Saturday, September 22, 2012

Barneys Love Yourself Beauty Event

If you blink you'll miss out on the highly anticipated Barney's Love Yourself Event. The video above is my haul from the February event.

This time around the samples don't look as exciting, but if you are planning to spend $200 or more on cosmetics or fragrances anyway you might as well take advantage of the promotion and try out some of these samples.

Spend $200 in store or online between September 20 - 22 and you'll receive this sample bag from Barneys.

Friday, September 21, 2012

Starlooks Starbox Beauty Review

A few months ago I was contacted by a company called Starlooks who offered to send me a few of their new beauty program boxes called Starbox for a potential review. Starbox is available for $15 (including shipping). Each box contains 3 - 4 full size makeup/beauty products.

The first box I received was the May 2012 Starbox, which contained three lip glosses. I thought that this was strange of them to send 3 of the same items. What if someone doesn't wear lipgloss? I'm not that into lip gloss in general. I use it mostly in the evenings or on weekends. But apparently they had a theme going that month and they don't usually send out multiples of the same product in one box unless there is a special theme going on.

Starlooks Starbox May 2012

Starlooks Starbox lipglosses

Starlooks Starbox lip glosses

They are undoubtedly beautiful lipglosses that gleam in the sun.

Starlooks Lip Gloss L-R Modest, Pink Diva, Cupid's Charm

Starlooks Lip Gloss L-R Modest, Pink Diva, Cupid's Charm

Starlooks Lip Gloss Swatches

I found the formula to be just right - not too sticky, yet tacky enough. These glosses smell pleasant (unlike some of the much more famous brands!), and they last as long as, well, a lipgloss can last. I gave two tubes of Cupid's Charm and Pink Diva to my sister, and I kept Modest for myself. She is a lipgloss aficionado who has sampled countless brands, yet she loved these glosses. I wore Modest in several of my videos on YouTube because it's so pretty.

Starlooks Starbox June 2012

June's Starbox included a fabulous mix of products - and eyeliner, eye pencil, eye shadow and a makeup brush.

Starlooks Eyeshadow in Caricature

Starlooks includes an applicator...

and a mirror!

L - Starlooks Caricature - R - MAC Vex

The first thing I noticed about the eyeshadow Caricature was that it was very familiar. Then I realized that it reminded me of Vex by MAC. I pulled Vex out of my MAC palette, and there it was...

I contacted Starlooks about the similarities and they did confirm that they have some colors that are similar to MAC's eyeshadows, in addition to their own colors. The difference is that Vex is slightly more shimmery than Caricature. The quality of Caricature is very comparable to Vex. Not to mention Caricature is only $11 if purchased separately, versus $15 for Vex.

L - Starlooks Caricature Swatch, R MAC Vex Swatch

813 Small Precision

The box included their 813 Small Precision brush which is great for blending color in your crease. This brush alone retails for $15 on the Starlooks website.

813 Small Precision tip

Starlooks Precision Eye Definer Pen in Black

Starlooks Precision Eye Definer Pen in Black tip

I've worn this eyeliner constantly since I first got it, but the real test was when I wore it to New York City on a terribly hot and humid day. But the liner stayed on all day. It also has a very pointy tip for a perfectly cat eye flick.

Diamond Line Eye Pencil in Myth

The eye pencil is stunning. It has a softer formula - not at all dry, and it has a fabulous shimmery sheen that is subtle enough to wear even in my conservative office.

Overall, I was definitely impressed by Starlooks products. They have worked with a chemist who used to work for MAC years ago, and they believe that they have improved upon some of MAC's formulas. That's why they compare themselves to MAC in terms of quality. These products are undoubtedly good quality, and if you are bored with the teeny samples and unsatisfactory products you get in beauty sample boxes, this is definitely a brand to consider.

The Starlooks Starbox is most probably most comparable to Allure Magazine's Sample Society Box in terms of the quality of products and the price.

****NOTE: Boxes from past months may still be available. Visit their website here for more information.

From the Starlooks website:
Starlooks Starbox

Subscribe to your monthly Starbox! Includes 3-4 FULL SIZE makeup/beauty products by Starlooks, delivered to your door for $15/month!

OR gift someone their Starbox each month without stepping into a post office. Sign up your lucky gift-ee and they will begin to receive their gorgeous Starbox filled with FULL SIZE, high-end Starlooks products.

Your and/or your gift-ee will receive your first box the month AFTER you subscribe. Starboxes usually ship and arrive within the 3rd week of every month.
** Please note: INTERNATIONAL ORDERS MUST BE HANDLED PERSONALLY BY A STARLOOKS REPRESENTATIVE. If you would like to subscribe from a country outside of the US, please contact us via email or phone.

This box was sent to me free of charge for to consider for a review. This is not a sponsored video or post, and all opinions expressed are solely my own honest opinions of my personal experience with the products.

- Take care,
The Sassi Wench

Thursday, September 20, 2012

❧❦ GlossyBox USA September 2012 - BB Cream ❦❧

The September 2012 USA Glossybox!

Glossybox September 2012

Missha M Perfect Cover BB Cream with SPF 42 No.13

Glossybox lipstick - Glossy Pink

OC8 Professional Mattifying Gel

Global Keratin Shampoo and Conditioner

I was more than a little thrilled with this months Glossybox! They included a lovely pink lipstick - one of my all-time favorite shades of pink!

I'm not a fan of BB creams, but from the feedback I received on my video the Missha M Perfect Cover BB Cream is supposed to the one of the best out there, so I look forward to trying it.

So everything looks good, everything is exciting and I absolutely love it!

The September 2012 USA Glossybox includes:

OC8 Professional Mattifying Gel

Glossybox lipstick - Glossy Pink

Global Keratin Shampoo and Conditioner

Missha M Perfect Cover BB Cream with SPF 42 No.13

http://www.glossybox.com

$21 per month

Earn GlossyDots for feedback on your GlossyBox! Earn 20 GlossyDots for each review that counts towards a free box.

- The Sassi Wench

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

❧❦ MyGlam Bag September 2012 - Now Ipsy? ❦❧

The September 2012 MyGlam Ipsy Bag

London SOHO New York Smudge Brush

Mirabella Eye Color - Semiformal

Circus Andrea's Choice Nail Polish - Tightrope

Jane Sparkle Lip Gloss - Semiformal

Carols Daughter Monoi Repairing Split End Sealer

MyGlam has changed its name - probably because of all of the negative publicity and horror stories about lost boxes and refund issues in the past 9 or so months. What a pity that MyGlam lasted less than a year. It was certainly entertaining to watch the whole debacle. But no matter what it tries to do it can never undo all the damage and make all those anti-MyGlam videos go away on YouTube. So its latest incarnation is now called "Ipsy beauty by you" which is simply an appalling name. It almost sounds like "oopsy" which has negative connotations... Not to mention that everyone is just going to call them MyGlam Ipsy from now on. You can't help but get the feeling that the founders of MyGlam would just love to erase the past 9 months. Anyway, MyGlam Ipsy now comes complete with a revamped website (see below). Good luck with that by the way... and what I mean is good luck trying to navigate around the new site. Confusing as all hell.

And the name Ipsy is already in the Urban Dictionary - read about it here. It's hysterically funny! Thanks, @CarolynP1

MyGlam Ipsy is still sending out some products that can mostly be found in any Walmart (check out the brush). At least some things never change.

Needless to say this months MyGlam offerings top Birchbox once again - although that wasn't a difficult accomplishment.

I did like this bag except for the Circus by Andrea's Choice nail polish - which is possibly one of the worst nail polishes I have ever tried. It streaks and it chips easily. Terrible formula.

The new Ipsy bag - formerly known as MyGlam Bag for September 2012 includes:
London SOHO New York Smudge Brush
Jane Sparkle Lip Gloss - Sparkle Pink
Circus Andrea's Choice Nail Polish - Tightrope
Carols Daughter Monoi Repairing Split End Sealer
Mirabella Eye Color - Semiformal

You can check out MyGlam Ipsy here.

- The Sassi Wench

Monday, September 17, 2012

❧❦ Birchbox September 2012 - A Depress-Fest! ❦❧

The September 2012 Birchbox

If you thought the September 2011 Birchbox was bad, get a load of this one! It makes last year's one look like the most deluxe box ever made!

Birchbox and Color Club® Custom Collection

In fact, it's hard for me to get excited about almost anything in this box except for the Vasanti BrightenUp Enzymatic Face Rejuvenator. By the time I uploaded this video I felt downright depressed!