Glossybox September Box Opening and Review!

Glossybox contacted me and asked me if I wanted a free box this month and I said, “YES PLEASE,” so here it is! It is all completely my own honest opinion. I was not asked to do a review.

A bit about the company:

Glossybox is a large beauty subscription box, it is given out in quite a few countries and just recently, the US! It retails for $21 a month and gives you 5 full size/deluxe sized products.

First Impressions

• Packaging

Alrighty, so my first impressions on this box: IT IS SO BEAUTIFUL! It ships in a cardboard box, as pictured above (and I thought it was cute they put my blog name on the label! I duct taped out my address though, sorry guys ;P you can’t find me.) Anyways, upon opening the box you are greeted with an extremely sophisticated box. I love boxes and packaging, I am a huge sucker for them! I can’t even begin to explain how many products I’ve bought for the packaging/boxes… I have a drawer full of makeup packaging! The box is really sturdy and there are actually DIY makeup drawers that people have made out of their Glossybox’s they’ve acquired from over the months so that they don’t waste them! After opening the second box, there is a gorgeous bow and a card that tells you what is going on with your box.

This month was all about Falls hottest beauty trends and trying out new formulas/products. 

The back of the card shows what is inside the box.

The back of the card also shows what the fullsize prices are, this month there are three full sized products! Only the shampoo and conditioner are sample sizes, however they are still quite large.

After opening the bow and removing the wrapping paper, all of the products are nestled neatly in some black “paper grass.”

The Products

• GKhair Moisturizing Shampoo and Conditioner

I’ve never heard of this brand but I am not a hair person. I stick to the same 2-3 different brands and I don’t venture out and try more stuff. It’s disappointing to me to receive hair products because I have no interest in them. Also, if I were to be paying for this box, I wouldn’t be happy that they counted the Shampoo and Conditioner as two products, considering they kind of go hand in hand… These smell nice though and maybe they will tame my frizziness! 

• Koh Gen Do Cleansing Spa Water

I was happy to get this considering I am not the biggest fan of the makeup remover I have right now, it is running out, and I’ve been wanting to see what the hype was about the cleansing spa waters! This is a full size and retails for $13, so if I were to have paid for this, there is already half my monies worth in the box.

• Kryolan for Glossybox

You guys know I’m obsessed with lipstick and I LOVE Kryolan, so this was awesome! Kryolan’s lipsticks retail for 14 dollars or so and so this makes the box worth more than what I would’ve paid for it. The color is gorgeous too!

• Missha M Perfect Cover BB Cream spf 42

I was REALLY excited to get this because it is a full sized BB cream! It came in my color, #13, and I have already used it. It is really up there with Skin79’s bb cream, and the packaging is so pretty! It says it retails for $30 on the card but I know you can find it on amazing for around 15 dollars including shipping. 

Final thoughts:

Overall, as with all beauty subscription boxes, they are really a luxury. If you have the extra 20 dollars a month, I’d say that Glossybox is really going to be your best bet if you are looking to try out quality brands and also receive makeup. Most other boxes tend to do a lot more skin-care based products, even food sometimes, but this one sticks more towards the cosmetics area from what I’ve seen in their past boxes. I would be subscribed to their beauty boxes, however I can’t gamble my money on products, even though the boxes are so much fun! I need to save that 20 bucks incase I run out of something.

I’m blown away by their packaging and I am very, very pleased with the products that I got!
I’m not too happy about getting haircare or skin care products, however in this case I feel as though the products I received in those categories were okay. I like the skin cleanser and it was one of the rare skincare things I was interested in trying out!

*If you want to sign up for Glossybox, at the top of my page I have a banner that you can click on. If you purchase one through that link I end up getting %30 of the money you spend, which is pretty awesome :) It helps fund my blog! Don’t feel obligated though, it’s just there in case :).
*FTC Obviously products in this post were sent to me for consideration by a rep. of a company, all opinions are extremely honest, even though it is awesome to receive free stuff I’m not going to lie to you guys ;)! 

Essence A New League Soft Touch Eyeshadow Limited Edition shade in Caddy in The Wind

THIS EYESHADOW DOES NOT BUDGE AFTER IT SETS. AT ALL.
It’s amazing, I love the color too! Very sophisticated for being 3 bucks, I love that it isn’t FULL of glitter. This would be a perfect base color, I can’t even see this creasing on oily lids, but I’ll have to test that out first! 

Skin79 Super+ Beblesh Balm review

This bb cream rocks. It’s a real Korean bb cream which I found on Amazon for less that $15 USD including shipping.

It’s just awesome.

Skin79 beblesh balm comes with 40 grams of product, which is about 1.5 ounces. The packaging is just ADORABLE. It’s a little pink cylinder about 4 inches tall with silver details on the lid and the writing. I find it very attractive!
The applicator is wonderful, it’s got some nice pump action going on that squeezes out the perfect amount for my face.

The product itself has a grey look to it at first, but with rubbing it in and letting it oxidize to your skin color, the grey vanishes to leave behind a flawless finish. It has a matte finish and a lightweight feel to it. Very moisturizing and it feels great on the skin. Not too much of a smell, it’s very light as well! It has a medium to heavy build-able coverage, you can hardly see my freckles with this on!

I can’t vouch for the “triple functions” of this product since I haven’t been using it long enough. Don’t let the “whitening” scare you off, that just means that it brightens your complexion and lightens discoloration and freckles.

I’m not sure how this would work on darker skin tones, I know that it works beautifully on asian skin tones though! I tested it on my mother who has very cool undertones vs my neutral and it worked perfectly on her as well.

Overall, forget about western BB creams. They suck compared to this product. It’s simple, fairly cheap, gets the job done, and covers a lot of  imperfections! 

Pros:

• Lightweight feel
• Light smell
• Matte finish
• Medium- heavy coverage
• A lot of product
• Cute packaging and very clean
• Thick and creamy
• SPF 25
• Moisturizing
• Lasts all day

Maybelline Dream Fresh BB Cream 8 in 1 Beauty Balm Skin Perfector

I’m going to start this review off with just saying… THIS IS NOT A BEAUTY BALM, IT’S A TINTED MOISTURIZER.

With that being said, let us review!

This product has 8 claims:

1. Blurs imperfections
2. Enhances
3. Brightens
4. Adjusts to skin tone
5. Smooths
6. Hydrates
7. SPF 30
8. 0% oils

This formula is so liquid-y that when laying on it’s side, the product actually just seeps out of the opening. The product is extremely sheer, but when used with a brush the coverage comes out a bit more, rather than with fingers. As a tinted moisturizer, it has great moisturizing properties. I feel like my skin was hydrated throughout the whole day of wear, there was no flaking or dry patches at all. This is a great product if you want to even out your skin tone when you have minor imperfections.

Comes with one ounce of product. It retails for about $8USD. Smells like sunscreen.

It’s an okay product in a whole and great for people who want a light coverage. It does feel really nice on the skin but the finish is wet looking, resulting in an oily look. I had to set with a powder to get rid of the wet finish!

Pros:

• Light texture
• Hydrating
• SPF 30
• Good for people who just want a natural look who don’t really have any imperfections (put powder on top though!)

Cons:

• Not much product
• Smells like sunscreen
• Looks oily
• Too sheer if applied with fingers
• NOT A BB CREAM

 Rating: 7/10

Essence Gel Liner in Berlin Rocks

This stuff really does rock! It’s extremely smooth and creamy, seems to be pretty waterproof and just glides right on. I think I bought it for a $1.50 and that was 50% off, so they are usually around $3.00! What a steal for a great gel liner! 

Dries to a beautiful matte finish with a fuchsia sheen to it. Really seems to last all day for me! 

Essence Lipstick in Fairy Tail

I’ve never tried these lipsticks but have always been interested, at a buck or two a pop I really get skeptical about the quality of things… So I just had to review one!

I bought this color because it was 50% off, meaning it may be discontinued soon so go get it now if you want it!

How much?: $1-$2
Where at?: Ulta, Fred Meyers, and essencebeauty.com
Packaging: The packaging is in a plastic tube, the same color as your lipstick. When you open the cap it is clear from where the lipstick twists out. It is a MUCH better packaging style than the Wet n Wild lipsticks and I commend them for that!
Scent: The scent is a light berry sent, it’s hardly noticable but it is sweet. It isn’t too strong like Milani or Maybelline lipsticks, but it isn’t as light as a MAC lipstick.
Taste?: The taste is slightly berry mixed with chemicals. I wouldn’t say it’s pleasant but it isn’t unpleasant like NYX round lipsticks!
Color: The color is a medium coveraged berry w/ slight red and gold shimmer with a glossy finish. For some reason this SLIGHTLY reminded me of NARS Dolce Vita except for darker in color. I don’t know why! I think it’s the glossy finish and the very light feeling of it.
Lasting power: This lipstick gives me a good 3 solid hours of wear!

I think it’s a fantastic product and I love the color, definitely is going to be the first one I pop out during fall! 

Pros:

• Very pretty color
• Glossy finish
• Long lasting power
• Fairly sturdy tube
• Very cheap!

Cons:

• Slightly displeasing smell/taste
• Not a very aesthetically pleasing tube ( I know, I’m picky!)

Rating: 9/10 

Maybelline “Porcelain Collection” lipstick in Porcelain Pink

I’m a sucker for lipsticks when it comes to light pinks, but as you all should know by now, I love lipsticks. I also LOVE cream finishes and was pleased to see that drugstores are catching onto that trend instead of that tacky extremely frosty/glittery finish.

Meaning I have standards.

My standards include:

• Not clinging to every crevice and skin cell I have on my lips making them look patchy
• Not sliding right off my lips after application
• A lasting power of at least an hour

Honestly, my standards aren’t that high… That’s why I’m very disappointed in this lipstick.

Upon first application I realized that the lipstick was SO soft that the product built up really fast. I blotted, and saw that it all came off. I carefully applied just a smidgen more the next time to get this wonderful swatch above. I couldn’t even get it to stop collecting on my lip ring because it acts like watered down wet paint!

The lipstick is so soft that it won’t even stay on the middle of my lips, it sort of just “melts” down. God forbid you rub your lips together, even with a very sparse application you will end up with a line of built-up product on your upper lip, and nothing anywhere else. 

Pros:

• Nice color
• Really nice “sueded” packaging, it was a great touch!
• Very glossy looking

Wet n Wild Megalast lipstick in 910D

Ignore the sloppy photos/swatches (I have to get used to my lip ring again!)

This has quickly become my new favorite true red lipstick. It lasts quite a while, has a matte/satin finish, isn’t drying and is incredibly soft! Best part? Costs $1.99! 

Pros:

• Beautiful color
• Wonderful texture
• Fantastic lasting power
• Cheap as shit

Cons:

• Terrible cheap plastic packaging, the lipstick doesn’t twist down into the tube making it very prone to nicking the product and it just looks tacky.

Rating: 9.5/10 

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balmstain Review

I purchased mine at Rite-Aid for $8.99 USD

Maybe it was the color that I purchased but it wasn’t very pigmented. I love the idea of tinted balms but this one wasn’t exactly what I was looking for. It is very… neutral; I don’t have anything bad to say about it but nothing that great either!

I have to say that I do like the packaging, the fact that it is retractable is fantastic! The untouched product resembles a crayon and it’s cute, however I can tell that when it is dull it will be a bit thick for some peoples lips to comfortably apply the color.

Upon first application it has a light minty scent and a bit of a tingle, it’s nice, nothing overbearing. It reminds me a lot of Burt’s Bees Tinted Lip-balms!

Like I said, the color isn’t very opaque but that may be a plus for some people. The finish is glossy, but not too glossy.

Pros:

• Light minty flavor 
• Comes in an array of colors
• Packaging is handy
• Moisturizing
• Lightweight
• Price is a fraction of it’s popular competitors (Clinique and Tart)

Cons:

• Packaging could become a hassle for some people after a few uses, due to the wide stick of product.
• Not very opaque
•  Doesn’t have a “stain-worthy” lasting power.

My personal rating: 7.5/10… This one is hard to rate! There is nothing “wrong” with it really, it’s just not exciting to me like their lip butters!
Will I repurchase?: Only with some extreme coaxing to a specific color! 

Essence Single Eyeshadows in Party All Night and Shrimp Me Up.

 
I found these eyeshadows at Fred Meyer’s after they just set up a display of Essence. I’ve always thought that this brand was adorable and have purchased a few things here and there but this product has REALLY stuck out to me!

Despite their price and crummy packaging, this is a fantastic product. The formula’s are extremely smooth, have a great color pay off, and stay on your eyes. At 2-3 bucks a pop, I don’t see what could go wrong with them!

Party All Night is a grey-brown shimmery color, similar to Mac’s Satin Taupe. It can be worn alone for a perfect multidimensional and glamourous look. I was pleasantly surprised to see how much of a quality eyeshadow this was!

Shrimp Me Up is a fantastic coral, it looks very similar to Mac’s Sushi Flower. The finish is a frost and it works wonderfully to blend out the harsh edges of an orange eyeshadow.