Tag: hair care

What Was in My August 2020 IPSY Glam Bag?

.Reading time 10 minutes.

Hey hey, it’s MJ,

            Back at you all with another post, I am actually switching two because I was going to write a “what does MJ listen to” post but I am just not in the mood for that this morning and I already got my Glam Bag for the month so I’m switching them, because I can. They are mowing in my apartment complex today and I think one of them just ran over a rock so that was fun. No one cares but I am going to tell you anyway because that is my life experience right now. Some week’s you just have only a certain capacity for things and right now this post which is routine for me is what I can handle, by the time this is published I will probably be in a completely different head space but for now; this is as good as I can get. 

The Bag:

            It’s holo, sorry I have been watching SimplyNailogical on YouTube for years now and he obsession with holographic items has made me say “holo” a certain way. I love the bag though it’s simple and feels almost vinyl like but making it holo for sure added a lot of appeal to me to actually use it because it looks fun and sometimes that’s all you need. 

Products: 

Araceli Beauty Jalisco Eyes Single in Sombrero:

            I like the brand but I am not a huge fan of the color by itself, this is one of those shades that becomes an accent shade in a larger more elaborate look, it will make a fine base it is just a little orange for me personally. I love eyeshadows (I have many many palettes) but sometimes the single shadows really do miss the mark for me because if you are going to give me a single shadow give me one that is unique or really pops don’t give me what I would consider a base shade, it’s neutral to an extent but it’s just the wrong shade for me. 

Céla Crème de la Crème- The Very Best Cream: 

            The first thing that gets me with Céla is their packaging, I absolutely adore the marble effect, it brings me so much joy and it’s just so classy, I love their lotion I got a full sized Céla product in my April Glam Bag Plus this year and if we are being honest with ourselves I thought I got it last year; that’s how long this year has been. It smells like orange and grapefruit and it just has a smell that is familiar I just can’t place which is going to bug me until I figure it out. I really like getting small hand creams because that means I can stick them all over the place in my apartment, my car, and in my bag so I always have hand lotion on me because dry hands are never fun!

Kiss & Smick Matte Crème Lip Crayon in Tavarua: 

            I for sure had to Google what Tavarua was, it’s an island in Fiji and that sounds great. I feel like the shades for a lot of things were off this month, I love the feeling of the crayon but the color is a little too dark for my normal looks. Maybe for autumn I can make it work but it’s like they really stuck with orange and warm undertones this month and I cannot do warm undertones, I need cool undertones. I love the packaging, it’s simple and honestly you don’t want components to be crazy, sometimes it’s fine but for every day application nice and simple usually works for me. 

Outré By Use Me Instant Repair Hair Mask + CBD: 

            One day I will maybe figure out the obsession with CBD in like everything now. I could research it but I feel like it’s just in most everything now. I have never used a hair mask and I just dyed my hair again for the first time in a year, I need to tone it so the color actually holds because my hair is relatively dark but it was dyed red for years and then I let it grow out so all of those professional dying sessions have completely left me. Hair masks seem like a cool concept like a really deep conditioner that repairs all of the bad decisions that you make with your hair. My issue is the application, you put it on to towel dried hair, let it sit for five to ten minutes, and then rinse it out; it’s a lot of steps. It smells good though and I am looking forward to giving it a try, maybe it will change my mind on putting a lot of product in my hair. 

GlamGlow Brighteyes Illuminating Anti-Fatigue Eye Cream: 

            I chose this one because it’s GlamGlow, if you know skincare at all the brand GlamGlow pops up frequently and their products are pretty expensive. I have used their bubble masks in the past and loved them and I am always on the hunt for a good eye cream so when this was offered to me I jumped on it. I feel like I have been branching into skin care more than cosmetics because lets be honest with ourselves in my early 20’s and late teens I didn’t take care of my skin and suffered the consequences of break outs and just a mess but now that I take care of my skin, like my mother has been telling me to do since I can remember; don’t doubt your mom! I haven’t had as many breakouts outside of the hormonal ones and my skin feels better so it’s a win. I am looking forward to giving this a real try and seeing if this is the one that I end up buying in full size because lets be honest with ourselves sometimes a sample is nice because you can try it before you buy it which is so helpful when you have sensitive skin. I would have saved my skin a lot of pain in my younger years if I would have sampled things first instead of just picking something off the shelf and hoping for the best. 

            Overall a great bag this month from start to finish, coloring was a little off but I liked the products and I can make them work. If you want to see what else I’ve gotten this year and how those things made me feel you can check those posts out, January, March, April, May, June, and July. 

            I will see y’all later in the week with another post so have a great week!

                        -MJ

MJ’s Top Beauty Products of 2019

.Reading time 9 minutes.

Hey hey it’s MJ, 

            Welcome to 2020 all, I can’t believe that the 2010’s are over I did so much growing up during that decade, graduated high school at the beginning, two Bachelor’s degrees by the middle and a Masters closer to the end. It’s been a crazy decade of ups and downs and moments that I can’t forget while some I would like to. One thing that I really got into in the 2010’s was beauty, skin care, makeup, and the lot. I did a top beauty of 2018 so I figured I would continue the trend again this year. 

            I made a promise to myself to be more accountable with content this year but some days it is harder than others to come up with content when your brain is pulled into 37 different directions but I’m trying, I really am.

            Disclaimer: If the photos look familiar, I took them from my other posts if they have been in posts previously! 

            So what were my favorite beauty products of the last year. 

            Thrive Causemetics Liquid Lash Extensions mascara: This has been my go-to mascara for the last several months, I love it so much! I can’t speak more highly of it, it sticks to the lashes and it doesn’t flake off. It has been my holy grail mascara in the latter half of this year. It’s a little on the pricy side but it is so worth it! 

            Colourpop No Filter Concealer in shade Fair 02: I have gone through so many concealers in the last few years since concealer came into my life, this one is both cost effective and absolutely amazing, I really enjoyed it throughout the year because it has pretty great coverage and lays down really well over foundation. I have already bought a new one and I just finished my other tube so I am looking forward to cracking open the new one when I am finished with my Shape Tape

            Korres Wild Rose Vitamin C Brightening Sleeping Facial: I got this in a FabfitFun box this year and I use it all the time, it smells amazing and keeps my face feeling moisturized and hydrated. I am a huge fan of it, this is for sure something I would buy again because it seems to get along really well with my skin.

            Ahava Hydration Cream Mask: I got one of these in a FabfitFun box and an ipsy box, one I sent to my best friend because I loved mine so much that I wanted to share the love. I really like Ahava and I have for years. This is one of those masks that you can either wash off after a few minutes or leave on all night, I prefer to leave it on all night for some intense overnight hydration.

No joke as I was about to take this picture I spilled my entire essential oil diffuser all over a bookcase so that was fun.

            Love Beauty and Planet Sea Salt and Bergamot Shampoo and Conditioner: I found this really late in the year and not only does it make my hair smell amazing but it also has left me feeling like my hair stays cleaner longer and I have been through so many different kinds of shampoo over the last few years. 

            Tarte Shape Tape in Fair: So this was the other concealer that I tried this year, I really like this one as well though it is of course more expensive than others I have tried in the past. It has great coverage and staying power so it is something that I use most days now that I have run out of my Colourpop concealer.

            Jeffree Star Velour Liquid Lip in ‘?’: Summer mystery box exclusive and I love the color and the formula is so great. I feel like I didn’t have a lot of cosmetics products this year but this is for sure one of those products that I love. I don’t know what else to say about it that I haven’t said in a few posts this year including its unboxing and my late summer makeup look. 

            Living Proof No Frizz Nourishing Styling Cream: I got this in my summer Fabfitfun box but it was a late year favorite as well, I have been using this and my hair feels so much better, like so much better over the last several weeks. It also smells absolutely amazing and doesn’t leave my hair feeling greasy or dirty. 

            Aveda Damage Remedy Daily Hair Repair: Again another hair product that I loved this year and received in a Fabfitfun box as well. I kind of gave my hair the year off from everything, I didn’t dye it much and I didn’t get it cut either in all of 2019. (yes I know that’s not great for my hair to not have it cut or trimmed but life got in the way.) But this is a really good product for damaged hair and I find myself reaching for it after every time I wash my hair.

            I am looking forward to new beauty products in 2020, I actually already have my list started for next year because I know there were other products I loved but I didn’t write those down so I don’t make the same mistake moving forward through 2020.

            Did you guys have any favorites of 2019? 

            I’ll see everyone next week (hopefully) with another post or two! Have a good weekend!

            Bye!

                        -MJ

Fall 2019 fabfitfun Unboxing

.Reading time 11 minutes.

Hey hey it’s MJ, I do hope that everyone had a nice week, I had a week I can’t qualify it as good or bad so it was just a week. 

            I got my fall fabfitfun box in the mail on Friday, it was pouring rain all day and that is for sure all this girl can ask for, I really like rain. I like overcast days, calm rain, a good book, and tea no matter how cliché that sounds. In all seriousness though we needed the rain it’s been so hot here and we haven’t had the rain we need as farmers get hopefully their final cutting in for hay for the cows this winter. Side note: I grew up surrounded by corn and bean fields (sometimes there wasn’t much more than corn in Indiana.) but now where I live it’s a lot of livestock and not a lot of crops so it’s a completely different kind of farming and I have learned a lot about it. Okay back off the side note and into the box.

            Like always these views are my own, I promise. 

            I am going to start off with an audible sigh and I will explain why. This box was not a diverse as boxes have been in the past. Granted some of that was because of the customization options that I chose and because it is a subscription box with a mystery component not every box can be a winner. With that in mind I love all of the products that I received it was just a little heavy in skin and body care items. 

            Let’s get into the break down, again like usual the box is $50 four times a year (March, June, September, and December) and the value of this box was between $211-345.99, I am a seasonal member so I have more limited customization options than someone who is a select member has, one day I will go select but that day is not today. Also per usual I will not be telling you the exact value of my box but let’s say it is about in the middle of that range somewhere. 

            For my first custom option I didn’t really have strong feelings about any of the options given so I chose the mystery item so I didn’t know what I was going to get at all with this one. I did receive the Dr. Brandt Clean Biotic pH-Balanced Yogurt Cleaner with chlorophyll and the Dermelect Runway Ready Luxury Foot Treatment both of which sound pretty great. I think getting these two did give me a little bit less for a diverse spread. The other options were the Plush Ultra Plaid Scarf, (I have like 100 scarves and I don’t need more) Anthropologie Travel Yoga Mat (I have two yoga mats and I don’t think I would need another), the Amika Strand Perfect Styler (again I already have a hair straightener), or the Mobile White Advanced Teeth Whitening Kit.

            The next customization option I chose the Kate Spade Lunch Tote, I still like lunch boxes and they are great for work and also it’s Kate Spade so I of course gravitated toward that. It’s a nice tan with black polkadots and it says “out to lunch” on the front. It’s really cute and more functional for me than some of the other options. The other options were the NassifMD Detox Pads, Kut from the Kloth slim striped wallet. Or the Twine cheese board with plate.

            The last customization option for seasonal members my choice was the Baublebar Farah Ear Crawlers, I love earrings and I loved the idea of ear cuffs when I was in high school but all of the ones that I had never fit right so here’s hoping that these ones because they are crawlers and go in the hole in my ear will give me that effect but still work. The other options were The Better Skin Co. Lava Magik or Cosmedix Pure C. 

            So the next two are customizable for select members. 

            I got the Skinvolve Body Boost Gel, it’s a pre-workout cream to tighten skin and it’s formulated with menthol and green tea. I don’t know how I feel about this one but I think I need to know more about it before passing any real judgment on it. The other options were the Eparé Dual Salt and Pepper Mill, Afterspa Hair Towel Wrap, or the Tréstique Mini Eye Essentials (set of 4).

            The next customizable for select members and just random for everyone else, I got the Wander Beauty Baggage Claim Gold Eye Mask (6 Pack). So this I was really excited about I got into under eye masks earlier in the year and they are pretty great for anyone who has under eye issues (like bags) and needs some extra nourishment and hydration there. These have aloe peel extract and lavender oil so I am hopeful that they will be pretty great. The other options were the Aromatherapy Associates Deep Relax Roller Ball or the Skin&Co Roma Truffle Therapy Face Toner.

            These next items were in every box so there was no customization in these.

            Aveda Damage Remedy Daily Hair Repair, okay confession time, I probably need this product more than I would like to admit, my hair is damaged to high heaven, I stopped getting it professionally dyed over a year ago but my ends are still pretty fried so I am actually really excited about this product being in my box. 

            Harper + Ari Exfoliating Sugar Cubes in Juice Cleanse, these smell amazing first of all. I don’t exfoliate very frequently because my skin is sensitive and that means that most exfoliating products are a little too harsh for my skin so I will be trying it out to see how my skin reacts to them. Like I said though, they smell absolutely amazing.

            The last item is the Human + Kind Body Soufflé and it is sealed so I am not going to open it but I am always for a good body lotion, do I use them as often as I should, no, but do I like them and think that I need more? Yes, yes I do. 

            Overall, I mean, I like the box; I don’t love the box. I saw some comments online to that same tone and I can agree with them now. Fabfitfun is one of the OG boxes like this and I have loved every other one I have received so it’s not a make or break sort of thing. Some of the lack of product diversity is my fault but it was just really skin and body care heavy this time around. 

            Well that’s it for me and I will see everyone mid-week with another post. 

            Do you subscribe, did you get anything in this box that you can’t live without? Let me know down in the comments. 

            Until next time, 

            -MJ 

May BirchBox Unboxing

.Reading time 7 minutes.

Okay so I am trying to get back to my regular posting schedule and let’s be real, sometimes that works better than others. I got my Birchbox last week and I have been having mixed feelings about it. 

            I already reviewed my box on the website because I honestly wasn’t feeling this month’s box. I know I have been saying this for the last few months and I feel like I am starting to sound like a broken record but this may be one of my last boxes. I am going to get June’s box and see if their algorithm has changed at all with my added reviews from this month. 

            I am going to dive straight into the products, I liked the box it was nice but I am more focused on the products this month. It was six items again this month but I still had NO tracking information to know when my box would be at my apartment.

            Arrow Enhance Waterproof Eye Brightener:

            I don’t wear eyeliner, I haven’t since about 2008 at the end of my emo phase. I have never put any eyeliner in my waterline because I have a thing about getting pointy things close to my eyes. I can imagine using this for a wing if I could do those either but I cannot. I think that eyeliner is great but it’s just not for me. So this product was a no for me.

            Beauty Protector Protect & Detangle: 

            I rarely put any product in my hair besides shampoo and conditioner because I don’t like how my hair feels when it is full of product. My conditioner does a great job of detangling my hair so I just don’t use products like this. Again, this was kind of a no for me, I just don’t feel as if this one was relevant to me.

            Coola Classic Moisturizer:

            I have a full sized Coola sunscreen; I actually have two. I like the brand I like the product but I already have so much of it that this was kind of a letdown for me. I like that it’s fragrance free and it would be good for travel but other than that I don’t mind this one.

            Jane Iredale Just Kissed Lip and Cheek Stain: 

            It adjusts to your skin and it turns into a nice shade so I don’t mind it but I am not usually someone who uses a multi-purpose stain or even stains in general, they are just not up my street. Nice shade and would love some lipstick this color so this is a maybe at most for me. 

            MAC Cosmetics In Extreme Dimension Mascara:

            I love mascara but I have so much of it, I feel like in most of the subscription beauty I get there seems to be a lot of mascara involved and I know that is partly because there is a lot out there and I am looking forward to trying it because I like MAC but I haven’t gotten to use much of it. Again a maybe from me. 

            Wilma Schumann Skin Care Hydrating Collagen Eye Pads: 

            I have gotten into eye masks recently so I was actually really excited to get these, I think this was the highlight of my box. I am looking forward to trying them out, this was the only product in the box that I was presently surprised with. 

            Well that’s about it for this one, I am taking stock of this service and I have been mildly disappointed in it for a few months now, I know they are making changes to the service and maybe I just need to put this on pause for right now while they work out their service and get everything going with their new changes and new products. 

Want to read my last couple of reviews for Birchbox? Click on the month you want to read, January, February, March, and April !

            Do you subscribe? Did you have a favorite product this month? How are you feeling about the changes?

            I’ll see everyone on Saturday or Sunday, I hope everyone has a great week!

            -MJ

April Birchbox Unboxing

.Reading time 10 minutes.

In the last month Birchbox has announced some changes, a price increase, more brands, and other things as the months move along. Now this month I got six things in my box, I do not know if that change is permanent but I suppose we will find out. 

            Let me start out with this, I am finding myself not enjoying Birchbox as much as I hoped I would, I am going to give it another few months because at the moment they are in a transition period and that means that things get crazy. I feel like I need to review more products because on both Birchbox and ipsy. I forget to review my products and that can change what they send you in the future, some of this is totally my fault and I know that but I’m still not feeling the personalization, yet. I am not throwing in the towel on Birchbox yet because while the products I got felt repetitive it doesn’t mean that in the future it will be that way.

            So first up of course like all of the rest of my unboxings I am going to talk about the box first. Now when I saw it on the website and in the email it looked like it was just a multi colored lid, no I was wrong, it is holo. That’s right, holographic, it’s really pretty and I am going to try and figure out something to do with it because it is really pretty. 

            On to the items, like I said there were six items this month and granted they were a bit repetitive I have done some reviews and hopefully that will help the algorithm figure me out. There was tissue paper in the box which to be honest, I was not a big fan of, it is aesthetically pleasing and reusable but it still adds to the packaging and it comes in enough packaging to begin with.

Juara Candlenut Body Crème: 

            I am all for a good moisturizer and I am excited to try it because it smells really good, this is a brand that I have never heard of but I am always up to try new brands to see if I can use them. Granted this is a sample so it will not last very long but that is sometimes a good thing because if you don’t like something you don’t waste your money but if you do like it you can purchase a full size. 

Love of Color One & Done Shadow Stick in Heavy Petal:

            All of the people who name things in a lot of makeup companies have a great sense of humor and are super creative. Seriously, makeup shade names are normally really great, nail polish names are too. I worked in a nail salon in high school and into college and OPI always had the best shade names, so punny. Back to this product though, I really like the color and it goes on really smoothly, it is a pencil so I am hoping that I can sharpen it. (I have to purchase a sharpener though…oops.) I love the color, it is rose gold and by now I am known to love rose gold and copper so this is right up my street.

Peter Thomas Roth Potent-C Bright and Plump Moisturizer:

            I love Peter Thomas Roth, my cleanser is from the same brand and I am such a big fan. It is a Vitamin C moisturizer so it is good for brightness and I am excited to give it a try. This is one of those products that in the future if I like it that I would spend the money on because it is a good brand.

Sunday Riley Luna Sleeping Oil: 

            Again if they give me the option to have a Sunday Riley product sample I am going to take it, the facial oil I use now has blue tansy in it as does this one so I am hopeful that it doesn’t break me out. On the car it says start by using the oil twice a week and then work your way up and I wish that I had known that when I was using a facial oil twice a day and I was breaking out so bad. I am going to take the advice and hopefully my skin doesn’t react to this product. There is a lot of packaging with this one for the size of the bottle but the bottle is glass so it has to be protected. 

Marcelle City Multi-Protection Tinted Cream in Fair: 

            Okay this was one product that I honestly didn’t really like. I am really fair and I have pink undertones so I have to have cool toned everything when it comes to foundation, concealer, and tinted moisturizer. Unfortunately, this one is a little yellow for me, it’s not too bad but I rarely ever wear a tinted moisturizer, I wear sunscreen and lotion most of the time because usually tinted moisturizers break me out for some reason. I wish they didn’t but they do. I got a Marcelle product in my February Birchbox so I have seen this brand before. Also it comes in a lot of packaging and again, that’s not a great thing. 

Oribe Dry Texturizing Spray: 

            I don’t use hairspray or texturizing spray, I don’t even like dry shampoo. I got this same product in my November ipsy Glam Bag last year so I have one already and I haven’t used it at all. Haircare spray products are not something that I use, I don’t even like blow drying or putting heat on my hair because I have spent such a long time getting it healthy after bleaching it and dying it a lot in high school. It Is fundamentally a dry shampoo and I use Batiste now, I am not a huge fan of how my hair feels with a lot of product in it so this was kind of a no for me.

            So I guess I liked four out of the six items more than I thought I did when I started writing this post, I am hoping that with consistent reviewing and the algorithm learning my preferences that it will get better and with the changes being made I am hoping that helps too. 

If you want to read January, February, and March’s unboxings click on the month to see them. 

Do you get Birchbox, what was your favorite product? How do you feel about the changes? 

Have a good weekend everyone! 

-MJ 

Spring 2019 FabFitFun Unboxing

.Reading time 14 minutes.

I feel like I have been waiting for this box since December when I got my winter box because this subscription box is probably my favorite ever, I love the other boxes I get but nothing can beat full sized items and the brand named items in the box are always really great quality. By the time you are all reading this I have had the box for at least a week, I have been a little busy and I had some posts scheduled ahead of time so this is a little later than I wanted it to be. 

            Seriously, this box was amazing, like usual I am not going to tell you how much the total of my box was because that’s just a little odd for me, the box is $50 four times a year or $180 once a year to be a select member, I will probably upgrade to that at some point because it allows for more customization options and early access to the edit sales and customization as well as an earlier ship date. I feel like in my past unboxings I have kind of glossed over this portion of the subscription service. 

            Like I said this box is $50 a quarter and this box was valued between $226.99 and $314 dependent on the customizations and the options that were available to potentially be in this box. Really, this box is worth over four times what you pay and that is such a good return on your investment. The only thing I am going to say about the value of mine was it was in the upper mid-range of those prices. If you really want to you can do the research and look up the prices of the items to see an exact figure.

            Per usual all of these opinions are mine, as they always are. 

            Okay, enough exposition, now onto the real stuff; what did I get? I am going to start out with the items that I had the ability to customize and I will tell you the other options that I opted not to get, what I didn’t get may be something that you love but what I chose I wanted more. 

            Deux Lux Demi Backpack: I am a sucker for backpacks because I screwed my shoulders up when I was in high school carrying heavy one shoulder bags to class so I have carried a backpack since late 2015 and I have not looked back. This is a smaller and more versatile than the faux leather backpack that I carry usually. It is pretty light weight and it is canvas and vegan leather, (according to the care instructions) it seems like it would be great for anything really, dates, music festivals, hanging out with friends, going to the park with your dog. It is a really great backpack and it comes in a protective sleeve so it will be stored in there for now. The other two options were a Show Me Your Mumu Brie Robe, I didn’t choose this one because I am not a robe person. The other option was the Unplug Meditation Aromatherapy Diffuser, this would be a great thing to use the Way of Will Essential Oils from the Winter Box, but I already have a diffuser so I didn’t want to get a second one. 

            Korres Wild Rose Vitamin C Brightening Sleeping Facial: Now that is a mouth full, I really like Korres I got their body lotion in my spring box last year and it is so nice. It is moisturizing and it smells amazing. I have really been getting into skin care this year so when this was one of the options I jumped on it. It smells amazing and I am really excited to try it and see how it does with my skin, it is dermatologically tested to that usually means that I can use it without any adverse effects. According to the packaging it has over 90% natural content so I should be just fine. The other options were one of two pairs of Quay Australia sunglasses, they are really cute but I wear glasses and I have prescription sunglasses so they wouldn’t work for me. The other option was the Sunnylife Lovers Picnic Set, again really cute but not something for me, I don’t think I have ever been on a picnic in my life.

            Makeupdrop Silicon Beauty Applicator: If anyone read my foundation application post you know how much I love my Ulta brand silicon applicator and I am looking forward to trying this one as well. This one was a mystery item, I kind of liked having a bit of mystery even with the customization options, sometimes it is a way to get rid of excess stock and I am totally okay with that. The other two options were a set of Giadzy measuring spoons, I have a set of measuring spoons and I am not a huge fan of plated items because that starts to come off and it gets harder to use the item. The other was a bottle of Lavido body lotion in Mandarin Orange and Bergamot, I have so much lotion that I don’t need any more no matter how much I love Bergamot. 

            These next two items were customizable to select members so I had no option on what I got here and I was not upset with what I got.

            Sip by S’well: It’s an insulated travel water bottle and I have been eyeing a S’well water bottle for years now and I was really hoping to get this option because I am a hoarder of water bottles, as I am writing this I am still mourning my Kate Spade travel tumbler that I dropped on my bathroom floor yesterday (last Thursday for you) and broke, for some reason I break my favorites that I can’t replace and I don’t know why. I really like the fact that it’s covered in triangles for reasons of my own. This is a hand wash only but most water bottles and travel tumblers are so that wasn’t too shocking. The other two options were a bar necklace from The2Bandit’s, which is also really cute or the Ciaté London setting powder, I like Ciaté so I would have been okay with any of the options that were within this category. 

            Tula Purifying Face Cleanser: Again I have been getting into skin care and I have a pretty good skin care routine going on but I am always willing to try something new. It is probiotic skincare so I am hopeful that I don’t have a reaction to it, I like the packaging it’s nice and simple so I see nothing wrong with that. I can’t really say much else because I haven’t tried it yet to see how my skin reacts to it. The other options were either the Daily Concepts detoxifying brush or the Eleven by Venus (yes, that Venus, the tennis star) jump rope. 

            These last three were in every box, so every subscriber got all of these items. 

            Ouai Leave in Conditioner: Ouai is a brand that I am familiar with because of ipsy and it’s a really nice brand. I have pretty dry ends of my hair so having a leave in conditioner is something that I need but I don’t actually have. I am excited to add this into my hair care routine. 

            Dr. Brandt Skincare Needles No More No More Baggage Eye De-Puffing Gel: Another mouth full to say, it is red so it color corrects for dark spots but I put it on my hand to see it’s consistency and once it sunk in my skin was so smooth and it was amazing. I really like Dr. Brandt so having more good skin care is for sure up my alley. I got a Dr. Brandt product in my winter box as a surprise and I can say, it’s pretty great.

            Manna Kadar Champagne Body Scrub: Champagne and Charcoal, sign me up. I am cool with body scrubs; I should use them more because I love how my skin feels like after I wash all of the grit off. I love the packaging, rose gold lid, simple label with a pink and rose gold marble detail around the bottom, it’s so nice. It is a really large jar too, it’s about 18 oz. so for a body scrub that is on the large side from what I have seen. I am excited, pre usual, to give this one a try and really see what it smells and feels like. 

            So that was my spring box and I am already waiting for the summer box and its accompanying spoilers and customization options. I’m excited for it already. 

            If you subscribe what did you get? Did you have a favorite this month? Did you not get any of the items that you wanted to get? Let me know in the comments! 

            -MJ 

March Birchbox Unboxing

.Reading time 6 minutes.

It’s March and for sure a few posts ago was my February Birchbox unboxing, I am watching my parent’s dogs over Spring Break while they are out of town visiting family and friends back where we used to live so I have some time on my hands. I have had this box for a few days. 

            This box is a lot better than my February Box, granted I did like the February box but this one is a lot better. It is much more to the caliber of the January Box.

            The box itself is really cute, it is covered in blue flowers outlined in pink with red centers, like my last two boxes, I don’t know what I am going to do with them. I may just end up recycling them for now until I have a better idea on what to do with them. 

On to the items: 

[Comfort Zone] Active Pureness Fluid:

            It’s a moisturizer that is mattifying as it works into your skin. I am really excited to try it and see how it works on my skin, it can be used as a primer too though so that is really nice because I have a love/hate relationship with primer. It is made in Italy and has Vitamin C in it so I am hoping that my skin doesn’t have an adverse reaction to it. 

Amika Soulfood Nourishing Mask:

            Where I used to get my hair done they used amika so I was really excited to see this in my box. Since I have had exposure to this product before as a shampoo and conditioner I am excited to try a hair mask. I usually don’t do hair masks but I know the quality of this product. It smells really good and I think it made the rest of my box smell but I was not upset about that. I can’t wait to try it out and see what is does to my hair.

Benefit Cosmetics BadGal Bang Mascara:

            I got the deluxe sample with my January box and like I said then Roller Lash is one of my favorite mascaras, there will be a post soon with my five favorite mascaras so I will link that when it’s out. I haven’t actually used my other tube of BadGal Bang but I am still really excited to try it because of how much I like Roller Lash.

Smashbox Cosmetics Photo Finish Foundation Primer:

            My first foundation primer was Smashbox primer in the green for color correcting so I know how I feel about this primer, I used it for a really long time so I am hoping that they haven’t changed the formula much since like 2013. When I finally ran out of my primer the first time I looked for dupes because a full size product is expensive and they don’t have the push pump bottle anymore which was what I had and liked, I find that NYX’s color correcting primer is still pretty good on a budget. 

ThisWorks Deep Sleep pillow spray:

            I already use a lavender pillow spray to help me sleep but I like having a travel size because traveling with my larger bottle is almost impossible and I don’t want all that oil all over my bag when I travel. I am excited to try it and make sure that it doesn’t give me any sort of reaction, though I wish that the ingredients were on the packaging so I could actually know what’s in it without having to look online. 

            Well that’s it for my March box, much more custom feeling to me but I am really happy with this box overall.

            Do you subscribe to Birchbox, if you do what’s been your favorite from this month? 

            I’ll see you guys soon!

            -MJ