Category Archives: Product Review

It’s All About the Lips

“Your look is not complete until you add lipgloss. It is all about the lips!”

-Laurie Best, Lip Factory Inc. CEO

This month’s Lip Factory Inc. Beauty Box is definitely all about the lips! Like I mentioned in a previous post, I immediately fell in love with Lip Factory Inc. and this month’s box did not disappoint! Not only did it arrive in a timely manner, the presentation was awesome too. This month’s box was filled with nothing but lip products. And as we all know adding a little pop to your lips is a great to switch up your look for the holidays.

Undead by Medusa’s Makeup

Chianti by Palladio Herbal Lipstick

Talk Talk Us by Medusa’s Makeup

Tango by MODELCo.

Plum Enticing by Designer Skin

Retractable Lip Brush

I loved the lip colors in this month’s box! I’m not quite sure where I’d rock Undead by Medusa’s Makeup but the tubing is amazing. And I really love that the MODELCo. Lipstick tube has a built-in mirror on the side, it’s a simple feature that adds so much, like extra room in my clutch…lol. The verdict still stands, I highly recommend Lip Factory Inc. Beauty Box to all my beauty junkies and newbies to makeup! It’s definitely an affordable service, just $22/month and as you can see it’s filled with quality products.

What’s your favorite product in this month’s Lip Factory Inc. Beauty Box? Do you agree that it’s definitely all about the lips this month? Do you have a favorite lip shade for the holiday season?

Get connected with Lip Factory Inc….

For more information about how you can get your own Lip Factory Inc. Beauty Box, check out their website.
Like Lip Factory Inc. on Facebook
Follow Lip Factory Inc. on Twitter

Lip Factory Inc.

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Y’all know that I love makeup! So when I was offered the opportunity to check out the Lip Factory Inc. Beauty Box, I just couldn’t refuse! I was shipped the October box and I received within three days of being contacted. *insert thumbs up here* Blame me for posting about it late but this week has been beyond hectic but I digress…the one highlight for sure, was my Lip Factory Inc. Beauty Box.

What is Lip Factory Inc.?
Lip Factory Inc. isn’t just your typical monthly beauty box subscription service…each month around the 4th of each month Lip Factory Inc. ships 5 to 7 beauty products in its Beauty Kit to its subscribers. And “although your kit may include a full face of makeup products their focus is on your lips!” Hence the name Lip Factory Inc.! So each month you can expect to have various types lip products, like lip glosses, lip sticks, lip liners and lip therapy products, included in your kit each month. Lip Factory Inc.’s mission is to “help you look and feel beautiful as well as help you save money.” And let me just say I’m all for a company that wants to help me save money…being the frugal shopper that I am, lol. So how much is it right? For $22/month you can have the Lip Factory Inc. Beauty Box shipped to your door. And yes, for the contents of this month’s box, it’s worth every penny!

Like I mentioned I received the Lip Factory Beauty Box within 3 days of being contacted…I was really impressed by how quickly it shipped. And the packaging was simple and chic, I loved it! Check out the goodies inside…

October Lip Factory Inc. Beauty Box

Palladio Beauty Baked Blush in Blushin’

Michael Marcus Cake Eye Liner in Trashy

Michael Marcus Lip Gloss in Dazzling

Dew Grape Seed Age Protecting Lip Gloss in Lay It Down Cab

Befine Warming Clay Mask

BONUS: JCat Lip Liner in Carmine

BONUS: Alcone Make-off Makeup Remover

Impressed? Yes! I definitely was! The quick turn around on delivery, the packaging and of course the contents are amazing! I definitely give Lip Factory Inc. two thumbs up. And for just $22/month, you can’t beat it! If you are a makeup junkie like myself, interested in trying new makeup products or just a fan of the monthly subscription boxes then Lip Factory Inc. is for you!

Get connected with Lip Factory Inc….

For more information about how you can get your own Lip Factory Inc. Beauty Box, check out their website.
Like Lip Factory Inc. on Facebook
Follow Lip Factory Inc. on Twitter

What do you think about the Lip Factory Inc. October Beauty Box? Are you familiar with Lip Factory Inc.? What’s your favorite monthly beauty subscription service?

Julep in July

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Wowzas! Julep is awesome! It’s only July 2nd and I’ve already received the my box for this month!

I signed up for Julep about two months ago…I posted about my first box here and this month’s box is my third one. I had every intention of sharing last month’s box, which was awesome btw, but I’m sure I was super busy ~~being a lazy bum~~ while my kiddos were gone and completely let time pass me by. Sad I know, but I your girl was taking full advantage of my kid-free week…lol.

This month’s box wasn’t necessarily as great as the past two but it definitely wasn’t a total disappointment either. But of course, that is the chance you take with these monthly subscription services. Check out my Julep in July box and let me know what you think….

Julep in July

I absolutely love Julep Maven’s packaging…always super cute and neat!

The California Coast Collection

Nadia

Angela

Tracy

Clearly from the pictures Angela and Tracy look almost identical but trust me they are not. Angela is a “spectrum of dark blue and green,” and Tracy is more of a sparkly blue. And when placed side by side you can totally see the difference. Then there’s Nadia, my fav, a yellowish goldish combo that I can’t wait to try! Like I said earlier, the Julep in July box was a big hit for me this month. My thoughts might change once I actually swatch the polishes though…

And Julep always adds a little something extra…

Green Tea Facial Blotting Papers

Despite not loving this month’s box, I am still a huge fan of Julep Maven and I still highly recommend giving them a try if you haven’t already. The best part…you can try them for FREE plus shipping! Sign up here and enter code FREEBOX! Trust me it’s totally worth it!

Which polish was your fav in the Julep in July box? Are you a Julep Maven? What monthly beauty subscriptions are you subscribed to?

The Pillow Box – June 2013

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I was so excited when I saw the June Pillow Box in the mail earlier this week…I mentioned several times before how much I love My Shade of Brown’s Pillow Box beauty subscriptions. I’ve posted about it here, here and several other times…lol.

Like I mentioned the Pillow Box is a monthly beauty subscription but what makes them stand out is that the products included in this box are geared towards women of color. And being the frugalnista (made up word) that I am, I love that it’s totally affordable. For just $10 a month, you can have the My Shade of Brown Pillow Box delivered right to your door. Check out what came in this month’s box…

June Pillow Box

This month’s Pillow Box was somewhat different….it was filled with the complete sample sized set of Balanced Beauty Systems Botanical Skin Care line. It also came with a complete skin care routine guide including a day, night and weekly regimen.

Botanical Facial Cleanser

Botanical Facial Toner

From left to right: Microdermabrasion Cream, Replenish Moisture Cream and Light Moisture Cream

Balanced Beauty Systems Botanical Skin Care line is sulfate free, paraben free and fragrance free, which is always a plus. I can’t wait to give these products a try!

Are you familiar with Balanced Beauty Systems? Have you signed up for the My Shade of Brown Pillow Box yet?

To find out more about My Shade of Brown and the Pillow Box subscription check out their website. And you can also follow them on , Twitter, Instagram and like them on FaceBook.

Dying Natural Hair

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A few weeks ago I posted a pic on Instagram showing me in the process of dying my hair…well I’m finally getting around to sharing the results.

I’ve been itching to dye my natural hair for some time now but I was on the fence about whether I should tackle it myself or let a professional do it. Well I had several reservations about letting a professional do it…one, I have yet to find a stylist that I trust; two, what if the “professional” messed up my hair….what recourse would I have; and three, I’ve dyed my hair a million times in the past and loved the results. So what the hay…I did it myself. At least if I messed up my natural hair the only person to blame would be myself, right? Lol

So after months on swooning over all the naturalistas in the social media world with a gorgeous hair color, I discovered MOSEPJONES on Instagram! Her hair color (and hair) is so gorgeous, I absolutely fell in love! So of course I had to ~~stalk~~ look through her pics to see if she ever mentioned what products she used to achieve such a fab color! And lucky me she did! I did a little research on the products she recommended and headed to Sally Beauty a few days later….

Ion Demi Permanent Creme Hair Color in Light Burgundy Blonde, Ion Sensitive Scalp Level 10 Developer and the Annie Large Dye Brush (which I already had)

I’ve seen Ion products in Sally Beauty before and even gave them a once over a few times. After researching I found that demi-permenant would be a good fit…it’s been a while since I’ve dyed my hair at home and I’ve become extremely cautious about what I do to my hair since I’ve gone natural. I like that the demi-permanent color last longer than semi-permanent color but isn’t as damaging as permanent color. And it gives me a chance to give the color a little test run before committing to a permanent shade. Check out the process below….

Here’s everything I used.

Washed, condtioned, product-free, dry hair.

Washed, conditioned, product-free, dry hair in three sections.

The mixture: 1 full tube of hair color and 1/2 bottle of developer.

Ready to go under the dryer.

35 minutes under the dryer

The Ion Demi-Permanent Creme Hair Color was so easy to use. I followed the directions on the packaging and no problems what so ever. I did sit under the dryer an extra 5 minutes or so but that’s because I wasn’t quite sure when I went under…lol. Check out the final results….

The immediate results…product free wet hair.

The results…twist out the next day.

The results…four day hair.

Well, I knew going in that the results weren’t going to be nearly as red as I would have liked or even close to that of MOSEPHJONES. But you do see a hint of red…*sigh* in the light. I’m going to keep like this for a few weeks before attempting anything else. I have discovered a salon in my area that specializes in natural hair so I might hit them up for a consultation and see what they know about dying natural hair…maybe.

So what do y’all think of the results? Do you think I should keep my natural hair this shade or go a little redder (if that’s a word)? What are thought about dying natural hair?

Just Another MANICure Monday: Julep Maven Review

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I mentioned in a post a few weeks ago that I had just recently signed up for the nail subscription box, Julep Maven and since I rocking “naked nails” right now I decided to do a review of Julep Maven instead of my normal Just Another MANICure Monday post.

If you follow me on Instagram or FB (and I hope you do) then you know how much of a couponer/bargain shopper I am…so I usually only purchase nail polish when it goes on sale or clearance. Rarely do I ever pay full price and the thought of paying over $5 is just ridiculous to me…feel free to judge that last statement. But after months and months of seeing/reading bloggers rave about Julep Maven, I finally broke down and signed up. The straw that broke the camels back was when I received an email from Julep Maven saying that the first box was on them and all I had to pay was $3.99 for shipping. Although that’s not totally FREE I thought it was a pretty awesome deal especially for a service that gets so many great reviews.

For those of you that may not be familiar with Julep Maven, it’s a monthly subscription service that “delivers exclusive access to at least $40 worth of products handpicked to suit your style” for only $19.99/month. Signing up is easy…basically you just answer the Julep Maven style quiz questions and your introductory box is shipped within 3 business days.

According the Julep Maven style quiz, I’m an “It Girl!” I placed my order on Monday and sure enough it arrived on Thursday…a total plus for me! In my excitement I opened the box immediately and swatched each polish right then. Check out what I received in the May “It Girl” box….

The “It Girl” May introductory box included three full-sized nail polishes, a nail polish remover pad and an emery board.

Simone

The picture above doesn’t do this particular shade any justice…Simone is actually a beautiful pastel lilac with a little iridescence (which I just noticed). I did a post rocking this shade which will give you a better idea of how pretty it really is.

Carly

Carly speaks for herself in this picture. As you can see it’s a bright, bold blue glitter. I probably won’t rock this shade alone but I think it will definitely make for an awesome accent over another shade.

Stefani

Stefani is an interesting shade…it’s a metallic grey polish with flecks of gold glitter. This one is not necessarily my favorite but I’m sure I’ll find something fun to do with it.

Bonus items

The nail polish remover pad, which will come in handy when I’m on road/traveling this summer, and the emery board were my two bonus items. As you can see I’ve already used the emery board…it works. Lol

So what’s the final verdict of my first Julep Maven box? I love it! I paid just $3.99 for over $40 worth of nail products. You definitely can’t beat that! What I like even more is that I can skip boxes if I’m not in love with my monthly picks and I can cancel at anytime. To score you first Julep Maven box FREE enter code FREEBOX at checkout.

Although I didn’t get a chance to share an actual mani today, you should definitely head over to Lipgloss and Binky and see what the other ladies are rocing on their nails. MANICure Monday is a weekly nail polish/mani link-up that is rotated between Mimi of Lipgloss and Binky and Effie Lynn of LA Lynn’s. Check it out!