Beauty Box 5: March 2016

Hello, everyone! How's the weather treating you? Today ended up being a lovely 58 degrees, which here in the midwest means T-shirt weather.

Small talk aside, I'm here to bring you another exciting installment of my Beauty Box 5 review!  I was a goof and forgot to take a picture of the info card (boo!), but it's got all the products listed with descriptions and prices.

Beauty Box 5 is different from the other boxes I do a review on because it doesn't personalize its box to each person. While yes you may get different items from other people, that's only because of box randomization.

Here's the set of everything I got this month!  It was a good month, personally; and I feel like the theme "Flower Power" was followed pretty darn well!

Let's just get right into this amazing box!

Colour Me "Pink Fragrance"

Just in time for spring!  This smells delightful and is a pretty unique floral scent; very young but sophisticated? The card says it's white rose petals and almond blossoms.  I've personally never heard of an almond blossom but they smell nice so props for that!

Pur-lisse "Blue Lotus 4-in-1 Eye Adore Serum"

This is a serum designed specifically to be put under your eyes and fight all sorts of bad things that come with living day to day.  It's supposed to "fight puffiness, wrinkles, and dark circles".  I already have an eye cream open right now that I'm using, so this one will have to wait a little bit. I'm excited, though; a full size will run you $65, so hopefully that means this is good!

Personail "Custom Floral Nail Polish Wraps"

This box seems to enjoy sending out nail wraps!  We got some in the January box as well.  These ones are so pretty and match the theme to a T.  I think there were a few different patterns that were sent out. Mine are so pretty! A lilac shade with daisies on it, a light beige, and a pink nail.  I might have to break these out for spring soon.

Glamour Dolls

First of all, this packaging is just beautiful!  I love the sleek black look with their logo on the front, and it is a beautiful logo!  This month there was a large assortment of items you could have gotten for this; eyeshadow duos, lip glosses, and some glitter liner. I'm really happy with getting the eye shadow! I don't like lip gloss and I would never use glitter liner.

The colors I got in this are just stunning! Perfect for spring! The first one is a silvery lilac color, and the second is an bright orange-y bronze color.  I seriously am in love with both of them; they're super shiny, almost metallic looking.  They're swatched below!

Mai Couture "Blush & Highlighter Papiers"

These are such a cool concept! Essentially they're papers with makeup on them, and you can just rub them on your face to get color. How awesome!  I got two blushes in two different shades; "Sunset Bvld" and "Prettyful". I didn't want to open them up and swatch them simply because there's only two sheets in each, and it's hard to get a good idea of how they work/getting a good handle with only one sheet!  I'll leave a review soon talking about what I thought. The concept is awesome, though!

Custom Temporary Tattoo

Bonus item time!  This is a cute little temporary tattoo and a bonus for this month. How pretty is it? I kind of want to wait and use it in the summer time when I'm out in a tanktop and shorts with this bad boy on display. 

So that's the box this month! What do you guys think?  What's your favorite item? For me personally it's the lilac eyeshadow!

xoxo,
The Cornfed Princess

Birchbox: March 2016

Hello, everyone!  My Birchbox has arrived and it is one I'm quite excited for!

First of all, how pretty is this box?  It is such a springy looking box, it makes me wish spring would come back. (There was a nasty snow storm this week!). Peach, light green/blue, and gold really are beautiful colors together.

The beautiful info card is here!  On the other side it has its cute little blurb about spring and what not.

I'm going to just jump right in to the good stuff!

Clarisonic "Sonic Radiance AM Skin Illuminating Cleanser"

Wow, what a name!  If you recognize the word Clarisonic, that's because they make those little devices that help clean your face, or at least make it easier to do.  I personally have never used one and was a little worried when I got this (I didn't think it was possible to use without the machine), but it's okay to use on its own, too. I have this cleanser on my rotation right now, so I'll get back to you guys with a review shortly.

Number 4 "Clarifying Shampoo" & "Reconstructing Masque"

I really enjoy getting shampoos in boxes because it means I don't have to go out and buy my own.  I haven't tried this stuff yet (I'm still getting through my Acure samples), but this one will probably be next.  I've seen good reviews on it and have heard good things about it, so yay!  I also appreciate that they included the cute little foil pack as a bonus item.

theBalm Cosmetics "Stainiac - Beauty Queen"

At first I thought that this would be red, and I wasn't super excited about it; I already have two red stains!  However, this is such a pretty pink shade instead, it's just lovely. I was a little worried something was wrong with my sample because it wasn't liquid, it was more of a gel. Turns out that's just the formula.  I'm not sure what the benefits of it being a gel are because I had to wipe off the excess, however I can say that the staying power of this is ridiculous. Swatch is below!

treStiQue "Color & Smudge Shadow Crayon - Aspen Pine"

I didn't get a good picture of the whole product packaging, which is so cute!  The cap looks like the makeup itself, which can make a good trick of the eye! You pull the cap off, however, and this is what's on the inside. Aspen Pine is a dark green color with a lot of shimmer in it.  I'm a little surprised with the color choice as this is a very fall color. Not really something I'm going to wear for a long time; not until October, probably, so a bit of a wasted product. Again, the swatch is below!

Wilma Schumann Skin Care "Hydrating Collagen Eye Pads"

I love eye pads! I haven't tried these ones out (I couldn't tell you why), but these are my favorite products to use!  I want to see if they'll help with my dark circles and puffiness because that's my biggest issue with my face.

The top is the crayon and below it is the color blended out a little bit; super sparkly!  The bottom swatch is the stain. As you can see, the gel is kind of hanging out there, in the way. I had to wipe it off with a towel, but likely if it's on the lips or cheeks it won't be so bad.

What do you guys think?  Which product is your favorite? Let me know!

xoxo,
The Cornfed Princess

Embryolisse Lait-Creme Concentre Review

Having finished my first moisturizer up (also from my first subscription box funnily enough!) I figured it was time to write a review of what I thought about this product.

The Embryolisse Lait-Creme Concentre is a moisturizer boasted as a "24 Hour Miracle Cream", designed to hydrate and "restore skin's natural glow".  It claims to be a three-in-one product; a primer, moisturizer, and makeup remover.  I only used it as a moisturizer but I'm not sure I see exactly how it would remove makeup.  It was a very lotion-like product and reminded me much of any standard moisturizer and less of a typical makeup remover product.

Using this product wasn't anything too unique, it applied like any other face product.  I put a medium sized dot on my finger and spread it across my face before rubbing it in.  It left my hands feeling a little greasy afterward.  There is no fragrance in this product which is preferred when it comes to products for your face.

It's so strange because everyone in the blogging community seems to be in love with this product and I honestly didn't see the appeal. It was a fine moisturizer but nothing that I was super impressed with or blown away by.  Perhaps my issue came from my not using it as anything but a moisturizer?  I had no idea it could do any of that until I read the website.


One ounce of this product will run you $16, while 2.6 oz will be $28, so if you're interested in using this I'd suggest the larger tube of it.  Personally I would not buy a full size product simply because it felt like a standard moisturizer; I could buy one at the drugstore and shell out less money for a larger tube of it.

Have you guys ever tried this product?  If you have, let me know what you thought!

xoxo,
The Cornfed Princess

Ipsy: March 2016

Yay, finally something you guys are interested in!  My Ipsy came in really early this month (my other boxes haven't arrived or even shipped yet!), so it's going to be my first review!

Since I am slightly changing my format of posts, I'm going to explain what I'm doing right now!  Instead of waiting until the end of the month so I try out the product and leave a mini review, I'm going to leave a first impression of the products, and do a separate post leaving my review of each individual product. When the post goes live I will leave a link on the title of the product itself, so if one of the products sounded intriguing to you, you can check out a full, tried and true review of it!

I decided to implement this style over in-depth reviewing each month simply because I don't want to have 5 mascaras open at one time. That's a waste of mascara and money on my part by not using the products I receive.

Now to the actual post!

The bag came in two variations this month; I got the green with red swirls. The other option is red with green swirls.  It looks a lot more teal/blue in my picture, but it's still pretty!

Let's get right into things!

Global Beauty Care "Dead Sea Wash-off Mask"

 

First item I pulled out of my bag was this mask.  It's a mud mask made from salts and minerals from, you guessed it, the Dead Sea.  In my opinion you can never have too many face masks!  This one sounds intriguing, but you never know how much you can trust from packaging.  This mask claims to do quite a bit: "draws out dirt and impurities", "peels away dead skin cells", "helps to restore elasticity and fortify the skin with essential moisturizers", "stimulates and beautifies your skin and body", and finally, is good for all skin types.  I'm interested to see how accurate this claim happens to be!

Make Up For Ever "Step 1 Skin Equalizer-Hydrating Primer"

 I do have to say that I have quite a few primers so I likely won't be trying this one out for a while. I've heard great things about MUFE, so I'm sure it'll work pretty well.  There are quite a few different primers in this line; Ipsy tells me 10.  Mine was the most basic kind, the hydrating one, however there are various tinted kinds, as well as some specific for other skin problems.

Skone Cosmetics "Insanely Intense Tattooed Eyeliner in Jet Black"

 

Again, I have so many other eyeliners I really don't want to open this one up until I'm ready to use it. From what I've heard, it's similar to the Kat Von D liquid liner.  It's got a felt tip, and claims to be waterproof, smudge proof, and lasts all day. It even claims to last through a workout; maybe something for me to test?  There isn't a whole lot to say left to say about a black eyeliner.

Living Proof "Perfect hair Day Dry Shampoo"

 

Living proof seems to have taken the beauty world by storm lately, and I'm really excited to see how this dry shampoo does for me!  I have major hair issues with getting super dry ends and a really greasy scalp at the same time, so dry shampoo is my best friend. I have a ton of different cans of it, but I'll be getting to this stuff soon!  

Nudestix "Lip + Cheek Pencil in Mystic"

 

Nudestix is a great brand for those of us who are huge fans of neutral colors that are every day wearable shades and are good as a woman on-the-go.  I personally love neutral colors and so I'll be getting a ton of use out of this product. The swatch is absolutely gorgeous!  It's a very neutral brown shade with a subtle pink hue to it.  I'm really excited to give it a whirl.

 

Overall, my bag this month was pretty basic. I'm not super crazy about it, but I'm not disappointed or anything.  I always prefer more makeup from my Ipsy because Birchbox sends more skincare and hair care.  That being said, I do enjoy the changing up that I get by using the products from Ipsy; I got a lot of well known brands and products I've never had a chance to use before.

What do you guys think?  What stands out the most to you this time?  Is that nude shade something you'd wear? Let me know!

xoxo,

The Cornfed Princess

Weekly Goal Update: 3/12/16

Hello, everyone!  It's time for my weekly update post, where I leave a review of how I did for goals I set for myself at the beginning of there year. Let's see how I did this week.

Work out at least 3x a week.
I didn't do three times this week, but I did do two times!  After a chat with a good friend of mine who is big into working out, I just had this huge motivation kick.  It finally clicked with me that just because I don't work out every day or when my schedule says I need to doesn't mean I should just avoid working out altogether!  For some reason it just really helped me out, so I ended up going on Thursday and today. I probably won't be able to make it tomorrow because I have lots of plans and work, but next week is spring break, so I'm going to get some serious work done!

Use planner daily & keep it updated.
Because I've been doing so well on keeping this goal up, I think I'm going to take this goal off of my list; it's become a habit!

Post blog post every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday.
Obviously that's not something I have started quite yet, but I've been doing a lot of planning. I think my blog is going to move from subscription boxes to product reviews.  I'll still do makeup subscriptions (Birchbox, Ipsy, Beauty Box 5, etc.) but do other posts to review products that I've tried from the boxes.  I think it'll be a better fit to what I'm looking to do with my time!

Wear makeup more often.
I've been wearing a lot of lip products this week, but not very much for anything else. I don't wear a lot of face products or eye products except mascara, but I'm going to try and start!  It goes along with the direction I'm moving this blog to!

Paint nails.
I even put this on my to-do list for the week, but we can see how well that worked!  I still haven't done it, but I will soon!  A lot of free time next week leads to me being bored and wanting things to do!

Create & follow a skincare routine.
I've still only been using moisturizer in the mornings and at night when I remember, but I'm really trying to find a good cleanser I want to start using!

Start to follow a bedtime (12; midnight).
I still haven't been doing this unfortunately, my sleep schedules fluctuates based on how tired I feel that day!

Wake up at a regular time (7:15am).
I haven't been getting up that early, but I have been starting to get up early enough every morning for breakfast, so no arguing there!

Attend all classes regularly.
If there's one thing I can be proud of, it's that I always go to my classes!  This semester has been very good for that reason. This might also be taken off of my goals list because I'm pretty good at making it to class every day.

Keep desk cleared off.
Unfortunately I seem to have put more things on my desk than taken off, so that's not quite done yet!

Finish homework right away.
Every assignment has been turned in on time, so that counts for something, right?

Take vitamins/fish oil daily.
I have been taking my gummy vitamins every day!  They were a great purchase for me personally.

Eat breakfast every morning
Not a full breakfast still, but I have been eating a little something every day, or at least bringing along  something to class to snack on.

Keep room clean.
Same thing with my desk.  I've been letting things slowly accumulate, shame on me!

Read a chapter a day.
It's again a matter of making the time to do it more than actually having trouble doing it.  Spring break may mean I pull out a book or two from my shelf to finish!

Drink 8 cups of water a day.
Nope.

Watch finances more.
Not this week! I've been bad about buying whatever sounds nice to have.

Do more DIY decorations.
Not quite, I'll need to work on trying to find more ways to use what I have in an interesting way.

Well, that's it for now! I promise some real, good content will be coming your way soon!  My Ipsy came in the mail today and I bought an awesome little Sephora kit I'll show you guys soon.

xoxo,
The Cornfed Princess

Weekly Goal Update: 3/4/16

Hi there, I'm going to post an update of some New Year's resolutions I created, and in order to keep myself on track and motivated, I'm going to do weekly updates showing myself the progress I'm making towards the goals!  I'm also going to leave an update whenever something from my bucket list gets completed!

Work out at least 3x a week.
For some reason, even though this is a goal that I really, really want to get started on, I have yet to do it at all!  My time management skills are severely lacking at this point when it comes to working out, so I still have to find good times for that.

Use planner daily & keep it updated.
This is one goal I think I have down!  I've been using sticker kits to really help keep me into using the planner and making it pretty and my own.  As for actually following what I write down, that's a different story..

Post blog post every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday.
Yeah, obviously that hasn't been going too well.  Life hit me so hard that I just kind of let this sit on the way back of the back burner. I'm trying to fix that now, though!

Wear makeup more often.
I just bought myself some Revlon Matte Lip Colors and I am in love with them. They are so darn pretty, I can't stop wearing them!  I wear mascara every once in a while, too. As for a full face, I haven't done much in the way of trying that out, but to be fair, I don't have a strong desire for foundation.  Baby steps, people! Lipstick and mascara.

Paint nails.
Unfortunately, this one is also a no!  They need to be cut and painted, I just have to get off my lazy butt and do it.

Create & follow a skincare routine.
I've finally started regularly using moisturizer, so I think I'm headed in the right direction with that.  I need to start introducing a good cleanser and some weekly masks, however, to really have a good skincare routine going!

Start to follow a bedtime (12; midnight).
I really have been trying. This week wasn't the greatest, and I've thrown off my sleep patterns because of that.  Hopefully I can fix it again soon because I was going to bed early and now I'm not (just to give an idea, I'm writing this at 12:15 at night..).

Wake up at a regular time (7:15am).
HA.  Let's just say I have been no where near close to this goal. I'm such a night owl that it's really hard to get myself to sleep at a good time and wake up at a somewhat early time. I haven't given up hope yet!

Attend all classes regularly.
Man, I wish I did this update any other week. I skipped a few classes this week, but I swear this is the first time I did it!  I also intend for it to be the last time I do it; I'm really disappointed in myself because it's been something I've been proud of.  Here's to holding myself accountable.

Keep desk cleared off.
I've slowly been decluttering it this week, and it's almost at a point where it's usable for its original purpose as a desk and not as a place to throw all the crap I don't know what to do with.

 Finish homework right away.
Again, this week was not a good one.  I've been trying to get ahead of the curve and do my homework early this semester but I'm not doing a good job at that.  I'm going to try and use this week as my rock bottom and get back to doing my homework early and not the day it's due.

Take vitamins/fish oil daily.
Since I bought myself gummy vitamins, it's been easy to take those when I get up in the morning. As for fish oil.. well, it's nasty and I can't seem to force myself to get it down.  I'll stick with the vitamins for now!

Eat breakfast every morning
While it's not really breakfast and more of a granola bar or pastry crisp from Special K, it's better than nothing.  I've been eating something in the morning, which is a good start. Maybe if I start waking up earlier I can move up to a bowl of cereal.

Keep room clean.
This is one I struggle with the most. I go through periods of extreme motivation to clean/do stuff, and then periods of absolutely zero desire to even look at anything but my laptop.  I've been trying to do a little each day in terms of cleaning up, so I'm getting there!

Read a chapter a day.
This is another one I'm really struggling with.  I love reading, and my current book is pretty interesting, so I'm not sure why it's so hard for me to do.  It probably has to do with my lack of time management, but I'll need to keep working on it.

Drink 8 cups of water a day.
I carry around an empty water bottle with me at all times, if that has anything to say about how I'm keeping up with my goal.

Watch finances more.
I haven't been doing a terrible job at this, but I also haven't been impressing myself with watching every single charge that gets put on my account, either.  I've at least been thinking about the purchases I'm making over just mindlessly spending a bunch of money, so cheers for that!

Do more DIY decorations.
Finally, one goal I've actually improved upon this week!  I've been doing some fun things with a square of corkboard, and while I'm not 100% sure where I want to go with it, it looks cute so far!  It's just got some decorations on it, mostly motivation quotes I got from Erin Condren, and this super pretty fabric that came from a shirt I obliterated in the washer on accident.

I completed two items from my bucket list on Pinterest!
This week was super good for me in terms of doing things I've wanted to do for a while!  Actually, Wednesday was the day I did them both, so yay for Wednesday!

I got my first iPhone, the 6s.  I'm absolutely in love with it, and it's so darn pretty and fun to use. I'm glad I finally hopped on that bandwagon!    

I also came up with a great idea for one of my Dollar Spot mason jars; I turned it into a memory jar!  That's been an item on my bucket list for a while, so I'm not sure why it took me so long to get it done, but I did!  I have a ton of cardstock I can use as well that I got as a Christmas present forever ago.

Well, that's it for my update!  What are your goals?  Are you inspired to complete yours by seeing other people complete theirs?

xoxo,
The Cornfed Princess

Update 3/1/16

Oh man you guys, I suck.  I was pretty proud of how I was consistently getting posts up at least once a week, and then I fell off the planet!  I lost a lot of motivation to continue posting, honestly.  I got a little tired of doing it all so I stopped, but I'll be getting back into it soon, I'm sure!  My issue lies in being too lazy to take pictures and then having a million other things that take precedent over posting.  I have a camera and so I want to try and do videos soon, so maybe you'll start seeing that!  In the mean time, be patient with me as I try to get back into the swing of things!

xoxo,

The Cornfed Princess