more waiting, let's get into it! Also, swatches for all my color products are at the bottom of the post!
What is Ipsy?
Ipsy is a monthly beauty subsciption box in which you receive 4-6 sample and full sized products inside a fashionable makeup bag! It costs $10 a month with free shipping in the United States. Sound interesting? Check it out!
Saturday, October 17, 2015
BirchBox: October 2015
Ahh, my Birchbox this month is here!
Every time I see this little pink box, I can't help but feel extremely excited about what's to come!
What is Birchbox?
Birchbox is a monthly subscription service in which you receive a variety of beauty product samples, ranging from hair, makeup, skin, and even lifestyle products! It's $10 per month, and if you're interested, you can check it out here!
Speaking of pink boxes, look at this box! It's pink for breast cancer awareness month.
Here's the motivational little blurb that Birchbox put on their card. I love seeing companies do things like this!
My list of products, and it's a big one this time!!
Enough of that, let's get on to what we're all here for; the products!
What is Birchbox?
Birchbox is a monthly subscription service in which you receive a variety of beauty product samples, ranging from hair, makeup, skin, and even lifestyle products! It's $10 per month, and if you're interested, you can check it out here!
Here's the motivational little blurb that Birchbox put on their card. I love seeing companies do things like this!
Friday, October 16, 2015
The Morphe Brush Situation
Hello everyone! This isn't a post I usually put up, but with everything that's going on with Morphe Brush, I think it's important that this problem gets talked about.
The issue is that with the new 350 palette. Well, not the palette specifically, but what's going on with the entire company because of it. Morphe was not prepared for the huge influx of business because of the palette's popularity and as such shipping for all orders starting around September 30th has been slow to nonexistent. There has been a lack of information for customers about what's going on as well.
Now, let's take a step back and look at the entire situation.
The number one thing for everyone to recognize is that Morphe Brushes is not a large company by any means. On their website, it lists a single retail store: "616 South Victory Blvd Burbank, CA 91502". Unlike Sephora, Ulta, and other beauty retailers, this is a small business. Small businesses do not have the luxury of giant warehouses and thousands of employees to fill orders the minute they come in. They have their storefront and the employees that work there regularly.
A lot of people mention "hire more help then!". This would be a good solution during the slow times. During times like this, with tons of orders backed up, it really is best to put all hands on deck and focus on getting orders out as they can. By pulling people from orders to focus on creating ads looking for workers, sorting through applications, doing interviews, and then training, that could take more than a month if done properly. Also, as a small business, it is imperative that you trust the workers you have to do their job without having to look over their shoulder constantly.
There are some complaints from people who did not order the new palette and are still waiting for their own orders, but let's look at that now. How many people thought that exact same thing? That if they didn't order the palette, and just ordered a brush set, or something else, that it would be sent in a timely matter? Probably a lot. And so while there were tons of people who purchased the palettes, there were also tons of people who didn't purchase the palette, but instead bought something else.
The orders are likely being sent by when they came in. I do not know their processing schedule and so I can't say one way or the other how they are handling orders, but I'd hope they are handling it like that. The oldest orders are being filled first, and going on from there. Again, I don't know for sure on this point. If this is the case, they are filling the oldest orders first and then working their way up from there.
A lot of people are mentioning how YouTubers/Beauty people are getting PR items and they aren't getting their paid items, but there is a likely answer for that. As a blogger myself, I do not post about items the minute I get them. I have a schedule that I work off of, which means that I might get a product, but not post a review about it for two weeks. The YouTubers who are getting these items are likely not putting up videos of the products as soon as they receive them. They also have to look at the market and see when it would be a good time to post the videos to get the greatest amount of views possible. If people see that Morphe Brushes are in super high demand, they're going to post their videos about them now, to achieve the best/highest amount of feedback possible.
To those who had paid for speedy shipping, please note: processing and shipping are two very different things. Processing is when the time from when the order is placed, to when the order is given to USPS to send out. Shipping is all on USPS. So, while it may take even a few weeks to process an order, if you paid for two day shipping, you will still likely get it. Shipping is not on Morphe, processing is.
To those complaining about their posting on social media, please remember that good businesses have separate people in separate departments. There is likely one or two people who are in their social media department, who are paid to post pictures and articles. That is what their job is.
However, there are some criticisms of Morphe that are very valid. All we can hope for as beauty lovers is that Morphe learns from this situation and develops their company based on it.
The absolute number one thing that Morphe should have done differently is informed ALL customers of delays they have in processing. This should not be done solely on social media, as not everyone has Morphe on their social media accounts. It should have been sent via email to everyone it affected.
Customer Service is ALWAYS number one, for any business out there. If you do not have happy customers, you do not have sales. It's as simple as that. While the age old saying "The customer is always right" makes those of us in retail ridiculously mad every time we hear it, it has some amount of truth. Customers pay bills, and customers put money in our pockets. It is imperative that the customers are treated well. This means that answering emails and phone calls becomes incredibly important. With their mentioning to direct issues to customer service, they must know that people will do just that. I doubt there are many people in their C.S. department who can take all the calls and answer all the emails, but they should have adjusted their staffing to include more team members in the C.S. department to help manage the influx of questions and complaints.
I cannot answer as to why Morphe has taken the money out of accounts without having processed the order, but I would just suggest trusting the company in making the right decisions. They're likely putting it all towards paying their employees for the extra hours they're putting into getting orders out. Again, I don't work there or know how they are delegating their employees, so I can't give exact answers, I can just give speculation for this.
I sincerely hope that Morphe learns a bit about running their business better from this entire situation, because from what I can tell they really are a diamond in the rough, they just need to work their way out of the rough a little more. All businesses have made mistakes in the past. I'm willing to bet that when the larger companies were the same size as Morphe, they had their own struggles similar to this.
I was not paid by Morphe to write this article, and I do not gain any benefit from it other than knowing that the entire story is being put out there with as little bias as possible. Let's all remember to be kind to each other no matter which side you're on, or what you believe!
Hugs and Kisses,
The Cornfed Princess
The issue is that with the new 350 palette. Well, not the palette specifically, but what's going on with the entire company because of it. Morphe was not prepared for the huge influx of business because of the palette's popularity and as such shipping for all orders starting around September 30th has been slow to nonexistent. There has been a lack of information for customers about what's going on as well.
Now, let's take a step back and look at the entire situation.
The number one thing for everyone to recognize is that Morphe Brushes is not a large company by any means. On their website, it lists a single retail store: "616 South Victory Blvd Burbank, CA 91502". Unlike Sephora, Ulta, and other beauty retailers, this is a small business. Small businesses do not have the luxury of giant warehouses and thousands of employees to fill orders the minute they come in. They have their storefront and the employees that work there regularly.
A lot of people mention "hire more help then!". This would be a good solution during the slow times. During times like this, with tons of orders backed up, it really is best to put all hands on deck and focus on getting orders out as they can. By pulling people from orders to focus on creating ads looking for workers, sorting through applications, doing interviews, and then training, that could take more than a month if done properly. Also, as a small business, it is imperative that you trust the workers you have to do their job without having to look over their shoulder constantly.
There are some complaints from people who did not order the new palette and are still waiting for their own orders, but let's look at that now. How many people thought that exact same thing? That if they didn't order the palette, and just ordered a brush set, or something else, that it would be sent in a timely matter? Probably a lot. And so while there were tons of people who purchased the palettes, there were also tons of people who didn't purchase the palette, but instead bought something else.
The orders are likely being sent by when they came in. I do not know their processing schedule and so I can't say one way or the other how they are handling orders, but I'd hope they are handling it like that. The oldest orders are being filled first, and going on from there. Again, I don't know for sure on this point. If this is the case, they are filling the oldest orders first and then working their way up from there.
A lot of people are mentioning how YouTubers/Beauty people are getting PR items and they aren't getting their paid items, but there is a likely answer for that. As a blogger myself, I do not post about items the minute I get them. I have a schedule that I work off of, which means that I might get a product, but not post a review about it for two weeks. The YouTubers who are getting these items are likely not putting up videos of the products as soon as they receive them. They also have to look at the market and see when it would be a good time to post the videos to get the greatest amount of views possible. If people see that Morphe Brushes are in super high demand, they're going to post their videos about them now, to achieve the best/highest amount of feedback possible.
To those who had paid for speedy shipping, please note: processing and shipping are two very different things. Processing is when the time from when the order is placed, to when the order is given to USPS to send out. Shipping is all on USPS. So, while it may take even a few weeks to process an order, if you paid for two day shipping, you will still likely get it. Shipping is not on Morphe, processing is.
To those complaining about their posting on social media, please remember that good businesses have separate people in separate departments. There is likely one or two people who are in their social media department, who are paid to post pictures and articles. That is what their job is.
However, there are some criticisms of Morphe that are very valid. All we can hope for as beauty lovers is that Morphe learns from this situation and develops their company based on it.
The absolute number one thing that Morphe should have done differently is informed ALL customers of delays they have in processing. This should not be done solely on social media, as not everyone has Morphe on their social media accounts. It should have been sent via email to everyone it affected.
Customer Service is ALWAYS number one, for any business out there. If you do not have happy customers, you do not have sales. It's as simple as that. While the age old saying "The customer is always right" makes those of us in retail ridiculously mad every time we hear it, it has some amount of truth. Customers pay bills, and customers put money in our pockets. It is imperative that the customers are treated well. This means that answering emails and phone calls becomes incredibly important. With their mentioning to direct issues to customer service, they must know that people will do just that. I doubt there are many people in their C.S. department who can take all the calls and answer all the emails, but they should have adjusted their staffing to include more team members in the C.S. department to help manage the influx of questions and complaints.
I cannot answer as to why Morphe has taken the money out of accounts without having processed the order, but I would just suggest trusting the company in making the right decisions. They're likely putting it all towards paying their employees for the extra hours they're putting into getting orders out. Again, I don't work there or know how they are delegating their employees, so I can't give exact answers, I can just give speculation for this.
I sincerely hope that Morphe learns a bit about running their business better from this entire situation, because from what I can tell they really are a diamond in the rough, they just need to work their way out of the rough a little more. All businesses have made mistakes in the past. I'm willing to bet that when the larger companies were the same size as Morphe, they had their own struggles similar to this.
I was not paid by Morphe to write this article, and I do not gain any benefit from it other than knowing that the entire story is being put out there with as little bias as possible. Let's all remember to be kind to each other no matter which side you're on, or what you believe!
Hugs and Kisses,
The Cornfed Princess
Tuesday, October 13, 2015
Matchbox Mail: October 2015
Hello everyone! The first of my subscription boxes are beginning to arrive, so I'd better get to writing my reviews of them as they come! I'd hate to fall behind and start reviewing October boxes in November (which might end up happening anyway..).
This box is called Matchbox Mail, a subscription service in which you pay $7 a month and they send you a small box filled with cute little goodies.
Let's just say I wasn't exactly sure how this one would go. I found a coupon code to get this box for half off, and I'm glad I did that. Not because I was happy to get the box, but because if I'd have paid $7 for this box I would have been mad.
This is a comparison between the two matchboxes I have. The owl box came from my recent Bath and Body Works haul, and I feel like this is as little bit backwards honestly. Shouldn't the $7 subscription box be bigger than the actual box of matches? I would have paid more for the subscription, too. Of course after seeing just how small the actual box is (seriously it's tiny), I was pretty apprehensive about what would be inside.
The back has a cute little blurb that also tells you what's inside the box. I read it and was kind of hoping it was just a sneak peek and there would be more than the few things it has listed.
Nope. This is everything that was inside the box. I'm not even joking.
I pulled everything out, and... yeah. I was kind of in shock. It's a tiny bag of confetti, a candle, and a paper crown. That's it. I think I'd be less disappointed if I could actually use what came in my box, but there's next to no way to actually use any of this.
This candle is a shiny bronze kind of color, and it's a standard sized birthday candle. Cute, but not really useful. Maybe if I get ambitious, I'll stick it in a birthday food of some sort and give it to a friend. However, it's a one-time use item, and that's really disappointing.
Next is an itty bitty bag of confetti. Again, it's cute but not useful. I can throw it in the air one time, but then I have to clean it up, and I do not find any delight in cleaning bits of confetti off the floor.
Oh cute, me in a crown! I am a princess, so it's fitting. Unfortunately it looks really cheap and doesn't sit on the head very well. I had to try to figure out how to stick it on my head so that it didn't look like it jutted out at odd points. Once again, this is not something I can use.
I'm not sure if I'm missing some important ideal surrounding the box, or if it's not for my age group and I got it anyway, but it sounds like it's made for adults. This is not an adult box. This is a box I would buy for a younger kid as a way for them to get a cute little surprise every month. I listed it as luxury because it's really not a box for the "common folk".
I spent $3.50 on this box and honestly I feel like I still spent too much. The products feel and look like things you can buy from the dollar store, and you'd spend quite a bit less buying it from there. Again, I'd really only recommend buying this as a gift for a kid, because they'll get better use out of it than an adult would.
I'm not impressed and I will not be buying a new box any time soon.
What do you think? Is this box worth $7? Let me know!
Hugs and Kisses,
The Cornfed Princess
This box is called Matchbox Mail, a subscription service in which you pay $7 a month and they send you a small box filled with cute little goodies.
I'm not sure if I'm missing some important ideal surrounding the box, or if it's not for my age group and I got it anyway, but it sounds like it's made for adults. This is not an adult box. This is a box I would buy for a younger kid as a way for them to get a cute little surprise every month. I listed it as luxury because it's really not a box for the "common folk".
I spent $3.50 on this box and honestly I feel like I still spent too much. The products feel and look like things you can buy from the dollar store, and you'd spend quite a bit less buying it from there. Again, I'd really only recommend buying this as a gift for a kid, because they'll get better use out of it than an adult would.
I'm not impressed and I will not be buying a new box any time soon.
What do you think? Is this box worth $7? Let me know!
Hugs and Kisses,
The Cornfed Princess
Saturday, October 10, 2015
Haul Time: Bath & Body Works Fall 2015
Hello everyone! While I wait for my many subscription boxes to arrive (seriously, there's a TON), I figure I'd quickly show you guys what I found at Bath & Body Works!
I didn't get any fragrance mists because I already own about 10 too many, and it was the same way with lotions, so really I only got candles (my new obsession) and hand sanitizers.
Their fall collection isn't too bad, but I feel like it's a LOT of the same smell (pumpkin and apple). I guess it's kind of hard to get any other "fall" smell; I can't really think of much. It's just funny how they had 4 or 5 different pumpkin scents and 3 apple scents. However, this is NOT me saying they were bad smells by any means!
Since I'm relatively poor and a college student who can't afford to spend a bunch on body products and candles (I already spend $30 on Beauty Boxes monthly) I only got a few things, but they were the absolute best!!
On to the products!
I didn't get any fragrance mists because I already own about 10 too many, and it was the same way with lotions, so really I only got candles (my new obsession) and hand sanitizers.
Their fall collection isn't too bad, but I feel like it's a LOT of the same smell (pumpkin and apple). I guess it's kind of hard to get any other "fall" smell; I can't really think of much. It's just funny how they had 4 or 5 different pumpkin scents and 3 apple scents. However, this is NOT me saying they were bad smells by any means!
Since I'm relatively poor and a college student who can't afford to spend a bunch on body products and candles (I already spend $30 on Beauty Boxes monthly) I only got a few things, but they were the absolute best!!
On to the products!
Tuesday, October 6, 2015
What's On My Desk? Halloween Edition
Hey guys! Halloween time is around the corner, so I decided I wanted to decorate my desk to celebrate! I went out to buy a bunch of stuff, but had such a hard time finding anything really worth getting. Lame. I went to quite a few different places without really finding too much. Thankfully, Joann Fabrics pulled through and got me lots of adorable desk knick-knacks! I couldn't decide on what I wanted for sure, so it ended up taking me about an hour of wandering through the aisles before I finally picked!
This is the full picture of what my desk looks like along with the wall.
I got this wall garland at Joann Fabrics for $3.49, but they're usually $6.99. I think they had 50% off of all Halloween & Fall decor, PLUS I had a 25% off coupon! It looks like I'm actually missing a bell in the top left; I didn't notice it until now!
Here's a closeup of the bells. Look at how pretty they are! They're glittery and come in purple, black, and green. When I opened this package I got glitter everywhere. I'm not even joking, I was covered in it, my desk was covered (there's still some on it), and my floor has glitter on it now. Totally worth it!
Saturday, October 3, 2015
Beauty Box Roundup: September 2015
Hello everyone! It's time for a beauty box roundup, a post in which I summarize and compare every beauty box I receive throughout the month! This includes the brands, sample sizes (or full size products!), and values.
Please note that some of the dollar values for the samples may not be 100% accurate. My math is definitely not the best, and when it's not a full size product or I have to convert from ml to ounces, my numbers may not be exact. However, it should be close!
Asterisks are placed next to all full sized products I receive!
Let's get to the good stuff!
Birchbox:
12 Benefits Instant Healthy Hair Treatment: $5.25
Embryolisse Lait-Creme Concentre (24-Hour Miracle Cream): $1.90
English Laundry Eau de Parfum No. 7 For Her: $1.32
Harvey Prince "Hello" Body Cream: $.92
*ModelCo Ultra Long Lasting Lipstick Trio "Smitten": $6.67
Total Box Value: $16.06
BeautyBox5:
*Be a Bombshell Cosmetics Eye Crayon "Well Played": $14.00
Beautiful Nutrition Lemon Rinse Gentle Clarifying Treatment: $1.00
*BellaPierre Shimmer Powder "Snowflake": $19.99
Elizabeth Mott Tints & Sass Lip + Cheek Stain: $8.05
*Harvey Prince "Sincerely" Mini Roller: $21.00
Total Box Value: $64.04
The Verdict:
As you can see, that is one heck of a difference in value per box. While I am aware that Birchbox values range from $15 - $40, it's still mind boggling to see the difference. Granted, I only got one "full sized" (however part of a trio) product in my Birchbox versus 3 full sized products in my Beauty Box, I have a clear winner for value this month. I really hope that Birchbox steps up their game, because I'm not a fan of seeing such a big discrepancy in pricing.
What really matters though, is the use I'll get out of every product. I feel like both companies sent all products that I'll actually use up, so props! I'll definitely remain a subscriber to both for at least a little while longer!
Hugs and Kisses,
The Cornfed Princess
Please note that some of the dollar values for the samples may not be 100% accurate. My math is definitely not the best, and when it's not a full size product or I have to convert from ml to ounces, my numbers may not be exact. However, it should be close!
 |
| Everything from this month! |
Let's get to the good stuff!
Birchbox:
12 Benefits Instant Healthy Hair Treatment: $5.25
Embryolisse Lait-Creme Concentre (24-Hour Miracle Cream): $1.90
English Laundry Eau de Parfum No. 7 For Her: $1.32
Harvey Prince "Hello" Body Cream: $.92
*ModelCo Ultra Long Lasting Lipstick Trio "Smitten": $6.67
Total Box Value: $16.06
BeautyBox5:
*Be a Bombshell Cosmetics Eye Crayon "Well Played": $14.00
Beautiful Nutrition Lemon Rinse Gentle Clarifying Treatment: $1.00
*BellaPierre Shimmer Powder "Snowflake": $19.99
Elizabeth Mott Tints & Sass Lip + Cheek Stain: $8.05
*Harvey Prince "Sincerely" Mini Roller: $21.00
Total Box Value: $64.04
The Verdict:
As you can see, that is one heck of a difference in value per box. While I am aware that Birchbox values range from $15 - $40, it's still mind boggling to see the difference. Granted, I only got one "full sized" (however part of a trio) product in my Birchbox versus 3 full sized products in my Beauty Box, I have a clear winner for value this month. I really hope that Birchbox steps up their game, because I'm not a fan of seeing such a big discrepancy in pricing.
What really matters though, is the use I'll get out of every product. I feel like both companies sent all products that I'll actually use up, so props! I'll definitely remain a subscriber to both for at least a little while longer!
Hugs and Kisses,
The Cornfed Princess
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)