Beauty Box Showdown

Delivery isn’t just for pizza any more. The other night I made a meal made entirely of fresh ingredients that came shipped in a box to my house. But as I’ve talked about before, it doesn’t stop at food here in the 21st century.

Now we can have beauty products delivered to us. And if you think it’s a waste of $10, I think you’re wrong. I haven’t purchased blush, dry shampoo and a number of other products in…well quite some time because they’re often getting delivered to my house. And I would have spent that $10 on just one of those products.

I’m bringing this subject up again because I recently made the switch from Birchbox to Ipsy. The funny thing is I had one more Birchbox left so my last Birchbox and first Ipsy bag both came at the same time.

This allowed me to do a direct comparison of both subscriptions…

 Birchbox:

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You know how your hair always looks fantastic two days before your hair appointment? (How does it know to do that?) That’s the thing that popped into my head when I opened my last Birchbox.

I decided to stop after almost 2 years of getting boxes from them. They were sending me too many little packets of things – the kind of samples they hand out for free at the beauty counter. And sometimes they’d throw in food that would just create more clutter.

Well, Birchbox, I’ll have to give you this one – you really stepped up your game. I got a full size lipstick, a nice size eye shadow pallet and a travel size shampoo and conditioner. Where were these “deluxe size samples” for the past six months?!

Another thing they’ve started doing which is nice, is they’ve started giving you a little more power of choice as to what kind of box you’ll get. If you’re a constant email checker, then this would work out perfectly for you because you have to jump on it quickly before they sell out of an option.
One more pro about Birchbox (I might have myself talked back into using them), they include a card that lists each sample and how much the full size product is worth. So for this box the full-size contents would be worth over $250.

Again, my biggest complaint is that they sent me too many little packets of samples. I’ve got a drawer needing to be cleaned out because of it, so thanks for all the memories Birchbox but let’s just be friends.

Ipsy:

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The first noticeable difference with this subscription is that everything comes in a bag. I think I’m going to welcome this change. For one, I’ve got plenty of little boxes to last me a lifetime (they really come in handy wrapping presents or organizing drawers), but it will be nice to make the switch to bags. Every month all of your beauty samples come in a bag you can keep.
That to me makes the $10 a little more worth it.

And speaking of things that make it worth it…check out that blush! That’s a full size product right there, friends! The blush is worth $15 if you were to buy it out right, so that makes up for your cost automatically.

From what I’m told, receiving a full-size product isn’t an uncommon occurrence with Ipsey, which is reason number 1-10 I decided to make the switch.

If you’re hesitant to shell out the $10 a month, think of it as a really well informed girlfriend sending you the latest and greatest beauty products that are worth way more than what you’re paying.
Ipsy does have a long waiting list so just know that even if you decide you want to do it you’re not going to be signed up right away. They won’t charge your card until you get off the list. For me it was about 3 months.

Think about it! It’s fun to get a box or a bag of calorie-free goodies delivered to you every month!

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DIY Lip Scrub

The initials “DIY” don’t often get typed or spoken in my house. While I absolutely LOVE creating things with my hands, the time for it just doesn’t exist.

And when it comes to my lips, I never really saw the need to scrub them or do anything other than paint them up occasionally. In fact, I used to secretly scoff the whole “lip scrub” idea because I thought it was pointless. Then one day I was scrolling through Instagram and saw a picture of a girls lips that were perfectly smooth and I noticed how great they made her lipstick look. It was then that I realized two things… 1. My lips look like crusty old shoes compared to hers. 2. If I scrub them, it’s going to make my lipstick look so much better.

So I took to the internet and found a DIY lip scrub I could make at my house with ingredients I already own.

Here’s what I used…

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  • Coconut Oil (because HELLO it’s the cure for EVERYTHING)
  • Honey (how cute is my little honey pot! It’s from Mast General Store)
  • Sugar
  • Molasses

No, you do not have to have molasses to make this. The original recipe calls for brown sugar – of which I have none. Why do I have a random ingredient like molasses but not brown sugar? Why DON’T you have molasses? That’s the best comeback I’ve got.

I created brown sugar out of the molasses and regular sugar so it all worked out (and you just learned something new).

Here’s how the rest goes…

Combine a tablespoon each of the coconut and honey and mix together really well. Make sure the coconut oil is melted enough to mix, but not so melted it gets runny (mine got a little runny). If you haven’t already pledged your allegiance to the coconut oil club, you should. This stuff is amazing for your skin and is full of anti-oxidants and vitamins that will help slow the affects of aging. Yeah, read more about it’s amazing-ness here.

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If you don’t have to create brown sugar from scratch like I did, throw two teaspoons of brown sugar into the mixture and get everybody acquainted.

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And here’s the final product!

Keep it in the refrigerator and use it within two weeks. I plan on scrubbing up everyday (for a full one to two minutes) because now my lips feel very soft AND this stuff tastes preeeetty good.

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Prep Time

Happy post-holidays everybody!
These past few weeks have been a wonderful whirlwind of parties, family time and crashing on the couch.

This week I’m still in major catchup mode, so give me a minute to get everything back together and I’ll be back to a blogging routine in no time! Until then, enjoy my segment from last week where I talked about my favorite products from 2014 and click here to see where you can buy them all.

It’s going to be a wonderful year! (I just need a little more time to prep for it ;)

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These Beauty Products Went to the Head of the Class in 2014

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Between subscription beauty boxes and new beauty technology, it seems that the beauty product world is taking great strides to make things easier for us all. Pretty soon we’ll be doing the Jane Jetson thing – walk into our closet and a few puff of makeup-laden clouds later, emerge ready to take on the day!
I’m excited to see what 2015 is going to bring, but I’m also very happy to take my favorite products from 2014 into the new year.

Here are my top five favorite beauty product picks from 2014…

Dove Hair Spray
I have tried so many different brands and holds, but this Dove extra hold hair spray that you can pick up at any grocery store, has become my absolute favorite. When I spray it on while I’m styling then again afterwards, I can wake up the next day with the same hair. It also doesn’t crunch up and leaves my hair shiny

Beauty Blender

This little sponge doesn’t look amazing, but once you try it you’ll believe. If you get it a little damp, it expands to twice it size and becomes the absolute best way to apply concealer or really any kind of foundation to your face. It gets right in there and leaves your makeup so smooth.

Artistry Moisturizer and Spot Corrector
This was the year I really decided to spend a little extra on my skin. Because it’s something you’re wearing always so why not invest a little more in it. Their spot corrector actually works, and this moisturizer does a great job of brightening your skin overall. Contact this gal to get you some!

Smashbox Photo Finish Hydrating Under Eye Primer
This is a primer that goes under your concealer. It automatically brightens your under eye area just by itself, and it helps your concealer stay put. I just started using this and I’m impressed by it. You can pick it up at Sephora or Dillard’s.

Urban Decay Makeup Setting Spray
I am addicted to this stuff. It just provides the perfect pick-me-up mist in the middle of the day and really helps set my makeup. On the days I use it I can tell a difference on my face. My makeup doesn’t look so tired. And if you get the big bottle it will last you a long time. This one has lasted me a full year.

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The Beauty Product You Needed Yesterday

This Beauty Blender Sponge is a thrill ride. You may not have the words “thrill ride” pop in your head when you look at it, but oh what fun it is to try.

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First, you don’t use it the way it is. You’ve got to get it damp. Once you do that, it expands almost doubling in size!

Then once you’ve patted it dry, the magic continues with the way it makes your concealer smooth out over your face, causing any blemish or spot you’re trying to cover up – disappear! It’s magical!

I’ve used it with my powder foundation as well, touching up spots towards the end of the day and it continues to help my make up melt into my face doing exactly what I want it to do. After a while it does get all dirty with your makeup stains, but that doesn’t mean the fun has to stop!

Once it gets to that point, you can either wash it with the special wash they sell or just use a gentle face cleanser…and BOOM it’s like new again! WILL THE FUN EVER END!? …Actually you do have to buy a new one after about 3 months or so. But the good news is you only have to pay around $20 for this little bucket of awesome.

There are multiple people on my Christmas list who will be getting one of these – go buy one for yourself and join the party!

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