Friday, November 21, 2014

Bare Minerals Marvelous Moxie Buttercream Lipgloss and Lip Spectacular Set Review

I recently picked up the Bare Minerals Lip Spectacular Set at Ulta.  The set comes with 6 mini-sized Marvelous Moxie Buttercream Lipglosses for $26, which if sold separately would have a value of $54.


The Buttercream Lipglosses are a new item for Bare Minerals and can currently only be found at Ulta.  A big difference between the original Marvelous Moxie glosses and these new Buttercream glosses is that the Buttercreams don't have the same minty tingling sensation that the original glosses do when applied.  The gloss has a traditional doe foot applicator and a light, pleasant vanilla scent.



The Buttercream glosses have a thick texture that makes them well pigmented, especially with the darker shades.  They are not a sticky gloss and have just a very slight tackiness to them.  Since they are on the non-sticky end of the gloss spectrum, the compromise is that the wear is just okay.  They stay on well when not eating or drinking much, but won't survive a full meal without having to reapply.  They do wear fairly evenly though. and seem to stay put and not run outside the lip line.  The darkest shade, Blackberry Current, also leaves behind a bit of a stain to the lips even after the gloss is gone.    


There are currently 12 shades of Buttercream glosses and the Lip Spectacular set comes with 6 of them.  The set has a nice variety of light to dark glosses, so I feel like it's a good sampler set of the entire line.


Bare Minerals describes the shades included in the set as follows:

  • Juicy Mango: Coral Pink
  • Forbidden Nude: Buffed Pink
  • Sassy Sorbet: Strawberry Creme
  • Must Have Pink: Antique Pink
  • Flirty Mauve: Toasted Mauve
  • Moody Berry: Blackberry Current



The mini glosses in the set are 0.07 oz which is slightly less than half the full sized glosses which are 0.15 oz.  After using them for a couple of weeks I accidentally dropped Flirty Mauve from the highest shelf on my makeup cabinet onto my bathroom floor which broke the screw top part of the container.  That's over a 5 ft drop onto hard tile flooring so I don't count that as a strike against the glosses, though do keep in mind they are in glass tubes.  I kept it to be able to photograph the set but it's unusable for me because not only will it not screw securely shut I have no way of being sure that it didn't get glass in the gloss.  Since it happened to be my favorite shade of the set I decided to purchase the full size, which is why I have a photo comparing the two sizes below.  Now that I've filmed my review and taken all the pictures the mini will sadly be headed to the trash.


Overall I'm really enjoying the Buttercream Lip glosses.  As I just mentioned, my favorite shade of the set is Flirty Mauve, especially for the current season, and I would say my second favorite shade is Must-Have Pink.  All 6 of the shades in the set are wearable for me though, so I found the $26 well worth it to be able to try 1/2 of the color line (prior to being a klutz and breaking one them of course).  If you are already a fan of the Marvelous Moxie glosses, or if you liked them except for the tingling sensation, I'd recommend checking this set out at Ulta.  I was able to find them in store as well as online.  I also did a video review of these on my YouTube channel so if you would like to see more swatches, as well as what each of the 6 shades look like on my lips, I've posted the video below.


Thursday, November 20, 2014

Allure Sample Society - November 2014

My Allure Sample Society box for November arrived Monday afternoon.  This month shipping happened on the 7th instead of the 5th which is their usual shipping date.  I received five sample sized products. 


Alterna Caviar Anti-Aging Omega+ Nourishing Oil - This is an oil that is supposed to moisturize and strength hair with Omega-3 and caviar extract among the ingredients.  I've had mixed results with hair oils, some being too greasy and others not doing much for my hair but I will give this one a try.  The dropper on my bottle was bent but it doesn't seem to interfere with dispensing the product so shouldn't be an issue.  The 0.2 oz sample size I received has a value of $4.47.


Malin + Goetz Bergamont Body Wash - This is my first Malin + Goetz product so I'm interested to try it out since I've heard good things about the brand.  This was also the early spoiler that sample society released before the end of October.  The Bergamont body wash has a strong citrus scent and since bergamont is used in Earl Grey tea it has a pretty similar aroma.  I'm hoping this body wash is nicely moisturizing since my skin gets really dry as the weather gets colder.  The 1 oz sample size has a value of $2.25.


MD Solar Sciences MD Creme Mineral Beauty Balm - I've seen MD Solar Sciences products in Ipsy before but have never received one of their products before this box.  This tinted BB cream has a matte finish and SPF 50.  It seems like more of a summer appropriate item, but I wear SPF year round so I'll still use it this time of year as long as it isn't drying.  The color I received is light/medium which is too dark for my skin when concentrated, but since BB creams have such light coverage it blends out light enough that I"ll still be able to use it.  The sample I received is 4.81 grams with a value of $5.35, however tube feels almost empty and has to be squeezed at the bottom to get out any BB cream.  Even if the amount in the tube is the full amount listed, the size of the container is pretty deceiving and I don't think I'll be able to get more than a couple of uses out of this.



Lorac Cobra Mascara - This is the third black mascara I've received in the four months I've been getting Sample Society so I can't say I was really excited to get this in my box.  It does have a unique shaped bristle head that mimics the shape of a cobra head (hence the name).  The Allure mini mag describes this as a very wet formula which isn't typically my favorite but I'll give it a try.  The full size has a value of $20, making my 0.14 oz sample worth $11.20.



Calvin Klein Reveal Perfume - As with the mascara this is the third perfume sample I've received in 4 months, and since I rarely use perfume it's even less exciting to me than all the black mascaras.  Reveal is described as having notes of raw salt, pink pepper, black pepper, white pepper, orris, ambergris, sandalwood, cashmeran, and vetiver.  I could definitely smell the peppery spiciness to it which made it unique compared to the floweriness of a lot of perfumes, so if you are a perfume person looking for a warmer winter scent this might be a good one to check out.  It is a really strong one though and I smelled it in the room for hours after I sprayed it so it's way to strong for me.  The prices very depending on the size bottle but using the price of $50 for a 1 oz bottle the 0.04 oz sample is worth $2.


Overall November's box was a bit of a disappointment for me.  As I mentioned above this is my fourth box with Sample Society and I've gotten a lot of very similar products already.  The value of this months box is $25.27 which is more than the $15 subscription cost, but also the lowest value box so far by almost half.  I will be looking out for December's box spoiler but unless it's a really exciting product I think I may cancel before the December box charge.  There is currently no box customization options so there is not a way to reduce the number of perfume samples I receive and I'm overloaded with mascaras and hair products for the time being.  I know everyone's needs & wants vary though, so if you think Allure Sample Society is a subscription that you'd enjoy receiving you can sign up at the beautybar.com link here.  In addition to the box, subscribers also receive a monthly coupon code for $10 off a $50 purchase at beautybar.com.  I did unbox this on my YouTube Channel and the video is below if you'd like to see first impressions and some more product close-ups, as well as a quick review of what I thought of October's box.


Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Ipsy - November 2014

It's Ipsy time again!  My bag actually arrived a couple of days earlier than usual this month which was a nice surprise.  The theme for November is Girl Meets Glitter and several of the products had glittery or shimmery aspects to them.


Be a Bombshell Cosmetics Eye Base -  I received this in the color Submissive, which is a bronzy shimmer.  The eye base is a creamy solid base, which reminds me very much of Maybelline's Color Tattoos.  The color is nicely pigmented but also can be sheered out, so it looks like it will work well as either a base or an all over lid shade with a darker crease color.  It should also really bring out similar colored shadows when used as a base so I'm excited to play around with it.  Plus unlike the stinky Be a Bombshell. mascara I got in my July bag the eye base doesn't have a detectable smell to it, which is great.  I received a full size product which retails for $14.




J. Cat Beauty Wonder Lip Paint - My lip paint is in the color Red Potion, which comes out of the tube as a very deep almost blackish red, but blends out a bit to be more of a deep berry red.  The formula reminds me of a mix between a melted lipstick and a lip stain.  A little bit goes a long way with this and when I first swatched it I accidentally used enough to cover my whole hand.  The color is a bit intense for everyday wear for me, but I will get some wear out of this and am interested to test out the staying power.  The lip paint is full sized and worth $4.99.



Temptu S/B Highlighter - Temptu makes liquid highlighters in several colors and Ipsy sent out Pink Pearl, which is a nice light opalescent pink shade.  The pink seems to sheer out a bit just leaving a liquid highlighter shimmery effect, so this should hopefully be good for highlighting the tops of cheekbones & bridge of the nose.  Ipsy's website also suggests mixing  few drops into body lotion for an all over shimmer.  The highlighter is a 0.1 oz sample size but it is a very thin liquid so I'm sure a tiny bit will go a long way.  The sample is worth $2.75.


Starlooks Gem Eye Pencil - Starlooks is introducing new colors of their Gem pencils and Ipsy sent out two of them, Ultra Olive and Ultra Orchid.  I received Ultra Orchid, which is a purple shade with tiny flecks of glitter.  I'm not a huge fan of pencil liners because I find they cause some pulling on the eyelid, but this does seem like a very soft and creamy liner.  Plus it isn't another black eyeliner which I'm pretty happy about.  The glittery aspect will make it fun for upcoming holiday looks.  I received a full size pencil with a value of $17.00.




Marc Anthony Oil of Morocco Argan Oil Volume Shine Hairspray - This has a pleasant light fruity scent, which is good because I find some hairsprays have so much scent to them it's like spraying perfume on your hair.  I sprayed a little in my hair after my unbagging and it seems to be a medium hold that would be good for when I curl my hair because it will hold the curl but not be super stiff.  It didn't flake when I combed through my hair afterwards too, which is great.  I don't use a ton of hairspray but this is a nice 1.5 oz travel sized bottle, which is worth $1.38.


The bag itself this month is a cute and fun silver glitter bag with a bright pink zipper.  It has a plastic coating over the top of the glitter so it doesn't drop glitter everywhere, which I really appreciate.  I will definitely use this as my purse makeup bag for a while.


Overall this was a pretty good month.  I calculated a total value for the products I received of $40.12.  I will get use out of all of the products I received and I feel like they go well with Ipsy's theme for the month without being over the top glittery. If you'd like to try Ipsy it is a monthly subscription service that costs $10/month including shipping.  I also have a referral link you can use here.  My video unboxing of this bag that also includes a review of my October products is below.


Tuesday, November 4, 2014

October 2014 Favorites

October seemed to fly by this year and we're already a few days into November so it's about time I get my October Favorites posted.  The video is up on YouTube and I've listed the products with links under the video below.  Unfortunately the Milani Constellation Gel Eyeliners were limited addition and aren't currently available on the Milani website so there's no link, but if you're on the lookout for them you may able to find them at a Walgreens or CVS if they have any stock left.



October Favorite Products:
Origins Clear Improvement Active Charcoal Mask
Milani Constellation Gel Eyeliner (Enchanted Emerald, Enchanted Lapis, & Enchanted Black Opal)
Milani Baked Blush in Berry Amore
Coastal Scents BR-250 Pro Blending Fluff Brush
Eos Lip Balm in Vanilla Bean
Maybelline Color Whisper in Made it Mauve