PREVIEW: Julep July 2013

Well, ladies, the July selection window opens this morning & Julep already has this month's picks up on their website! Here's what we have this month:

 

The California Coast Collection: July 2013. "July's gorgeous colors and finishes were inspired by surf, sand, sunsets, and the breathtaking natural beauty of the coastline."

 

 

This month's Modern Beauty box contains the new Beach Tonic Dry Body Oil & Sea Salt Texture Spray. SUPER EXCITED about both of these. I love sea salt spray & I'm curious about the oil. From Julep's website: "This lightweight, antioxidant-rich moisturizer absorbs instantly and leaves no greasy residue—just soft skin and a breezy citrus fragrance."

 

 

The Boho Glam box features the Beach Tonic Dry Body oil, as well as two polishes called Karen & Faye. Karen is a 'peach bellini frost' and Faye is 'liquid bronze shimmer.'

 

 

The Bombshell box features the Beach Tonic Dry Body oil, as well as two polishes called Joanna & Blakely. Joanna is a 'lilac frost' and Blakely is a 'purple & green molten.'

 

 

The Classic with a Twist box features the Beach Tonic Dry Body oil, as well as two polishes called Cassie & Alaina. Cassie is a 'soft coral sheer' and Alaina is 'driftwood taupe creme.'

 

 

The It Girl box contains three polishes, as usual. They are Nadia a 'sun-kissed golden frost,' Angela a 'deep sea blue molten,' and Tracy, a 'sparkly ocean blue' with a sea salt finish!

 

 

There are actually two featured add-ons this month, the first of which is Adele. Adele is a reflective top coat that can be put over any nail color for a multidimensional holographic effect.

 

 

The other add-on is Fireworks, perfect for the Fourth of July! It's a glitter top coat featuring red, white & blue.

Deal of the Day: Julep Online Warehouse Sale

A few weeks ago, Julep announced that they're having their first ever online warehouse sale on June 17th for 24 hours only. There's an event on Facebook you can RSVP to for early access: https://www.facebook.com/events/169412909902091/?fref=ts



I'm not sure if this is the 'early access' they were referring to or if they're just slowing adding sales items to the site, but there are a TON of good deals already up on their website right now! They don't have an actual section up for the sale yet, but here are a few of the items I've found. You can just search for them in the search bar!

Annette $3.00
Brit $3.00
Olivia $3.00
Stella $3.00
Alma $3.00
Otte $3.00
Kathleen $3.00
Daisy $3.00
Candy $4.00
Eileen $4.00
Ingrid $4.00
Molly $4.00
Emma $4.00
Stefani $4.00
Jordan $4.00
Renee $4.00
Dendrie $4.00
Caroline $4.00
Lucy $4.00
Natasha $4.00
Melissa $4.00
Viola $4.00
Sofia $4.00
Jackie $4.00
Sharon $4.00
Leslie $4.00
Mischa $4.00
Patti $4.00
Vivien $4.00
Julep Matte Top Coat $4.00
Girls Night Out Set $5.00
Summer Nights Set $5.00
Sea Salt Collection $8.00
Rock Candy Collection $10.00

Julep Daylight Defense SPF Lip Balm $2.00
Neon Hair Ties $2.00
Pomegranate Body Scrub $2.00
Pomegranate Body Creme $2.00
Pink Body Scrub  $2.00
Pink Body Frosting  $2.00
Gleaming Olive Bangles $3.00
Reveal Nail Growth Revitalizing Serum $5.00
Julep's Exclusive Make Up Bag $5.00
Grapefruit Galore $6.00
Dry Clean Invisible Dry Shampoo $7.00

There are tons of other sets of polish for $5-10! :)


Editing to show you guys what I got! 8 polishes, a top coat, serum, & scrub/lotion/mitt set all for $35.

Item	Sku	Qty	Subtotal
Julep Matte Top Coat	06-01-00201	1	$4.00
Grapefruit Galore	10-01-00256	1	$6.00
Reveal Nail Growth Revitalizing Serum	05-01-00027	1	$5.00
Girls Night Out	10-01-00242	1	$5.00
Rock Candy Collection	10-01-00241	1	$10.00
Gold Dust	10-01-00247	1	$5.00
Order Status			processing
Subtotal			$35.00
Shipping & Handling			$0.00
Grand Total			$35.00

REVIEW: Glamour Doll Eyes OTM June 2013

My very first Glamour Doll Eyes order came yesterday and I am seriously kicking myself for not signing up for this sooner. 

I've been meaning to checkout this subscription forever & I kept missing the window to sign up! So this time, I set my alarm on my phone and managed to snag a one-month slot. You can also sign up for two month, three month, six month, and even twelve month subscriptions, but you have to be fast!  :) 

Some additional info from their website: (http://www.glamourdolleyes.com)

Of the month spots will open up on the 8th of every month. If the 8th lands on a Saturday or Sunday, they will open up on that Friday. There will only be 100 OTMs open at a time so only a handful will be released each month. OTMs will be shipped on the 10th of every month. If the 10th lands on a Saturday or Sunday, it will ship the following Monday. If you're International and you have an ongoing subscription, they will ship the 1st, if you purchase on the 8th, it will ship the 10th for that month and the 1st for every other month of your subscription.

They release a new color eye shadow each month known as 'Of the Month' or OTM & it's sold for that month only! Very exclusive. 

Here's this month's!

It all comes in a cute little satchel!

The contents! The actual shadow, delicious candy that sort of goes with the month's theme, & a card with more information about that month's shadow. Also came with a Glamour Doll Eyes business card with their contact information. 

Again, I apologize for my camera acting up, but here's the back. Love that it not only tells you the name of the shadow, but also the month it was released! Ingredients are listed here & also on the website. 

LOOK HOW PRETTY THIS IS. It's called Flicker Pop! & it's a bright blue shadow with white & red glitter. Sent out to us in June so we can wear it for July 4th! I've never been a huge blue eye shadow fan, but I will definitely figure out a way to wear this. 

Swatch doesn't even do it justice. This is also totally buildable so you could make it lighter or darker depending on your preference!

Here's all the information on the OTM if any of you are interested: 

http://www.glamourdolleyes.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=104

You can also purchase samples of their other shadows super, super cheap. $1.25 for .5 grams in a baggie or $2.50 for 1 gram of product in a jar. 

http://www.glamourdolleyes.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=31_33

REVIEW: Ipsy June 2013

Last month, Ipsy had so much variety that I decided to sign up for a second bag. I forgot to cancel it, so I got two this month as well! Luckily, they had quite a bit of variety with products & colors this month too, so I only ended up with one duplicate item. I know a lot of people were disappointed by Ipsy this month, but I love both of my bags & I think I'll get use out of everything! :) 

Bag One: NYX Powder Blush in Angel, J.Cat. Sparkling Cream Palette in Suzie, Starlooks Lip Liner in Tickle Me Pink, Chella Highlighter Pencil, & Cailyn Line-Fix Gel Eyeliner in Iron. 

Bag Two: NYX Cream Blush in Rose Petal, J.Cat. Sparkling Cream Palette in Volta, Starlooks Lip Liner in Tipsy, Chella Highlighter Pencil, & J.Cat Eyelashes & Glue in EL503. 

The bag itself was ADORABLE this month. Maybe I just think so because I love neon & animal print, but seriously. Look at it. 

J.Cat. Eyelashes in EL503. I was so excited when I saw these in my bag. I love false lashes! Honestly, the ones I buy are usually way more dramatic than these are. In fact, I think I could probably get away with this particular style for a regular, every day look! I haven't actually tested these babies out yet, so I can't vouch for how well they stay on, but I'll let you guys know the second I put them on!

Chella Ivory Lace Highlighter Pencil. I'm kinda meh about this, but I'll use it. I'm so obsessed with Benefit's Watts Up & theBalm's Mary Lou-manizer & this just looks so boring compared to those. It's the lack of shimmer. But I did see some girls using this on their waterline & it looks super gorgeous, so I think I'll use it that way! (It's the bottom swatch, if that's not obvious!)

Cailyn Line-Fix Gel Eyeliner in Iron. I'm still a little on the fence about gel eyeliner. I love liquid eyeliner and I love eyeliner pencils, but for some reason I just can't get gel eyeliner to look quite right! I received this one in the color Iron, which looks black in the pot, but actually looks kind of like Gunmetal once it's on. This eyeliner is SUPER cool because there's a brush in the cap! I'm excited to try this out. :) Please excuse the blurry swatch..camera is not behaving well today. 

NYX Blushes. I am so happy about both of these! There were a ton of varieties of blush types/colors sent this month and I was so nervous I was going to end up with something really bright or really brown. The powder blush in Angel is very pale with some gold shimmer. So pretty! The cream blush in Rose Petal is a bit brighter but I think you could get a more subtle look if you blended it really well. I'm new to cream blush, so I wasn't really sure what the expect. I just used my finger to swatch and it feels like lip gloss in the pot, but it's not sticky or anything once you blend it in. It dries to an almost matte finish, or at least this one does. Rose Petal swatch on the left & Angel swatch on the right. 

Starlooks Lipliners in Tipsy & Tickle Me Pink. Ok, maybe I'm weird but I've never owned a lip liner. I always thought lip liners had to match your lipstick & you just used it to outline your lips so the lipstick wouldn't spread. Well, apparently I was wrong. Turns out plenty of people use lip liner to line AND fill their lips, so I don't have to go out & try to find matching lipsticks for these! Anyway, I'm seriously in love with both of these colors. The Tickle Me Pink is the perfect Barbie pink & Tipsy is this really lovely bright coral/orange color! Probably not colors I'll wear every day, but definitely for going out & special occasions! Tipsy swatch on top, Tickle Me Pink swatch on the bottom. 

J.Cat. Sparkling Cream Palettes. These have caused a lot of drama in the last few days. Originally, J.Cat had these listed in the 'eyes' section of their website & simply said to use with caution in the eye area. But then Ipsy started posting that these are NOT to be used on your eyes & J.Cat moved them to the 'Sparklings' area of the website. Kind of sketchy, but I'm guessing they're just trying to cover their butts in case someone actually tries to press charges for getting glitter in their eyes. 

I was still SO EXCITED to get these & even more excited to receive both colors! Suzie is the gold/copper palette & Volta is the black/silver palette. I'll be using these on my eyelids, warnings be damned. :) I mean, they come with eye shadow applicators, for goodness sake! I am a die hard Green Bay Packers fan, so I'll be using the gold for game days if nothing else, but I think just a tiny bit of this in the corners of your eyes would be so pretty for a night out. We'll see. I haven't gotten to play with them too much, but I'll try to come up with a look this week & post it here. 

And of course, this month's discount codes! :)

J.Cat Beauty 

• LOVEIPSY - 25% off your purchase. Offer valid through 7/15/13. Coupon code cannot be combined with other promotions. To attain discount properly, enter the code in all caps during checkout. U.S. Only.

Starlooks 

• IPSY - Receive 35% off any order. Offer valid through 7/15/13. Valid for unlimited purchases. Valid Worldwide.

Cailyn Cosmetics 

• IPSY30 - Receive 30% off any order. Offer valid through 7/10/13. Cannot be combined with any other offers.

Freeman Beauty 

• IPSY33 - Receive the Super Hero Hair Duo set with bonus for $13.98. Bonus set includes: 1 full-size Psssst! Instant Dry Shampoo, 1 new Psssst! Volumizing Boost and 1 FREE Psssst! Clarify & Shine Scalp Treatment ($6.99 value!). Available to U.S. residents only. Offer valid through 8/31/13. All Super Hero Hair Duos ship free with offer. Only authorized orders will be processed and shipped. Offers cannot be combined, only one offer allowed per order. We reserve the right to cancel any order due to unauthorized, altered or ineligible use of offer and to modify or cancel any promotion due to system error or unforeseen problems. Code valid only at freemanbeauty.com.

NYX Cosmetics 

• IPSY15 - Receive 15% off entire site. Promo is valid for a total of 2000 uses. Redeemable only on www.nyxcosmetics.com. Discounts/offers cannot be combined with any other offers.
• IPSYCHEEKS - 40% off Tango with Bronzing Powder. Offer valid through 7/10/13. Redeemable only on www.nyxcosmetics.com. Discounts/offers cannot be combined with any other offers.

Chella 

• GLAMBAG - Receive 20% off any order. Offer valid through 6/30/13. One time use only. Offer available to US and Canada. Canada does not qualify for free shipping on orders over $50 and must check a box releasing Chella of any responsibility for customs and taxes on the Canadian side.

Deals of the Day: Origins + Urban Decay

Hey ladies! Just wanted to let you know about two sales that I ordered stuff from today. :)

First off, Urban Decay has the Vintage 24/7 Eye Pencils for $9.50 a piece, originally $19. That's a steal! Plus if you have an account with them, you get free shipping over $35. If you're planning on ordering some, do it quickly as some of the colors are already out of stock!






Also, Origins is offering a Top 10 Skincare Sample Pack for $10. It contains the following samples:

Plantscription™ Anti-aging serum
Plantscription™ Anti-aging eye cream
Plantscription™ SPF 25 Anti-aging cream

Checks and Balances™ Frothy face wash

Modern Friction™ Nature's gentle dermabrasion

Dr. Weil for Origins™ Mega Bright skin tone correcting serum 

Make A Difference™ Plus Rejuvenating treatment

High Potency Night-A-Mins™ Mineral enriched renewal cream

A Perfect World™ Antioxidant moisturizer with White Tea

GinZing™ Refreshing eye cream to brighten and depuff

Plus, you can use the code BEST to get a free sample of the Clear Improvement Charcoal Mask, an extra sample of your choice, and free shipping! Not sure what the expiration of the code is, as it was supposed to expire yesterday, but if you're ever been interested in trying Origins products..take advantage!

REVIEW: Birchbox June 2013

AHHHH. Just accidentally deleted my entire review from before. :( Version 2...

Got my June box today! :) Nothing I was really hoping for, but now that I have it I'm excited about everything. And I'll definitely get use out of all of my items.

June 2013 Box Contents:

Mirenesse Glossy Kiss in Perfect Kiss

Color Club in Reign in Spain 

Klorane Gentle Dry Shampoo with Oat Milk

Suki Exfoliate Foaming Cleanser

100% Pure Nourishing Body Cream in Coconut & Vanilla Bean

Mirenesse Glossy Kiss in Perfect Kiss: I was actually pleased to see this in my box, as it got such rave reviews on the Makeuptalk.com forums. I received the color Perfect Kiss which is coral with a bit of shimmer. LOVE IT. I don't really wear anything on my lips, other than chapstick or tinted lip balm, but I am definitely wearing this regularly. It goes on very smooth & actually feels more like a lip balm than a lipstick. For some reason it looks sort of cakey in my picture, but I swear it's not. P.S. It's really hard to take a picture of just your lips..hence the whole face! :) 

Color Club in Reign in Spain: Oh my goodness this is a gorgeous color. It looks pretty normal in the bottle, but it's fluorescent coral! I am up to my ears in Julep polish from this month, so I haven't tested it out yet myself, but I did a search for images of this color and WOW. Perfect summer color for my toes! Will probably still be purchasing the whole Wanderlust Collection set, since it's only $8 for 4 minis & I wanted to try the other colors too. 

Klorane Gentle Dry Shampoo with Oat Milk: I tried my first dry shampoo and I have been seriously obsessed with it ever since. I use it more for volume than for oily hair, but I have used it for both. I tested this Klorane product out today before I ran some errands & it had been probably 15 hours since I showered last. I held the container about 10 inches from my roots & sprayed. DO NOT be alarmed if it shows up white on your hair...it'll go away! Let it sit for a few minutes & then sort of massage it in & style as usual! Looks like freshly showered hair. 

Suki Exfoliate Foaming Cleanser: The first thing you'll notice about this stuff is the smell. To me, it smells like Lemonheads, which I love! I tested this with just a small about, probably the size of a dime, and honestly that's probably all you need! Rub your hands together to work up a lather & then gently use on your face. Rinse it off & voila! A smooth, clean face. I'm thinking about purchasing a full size of this once I'm done with my sample. I just really like the way it makes my skin feel!

100% Pure Nourishing Body Cream in Coconut & Vanilla Bean: I actually didn't open these yet, as I plan to put them in my stash for traveling. But this brand did get good reviews on Birchbox.com & the scents are both pretty basic.

Did any of you girls get your boxes yet, or know what you're getting? What are you most excited about?

If you're interested in trying Birchbox, here's my referral link: http://birch.ly/13SUbol

According to their website, anyone who signs up before June 14th will get a June box!

REVIEW: Pacifica Haul

Well, I've had a few days to try out all of the things in my Pacifica order and I'm happy to say I seriously love EVERYTHING that I ordered. I'd highly recommend checking out this company if you haven't already. They do carry Pacifica at Target & some Ulta stores, as well as some TJ Maxx stores! If you order online, you're able to stack coupon codes, which is pretty awesome. :)



Coconut Crushed Pearl Bronzing Body Butter & Coconut Crushed Pearl Luminizing Body Butter: These both have the most awesome coconut/vanilla scent. Like, I kind of wish it was edible. The luminizing butter comes out white just like a regular lotion, but once you rub it in it leaves the perfect amount of shimmer to your skin! It's definitely more of a shimmer than a glitter, so it's not overwhelming. Perfect for your neck & shoulders to add a little extra something to your beauty routine! The bronzing butter comes out more, well, bronze. Don't be scared by the color; it blends in to give you just the faintest bit of color and shimmer. I know some people received this in their Ipsy bags & were complaining that they got a 'tanning' product, but it's not. It's like a very light bronzer, for your body. Like I said, the color blends a LOT so there's no worry about getting the bronzer color on your clothes, or at least I haven't yet. 

French Lilac Body Butter: Lilac has always been one of my favorite scents. I remember my grandma used to have some in her backyard when I was growing up & I was obsessed with always cutting them & having a bouquet of them on the kitchen table. This body butter is a true lilac scent, so if you love the smell of lilacs...you'll love the smell of this. It is pretty strong when you first apply it, but it fades a little & actually lasts a surprisingly long time for a lotion!

Sea Foam Face Wash: For some reason, I am obsessed with skin products...I've found the ones I know work, but I still love to test out new ones constantly. First of all, I love the smell of this. It smells very, very familiar and I just can't put my finger on what it smells like. It does contain coconut water & 'marine extracts' which might sound a little odd, but it seriously smells really good. I will say, if you don't like scented products on/near your face, this is probably not a great product for you as the scent does linger for a bit. Normally, I like face washes that make my skin sort of tingle after I'm done and this one doesn't not do that. However, it does make my face feel super, super soft and moisturized! Also (BONUS) it is an awesome makeup remover. 

 Malibu Lemon Blossom Body Wash, Malibu Lemon Blossom Body Butter, Malibu Lemon Blossom Perfume: When I was first placing my order, I passed by this scent because it didn't sound super appealing. But after I saw all of the ladies on Makeuptalk.com raving about how much they loved the smell of this, I decided to go for it & order the set. Thank goodness, I like it. I guess I thought this would smell more like, well, lemons but of course it does say lemon BLOSSOMS so it's actually more of a floral, with a tiny hint of lemon. It's the most refreshing smell! I layered all three products and the smell easily lasts through my whole work day (and it was co-worker approved--not overwhelming at all!). 

 Alight Multi-Mineral BB Cream: I got this is a free sample with my purchase. I am such an idiot with all these BB/CC/DD creams, so I wasn't even really sure what to expect. I guess BB cream is supposed to sort of replace all of your moisturizer, primer, foundation, etc., but this actually ends up being more of a tinted moisturizer. It does go on very smoothly and definitely moisturizes, but I still put foundation over it to get the coverage I wanted. Might work better for those who don't really wear foundation! 

 Wanderlust Collection: Tuscan Blood Orange Roll-On Perfume, Indian Coconut Nectar Roll-On Perfume, & Tahitian Gardenia Roll-On Perfume: I have so many bottles of perfume I don't even know what to do with them all, and I don't really wear the same ones regularly. So, I've started buying roller balls because they're cheaper and I don't really need anymore big bottles in my bathroom! This set was perfect because I had already smelled the Tuscan Blood Orange and loved it, and I already knew I'd like the Tahitian Gardenia because who doesn't like gardenia? Both of those fragrances smell exactly how you'd expect. The Tahitian Gardenia is a little strong, but with the roll-on I just put a little on my wrists & behind my ears so it's not too much. The Indian Coconut Nectar I wasn't sure about, but it honestly just smells like coconut to me. Nothing fancy!

Solid Perfume Samples: California Star Jasmine, Lotus Garden, Waikiki Pikake, Hawaiian Ruby Guava: These are $2 a piece on the website, or you get a few free with your order depending on the total! The California Star Jasmine is pretty straight forward & smells like jasmine, which I love. The Lotus Garden honestly smells very lemony to me! I like it, I'm just not positive that's what a lotus garden smells like! The Waikiki Pikake smells a lot like sandalwood with a bit of floral mixed in. The Hawaiian Ruby Guava is again, pretty straight forward as it smells just like guava. It's probably my favorite of the samples I picked!

Color Quench Lip Tint in Sugared Fig: This was also a freebie with my order. Not a color I would have picked for myself, but I actually like it! It looks like a sort of maroon color in the tube, but adds just a little bit of color to your lips when applied. It's also super moisturizing. My lips are seriously ALWAYS chapped and I usually just use Chapstick, but I'm going to use this until it runs out! It does the same thing and adds a nice bit of color. May purchase a few of these in different colors/scents!