Glossybox came a bit late this month- somehow lost in transit-ish. But it is here & after using the products for a bit I am ready to show you what was inside & give you my thoughts! I received some really nice sized items, some items that surprised me, & even a piece of jewelry this month! Keep reading to check it out!

So this month my box included 5 items plus one bonus item. Sadly there isn’t a GlossyMag any longer (which I loved) or themes that are on the cards. I miss that. But here is my informational card either way.

Products in my March 2014 Glossybox-

Alex and Andi Scent 7 Body Mist- I have to say I’m kind of confused by this product. It IS a huge size though at 3.4 oz. I mean, that’s awesome. But the scent itself is supposed to have been created with the four elemental energies (earth, wind, fire, water) & radiate soft warmth. It is also supposed to encourage emotional balances & a sense of ease. Unfortunately all mine does it make me smell like walking into a hair/nail salon combo mixed with men’s cologne. Fragrances are different on everyone though & this one just wasn’t for me personally!

Bonus- Alex & Ani Charm Bangle- I got the one pictured with the swan. Nice bracelet but mine is already blackening which worries me. The idea behind it is lovely though since a swan mates for life, is a symbol of love, & the bracelet asks you to glide through life with an open heart. Okay the bracelet didn’t perk up & tell me that but you know what I mean. I hope.

Alterna Bamboo Volume Plumping Strand Expand- I try to at least give everything in my boxes a shot but this one isn’t for me since I have tons of hair. I am putting this aside to give to my mom who has thinner hair than I do. It is sealed, deceptively heavy in weight, & looks like a lovely sample in the packaging aspect.

Etre Belle Cosmetics Liplift Peel- I was all ready to say boo to this. Fancy lip treatments are luxe for me but not a necessity you know? I’ve been known to use olive oil & sugar on my lips while whipping up dinner. On top of that it describes itself as being gentle & I was like “well then what is the point?” because…right? But indeed it left my lips super soft after about a minute. It feels kind of like a lotion/gel blend with very sparse fine exfoliators. I don’t have much information this product but it much use some awesome enzymes or something for my lips to be so smooth afterwards.

Nails Inc. Brook Street Nail Polish- Right off the bat I’ll say I wish this wasn’t sooooooo tiny. The brush inside is tiny, lid is tiny, & bottle is tiny leading to difficult use. I love Nails Inc. but you made my life so difficult! The shade is lovely but I literally called it “Flammable” for like 2 days since it is bigger on the label than the actual shade name.

Sisley Paris Rose Cream Mask- I am still fighting a breakout from a hormone/stress week so I haven’t gotten to apply this yet. What I CAN tell you is the tube is nice & full, smells divine, & is supposed to be perfect for my skin right now.

If you’re interested in signing up for Glossybox USA it is a monthly subscription service for only $21 a month. I have posted lots of reviews so check them out for reference!

This box wasn’t exactly up my alley but I still think it was a nice value overall! I love the lip peel & that alone is $17.80. Also, really excited to try that mask! What did you receive in your March Glossybox?

Birchbox has only been so-so the past few months for me so I needed this to really impress me. I used to recommend Birchbox above all other subscriptions but lately they’ve been lackluster! This month though they stepped it up with brands I really love & a nice variety. Keep reading to see what was inside!

From left to right the March box included products from Michael Todd, Keims, Jergens, Coola, & the Balm. The theme for March was Spring Forward so the box promised to be full of products to help “maximize your daily routine” apparently. Kind of weird wording no?

Coola Tinted Matte SPF 30 for Face- This is an organic tinted moisturizer which is supposed to even skinetone & mask flaws. It feels like a straight mousse texture which was unexpected. It feels matte but doesn’t exactly look matte to me. I haven’t been able to try it all on my face either because my sample was ore than half empty unfortunately. Not sure how that happened.

Keims Cleanshine Energizing Shampoo- I’ll be about to get about 3-4 uses out of this because I have tons of hair but it is a nice sized sample at 1.69 fl oz. It has a clean scent with the peppermint & macadamia. It is supposed to nourish hair but I didn’t find it was all that moisturizing on my dry hair.

Michael Todd Tropical Fruit Enzyme Exfoliant Scrub- This scrub uses pineapple & papaya enzymes to help slough away dead skin along with scrubbing particles. It is really tropical smelling & is actually white. I think this helps to make it less harsh & drying.

Jergens BB Body Skin Perfecting Cream- This was the Birchbox Find for the month & also came with a $2.00 off coupon. I absolutely love the scent- reminds me of conditioner or fancy haircare! It is a bit denser than lotions. It leaves my skin really soft & I’m likely going to be buying a bottle to use in the spring/summer on my legs to help blur imperfections.

theBalm How ‘Bout Them Apples Cheek & Lip Cream- This is a small sample from theBalm’s new palette which is themed around apples. The sample pan inside is the size of a penny- not a bad size & is the shade Pie. The color is really pretty & corally. I don’t know if I’ll be picking up the palette even though I really like the sample because the entire palette looks really similar to me & red based.

Birchbox is a monthly beauty subscription costing $10 a month. If you review each product monthly you also get credit money in the Birchbox shop. If you review each product each month (assuming there are 5) that equals $5 so the box itself pretty much costs $5 which is an awesome deal! If you’re interested in joining, please subscribe using my Birchbox referral link!

Overall I’m pretty happy with this box. Inside I had a hair product, skincare, makeup, body, & whichever you consider the matte tinted sunscreen either makeup or skincare. Did you get a Birchbox this month? What did you get?

Ipsy has been stepping it up for me lately & I’m pretty excited! When it comes to surprises I’ve been pretty happy with the bags I’ve been receiving from them & the March bag is no exception. Keep reading to see what I received in this nifty bag including products from Bare Minerals, Nicole by OPI, Be a Bombshell, & Pacifica. Keep reading for swatches & mini reviews!

 The March 2014 Ipsy bag was a special design & the theme was Destination Beauty. I received 4 products total this month- all really nice sizes actually.

Nicole by OPI Roughles Nail Polish in On What Grounds?- This is such a pretty color & has really nice texture! I’m literally wearing this as I type so sorry I don’t have a photo of my manicure. This is a softened aqua/mint shade with blue & perhaps brown bits in it? Very different from the many other textured nail polishes I own!

Bare Minerals Marvelous Moxie Lipstick in Get Ready- This is a mini lipstick & I love this formula! I was really excited this was included! The shade itself is a neutral & quite natural pink for my lips personally. Nice shine & great texture.

Pacifica Indian Coconut Nectar Body Butter- I actually have a full size of this body butter! I love the scent so much I actually bought a rollerball of the perfume too! It is a very vanilla based coconut scent, perfect for layering. I keep this in the back of my stash until it warms up because it is perfect for layering with summer-y scents.It is also vegan & cruelty-free.

Be a Bombshell Eyeshadow Quad in Bora Bora- We’ve gotten lots of Be a Bombshell items in past bags & this might be my favorite! The shades SCREAM summer & really make my blue eyes pop! The quad contains all shimmering shades in a bright turquoise, light bronze, rich copper, & chocolate brown.

Here are the swatches of the Be a Bombshell Eyeshadow Quad in Bora Bora followed by the Bare Minerals Marvelous Moxie Lipstick in Get Ready.

In case you aren’t familiar, Ipsy is a monthly beauty subscription service that costs only $10. Please use my referral link if you choose to sign up, I really appreciate it! The nice thing about Ipsy is that it provides me with gifts for others & cosmetic bags to regift as well.

I’m quite happy with this month’s bag which is good since I was really considering canceling. For the first time in a long time I like every single product! I can see myself using this quad during the summer as well as the lotion which I already like, I’m wearing the nail polish now, & this lipstick is divine!

Did you receive an Ipsy bag this month? Thoughts? Have you ever considered subscribing?

I bought it. Referral links.

Birchbox time again!I thought the packaging on this box is gorgeous! I love the gold & the theme…but the inside contents is a different story. Keep reading to see what was inside!

The theme was holiday (duh) & there was also a card included introducing the Cythia Rowley collection. I was hoping something from her collection would have been included but nope 🙁

Inside the December 2013 Birchbox-
BeeKind Body Lotion- I guess you can see how I feel about this in the video…my face says it all! lol This just doesn’t smell good to me at all & the texture isn’t fabulous enough to make up for it. Eco-friendly- Yes. For me? Nope.

Eslor Skincare System- 4 small foil packet samples? Nope, not impressive. I mean, seriously why haven’t they gotten this yet? One decent size sample is so much better than 4 tiny ones. Plus the adhesive is still stuck on these…they are kinda gross. I don’t see myself getting excited about using them.

Secret Agent Beauty Nourishing & Plumping Lip Gloss in Foreign Intelligence Flirt- Nice size lip gloss, nice color, but the packaging stinks. They made it really gaudy by putting lots of text on it. Also, the applicator is more conducive to maybe a moisturizer or concealer. Meh.

Number 4 Non Aerosol Hairspray- Nice size sample 7 a nice product. I actually have some Number 4 items I have lined up for review & it was nice to receive another one. i only used it once because this will be perfect for travel.

Emily’s Chocolates Milk Chocolate Fortune Cookie- Easily my favorite item in this box! Really tasty & a fun idea. I’d buy this again!

Overall this wasn’t a home run box- I think I was expecting more out of a December box because they are often some of my favorites. Last month’s box (check it out here!) was actually amazing & I liked pretty much everything! This one in comparison was a let down- where is the holiday spirit? I was expecting some wow factor & I don’t feel like it delivered.

Birchbox is a monthly beauty subscription costing $10 a month. If you review each product monthly you also get credit money in the Birchbox shop. If you review each product each month (assuming there are 5) that equals $5 so the box itself pretty much costs $5 which is an awesome deal! If you’re interested in joining, please subscribe using my Birchbox referral link!

Have you received a Birchbox this month? Feel free to share your links below! Any products in this Birchbox that interested you?

Beauty Box 5 has arrived for December & I’m excited to share my thoughts! This was a really nice box & I’m quite pleased with it! As with my past few boxes (you can see a ton of unboxings by searching for Beauty Box 5 in my search bar!) this box had a great mix! Keep reading to see what was inside & my unboxing video as well!

 Isn’t the card for this month cute? I love the photo! Like a lot!

 The items in my box for December 2013:

Body Drench Daily Moisturizing Lotion in Sugar Cane– This lotion smells like pure sugar cane- if you’re into sugar scents you’ll love it! This is a nicely silky lotion, perfect for arms & legs. This isn’t as thick as I need this time of year but I think it’ll be nice during the spring!

Ofra Cosmetics Sultry Lipgloss Plumper- This lipgloss has a slight plumping tingle & is scented/flavored with a bit of mint. I really like the shade & it is very appropriate for fall/winter. It is more pigmented than a lot of glosses I get in sample boxes which I really appreciate!

Clean & Clear Morning Burst Hydrating Gel Moisturizer- I am definitely excited to try this moisturizer but I’m saving it until my skin is less excruciatingly dry. This is water-based, supposed to be for all skin types, & it contains both cucumber & mango extracts. Exciting stuff right there!

Every Beauty Flexible Foot Smoother– I’ve had one of these before & really enjoyed it so I was happy to get another full size! Basically this is a medium sponge that has coarse exterior to scrub feet. I really like to use it before a pedicure! This alone retails for $4.99.

NYX Cosmetics Love in Rio Eyeshadow Palette in Bossa Nova– The most exciting part of this trio is this is one I would’ve likely picked out myself! All three contain shimmer or glitter ut they’re nice & neutral. I’ll be really excited to use this one, so far I’ve only had time to swatch with all the holiday bustle! This trio alone retails for $6.00

You can subscribe to Beauty Box 5 monthly for $12 a month, $30 for 3 months ($10 a month), or even $99 a year (only $8.25 a month!) which is a pretty darn good set of options if you ask me! You receive 5 samples monthly & it has helped to introduce me to lots of new brands to play with!  

Another great variety- eyeshadow, body lotion, lipgloss, facial moisturizer, & a foot product! Nice & varied but also two makeup product- my favorite to get in subscription boxes! I’m really happy with this box, what do you think? Do you subscribe to Beauty Box 5?