GlossyBox once again surprised me this month, just as they did last month, by sending me an additional box free of charge. I’m still not exactly sure why, but no complaints here! The extra samples are perfect to travel with and to give to my friends who are curious to try new products.

This month’s theme, “International Style”, focused on Fashion Weeks around the globe, and featured products inspired by jet-setting models, designers, and fashionistas from NYC all the way to Milan. I finished trying the samples over this past weekend, and can now give a full and proper review.

What I Received:

Evologie’s Esystem Duo Pack Intensive Blemish Serum & Stay Clear Cream

LiSi Liquid Line Eyeliner in “Enchanted”

Nail Rock Nail Wraps

Bvlgari Eau Parfumée Au Thé Blanc Soap

Da Vinci Shimmer Powder in “Twilight”

Product # 1: Evologie’s Esystem Duo Pack Intensive Blemish Serum & Stay Clear Cream ($15.00)

Upon receiving this product and reading it’s description, I decided to incorporate both the cream and the serum into my daily skin care regime to see if I noticed any improvements to a couple of little blemishes that popped up in what I’ve dubbed “pre-PMS misery”. Sorry to any guys reading this, but it’s just a part of life and nature. Deal with it.

Anyway, while I noticed the serum did indeed help reduce redness and the size of said blemishes, the cream all but completely dried the rest of my face out. I applied it as directed, and almost immediately my skin felt tight and uncomfortable. I had to apply another oil-free moisturizer on top of it just so my makeup wouldn’t look flaky or patchy.

Would I Purchase?: It’s a maybe for the serum, since I feel it would come in handy for those one or two pimples that pop up (and usually at the most inconvenient of times), but absolutely not for the cream. It was way too drying for me.

Product #2: LiSi Liquid Line Eyeliner in “Enchanted” ($7.00)

I’m not a fan of liquid eyeliners at all. I’ve never found one that really works for me in terms of staying power and clean, neat, simple application. My trademark eyeliner look features a mild cat-eye, so I typically stick to gel-cream liners, since they stay in place the longest and are easier to apply and blend. I also use pencil liners, although with those, more often than not, I find I have to make sure my cat-eye doesn’t end up bleeding down to my cheek throughout the course of the day/night.

Even still, I gave “Enchanted” a try. A lovely purple color, it was a pain to apply. It just seemed I couldn’t get it off of the applicator and onto my eyelids evenly, and I had to go over it about three times total to cover areas that the first swipe of the liner missed completely because it wouldn’t spread.

The picture above was taken minutes after I finished applying the liner. I wore it out for the night, and when I came home to wash my face before bed, I noticed that almost all of it had flaked off. I was left with uneven, purple, patchy sections along my lid. So disappointing!

Would I Purchase?: No. I’ll stick to my gel-cream liners. Even though the color was pretty, this eyeliner was sort of cheap. It was a pain in the ass to apply, and it didn’t even get me through the night without fading.

Product #3: Nail Rock Nail Wraps ($8.00)

I was actually really excited to try these press-on foil wraps. They come in a variety of funky color combinations and patterns. The ones I received were split, half cheetah print-half bright red, which worked out well since it was a near perfect match to my current nail polish  Not wanting to overdo it, I decided to put the pattern on only my ring fingers. As meticulous and as careful as I was applying the foils, they still crinkled up along the edges of my nails, which kind of sucked and required a lot of buffing and filing- but even that still didn’t get the foil completely smooth.

Despite that, they are pretty cool looking, and are advertised as being designed to last up to ten days. I’m on day three right now, going into day four, and even after showers, rifling through my purse, and a lot of typing, they haven’t budged. Priced at only $8, I’m impressed.

My apologies for my kind of icky cuticles in that photo. I’m in need of a manicure.

Would I Purchase?: Yes! I don’t think I’d wear them on every single one of my nails, but they’d be a lot of fun to mix and match with different nail polishes, and they definitely stand out. You can’t beat the price, either, especially since they seem to have staying power (so far!)

Product #4: Bvlgari Eau Parfumée Au Thé Blanc Soap (30.00)

First, the good- this soap made my skin feel amazing. Even before I got out of the shower, I could feel a difference. My skin was soft and very, very silky, and it stayed that way long after I got out of the shower and dried off. The soap lathered up pretty well, which gave me an allover clean feeling, too- also a perk.

Now, the bad- I feel like I’m in the minority when I say this, since I’ve seen people raving about this soap in their reviews for the very reason I was put off by it- but I didn’t like the way it smelled. At all. It was just too much for me, to the point of it being kind of gross, and I ended up spritzing a little perfume on after my shower to try and cover it up.

Would I Purchase?: No. As wonderful as my skin felt, $30 is a lot of money for something that I couldn’t stand the smell of. I’d be better off putting that towards a lightly scented body lotion or body butter if I wanted the same moisturized, silky feeling, but without the overpowering aroma.

Product #5: Da Vinci Shimmer Powder in “Twilight” ($15.00)

I was a little nervous about applying this golden-toned shimmer powder to my face, worried that it would make me look too bronzed since it appeared to be on the darker side in the container, but I was pleasantly surprised at the beautiful glow and subtle shimmer it gave me after I brushed some on my cheekbones as a highlighter and on my brow bone.

The shade of this powder isn’t just limited to the “Twilight” shade, either. There’s quite a variety- from nudes, to pinks, to plums, so depending on your skin tone and personal preference, you can find a color that suits you!

Would I Purchase?: Yes! I loved the shimmer, which isn’t overpowering and actually stays in place unlike other shimmer powders and blushes I’ve tried in the past. This is a great product for cheeks and eyes, and can serve as an easy to carry substitute for eye shadow and blush, especially when you’re traveling and simply don’t have the room to carry a bunch of compacts, jars, or tubes around.

Two loved products, two not-so-loved products, and one I’m still on the fence about. I may not have been as blown away by the February GlossyBox as I was with the January one, but I had fun trying everything, and I discovered some new brands and products I’d love to experiment with more in the future.

xx

Along with BeautyArmy, I also recently subscribed to the monthly Beauty Box service, GLOSSYBOX, after hearing glowing reviews about it. A few dollars more than BeautyArmy, but similar to it’s service, GLOSSYBOX sends you deluxe sized samples every month based on the results of a series of questions about your skin & hair type, color, and personal preferences when it comes to cosmetics and style. Unlike BeautyArmy, however, you don’t pick the samples, so you never know what you’re going to get. I like good surprises like this, though- and decided to go for it.

I had placed my order at the very beginning of January, right after New Years, and had grown increasingly worried when, as the end of the month drew near, I still hadn’t received my shipment. I apparently wasn’t the only one, either, because GLOSSYBOX contacted me about the delay. They’d simply needed to replenish their product due to overwhelming demand, and would ship it out A.S.A.P. To make up for it, they credited my account with 50 GLOSSYDOTS, which are points that are accrued and can be used towards obtaining a free GLOSSYBOX.

My box arrived the other night, although I didn’t just receive one, but two– free of charge! Talk about awesome customer service. I gave the extra box to my cousin, Paige. Let’s take a look inside, shall we?

This month’s GLOSSYBOX teamed up with Leandra over at The Man Repeller to create a box of Winter essentials.

What I Received:

Estée Lauder Sumptuous Extreme Lash Multiplying Volume Mascara*

Fresh Umbrian Clay Mattifying Serum

Le Métier de Beauté Replenishing Daily Solution

Narciso Rodriguez Eau de Toilette Spray (For Her)

OPI Liquid Sand Nail Lacquer in “Can’t Let Go” (Full Size!)

Sebastian Professional “Potion 9” Styling Cream

Tarte Glamazon Pure Performance 12-Hour Lipstick in “Fierce” (Full Size!)

*What I Didn’t Use:

Estée Lauder Sumptuous Extreme Lash Multiplying Volume Mascara

Why Not: As I had mentioned in my January BeautyArmy Box post, I’m dedicated to my Dior mascara. We’re in a committed relationship. I’ve tried Estée Lauder mascaras in the past, and wasn’t particularly blown away by them. This sample was given to someone else who was interested in trying it.

But on to what I did use!

Product #1: Sebastian Professional “Potion 9” Styling Cream ($19.00)

The second I pumped some of this orange tinted, citrus-scented styling cream into my hand, I knew my hair was in for a treat. The product was lightweight, easy to work through my hair, and didn’t dry crunchy or greasy. It made my hair soft and defined my curls for an all-day hold. I also liked that I didn’t have to use a ton of the product to get my desired look, which means I’d be getting my money’s worth if I bought a full-size bottle of the product (5.1 oz.)

Would I Purchase?: Yes! This is one of the few hair creams I’ve tried that I liked. It worked well with my curls, and it smelled really, really good.

Product #2: Fresh Umbrian Clay Mattifying Serum ($35)

This serum, perfect for the skin dulling winter, helps to not only clear out acidity from the pores, reduce their size, and control shine, but it purifies and clears your complexion as well. I applied this serum after my oil-free moisturizer to prevent my skin from drying out. It felt nice and spread evenly- not sticky or greasy or overtly drying despite having clay in it, and my skin felt comfortable all day as I wore it. It did a fine job reducing shine, although I think I can achieve the same result from my mineral finishing powder, which is the same price as a 1 oz. container of this.

Would I Purchase?: It’s a maybe for me. I think if I ever wanted to stop using my mineral finishing powder, this would be a decent alternative to switch to in order to keep my skin shine-free, but I wasn’t necessarily in love with it.

Product #3: Tarte Glamazon Pure Performance 12-Hour Lipstick in “Fierce” ($26)

Red lips are a bold, ballsy look to try, and I bow down to any woman who wears it with confidence and wears it well. With my complexion, red lipstick is a hit or miss, and honestly- my misses when I attempt the look far outweigh my hits with it. Some reds look too orange, others wash me out, some reds make my teeth look discolored, and some just make me look like The Joker. I’ve settled on lip stains if I want a red lip; demure, but pretty.

When I opened the packaging to this Tarte Lipstick, twisted the color up through the cute, quirky wooden container it’s nestled in, and saw the color, nearly neon red- I was ready to re-cap it, set it back in it’s box, and back away from it slowly- but something stopped me: I’m bold. I’m ballsy- and damn it- I was going to wear that color, wear it proud, and really give it an earnest attempt- even if I ended up looking like The Joker (again.)

I kept the rest of my makeup subdued and natural looking, since I wanted my lips to be the focal point. If there’s one thing I learned in my teens, it was that bright red lipstick + a dramatic eye = MESS. SUCH A MESS.

The lipstick was blindingly bright the second it touched my lips, but I finished the application, and upon getting used to it, I actually kind of liked it. It didn’t feel waxy or drying, the way some other long-lasting lipsticks do. My only gripe was that when I went to lightly touch the corners of my lips to even out my look, the lipstick stained my fingertips and it WOULD NOT COME OFF EASILY. Other than that, though- I was impressed.

I even felt confident enough in the color to run some errands. While ordering a coffee during a stop, a guy who was waiting in line behind me complimented my lips, stating that it made my eye color really stand out.

I’m just glad he didn’t ask me “why so serious?”

Would I Purchase?: I don’t know if I’d do the “Fierce” red again, but I would definitely check out some of the other “Glamazon” colors that Tarte has to offer. They really are long lasting (my lips aren’t as red as when I first applied the color, but they’re still red regardless- even after a coffee and dinner), and comfortable. Perfect for a long day at work or a night out. No reapplications necessary!

Product #4: Narciso Rodriguez Eau de Toilette Spray ($77)

I’m very particular when it comes to my perfumes. In the Spring and Summer, I tend to wear light floral, citrus, crisp and clean scents, and in the winter, I go a little heavier, a tad more wooded and spicy, with light spritzes of my Chanel or Prada perfume. When I first dabbed a little of this Narciso Rodriguez scent on, it smelled more like a man’s cologne than a wintery perfume, but as the day wore on, and it lightened a bit, the floral scent that enveloped me was a welcomed change. It smelled pretty, and feminine, and stayed with me for most of the afternoon.

Would I Purchase?: Yes! I think once I run out of my usual winter perfumes, this would be a lovely addition to my collection. It definitely grew on me.

Product #5: OPI Liquid Sand Nail Lacquer in “Can’t Let Go” ($9)

I won’t lie- I actually gasped when I unwrapped this GORGEOUS and glittery dark purple nail polish from the box. I have acrylic nails that were due for a little maintenance this weekend- so seeing the bottle made my color decision a lot easier.

Part of the “Liquid Sand” collection, the color is more matte than shiny, and the texture, as the name implies, is grainy- but it still looks beautiful once it dries:

Would I Purchase?: Absolutely. I love OPI and their colors, and this is no exception. It’s beautiful, and adds a perfect pop of color to my winter wardrobe.

The only product I haven’t tried yet is the Le Métier de Beauté Replenishing Daily Solution, which I plan on using tonight before bed after I wash and exfoliate my skin. Judging by the other samples I’ve tried from this box, I have a feeling I’ll like it.

Everything in the January GLOSSYBOX was well thought out, put together nicely, and fun to try- even the things I wasn’t sure about at first, like the Tarte lipstick and the Fresh mattifying serum. Well done to GLOSSYBOX (especially for their above and beyond customer service), and to Leandra over at The Man Repeller for picking out some seriously good stuff!