Sample Sunday: Fresh, Stila and Bite

Here in New England it seems like Spring is desperately fighting to come through. So my first sample today was chosen to try to bring a little bright freshness and ward away winter. I chose the fragrance Sugar Lemon by Fresh since citrus always reminds me of warmer days. I'll be completely honest with you, the initial impression I got was lemon scented cleaner, not quite lemon pledge, but in that neighborhood. But I gave the fragrance a little time to open up and it turned into a lightly sweet lemon scent, reminiscent of a lemon tree on a warm day, not like lemonade. It's a very light fragrance and smells very clean and is great if you just want a hint of fragrance.

Next up I chose Stila CC Cream in the shade Light (since they don't make Casper.) I've had a hard time with some of the double letter products, i.e. BB, CC, and DD creams since often they are too dark for me, even though most people complain they don't come in dark enough shades. It's hard being this white sometimes. Initially I was surprised because it comes out of the tube a slightly grey shade and I thought it was going to be pasty looking and unnatural, but as soon as I swiped it with my finger the color transformed.  It has a really lightweight texture and feels like nothing is on. It did help to even out my skin, but wasn't able to give me as much coverage as I was hoping for on the under eye area and some small blemishes. I did try to apply a little more since it is a buildable coverage and that a helped a little, but I would still use a small amount of concealer on those areas. Overall though a good CC cream that matched my skin very well (shocking really) and would be great for days when I don’t want to be bare faced, but am feeling too lazy for full makeup.

Not a huge difference on camera, but I noticed some improvement in person.

Last but not least on today's lineup is Bite Beauty Luminous Crème Lipstick in Musk. The only thing I did to prepare my lips was a lip scrub. This lipstick has a really beautiful texture. It is very creamy and feels hydrating on the lips which is often difficult in a lipstick. The coverage is opaque and even. This color was very close to my natural lip color however, but I actually really like that. It looked in the tube like it might be a little darker as you'll see in the photos. I really like this color for day to day.

Le Métier de Beauté Beauty Vault February 2014

I feel like every month of my Le Métier de Beauté Beauty Vault is a present! they always wrap them up so nicely and include a hand written note. I know I mention it each and every month, but it's just such a nice little touch in a time where so few people take the time to do anything hand written anymore.



















This month's box included a Colour Core Moisture Stain Lipstick in Ibiza ($32 value.) The photo doesn't do this color justice, the flash sort of washed it out a bit. It's sort of a warm pink with some coral undertones. I'm very fair so I have to be careful with these sort of shades. Depending on the rest of the makeup determines whether it's hit or miss. I love coral toned lip colors, but they don't always love me.

Also in this month's box were two of their nail lacquers, Riviera and Cocoa Cabana ($18 value each.) Riviera is a punchy red with some slight coral undertones that is pretty universally flattering. Cocoa Cabana is a milk chocolate brown that I don't know what to do with. Brown is one color I've never really rocked, but I'll give it a try.

 It's like chocolate covered strawberries in nail polish form. It might actually make for some cute nail art.


This month's total value was $68. The subscription only opens in July and is $348 for one year of monthly boxes

Influenster Jolly VoxBox

I am so excited! I just got my first VoxBox from Influenster! I only found about Influenster a few months ago and I love how it works. Instead of your typical subscription box, Influenster chooses you to receive a box for free. You qualify by writing reviews for products you already use and you earn points and badges and then Influenster can evaluate you to see which products you would be best at reviewing. I received an email in early December with a pre-qualifying notice and survey. I had to complete a survey about various product types and brands and wait to see if I qualified. On the 13th I received an email that I had been chosen to receive their Jolly VoxBox (Happy Birthday to me!)



I just want to reiterate that this box was totally free and I was chosen to receive it. This does not impact my review in any way and does not guarantee a positive review.

I tend to prefer unhealthy options in healthy moderation, but these Skinny Cow Chocolates are really good. They have a light peanut butter creme that are lighter in texture than a Reese's cup. You can tell they are a little healthier, but they still taste really good. Each pack has 3 chocolates inside and I've been keeping one in my purse for when I get a sweet tooth craving.

I haven't tried the NYC eyeshadows before, but I do like the colors in this palette. The swatches to the left are done with no primer and just a swipe of my finger. There isn't huge color payoff, but it is better than some other drugstore brands. I think it could really benefit from a primer underneath it. I do wish the medium brown shade was a little darker, but these shades could be good for a very natural look.

I love that this tape is called a Duckling. It's so cute and small! Every time I need Duck Tape I don't have any and when I have it I don't need it. This actually came in handy for sealing up some Christmas boxes that were shipped out. I like that it has the strength of Duck Tape without the size. The tape itself is skinnier and the roll is nice and small, it's very convenient.

I was wondering what I was going to do to test out the Puffs Plus Lotion tissues and then Santa brought me a head cold for Christmas. So needless to say I have been using these and they are wonderfully soft. Often times I will just grab some toilet paper to blow my nose, but with the cold weather and constant sniffling, under my nose is a bit chapped and these feel much better.

 Okay so I know this isn't the best picture, but I was running out of the house for work and wanted to try this out. This is the Rimmel Show Off Lip Lacquer in Aurora. I love the name because Aurora is my favorite Disney princess. The photos on the left are with flash and the ones on the right are without. It's sort of a deep watermelon color. It goes on very smoothly and is not sticky or drying. I really loved the texture and it had great pigmentation and held up well. My only complaint is that I kept finding it on my teeth, even before eating or drinking anything. Other than that I really did like this lip lacquer. Just know that it is a lip lacquer, not a lip gloss and therefore it is a whole different type of product. I saw a lot of people reviewing this as a gloss. This is great if you want an easy lip product that will hold up well throughout the day. My lips felt very soft while I had it on.

Urban Decay Vaults Are Back!

These vaults just make me drool! They are the stuff Christmas dreams are made of! These vaults are super complete and visually stunning. It's like "Oh you need an eyeshadow? BAM here's 68 of them lovingly displayed in a case." It's like opening a treasure chest and it's aptly named The Mother Lode. They've also brought back their limited edition 24/7 eye liner vault and added a new Stockpile vault with 10 of the new Revolution lipsticks and their matching liners. At $195 this impressive set will cost you less than $10 per product.

24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil Vault: $295 

40 of their full size 24/7 Liners in every color they make. Look at it, it just makes me so happy!

The Stock Pile: $195

10 full size Revolution Lipsticks and their matching 24/7 lip liners. I love that UD created exact matches to every one of their new lipstick shades. It's currently sold out on the UD website, but still available on Ulta.com

The Mother Lode: $595

I've talked about this one before and it deserves being talked about again. All 68 of Urban Decay's eye shadows. All of them! Every. Single. One. Let that just sink in. This thing is massive and amazing. Yes, it seems a little pricey, but it's worth $1224 and you won't need any other shadows for quite a while.

I know what I'm asking Santa for :) 

Images are all property of Urban Decay and are from urbandecay.com

Le Métier de Beauté Beauty Vault August 2013

So excited! My first Le Métier de Beauté Beauty Vault box just arrived! I am more than impressed with it and I love that it comes with a hand written card. This is a prestige brand and I love these small touches. The subscription was $348 upfront and will only be available again in July of next year.

I was really hoping for the classic red lipstick I had seen around and lo and behold I got it! It's the matte lipstick in Signature. I love a red lip so I'm thrilled.  I also received the Kaleidoscope palette for lips in Bahaus, though I'm a little upset because it came in damaged, though I've contacted customer service to see if there's anything that can be done. There was also a Precision Liquid Liner in Noir. I love that it's a pen since it makes applying so much easier. There was also an included kabuki brush as a thank you gift.

Overall I was blown away with the amount I received and think it's an amazing value. The lip palette was wrapped in bubble wrap, but it wasn't enough, so I'm hoping they'll learn from feedback and improve that. **Update: I've heard back from customer service (very promptly I might add) and they're sending me a replacement. (Around the web I noticed other bloggers had similar problems with their palettes including the eye and cheek sets.)
Lipstick: $32
Lip palette: $95
Eye liner: $42
Kabuki brush: $85

Total: $254 which to me is amazing since it was $348 for the year (equivalent to $29 per month, which means I already got 10x the return.) The only thing I'd like to see in the following months is a product card since I had to do quite a bit of research on some products. 

  

  

Sephora & Free Deluxe Bite Lipstick Sample

Oh Sephora, you just love taking my money. And somehow, I keep coming back to you. This week I indulged in my sick obsession with nail polishes and bought the Runway The

New Black nail set since it was not only awesome looking, but on sale. First one arrived broken, second one only arrived last night, so I still have to test them. I also ordered the Benefit Getting Cheeky trio since I've wanted to try their liquid tints for a while. Benetint always seemed too dark for me, so this seemed like a great way to try them out. The formulas seem a little creamier than I expected, but it's actually nice. I also got one of my mom's birthday gifts while I was at it (okay let's be honest, I started out shopping for her and ended up shopping for me.) My mom is always trying different mascaras trying to find Lash Stash To Go which has 5 mini size mascaras and a voucher for a full size of whichever you like best.
her next love. I got her hooked on one in particular, but she hates dropping money on one that she might not love and she's tried everything from $8 to $80. I decided that a sample box would be a great part of her gift so I got the

Everything I bought was pretty much a steal and with the code RMNBITE I also got a free deluxe Bite Beauty Luminous Creme Lipstick Deluxe sample in Musk. (The minimum to qualify is a $25 order.)

What's your latest beauty purchase?

Photos courtesy of Sephora.com