February BOXYCHARM Review

As always, BOXYCHARM have delivered a fabulous box for the month of February! In case you haven't heard of this company, they put together a monthly subscription box filled with makeup goodies! You get around 4-5 full size products every month for $21.

I have been receiving BOXYCHARM for around 6 months now and I am never disappointed! This month the contents have been great. My favorite so far is the Realtree Eau De Parfume. This is the perfect scent for me. It's very girly, sweet and flowery. 

I also am loving the Ofra Banana Powder. I have not noticed a banana scent but it really does work as a great setting powder, especially under the eyes where it brightens the area and helps conceal those dark circles.  I have even used it when I'm having a no-makeup-makeup day as a neutral eye-shadow, just to counteract any oiliness. 

I'm still working my way through the other products - a facial mask, and in-shower sponge and the eye cream.

I've never been a fan of cream blushes so I may not use the Blush & Glo. 

I'm looking forward to March's box!

Have a beauty-full day!

A 'Haul' Lotta Drugstore!

I'm sorry I've been MIA lately - although I have been going crazy with the makeup purchases! All of these products were from CVS and I cannot encourage you enough to sign up for their 'Extra Care' card as well as the Beauty Club if you are a regular shopper. I saved around $30 on all this stuff from the in-store deals as well as coupons I had already accumulated.

So on with the products...I picked up these 3 foundations. These were mostly recommendations from my favorite YouTubers but also I am all about the drugstore foundations! I love how affordable the are and how I can a have a different look everyday without breaking the bank.

The Rimmel Lasting Finish foundation is beautiful. The formula is great and I'm convinced it last all day! The only issue I had with it is it oxidized on my skin. After about 20 minutes of wear, I looked orange; an amazing complexion but an orange one! My shade is one of the lightest so I know it matches, it just didn't like me!

The Maybelline Dream Velvet foundation is becoming a favorite of mine. Lately my skin has been more oily than dry so the matte foundations have been a big help. This provides great coverage, good color match and also is long wearing. I really need to apply a good primer before hand though to help minimize pores and prevent any dry areas.

Now my favorite purchase was the Milani Conceal & Perfect 2-in-1 foundation and concealer. Although I picked up the lightest shade (creamy vanilla), it is still way too dark for me. I'm thinking this will be better in the summer when I'm not so pale. The coverage is amazing though! It really does cover everything and the finish is perfect! I am in love!

I saw Kathleen Lights use this same Milani foundation and she suggest using a corrector to change the shade. I purchased the Manic Panic Dreamtone Foundation from Amazon which really helps fix the color.

My other purchases were the Wet n Wild Contouring Palette in Dulce de Leche, the Physicians Formula Butter Bronzer and the Maybelline Master Fix Setting & Perfecting powder. 

I heard amazing reviews about the contouring palette and had to try it! And it truly is fabulous! The darker shade is perfect for contouring - it's so creamy and does not leave a powdery finish. I haven't used the lighter shade as much, only as a finishing powder and to blur any contour edges.

The bronzer also had rave reviews and really does smell like a tropical paradise (or a pina colada!). The finish is perfect - even on my super pale skin. I know it will be a summer favorite in my makeup kit!

And finally the powder is PERFECT! I've been desperate to get my hands on the RCMA No Color powder which remains out of stock so I was hoping this would have a similar effect. The powder is so fine that it does not leave a cakey finish. It is perfect for baking, setting and filling in pores! I'm pretty sure this has color to it - it lightens areas and can look white but with my skin tone, it's not a problem.

Here's how flawless the Milani foundation is!

Next time, I'll go over the other products in the haul - eye shadow palettes, brow pencil and nail polish!

Thanks for stopping by and as always...

Have a beauty-full day!

ColourPop Makeup Haul!

Last week I put in my first ever ColourPop order! I have to say, it was one of those days where I was watching YouTube videos, saw some Instagram pics and then finally just decided to try their stuff!

The makeup arrived really quickly and I was so impressed with the packaging! I also love the thank you note and the printed booklet telling me how to care for my products and how to use them effectively. 

Lunch Money & Smokin' Whistles

I had head lots about the 'Super Shock Cheek' before. Bloggers rave about the highlight range from ColourPop! I picked up these two shades. I really like 'Lunch Money' because I'm really pale...so it doesn't make me look like I'm trying to be a bronzed goddess. Smokin' Whistles is a little more golden, but still looks great.

Liberty, Tassel & Weenie

The ColourPop Super Shock Shadows are so pigmented and creamy! I am officially in love. I chose these colors as I was going for a silver look this weekend with a pop of white. I picked 'Weenie' because it just looks so golden and wonderful! Maybe for a day when I have a bit of a tan!

I picked up the Ultra Matte Lips in the colors Lumiere 2 and Trap. I had no idea how these would look on my skin tone and I have to say on my lips, they look completely different to the swatches! But I love the formula, I love how classy these colors look. They really helped complete my birthday outfits this last weekend.

Finally, I picked out the matching Lippie Liner in Lumiere and a creme gel liner.The lip liner looks great on its own under some gloss as well as with the liquid lipsticks I picked up. I am yet to use the eyeliner but I know it will really make my blue/green eyes pop.

I cannot wait to visit the ColourPop website again and get even more wonderful products!

Have a beauty-full day!

Mini Sephora Haul!

This is truly going to be a 'mini' haul! I picked up sample sized products that I really wanted to try again and I also received my Sephora birthday treat which is a mini Marc Jacobs lipstick and eyeliner.

The Benefit They're Real mascara is definitely one of my favorites! I've mentioned before that I already have long lashes...so anything that will make them longer, darker and more voluminous is a winner in my eyes! This has everything I need in a mascara...I really should just invest in the full size!

Urban Decay de-slick Makeup Setting Spray is my favorite setting spray of the moment! Last week I tried out the Nyx Matte Finish Spray and was just not 'wowed'. So I went back to Sephora to re-purchase the Urban Decay version. 

I've figured out that my skin is a little bit oily lately and I hate packing on powder to set my foundation. This really does make my makeup stay all night and I don't seem to get those oily patches that ruin my life!

The Marc Jacobs mini set was my birthday gift from Sephora. I really like how creamy the lipstick is and I haven't fully tried the gel eyeliner yet...I will do a mini-review on my Instagram soon.

Have a beauty-full day!

Target Beauty Box Time! February 2016

Here we go again! The latest Target Beauty Box sold out so fast but I so lucky to get my hands on one...

This month the box was filled with goodies! There were 10 products and I believe Target quoted a $28 value (the box is $7!).

I am still working on trying everything but here are my quick thoughts.

• Soapbox Coconut Oil Shampoo and Conditioner - I wasn't wowed by this. I don't really like coconut that much but my hair just felt normal and maybe even drier than usual after using this.

• Mayfair Soap Foundry Body Creme - this smells amazing and is very moisturizing!
• Skinfix Lip Repair Balm - my lips are so chapped right now so this came at the right time. I love that this is unscented. I also think it's really helping my lips repair.
• Derma e Hydrating Night Creme - this also smells amazing! I mean so good! I've only used for a couple of nights but seems to be hydrating.

• L'oreal Boost It Air Blown Texture Mist - I used this once and it really does give my hair a boost! My hair is so fine and I love anything that will plump up the roots and generally give my hair more texture.
• Laneige BB Cushion sample - I received this last month too and either the shade is wrong or this product oxidizes on me. It has fantastic coverage though.
• Vera Wang Embrace Eau de Toilette sample - I am the BIGGEST Vera Wang perfume fan and this will be another favorite for my collection. It's not a sweet as Princess but is definitely beautiful and I would say is a more grown up, sophisticated scent.

The box also came with Incoco Nail Polish strips and an EcoTools Bath Pouf. I haven't tried these out yet but am looking forward to them.

Thanks Target for another amazing box! I will let readers know as soon as the next box comes out (if I'm quick enough). 

Have a beauty-full day!

Free Philosophy 'renewed hope in a jar' samples

It looks like Philosophy are giving away samples of 'renewed hope in a jar'. I have tried this in Sephora but would love to try it again at home. 

I am in love with the 'amazing grace' eu de toilette by Philosophy, which I picked up in December. It is described on the website as: 

"the amazingly clean and beautifully feminine fragrance features welcoming bergamot to greet the senses, irresistibly soft, clean muguet blossoms and lasting musk with its classic beauty".

I have to say, this is different from my usual choices of perfume, but I love how elegant this makes me feel. You can buy it in a 15ml size which is perfect for testing out before you buy the big one! But trust me...you will need the bigger one! 

Back to the free samples...I signed up - hope it works for you too! 

Also, if you sign up for email alerts, they will send you a free gift with any $25 purchase.

Have a beauty-full day!

Cushion Foundation Review - Loreal True Match Lumi Cushion

I searched high and low over the past few weeks to find this foundation! I have watched several reviews on YouTube and could not wait to try it for myself! I did eventually find this at my local CVS store, it's either new and not everywhere yet or just SOLD OUT!

So, the first thing I did was apply the foundation using a Beauty Blender ('cause this is what the vloggers say to do). I really didn't like what I saw...the foundation looked wet, not luminous and not thoroughly covered like I had seen in other reviews. 

I decided to try again the next day using the sponge applicator that comes with the foundation (usually I don't keep these things!). I have to say the product looked much better this time. It gave a smooth finish but seemed super sheer - it just didn't cover as well as my usual foundation.

So I tried again the next day using my new favorite brush, the It Cosmetics Airbrush Blurring Foundation Brush; this time the coverage looked flawless. To cover up redness and blemishes, I used a tiny amount on my beauty blender and tapped over these areas gently, then blended with my foundation brush. It does take a little while to dry and I like to cover up any areas that get oily with powder. 

I have to say I kept catching my reflection throughout the day and I couldn't believe how glowing my skin was! This was without any highlighter or luminous primer, which I usually apply most days.

I have to say - I still don't love this product as much as my Maybelline Fit Me foundation but it really is a great drugstore foundation. The price is a little high for the quality but I understand its a new thing.

Thumbs up Loreal!

Don't forget to catch me on Instagram for daily pics: @thebeautytipple.

Have a beauty-full day!