Glamour in Progress - Tyra vs. The Beauty Box

One of the things that I promised myself when I started losing weight was that I was going to start treating myself, taking a little bit more pride in my appearance, glamming myself up every now and then which is difficult for me since I consider myself traditional girl-next-door with major tomboy tendencies. I had been hearing a lot about the different Beauty Sample Subscription services… did some research and priced them and totally fell in love. I might actually be addicted to them. What I love about these services is that they make awesome gifts for Bridesmaids. Something you give your mom or your best friend, even the guy in your life. Or in my case a little treat that I give myself each month. The boxes range between $10-25
 

I got wind of Julep through the  nail group that I'm apart of on Facebook. I love that group. It's a wealth of information about polishes and nail art all while staying on a budget... they inspire me to have super cute nails.. EVERYDAY! One of the things that I love about Julep is it's so flexible. If you don't like the polishes for that month you can choose a box from a different style profile, or if it's just not in your budget you can skip that month with no penalty what so ever... plus I got my very first box for a penny!  (Use code mavenintro or color2012 to get your intro box) ... Who doesn't love that?!!! Your box is based on a profile that you pick out and based on your answers you will fall into the following style profiles: American Beauty, Boho Glam, Bombshell (I fall into that category... duh!!), Classic with a Twist and IT Girl. Each month I spend $19.99 for the box which is nice because Julep nail polish generally retails for $14 per bottle. Each month I either get 2-3 polishes and a goody.

Photo courtesy of  www.pinchofpretty.com

This past month I forgot to take a picture of my Maven box ( I borrowed this from the website)...which had 2 polishes designed by Trina Turk and a full size mascara.

Click here to sign up


FINAL VERDICT 4.5/5

 

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I heard of Birch box from a good friend Robin who is my personal beauty guru...she's really into make-up and polish, and whenever I products or polish I always go to her first. Plus I realized that Michelle (who I'm Facebook friends with and seems like a really awesome girl to hang with) the owner of the blog All Laquered Up (which Robin also hooked me on to). So I figured that this might be something that I might want to try. One of the things that I really like about this particular subscription service is that it's only 10 bucks a month! Plus they have a subscription service just for men. 

Apparently every month they have a theme and you receive full size hair, skin and makeup samples (sometimes you get electronics and yummy treat samples) based on that particular theme.

I asked 3 people about this service and everyone they have received awesome stuff from Birch Box but sometimes it can be hit or miss… but then again it’s only 10 bucks..

So naturally I asked, "When are you shipping my box cause I need to know what I'm getting... well boo on them cause they generally prefer to keep things secret and they ship on a "magazine schedule" ..which means they ship out around the 15th 

So what did I get?

• Benefit Cosmetics - the POREfessional (full size $29) - First of all I love the company and initally I was gonna give this to my mom since I don't wear foundation, then I read that you can wear it alone.. so SCORE... all for me!
• bosica - Soothing Cleansing Cream (full size $26) -My dermatologist actually recomended this company to me since I have such dry, sensitive skin. And this is a product that I used anyway. The sample size I got was 1.86 fl oz, which i thought was great since the full size is 5oz. And now i have this smaller size which is great , so I can use it when I travel.
• Kate Spade - Twirl - NOTE TO SANTA..I've been a good girl, I would like this in my stocking come Christmas!
• Twist band - (set of 12 -$18) - At first I was kinda blah about this sample, but then i figured, " I have hair... I'll use it." Then I took out the snag-less elastic that I had in my hair overnight.. and not only did it snag, but took out a nice chunk of my hair with it ...So I'm gonna try it and see if they work better than what I was using before... and if so I'll get them... plus them come in cute colors and patterns.
• ColorClub Birchbox Custom polish (full size $8) The one I received was Status Update.... it's sort or a charcoal color... not really a fan of the color, but I'll use it for nail art...plus the tag made me giggle.

                                                  

• Tili Bag -( $9-$10) a cute little reusable bag for your beauty products, my first thought was this would be awesome when I travel, but after thinking about it ... I can use one for my brushes, one for my dotting tools and nail stuff.... the list goes on and on. and they come in two different sizes and lots of fun colors and patterns. This was what they called a LIFESTYLE EXTRA
• Digital download of Tristan Prettyman two new tracks. You can never lose with music, plus I like to "discovering" new artists.
• A $25 gift card (for a purchase of $75 or more) from Madewell. My first thought was , "humm, not gonna use this... I don't fit their clothes" turns out I can fit some of their things, but frankly I find them basic and overpriced... so this will go unused... if anyone shops their and would like the code....hit me up. It's yours!

Click Here To Sign Up

FINAL VERDICT 4/5

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I signed up for the service August 31. And have stalked the shipping of my box ever sense.  Currently it's the 17th and I still don't have the box... HURRY UP!  So the box finally came on the 19th,,, I squeed like a little fan girl. The very first thing that is noticed is that there is no inner box... you open the box that it's shipped in and your products are right there!! Yay! for saving paper. And it comes it a cute reusable mesh bag!

So while during my research the concept behind this company was giving their customers 4-5 full size samples of beauty products every month. Gotta say I was pleasantly surprised by what I got

• h.wood beauty lip shine - FULL SIZE the retail price for this is $16 that right there makes me to cost of the box worth it. The color that I got was rose and I was a little miff-ed cause I'm generally a plum girl, but everywhere I go I'm seeing pick lips everywhere so I give it a try. Being African-American my   lips are a little bit darker, but I tried it and paired it with a little bit of Nivea Lip shine and I loved it... it's just a little bit of color on the days when you need to run out really quick (you know the kind of day that doesn't require your full make-up regime)..  definitely a keeper.

• HollyRen Natural False eye lashes  - ($7.00) It's so funny that I got these cause I was meaning to order a pair on Sally.com just yesterday. Gonna put these on this weekend and see if the boyfriend notices the difference.
• Silk Naturals eye shadow ($4.00) Taffeta - the website describes this color as "smoky plum satin" . After looking that the website I really like the colors and the names... seriously who wants to put a little Demon on their eyes?? This girl does!!! Now I noticed that some people who posted their unboxings' on Youtube actually got blush instead of eye shadow.
• Goat Haus Dairy  Bath Melts ($2.50) - Angel Kiss  "light vanilla with a hint of lavender"... let me be the first to say that it smells soooo good! I really want to try this, but I'm not  a baths kinda gal... maybe I'll save it for one of those days when I feel extra stressed.
• NU ME Hydrating Shampoo (Full size retail $25.00). Now reading about this I was all excited, this must be true love... ooh a hydrating shampoo for dry hair!!!... and it's got Moroccan Argon Oil!!! (a MUST for me) then I realized that this is a sulfate based shampoo and our love story ended there. :( Will not be trying this. (Sulfate based products are not great for natural hair)

But all together I got nearly $30 worth of products for the bargain price of $12. I like this one so much, I'm gonna switch over to yearly!

Click here to sign up

FINAL VERDICT 5/5

There were more that I would have loved to sign up for, but  there were not in my budget. Eco Emi  and  Conscious Box use Earth Friendly and Sustainable products (which I totally might get). Then there are Allure BeautyBox, Glossy Box,  and so more! Like I said there is box to fit your needs and your budget. And before I forget I gotta give Jacinta of  My Beauty Boxes some loves... each monthly see blogs about her boxes

If you happen to know of other Beauty Box subscription services, or have an opinion on which is better hit me up with a comment below.

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So what are my nails looking like right now...this very minute? Currently wearing Sinful Colors Hot Hot Hot (1145) . These are the best darn back scratchers in the world... but they are also becomes harmful tools...I poked my precious Elmo in the ear the other day and this past weekend I miss aimed and jabbed my mom in the ear...so I'm thinking that it's time to cut them. I did a fairly big chop of my nails last month which is why I'm so shocked that it's time for me to do it again. Plus typing is getting a little weird. AND we won't ever talk about nail art... NOTHING looks right on my nails..expect maybe water marble (and I can't do that) 

Before I forget I mentioned is the last glamour post that I was gonna make a nail polish rack.... Well I did it! And it's super snazzy if I say so myself! . I'm so crafty!

  And be in other shocking news I was made aware that my underwear match my nail rack... men are so observant.




UNTIL NEXT TIME...STAY GLAMOROUS!