USA April Glossybox

Once again, Glossybox let me down by coming pretty much in May. Really glossy? Well, its here and this is what I received:

Alterna Haircare: Bamboo Style Boho Waves Tousled Texture Mist

BVLGARI: Eau Parfumee au thé Blanc Tea Bag for Bath

The Honest Company: Honest Organic Lip Balm

TIGI: Cosmetics Glow Blush

Wash with Joe: Coffeemint Invigorating Body Wash

Le Metier De Beaute: Replenishing Daily Solution 

I'm not really thrilled with this box. I actually have not been thrilled with a glossybox since January. I think that if they don't step it up I'm going to be canceling very soon. If anyone wants to use the Le Metier Coupon, you can go online to http://www.lemetierdebeaute.com/ and purchase the Glossybox + LMDB lotion and use the code glossybox for $75 off.

Glossybox is a monthly subscription service for $21 a month and can be purchased at http://www.lemetierdebeaute.com/

The Beauty Blogazons Weekly Roundup: April 26

• Mama Fashionista: Quinn of Mama Fashionista tells you how to get Sexy Smooth Legs in 3 Coconutty Steps!
• Emily Hudspeth, hair design and makeup artist: NYX Cosmetics Haul. I got all this for $60!
• Lola's Secret Beauty Blog: Not quite ready to show off your cute summer sandals because your winter feet aren't quite ready? Then follow these simple foolproof steps for pretty feet!
• Confessions of a Sarcastic Mom: The new Zoya Stunning Collection is very aptly named! Check on Destany's post featuring the polishes.
• ColorMeSoCrazy: Color Club Holo Hues 2013.
• Rachel's Makeup and Skincare: Rachel plays with the revolutionary new Armani Flash Lacquer and finds a new lipgloss love!
• TheFabZilla: It's a feat! Consuming products down to their last drop that is. Check out TheFabZilla' fourth batch of Empties!
• Makeup Demon: Purple makeup idea not only for photo shoot!
• MakeUpMom123: Internet Friends & Lots of Nail Polish.
• Beauty by Miss L: Miss L reviewed e.l.f. Therapeutic Conditioning Lip Balm which she just loves.
• The Convenient Beauty: Want a sexy and opaque nude that doesn't wash you out? Check out Tom Ford Rose Crush lipgloss.
• Beauty by Arielle: Checkout the Spring 2013 Revlon Lip Butters.
• Shades Of Beauty, Inc.: Here Comes The Sun...Salon Perfect Orange A-Peel.
• Beauty Professor: Hourglass Cosmetics just released their innovative #28 Lip Oil...the Beauty Professor weighs in on her experience with this luxe product!

MAC Matters (April 2013): Build A Core Collection with $21 per month

Hey there. This is  new blog series that was originally started by Pammy Blogs Beauty. I decided to jump on this bandwagon and do this series with her. You can see her original post here and follow her series as well. You can check out my April purchase here.

The idea of this series is to take the $21 a month one would spend on a beauty subscription service (Pammy chose to cancel her current subscription, I am choosing to opt into this as a "new subscription") and instead use it to buy Mac products in an effort to build a core collection of Mac items.

These are the rules (borrowed with thanks from Pammy):

Goal: Build my core MAC Collection using an average of $21.00 per month.

• Purchase at least one item a month: If the item is under $20, I can save the remainder for the next month. While there are many items priced under $20, there are plenty that are over the $20 range that I can save for. 
• Do a monthly blog post to share what I got! My goal is to continue this series for 12 months to see what kind of core collection I can build! 
• To coordinate with my "Build a Core MAC Collection" purchases, I will also be posting "MAC Matters: From the Stash" reviews! These "stash" items are MAC items that I love that are already in my makeup collection. Some months, I will be "saving" my $21 to go towards a bigger MAC purchase. This is when you will likely see the "stash" posts. Or, I might include a "stash" item mini review within my "Build a Core MAC Collection" posts because if you are reading this because you want to build your own MAC collection, you might enjoy reading about what I am already using and loving! 
• If this series is popular, I will repeat the series with another brand upon completion of 12 months with MAC.

You can see Pammy's last installment (March) here.

 Check out what I got for April! 

I bought the pro-palette custom palette quad and a singular eyeshadow refill in cranberry. I have been wanting to make my own palette for awhile and I am really happy to be doing this. I am going to make this a metallic palette. 

With Flash

Without Flash

This is a metallic, burnt red color. It is described by mac as red-plum with pink shimmer. This color blends beautifully and is quite pigmented. I love it and cannot wait to add to this palette in the coming months. I am loving this challenge! 

The quad was $9 and the eye shadow refill was $12 and I had $34.50 left over from March so that leaves me with $34.50 for May.

Anyone have any cool suggestions on what to buy in March or other future months? Feel free to share in the comments.

Mac cosmetics can be bough in a Mac boutique, Mac in Macey's or on http://www.maccosmetics.com.

Armani Flash Lacquer Crystal Shine Gloss in 202

Armani recently came out with these flash lacquers that are supposed to be a revolutionary new lip gloss that will be offered in 36 colors. I ran to an Armani counter, but found mine only had about 10 or so colors. I was lucky enough that they had the color I wanted. 202 is from the sparkling midnight shimmers and as such is a sparkly color. It is very bronzy with gold shimmer. It is stunning on.

With Flash

Without Flash

"Giorgio Armani premieres the newest generation in lip gloss with Flash Lacquer. Flash Lacquer provides the highest reflection ever achieved, even after blotting lips. The shape and shine technology causes light to reflect off of every point of surface for a pure pop of color."

This gloss is meant to create an extremely smooth surface that fills in the lines in the lips to make an extremely smooth surface. It is supposed to have no stickiness and be very comfortable with great hydration. 

I absolutely love this gloss. It is everything that it is meant to be. As soon as I put it on the first time I looked at my boyfriend and said, "Well, that's interesting." It truly feels different than any gloss I have tried before. It actually does not have any stickiness and is incredibly soft and moisturizing. It feels absolutely amazing. The only problem I have with it is that is doesn't last very long, only about 2 hours or so. However, I love it so much that I will still most likely buy this in other colors. 

The container is the standard Armani gloss container (I think), which I like. It has a decent amount of heft to it to make it feel luxurious without being too heavy and it looks pretty classic. I think I have found a new love.

I don't believe this is limited edition, although the website claims it is. If you cannot find an armani counter, you can always purchase this online: http://www.giorgioarmanibeauty-usa.com.

Beauty Blogger Spotlight Interview

The beauty blog Cosmetics Aficionado is doing a Blogger Appreciation month where she features a different blogger everyday. I was interviewed for a Beauty Blogger Spotlight yesterday. You can view the interview here!

GUERLAIN Terracotta Light Sheer Bronzing Powder in 02 Blondes

I cannot believe this is my first Guerlain bronzer. I have been wanting their four seasons bronzer for awhile, and for some reason ended up purchasing this instead. This bronzer is not matte in the slightest and it imparts a wonderful, sheer glow to the skin.

"Whether you're a fair blonde or a dark brunette, you'll love this new sun-kissed powder. This ingenious mosaic of five shades of compact powder, with both matte and pearly effects, can be used to create and adjust a natural, healthy glow."

This bronzer has a mosaic of different colors that all blend together to create a gorgeous golden bronze color to your complexion. This shade is ideal for those with a very pale complexion as it is very light and most likely won't show up on anyone with darker skin. I love it to add just a light hint of bronze to my skin while still looking incredibly natural. I also love the the glow it imparts as I am a lover of all things luminizing. Although this bronzer is very sheer, it is also very buildable so that it allows you to achieve your perfect shade of bronze. I prefer it more on the sheer side, but some might want a more noticeable bronze. And of course, being Guerlain, this bronzer is incredibly soft and finely milled and just melds into your skin to give you a very natural looking glow. 

The compact is also very sturdy and beautifully done. It is small enough to be portable, while large enough that you don't feel they were skimpy. It is great for on-the-go touch-ups throughout the day. It has a generous sized mirror in it as well. I think that both product and container were very well done and I would absolutely recommend this product!

This product can be purchased from Sephora, Neiman Marcus, Nordstron, Bergdorf Goodman, Saks, or any of these retailers online.

My Holy Grail Products

I consider holy grail products to be products that I consistently  purchase over and over again - products that I find I cannot live without. As such, that list is very small, especially since, even if I love a product, I will usually try something new when I finish it. The list right now is at 7:

Clarisonic Mia 2

This is must need skin cleansing product. It gets really deep into the pores for a really great clean, while still remaining gentle enough on the skin (I have the sensitive brush head). I have had this for 2 years now and keep buying the replacement brush heads.

Koh Gen Do Cleansing Water

This is by far the best makeup remover I have ever tried. It removes pretty much all my makeup, while still remaining incredibly gentle. This never burns my eyes or makes my skin feel tight. I am on my third bottle of this.

Burberry Primer

This primer moisturizes and makes my makeup last all day without oxidizing while it also adds a nice dewy glow to my skin. My absolute favorite primer.

Urban Decay De Slick Setting Spray

I have used this for about a year now and I am on my third bottle. This sets my makeup when I am done to make it last all day. I also sometimes use this during the day to reset my makeup and also to refresh my face as it feels really nice when sprayed on. I started using this last summer when my foundation would slide off my face while walking in the city heat - this prevented that from happening. Love this.

One Love Organics Skin Savior

This is another product that I am on my third of and cannot live without. This makes my skin so clean in the morning without stripping my skin in the slightest. I have also used this in the dead of winter to moisturize my incredibly dry skin. This product is seriously a skin savior.


Lush Solid Shampoo

 This shampoo contains no preservatives and as such is a solid shampoo. You use this by running is through your hair like a bar of soap. I love how silky smooth it makes my hair feel after a shower and how it helps to maintain frizz free hair all day. I ran out of this a few months back and as such did not use it for a week and absolutely felt the difference. I will never let myself run out again.

and some no name Bisque Eyeshadow

I don't know the name of the brand that makes it and so have no idea how I will get a new one once I run out, but I have used this for a year and I only just recently hit pan, so I know I have a bit more time to use this. It is a flesh toned eyeshadow that I love to use as a setting powder for my under-eye concealer. I have tried replacing it several times, but always end up going back to this. I love it!

What are some of your holy grail products?