Birchbox March 2014

Hellooooo! 

I'm a little late getting this review up, but I am still looking forward to showing off my shiny new Birchbox!

Birchbox is a monthly women's beauty subscription that sends a box of 4-5 product samples every month and sometimes throws in a "lifestyle extra." This subscription is great because its cheap (Only $10!) and the shipping is included.  To subscribe to Birchbox, Click Here.  Birchbox also recently introduced Birchbox Man for $20 U.S. monthly.  I recently signed my boyfriend up for Birchbox Man, so keep your eyes open for an upcoming guest post with his review!

First, I have to say, I love the variety of products in the March Birchbox and I can happily say that I will use every single item.

 

This is my favorite item in this month's Birchbox.  It is a tiny little cheek and lip cream from theBalm called "How 'Bout Them Apples?"  Mine is "Pie."  My mother used this phrase all the time growing up and seeing it made me smile.  I love everything about it from the name down to the too cute packaging and the color is nice too.  I only had to use a tiny bit on my cheeks and I had to blend it in really well because it is a little bright for my super pale cheeks, but it does look very nice.  I love it as a lip tint. 

As I mentioned before I have very pale skin, so I am looking forward to trying out this Supergoop! sunscreen serum.  I am picky about sunscreen so I have high hopes for this.  I also received a small tube of Rescue Balm All-Purpose Skin Salve from Air Repair.  I have very dry skin so this will come in handy.

The last beauty item was this Body Repair Balm from Skinfix.  I've been using this for the past few days on a patchy dry bit of skin on my upper arms and it seems to be working well, but it doesn't smell very good.  It smells a bit like oatmeal which I suppose is to be expected because the active ingredient is colloidal oatmeal, but it is very calming on dry skin, so I will definitely be using it all.

Also included were three tea bags in different flavors from Mighty Leaf Tea.  I am a caffeine junkie, so no complaints here!



All in all, I was pleased with my Birchbox.  What did you recieve in yours?  What is your favorite product this month?

If you are interested in subscribing, Please visit Birchbox.

Thanks for stopping by,
Allison

Escape Monthly March 2014 Ireland!

 Destination: Ireland!

 

I could really use a vacation! I am really excited to share my Escape Monthly box for March 2014.   I saw a Groupon last month good for one Escape Monthly box for about half price, so of course I jumped.  I had been wanting to try it but the price tag on this one was a little intimidating.  I paid $24.99 for this box, but the regular price is $49.95 U.S. per month.  I really enjoyed it though so I might just  keep it going.  Next  month is Mexico and I could go for a beach just about any day.  Every Month the company even includes a Surprise Vacation to the selected destination for one lucky subscriber.  I didn't win, but you can bet your biscuits I searched that box just to make sure!

 

Yes, Yes I do deserve it!

This box has a lot of treats straight from Ireland.  While most of the items are food items, there was also a high quality all-in-one family remedy cream, a packet of shamrock seeds, and a travel book about living abroad in Ireland.

I forgot to take a close up of the Hogan's Irish Soda bread but that is the food product I am most excited about.  I like that I get to make it myself.  I love to cook, but baking is not my strong suit. I am not ashamed to admit that I am much better at baking from a box than baking from scratch, so I'm looking forward to bragging about baking bread.   I brought the Butler's Mint Truffle chocolate bar to work with me and it was delightful.  I'm not really a huge fan of shortbread, but my boyfriend is smiling through a mouth of crumbs and gaving me a thumbs up while eating the O'Neils Shamrock Shortbread, so I guess that's a good sign.

I am a caffeine junkie through and through, so I am very excited about the Bewley's Irish Cream coffee and Gift of the Gab tea bags.  I just enjoyed my morning cup of coffee with a little Baily's added in as well.  It was delightful.  I might buy more of this coffee, it really is very good.

The big-ticket item in this box is a full size tube of Human + Kind all-in-one family remedy cream.  I love that this is made from all-natural ingredients and can be used for multiple skin issues including scars and stretch marks, sunburn, brittle nails, razor burn and more.  I have been using it on my dry cuticles and on a small cut on my hand and it seems to be working pretty well.

I smiled really big when I saw this.  I honestly don't know the difference between clover and shamrocks so I googled it and learned that a shamrock is actually a species of clover which has only 3 leaves.  I haven't yet decided where to plant 500 shamrock seeds but I'm sure I'll find a good spot.

The last item in the box is a travel guide called Living Abroad in Ireland by Christina McDonald.  I'm not sure if I will ever make it to Ireland, but it will be nice to pretend.

Overall I was pleased with the box, although I do wish that most of the items weren't food items. On a scale of 1 to 10, I'd give this box a 6.  It is nice to treat myself to goodies from far away, but I think if I had paid full price I might have been slightly disappointed.  I do think the box was a good value in spite of that and it is nice to be treated with unexpected surprises.  I also love reading travel books even if I don't plan to visit. (I'm a nerd like that, and I'm okay with it!)  I will definitely still get the April Mexico box before I make any decisions about keeping this subscription.

If you are interested in subscribing, Sign up here:  http://escapemonthly.com/

Do you subscribe to Escape Monthly?  If so, how does this compare to past month's destinations?

Happy Travels,
Allison


** All Opinions are my own and do not reflect the opinions of Escape Monthly.  I am a subscriber to this service and was not compensated for this post **

POPSUGAR March 2014 Must Have Box has arrived!

Today was a very exciting day!  I got home to find 4 packages waiting for me on my front step.  I got my March 2014 POPSUGAR Must Have box, my March 2014  Escape Monthly box, and my bi-weekly subscription to Graze waiting for me, along with a box of free products from BzzAgent to review!  This will be a busy week of posts!

 I was so eager to get my very first POPSUGAR Must Have box!  I have been hungrily reading reviews and watching my FedEx tracking code and it finally is here!  PopSugar.com is a website that describes itself as "Insanely addictive" and it really is.  The site feature celebrity news stories, health and fitness advice, fashion and makeup articles and how-tos, and always features the best new products.  The Must Have box is a collection of products selected by the website's founder and editor in chief, Lisa Sugar, and POPSUGAR trendsetters for $39.99 US per month if purchased monthly, or for a discount if purchased in 3, 6, or 12 month bundles. Click Here to sign up or to learn more  This subscription is jam-packed and definitely gives you bang for your buck... especially because the suggested retail prices add up to a whopping $152.00 and look how pretty the packaging is:

The pink card on top is a pamphlet describing all of the goodies in the box, and there are a lot of goodies in this box.  I ripped open the tissue paper to pull out all of the products:

The first things I pulled out were the Must Have Foods.  I LOVE Harvest Snaps Snapea Crisps.  I buy them all the time so I was really excited to get some in my box.  They are crispy snap peas that are baked and salted to this perfect crunchy texture.  You may think I'm crazy for saying this but they are way better than potato chips any day,  seriously.  Try them and you will thank me.  Also included was a "Special Extra" treat, an All-Natural Strawberry Fig Bar from Nature's Bakery.  I'm weird about figs.  I don't like figs normally, but I love Fig Newtons, go figure.  If its figgy-ness is anything like a Fig Newton, I'll probably be a fan so I'm looking forward to trying it.

There were two Must Have Fashion items in this month's box: a beautiful Blue Ikat Scarf from Brokedown (Sugg. retail: $72)  and a sweet Lucky Horseshoe Make a Wish necklace by Dogeared (Sugg. retail: $30).  The scarf is very nice.  I don't wear scarves often enough but this one is so pretty that I will definitely be pinning some new scarf-tying techniques later this evening.  The necklace is a tiny gold horseshoe charm that is supposed to bring you luck.  It is very sweet and comes on a delicate golden/brown thread.  The card reads "This lucky horseshoe will invite good fortune into your life!  When your necklace wears off, your wish is ready to come true."  I think it is darling, but not really my style so I will be gifting it to my sister.

The Must Have Fitness item is one that I've considered purchasing in the past.  I got a bright pink mini exercise ball from ActiveForever (Sugg. Retail: $9.95).  The best part is that you don't need a pump to inflate it because it came with a little plastic straw that fits in the hole and inflates easily by blowing into it.

For Must Have Beauty I received the Herbal Recovery Advanced Serum from Jurlique (Sugg. Retail $27).  I love trying out new beauty products and I love that this serum is made from organic ingredients.  This serum promises to "diminish dullness, reduce fine lines, and increase hydration while protecting skin from everyday harshness."  I struggle with dry skin quite frequently and am looking forward to using this product.

My last (and possibly favorite) item is the Must Have Home Elephant Ring Tree from Baublebar (Sugg. Retail $12).  This is the most adorable little accessory and will definitely have a permanent home on my bathroom sink.  Look how sweet it is!  You can stack your rings on his trunk to keep them safe and it is just so tiny and precious.  It is also small enough that it wont make the counter look too cluttered.

 So there it is!  I will definitely be using most of the items.  I wasn't crazy about the necklace, but I know my sister will LOVE it, so I still consider it a win.    If you subscribe,  what was your favorite item?  What do you hope to see next month?

If you are interested in subscribing,  Click Here to subscribe or to check out more of what POPSUGAR has to offer.

** All Opinions are my own and do not reflect the opinions of POPSUGAR.  I am a subscriber to this service and was not compensated for this post ** 

Ipsy Review March 2014 and My First Post Ever!

Hello and welcome!

I am so excited to share my subscription bliss with you and even more excited to kick it off with an Ipsy review!  This is my second Ipsy bag and I LOVE it!  Ipsy is a monthly beauty subscription service.  For $10.00 U.S. per month Ipsy sends you a unique makeup bag filled with 4-5 goodies to try out.  (To subscribe, Click Here!) Its inexpensive and a great surprise in the mail.  I especially love being able to see the products in my bag for about a week or so before I finally receive it.  I got my email with my tracking code when the package was shipped and I have been checking it every time I check my email, which is way too often for my own good.  And why, oh why, does it sit for two days in the shipping facility!  Those of you with an online shopping habit know what I mean when I say that those tracking codes induce some serious anxiety! Finally I got home and opened my mailbox to see that shiny pink envelope just waiting for me to tear it open to see what was inside.

I have to admit, when I first saw the glimpse of the bag itself on the Ipsy website, I wasn't too impressed with the design but now that I see it in person, its actually pretty stinkin' adorable.  The print was specially made for Ipsy and the tag describes it as part of a geography-based series from artist Klari Reis called "Street Anatomy" and showcases San Fransisco, CA.

Upon opening the bag I noticed that it wasn't stuffed as full as the February bag, but I think the products are great and I am happy to say that I will definitely be using all of them.  I received a small tube of Flawless Beauty Primer from Pixi, which when i tested on my hand felt very soft so I'm looking forward to trying it out.  The real show-stoppers, however were the Chella eyeliner pen, the NYX Love in Rio eyeshadow trio, and a lipstick from Bare Minerals Moxie Get Ready.   All in all I am very pleased.

The Chella eyeliner pen is indigo blue and goes on very nicely.  I love the fine tip and how easily it goes on.  I also don't normally wear colored eye-liner so I can't wait to try it out for a different look.

The options on the Ipsy Glam Room showed a possibility of two different eye-shadows that could be in the bags.  I was hoping to receive the Bora Bora Be a Bombshell eyeshadow quad mostly because the colors are different from what I normally wear and I relish the Ipsy bag for the opportunity to broaden my makeup horizons, but I do wear neutrals quite often and so I was definitely not disappointed to get the NYX Love in Rio trio.  The colors are a little shimmery and very "me".

My favorite product is this Bare Minerals lipstick.  I am not a lipstick girl, I much prefer gloss or tinted lip balm, but this lipstick is fantastic!  It feels light on my lips and the color is perfect on my skin.  I will definitely be purchasing a full size.  I never knew lipstick could be so wonderful.

All in all, I am very pleased with this bag.  I will use everything I received and I definitely feel like I got more than my $10 worth of makeup and beauty products. If you don't already subscribe, I definitely recommend this service.  Subscribe Here! Do you subscribe to Ipsy?  If so, how did you feel about your March bag?  What was your favorite product?

Looking forward to my next review and I can't wait to see what April will bring!

Thanks for stopping by,
Allison

** All Opinions are my own and do not reflect the opinions of Ipsy.  I am a subscriber to this service and was not compensated for this post **