Unboxing: Ipsy | June 2014

For the last couple of months I've embarked on a new journey into the world of beauty subscription boxes. And if you're a subscriber to any of the fabulous services available right now, you're probably already addicted to them like I am! Slowly but surely, I've managed to finally catch up with sharing all of my past "Unboxings." Since I have 2 new boxes en route to my house as I type, I thought I should share last month's Glam Bag with you today. If you missed May's Ipsy unbagging, you can find it here.

Ipsy is $10- monthly subscription service where members receive exclusive makeup bags filled with deluxe samples and full-sized makeup and beauty products. In my own personal experience, the value of my bags has exceeded the cost of my monthly payment! It's such an exciting way to discover new products I wouldn't usually purchase, get great discounts on the stuff I try and love, and a really fun resource to build my makeup collection! Beauty Box 5 is another monthly service I'm subscribed to.

June's theme is "Pretty in Paradise," which is quite fitting for summer. It's my favorite season of the year so I'm happy to get anything tailored to simple warm-weather beauty. The bag itself was created by Rebecca Minkoff, and the tropical design is just my style. Ipsy has done a really great job at offering me a variety of products from makeup, beauty, and skincare. My bags never feel too heavy in one type of product.

Here is what was included:

Nicka K New York Shimmer Eyeliner in Blue

$4.99 for .1oz / Sample: Full Size!

I'm pretty familiar with the Nicka K brand, as this is the 3rd product I've gotten in a beauty box. I've also sampled their lipstick and nail polish. I really enjoyed both, so I was really excited to test out this eyeliner too! Although blue isn't a color I would typically buy or even use everyday, it's still a fun shade to have in my collection. This liquid liner is pretty intense and almost has a metallic finish. It's quite beautiful! And the teal blue shade is perfect for summer!

The price of this line is pretty affordable, so I can try other shades without breaking the bank. I've never seen Nicka K in any of my local stores, so I'll most likely have to purchase everything online. That doesn't bother me though because I love online shopping!

NYX Butter Gloss in Eclair

Retail Value: $5- for 8mL / Sample: Full Size!

I love lip products and the NYX brand. So you can imagine how happy I was to get their butter gloss in my Glam Bag! It's exactly like the name implies... a buttery and creamy lip gloss. This shade is a bit too light for my super pigmented lips, but it looks great over nude lipstick. And it smells amazing!

I'm a huge fan of NYX cosmetics and I know I'll be purchasing more of these butter glosses in other shades. A few of the local stores I do my everyday shopping at carry this brand, so I can easily find a good variety of products and shades.

Carol's Daughter Sacred Tiare Styling Cream

Only at Target: $12- for 3oz / Sample: $2- for .5oz

I'm totally cool with getting hair care samples in my beauty boxes. I actually really enjoy discovering new products that help manage my curly Hawaiian hair. In the summertime I try to stay away from hot styling tools and let my natural hair do its thing. This styling cream is definitely something that I would purchase if I saw it in a store. It's made with coconut oil and healthy hair vitamins, has anti-breakage and anti-frizz properties, and even smells like the tropics! 

Right out of the shower, I apply a small amount from mid-shaft working down to the ends of my hair. Then I gather sections in my hand and scrunch them together. This gives me tight and bouncy curls. I just let my hair air-dry as I go on with my day. This styling cream is very lightweight and leaves me with soft, frizz-free hair. And it really defines my curls!

OFRA Universal Eyebrow Pencil

$13- for .4oz / Sample: Full Size!

I currently use the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz in Brunette, which I'm extremely happy with. But it's nice to have a backup eyebrow pencil of some sort. I'm not familiar with OFRA brand and I'm willing to try anything, I'm just not sure about this "Universal" color. I do have dark brown hair with red highlights right now, so this shade may work for me. Not sure if it will for everyone though...

I don't believe this is a product that I would purchase in the future, since I already have something that I love. But I really haven't given it a good test run to say for sure. It claims to be waterproof too! We'll see.

REALTREE for Her Perfume

Retail Value: $6.99 [Travel Size] for 5mL

I remember specifically not choosing "Fragrance" in the ipsy questionnaire I took, so I was a bit surprised to see this in my Glam Room. I'm just not a big perfume person. I have a few scents that I like, but I don't wear or shop for fragrance these days. Funny thing is, I actually enjoy this scent! It's fresh and pretty, and the packaging is really cute too! I also love that it has a spritzer and is much bigger than your standard perfume sample. It's perfect for summer!

Total Value of June's Box: $31.98

$10- Monthly Subscription

Looks like another high-value bag from Ipsy. Plus 4 out of 5 products this month were deluxe or full-size!! These are the reasons why I love this service. You get such a great value for your money. Be sure to take the beauty survey that helps Ipsy match you to the products you use and like. There may be times when you get something unexpected, but reviewing the items you receive each month helps Ipsy personalize your Glam Bag even more! You'll also earn ipsy points that can be redeemed for free products!

Want to be an ipster? Please subscribe using my link.

Next week I'll be unboxing my July beauty boxes, so stay tuned if you want to see what I got! If you're a current Glam Bag subscriber check out my profile on Ipsy. And feel free to browse my other Beauty posts. You can also stay updated on my recent posts, projects, and photos by following me on instagram, or by "liking" my fan page on Facebook. So why not head over there now and show some love...

Are you a beauty box addict? Which ones are your favorite? Any thoughts, questions, or comments about this post? I'd love to hear it! Your feedback is always welcome and much appreciated.

Mahalo for stopping by!

Mail Call: Got It Free | June 2014

I don't know about you but I love not having to pay for things! Whether they're free items with a paid purchase, cool samples by mail, gift card rewards to redeem for whatever, or full-size products from consumer test panels just for sharing your opinions... I like them all! And these last couple of months I've found lots of awesome things online available for free!

Some freebies require more work than others, like taking surveys to earn points which you can later redeem for your favorite gift cards. But others are as easy as logging onto a website, filling out your mailing info, and requesting a free sample! I'm one of those people that loves to share my opinion, so I'm a part of numerous consumer test panels. I get to try lots of different products, and all I have to do is tell them what I think. It's definitely my favorite way to get free stuff! 

I spend every other day or so checking my favorite sample sites like Vonbeau or Raining Hot Coupons. It's where I get most of my goodies! They really have the best information for the latest available freebies. I also log into my test panel accounts daily to see my invitations to new campaigns. I'm fairly active on each of the test panels I'm enrolled in, so I get new invites constantly!

Here are some of My Links and where you can find me...

I keep a basket near my front door designated for the free stuff I get each month. If anything new comes, I just add it to the box. At the end of the month I go through my stash to see all of my awesome finds! I've decided to start sharing them here with you through this fun monthly series...

Here is what the postman delivered to my mailbox in the month of June:

MAGAZINES

Periodicals are such a great thing to get for free. Our household is currently subscribed to nearly 10 different magazines! But we only subscribe to the ones that we know we'll read. I archive our favorite titles [mine is allure!] which I use later for reference and others go into a pile that I use for different crafts and projects.

HEALTH & BEAUTY

These are definitely my favorite kind of freebies! I've gotten everything from personal hygiene items, hair and skin care, even full-size makeup products like lipstick and nail polish! A lot of these samples came from Vonbeau, brand pages on Facebook, Walmart & Target's sample sites, and my different consumer test panels.

FOOD & DRINK

Every so often there are some really cool food samples online, but there wasn't much that came this month. Since we consume Coke products pretty often [mostly Powerade!] we registered for a My Coke Rewards account. Each week I enter the codes found on the lid, and when I get enough points I redeem them for coupons of free Powerade.

Here's a sneak peek at all of the goodies I got in April & May:

FAVORITE FREEBIE SITES

Vonbeau

Raining Hot Coupons

Facebook Brand Pages

Walmart

Target

CONSUMER TEST PANELS

Influenster

BzzAgent

PINCHme

Smiley360

GIFT CARD REWARDS

Crowdtap

Swagbucks

Toluna

These are just some of my favorites places to get free stuff, but there are so many more that I haven't mentioned yet! I'll be doing more detailed posts in the future about different campaigns I've qualified for and the products I've received from various consumer test panels. Check out My Links if you're curious, and stay tuned if you want to know more!

I hope you enjoyed today's post and discovered something new along the way! You can stay updated on my recent posts, projects, and photos by following me on instagram, or by "liking" my fan page on Facebook. So why not head over there now and show some love...

Do you like getting free stuff? Any thoughts, questions, or comments about this post? I'd love to hear it! Your feedback is always welcome and much appreciated.

Thanks for stopping by!

Unboxing: Beauty Box 5 | June 2014

If you're a subscriber to any beauty boxes, you know how addicting they can be! Every month I stalk my postman for my packages ;) Despite both of my subscriptions being later than normal this month, the products inside were worth the wait! Take a peek to see my what I got last month from ipsy and BB5.

Beauty Box 5 is a $12- subscription service. Each month you get 5 deluxe/full-size samples delivered right to your door. In my experience, the value of these items usually exceeds the monthly cost of each box! It's such a fun way to test out new products you wouldn't normally purchase on your own, get great discounts on the products you try and love, and an awesome way to build your makeup collection!

This month's box was full of lots of wonderful goodies! BB5 does a really great job of offering a variety of beauty products from hair, makeup, and skincare. I don't ever feel like I'm getting too much of one specific type of product. So far, I also like how they've included organic/natural cosmetics and beauty care in every box. Not sure if that's normal for BB5...

Here is what my box consisted of:

Design Essentials Curl Enhancing Mousse

$15.99 for 7.5oz / Sample: $3.90 for 1.83oz

I already buy these types of products for my naturally-curly Hawaiian hair, so I'm always happy to test out something new! This mousse doesn't leave your hair feeling "crunchy" like most of them do, and it smells so good. With this, my curls were defined, bouncy and frizz-free. This mousse is also infused with olive oil and Vitamin B which is said to nourish the hair while providing added moisture and shine.

Nicka K New York Nail Polish in Ripe Apple

$4.99 for .5oz / Sample: Full Size!

I'm such a nail polish junkie! I love getting bottles of it in my beauty boxes. It gives me the chance to try out new brands and trendy colors that I've never seen or heard of. BB5 sent me my very first Nicka K product [a lipstick] last month. And I'm so happy to try this polish too!

Sedona Lace Blender Brush

Retail Value: $8.95

This is the first "tool" I've received in a beauty box and my very first Sedona Lace makeup brush. I have to say that I'm impressed with BB5! I've heard about this brand before and was super excited to see this eyeshadow brush in my box! It's very high-quality and definitely my favorite item to date from Beauty Box 5.

Glam Natural Mascara

$28- for .25oz / Sample: Full Size!

For me, mascara is a must-have beauty product! I'm currently working on a tube of my favorite, and have a new one to test out after that one's gone. So this will have to wait a bit before I can try it out. Heck, I may even end up layering the different ones I have to see if can come up with a winning combination! The thing I love most about this mascara is that it's natural.

Eslor Skincare Foil Packets

$42- for 1oz / Sample: Free!

This is probably the most disappointing item I've ever gotten in a beauty box. I don't care for foil packets. They never provide you with enough product to really give it a good test run. Plus, these were on Eslor's website as a free sample that anyone can order. Why would someone want something in a paid subscription box that they can get for free on their own? They shouldn't have included this as one of my 5 items. It could have been a bonus or something!

Total Value of June's Box: $45.84

$12- Monthly Subscription

As you can see, this month was a high-value box even though it had some foil packets. I really shouldn't complain because I did get two full-size products + a makeup brush! Overall I think these types of beauty box subscription services are a really great value. And there are so many different ones out there! 

Don't forget to check out May's ipsy and BB5 unboxing, if you haven't already! And stay tuned because I'll be getting July's boxes very soon. I can't wait! It's such a lovely surprise each and every month. 

You can stay updated on my recent posts, projects, and photos by following me on instagram, or by "liking" my fan page on Facebook. So why not head over there now and show some love...

Are you addicted to beauty boxes? Any thoughts, questions, or comments about this post? I'd love to hear it! Your feedback is always welcome and much appreciated.

Thanks for stopping by!

365/30 Lists: 2014 | Week 27

If you're a longtime follower of my blog, you'll remember at the start of this year when I kept a daily "Lists" journal. I've been so busy for the last few months that I neglected it! And I think now is a great time to get back to writing. Today I'll be sharing the first entry in my new 365/30 Lists journal.

In case you missed my last 365/30 post from earlier this year, you can find it here. View this month's complete list of prompts @ 365/30 Lists: Philofaxers! I'll be using the hashtag #30filolists on instagram, if you want to follow my journey...

365/30 Lists | My New Journal

Instead of picking up where I left off, I decided to finish out the rest of this year in a brand new journal. I picked up this one from Tuesday Morning for $3.99. Some Dear Lizzy glitter thickers grace the cover. Inside I have a Martha Stewart label [gifted to me] and colorful washi tape cut into banners and an arrow.

365/30 Lists | The Title Page of My New Journal

WEEK 27

July 1 - July 7th

365/30 Lists: 2014 - Week 27 | Days 1 - 3

365/30 Lists: 2014 - Week 27 | Days 4 - 7

That's it for today! I hope you liked my post :) Want more? Check back next week! In the meantime, feel free to browse my other 365/30 Lists in more detail. Or take a peek at my Filofax posts!

You can stay updated on my recent posts, projects, or photos by following me on instagram, or by "liking" my fan page on Facebook. So why not head over there now and show some love...

Are you a lister too? Any thoughts, questions, or comments about this post? I'd love to hear it! Your feedback is always welcome and much appreciated.

Thanks for stopping by!

2014: Life | June Favorites

Hello, Lovelies! Are you enjoying this beautiful Summer sunshine? I'm absolutely loving it! And I thought today would be a great time to share a few of my favorite things from June. I think this will be the start of a fun monthly series where I get to talk about my beauty, makeup, fashion and entertainment loves!

The weather started warming up a bit here so I went with simple and natural makeup. But I really wanted to play around with color too! Lips and nails are the best canvases. I ROCKED hot pink! It's the perfect pop of color for me.

And I'm not only loving beauty products... colorful cotton tank tops are a staple in my wardrobe. On those sunny sleeveless days, I like to wear bold and fun accessories too! What do you think of my watch?

It's been a pretty laid-back summer. Fun exploring the great outdoors. Chillaxin' in the comfort of our home. And during those nights in, we love to watch movies together on the flat screen. Redbox is our DVD rental provider of choice, but Netflix is our best friend! We've enjoyed this service for so many years. It can be watched on all of our devices... even in the living room on Xbox Live! There are so many different things to see. I love having long weekend marathons when I discover a new TV show! Want to know my favorite one this month?

THE DETAILS

BEAUTY

• Super Beblesh Balm (BB Cream) for Combination/Oily Skin by SKIN79 [$14.95 from Amazon] | This Korean BB cream is so different compared to Western brands. I love it! Product review coming soon.
• Sweet Almond Oil 100% Pure Moisturizing Oil by Now Foods [$4.99 from Central Market] | A holy grail product! Once a week I let my hair sit in this stuff overnight.
• The Rocket Volum' Express Mascara in Blackest Black by Maybelline [$4- on Sale at Target] | With just 2 coats it separates, lengthens, and gives your lashes volume, all without clumping!
• Brow Wiz in Brunette by Anastasia Beverly Hills [$21- from sephora.com] | This pencil allows me to lightly and easily shape and fill my sparse brows for a complete but natural look.
• Blender Brush - EB 13 by Sedona Lace [Value: $9.95 - Sample from BeautyBox5] It's perfect. Very high quality! So awesome for BB5 to include it for June! That unboxing will be up here soon...
• NAKED Basics Palette by Urban Decay [$28- at sephora.com] | Incredibly versatile. Create simple and natural everyday looks to dramatic and sultry smoky eyes.
• Kalinka Beauty Blush in East Side Story by Essence [$2.99 at Fred Meyer] | This lovely coral shade brings life to my face.
• HD Studio Finishing Powder by NYX [Retail Value: $9.99 - A Gift] | I use it alone on no-makeup days, as well as on my T-zone after applying BB cream. My glasses make my nose super oily so this really helps combat shine!
• Complexion Brush from Studio Line by e.l.f. [$2.50 from TJ Maxx] | I love it for any face powders!
• Colorsensational Vivids Lipstick in Fuschia Flash by Maybelline [$4.99 from Walmart] | I adore this color! It's my kind of pink. I saw somewhere that it's a dupe for MAC's Candy Yum Yum.
• 5-in-1 Lip Protectant Cube in Pomegranate-Blueberry by Softlips [Value: $3.49 - Freebie from Influenster] | I've officially replaced my eos lip balm. This one is awesome!
• Nail Polish in Daredevil by Sinful Colors [$1.99 from Walmart] | A bright and vivid hot pink that's perfect for summer. It's a fabulous shade on toes!

FASHION

• Ribbed Cotton Tank Tops by Mossimo & No Boundaries [<$5-/each at Target & Walmart] | My drawers are stocked with fun and colorful solids and prints. They are so affordable and work great with any summer outfit. I live in them!
• Leather Cuff Band Watch in Punk Rock Floral Design by Nemesis [$34.95 from Amazon] | The hubby knows my style so well. This gorgeous piece of arm candy was a birthday gift!

MOVIES

Son of God

Released on DVD June 2014

If you read the bible or grew up with bible stories, you're really going to enjoy it! This adaptation is amazing... it brought tears to my eyes. We had the pleasure of seeing this when it originally aired as a series called The Bible on The History Channel late last year. We then found it on Netflix a few months ago. It had a run on the big screen for a short time as Son of God and then released on DVD for everyone this month.

TV

My regular shows are on break until next season, but Netflix has been such a good friend. I discovered a new show called The Killing, and finished all 3 seasons throughout the month of June! TV shows featuring the Pacific NW are my favorite, and this one takes place in Seattle [just a 45 minute ferry ride from me]. 

I really love dark, gritty, crime dramas, and intense cop shows filled with dynamic relationships and flawed characters. Unfortunately, this show was cancelled by the original network [AMC] in 2013, but Netflix picked up the final season which airs August 1, 2014. Finally... I can't wait to see how it all ends. The Season 3 finale was a real cliffhanger!

MUSIC

Throughout the warmer spring and summer months [or anytime, really] all you'll find me listening to is Feel Good Island Music. We call it "JaWaiian", or Hawaiian Reggae. The mellow beats and soulful lyrics relaxes my mind and body, and reminds me to take it easy and just enjoy life. Want to hear a sampling of my playlist? You can find it here. [Just click the Play Audio button on the bottom left of the screen.]

Wow! That was A LOT of stuff! I really hope you enjoyed today's post and discovered something new along the way. And feel free to browse my other Beauty posts! 

You can also stay updated on my recent posts, projects, and photos by following me on instagram, or by "liking" my fan page on Facebook. So why not head over there now and show some love...

What did you think of my June Favorites? Are you familiar with anything I mentioned today? Any thoughts, questions, or comments about this post? I'd love to hear it! Your feedback is always welcome and much appreciated.

Thanks for stopping by!