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October 2013 Favorites!

Posted on November 5, 2013November 4, 2013 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Tuesday! I am so excited to bring you my first ever Monthly Favorites post. One of my favorite bloggers, Love for Lacquer, inspired me to start sharing my favorite products with you every month. It’s a great way to share some of the items I use on a daily basis that might not make it onto the blog for a full review, or simply highlight my current obsessions. Let me share my favorites for the month of October!

NAIL POLISH

I received Julep Char in my October PopSugar MustHave Box [review HERE] and I am blown away by its beauty! The dark blue color is stunning, and the formula is flawless. I wore it for nearly a week in October, which is a long time for me. I highly recommend it!

HAIR

I’m also obsessed with The Wet Brush that I got in my October PopSugar Box! It is a miracle for my fine, tangly hair. I even tried switching back to a regular brush after using this, and I could definitely tell the difference. It might sound weird to have a holy grail hair brush, but this is definitely mine!

BLUSH

A splurge product that I’ve been loving is Benefit Hervana, a gorgeous boxed blush that looks really natural. Plus, it has an amazing smell! If I’m reaching for a blush, it’s been Hervana. I definitely want to try out more Benefit blushes, too!

EYESHADOW

You’ve heard me say a million times that I rarely wear eyeshadow. Well, I recently picked up the Physician’s Formula Canyon Classics palette and I can’t get enough! The shadows are great quality for an affordable price, plus they are really natural looking. The colors are swatched above in a clockwise rotation beginning with the top left corner. I’ve never actually worn the grey shade, but the rest are amazing!

MASCARA

I love my drugstore mascaras, but the Manna Kadar Extreme Curl Mascara has been my go to this month! I got it in my October Wantable Box [review HERE] and I can’t get enough of it! The formula is just perfect for my lashes, and I’ve worn it nearly every day in October.

FOOD

I’ve been on a huge peanut butter kick this month! In fact, I devoured over half of this jar in October! You can grab 365 Organic Crunchy Peanut Butter at your local Whole Foods. It’s affordable, and tastes amazing! Plus, if you’re a vegetarian like me, this is a great way to get some protein.

SONG

Maybe it’s the native New Englander in me, but Ylvis’ new song Massachusetts is amazing! The tune is catchy, the lyrics are hilarious, and I just can’t get enough. I’ve had it on repeat since it came out!

EXPERIENCE

One of the most exciting moments of the month was getting to meet one of my favorite YouTubers, Meghan of Strawburry17. She and fellow YouTuber Arden Rose had a meet-up at the Nintendo World store here in NYC, and I just had to go! It was so great getting to talk with them, and both were so nice. If you haven’t checked out their YouTube channels, be sure to do so. I know you’ll love their videos!

And that concludes my October Favorites! Before I go, I wanted to share a new social media site that I joined! It’s called Luvocracy, and is a Pinterest-inspired website that you can shop from! I’ve curated my October Favorites into a collection, making it easy for you to purchase anything you see above. Plus, you’ll get a $10 credit when you sign up! Visit my profile HERE.

I hope you enjoyed this post! Keep a lookout for one of these at the end of every month, and make sure to let me know what your favorites were this October!

This post contains affiliate links. All opinions are my own. See my Disclosure Policy for more information.

Ipsy v. Birchbox: Round Three! May 2013

Posted on May 19, 2013August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Sunday! It is round three of Ipsy v. Birchbox here at Adventures in Polishland. Even though Birchbox won the first two rounds (see Round One HERE and Round Two HERE), I felt that I needed at least three months of each subscription service to really test the waters for good. At $10 each, I am getting some great new products for an affordable price. I’ve already used up quite a few of the samples! This month I got some really nice products as well. Let me show you what was inside!

First up is my Ipsy Glam Bag! This month’s theme is Spring Fling, and I am just adoring the cosmetic bag we got this month. I love the bright chevron pattern, and it is a waterproof material that will be perfect for the summer months. I’m quite impressed with the quality of the bag as well — it feels nice and sturdy! Let me describe the products I got from left to right!

Juice Beauty Reflecting Lip Gloss in Champagne – $7.50 – Juice Beauty is a very popular brand in these subscriptions! This month I got a really pretty lip gloss in a nude color. I tried this out a few times, and I do like it. It is very sheer, and although it looks very glittery in the tube it doesn’t make my lips look like a disco ball. Instead, it has a nice shine. What I don’t like is the smell! It smells strange, but I think it is because it’s organic and has natural fragrances only. Also, though this is packaged like a full size lip gloss, it is exactly one half of the full size that Juice Beauty sells online. Nonetheless, this is a great sample with a great value!
Macadamia Healing Oil Treatment – $13.50 – I have been wanting to try some of the hair cair products from Macadamia, so I am beyond excited for this product! It smells divine, and I already see a big difference in my hair since I started using it. I apply the tiniest amount from my ears down after I get out of the shower, and my hair is much softer and less frizzy than usual. This sample size retails for $13.50, and will last me a while since a little bit goes a long way. I am so happy with this sample!
Zoya in Julie – $8 – This month each Ipsy subscriber got a full size nail polish from the Zoya Lovely collection. I got Julie, but unfortunately I already own the entire Lovely collection. While I do think it is great to get a full size polish in these subscription services, the Lovely collection came out back in December, and many nail polish aficionados already own the colors they want. Similarly, my bottle came a bit damaged, and I noticed that many other subscribers received damaged bottles as well. Part of my thinks Zoya sent Ipsy all of the bottles they didn’t want to sell themselves! I love the idea behind this polish, but I wish we got something from a newer collection that wasn’t damaged.
St. Tropez Instant Glow Body Lotion – $6.27 – Next up is a self-tanner body lotion. I’ve tried the one from Jergens before, and loved the results yet hated the smell. This one is just the opposite! There is no smell, yet the color is way too dark for my pale skin, and I wasn’t able to achieve a natural look. I think this is a great sample size, but unfortunately it didn’t work for me. I’m going to try it again once I have more of a natural tan.
Yaby Concealer Refill in Buff – $4.85 – I am also very excited for this concealer from Yaby, another brand that Ipsy seems to like a lot as well! I’ve been needing a new concealer, and I’m glad Ipsy sent me one that seems like the perfect shade for me! I know some subscribers received incorrect colors in their glam bag, but make sure you go to the Ipsy website to edit your profile. I can’t wait to use this concealer, and it will fit in the Glam RX palette I got back in March.

TOTAL RETAIL VALUE: $40.12

OVERALL OPINION: I’m very happy with my Ipsy glam bag this month! The value is great, and I got three products I will definitely use. Unfortunately I already had the nail polish, and the St. Tropez lotion isn’t really my thing. Other than that, I will get a lot of use out of the other products. I am most excited about the Macadamia hair treatment!

RATING (1-5, 1 BEING WORST & 5 BEING BEST): 4

Now onto my May Birchbox! This month there wasn’t really a theme, but each box came with a fun Mad Libs type activity. Fill in the Beauty Diaries phrase and tweet it to Birchbox, and you could win a full size product of everything in your box! See my Tweet HERE! Now I will tell you more about the products I got this month.

Amika Nourishing Mask – $1.60 – First up is a foil packet of a deep conditioner for hair. This mask is supposed to repair damaged hair with its special sea buckthorn berry ingredient. I will probably get 2-3 uses out of this packet, although it will be difficult to use in the shower. I would have liked different packaging to make this sample more user friendly. I also appreciate being able to try a high end hair product, but this packet just doesn’t excite me!
Runa Tea Bag Sample Box – $1.75 – My favorite product this month is a sampler box of four teas from Runa. I got four tea bags in these flavors: traditional, ginger-citrus, mint, and cinnamon-lemongrass. The tea bags smell amazing, and are supposed to have twice the antioxidants as green tea! It’s nice to get a little snack item in a beauty box. Even though the retail value isn’t high, I know I will be able to afford a box of the tea if I decide I like it and want more!
Sumita Color Contrast Eye Pencil in Suman – $5.25 – Each Birchbox subscriber got a mini Sumita eyeliner this month, and I luckily got it in a black color! I rarely wear eyeliner, but this one seems very nice. It is a very creamy consistency, and glides on easily. It is definitely smudge-proof as well. Even though I won’t use it often, this is a nice product to get in a box like this!
Coola Classic Sunscreen for Face – $4.32 – This tiny sunscreen sample from Coola was mostly empty when I got it, and exploded a bit when I opened it. Unfortunately there is not much for me to try! I admit it smells great, but I’m very disappointed with this sample. I cannot fathom spending $32 on the full size product. I understand that it is organic and high end, but that is quite a lot for sunscreen. I hope to get at least once use out of this tube.
Marvis Classic Mint Toothpaste – $1.40 – I’m not sure how I feel about getting a “luxury” toothpaste in my Birchbox. I will definitely use it up, of course, but I typically spend $1.40 or less on my regular toothpaste when it is on sale! I do love that this is an Italian import, since I am part Italian, but this is another product that I won’t be buying the full size of. The tube is great for travel, though, and it smells minty fresh!

TOTAL RETAIL VALUE: $14.32

OVERALL OPINION: I am so disappointed this month! This is the first time Birchbox provided me with samples that can really only be used 1-2 times each with the exception of the eyeliner, and perhaps the toothpaste. My box was considerably lighter this month, and the retail value of these items really stinks. It’s always nice to try high end products that I can’t afford to buy regularly, but I wish I could get more out of them. These products won’t even last until next month’s Birchbox.

RATING: 2

There you have it! My winner for the month of May is Ipsy by a landslide! After being beat out by Birchbox for two months, Ipsy finally provided me with some great products. At this point I am going to give each subscription another go. I sure hope that this was just a fluke with Birchbox, since my last two months were amazing. I am still an undecided girl when it comes to which program is better! Which one do you like more?! If you have yet to join, you can sign up for Ipsy HERE and Birchbox HERE.

Some of the above links are affiliate links. Subscription boxes purchased with my own money. All opinions are my own. See my Disclosure Policy for more information.

Ipsy v. Birchbox: Round Two! April 2013

Posted on April 20, 2013August 12, 2015 by Adventures in Polishland

Happy Saturday! I am back with round two of my battle of the beauty subscriptions now that I finally received my Birchbox in the mail! Unfortunately the post office held onto my box without delivering it for almost a week. Luckily it arrived safe and sound, and I am so excited to share this comparison post with you! Last month I reviewed both Ipsy and Birchbox for the first time, and Birchbox won the first round (all details HERE). Let me share with you what I got for April for each of these $10 subscription programs. Which one do you think will win this matchup?!

First up is Ipsy! This month’s theme was Pretty in Pink, and came in a cute white and pink cosmetics bag. My bag had a few small stains on it, so I emailed the company and they are going to send me a replacement. I’m definitely happy about that great customer service! I really do like this cosmetics bag, and I think this will be going in my school bag since it won’t take up a lot of room and can hold some lip balm, hand lotion, etc.

Now onto the products in my Ipsy Glam Bag! Last month I got five products, but this month I got four. I’ll describe everything in detail for you from left to right!

Be a Bombshell Blush in Sweet Cheeks – $16.00 – This blush is a beautiful and very pigmented pink! I think it will work well with many skin tones, but it does pack a lot of color so a little bit will do the trick. The packaging is adorable, but feels a bit flimsy. I am definitely excited to use this for a more polished look!
Healthy Sexy Hair Soy Renewal Nourishing Styling Treatment – $4.44 – At first I was excited to try what is marked a “healthy” hair treatment, and is even called soy renewal. However, after reviewing the ingredients on this product it seems to be full of chemicals, and has hardly any soy extract at all. I am definitely going to give it a try, and see if it manages my frizzy hair, but I wish it was actually as healthy as the packaging makes it sound!
Sation Nail Lacquer in Love At First Byte – $5.00 – I was thrilled to find a full size nail polish in my Ipsy bag! I’ve never tried Sation polishes before, so I can’t wait to use this gorgeous peach color. It does appear to be a sheer finish, but I won’t know for sure until I try it. Let me know if you’d like to see a review of this polish on my blog!
Mica Shimmer Powder in Earth – $11.96 – This is the only product in my bag that I don’t plan on using this month. While this is a gorgeous and shimmery eyeshadow, it is just not for me. I don’t wear eyeshadow very often, and the glitter in this is just too much for me. If you love eye makeup this would be perfect for you, though!

TOTAL RETAIL VALUE: $37.40

OVERALL OPINION: I am definitely loving this month over last month! I plan on using everything but the Mica Shimmer Powder, and I love having full size products. I do wish that the Healthy Sexy Hair lived up to its name, but that’s not really an Ipsy problem. This month’s cosmetics pouch is quite cute as well!

RATING (1-5, 1 BEING WORST & 5 BEING BEST): 4

Now onto my April Birchbox! This month they teamed up with Women’s Health for the theme of Tiny Tweaks, Big Results. I had a feeling when I saw this cute packaging that there would be lots of good things inside. I cannot wait to share the contents!

Look at all of these goodies! I will get right into describing all of the contents from left to right.

One-Year Subscription to Women’s Health Magazine – $9.99 – This card was hiding at the bottom of my box, but I almost fell on the floor when I read it closely. Not only does this give me a one-year subscription to Women’s Health, but there is also an option to decline the subscription and get a $9.99 refund. That’s right — if I don’t want the magazine I can send this card in and get back $9.99! That is the price of my entire box! I haven’t decided if I want the magazine or the money yet, but this is an amazing value right off the bat!
Atelier Cologne in Ambre Nue – $2.80 – I love perfume samples, so even though they are not high in value, I like getting one in my monthly box! I like to change up my perfume, so samples are the perfect way to do that. This will be used up for sure!
Lierac Paris Concentré Mésolift Serum – $10 – I am excited to try this serum that is supposed to help hydrate skin, shrink pores, and fight off wrinkles. I just finished using a deluxe sample of another skin serum, so I’m happy to replace it with this one in my skin care routine! These serum samples last for weeks, and allow me to use luxury products that I would never be able to afford otherwise.
Number 4 Blow Dry Lotion – $10.67 – While I don’t blow dry my hair that often, this lotion is supposed to protect my hair from the heat and make sure it is smooth. I haven’t tried this yet, but it smells amazing and it looks like I can get a lot of use out of this sample. I will have to give this a try!
Ruby Wing Color Changing Nail Polish in Peony – $4.67 – I love that I have another nail polish! This time it is a mini size, but still a great value. I’ve never tried color changing nail polish before, but I cannot wait to use this one! I love the pink color. I think this will be great for summer!
Simple Revitalizing Eye Roll-On – $10.99 – This month I got this product as a Birchbox Find! As someone who has trouble getting up in the morning, and has very puffy eyes, this product is amazing! I already gave it a try and I am loving it so far. It feels amazing and is made for someone who has sensitive skin like me. As an added bonus, Birchbox added in a coupon for $1 off any Simple product. I love coupons and I will definitely use this one!

TOTAL RETAIL VALUE: $49.12 + $1 Simple coupon

OVERALL OPINION: I could not be more thrilled with this month’s Birchbox. Not only is the value just under $50 for a box I paid $10 for, but I love all of the products and will make sure to use them all. Even though it arrived a bit late this month, I am so happy to have this Birchbox! Plus, I love that this website has a fabulous rewards system. For each product you review you get 10 points! Every 100 points is $10 to spend in their shop.

RATING: 5

There you have it! My winner for the month of April is Birchbox! Not only was the retail value for my Birchbox significantly higher than Ipsy, but I enjoy the Birchbox products more. Ipsy is definitely more focused on makeup, while Birchbox has a focus on skincare. Since I don’t wear too much makeup, Birchbox is more tailored to my lifestyle. I am going to give both of these subscriptions one more battle round, and if I am not impressed with Ipsy I will cancel. At this time, Birchbox is an amazing value! You can join Ipsy HERE and Birchbox HERE.

Let me know what you think of these subscription programs in the comments!