First Look: bareMinerals GLAMOUR NOW Kit on QVC

Every year since I can remember bareMinerals has an Auto-Delivery kit at the holidays.  I loved every shipment I received last year so I was quick to order this year's when the item number was available.  I used bareMinerals a long time ago but the loose colors made such a mess.  Now the loose colors have stoppers in the containers so I do not mind the Mineral Veil or the blush that come in this kit.  Every since the "READY" products were introduced in to the line, I loved them.  The quad eye shadows sell for around $30 so anytime I can get them in a kit I order it ASAP.  I love these shadows.  I am also very excited to try the Ready Luminizer.

The Picture on QVC

How it Arrives

The kit includes the following:

• 0.23- oz Brightening Pearl Perfect Light Mineral Veil
• 0.17-oz Ready Eyeshadow 4.0 in The Main Event
• 0.005-oz and 0.03-fl-oz Smoke & Define Double-Ended Kohl & Liquid Eyeliner
• 0.37-fl-oz Lash Domination Volumizing Mascara
• 0.03-oz Glamour Blush
• 0.16-oz Ready Luminizer in The Magic Moment
• 0.15-fl-oz Marvelous Moxie Lipgloss in Dazzler
• contour blush brush
• tapered shadow brush.

If you are interested in this kit, you can order it here: bareMinerals Glamour Now AD Kit.  You can buy it now for the TSV price of $49.98 and it is also on 3 easy pays.  If too many kits are pre-ordered, that link will either not work, or say it is sold out.  If you are interested I would get it quickly!

Once I use the items a few times I will follow up with a review!

tarte Beauty Without Boundaries 8-pc Collection on QVC

Beauty without Boundries 8-pc Collection - pictured below

I absolutely LOVE this kit.  It is amazing! I did purchase it when it was a TSV so it was as a reduced price than what it is listed for on QVC now.  I also did get this on auto-delivery so I will review the next shipment in December when it arrives!

• 1-oz BB tinted treatment primer Broad Spectrum SPF 30
• This helps to even out skin tone and on me it helps to conceal the red areas on my cheeks.  It does have the silicone feel - which I usually hate - but this product helps my foundation looks smooth so I will deal with the silicone feel!
• 0.08-oz BB tinted undereye corrector--exclusive to QVC until 11/30/13!
• This is BY FAR my favorite product in the entire kit.  It is so creamy and really helps to conceal the purplish tone I have under my eyes.  Since this is a corrector a concealer is still needed.  Everyone has his or her own way of applying correctors and concealers, but I tend to use this corrector under my foundation.  I then use a concealer (MAC Prolong Wear is my holy grail one).  Every now and then I will apply both the corrector and concealer over my foundation.
• 0.31-oz Lights, Camera, Flashes! mascara in black

• I was asked to do a review on this mascara so here it is.  I really like this mascara.  My holy grail is tarte's Light, Camera, Lashes! but this one is a close 2nd.  The brush is a hard plastic bristled one that can "hurt."  If you do not like a plastic brush you will hate this one. I find that this mascara does a great job at separating my lashes and does create a lot of volume.  I am not sure is creates 752% more as clinically proven, but it definitely does make me look like I have more lashes than normal.
• You can watch a video for optimal application: tarte's video on applying this mascara
• 0.009-oz Lights, Camera, Lashes! waterproof inner rim liner in black
• This was just ok for me.  Nothing stays on my waterline so I am not this disappointed.  It did stay for a fairly long time on my upper lash line.
• 0.04-oz LipSurgence power pigment in Awakening, a rose pink--exclusive to QVC until 11/30/13!
• I love the LipSurgence products.  They stay on for a very long time and they do not make my lips dry.  This is a good every day color.
• Special edition complexion brush--exclusive to QVC until 11/30/13!
• I love the pointed end.  It is great at applying an undereye setting powder and the flat end is great at blending out the concealer/foundation line.
• Undereye brush
• I tend to use my fingers more than a brush in general, but this one is nice.
• Makeup bag
• Nice large bag that fits a lot of makeup.  Great for traveling!

June 2013 GLOSSYBOX

I loved this box as usual.

• Philip B Lovin' Leave-in Conditioner - Love the smell of this.
• Sparitual Nail Polish - I received a pale pink color.
• Honey Almond Nourishing Dry Oil Mist - This makes you look very dewy.
• Tarte Complexion Enhancing Lipstick - I received the "Medium" color.
• Oscar de la Renta Essential Luxuries - I did not like all of the scents but it was a nice sampling.

REVIEW: GLAMGLOW Super-Mud Clearing Treatment

I picked up my VIB Skin Care bag the other day that was filled with samples and a friend requested that I try the GLAMGLOW sample first.

First off the sample size was small....I only had enough to cover my nose, chin and forehead areas. While those are the places that are usually the oiliest,  I would have liked to see how it worked on my entire face.

GLAMGLOW Super-Mud Clearing Treatment - $69

Pros:

• You can see it working - "Pore-Matrix™ will reveal dots of vacuum extractions."
• My pores did appear smaller in areas.
• My skin was very soft.

Cons:

• $69 for 1.2 oz
• Did not clear all of my pores.

Verdict:

• While my skin did look better in some areas, I would not personally buy this because of the cost alone.  I will keep using my Lush Mask of Magnaminty.

Target Beauty Box

Today when I got home I was so happy to see my Target Beauty Box had arrived!  Via Facebook, at various times, Target allows anyone to sign up to receive a Target Beauty Box.  They used to be seasonal, but it appears they are moving to a monthly format.  I have received several of these and they were send to me for free or for $5 to cover shipping. 

The Box:

The contents:

Venus Olay Sugarberry Razor

Effaclar Duo

L'OREAL Magic Skin Beautifier BB Cream

Fekkai Glossing Cream

Sally Hansen Salon Effects Real Nail Polish Strips

Early thoughts on the products:

• Venus Razor - this is the current razor that I am using and I love it.  I am glad to have a back-up of this!
• Effaclar Duo - I have heard good things about the version of this product in the UK, but the USA version is different.  I am excited to try this product.
• L'OREAL BB Cream - I have not tried this before and look forward to see how it performs.
• Fekkai Glossing Cream - I currently own this product and love using it in the summer to fight humidity.
• Sally Hansen - I get my nails professionally done with gel so more than likely I will give these to a friend who will use them or will include them in a future giveaway.

It's that Time of the Month......for more Samples!

I came home today and found this little gem in my mailbox!

So I of course ripped it open.....

There is always a card on top....

Then the goods!

First up hair products:

Davines Love Smoothing Shampoo - Full Size $24. Value of the sample: $7.50

Davines Love Smoothing Conditioner - Full Size $27.50. Value of sample: $1.41

Davines OI/OIL Absolute Beautifying Potion - Full Size $40. Value of sample: $0.50

Then the rest of the box:

Color Club Wanderlust Collection - Full Size of collection: $8. Value of sample: $2

Oscar de la Renta Something Blue - Full Size $85. Value of sample: $1.50

Mirenesse Glossy Kiss Lipstick - Full Size $26.55 Value of sample: $26.55

TOTAL VALUE OF THE BOX: $39.46

TOTAL PAID FOR THE BOX:  $10.00

First impression.....not my favorite box, but I am very excited to try the hair products and I know some little girls who will love the nail polish!

How Do I Get All These Samples?!

Outside of following the companies I like I Facebook where they offer free samples a lot and asking for samples at one of my favorite places, Sephora, I subscribe to 3 "sample" services.

There has not been a month where the value of the box or bag was not greater than the price I paid.  A lot of times, I receive at least 1 full sized product each month that is greater in value than what I paid for the month.

Birchbox

All of my Birchboxes can be found here: http://pinterest.com/beautyloverinmd/birchbox/

This service is $10/month and you get anywhere from 4-6+ samples.  They usually also add in an extra item that is not always beauty related. 

Then you have until the next month's box ships to review the products you received.  When you do this you get 10 Birchbox points.  When you reach 100 points, you get $10 in credit to use when you make a purchase from the site.

ipsy

Here is what the May bag included:

This service is also $10/month.  Last month I received several full sized products that was way more than the $10 I paid.  Also, each month you receive a makeup bag with a different pattern/material.  This service also sends a card with a specific savings for each company or specific product if you choose to purchase an item.

GLOSSYBOX

All of my GLOSSYBOXES can be seen here: http://pinterest.com/beautyloverinmd/glossybox-usa/

This is by far my favorite one for a few reasons....the value of the boxes are always way over the price per month and I have received A LOT of full sized products.  At $21/month this is the most expensive but the brands I get to sample are high end and I could not be happier.  While it will be very unlikely that I will ever purchase a full sized product is slim due to the cost, I love that I have the opportunity to sample them. This service also features a lot of brands from Europe.

Sample Day #3

Better late than never but here is the sample I used yesterday!  It also comes with a first impression and a full review....that cannot be good and it is not.....

Sample #5: WASH WITH JOE Invigorating Coffeemint Body Wash

Product Information

Review:

I will review this now.  I hated this product.  First off the sample bottle they use is such a hard plastic that I could not squeeze it to get any product out (the sample size did not have a pump like the full size bottle pictured above).  Then the lather was crap and the smell was not something I care to ever smell again.  Trying to use all of this product will be difficult. My son loves mint....maybe he will not mind the gross other smells that are with the mint.

Sample Day #2

Sample Summer is on to day #2!  Hopefully I can keep this up and get some of these samples in an "empties" post! But have no fear samples arrive in my mailbox around the 2nd week of every month! More details will follow on what services I utilize to be able to try new samples every month.

Sample #3: AHAVA Dermud Intensive Foot Cream

Product Information

Sample #4: 

Product Information

Stay tuned for first impressions tomorrow!

First Impressions of Sample Day #1

Sample #1: KORRES GREEK YOGHURT ADVANCED NOURISHING SLEEPING FACIAL

First Impressions:

• Lightweight - did not feel very heavy
• Woke up with extra soft skin

Once the sample is gone I will provide a more in depth review.

Sample #2: CAUDALIE PREMIER CRU THE EYE CREAM

First Impressions:

• Not too greasy
• Under eye area was hydrated

Once the sample is gone I will provide a more in depth review.

Samples, Samples and MORE Samples!

I was out shopping with a good friend and her 2 girls today and beauty was quite the topic!  I kept referencing all of the samples I had at home.  Well tonight, as I cleaned the bathroom and investigated I came across at least 100  (probably closer to 200 but who is counting?!) sized products.  So this week I am on a mission to use and review these samples to kick off by blog!

KORRES GREEK YOGHURT ADVANCED NOURISHING SLEEPING FACIAL

Product Information

CAUDALIE PREMIER CRU THE EYE CREAM

Product Information

Stay tuned to find out what other samples I work in to my daily routine.  Reviews will be provided after I complete the sample.