Beauty Joy Unboxing & Review!

I recently received a recommendation from a fellow subscription box addict on Facebook to try out Beauty Joy.  Well, I couldn't resist after all the wonderful things she had to say about her experience with them, so I had to try them for myself and share my verdict with you!

My Unboxing Thoughts:

The Goodies in my Beauty Joy Box:

Amount Paid: $15.00

Value of Box: $62.75

I'm really impressed with the value in this box!  The lip gloss and necklace are quite wonderful.  I'm swimming in cleansers right now; this one smells wonderful, but it'll probably go in my giveaway drawer.  The hand santizer is always nice, but that one left me a bit underwhelmed.  Overall, though, I'm quite pleased with this box!

Verdict: I'm Happy, so Yay!

Bulu Box Unboxing & Review!

I managed to score a $10/3 month subscription for Bulu Box back in January.  You know how much I love trying out these subscription boxes on a good deal and sharing my thoughts with you!  So, here we go!

About Bulu Box:

Bulu Box is the first health, nutrition and weight loss discovery box designed to help you feel your best. Each month, you’ll get a custom box filled with a new mix of 4 to 5 premium samples from top brands to try. Every sample is sufficient enough to decide if the product is right for you. Of course, shipping is always free and you can cancel anytime. Share your thoughts about each product in our sample surveys and you can earn 50+ Rewards Points (that's $5!) each month! Use your points to purchase your new favorites in full size atBuluBox.com! Here you’ll also get expert tips, tricks and a supportive community of Bulugans just like you! Join the discovery and find a healthier you!

February Bulu Box Unboxing:

Here's the Box:

All the Goodies:

Overall Thoughts:

I think this is a great purchase for $10 for 3 months! I'm really excited about trying out some new products, raking up some points, and buying something before my 3 month subscription is over.  That said, for the $10/ month, I don't think it would really be my thing.  I'm just not that into health food . . . 

Now, $10/month is still a great value for these products. 

I love that we can earn points for every review we write as well as for friend referrals.  The downside is that points expire 90 days after you earn them, so unlike Birchbox, there's no storing them up all up year and then going crazy in the store.  

I was impressed with the four coupon codes plus heart health insert that came in my box this month, though!

Finally, I'm relatively happy with their questionnaire that helps match sample products with your specific box.  I like that I got a nice array of things that might actually interest me.  I didn't get any weight loss magic pills/powder stuff, which I specifically said I did not want.

Verdict: Yay!

Want to try Bulu Box for yourself?  I'd love it if you used my referral link!

The ALL NEW Tom Box and Lessons in Presentation!

Early in February I got an email from TomBox.  The subject line read, "We Know We Sucked."  Now, let's remember that TomBox & SwaagBox are basically the same company.

"Wow!" I thought to myself, "At least they're willing at admit it and try to improve.  Let's find a coupon and give them a second chance. Besides, this would be a good follow-up on the blog!"

 My Unboxing!

Products in my February TomBox (Double Makeup & Jewelry):

- Cailyn Mineral Eyeshadow Powder ($12.00)

- Cargo Liquid Eyeliner ($20.00)

- Silver Bangle (unknown, est $5.00)

- Skin&Co. Roma Sicilian Body Lotion ($10.00)

- Cool Way Boost Repair Mask ($3.75)

- Gold Bangle (unknown, est. $5.00)

- U Kotex Tampons 18ct. ($4.00)

Total Value = $59.75

Amount Paid (with $10 coupon) = $12.00

My eye makeup using items from this TomBox.

My Thoughts about TomBox:

When I first started subscribing to monthly boxes, I really wasn't sure why everyone cared so much about presentation, but now I get it.

This month's box from TomBox is the best illustration of why companies need to think very seriously about how they present their monthly subscription boxes.  Appearances and first impressions are everything.  

After a little bit of research, I know that the items in this box are a really good value. 

BUT, when I first opened the box, I had no way to know that right away!  Plus, everything arrived in an ugly, cheap, brown cardboard box without tissue paper and without a product card.  The items themselves appeared to be haphazardly tossed into the box.  As a customer, I'm not going to treat your product as valuable if the company doesn't bother to present it as valuable.

PLUS, my fragrance sample that was promised in the email promotion I received was missing.  When I contacted customer service, they explained that was last month's promotion.  Then, why did I receive this promotional email on February 3rd?  They did offer to send the sample to me if I really wanted it, but only after making the previous point.  Passive Aggressive much? 

My fragrance sample arrived this week.  I'd suggest its value at $3, but I had to work for it.  It didn't actually arrive with the box, and I had to deal with a passive aggressive email that never apologized for the mistake!

If this month's TomBox had been presented differently, and customer service had treated my missing fragrance sample situation differently, I would be very happy to pay $22 for it!  But as it is, I was barely happy that I paid the discounted price (thanks to a coupon on retailmenot.com) of $12.00.

Verdict: NOPE!

Follow-up: This is the message TomBoxes left on my Facebook post:

Tombox Thanks for the feedback. We are introducing inner packaging within the next 30 days. Regarding the perfume sample it was available to customers who reactivated their accounts. You created a new account which is why it wasn't shipped with your original box.

I am so glad that they are introducing inner packaging!  Seriously, this wasn't a bad box!  It was just poorly presented.  However, their customer service still needs a little spit-polish-and-shine as we would say back home. Apparently, the email I initially received contained incorrect information.  And even now, I'm really confused about how I didn't reactivate my account since I signed into the same account I had before to order this box.  Ugh.  Oh well.  They are still more interested in insisting that they are right about a tiny fragrance sample than trying to repair a relationship with a potential customer.  This is beyond disappointing.  I hope that others are having a better experience with them than I am!  For now, I'm done.

What are your thoughts on Tomboxes' attempt to relaunch?  I'd love to hear your opinions!

February Birchbox Unboxing & Review!

This is my second Birchbox for February.  If you're interested in what I scored in my first box, check that out here. So, here are my thoughts on box #2!

February's Birchbox:

Product Information Card:

Reviews:

- MINU Shampoo: I don't have colored hair!  So, I'm shipping this sample off to Mommy along with the little blister pack sample of serum.

- Juicy Couture Hollywood Royal: Love this scent! Its fresh, a little fruity, and totally sassy!

- Laura Geller Beauty GlamLASH Dramatic Volumizing Mascara: I'm a huge fan of this mascara!  The brush is perfect.  The formula is long-lasting, non-flaking, and super moisturizing!

- Marcelle Gentle Makeup Remover: Great for sensitive skin and highly effective at removing even waterproof mascara!

- PARLOR by Jeff Chastain Moisturizing Sea Salt Spray: I have a new favorite sea salt spray.  This is fantastic as a wave refresher on days 2-3 after styling.  It doesn't dry out or frizz up my hair while enhancing my waves!

If you would like to score 5 awesome samples every month, earn points toward products you love, and to party it up, then check out Birchbox's monthly subscription (affiliate link)!  

Its only $10/month! Plus, by reviewing your samples & posting to social media, you can earn up to $6/ month toward products in the Birchbox store! SWEET!

February Birchbox Unboxing!!

One of my favorite Birchbox's yet!  Check out why!

Here's my Birchbox this month!

Product Information:

Reviews:

- Beauty Protector: Love this product!

- Derma e: I really don't need another scrub, so I'll be putting this in an upcoming giveaway (stay tuned!). No review for this.

- Juicy Couture Hollywood Royal: Love this scent! Its fresh, a little fruity, and totally sassy!

- Marcelle Gentle Makeup Remover: Great for sensitive skin and highly effective at removing even waterproof mascara!

- theBalm Lip Gloss in Read My Lips: Fantastic color.  Highly moisturizing.  Will definitely consider investing in a full size when the time comes!

If you would like to score 5 awesome samples every month, earn points toward products you love, and to party it up, then check out Birchbox's monthly subscription (affiliate link)!  

Its only $10/month! Plus, by reviewing your samples & posting to social media, you can earn up to $6/ month toward products in the Birchbox store! SWEET!

Merry Memebox! Loving my first Memebox!

I am really excited about my very first Memebox!  I won 30+ points in a giveaway last fall, and I finally cashed them in! 

Beautiful Box!

I love all the goodies! I scored this box for $29.99; I spent 30 memebox points and got it for free! 

Product Card

side #1

side #2

My look with all the products!  I love it! :-)

Have you ever gotten a Memebox?  Which box(es) did you get?  What did you think of them?

Sweet Scentbird ~ January!

I really am a huge fan of Scentbird!  This month I received Gucci's Guilty Intense.  Its very different from something I would normally purchase for myself, but I really like it!

The main notes are: Pink Pepper, Lilac, Amber, Mandarin Orange, and Patchouli.

Scentbird categorizes this scent with the following labels: Sexy, Party, Sweet!

For $14.95, Scentbird sends you a new designer fragrance every month, and your selection is completely customizable!  They have a fantastic survey that helps them make the best suggestions for you, but you are not limited to those options only! 

To try it for yourself, I'd love it if you used my referral link! 

Rocksbox Unboxing!

I've been wanting to try Rocksbox, so when I scored a code for a free month, I couldn't wait to cash in and make an unboxing video!  I think that Rocksbox is a fantastic concept for a subscription box!  I love the idea of trying out different jewelry collections with the option to buy with a 20% discount.

The jewelry is very nice quality, and arrives attractively packaged.  I received one ring, one necklace, and one pair of earrings, which is perfect given my answers on the style quiz.

      

I will also admit that I was pleasantly surprised by the free necklace included in my first box; its so sweet!

I'll admit that if I had the $46, I'd totally splurge on the amazing geometric ring!  The other two pieces are nice, but I wouldn't go for buying them at Rockbox's prices.

Overall, if you want to experiment with some different types of jewelry before investing in new looks - whether its through Rocksbox or elsewhere, I think that Rocksbox is a totally fun way to do exactly that.

However, for $19/month, I think I'd rather just buy myself a new piece of jewelry for my collection! :-)

Verdict: Meh, but a happy Meh! 

January Birchbox Unboxing (2 of 2)

So, here are all the goodies I got in my 2nd January Birchbox!  Woot!  I love all the goodies!

I'll be posting a review of all these goodies after I have time to check them out, so stay turned!  For more information or to subscribe, you can check out Birchbox.com (referral link).

January Birchbox Unboxing! (1 of 2)

Here's a photo of all the goodies I scored from Birchbox!

I'll have a post coming up with reviews on all these products soon!  So, stay tuned!

For more information about Birchbox or to subscribe, you can follow this link (referral link).

January NatureBox Unboxing!

I am a huge fan of NatureBox!  Their snacks arrive once a month.  Hubby and I can't wait to dive in!

I really enjoy the new add-ons that they just added to their line up, too!

I have three free boxes with subscription to give away this month!  Be one of the first three to message me using the "contact me" feature on the right side of my blog, and I'll send you an invitation!  If you subscribe, then I get one free month of NatureBox; its a win-win!

I enjoyed the Lemon Tea Biscuits with my breakfast!

My Jubees December Treat!

So, this month, I got the single pair of earrings from Jubees Box.  They are adorable!

This simple pair of button earrings are wooden with a lovely pattern of multi-colored feathers.

They are a little larger than the size stud earrings I usually wear, but they actually look really good on me.

Jubees is a monthly subscription box that specializes in stud earrings made from buttons and cabochons.  I think they're adorable!  They have two subscription plans: $6.99/month for a single pair or $14.00/month for four pairs.  They also have a single month plan for four pairs of earrings.

For more information, check out their website!  (Heads up, right now, they don't offer any referral benefits. They are also constantly running deals, so maybe try them out with one of those!)

December Birchbox #2 Unboxing and Review

My initial thoughts on this December Birchbox:

Here are the goodies that I got for my main account Birchbox in December:

Coola Tinted SPF 30 for Face:

I ended up with two of these little tubes between my two boxes this month.  Overall, it has a great texture and leaves skin feeling very good.  But, as I said in my other post, I wish that this had a bit more coverage. 

Verdict: Meh.

Embryolisse Lait-Creme Concentre:

Much like the Yu-Be Moisturizer from my other box, this tiny tube must be filled with gold.  Its in that little box there on the right.  The sample container is a metal tube (interesting).  But its a great little moisturizer.  I'll enjoy the rest of this sample, but won't be investing in the full-size.

Verdict: Meh.

Hayadi Relief Hair Mask:

I'll be honest, I haven't sampled this one yet.  Holiday travel really takes it out of a girl.  This whole west to east and back west thing is not my favorite way to travel.  I can't wait to get back east of the Mississippi!

Verdict: I dunno!

Klorane Dry Shampoo with Oak Milk:

This is a powerful little dry shampoo.  The scent is clean and pleasant.  I enjoyed its performance; it made my hair feel and look cleaner without making it gritty.  I'll certainly consider this one when I'm in the market for a new one!
Verdicts: Yay!

Mirenesse Mattfinity Lip Rouge:

Okay, I really can't figure out what all the fuss is about.  This product just feels gross on my lips.  I couldn't get it to go on without looking totally glopped on like too much icing on a cupcake.  The instructions to let it set for 12 seconds need to be in bold since I didn't even see them until I'd about given up on this little vial of lip stain.

Verdict: No.

My December ScentBird!

I'm really enjoying my subscription to ScentBird! 

Here's what came in the mail this month:

I am a huge fan of this company.  Definitely check out my video above!  If you're considering a subscription for yourself, I'd love it if you used my referral link!

Walmart Winter 2014 Box Unboxed & Reviewed!

So, let's get this box open!

Here are all of the goodies!

Verdict: Meh, but for $5 Yay!

This is definitely still a great little $5 box, but I was seriously underwhelmed after Walmart's Fall Beauty Box.  I'll definitely use everything in here, but with two blister samples that I could have gotten for free with internet deals, I'm just not that thrilled.

December Birchbox #1 Unboxing & Review

My initial thoughts on December's Birchbox:

All of the goodies that came in one of my Birchboxes for December:

Davines Replumping Set:

I really enjoyed the shampoo and conditioner packs.  They were perfect for traveling over the holidays.  I definitely noticed that my hair had more volume without feeling sticky or frizzy, which some volumizing products do to my hair.  I think that the Superactive Leave-In Treatment was more effective and useful for me though.

Verdict: Meh.

Coola Tinted Matte SPF 30:

This tinted moisturizer has a great smooth texture and definitely leaves skin feeling quite silky.  You know I love some SPF, but I really wish that it had more coverage.  I used this while traveling, and it was nice, but I won't be buying the full-size.

Verdict: Meh.

Essentiel Elements Wake Up Rosemary Body Gel:

This body gel has me wishing that I needed to restock my soap now.  The mix of rosemary, mint oils, and honey made my skin feel silky, totally woke me up in the mornings, and made me pumped for the day.  This definitely made jet lag a little easier to deal with while traveling coast-to-coast for Christmas.

Verdict: Yay!

Sumita Color Contrast Eyeliner:

I was really hoping for wonderful things from this beautiful dark gold hue eyeliner.  I was underwhelmed.  Maybe its just my skin tone?  Maybe it was the eye shadow I paired it with?  I don't know, but I couldn't see it very well.

Verdict: Meh.

Yu-Be Moisturizing Skin Cream:

So apparently this tiny tube contains gold since Birchbox considers something this small to be a regular sample size.  I'm really not impressed that they didn't consider the shampoo & conditioner as my samples even though they're like 4x the size of this tiny tube.  (See that white & orange speck the in the box above?  Yeah.)  

Verdict: Meh.

Interested in a subscription to Birchbox?

I'd love it if you used my referral link! 

Lovely L'Occitane En Provence Holiday Box!

I have been wanting to try L'Occitane products for the longest time!  I always felt like they were a bit pricey for my grad student budget.  When they launched their Holiday L'OcciBox with a discount code that made it $15.00, I knew that it would make an easy Christmas present from hubby to me!

I refused to peak at all the goodies, so I made him order it.  Here are my thoughts on this delightful little box of treats!

Here's a picture of all the goodies!

Verdict: Yay! 

I would definitely recommend keeping your eyes open for another box of delights from L'Occitane!  It arrived in a beautiful box with products that every woman would love and actually use.  For $15.00 this box rocks!!

Sparkle and Glam for your Holiday Season!

Target knows what women love, and right now, women love beauty boxes; am I right, ladies?  So, over Black Friday weekend, Target launched not one, but two Holiday Beauty Boxes!

This is the $10 Holiday Box with an advertised value of $50.  I am a sucker for surprises, so I didn't look too long at the items that would be coming before I hit "add to cart."  You can see my excitement in the unboxing video below:

But you all know that I can't just leave it at that!  I wanna share my thoughts about these products, and let you all know if I think they're worth buying as full-size products!

Pixi Endless Silky Eye Pen .03 oz ($8.70)

Verdict: Yay!

 This eyeliner is seriously amazing!  It is soft, super pigmented, and extremely easy to control.  After loving two lip balm by Pixi that I got from Birchbox and now this item, Pixi is next on my list of makeup companies to know better!

CoverGirl Eye Enhancers full size ($4.50)

Verdict: Yay!
 This color palette is wonderful for just about every eye color.  I love how it complements my green eyes.  Most of the eyeshadows are soft and well pigmented, except for the white eyeshadow.  It was the weirdest thing; all the other colors were very easily picked up by my makeup brush, but not that lightest color!

L'Oreal Butterfly Intenza Mascara full size ($8)

Verdict: Meh.

 This is a fun mascara.  The "winged-out" look is definitely subtle, but its kinda there (see pictures below).  I think if I was going to invest in this line I'd go with the regular butterfly mascara by L'Oreal.

Revlon HD Lacquer full size ($8)

Verdict: Yay!

 This is a fantastic lipgloss!  The brush is very soft.  The product itself is glossy and shiny.  To top it all off, there is a lovely crystal on top of the lid!

Thoughts on Target's Makeup Picks

I really enjoy the way these items work together to create a complete look!  What do you think? 

Chapstick Total Hydration full size ($3)

Verdict: Meh

This 3-in-1 lip care total hydration product from Chapstick is wonderful.  I got the scent/ flavor of sweet peach.  This is not a tinted balm.  Its a really good lip moisturizer, but it had difficulty healing/ preventing some extreme chapped lips while I was traveling for the holidays.

Boots No7 Protect & Perfect Serum .01 oz ($3)

Verdict: Yay!
 I got several uses out of this little blister pack!  The serum itself felt as smooth as silk and made my skin feel so good!  A little bit goes a long way, so this item would last a long time.  I would definitely recommend checking out this serum.

Laneige Water Sleeping Mask .6 fl oz ($5.75)

Verdict: Meh
This product smells good and feels very smooth.  However, I think there are some much better intensive moisturizers out there that I'd invest in personally.  I'll definitely enjoy this little jar, but won't be running out the buy the full size.

Hair Food Thickening Serum full size ($12)

Verdict: Yay!
This item definitely delivers a bouncy look without frizz.  I have a hard time with my hair flattening near the roots, and this lifts it right up.  Plus, it smells amazing!  I love that it is paraben, mineral oil, and preservative free.

Overall Thoughts

Well, Target's $5 Holiday Box came up short, while their $10 Holiday Box exceeds their estimated value of $50; it comes it at $52.95 by my calculations.  This is a truly fantastic box, and definitely the better deal of the two!  You get an entire eye and lip look, plus skin and hair care items for $10!  If you missed out this time, make sure you are on the look-out for future beauty box deals from Target!  They are definitely worth it!