February 2015 Birchbox Unboxing and Review!

Hi guys!  So I'm back from a pretty big unexpected hiatus and also a hiatus from subscription box reviews!!!!  I basically love them, and decided for my birthday to resubscribe to Birchbox for a bit!

For those of you who don't already know, Birchbox is a monthly subscription box that sends you 4-6 beauty, makeup, skincare, and lifestyle samples (sometimes even full-size!)  every month!  You also get points that you can redeem in their store for full-size versions of whatever you want, special boxes, gift subscriptions, etc. I LOVE their point system and it's one of the reasons I chose to resubscribe to BB over Ipsy. If you'd like to sign up or check them out, please, please use my referral link HERE!

On to the review!
This month was freaking wonderful in Birchbox land. I seriously couldn't have gotten a better box and everything I got will be used and perfectly matches my preferences. All my samples are decently sized too. Yes, no sucky foil packets for this lady! :)

First looks:

Everything all neatly packed and whatnot as usual.

I spy a FULL SIZE sample. ;D

Here's the card with my sample information & full size product prices. If anyone's interested. :)

ON TO THE REVIEW!

My Very First Graze Box!! Unboxing & Review!!

TODAY to my surprise I got my first Graze Box in the mail!! I've been SUPER excited about this since I ordered it last week, and definitely thought it would take alot longer to get here, so I was kind of surprised to see it! 

For those of you who have never heard of Graze, basically it's a box filled with 4 samples of healthy snacks that you can get delivered either to your home or work every week, every 2 weeks, or even MORE THAN THAT! :) You get to go through and pick what you like and don't like, and they send you a box full of sample sized delicious snacks for only $6.49 a box! If you'd like to sign up you can use my referral link HERE! You get your 1st box for FREE and your 5th box for free so it's really a win/win even if you don't like it! You don't even have to pay shipping to get the first one free! :) 

Here is my box!

The box itself is a thin little cardboard box and comes with a description card inside with your referral code on it and nutrition facts for all your snacks.

The little cards at the bottom are your referral cards. I've never seen a company do this before so I thought it was pretty cool.

Here's what I received! I made sure to go in and rate everything before I got my first box so I didn't get anything gross. lol

A closer look

Brooklyn Bites: Poppyseed Pretzels, Cheese Cashews, and Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

       I liked this snack alright. I don't really like pretzels but left it on my try it list because I'm a cashew and pumpkin seed freak. The cashews and pumpkin seeds are delicious. Ryan said the pretzels are too!

Pear Tatin: Pear, Raspberry infused cranberries, Yogurt covered sunflower seeds, and almonds

       This one was SUPER great. Not too sweet, not too bland. I love the little yogurt sunflower seeds!

Black Pepper Pistachios: Roasted Pistachios with black pepper

       I'm also a pistachio freak so this was perfect for me to get. I could seriously eat all of these at once. 

Wholegrain Banana Caramel Dippers: Caramel Sauce with Wholemeal Banana Shortbread dippers

      These are my new favorite thing ever. Once I opened them they smelled soooo good... I kinda ate them all. I LOVE caramel, and these are SO GOOD!

Overall, I'm pretty impressed with my first Graze box, and if I have enough money left over after my beauty boxes, I'll definitely stay subscribed. 

Again! Your first box is 100% FREE! So if you're interested in trying out some cool new healthy snacks delivered right to your door, CLICK HERE and let me refer you! 

Happy snacking!

Xx Ashley C.

Ipsy July 2014 Unboxing & Review!

Time to take a super quick break from my Tomoson reviews for a minute and bring you my July Ipsy bag before July is over!!! I think this month was a pretty decent Ipsy month, at least decent enough to keep my subscribed!! :)
For those of you who don't already know, Ipsy is a month subscription program that brings you a bag full of makeup goodies for only $10 a month. They can be full or deluxe sized, and are usually a mixture of both! I've been subscribed over a year, and probably won't unsubscribe for a very long time. lol If you'd like to learn more or sign up please use my referral link HERE!

The theme this month was Sensationally Sunkissed and here is what I received!

Everything this month was a little bit small.. Especially the teeny tiny eyeliner. But the bag this month was actually kind of huge for a change. A great new lipgloss bag for my purse!

Another view of when I first opened my bag!

Bare Minerals BB Advanced 5 in 1 Cream Eyeshadow in Divine Wine .03 oz. 

 TINY Sample Value:  $5.40

I really hate cream eyeshadow, yet for some reason I receive it repeatedly. This color is kind of like cement, yet kind of purple. It seems like it would last a really long time, but is definitely too much for me. Cream eyeshadow just has too much potential for creasing for me to even deal with. I love Bare Minerals as a brand, but this just isn't my style at all.

Lord & Berry Black Silk Mini Kajal Kohl Liner

Mini Liner Value: $5 (Est.)

Typically I really hate Kohl liner, but I actually really like this one, even though it's really tiny. It's a good size to carry in my purse for emergency liner. It's a little smudgy but I guess that is how all Kajal liner is. It goes on really black and smooth though, It's pretty nice.

Clear Clinic Labs Vanished Clear Spot Treatment

Sample Value $9.33

I really like this sample. It arrived just in time for a massive breakout too, which was really helpful. This stuff pretty much burns like fire, but it works. It dried up all of my acne within two days.  I really like it alot, and if it weren't so expensive I'd probably buy a full bottle. But I think I'll stick to Murad.

Hang Ten Dark Tanning Oil

Travel Size Value $3

This is probably a pretty decent product. I received a Hang Ten sunscreen last month. If I had gotten this last month I probably would have used it, since I went to the beach, but since I am back home, I don't really tan or go outside all that much now, so this is pretty useless to me.

Model's Own Nail Polish in Red Sea

FULL SIZE value $8.50

So I was super stoked about getting one of these polishes. This is a brand I've wanted to try for a very long time. Unfortunately it is gloop city and I really really hate it. Yuck.

So that's my July bag! Some hits, some misses, but hey, for $10 who really cares?

Again, like I said if you'd like to subscribe make sure and use my referral link located at the top of the post! !  

Until later, 

Xx Ashley C. 

February 2014 Glam Box LLC Unboxing!

Today I bring you my February GlamBox!!!
If you haven't read any of our other reviews from the past two months, Glam Box LLC is a brand new subscription box company that primary brings you products from small businesses. A major place where the businesses come from is Etsy, which is awesome for me because, really, who has time to hunt down every awesome shop on Etsy, NO ONE THAT'S WHO! :)
Honestly this month's box was a little hit and a little miss for me, but that's mostly due to personal preferences, and me being really picky with my scents. I'd like to see a little more makeup in my March box, but overall, February was still pretty good.
Pick up your March Box today at their website HERE for just $15 plus s&h, and be prepared to find some new brands that you didn't know existed. She also sends out mystery bags every now and then which can give you a taste of the past boxes, to see if you like it! Just make sure you mention this blog, and my name!!!

Here's a first look at my box:

One of my favorite things about Glam Box is that they provide you with a big list of everything in the boxes. This is especially helpful since all the brands aren't that well known, so that way you can find them later!! I also love that everything is packed in super tight, and securely wrapped!

Here's my list for February!

Here's all the business cards and sample cards that I had in my box.

There's a sample of Dermablend foundation and Versace perfume in there. Also some coupon codes and a 30 day free trial to Gwinnie Bee, which apparently is clothing for women size 10-32. Which I am not, but if anyone happens to want this, it's all yours!

And here is all my stuff I received! So CUTE for Valentine's!

First things first: SNACKS! I love that I got another chocolate pop from SandiPops. I got one last month and they are really really awesome and delicious. I also received a sugar cookie from A Bite of Heaven, which was okay, but a little on the stale side, but it has lots of sprinkles and a heart in the middle.  I'm sure they're great fresh though! If I keep receiving Sandi Pops and cookies instead of makeup, I guess I'll need that Gwinnie Bee after all huh? :P

Next! Candles!! I love candles, so this was definitely good. I received two tea lights from Simple Aromas in the scent Loving Spell, which smells just like Love Spell from Victoria's Secret, which happens to be my favorite.

I also received one tea light from Krista's Candles, which I had received a wax tart from in my last box. This is in the scent Moonlight Path, which smells really awesome and just like Moonlight Path from Bath & Body Works so that is a double plus! (BTW soon I will have a FULL Krista's Candle's Review for you guys, which I'm really really excited about! She's awesome & super sweet!)

Next, I received three hair ties from Just Knotted. These are super cute and I've been wearing them as bracelets and emergency hair ties. :) I also got a sample from Jamberry Nails sold by Joanna Duncan. I've never used these,  but if you don't know what they are, they are wraps for your nails that look like nail polish. I think the leopard ones are super cute, and I definitely wish I'd received a full sheet of just these instead of random ones. 

Next I received an eyeshadow palette from BA Star. This is a brand that is primarily targeted towards girls that are in dance/cheerleading competitions. Most of their products are highly pigmented or very glittery, however I feel like they are definitely targeted more towards the younger school aged crowd. Last month we received mineral eyeshadows, which I really loved, but I probably won't use these shadows very much, since I already have TONS of go to neutrals! I will admit, I like the glitters though! They are the two on the end.

Here is the rest of the items I received. There is a whipped body butter from Bear's Beauty on the bottom right. This I don't really love the scent of unfortunately. I love body butter and was excited to receive this because it's organic, but there's just something weird about it I don't like. I'm interested in their cleansing oils though. 

Next to it on the bottom left is a Zesty Lemon lotion bar, from Heartfelt Inspiration. This is probably my favorite thing in the whole box. It smells JUST like my Burt's Bee's cuticle balm, and I've been using it as a perfectly suitable replacement since I lost mine. It would be difficult to use this like a regular "lotion" but for my cuticles it is PERFECT! :) 

Right above it is a nailpolish from Smelly Good & Pretties AKA Vapid Lacquer. This is a bronze to pinkish duochrome shifting polish. It's really pretty in the bottle, however, this is unfortunately the ONE color that looks wretched on my skintone and completely washes me out. Bronze polish hates me. I checked out their website though and there are some AMAZING colors on there as well as some HOLOS! Definitely going to have to check those out ASAP! Dying to try them. :)

Next is sugar scrub cubes from Jilly Beans Creative Expressions. I love sugar scrubs, so I was really interested to get these. The concept behind them is great! No more scooping and risking getting your scrub all wet, just smush up one cube and you're good to go! Unfortunately, as I said before, I hate florals ALOT and this came in in Sweet Pea, so I probably won't be using it any time soon. I bet I would LOVE the strawberry coconut ones though! :) There's alot of really great stuff in her shop!

The thing at the very top of this photo is what I believe to be another sugar scrub from Restoried Designs.  I haven't used this yet, and I'm not completely sure what scent it is, but like I said before, the more sugar scrubs the merrier!

Here is another picture of my entire box. As you can  see it contained a ton of samples, which is great for someone who is looking for some new favorite brands, especially ones that are organic. Like I said, this box was a hit and a miss for me. It wasn't the actual products themselves that were a miss though, except for the Gwinnie Bee, which I have no use for, it was just the scents. I'm excited to see what the March box holds! Hopefully more Sandipops and more MAKEUP!!! :) And Maybe something green!

So if you liked this post, and are interested in testing out the Etsy waters and finding some great new brands, definitely give Glam Box LLC a shot! Every month they bring in new brands with new awesome products to try! Visit their website here and like them on Facebook HERE for lots of sneak peeks and the latest news on Mystery bags, and don't forget to tell them I sent ya!

Catch you later! :)

Xx Ashley C.

February 2014 US Weekly Birchbox Unboxing!

For those of you who don't already know, Birchbox is pretty much the first beauty subscription box there was, and has been around for awhile. Like one of my other favorites, Ipsy, it's just $10 a month and they send you 4-5 samples of higher end products so you can try them out before you purchase them! I've been subscribed for three months now, and my favorite part of the Birchbox program is that as you receive items, you can review them and then receive points towards anything in their store. 100 points =$10, so it's pretty great. If you'd like to subscribe feel free to use my referral link RIGHT HERE!
This month's Birchbox partnered with US Weekly to bring us the latest and greatest brands, so they say, and this is what I received....
**Spoiler Alert!**

January Glam Box 2014 Unboxing!!

My first Glam Box is FINALLY HERE!!! And I must say that I am MORE than pleased!!!
If you don't already know Glam Box LLC is a BRAND NEW subscription box program that focuses on small business owners. It was packed FULL of awesome samples and full sized products. It only costs $10 + $4.95 shipping in the US for the larger sized box and if you want to sign up make sure and click HERE and let them know Ashley Combs referred you!
P.S. If you're in Canada, it's $10 + $10 which is still a pretty good deal for the amount you get!
Here's a first look at the box! SPOILER ALERT!

Ipsy January 2014 Unboxing!

For those of you who don't know what Ipsy is, is a monthly subscription program where around the middle of the month, for only $10 every month you receive a cute little bag filled with 4-5 deluxe size/full size makeup/beauty/skincare items. I personally love Ipsy aside from the issues I had last month. This months bag for me was not too shabby either. Alot of people were complaining because it was primarily skincare items, but in my opinion we haven't received skincare in a long time so it works for me.

If you're interested in signing up for Ipsy or to learn more use my referral link HERE!!
Let's begin! SPOILER ALERT!

January 2014 Birchbox Unboxing!

I'm so glad I didn't cancel Birchbox after December's subpar one. January's box was AWESOME!! I'm super happy with everything I received I even got the Nail Rock color I was wanting! :)
The best part about Birchbox is it's only $10 a month for a box full of 4-5 Deluxe Samples (sometimes fullsize) of higher end brands. They also offer "Birchbox finds" that are drugstore brands. This month's contained a coupon for $3 off Burt's Bees!
If you'd like to sign up, please use my referral link HERE!
Another great thing about Birchbox is you accrue points for reviewing your items, and you can redeem them for fullsize products in their store, or even a gift subscription and get extra boxes for free! :)
Spoiler Alert!

Ipsy December 2013 Unboxing!

It's that time again!! My December Ipsy bag has arrived. Aside from the perfume leakage that it seems like everyone experienced, I'm mostly okay with my bag. It wasn't the most exciting bag or anything. I figured there would be a Christmas theme or something, but I did redeem my points for a Beauty Blender that I am very excited to have in my life! :)

Here's what I received: English Laundry Perfume, Nyx Lipstick, Nicka K Nail Polish, Be a Bombshell The One Stick, Pop Beauty Eyeshadow Trio, and my Beauty Blender

For those of you who aren't subscribed, Ipsy is an awesome subscription service where for $10 a month you receive 5 full or deluxe sample sized beauty items, ranging from skin care, to makeup, to nail polish. If you are thinking about signing up, make sure and check out my other reviews located HERE for November,  HERE for October, and HERE for September. Then use my referral link please HERE. 

Here is a closer look at the Nicka K Nail Polish I received. I don't really like red, but it's a pretty nice bright color. I traded it for some eyelashes. I'm glad I didn't receive the ugly brown nail polish color by Nicka K.

This is the Pop Beauty Eyeshadow Trio in Smokin' Hot. It's a pretty nice little palette for smoky eyes and I tried it out tonight. I did unfortunately notice a little bit of creasing in the middle color, but I think a better eye primer would solve that. Here's some swatches and my makeup. :)

I really like the middle grey color. It's got a really nice shimmer to it, and the dark color is great for creases. A little goes a long way with these colors.

Here's all three on. They blend together very nicely.

Here's the Be a Bombshell... The One Stick. I received the color Flustered. It's a really nice red color with a tiny bit of shimmer. I haven't tried it on my cheeks or eyes yet. I don't think I would actually use this color on my eyes, I think it would crease alot and look weird, but its a really great lipstick and is huge.

Sorry for the blurry photo, but here is my Nyx Round Lipstick in Iris. It looks really pretty on my hand, but totally washes out on my face. I like nude lipsticks and had high hopes. However, it does look great mixed with The One Stick. Here's some swatches:

And here's the two colors mixed together on my lips. It created a really nice, soft pinkish red color that I absolutely love. Definitely my new favorite color for winter.

Here's the perfume sample. It's a 5mL size sample which is pretty nice and the bag came with a men's and a women's. They both smell really nice in my opinion and my husband was super excited to actually receive something he could use for once. Unfortunately, however, they leaked, so I will have to wait to receive my replacement to get the full product sample.

Last but not least, my beauty blender. I used it today for the first time and it pretty much changed my makeup life. I don't usually use liquid foundations because they go on too thick and cause me to look weirdly colored or break out. But this bad boy made it go on like a dream. It has a small end for precision which I really love for my under eye area. :) Everyone should own one of these!!

Here's a list of promo codes from this month's bag! Hope you enjoyed the post! I can't wait to receive my first Birch Box in a few weeks so I can review it too!

Pop Beauty 25% off any Purchase - EyeLuvPop

Be a Bombshell 40% off any purchase and a free blush - Ipsy40

Nicka K 30% off any purchase - Ipsy

Nyx 35% off the Slim Lip Pencil - IpsySlim

English Laundry Free gift with $75+ Purchase & Free Shipping - No code

Mirabella 30% off any purchase - ipster

Demeter 20% off any purchase - Ipsy20dfl

J Cat Beauty 30% off any purchase - jcatlips

Jesse's Girl Cosmetics 20% off any purchase - Ipsydec2013

Starrily 20% off any purchase - Ipsy

Keep your eyes open, I'm doing Christmas tree nails tonight! Definitely going to post a tutorial for them! :)

Happy Holidays!!

Xx Ashley C.

Julep Maven December Glitterati Collection Unboxing!

I am thrilled to say that Julep finally has an option to upgrade to an ONLY polish option. I've never upgraded in the past because I never 100% LOVE all of their beauty products, so when I saw this month's box full of glitter beauties PLUS a polish only upgrade, I jumped at the chance.

For those of you who have never heard of Julep before, they are an independent nail polish company that offers a monthly subscription box with various "style profile" options tailored to your tastes. The box costs $19.99 a month for either two polishes and a beauty product, two beauty products, or three polishes. I love Julep because they give you the option to skip entirely if you don't like the collection. They also now offer Polish only upgrades for $44.99 in which you get all 9 colors! :) I think the regular upgrade is 50$.
Check them out if you love polish like me! And use my referral link HERE, so they know I sent you!

Who's ready for some swatches!?! My apologies in advance for the photo quality. I was so excited when I got my box that I didn't charge my phone and my flash stopped working halfway through the polish!

Everything was boxed up really nicely this month! The new boxes are super cute, although I think they're a waste of paper. It also came with a 40% off code and 2 twistband hairties. I will wear them as bracelets only.

From left to right:

Mia, Jillian, Cara, Celia, Evelyn, Shoshanna, Andrea, Joelle, Misti

Visit Julep's Website HERE to purchase these amazing colors

I'm going to describe Cara and Evelyn for you because I sold/traded them and I forgot to take pictures of the bottles first :/

Cara - I thought this was going to be a pink shimmer polish. That's what the Julep swatches looked like. However, it looks pink in the bottle but it's actually a really nice red frost color. Julep describes it as a "cranberry frost".

Evelyn - A "Magenta purple cream". I'm so tired of Julep's cream polish. This color was so/so for me. It's a nice color if you don't already have a bunch of purples I guess.

First up is Misti. It's a pretty smokey blue cream that will be perfect for more snowmen. This is two coats over my existing Rebel for full opaqueness.

Meet Jillian. This is supposed to be a "deep eggplant with bronze molten" I think it's more brownish red.

To me it looks like a dupe of Sephora by OPI I'm with Brad

It went on amazingly though. That swatch is just one coat over my existing polish.

This is two coats of Joelle over my Rebel. This is the most amazing silver holo full coverage glitter. I am absolutely in love with it. 

This is Shoshanna. I will have to wear it this weekend and post another picture because this does it no justice. It's a beautiful yellow full coverage holo glitter filled with green and red glitters as well. Love it!

EDIT: Here's an additonal photo of Joelle and Shoshanna over Julep Nicolette for your viewing pleasure.

I love these colors! Not so much over the white but this is a much better picture to give you an idea of what they really look like!

Andrea is a really pretty full coverage bronzey/gold color. This is two coats over Rebel. Went on really nicely for a full coverage and wasn't too difficult to take off!

EDIT: On my ring finger and thumb is Andrea in all it's glittery glory. I love this color so much it isn't really bronze to me, definitely more gold, but it is absolutely beautiful!

This is Mia. I'm not totally amazed. It reminds me of if Julep Stefani and Zelda had a baby. It would be this polish. It's supposed to be a greenish silver, but I only see silver.

EDIT: As it turns out, I used Mia again and it is actually a pretty greenish silver color. What I love the most about it, is how metallic and wonderful it is. This is Mia paired with Shoshanna on my thumb and ring finger. LOVE THEM!

Saved the best for last!! This is Celia. It's an amazing Green metallic that is perfect for winter and christmas. This picture is just ONE coat if you can believe that!

And here are my nails. Using Celia with Joelle on top and Rebel for the Christmas Tree. :)

And here's a bonus mani picture of what they looked like before I did the swatches. :) That's Rebel. It's my favorite.

Again, sorry for the lame pictures. I will take better ones I swear. What colors did you get this month??? Love or hate them?!

Until next time,

Xx Ashley C.