31.12.13

Julep December 2013 (Boho Glam) Box Review

After having a positive experience with my Julep intro-box, I decided to keep on with my subscription! Out of all the possible combinations that were listed for December, I decided that I liked the "Boho Glam" style the most this month. 

* Julep is a monthly subscription service that you can change, cancel, or skip a month at any time. You can choose from five different combinations - "Boho Glam", "Bombshell", or "Classic With a Twist" that each come with two nail polishes and one-full size beauty product, or choose the "It-Girl Box" that features three nail polishes with NO beauty product, OR the "Modern Beauty" box that comes with two full-size beauty products. You can choose whichever combination you like the most for that month. Each box also comes with a free small gift in every box and quick shipping on every order! *


 The items I received in this box were: 
  • Julep Nail Color in shade "Misti" 
  • Julep Nail Color in shade "Joelle" 
  • Julep Sweep Eyeshadow Palette in shade "Neutrals" 
  • 2 Hair Ties 
The Nail Colors 


"MISTI" 


This nail color is described as a "smoky blue-grey crème". I can really see why they included this in the "Boho Glam" box. This earthly neutral shade is very warm and beautiful. It looks so beautiful in person and seems a tad darker than the online photos on Julep, which makes it seem even more mysterious and inviting. I love it! 

Retail: 14 USD 


"JOELLE" 


Wow, this color is cosmic. It's described as "full coverage smoky holographic glitter". I can definitely testify that this is full coverage, this nail polish is packed full of the holographic glitter and spreads evenly on the nails. Even though the glitter looks silver online, it isn't. It's multi-color! Online photos rarely do holographic glitter any justice; just take my word on this one, it's awesome!  

Retail: 14 USD (currently out of stock) 

The Beauty Product 



The first thing I noticed about the palette was that it is a lot smaller than I envisioned in my head. And I've actually grown to like that better. This is perfect for travel! The palette snaps shut by use of a magnet and has a small mirror above the shades. The pigmentation of these eyeshadows are incredible - I barely swipe my finger and it's full coverage. They are smooth and glide on like a dream. I'm not really a big fan of brown eyeshadows, but I'll try them out. My favorite shade is definitely Dusk, it's a pretty warm pink color. 

Retail: 24 USD 

The Extra Gift 


Having extra, extra, extra long hair, I'm in love with these hair ties. Which means I use them often. Which means they get lost more often. Which means I can always use spares! These hair ties don't pull and don't lose elasticity. You can't go wrong! I probably won't be wearing the silver one seeing as I loathe anything silver, but that purple one will be in my hair for months to come (until I lose it). 

Julep price: 20 USD 
Retail price: 52 USD

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Eco Emi December 2013 Box

* Eco Emi is a monthly subscription box that allows you to sample a wide variety of all-natural, eco-friendly, animal conscious, vegetarian, and free trade products without spending a fortune. For just 15 USD, you will get a box filled with various beauty, household, and/or food sample products delivered to your doorstep. It's a great way to determine which products work best for your earth-conscious and eco-friendly lifestyle! * 

 Eco Emi is definitely shaping up to be one of my favorite subscription boxes! It's like getting a present each month when I get a new Eco Emi box, I never know what I'm going to get! :) I also love that Eco Emi includes samples from shops on Etsy, I always like to discover and sample new organic and natural shops. I am very excited to share with you my Eco Emi December review! 
December 2013 Eco Emi Box

Eco Emi definitely wins the cutest packaging award out of all my subscription boxes. Each month they have a theme and you can probably guess this month's theme... Christmas! I just want to note that inside the organza bag, each item was individually wrapped! 
The items I received were: 
  • Winter Wonderland Goat Milk Soap by Omniio
  • Exfoliating Daily Cleansing Towelettes by Blum Naturals
  • Natural Herbal Decongestant Salve by Sage Aromatherapy 
  • Seed Paper by Plantables and Paper
  • Tree Cookie Cutter by the Party Fairy 
  • Candy Cane Hand Sanitizer by Fortune Cookie Soap 
  • Aah Bath Soak by Wash 
  • Whitelighter Eye Shadow by Brija Cosmetics 
Winter Wonderland Goat Milk Soap by Omniio


The first thing I noticed about this soap was that it's a great size for a sample! Too often have I gotten sample soaps that would only last a few washes - this soap seems like it will last me an entire month. This soap is handmade and created with high quality oils and rich butters, making it gluten, paraben, and sulfate free. It smells like nutmeg and star anise, definitely a more "spicy" smelling soap, perfect for the holidays! 

Exfoliating Daily Cleansing Towelettes by Blum Naturals


These towelettes are infused with natural and organic botanicals that help remove eye and face make up. They are saturated with an orange scent that not only smells great, but exfoliates the skin, leaving your face feeling fresh and clean. I love that this is orange-scented, I hate cleansers that are unscented or just smell like chemicals!


Natural Herbal Decongestant Salve by Sage Aromatherapy 


I love that Eco Emi included this sample! I've always wanted to try something like this for one of my once-a-year death coughs. It smells very pleasant and very strong - which is a great thing for a decongestant. It contains eucalyptus, peppermint, ginger, wintergreen, thyme, cedarwood, tea tree beeswax, and carrier oil. Directions include rubbing a bit on your chest and throat daily to open your airways, or rubbing some on the soles of your feet and covering with socks to suppress a cough. 


Seed Paper by Plantables and Paper


I had ZERO clue what this was until I read the information card. It's seed paper! Made using recycled paper and a blend of wildflower seeds, this seed paper allows you to write a new year's resolution or wish and plant it! It's such a unique idea, I have never heard of anything like this. I'm curious to see if it'll grow. 


Tree Cookie Cutter by the Party Fairy

Sorry, no picture available! I made the mistake of opening my box at work and of course my co-workers went through my  Eco Emi things, hahaha. My co-worker Jen, who recently got accepted to culinary school, immediately noticed the cookie cutter and I couldn't say no, provided that she promise to bake me tree cookies. 


Candy Cane Hand Sanitizer by Fortune Cookie Soap


This hand sanitizer is awesome! It smells delicious and it's actually very moisturizing for a hand sanitizer. It also has a soothing and refreshing effect, which surprised me. Very impressed! 


Aah Bath Soak by Wash 


This smells absolutely amazing. It contains epsom salt, dead sea salt, eucalyptus, and spearmint essential oils. I also love that this is a larger sample, so instead of getting maybe one or two uses out of it, it'll last an entire week. 


Whitelighter Eye Shadow by Brija Cosmetics 



I definitely wouldn't use this as a full-on eyeshadow, but I think this will be perfect as an inner corner highlight! It has very high pigmentation and glides on silky smooth. I love that this is an organic product, because I don't like un-natural makeup products near my eyes for allergy reasons. When I saw it in the sample packaging I wasn't sure if I would like it, but when I swatched it I fell in love! 


FAVORITES: Decongestant salve, hand sanitizer, bath salt, and whitelighter eye shadow!

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Use this link: www.ecoemi.com 

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Ipsy December 2013 In-Depth Review

After having such a wonderful experience with last month's Ipsy glam bag, I was so excited to receive the December one! And let's just say I was NOT disappointed! :) 

 * Ipsy is a subscription service for only 10 USD (including free shipping) that sends you a makeup bag filled with 5-6 (usually full-size or deluxe samples) beauty products each month. You can cancel at any time! * 

Ipsy December 2013 Theme "Celebration"


The items I received were: 
  • POP Beauty Bright Up Your Life Eye Shadow Trio in shade "Smokin Hot" 
  • Be a Bombshell The One Stick in shade "Girl Crush" 
  • Nicka K New York Nail Color in shade "Classic Taupe" 
  • NYX Extra Creamy Round Lipstick in shade "Iced Honey" 
  • Ardell Eyelashes in "Natural" 

POP Beauty Bright Up Your Life Eye Shadow Trio in shade "Smokin Hot"
Once more, I gave this product away before reviewing it. Out of the two possible shades Ipsy could have sent me, I got this black/gray/white trio instead of the one I wanted- which had more natural shades. Black and gray eyeshadow just does not look good on my pale skin whatsoever! 

Retail price: 8 USD

Be a Bombshell The One Stick in shade "Girl Crush" 


I spent an embarrassing amount of time trying to figure out what this does. Apparently, it can be used anywhere - on lips as a lipstick, as a highlighter, as an eyeshadow, as a blush... I found the most useful purpose for this is as a cream blush, it's a lovely dusty pink color! This shade is just so so pretty and perfect. So glad I received this shade! On a side note, I found this to be way too drying on the lips. 

Retail price: 16 USD

 Nicka K New York Nail Color in shade "Classic Taupe"


I -love- this. It's just such a great neutral bohemian color. My style sways more to the more natural and bohemian shades, and this is just perfect. You can never have too many nail polishes! 

Retail price: 5 USD

NYX Extra Creamy Round Lipstick in shade "Iced Honey" 


Again, being makeup illiterate, I had never heard of the brand NYX. After receiving this product, I've become a NYX fanatic. Their products are very affordable especially for college girls on a budget (me!). I received Iced Honey, a shade that I would never have thought to buy for myself, but it looks great on. It's more of a beige-y pink color instead of being pure beige which I imagined it to be before seeing it. It's sheer enough to let the beauty of your natural lips stand out, but also adds shine and a splash of color. It has a creamy and moisturizing formula and feels great on the lips! 

Retail price: 4 USD

 Ardell Natural Lash in "120 Demi"  


Too many Ipsy subscribers complain about getting lashes in their bag, but I absolutely love them. If you've never tried lashes, just TRY them! They are so much fun! I usually use one or two Ardell individual lashes on the ends of my natural lashes to give it sort of a "cat-eye" look. I loved that I received these and can't wait to try them out! 

Retail price: 3 USD

FAVORITES: Bombshell one stick, Nicka nail polish, and NYX lipstick 

Ipsy: 10 USD 
Retail price: 36 USD

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