I have a confession to make.  For many years I only had one blush.  That's not counting the years I didn't own blush.  Don't judge me!  Even now, blush just isn't the first thing I buy.  I think it has to do with being pale and not trying to go all garish clown face.  I've decided to branch out a little more and try new things.  Meaning buy more blush.  It's a sacrifice, I know.  I will try to be strong through this difficult time.

So, I've decided to try some Makeup Geek blushes.  The first one that caught my eye was the Makeup Geek Blush in the color First Love.  It is $9.99 for .15 oz refill pan or $12.99.  It is made in the US, not tested on animals, and is talc and paraben free.

Adorable paper package

The refill pans come in a paper slip and the pans work well in Z Palettes.

First Love

First Love is a pale ballerina pink that is on the cool side.  It has a very subtle shimmer that just gives it a faint glow when buffed into the cheeks.

This blush isn't going to work as a blush on everyone.  Fair to light people will like it as a blush.  Medium might have occasion for it, but it may run powdery. It may come off chalky on dark skin or work as a high lighter.  It also might work as an eye-shadow, but I don't know if it's eye safe.  It has good color pay off and lasts for eight hours.  I would definitely buff it in, as it has better results that way.

I like this blush but I really don't think everyone will.  On my skin it looks like a natural baby pink flush.

*No one sent my First Love and tried to win my heart.  I paid for it with my own money.

When I first saw the mesijesisbeauty video I linked in my blog about Ibiza, she mentioned Cricket.  I have to admit, I totally overlooked it in the ColourPop store.  I don't know what's wrong with me.  But the video made me curious.  You know what happens when I'm curious about eye-shadow?  It so kills my wallet.

Cricket

ColourPop is not tested on animals, is made in the USA, is vegan, and is $5.00 for .07 oz.  So that at least lessened the damage to my wallet, the whole five dollar thing. The consistency is different, it's like a cream who had a crisis and just wanted to be a powder.  Everyone has a dream, right?

ColourPop's Super Shock Shadow in Cricket is in their metallic formula.  Which is a favorite of mine.  It has some glitter, good pigmentation, and this picture in no way does it justice.  It is long lasting and I have not had any problems with this creasing.

It is a smokey plum color, but your undertones are going to really decide what this color becomes on you.  If you're warmer it may pull a little more on the brown side and if you're cooler it will lean more plum.  When I saw it, I instantly thought of Laura Mercier's Caviar Stick in Amethyst, which is a pearlized mauve color, and is $28.00 for a .05 oz stick.

Left to Right: CP Cricket and LM Amethyst

As you can see, they are in no way dupes.  Amethyst is warmer and definitely more mauve than plum.  Cricket is also more glittery.  On warmer skin tones Cricket may hit a little closer though.  You can use Cricket in places where you might want to use Amethyst though, like in this super pretty look by MakeupbyTiffanyD. Even if you can't afford Chanel Fauve ($29.00 for .07 oz single pan), Cricket would just work there in place of both as it adds a touch of glitter and a subtle plum tone.  Fauve does look pretty over Cricket, but it's surprisingly sheer, so don't think you need to run out and get it if you don't have it.

I love Cricket.  I am a sucker for purple and I love how this works with different skin tones.  On brown or green eyes this will be amazing, but it should also look pretty with blue.  It's just a very lovely shadow that you can build up or sheer down and create some fun looks.  I have mostly been wearing it in the Tiffany D way or in a smokey eye.

* I let my conscious be my guide with this purchase and got my cricket on.  No one paid me to review this or sent it to me out of the kindness of their heart.

For the summer I have been really enjoying eye looks that I can do quickly and that aren't going to melt off my face.  I thought Makeup Geek's Taupe Notch might suite my purposes there.  It's $5.99 for a .064 oz pan.  It is magnetized and perfect for a Z Palette.

It comes in a paper sleeve, like the MAC refill pans.  They come very well packaged and I have never had a problem with them being damaged.

Taupe Notch

Taupe Notch isn't going to blow your mind or leave you fantasizing about fun looks you can create.  What it is going to be is a bread and butter shade.  One of those shades that you find yourself using daily and that can be used for many different purposes.

It is a nice neutral taupe shade with a slight shimmer, kind of a satiny finish.  Again, no sock knocking, just enough to keep it from being a dry matte. It is very buttery and because of the pigmentation it is a good idea to tap out your brush as it can be a little powdery.

It isn't what you think....

The pigmentation on this is good and it blends out very well.  I have been loving this on the outer V and blended into the crease.  I think on different skin tones this would have different uses.  It is good for a summery smokey eye, when you don't want your colors to be too harsh, to ground a more dramatic color, or as a simple neutral shade for basic eye look.  

It has good lasting power and I'm very happy with this purchase.  It is quickly becoming a favorite shade.

You can see it in action in this Fresh Summer Look by Maya Mia, in this smokey look by Lisa J, Summer "Mermaid Eye" by Jessica Rembish, and in this Summery Smokey Eye by Elanna Pecherle.

* No one paid for me to have Taupe Notch or for me to think it is top notch sort of shade.

If you're like me and have an addiction to YouTube, you've seen Ibiza.  Turquoise under the eye or for a lid color is super popular for the summer right now and ColourPop's Ibiza totally works for that trend.  It pretty much is that trend.

Here is mesijesibeauty's tutorial with the pop of teal under the eye.  It was also another one of the colors mentioned in Jackie Aina's video on Top Eyeshadows for Chocolate Gals.  CoffeeBreakwithDani used it in this fun look with the Too Faced Chocolate Bar.

It is $5.00 for a full size 2.1 gram container of the product.  It has a cream and powder illicit relationship formula.  They do not test on animals and they are made in the USA.

Ibiza

Ibiza is in the pearlized formula.  On the site it says it is "Bright turquoise with a silver and gold duo chrome finish."  I don't notice any duo chrome to the finish although the silver and gold glitter pick up at different angles, like with most glitters.

It has good pigmentation and lasts for a long time.  This color does look good on most skin colors and with most eye colors.  For a bright pop of turquoise, this is one of my favorite colors.  It doesn't have in your face glitter, just a pretty pop of glitter that makes it interesting.

Overall, this is a good color.  If you're looking to break out a little, This might just be the pop you need.

* I bought my own Ibiza, it was much less than a trip to Ibiza.

I wasn't planning on getting this palette.  I'm not really into the color changing things.  I've mostly found them to be junk. BabsBeauty did this tutorial, (I realize they sent it to her) and the look she did was so pretty.  It's the ColourPop Metamorphosis Palette which was a collaboration with CoffeeBreakwithDani.  It is $20.00 for a quad of four (obviously) .07 oz containers of potted pretty.

ColourPop I love this packaging.  Adorable!

I'm going to warn you now, this post is going to be picture heavy.  There just isn't any way to show you this without lots of pictures.  This is also my 100th post!  Yay me!

Metamorphosis

Not going to lie, I read Kafka's Metamorphosis in High School and at first that's all I could think of with the name of this quad.  Don't worry, while Dani's whole theme was transforming yourself into the best you, (she puts a ton of thought into these things) it isn't going all bugalicious.

The first shade is the matte shade. It's the color, Bravery.  It's a nice chocolate or perhaps coffee brown.  It's fairly neutral and has decent pigmentation.  As with all the matte formulas this is the most difficult to work with, but with a decent synthetic brush you shouldn't have too much trouble.  It's a little lighter and more warm than Fairfax.



The next shade is called Strength and it's a light caramel. It is in the satin formula and it's a nice formula.  It has good pigmentation and blends well.  It has a small sheen or a glow but nothing that will make you look weird if you blend it into your crease.  It is very similar to the other colors in the two collaboration boxes I have, but more on that down the road. It blends out even better than the matte formulas and was very nice.


The next shade is the first transformer.  It's called Hope and is a sheer opal formula, which is actually an apt description of the color.  BeautyyBird used it in this tutorial.  The opalescence really worked with the raspberry color base she used it this tutorial.  It has sheer pigmentation, but isn't meant to do much other than go over other colors or perhaps be a highlighter.

The last color truly is the star of this show.  It's called Kindness and omg.  In the pot it looks like it's going to be MAC's Blue Brown pigment, which is my favorite pigment of ever.  This might be the shy sister of MAC Blue Brown.  It is in the sheer opal formula.  On its own it is a pinky brown color with a teal sheen.  I have mostly been wearing it as in the BabsBeauty tutorial and I have had many people ask me what I'm wearing on my lids.  It is so perfect for the summer.  It has a sheer formula and is meant as a transformer.

In all the photos below, Hope is on top and Kindness is on the bottom.  I used the MAC Blacktrack Fluidline for black, the Nyx Cottage Cheese Jumbo Eye Pencil for white, and the Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Cream Shadow Stick in Bark for brown.

Black

Brown

White

If you were curious how close all of the browns are from the ColourPop collaboration palettes, from left to right Shaaanxo's Selfie, KathleenLights' Cornelious, and CoffeeBreakwithDani's Strength.  As you can see, they are very similar.

If you have pets, you know they feel they should assist when you're trying to work on something.  This is Takoda's first foray into modeling.  This was after he had fun knocking the pots around while I was trying to take pictures.  It's a good thing I think he's cute.

Out of anything, I hope they make Kindness available for purchase outside the palette.  It's just such a pretty color and I can totally see myself using the whole thing.  Overall, even though I was all eh about the transformer thing,  I ended up liking this palette as whole.

I would definitely repurchase Kindness.  It's getting a lot of love on YouTube right now, but in this case, it has a good price point and how it will work for so many skin tones, I think it's something to own.  However, as you can see, Strength is super similar to the other light browns and it's kind of sad that there wasn't something a little different.  I also felt the same way about Bravery, it's a pretty color, but there are a lot of the chocolate browns.  Hope is nice, the transforming makes it a little different, but if you're not using it for that, it's similar to Tassel or Swan with the glitter brushed off but with a hint more pink.  I have found it to be my favorite of the three collaboration palettes I own.

* I was not one of the people that got sent this transforming palette.  I bought my own palette with my own money.

I was just on vacation, it was wonderful. I'm sorry I didn't post on vacation, I just really enjoyed it.  I'm back now!  I know, you missed me like the moon misses the sun or some such nonsense.

Now on to the box I borrowed.  My boyfriend passed out after a long day of work and I stole his Birchbox.  I know, I'm a very bad woman.  I did return it though! The Birchbox Man is $20.00 per month and also earns points.  You earn 50 points or $5.00 in the Birchbox store for referring friends.  You earn 10 points per review on items you review from your Birchbox and also from purchasing things in the store.

Summer Epic!

This month's theme was Summer Epic.  Should we say it was an epic summer?  It will be!  I just have this feeling!  PS the box isn't as pretty as the women's box.  Sorry guys :D

English Laundry

The first item was Riviera by English Laundry.  It is $76.00 for 3.4 oz.  It's a spicy scent with bergamot, cedar, lime, sandalwood and other scents.  It smells very masculine and gets a female thumbs up.

Supergoop

Ha ha!  The men get sunscreen too lol.  Okay, maybe I shouldn't lol.  But I get annoyed with sunscreen in every box I open and I like sunscreen. So, I find it amusing that the boys get the same in their boxes.  I've had the Supergoop City Sunscreen Serum in SPF 30 many times before and it's good sunscreen, it had better be for $42.00 for 50 ml.  It is geared for the face, which is nice!  It's supposed to not only protect your pretty face, but repair the damage and prime.  What I desperately want is something to spray over my makeup and refresh my sunscreen at the same time.  I guess that might not be a thing every male would be looking into though.

Vaughn

His next item was a decent size sample of the shampoo and a foil packet (I hate those things in sample boxes) of the conditioner.  It's the V76 by Vaughn hydrating shampoo.  It is $24.00 for the full size 8 oz shampoo and $25.00 for the 6 oz conditioner!  It smells deliciously male.  It's supposed to be great for a dry scalp and everything the pool and beach will do to your do. Just saying, but I use way more conditioner than shampoo.  On days I don't shampoo sometimes I just condition.  Why not more conditioner?  Especially, if it's like a dollar more for two less ounces?

Billy Jealousy

The next item really smells good with the cologne and the shampoo.  It has a citrus, bergamot, sandalwood thing working for it.  It's $20.00 for the full size 236 ml bottle.  It's supposed to soften, soothe, and hydrate, so, also good after your water activities.

Profound Aesthetic

I might be jealous about this.  It is a Profound Aesthetic Co. pocket size journal in raw leather, which they sell for $32.00.  The leather is lovely and has that wonderful leather smell.  You know what I'm talking about.  The paper is medium thickness, creamy, smooth, and unlined.

I'm jealous of the journal.  What do you think?  Should I continue to take a peak into this box?

My Birchbox arrived! It's $10.00 for a monthly subscription.  They have both men's and women's boxes but the men's box is $20.00.  I showed it in this post, in case people were curious about what the boys get.  I love their points system.  It's easy to rack up and spend the points.  You can refer friends for 50 pts, my link is here.  You also get points for reviewing products.  You can spend the points on anything in the store 100 pts = $10.00.

I wasn't completely fired up about last months sample choices but this month?  It looks great!!  You get to pick your shade of Stila Stay All Day Lipstick!  The plus items almost make me want them too!

Liking the box

The box this month was nice.  The theme this month was adventure and they also have a special give away that you have to enter a code that you got in your box.

Can you see the foil pack?

While I'm not into pink or orange, I really did like the box.  It just felt summery and like a sunset or sunrise.  Or a fruity drink.  Something fun like that.  They had two other box types you could get.

Klorane

My first item was a Klorane shampoo with mango butter.  It came with a bonus foil pack of their conditioner.  This does smell very much like mango.  So, that right there feels summery and fresh, although you may want to refrain from drinking the product.  The full size of this is $19.50 for a 13.4 fl oz bottle.  It is for dry hair and doesn't use silicones, SLS, or sodium chloride.

Clean

Speaking of fresh!  I also received a sample of Clean Fresh Laundry perfume.  It literally smells like clean laundry.  I both like the scent and kinda don't get it.  I love the smell of fresh laundry, but I wash my clothes to get that smell.  I also get it prolongs the scent and makes you smell good without being overly perfumed.  It is $38.00 for a 1 oz bottle.

A hair tie...

I know.  You're rocking the jealous face right now.  I got a hair tie.  It was a bonus item, so I shouldn't go too hard on this.  The L. Erickson Grab and Go Ponytail Holder is $18.00 for a full size container with 15 ponytail holders.  They are comfortable and are holding my fine hair very well.  I've heard they are also great for people with thick hair.  The material is soft and strong and doesn't feel like it's tugging on my hair and it doesn't look too bad on my wrist.  On the down side, I just taught my boyfriend's cat to play fetch and his favorite thing to play fetch with are my hair ties.  We'll see how long he lets me keep this.

Okay, I know I've been saying that blue doesn't look that great with my eyes, however that doesn't apply to eyeliner.  You have to have dark blue liners, they make you look more awake.  I received the Marcelle eyeliner in the color Indigo (a color that is supposed to be "in" for nails right now).  It isn't highly pigmented and was quite sheer when I applied it to my water line.  It's supposed to be water proof, gluten free, and fragrance free.  It's $11.00 for the full size.

Caudalie

I'm already a fan of Caudalie, the first time I used a micellar water, I used theirs.  I haven't met a product of theirs that I wasn't a fan of, although their toner is a bit brisk.  This is the Caudalie Vinoperfect Day Perfecting Fluid.  It's supposed to give you a radiant completion and do well as a primer.  It does not contain parabens, phenoxyethanol, phthalates, SLS, mineral oils, or animal ingredients.  It is $49.00 for a full size 40 ml container.  Ouch.  Oh I'm worried I may like it!

Dr. Jart+

So, this was the sample I chose.  It's the Dr. Jart+ Dermaclear Micro Water, which is a cleansing water that brightens the skin.  It is $32.00 for the 8.4 oz full size.  Oh ouchies.  Another product I hope I don't fall in love with.  It does not contain parabens or sulfates.

I am having such a hard time deciding who won this month!  Oh fine!  Birchbox and Ipsy tie!  Birchbox: 3 Ispy: 4

Oh so every box was supposed to receive an Eyeko liner.  Unfortunately, they are stuck at customs right now.  Which is why we got the Marcelle.  What's up with the weird things being held at customs right now?  At Sam's Club you can't get the jalapenos, they're at customs as well?  So weird.  Anyways, the Eyeko pencils will come in a later box.

* No one paid for my adventure.  I took the plunge on my own with my own hard earned money.

I haven't had Boxycharm long, but I'm pretty excited about receiving boxes.  The value on these boxes is usually pretty good so far.  Boxycharm is a monthly subscription box that you pay $21.00 a month for and so far I've received mostly full sized products.

Attack of pink worms

This month had the theme of Sea la Vie, which was a cute play on words and had my imaginiation going.  I was imagining a box full of Deborah Lippmann's Mermaid's Dream nail polish type things.  Maybe a little French twist or something.

Eslor

My first item was a full size mask.  Yay for that.  It was the Eslor Chlorophyll Lifting Mask and is $38.00 for a full size .5 oz container.  It's supposed to improve circulation, tighten, and fade those fine lines.  It doesn't have the most amazing scent ever, but it's not perfumed.  It's a gel consistency and a bright green.  I'm pretty excited to give it a go, I like masks.

Bellapierre

Next in the box was a brush, again, yay! It's the Bellapierre Kabuki Brush, it's a full size and sells for $29.99.  It's soft and dense with synthetic bristles.  It's also cruelty free.  I do like getting brushes, so I was happy about that.  It's a reasonable size, not very large or small.  I'm just not sure I'd pay that much for this brush.

My next item I thought was a deluxe sample.  It's actually the full size.  It's The Beauty Crop Lighting Crew, it's $18.00 for this full size which is .34 fl oz.  It's a pretty rose gold color, does blend out well, and shows up well, even on my pasty skin.  It's cruelty free, fragrance free, doesn't contain phthalates, mineral oil, or parabens.  It has a very light scent that is pleasant.  The packaging is very cute.  My package did explode all over me when I opened it, I guess it was happy to see me.  You don't need much of this, but it would be pretty in so many ways; mixed in with foundation, as a cheek or lip high light, mixed in with moisturizer for a light makeup day, in the corners of the eyes, on the collar bone, etc.

There was also a Cargo eye-shadow.  I was excited by the pretty pinky beige color they showed in the spoilers.  I ended up with the Cargo Eye Shadow in the color Babylon, which was also full size and sells for $16.00.  Blues might not be the best with my green eyes, but this pretty cobalt color is in so many make up looks on YouTube right now (mostly as a bottom liner.  But many are using it on the top or as an all over shadow).  Unfortunately, while the high lighter was excited to see me, this was broken up at the thought of coming to live with me.  I'm sad because I was going to give this away to a friend because I really don't need another blue eye-shadow right now.  On the plus side, I can fix it and the crumbles that fell out all over my bed sheets appeared to be quite pigmented.

Lastly, there was a nail polish, the NCLA Los Angeles Nudes nail polish in the color Volume IV, to be specific.  I really love nail polish, if I had a YouTube channel there would be tutorials!  I might not have received a pink beige eye-shadow, but I got it in nail polish, so that's nifty.  It's a pretty sandy color with a hint of pink.  I was happy with the pigmentation.  It two took coats to hide the nail design I had and there was black in it.  It's also 5 Free, vegan, and not tested on animals.  They have some really nice looking nudes on their site.  This is a full size and is $16.00.


This wasn't my favorite box.  It was sad that I have broken or exploding products.  However, I can fix the eye-shadow and the highlighter explosion was more funny than anything else, so I'm sure I'll survive.  If I would have bought all of these products, it would have cost me $117.99, since I paid $21.00, I'm pretty happy.

* I shelled out my $21.00 from my bank account to Boxycharm.