Winter Soap Box

I heard about this box in October when one of my favorite youtubers did a review of their Halloween themed box. Signing up used to be super complicated and difficult, but in November the changed it and as a result I was able to get one of these highly coveted boxes. After falling in love with LUSH I've been into soap and body products, so I was way stoked for this. Reviews, pictures, and more info about ordering after the jump.

November Birchbox

FINALLY.

Tons of AWESOME stuff in this month's box. Definitely a step up from last month. Individual pictures and mini-reviews under the cut.

Illegally Fabulous

I have always been pretty hard to please with mascara. My eyelashes have always caused me issues and a lot of the times messing with them is more of a headache than they're worth. Add that to the fact that I have very pale skin and dark mascara makes me look frightening when it inevitably smears under my eyes, and you get my disinterest in mascara. Sure, I always have worn some, but I've never felt the need to find "the perfect mascara." I've had more of a "well I suppose this will do" attitude.

But! That all changed when I picked up Illegal Length from Maybelline. I ended up getting it during the sale that CVS was having a couple of weeks back. It was a couple of dollars off from its usually $8.99 price, so I thought why not? It took me a couple of days to use it since I wasn't used to reaching for it instead of my old stand-by Great Lash, but when I finally did use it I was amazed. Thanks to the fact that it uses fiber-technology it made my lases long, long, long. Plus, I didn't notice the fibers settling on my cheeks during the day. It totally stayed put!

I would definitely recommend this mascara. It made my lashes look long and beautiful. I did notice a little bit of clumping, but I definitely think the trade-off for length is worth it.

More pictures after the cut!

October 2012 Birchbox

Birchbox is an odd beast. When I first learned about the sample subscription I was torn. On one hand, I have a problem with wanting to try a million different things which leads to my purchasing a million different things (something that is all around a bad situation), so a sample program seems like it would be the perfect solution to my little problem. On the other hand, being spoiled by Sephora and other cosmetics companies, the idea of paying for samples seemed ludicrous to me. Even if it did only cost ten dollars a month, I couldn't wrap my head around the idea of paying for a sample.

It was months before I finally broke down, I had to try it. It was too much like getting a surprise present every month for me to resist. After a four week period on the waiting list, I finally signed up for a subscription at the beginning of October.

I've definitely read a lot of bad things about Birchbox. People complain about Luna bars in their boxes, that they don't give out enough makeup samples, that the quality is slipping. Still, I had to find out what all the fuss was about. So, this month, I got my first box.

Of course for my first box things couldn't be simple. This month, Birchbox gave subscribers the option to chose between two different boxes: the typical BB box or a special box make in coordination with goop. That's right goop a.k.a. Gweneth Paltrow's blog. Now, for most people this would seem like an easy choice. Gweneth Paltrow is horrible. She uses the n-word freely (and explains it away by citing that she's ~best friends~ with Beyonce). She'd rather die than let her kids eat cup-a-soup. She's just. not. a. good. person. Still, I chose the goop box. Why? Maybe it's because while Paltrow can't "pretend to be someone who makes $25,000 a year" I can glad pretend to be someone with money coming out of my ears. Yeah, that's probably why.

Pictures of what I got and my feelings on it after the break.

Five Things I Need During Sephora's F&F

So I (like everyone else) am really looking forward to the Sephora Friends and Family sale. That is, of course, if it actually happens. Which, seeing as how much misinformation has been spread around in the past, is certainly a possibility. However! Let's not dwell on that, because I've been looking forward to it all year. I know, I know, even if it doesn't happen then there's still the VIB sale in November, but I'm really tired of being patient. I want to give Sephora entirely too much of my money now! Not wait another month!

Anyway, in preparation of the sale that may never be, I have been planning my must-buys if when the sale happens. This post includes the top five things I am determined to pick up during the sale.