Sample Society Makeup Box - July 2013 Review

Hello again!

We're back with some very exciting reviews on the Sample Society Makeup Box for July 2013. Sorry kiddos- but this was probably one of my least favorite boxes of theirs to date. 

First up- this little eye shadow trio which was a big letdown in terms of color.  Vincent Longo Eyeshadow Trios-Sweet Melody- the colors look pretty much as they appear here- a green pistachio like color, a horrible peachy pink that reminded me of big chew bubblegum and lastly, this darker purplish tone, that no matter what I tried to mix it with, was just not working.  I wish they had sent out the autumn set, which had colors that I think would have worked with just about everyone. 

Next-  Jane Iredale Just Kissed Lip Plumper Deluxe Sample- the color was more of a light mauve (called Tokyok) , and was not the best shade that I could have used on my lips- also it tingles, which at first felt cool like chap stick  but after awhile, once it really didn't go away- felt just plain ole' weird. I am guessing that is the plumping part of the whole song and dance- but again, not that great of a product for me. 

The third product- Lavanila Pure Vanilla Deluxe Sample-SS- gross- vanilla- my least favorite scent for any sort of lotion, soap, or perfume. But I know this will find a good home, and will find plenty of people to pass this along to when I'm home next month. 

Fourth product- Tres Pure Face Tonic_SS- according to the bottle you are supposed to apply this to your face day and night after cleansing, It doesn't have much of a scent, and pretty much felt like I was throwing fancy water on my face, who knows- maybe in a week, my face will look off the charts fantastic. Ps- I loved the person's review who felt that it was like salad dressing in smell. 

Lastly- Dr. T's Supergoop! Advanced SPF 37 Eye Cream SS- ugh- another loser for this box. The smell is just horrible- very strong smelling of sunscreen lotion and since there are a billion eye creams out there that DON'T smell badly, this is just one that will be passed along to someone else or end up in the bottle of my sample drawer for our guests when they come to visit (my guests get some hoity toity samples - we are just that kind of place). Also- it did not blend in easily at all- and was pretty flaky. It just sat there on my face. 


So that's it folks, the July box from Sample Society- a total disappointment overall, Hopefully August will be killer. 

Ipsy Sample Bag Review- July 2013

As my pasty white skin can attest- I've never really been a beach person. Once I'm there- I love it, but you don't often find me saying, "oh let's go to the beach." That is- until we moved to a place that has no ocean in sight and suddenly this summer in the midst of this incredibly ridiculous heat wave, I find myself wishing I could feel that ocean air on my skin.

We are in fact, going home next month and if time will have it, I'd like to find myself a little spot in the sand and that's where this month's Ipsy bag comes into play. It was beach theme! It probably was also, one of my favorite bags to date- I loved EVERYTHING in it. 

So let's get started.

First up- the bag! Amazingly cute and pink! It's the perfect little plastic bag to just throw in your adorably cute beach tote (note to self- buy incredibly cute beach tote for the trip).

The first item in this month's Ipsy bag was Derma E Microdermabrasion Scrub which I am now obsessed with for my face. I used it this week and just loved how my face looked afterwards, but would definitely suggest you only use this once a week. A huge plus- it smells incredible! I usually find most scrubs for the face don't have the best scent but this one rocked a great lemony, citrus scent.

The second item in this month's Ipsy bag was mineral sunscreen moisturizer by Coola which I had never heard of before. It was unscented which is always a big plus when I find that light sunscreen scent is always there in sunscreen moisturizers. It also dried very quickly and didn't leave a greasy feel to my face.  I used it this week under my makeup and did like it quite a bit, but am saving this for my little beach day.

The third item in this month's Ipsy bag was by big sexy hair yet again. They really love sending out the big sexy hair products and with the exception of that dry shampoo volumizing crap I have loved everything they have sent my way with this brand. They can just keep sending them, because I have bought the products after trying them, and love to save the travel size ones for my trips. The product this month was weather proof resistant spray to combat the frizz. My hair can become a hot mess in the summer with the curl to it, and frizz is just a matter of life, but this may just be the answer. I loved it when I wore it out this week, and plan on buying a bigger bottle.

The fourth item in this month's Ipsy bag was an eye shadow trio by BH Cosmetics. It was their California Collection sampler, and it's perfect. There are three shades a dark purple (just darling for night), a bronze, and a gold. The bronze which was named San Francisco had me a little weary at first, but loved it on my eyes. The purple (named Hollywood) is SO pretty, and the gold (named Malibu) when mixed with something to just tone it down a bit, was another hit. I love this little eye shadow sampler which I think would look good on any skin tone. 

The last item in this month's Ipsy bag was by Pop Beauty Cosmetics. This was my second item from them in an ispsy bag, and I really do have to check out their products more. The first was a great little mascara, and this month's item was a pouty pop crayon in coral crush. At first, I thought this was going to be a disaster, and it is BRIGHT on me, but I toned it down with another shade of lipstick and it lasted forever! 

So what did everyone else think of their July Ipsy bag????

Sample Saturday- Amlactin Moisturizing Body Lotion

I won this!

Welcome back to sample Saturday folks! This week's sample was a surprise for me to find in the mail. It was from Amlactin, and according to the insert I had won the sample through one of their facebook page sweepstakes. I don't remember doing the sweepstakes, but a free item is a free item.


According to their website, the Amlactin Moisturizing Body lotion is fragrance free, non-greasy, and long lasting. I have been using it the last few days, and am just not impressed. Not even in the slightest. First, it's not fragrance free- when I first took a whiff of it, it did have a semi clean scent to it, but after awhile it starts to have a weird smell. I couldn't place it at first, and then it hit me- it smells like Elmers glue. Elmer's glue! No one but a kindergartner wants to smell like that. Second, it's really not long lasting. Third, it was greasy. VERY greasy, as in wake up in the middle of the night to wash it off my hands greasy. Did it make my skin particularly soft and well moisturized? Not really. It certainly wasn't impressive by any means. So final verdict: skip this product!

Next on Sample Saturdays- primers! Get excited.

What's Cooking - Pinterest Bacon Egg Cups

Awhile back I had pinned a recipe for bacon egg cups thinking it would be the perfect little thing to put together if we were to have some people over the house for breakfast. However, since we live pretty much away from everyone we know, the opportunity to make said bacon cups didn't occur until last weekend when my parents and sister came into town for a visit.

My sister is obsessed with B&B's. I mean, OBSESSED with them. She stays at them all the time whenever she goes up to Maine, so whenever she comes to visit, it's become something of a joke that I try to make her stay akin to staying in one. The first night she was here, I made my special home fries planning on waking up at the crack of dawn to make the bacon egg cups and have this amazing little breakfast spread all out for her when she awoke. I was going to be the best little host ever, she would be amazed by the breakfast, and they all would marvel about the little meal I had just put together.  That. did. not. happen. I slept in the next morning, BUT the next day I was determined to wake up early and wow them with my breakfast skills.  So without further adieu, I bring you- bacon egg cups!

To start- and I can't stress this enough- this is probably one of the easiest recipes I have ever done that tasted absolutely amazing, and looked like so much more work went into it.

Things you need:

Eggs
Bacon
Milk ( not included in the recipe, but I added it to the eggs)
Cheese (I had to use Parmesan cheese)
Salt
Pepper
Muffin Tin

All the ingredients

 Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Next, whisk together the eggs and milk. Then add in the Parmesan cheese or whatever cheese you are using for the recipe, if you are using any at all. Add the salt and pepper and whatever spices you like to spruce up your eggs. This recipe can really be made into anything that you want. Feel free to add veggies like peppers or onions.

All mixed together

 Then, take the bacon strips and wrap them around the muffin cups. Be sure to use some nonstick spray before using the bacon.

BACON!!!!!

 After you have placed the bacon in each of the cups, I put a couple potatoes at the bottom of each cup.

Home fries from previous day. 

 Pour the egg mixture into each cup to about the halfway point.

ready for some oven heat 

 Bake in the oven for thirty to thirty five minutes, until the tops of the egg cups are golden and aren't moving about.

oh my goodness.......

Remove the egg cups from the muffin tin, and serve warm. I used one of my favorite trays to serve up this delicious meal.

So there you have it- bacon egg cups. Easy and delicious! My sister absolutely loved them, as did my husband, and it was amazing to sit outside in our three seasons room and eat them in the morning. It really made for a perfect start for our day.

B&B's ain't got nothin' on me.

Ipsy Sample Bag Review - June 2013

My Ipsy bag arrived last week and I was ecstatic to find all sorts of new goodies that I had never tried before. This is why I love Ipsy so much- you really get to try different brands without taking too much of a cost risk. There are simply so many beauty brands out there, that at times it can be overwhelming, and while you may want to buy everything, the risk of buying something doesn't always quite work out that well for you. I love that for $10 a month I can try new brands and products worth many times over the cost of the bag. 

The theme this month was on the wild side. 

I LOVE LOVE LOVE the bag this month- what a fabulously fun print. I may have to start giving some of these bags away because between the sample society boxes and all these bags, I could be on my way to my very own episode of Hoarders. 

NYX Cream Blush- First up was the cream blush, which at first glance looked like a darker peach. I've been trying out cream blushes more and don't know why it took me so long to experiment with them, they always seem to last longer. I tried this blush hoping that I blend it in enough to look like a lighter peach shade on my pale skin, but it was a no go. This is very creamy and easy to apply, a wonderful consistency, but it was just too dark for me. My sister will be getting this in her box of goodies next week when she comes to visit (she's very lucky to have darker skin because she's making out quite well with some of my samples). If you haven't tried any NYX products, you really need to try them- for the price they are an amazing value. Ulta seems to be always running sales on their products.  This is valued at $6.

Line-Fix Gel Eyeliner with Brush Built-In by Cailyn Cosmetics- Another gel eyeliner, but I love it! It's adorable together, the little brush and container, and since I always have such a hard time applying eyeliner due to my shaking hands this was greatly appreciated. The color was oddly in purple, which I thought was a strange color to send out in the bags, but it went on so smoothly. I have to keep practicing with the brush, it was odd since at first glance I thought what the heck am I going to do with the purple eyeliner, but when you put it on its really not that purple since its so dark, it could be really great for a night look. Either way, the brush is great, and I could use it with other colors.  Retail value of this product is $21. 

Eyelash and Eyelash Glue By J. Cat Beauty- This was one of two products from this brand. I tried these on tonight, and thought they were easy enough to apply, I think I've worn fake eyelashes maybe twice in my life and both times they were applied by professionals, but these worked great, and for a first time trying it out were easy enough. Retail value of this product is $3.59.

Sparkling Cream Palette by J. Cat Beauty- The second product by this brand was met with a little less fanfare. I played around with the colors tonight when I couldn't sleep and am wondering when I ever am going to use this product. It goes on very sporadic at first, like you just got some random pieces of glitter stuck on your eyelid, I thought it would be thicker and go on like a heavier eye shadow cream, but it didn't. It was creamy, but went on differently than I had hoped. This could be a good going out look, but don't see me getting much use out of it. The retail value of this product is $4.59 and I have to say that I am still curious to try the jewel tone palette that they also sell on the site. 

Lip Pencil by Starlooks- This came in Tickle Me Pink, and boy it was pretty bright. It actually reminded me of a bright salmon color, but with some blending with another shade, really looked good. This was definitely a quality pencil, glided on very smooth, and lasted for quite a bit of time. I'll have to check out more of their products. The retail value of this product is $12.

The total value for this bag was $47! Great value like always! Overall this bag was interesting, definitely gave me some things to try that aren't in my comfort zone of makeup, but they were fun to experiment with tonight. Definitely not everyday use makeup, but may wear some of it at an upcoming night wedding this summer. 

What did everyone else think of their June Ipsy bag?

Sample Saturday-Seventh Generation Facial Cloth

As anyone can attest, I'm pretty addicted to getting free samples. One, because who doesn't love to get free stuff and two, it's better than only getting bills in the mail.

A small envelope arrived from Target last week with a sample of one of Seventh Generation's personal care products. I've had limited experience with Seventh Generation- I've ordered a few of their products from Vitacost, but love how they work and that they are also green products. I thought it was interesting that they were expanding their brand to personal care products. According to the package this is the first skincare line to be certified USDA biobased. There sample was a facial cleansing cloth in mandarin scent.

I am a big fan of facial cloths because sometimes you just feel lazy and want the quickest possible way to wipe down your face before popping into bed. Upon opening the package, I noticed that it really didn't have much of a scent, which was disappointing because I love any kind of citrus scent. Give me something that smells like oranges or lemons any day of the week, because I always equate citrus scents to being clean and reminding me of summer. While using it on my face, you do start to notice a very faint citrus smell, it reminded of me of my vitamin C facial cloths that I bought from beautyencounter some time ago. I did like this cloth, my face felt refreshed, and it didn't irritate my skin. I would definitely recommend it and am going to check out what else they have to offer in their skincare line.

Has anyone else tried any of the beauty products from Seventh Generation? What did you all think????

Sample Society Box June 2013 Review

My June sample society box was the first box to arrive this month. I know I keep saying this, but I love how fast they do arrive on my doorstep. It's definitely a fabulous little way to start off each month.

This month had to be one of my favorite months, and it wasn't because I got to try new products that I never had tried before, but because they sent me REPLACEMENTS for two favorites in my makeup kit! I know the purpose is to often try new things for me, but getting two things I already love just made my day!

Shall we begin???

Diptyque Eau Moheli-0.6 oz.-SS - I'll start with the worst part of the box- this product. In my first review of Sample Society where I discussed the pros and cons I had encountered so far with this sample box, I mentioned that apparently they sent this out quite a bit as a product. This is now my second sample of this overpriced, and horribly smelling perfume. Well, its not horrible smelling, that may be a bit harsh, it's just too heavy for me. My mom gets this added to her goody bag. 

Illume Desert Tulip Tin- This was so adorable!!! I loved the cute little packaging for this product and the smell is really fantastic, a light floral. My husband liked it, and it will most likely be burning next week when my family is in town to visit with us. I would definitely buy a full size for this candle and may just do that this month with my sample society discount , or just another small size like this one to bring with me when we travel. Also can I just say that the full size glass is so pretty with that print! It's a decoration in itself!

Murad Age Reform AHA/BHA Exfoliating Cleanser-1 oz.- I'm pretty much obsessed with Murad products. Everything that I have ever tried for them just is golden in my book, and this replaces the cleanser that I recently used the last of. I love how clean it smells, and how most of their products seem to not be heavy on scent. I just wish their products weren't so expensive. I buy anything by them and I ration it out like crazy.

Philosophy Hope In a Jar- I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with Philosophy as previously noted in another post. I do like how this product works, but I just can't get past the scent- it's a strong pine scent- which is probably up there as one of my least favorite scents! It's a pretty strong smell, even my husband has commented on it when I crawl into bed. Maybe to someone else this wouldn't be as offensive, as I'm sure there are some people out there that love the pine scent, I just wish this came in a different scent, because although it works, I find myself not wanting to use it. My mom gets this as well as well next week (as well as a practically full size one that I jumped ship on last month). 

Stila Cosmetics Lip Glaze-Apricot-Deluxe Sample- I am in love with Stila products, and this lipstick. I already have a full size of it, that I keep in my purse, but like most people when they switch out purses, it sometimes gets left behind. So now I have a small little spare. This is seriously one of my favorite lip glazes, it's a little sticky, but I love that it has just enough color to make an impact- hello gorgeous!


As I said earlier, this was definitely a great month because I just fell in love with that silly little candle, and two of my favorite products were replaced. Even the philosophy product wasn't a total letdown, because I know it will be used by my mom who I've been slowly trying to get her to try new products. 

What did everyone else think of the Sample Society June 2013 box?????