New Target Beauty Box

So, Target recently released a one time beauty box. It's my suspicion that they're seeking to get back into the beauty sub arena. At one time, they sent out free makeup bags with samples inside. That's neither here nor there.

This box was a whopping $5. Granted, it took longer than they said it would to arrive and it was addressed to me "or current resident". WHAT? I paid for this. Don't go giving my $5 purchase to "or current resident" that's a good way to not get me to buy this EVER again. (who am I kidding? I'd buy it again.)

This is what was inside my Target Beauty Box.

 La-Roche Posay Effaclar Duo Dual Action Acne Treatment. Meh. I probably won't use this as I don't have alot of trouble with blemishes. (Probably just jinxed myself.)

 L'Oreal BB Cream in Light. Well, this would be cool to try if I didn't already use it.

 Yesssss.... THIS. This made my entire box worth it. This is the Gilette Venus & Olay 5 Blade Razor. It sells for around $9. Yea. It's Awesome. I will definitely be investing in refills.

 The Fekkai Glossing Cream -- haven't tried it yet, but I plan on it. This is a generous sample. I actually saw it at Ulta a few days ago for $9.

 Last up, Sally Hansen Salon Effects Nail Polish Strips. I wasn't a fan of the print, so I traded them for black polish strips with glitter on them. Much better. These sell for around $9.

 So, would I buy this again? You bet. I got around $27 worth of product, an awesomely sturdy white box to repurpose, and a $3 off $15 purchase coupon from Target. While the customer service and shipping time could be improved and the 'or current resident' taken off of the next shipping label. I'd buy again.

DISCLAIMER: This product review was not solicited by Target. I am not affiliated with Target or any other beauty subscription services. This review contains only my honest opinion of products I purchased.

Ipsy: June 2013 [Wild Side]

This month's Ipsy thing was something along the lines of "Wild Side". If you're unfamiliar with Ipsy, it's a monthly beauty subscription for $10/month. 4-5 deluxe size samples or full size products come in a custom Ipsy makeup bag! It can be cancelled at any time. The bags are now starting to have a little more variation. You may have some either/or colors (i.e. the eyeliner) and/or some either/or products (i.e. false lashes instead of the eyeliner).

This month, this is what was inside of my bag. (Sorry, the picture's a little blurry. Guess my camera was having an off day.) The bag is a super cute animal print with a neon green zipper. 

First up, we have NYX blush in Angel. This is full size and sells for around $5. (See photo below for color swatch.)

 

 Next, we have the Starlooks lip liner in Tipsy. Now, it looks a little loud (and in the swatch), but I tried it. Slap some Burt's Bee's over that, and it looks totally natural. This product sells for $12.

 I also received the Chella highlighter pencil. I have liquid highlighters, but this is the first pencil in my makeup drawer. I've used it every day since I got it. This product sells for $18.

Some folks received false lashes rather than eyeliner (hardly a fair trade off, in my opinion), but I received the Cailyn gel eyeliner in purple. (The other color option was Iron, a super pretty grey color.) This has wonderful staying power, and I love that it comes with the brush inside the lid. This product sells for $21.00.  

 Lastly, I got the J.Cat Sparkling Cream Palette in Suzie. I'm not a huge fan of "glitter", so I traded this with someone. Either way, this product sells for around $4.

 Here are some color swatches of the products I received. 1) Chella Highligher 2) Starlooks Tipsy Liner 3) NYX Blush in Angel 4) Cailyn Gel Eyeliner in Purple.

All-in-all, I'm super satisfied with Ipsy for the 3rd month in a row. I ended up with around $60 worth of product for a mere $10, and I got a makeup bag to boot. Uh, yea. I'm a fan. If you're interested in signing up, please use this referral link. No, your soul will not be stolen if you use a referral link. Just for the record, if I inspire you to spend $10 on Ipsy, they are nice and send out extra products on occasion for referrals. The last two items have been an Urban Decay MoonShadow and a BaubleBar bracelet.

DISCLAIMER: This product review was not solicited by Ipsy. I am not affiliated with Ipsy or any other beauty subscription.  This review contains only my honest review of products I purchased.

NOTE: All Ipsy links in this post are refferal links.

Birchbox: June 2013 [Wanderlust Box #1]

Birchbox is a monthly beauty subscription service that provides 4-6 samples of beauty products chosen just for you based on your "profile". (I'm still not certain I'm drinking the 'we base your box on your profile' kool-aid.)  The subscription is $10/month and can be cancelled anytime. Through Birchbox, I have found quite a few products I wouldn't have found otherwise. My favorite thing about Birchbox is their points system. You receive 10 points per review (so roughly $5 in points per month), and 100 points is a free $10 to use in their store. Points are good for 365 days, so you can spend them as soon as you get them or save them up for something big! It's a great way to get higher end products at a great price.

Moving on... This month, Birchbox got a "makeover". They rid themselves of the uber pink website and went to a more uni-sex, contemporary website. Am I a fan? Meh. It's debatable. I don't like change, so I'm sure it will grow on me.

This month's theme was "Wanderlust". This box is filled with samples from near and far that will serve you well on all your summer adventures.

What's in the box, already?! Here's a quick shot of the new "box logo" and what my box looked like as I opened it.  

I must say, when I first found out what was coming in this month's box, I was like only halfway excited. However, by the time I finished opened it, I couldn't wait to try out what was inside!

First up, we have the Suki Exfoliate Foaming Cleanser. The full-size retails for around $33, so this sample has a monetary value of around $2. I tried this the night I got it, and ooommmmgeeee, Gladys. It is incredible. It smells like a lemon drop, no lie. It has sugar in it for exfoliating, but it also foams up like a cleanser. Uber cool. This is definitely on my short list of products to purchase! 

This month, Birchbox and Color Club teamed up to create four polishes inspired by all of the Birchbox global offices. My box came with "Reign in Spain". Don't be fooled, it looks like a super pretty coral color, right? It is... but it's totally neon. Some people have complaints about the "formula"... too streaky, etc. But I have never seemed to have a problem with it. I'm not some hardcore nail enthusiast, so to me it's usable! The full size, which is all four polish colors, sells for $8 in the Birchbox Shop. Thus, this is worth about $2.

Ketchup? No. It's 100% Pure lotion samples. Some people complain about "foil packets", but I don't really mind them. I will say though, that I wish these were a little larger. I'd like to sample this body lotion on more than just my hands. Heck, this won't even cover a leg. Well. Maybe between the two packets I can get my legs covered... whatever. Anyway, these retail for $15 full size.

I have heard wonderful things about this Klorane Dry Shampoo with Oat Milk. The full size sells for $18. I have tried my fair share of dry shampoo. I have dark hair, so I obviously don't want one leaving me looking like I've sprouted a head full of grey hairs since the previous day. This, my friends, is about to be my new holy grail dry shampoo. Let's face it, if you say you lovvveeee washing your hair every.single.day, I'm going to call your bluff. This gave my hair volume, left no powdery residue, and didn't have a strong smell. Sold! This one is also on my short list of "to purchase" items. The monetary value of this sample is around $5-6 bucks.

Lastly, I got the Mirenesse Glossy Kiss Lipstick in the shade Perfect Kiss. Admittedly, it's a little to loud for my preference when I put it on my lips. However, I am pretty sure that I can pair it with another lip product and make it a little more subtle. This is the same size as a full-size that retails for $26.50. Winning!! The difference between the "full-size" and this one -- this one has to be sharpened, the other is a twist up.

Well -- that's my Birchbox (#1) for the month of June! I got well over my $10 investment. On top of that, I found two new products that I'm pretty sure I'm not going to be able to live without. hellloooooo Birchbox points! Again, if you are interested in signing up for Birchbox, please use that link to sign up. Yes, it is a referral link. No, it doesn't reward me with a $1,000,000 check (although, that would be nice) and result in the loss of your soul. Sign up, people. It's awesome.

DISCLAIMER: This product review was not solicited by Birchbox. I am not affiliated with Birchbox or any other beauty subscription.  This review contains only my honest review of products I purchased.

NOTE: All Birchbox links in this post are referral links.  

DIY How-To: Chalk Paint

Let me just tell you how this little "chalk paint" adventure started. In my office, I had a small desk from Target. Assembled myself, particle board, and did I mention small? Well, on a recent trip to IKEA, I'm perusing the showroom and low and behold I see it -- the desk I must have. And then I realize not only is it $450 (doesn't have a nice ring to it if you're the resident tightwad), it's all particle board and I have to assemble it. No thanks. So, on the way home, Mister says someone has posted a solid wood desk for sale on Facebook. Two words made me think this wasn't going to be as cheap as I wanted [those words would be solid wood in case you missed it]. But what did they want for it... $50??? SOLD!!

After we picked it up, I immediately noticed it was in pretty rough shape. It's well constructed, but in it's "original form" it wasn't very aesthetically pleasing (and it smelled weird. ew.)   So, after letting it sit outside for a few days and rid itself of the raunchy smell, I decided I didn't want it to be dark colored. So, I scoured the internet for all of the possible ways I could makeover this wonderful piece of furniture. Y'all, fifty bucks for a solid wood desk with a hutch on it. I mean come on, I have to make it beautiful! 

I settled on chalk paint. Why? Duh. No sanding. No priming. Just paint that bad boy.

The next decision was pay $35 a quart for Annie Sloan paint or make it myself. I decided that since this was my first experiment with chalk paint, I should opt for the "real thing". I got a quart of Old White. I was told it would cover a table and two chairs twice and should be more than enough for my desk. I'll get to that in a minute. Below are the list of colors offered by Annie Sloan. [Note: If you're interested in making your own, there are like a bazillion tutorials/how-to's online... just google it. You're welcome.]

Every website/blog I found recommended sealing the chalk paint with Annie Sloan Soft Wax. It comes in clear and dark. I chose clear, simply because I didn't want the desk to look too antique. The wax is $25 for this size container. And I could've waxed my desk about five times with that little container. It goes a long way!

So what did this desk look like? Well, I brought it home in two pieces and didn't put it back together to take a picture of it for you. Please, use your imagination. I know you have one. As you can see, though, it was a dark espresso finish. Upon close inspection, you can see that it's scratched alllllll to pieces.

Before you get started, you will need 1 (or in my case 2) quarts of Annie Sloan chalk paint (or make your own), a paint brush to apply the paint, Clorox wipes, 220 grit sandpaper, Annie Sloan Wax, a paper plate, and two rags.

When I was ready to settle in and get the job done, I got out the Clorox wipes and wiped this thing down (twice for good measure) from top to bottom. Walk away, go sip some water, let it dry.

What's next, you ask? Oh, right. You don't need to sand it, and you don't need to prime it. BAZINGA!! Just paint it, you fool. No, but really. One thing I found was that if you pour the paint into a solo cup or a plastic container of some kind, it tends to get a little thick. Also, if you want to thin the paint out, you can just add some water to it. Very, very versatile. For this project and my personal preference, I painted it straight out of the can. This is what it looked like after one coat of paint.

I knew after the first coat that it would take three to cover up the espresso finish. So, back to the store I went! Anywho... By the time I finished applying the first coat, I could go right back to where I started and put on the second coat. Seriously, I'm not kidding. It dries that fast.

After the third coat, I started to apply the wax with a paint brush. Eh.. bad idea. It goes on way too thick, thus making it uber hard to buff off.  [Note: If you're painting your piece with something other than white/beige, I would recommend putting the wax on a paper plate. That way you don't wind up putting some paint color from your rag into the can of wax.] You'll want to use one rag to put the wax on and the other rag to buff it off. I mean, you can try to use the same rag for both jobs, but don't say I didn't warn you.

While I had one section waxed and buffed, I thought I'd see what distressing it was going to look like. FAIL. The can says to put the wax on, then distress, then wax again. Personal preference... don't. With a piece of 220 grit sandpaper, I started distressing. This is what it looked like... It came off in big "chunks" because I was having to use extra pressure to get through the wax. 

I decided to distress the rest of the desk before waxing, and it turned out incredible!  Once you wax over the distressed area, it really makes it pop! Wax tip: do small sections at a time. Wax on, wax off. (Yea, I went there.)

The picture below is after one coat of paint. If you look closely (or click to enlarge) you can see the reflection of one of those shelves on the top of the desk. The more coats of wax you add, the shinier it gets. That's just one coat. The wax is recommended to protect the paint from chipping or absorbing stains. I will be honest, when this was out in the garage, after three coats of paint and a coat of wax... I really wasn't in love. It was just, meh. I told my mom "yea, it'll work, but I'm not sure I love it."

Boy, was I wrong. [Yes, I do know how to admit when I'm wrong.] Look at this! It's incredible. My office is now a place I actually want to be! It's also pretty incredible because I had a desk that was significantly smaller, yet this desk makes the room look so much bigger. I am so unbelievably happy with my $150 desk. Who needs IKEA particle board? Psh. Not this girl.

Moral of the story? Do I recommend chalk paint? Yes! Is it worth $35 a quart? Yes! Think about it. If you bought a can of primer, a can of paint, and a can of finish/sealer... then you sanded, put one-two coats of primer (let it dry OVERNIGHT), two coats of paint, and a coat of sealer (and let it dry for a few days)... I mean... do the math. Time is valuable, y'all. I may try my hand at making my own chalk paint, but for now, Hip Hip Hooray for Annie Sloan Chalk Paint!