Beauty Box Five Review

I was recently contacted by Beauty Box Five to try and review one of their monthly boxes. I was really excited because I've actually never subscribed to any of the monthly box programs that are out there. I was very happy with all the samples I received!

What is claims:  Once a month, we deliver a Beauty Box with four or five handpicked samples directly to your doorstep. Your Beauty Box will contain items like makeup, skin care products, hair care products, fragrances and a few other surprises!

*info from company website

Compare to: Birchbox, Myglambag, beautybox, beautyarmy, glossybox etc.

Where to buy: beautybox5.com

Price: $12 monthly, $30 quarterly and $100 yearly

My Rating: 4.5/5 peace signs

The Good: The samples were all packed very well, nothing was damaged or leaking inside. All the samples were for various beauty needs and were generous sizes, to me at least. I was also pleased with the variety of brands that were provided as well. 

The Bad: I don't really have anything bad to say about this box, only one out of the five samples I didn't use but it did go to someone who did enjoy it so I wouldn't really think that's a con. 

Overall: I am very pleased with this box and the samples that were in it, I am definitely going to sign up for this box very soon! 


Now, I'll just break down the products I got and a few thoughts on each...

It was packaged very well and I really like the color combo they use!

 All the samples were nicely placed in this little mesh like bag. 

I've been wanting to try it's a 10 products for the longest time so when I seen these I was so excited to try them!

I don't feel the need to use anti aging products yet so I passed this one on to my mom and she really likes it!

I'm naturally tan and don't usually use any kind of self tanners but I'm thinking I might try this on an area of my body that doesn't get much sun ever, my legs! lol

I've heard tons about Merlot products but have never actually tried them so I was glad to see these in my box. I've also never used a night cream before either and so far I've really been liking these!

Last but definitely not least is the Tree Hut Shea Body Butter in Brazilian Nut. I LOVE body butters since I'm more on the dry side on my body so richer moisturizers are definitely a must. This sample was a good size and worked great for my skin, I'm definitely buying a full size!

Thank you for reading and a big thank you to beautybox5 for letting me try out this box!

*This box was provided by the company for review, this is my completely honest opinion on the product*

My Current Faves

Hey everyone!!

It's my official first post back! Yay!! haha. I did also want to say that since it's been so long since I last posted that my makeup has changed a lot, don't get me wrong I still love it but I've just toned it down a bit :)

I figured a good way to start was to show the products I'm loving at the moment, so let's get started...

First up is face products:

1. Wet 'n' Wild color icon bronzing powder with SPF 15 in 740 Bikini Contest. This is the perfect bronzer for my skin tone! I use it only to contour and it gives the perfect sculpted look. It is a little powdery but not overwhelming.

2. Mac powder blush in Melba. This is my everyday blush it's the perfect peachy pink color that goes with just about any look that I do. 

3. Monistat soothing care chafing relief powder gel. I'm sure everyone has heard of using this as a primer and I've been using it for the last 7 months and it has done wonders!! I have really oily skin and this helps to keep my foundation on and not oxidize as much as it used to. I've gone at least a good 8 hours without noticing lots of oil on my face. 

4. Urban Decay all nighter long lasting makeup setting spray. I think this is also a reason my makeup has such great staying power, just a few sprays after your makeup is done and your set! It isn't sticky and makes your face look a bit more natural. 

Eye products: 

1. Rimmel Scandaleyes mascara in blackest black. This is my favorite mascara at the moment! It makes my lashes look really thick and full without clumping. It is one of those mascaras that you have to give it a week or so to dry out some then the formula is perfect!

2. Maybelline Mega Plush volum express mascara. This is my second favorite because it's more of a natural mascara on my lashes, it separates extremely well but I wouldn't say it gives a ton of volume but I still like it. 

3. Maybelline line stiletto liquid eye liner. This is my everyday liquid liner, I always have to have my winged liner! This is a perfect black and the felt tip gives me the perfect wing every time!

4. Wet 'n' Wild color icon single shadow in Brulee. My go to highlight for under my brows, it's perfect with almost any shadow to blend out and gives a nice put together look. 

 Lip Products:

1. MAC lipstick in Freckletone. This is a perfect everyday lip color for me especially when I'm going for a more natural look. 

2. Loreal color riche lipstick in Fairest Nude. As you can see I use this lipstick almost on a daily basis. It's my top of the top favorite of the moment. It's the perfect brownish pink color that I just love!

3. NYX round lipstick in Tea Rose. This is more for when I want a tad more color, it's a great pink for my skin tone, not too light or bright. 

Body:

Ulta Sheer fragrance mist in Sheer apple blossom. I LOVE this scent SO much! I've always been into apple scents but this one is by far my fave! I use it everyday and it's just perfect, not too strong or too light and it lasts quite awhile as well. 

Skincare:

Clean&Clear advantage acne spot treatment. I'm not totally acne prone but I do still get breakouts mostly hormonal in my chin area but as soon as I even feel a pimple starting I wash my face and pop this on and overnight the pimple is either gone down or dried out. I really love this stuff! It's the only thing that I use for my breakouts. 

So, that's everything! If you have any questions or would like to see a more in depth review on any of these products just let me know! 

Thank you for reading!!

Long time no blog and a SALE!

Hey everyone!

I don't even know if anyone even remembers me anymore, it's been almost a year since my last post. So much has happened in my life but I always missed beauty blogging. I took pics for months of hauls, FOTD's, EOTD's and NOTW's but they all went unposted because life was so hectic. I even kept all my empties to post about those as well before I realized they needed to just go since it was all piling up. Anywayz, I've been thinking about a comeback but I won't make any promises, since my hardcore blogging days my makeup has become a little more simple and a lot of my makeup has gone untouched so I figured I would do a blog sale and hopefully it can all find some good homes. I listed all the items on my sale blog which you can find by clicking HERE. Also, if you wouldn't mind to help spread the word since I'm not sure how many of my followers will see this post since it's been so long, I would truly appreciate it!! Thank you for reading and hopefully I'll be back soon!! 

NOTW: Red Hot!

Hi!

I'm back to share my nails for the week, I was having a hard time deciding what color to paint my nails and figured I hadn't done red in awhile so it was about time.

Polishes used:

NYC in a new york color minute in Times Square and Seche Vite fast dry top coat

What do you have on your nails this week?

Review: Equate detangling spray

Hello!

So, a couple weeks ago when I included this product in a haul I got a comment from Kassandra (check her out if you haven't already!!) asking how I liked this so I figured why not do a review!



What it claims: Tear free, can use on wet or dry hair for silkier, tangle-free hair.

Compare to: Johnson's no more tangles (light green bottle)

Where to buy it: Only available at Walmart

Price: $1.97

My Rating: 4.5 Peace signs

The Good: Okay first and foremost I LOVE how this smells! I can't quite describe what the scent is other than delicious! lol. My other favorite part about it is the spray nozzle (shown below) it twists to lock and gives the perfect mist. It does a really good job at detangling like it says with both wet and dry hair.

The Bad: I will say that sometimes when my hair is extra tangled I have to use kind of a lot of product to be able to get my comb through but even though this is a con, I don't mind it too much.

Overall: I would say this is great alternative to the Johnson's detangler and definitely recommend giving it a try to see how it works for you!

*This is just MY experience/opinion on this product, it may or may not work the same for you. You never know!*



Finished products of the month

Hey everyone!!

I'm writing this post in the middle of the night because tonight I'm leaving for vacation and didn't want to totally abandon my blog.

But yeah, so I decided to make these posts my finished products of the month since I go through things pretty fast or there isn't much left and I use it up.

1. St. Ives soothing oatmeal & shea butter body moisturizer. I'm sure I've mentioned before that I have eczema so I'm always trying out new moisturizers to see what works for me. This one was actually pretty good, it had a nice pleasant fragrance and did a very good job at moisturizing my skin. The best part is that it's less than $4!

2. Suave detangling spray. I always have to use something to detangle my hair after the shower and I had really high hopes for this one but unfortunately it didn't work for my hair. I had to use a lot of product to even get it to somewhat detangle and even then it really didn't do much. I did love the scent which was apple but that was about it.

3. Onyx Professional 100% pure acetone nail polish remover. I've mentioned this in several posts and it's still the only remover I use for my nails. I've already picked up a new one!

4. Aussie 3 minute miracle. I did a post on this not too long after I started blogging and said that this stuff was something that didn't work for me. Well after the package change and my sister buying it and loving it, I figured why not give it another try! It sadly still didn't work for me, it was more like a daily conditioner rather than a deep conditioner as it says. I really wanted to love it because it's so affordable and smells delicious.

5. Garnier Fructis fortifying deep conditioner 3 minute masque. I really love this masque, it really conditions well and makes my hair feel so soft. I wanted to get the big jar after I was done with these small sizes but after checking a few stores I think it might be discontinued because it's never there and I didn't see a spot for it. If you've seen it in stores please let me know where!

6. Lipsmackers in Strawberry Vanilla. These are my hg lip balms I can't go a day without them!

So, that's everything.

What have you finished lately?

Victoria's Secret semi-annual sale haul

Hello!

I wanted to hurry and post my haul for the VS semi-annual sale so you could all take advantage of the deals!

First off, everything in their secret garden line was 6 for $20 so this is what I picked up:

 Ultra-moisturizing body butters in Luscious kisses and Pure Seduction.

I wanted more but they ran out of a couple of my favorite scents.

 Ultra-moisturizing hand and body lotion in Coconut Passion and Mango Temptation and Exhilarating body wash in Coconut Passion.

These mini PINK body mists were on clearance for $2, I got Aloha Pink in tropical and juicy and PINK with a splash in cool & carefree.

I think I'm gonna go back this weekend because the sales ends in stores on Monday, so if you haven't checked it out yet you better hurry! :)

Products I regret buying #2

Hey everyone!

I hope your weekend is starting off great so far!

Since I got a pretty good response on my last post like this I decided to look through all my stuff and dig out even more products I regret buying.

So, here they are...

1. VO5 Herbal escapes clarifying shampoo in Kiwi lime squeeze. I know this stuff is really cheap and even sold in some dollar stores but I got it because I wanted to try a clarifying shampoo to help control my oil and rid my hair of any of the residue left over from my normal shampoo. This stuff dried out my scalp way too much to the point that it was itchy and even started to flake, gross!

2. Tresemme 24 hour body root boosting spray. I have fine hair that is just about stick straight so needless to say it has no volume, ever lol. After trying countless things to give me some kind of lift with no luck, I decided to give this a try only because I really liked the finishing spray from the same line. Well this didn't impress me at all like the finishing spray did, this did absolutely nothing for my hair it was like spraying plain old water in it.

3. mark. shine fighter oil-control mask. I usually stick to my queen helene mint julep mask but when all the hype about mark was going around I really wanted to try out their skincare stuff and as soon as I seen something for oil-control I had to get it. This mask was just like putting glue on my face, it was really sticky and gooey and once I rinsed it off it made no difference in my face at all except for maybe dry it out.

4. mark. go with thegrain exfoliating beads. This was another product I got because of all the mark hype and I was yet again disappointed. The beads were so finely milled that once you mixed in with your cleanser like the directions stated it disappeared into nothing, so obviously there was no exfoliating happening. Total fail.

5. Elf ($1) Waterproof eyeliner pen. I was hoping this might be somewhat decent because I really love elf but sadly is wasn't. The problem is that it's not pigmented at all, I got it in black and it barely showed up no matter how much I shook it or tipped it, the color never got any darker. It really sucks because the pen form makes it really easy to apply but it's a waste if the product doesn't show up.

What's something you regret buying?

*These are just my opinions/experiences with these products, they may or may not work the same way for you*

Review: St. Ives Natually Clear Green Tea Scrub

What it claims: From America's #1 scrub brand, this scrub with skin-soothing green tea gently fights blemishes and reduces redness & irritation caused by acne. The result is clean and calm skin.

-Oil-free

-Hypoallergenic

-Non-comedogenic

-Dermatologist tested

-Clears break outs and reduced redness

-Salicylic acid (1%) acne medication with 100% natural green tea
-Formulated without parabens and phthalates
-Not tested on animals
-Does not contain animal ingredients

Size: 4.5 fl oz.

Price: $4.99-$7.99

Where you can buy it: Walmart, Target, Drugstores and anywhere else St. Ives products are sold.

My Rating: 3 peace signs


The Good: First off it smells SO good, it has a slight floral but very clean scent. The formula is a nice consistency not too thick or thin. The beads are very fine so it isn't harsh on the skin at all. I also really like the fact that it's made with more natural ingredients.

The Bad: I personally like a semi harsh scrub for my face because it's the only thing that helps with my blackheads and the stubborn dry spots I get occasionally. With this scrub I found that since the beads were so tiny and fine it really didn't get as much off as I would've liked.

Overall: This would definitely be better for those who prefer a light scrub or have minimal to no problems with blackheads, it just wasn't for my skin type (Oily-combination).

*This is just MY experience/opinion on this product, it may or may not work the same for you*

If you have any questions on anything I might have left out, please leave a comment and let me know!

NOTW and new nail polish storage

Hi!

I've been trying to paint my nails every week or so because I just can't wait any longer to use all the new nabi polishes I got!



Polishes used:

Nabi polish in Summer Purple and Seche Vite fast dry top coat

A few weeks ago I went to Target and decided to pick up this large snapware container to house all my nail polish.

I love that it has two containers that are very wide and spacious. I don't have enough to fill a whole one but everytime I look at it, I want to buy more to take up the space lol.

What do you store your nail polish in?

I'm back with mini hauls!

Hello everyone!

I know, long time no blog and no one is more upset about it than me. I was really on a roll getting posts out again, I even still have a bunch that need to go up and BAM all these things in my life happened at once. I went back and forth on whether or not to do a little post about it all but I figured I'll just get right back into what this blog is really about and that's makeup. I also got a new camera so after all the drafts are up all the posts after that will have better quality pictures!

First, I'm going to share some mini hauls I did while I was away.

I went to Target for some essentials and of course ventured on over to the makeup and had to get some Elf, I can never pass it up!

 Elf ($1) lipstick in Classy, Elf Studio lengthening & volumizing mascara and Elf ($1) liquid liner (I LOVE this! Thank you Van for the suggestion on FB!)

 

Then I stopped at Walmart since I was running out of nail polish remover, I swear this is the only stuff I'll use for my nails!

Onyx professional 100% Acetone nail polish remover

Okay I lied, here's a little preview of a pic from the new camera. Somehow I lost the original pic I took of these.

Equate tear-free Detangler Spray and Sally Hansen Instant Cuticle Remover.

That's everything, I'm trying to not spend too much because I'm going to my cousins Tahitian dance competition at the end of the month in San Jose. I can't wait, I need to get away for a little!

If you would like a review on any of these things just let me know!

LUV BBW Club, Victoria's Secret and Nabi haul

Hey beautiful ladies!

I hope your week is going good so far, mine is I've finally had some time to relax which I'm loving since the last couple weeks have been stressful.

Anyways, I wanted to share a few things I've hauled lately.

 

This is the last month for the LUV BBW Club so I got my freebies which were the mini Coconut Mango body lotion, Pineapple Mango candle and Fresh Picked Apple PocketBac. You got to choose the scent of each so you don't have to get these ones they had bunches to choose from.

Me and my mom split the deal at Victoria's Secret so I got the Mango Temptaion body mist and the Love Spell ultra-moisturizing body butter. I also picked up a mini Aloha Pink body mist in Tropical & Juicy (LOVE!!)

I stopped in a dollar store up the street from my house and picked up these Nabi nail poishes.

L to R:

88 Neon Blue, 118 Summer Purple, 39 Lavender, 81 Neon Light Pink, 98 Ace, 17 Neon Hot Pink and 29 Neon Pink.

 

So, that's everything!

What have you hauled lately?

Products I've finished lately

Hey!!

First I wanted to say Thank You to all the new followers I've gotten lately and also to those who have kept reading after all these years. I know I've been really on and off and I'm glad you've all stuck around :)

So, I must say I've been on a roll with finishing up products I've had for awhile. I think it really helps with my spending too because I'll think to myself, "no I don't need this I already have something like it at home!!"

 Kirkland Daily facial cleansing towelettes, Elf makeup remover cleansing cloths (2), Aussie 3 minute miracle deeeep conditioner and Proactiv Oil-free moisture SPF 15 moisturizer.

Sally Hansen hair remover wax strip kit, Bath and Body works Sweet Pea intense moisture body butter, UDPP, Loreal lineur intense carbon black liquid liner and Maybelline define-a-brow in Dark Brown.

I need to repurchase a few of these things soon but others I'll pass on.

What have you finished lately?

 

NOTW: Mango Motion

Hey everyone!

Just sharing my nails for this past week, I changed my polish color mid week which isn't usual for me so I just held off the post until this week. This polish color is SO pretty in person, the camera wasn't picking it up but it had a more orange tint to it that I loved! I will also warn you that the consistency is kinda weird, it took 3 coats to get it completely even.

Polishes used:

Sally Hansen Insta-Dry in Mango Motion and Seche Vite fast dry top coat

What's on your nails this week?

Products I regret buying

Hi!

I hope you're all having a great weekend so far!

OK, so I've debated on doing this post for awhile because I really don't like bashing products but I figured since it only helps if other people are thinking of buying these products to hear the bad side rather than only the good.

But yeah, I only have a few products because I give away things all the time and these were still left laying around.

1. ELF makeup remover cleansing cloths. I heard some pretty good reviews on these so I figured why not just try them. Well I ended up not liking them because they're really oily and burn my face a little, also if they get even a little close to my eyes they water like crazy. I gave them another chance when I ran out of my usual makeup wipes but they still disappointed me.

2. Suave professionals dry shampoo spray. I was so excited when I finally seen this in stores so I hurried and picked it up. I used it once and it really didn't do much for my hair at all then on top of that all the product evaporated so I never got to use it more than that one time. Boo!

3. Dove damage therapy daily moisture replenishing mist. Yes this was in my favorites once but while I was thinking it was this that was making my hair feel nice it was actually the combination of products I was using along with this. When I used this on it's own it did nothing for my hair at all, it was like spraying plain water on my hair.

4. NYC liquid liner in Pearlized black. I was in a rush one day and just grabbed this and man do I wish I had more time that day! First of all it has glitter in it which isn't at all pretty just makes the formula thick and chunky, second the brush is so flimsy I couldn't get a straight line no matter how hard I tired and forget trying to do a wing! Total fail.

Let me know if you like these types of posts and I'll for sure do more of them!

What's something you regret buying?