Luxe Pineapple GlossaryBox August 2015

I got my first Luxe Pineapple Box of Joy last month. Best. Decision. I. Made. in July. I swear. Literally, my favorite product in my makeup bag came from that box--Tarte Marajuca Cheek Tint in Light Nectar. Doubles as a lip stain too. I can't tell you how much I love it.

This month, they offered something new. An un-scription box called GlossaryBox. When the previews came out, I wanted it really bad because it contains Trust Fund Beauty nail polish. I heart the But...Daddy shade from the last box. I ordered this almost as soon as I got the notification that it was available for purchase.

My heart gave a huge jump of joy when I saw my box had been shipped. Here's a look at the Rock Pop  & Wow themed box.

It always feels like I'm getting a present when I open
the mailer from Luxe Pineapple.

Crown Brush Syntho Series Chisel Shadow and Deluxe Blending Fluff Brushes. I own like...one eye shadow brush. To be honest, that one has seen better days. It's time to get with things.

Eye shadow trio in Barbados. Subtle, yet with the right blending, rockin'. I love the color brown, which is maybe a little weird, but it goes good with my coloring. This would be perfect for your daily out on the town or office job, or you could really smoke it up for nightlife.

The center subtle shimmery shade really speaks to me. These colors are spot on!

Trust Fund Beauty in Rich Bitch. Liz, the creator of Luxe Pineapple said every woman should own one fierce red nail polish and lipstick. Before this box, I didn't own either. That's why I knew I needed this polish. This is a great fall color. I can't wait to do my nails with it.

Eyelashes. Okay, this is my first rodeo with false eyelashes. I have naturally long lashes (although they require at least one coat of mascara to stand out). Just looking at them, I'm thinking, dang, those are long, but I've seen them applied and they look realistic.

These boxes are currently still in stock for $18.00, but I don't know how long that deal will last. Get yours here. Don't forget to sign up for their newsletter, because if you don't know about these GlossaryBoxes upfront, they might be sold out before you can get your hands on one.

Paintly Painted Fingers

I got my most recent nail polish idea from a Pinterest post. You can see it here. I've been in a Halloween mood since the weather started turning cooler, which is unusual for this time of year in Missouri.

Normally I don't do my fingernails because I'm pretty rough on them, but I was watching season 2 of Supernatural and...I couldn't contain my Halloween enthusiasm. I know, it's still August, but we're already scooping out Halloween decorations.

Products I used:

Wet N' Wild Wild Shine in Sunny Side Up.
Aila in Mr. Pookies.
Sally Hansen Hard As Nails Xtreme Wear in Invisible.

Ipsy Glam Bag August 2015

This is the latest my Ipsy glam bag has arrived in the three months I've been ordering. Stuff happens, and it's here now, so yay!

It looked pretty interesting online and I was excited about trying Aila nail color in Mister Pookies, because I'd heard someone else singing Aila's praises. This month's theme is Prep School, to honor all the kids heading back to school. Maybe to inspire them? Sure, why not.

The more you know: Ipsy is a monthly subscription of beauty and hair products. They charge $10 at the start of each month.

Here's the first glance:

And here's Mister Pookies. It's hard to describe the color. Dark gray with some purple and brown undertones? Dark grape with gray undertones? The website describes it as steel gray with purple undertones. Super glossy, even if it's a little emo for me. And it's 5-free. This full-size bottle is worth $17 online, so worth the $10 for Ipsy's glam bag. 

My thumbnail after two coats.

Starlooks Pro has this new eyeliner out. I got it in the Plum shade in my Beauty Box 5 earlier this month. It's got high pigment and while I'm lousy at eyeliner, I really love the one I got in my BB5. I was scared to try liquid eyeliner because I'm not that comfortable with it. However, I've been using the Plum one. This is black and my favorite thing about this brand is that it's waterproof. I can't give it enough hearts. However, I don't like black much no matter how universally flattering it is. I'll probably sell or trade it. It's worth $19 on the Starlooks site. This bag has more than paid for itself.

Hikari lip gloss in Merlot. Wow, this is dark. I was hoping for the lighter color, because Ipsy was shipping two shades. The other is Salsa, a classic red. I put this on over the lipstick I was already wearing and it came out bright. So I redid it, but now it looks dark. Let's just say I look kind of goth with my Mister Pookies and my Merlot lip gloss. Neutral, natural colors are more my thing. However, I'm thinking I have a shirt or two this might go with for fall wear. It's kind of sticky though...maybe it needs a lip balm under it.

It's actually much darker than this picture makes it out to be.

This is a product that will come in handy. It's Clear Clinic Laboratories vanished, an acne treatment. I don't know what it is lately, but my chin is broken out. Ugh, I'm in my 30's. Give me a break, face. My skin was doing so well for a while. It can be used under and over makeup up to four times a day. Warning: It stings a little when you apply it because one of the ingredients is alcohol. 

Marc Anthony Nourishing Argan Oil of Morocco Oil Treatment. I've been using a hair mask with Argan oil and a shampoo with it over the last month. Does it seem to make my hair softer or shinier? Well, I wasn't too crazy about the shampoo and conditioner I had. I don't know if my hair's kind of fried after my last round of highlights, but it seems dry to me lately. Last night I did a Hask Argon mask mixed with Aussie Three Minute Miracle. This morning, I put three drops of this product in my palm rubbed it over my strands, and set out into a rainy day. My locks feel pretty soft. Is it because of Marc Anthony's oil? Maybe.

I had a bonus this month because I spent some Ipsy points to get LUXE Watercolor Tattoos in Believe. Yeah. We've established that I'm in my 30's. The dragonfly is what sold me, because I'm a sucker for dragonflies. Before I went walking with my mom, I applied a couple.

 This one on my wrist and I put the red/orange arrow on my ankle. I've been having a lot of trouble with leg cramps when I walk, so I put 'believe' there to help me believe I could get through the work out and the arrow to remind me to go forward. Last night I managed 3 miles without crippling pain. It probably wasn't the tattoos, but stranger things have happened. Don't stop believin'.

Beauty Box 5 August 2015

When the shipping notification for BB5 went out this month, it had a huge spoiler in it--subscribers were getting four full-sized products.

It shipped to me really fast and I was antsy all day waiting to get to my mailbox.

The more you know: Beauty Box 5 is a monthly subscription box. They bill $12 on the first day of the month.

When I opened it...I laughed a little.

I just bought the Hask Argan Oil Deep Condition packet at Walmart last week. Let me tell you, it smells great (citrus-y, very much like an exotic orange) and my hair is super-willing to do good things after I use this product. I'm happy to get another one. I'd mentioned it to my mom too, because she has dry hair after a perm. Maybe I should give this one to her.

Hello, Pur-Lisse. I just got a sample of you in my July BB5--but wait! This is actually a different variety. The last one had 30 SPF. This is hydra-balance. You know what, I was perfectly thrilled to get this, because I love Pur-Lisse and how soft it makes my skin. Score! I thought this one was a lot thicker than the one with the SPF, which surprised me. Still a good moisturizer though, and I'll take anything by Pur-Lisse.

Ha! Check out this really cute nail file (the guy says 'Ya, that's right. I'm trending.') with a case. I'm always afraid to throw nail files into my purse because I haphazardly throw my sunglasses in too and I don't want to scratch them. The case makes this really perfect. Of course, it's so cute, I don't know if I want to use it. The card says this comes in assorted colors.

Starlooks Pro gel eyeliner in Plum. This product is exclusive for BB5 this month. I'm the worst with eyeliner and only recently started wearing the gel kind that comes in stick form. I worry that darker shades will make me look weird and/or hookerish. So I almost considered not trying this. I decided to be brave. My right eye turned out okay on the first go. While the Plum is super pigmented, it wasn't too dark at all. My left eye...let's just say I'm none too good at attempting straight/slightly curved lines with my left hand. All the tutorials in the world won't help without practice. It was not much of a success. I tried again with my right hand and it came out better. I asked my husband how it looked and he said, "Fine", so I proceeded into public. No one stared in horror. I like this color and especially how well it lasted. It's waterproof and didn't smear when I tried to smear it before I removed my makeup. Now if I could just make sure the lines didn't waver noticeably.

Check out this awesome little piece by Jerome Alexander. It's got eye shadow and lip gloss for the girl on the go. I never, ever have a mirror handy in my purse. This is a fun accessory. The case is silicon (or that's what it feels like to me). The eye shadow colors are a plum color, a dark violet, and pink. These are colors I'll wear because I like purples to bring out the gray-blue in my eyes. The lip glosses range from dark pink to a peachy tone. It's not too outrageously orange, despite what my lighting and camera would have you believe. I'm willing to give it a try. This will be handy if you need a quick touch-up while out running around, being glamorous. The make up also comes out, so you can put anything in it when you're all out.

There's some neat stuff in the BB5 for August. You still have time to sign up for this box until August 21.

Birchbox August 2015

I got my first Birchbox in July and I wasn't really impressed. It had Super Goop (which I actually love), a foil sample of Kérastase that didn't do much for my hair, Julette's Got a Gun Not a Perfume that I never wear, Clarisea exfoliant (it's okay), MDSolarSciences Mineral Crème (soo sparkly), and Stila liquid lipstick I can't even begin to describe. I can't handle the coral (let's face it, it's orange) lipstick.

I unsubscribed after one box. Yeah. But this isn't about July's box. They lured me back with the promise of sea salt spray and the Candidly Nicole guest editor box. Sadly, by the time I got my email to choose the box I wanted, they were sold out of the guest editor box. My heart broke (yeah, again), as I picked a sample of Rusk mousse to go in the August box. Good news, though, I was able to order the guest box using a different email. So you should see that box review coming soon.

This box is really decent. There's lots of hair care in it and I'm totally happy with that.

The more you know: Birchbox is $10 per month for 4-6 items. Sometimes they're deluxe samples, sometimes smaller or foil packets.

Rusk Volumizing Mousse - A whopping 8 oz. can. This is a great deluxe size sample. Smells fanc-ay. I didn't need to use as much of this as the mousse I normally use. Most of the time I let my hair air dry. It got a little crunchy toward the top as it dried, but I don't feel like I needed to add salt spray as I sometimes do for extra texture. With a few swipes of my brush, the crunchiness went away. My hair feels soft and flexible and looks thick. The fragrance might be a little strong on this one, but I'd still give it a thumbs up.

LAQA & Co. Cheeky Lip Pencil in Humble Brag - I was hoping for Cray-Cray (yeah, yeah, it says it's a coral, but it's also a peach) in this box as I know Humble Brag is in the editor box too. But this lip and cheek color was one of the items I really wanted, so two is okay. I was shocked by the bright pink color when it went on my lips. I blotted a couple of times and decided I could definitely live with the shade. The first time I wore it, I threw some OFRA gloss in Sunshine over it--lip perfection. Later, I tried it as a blush and while I don't normally wear pink blush, I really liked it. It was a sort of sun-kissed pink that gave me a healthy glow. Nice one, Birchbox.

I have Luxe Pineapple lip gloss in Confident over LAQA & Co. Humble Brag.

Dr. Brandt Pores No More Cleanser - I wasn't really looking to see how my pores appeared after I used this the first time. I was more concerned about how clean my face felt. On a scale of 1 (poor) to 10 (really clean), I'd give it a middling 5. I followed up with my regular cleanser. It's probably because if I don't feel scrubby micro-beads, I don't feel clean. The smell was all right. It reminded me of juniper or evergreen shrubs. Kind of manly, but in a good way. I used it at night and the next morning as I was applying concealer, I thought maybe my pores looked a bit tighter. I forgot to snap a photo because it was in my shower.

Air Repair Complexion Boosting Moisturizer - This has a wonderful scent. It's a bit thicker than the moisturizers I've been sampling and the one I regularly use. It had good coverage though and my face feels nice and fresh after using it.

Oribe Shampoo for Beautiful Color - Kudos to Birchbox for seeing my profile and saying, Hey, this woman has color treated hair. She needs shampoo and condition to treat her color right! I loved the way this shampoo felt while I was pulling it through my hair. It smells kind of like a fresh-cut apple.

Oribe Conditioner for Beautiful Color - I was a little surprised the conditioner didn't feel as silky in my hair as the shampoo. I left it on for a couple of minutes, because I like to believe my hair is being penetrated by all the good stuff in here. It washed out pretty well. My hair is soft and fluffy, even though I let it dry naturally.

Oribe Mask for Beautiful Color - I haven't tried it, but it smells great. I was impressed by the sample size of this too. I figured it would also be a foil packet, but I can get probably 2-3 uses out of it because my hair is pretty short right now.

What about that Parlor Salt Spray they promised? It wasn't in the box. Sad face. I contacted customer service, though, and *boom* the next morning, I had a processing order. It's on the way, free of charge. Thanks, Sheryll at customer service.

I'm sorry I doubted you, Birchbox. I'm dying to get my guest editor box now.

Plainly Painted Toesies

I'm a sucker for nail polish--not because I like to manicure my fingernails, but I love color on my toes. Here's what they look like this week:

Hey, I never said I was good at painting them.

The green is Essie Cashmere Matte Yespadrilles with a clear top coat because I don't like matte finished polish. It's supposed to have a shimmer, but I don't see it in these three coats. I think you can only get it in the set. You can get the set at Ulta for $13.

The purple is Trust Fund Beauty in But...Daddy. I'm sooo in love with this color. I specifically bought a box from Luxe Pineapple because I feared if I didn't get this polish, I would die. It's a soft lilac that's feminine without overdoing the girly-factor. I had a coupon code and I love everything that came in the box, so it was 100% worth it. You can get But...Daddy for $15 at the TFB website.

My left foot as actually all green. The reason my right big toe ended up in purple is because I kept smudging the green. Twice, for real, so I thought, eh, I'm going to do it in another color. Keep it interesting.

Who knows what they'll look like next week.

Beauty Box 5 & BeautyArmy

Last Wednesday went from blah to hurrah when I opened my mailbox and not only was my BeautyArmy kit in there as promised by the tracking, but my much belated Beauty Box 5 was as well.

Apparently there was a big ol' snafu due to shipping with BB5 which as led to much frustration with its patrons. We need beauty products, like now! Don't you shipping people understand?! Anyway, there it was all cute and tiny in its pretty blue box waiting to be opened.

No prob.

The more you know: Beauty Box 5 is a monthly subscription that's $12/month.

I was particularly excited about BB5 because a) nail polish and b) flash tattoos. I know, I know, I'm in my 30's, but flash tattoos are something I won't buy for myself because...well, I'm in my 30's. Bascially I'm a 12 year old in an older body. I still routinely debate whether I should remove the earring in my cartilage. So far, it's a firm part of me.

Here's what came in the BB5:

Nanacoco in Fuschia Bulb. Dayyy-um, girls, this is pink. It came in a variety of shades, so box subscribers might get any old color. I saw one on their Facebook page that was yellow. Wow. I could think of a few creative things to do with that color. I was hoping for the green, but that's the chance you take when ordering subscription boxes. And it's not a bad thing. It brings out the adventurous side in some people. I swiped a single coat over my thumbnail. It dried with a matte finish. Sad face, because I love the wet look. With a top coat, I'm sure it could come out shiny.

OFRA Lipgloss in Sunshine. I stared at it for a solid 30 second while I was like, the hell? Orange lipgloss? Orange? Really? With neon pink fingernail polish? Oh, that does not match that nude lipliner at all. I felt my heart break into little pieces as I imagined the packing people randomly throwing things into this box. Gee, goes great with those other two coral lipsticks I got in other sub boxes. I'm sick of orange, people. It's not the color of my summer. Not even a little. I removed the gloss, opened it, then applied it, waiting for the color to show up. And to my surprise--no orange. Not even a little. The joke is on me, because it's totally sheer with some sparkle. I've worn it a few times now and I love the shine. It goes great with the:

OFRA Lipliner in Nude. It's water resistant, sells for $13 on the OFRA site and pretty much is worth the cost of the box. I love nudes because my lip color is naturally a little bit dark (at a job interview a lady told me I needed to tone down the lipstick a little and I wasn't wearing anything but Chapstick. I was so weirded out). The nude makes my lips look softer and more feminine. Lovin' this liner.

Love Life Skin Intensive Recovery Serum (4 sample packs). I only got this kind. Other people got the restorative night cream. Okeedokee. I haven't tried it yet, because I'm saving them in case I get a bad late summer sunburn or the face wash I'm using (that naturally I failed to read the label on) for acne prone skin turns on me. I used it on my husband after he shaved and he said it burned, but also that aftershave burns, so we weren't sure it was doing good things or not. I have yet to try it.

And then I noticed: My box didn't come with flash tattoos. I was like, I'm going to write them an email! But nestled amongst the festive pink and blue shreds of stuffing, a deluxe sample of Purlisse Pur Protect SPF 30 Essential Daily Moisturizer waited. Okayyy... Did they run out of flash tattoos? Who knows? (Update: Per the BB5 comment on FB, they sent out some variety combos, so not everyone got flash tattoos. Well...okay. There are people who would be way happier with moisturizer than shiny metallic tattoos. It takes beauty products to make people jealous of me.) I mean, I can use moisturizer and I'm glad it has SPF, even though 90% of the time I'm in an office getting zero sun. But I love this product because it makes my face so soft. A full-size tube of this stuff is ridiculously expensive, but would be 100% worth the cost.

At first I was really confused by what was going on in this box. It felt hastily thrown together, but in the end, it kind of makes sense and I'm very happy with it.

So, on to the BeautyArmy kit.

The more you know: BeautyArmy is a sample box where you can choose up to 6 samples of lifestyle/beauty products for $12/month. I love being able to pick my own stuff! No surprises. The beauty of this is, if they don't have any samples you want, you can skip months.

Here are my choices for July/August.

Burt's Bees Lip Crayon in Sedona Sands. It's actually not that far off from my real lip color, but it glides on smooth and it looks super under gloss. I was worried it might be too dark, but it's perfect. I checked and it retails for over $8 at the local Walmart.

I needed new mascara in the worst way. The literal worst. So I picked Revlon Bold Lacquer Length & Volume Mascara. It's not waterproof though and I always buy waterproof. It got a little crumbly a couple of hours after I put it on. Disappointment-ville, population: me. It ranges from $4.99 to $7.99 online. I would be super ticked if I bought this for a higher price and it got all crumbly.

Aminocare cream. I washed my face with that aforementioned Biore Don't Be Dirty cleanser with acne medication in it. It dries me out sometimes, so I figured this was the perfect solution to an after wash. It burned. I was like, okay, maybe it's supposed to. Put some hair on your chest, man up. I don't think it was supposed to, but I don't know anything about this brand. It only lasted for a couple of minutes. Maybe I'll try it again without scrubbing my pores clean first.

I can't find the L'Oreal RevitaLift + Firming for eyes online, but that's what I got in my kit. It's light, doesn't smell like it belongs on a super old lady, and I thought it was kind of refreshing. It promises to help relieve dark circles in as little as four weeks. I pray this is true, because I'm the queen of dark circles. One of my bosses once thought someone had hit me. I joked, "You should see the other guy", and my co-worker said, "She looks like that a lot." Yeah, I've invested in concealer quite heavily since then. And that's when I was in my mid-twenties.

Laneige BB cushion in three shades. I think I can use two of them. I just opened the dark one and played with it a bit. It's a couple shades darker than the skin on my hand (tanned, yes, because someone didn't use sunscreen, for shame). It went on pretty smooth and covered up a little scar I have. Previously I've been disappointed by BB creams, although I have to say I'm in love with Supergoop's CC cream. I'm going to try this out, but I doubt I add BB cream back into my daily prett-i-fying routine.

This is the product that convinced me I needed the BeautyArmy kit: One Apple a Day Nail Lacquer by Scratch of Sweden. Because it's green! It's also 5-free, which is great, but it still smells pretty strong. One coat was uber-sheer, two coats still pretty sheer. I think an opaque white under it would brighten it up a bit, but wow, was it ever glossy. I loved that. The thing about BeautyArmy is that it gives you suggestions based on your profile (like most sub boxes). I had to go in and change things up a few times because it kept giving me clear or a really light shade and I wanted the green pretty badly.

I'm really, really pleased with the OFRA products from the BB5 box. I'm also pretty darn happy with the lip crayon and the polish from the BeautyArmy kit. Both boxes were very much worth the $12.

Now I'm dying for my Birchboxes (one of which should arrive today, and my August BB5 box is in the mail) and my ipsy glam bag. More makeup! More hair care! More skin care!