Boxycharm - July 2014 Review

Today I have a the July Boxycharm.  Boxycharm is a monthly subscription box that sends out full and luxury size samples of both drugstore and higher end brands valued at upwards of $70.  You can subscribe here and use my referral code SkxibFhIcW9ieWNqSmthV1dyeS9WK2c1VW1HNnlKQnlhRmMxRFdINHpHbz0=  to help me out!

As always, Boxycharm included a card detailing each item.  This month's theme was "America the Beautiful".

The first product is something we've been seeing alot this summer: Pur~lisse SPF 30 daily moisturizer.  I still have a couple samples left from Birchbox and Ipsy, but I'm glad to have a full sized bottle of it (espcially considering the price).

Next up is Lauren B Beauty nail polish in Rodeo Drive, which is a bright red perfect for summer and early fall.  I've never heard of this brand, but it's supposedly a quick dry polish which is always a good thing!

Nest are the two products from BellaPierre; Natural Lip Liner in Nude and Shimmer Powder in Gold&Brown.  I'm not really a fan of lip liners, so I doubt I'll be using this one, but I love a good shimmer eyeshadow.  This one goes on smoothly with almost a cream feel to it, and is nice golden shimmer. 

The  last product is the most exciting (I think) in the box; Appeal Cosmetics Luxurious Lipstick in one of four shades.  I received Kitten, which is an orchid color with pinkish undertones.  I think it's super cute!

I was impressed again by this month's box, and everything together was worth $128.  Wow!

XOXO

Gina

NOTD - Julep Laree + Quick Dry Drops Review

Good morning and happy Monday!  Today's NOTD is Julep Laree.  Julep Describes Laree as a "golden pink taffeta shimmer" and I'd have to agree.  The pink is very bright and summery without being neon, and the gold shimmer is very prominent which I LOVE.  It was fairly hard to get a color accurate picture; Laree tends to lean very  pink in photos while in reality it has stronger coral undertones.

As you can see, the macro still wanted to lean pink, but I liked how it well shows off the shimmer.  

Now, after I put a topcoat over Laree, I used my new and absolute favorite product: Julep Quick Dry Drops.

Ta Da is right!  After your topcoat (or even before, if you're planning on stamping or doing other nail art), wait about 1 minute (I use this time to clean up around the edges) then use the dropper to squeeze 1-2 drops on each nail.  Your nails will be dry to the touch almost instantly and within 5 minutes you can just go about your business like you didn't just paint your nails.  As an added bonus, it smells awesome AND moisturized my cuticles.  It is literally a miracle in a bottle and if you don't go out and buy some right now, you are CRAZY.  You can get the Quick Dry Drops, Laree, and a whole bunch of other awesome products from Julep.  Until next time, stay gorgeous!

XOXO
Gina

Nail Art Society - July 2014

Hi Reader!  Today I have July's kit from Nail Art Society.  Nail Art Society is a monthly subscription that delivers a mani kit for $11.95 ($16.90 with shipping).  NAS uses various well known nail polish brands, ans well as sends accessories such as tools, decals, glitter, and more.  You can subscribe here.

This month's theme was Neon Pop and included items from sally Hansen's new I heart Nail Art line.  I had been eyeing some of these products at Target lately, but they're kind of expensive for a drugstore brand, and i'm glad I held out!

First up are the essentials: a nail file, Tape for nail art, and Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear white (my favorite white polish for stamping)

Next up are two neon colors in Hot Wasabi and Intense Iris (which has a gorgeous shimmer in it).  It might be similar to China Glaze Flying Dragon.

Also included were two nail art pens in yellow and black.  I'm excited to try these out! 

What do you guys think of Nail Art Society and Sally Hansen I heart Nail Art?  Thanks for reading and stay gorgeous!

XOXO
Gina

Ipsy Glam Bag - July 2014 Review

Happy Friday Reader!  Today I have one of the most popular subscriptions out there; Ipsy Glam Bag.  When you try to subscribe on your own you get put on a wait list (boo!) but if you use my referral link you can bypass it (yay!).  Similar to Birchbox, Ipsy sends samples of top beauty brands and a cute makeup bag for $10 a month.  

This month's bag is a punchy neon pink - perfect for summer!

The first item in my bag was a bronzer from Pop beauty which seems to be full sized.

Next up is a moisturizer from Pur~lisse.  I've gotten samples of Pur~lisse in other boxes and I really like it.  This particular one has SPF 30 as well, so it's great for summer!

The next item is a Citrus Ginger lotion from Faith Aromatherapy.

The nest product is from Bare Minerals (which I love) but the sample size is sooooooooo tiny (which I hate).  The product was so small that it didn't even have the color name on it.  So I know I got an eyeshadow color pictured on the card, I'm just not sure which one.  Ha.  

Despite being such a small sample, I was happy with it because you don't need much of the product and it blends really well.  It'd be interesting to try blending with two colors.

The last item is a cheek and lip stain from Tints & Sass.  It's similar to cult favorite Benetint, but its more of a gel instead of a liquid and has a different applicator.

I loooove this stain from Tints & Sass.  3-4 dots is all you need for subtle and fresh cheek color, which is perfect over BB creams and tinted moisturizers for summer.

I loved this month's bag, the products were so diverse and all things i'd use in my daily beauty routine.  What do you think?  

XOXO

Gina

Popsugar Must Have Box - July 2014

Good afternoon Reader!  Today I have the July box from Popsugar Must Have, which is my first and also favorite subscription box.  It's $39.95 a month for must have food, fashion, beauty, home and more worth over $100.  The products are full size and the brands are high end - things i would never buy on my own because of the price.  You can subscribe here - you won't regret it!  This month had a lot of summery items, which would have been useful on my beach vacation last month, but I know i'll still use everything in the box.

First up is the Michael Stars beach hat, which I got in the dark brown color.  I like that it's breathable, and the rim has a wire that you can shape however you like.

Next is up is a set salad servers from French bull.  These are both function as well as adorable.

The next items will be great for my fair skin this summer.  I'm so glad that Popsugar included both a sunscreen and an after sun lotion from Sun Bum.

Continuing the summer theme is a package of colored chevron straws from ACME party box company.  At first Mr. GGG thought they were plastic, but they're actually paper which means they're most likely not reusable.  Slightly less exciting, but we'll use them nonetheless.

The next item is probably the one I'm most excited about in this box; a super snazzy jump rope from TKO.  The handles have a nice grip and metal ball bearings to prevent tangling.  Basically, this is the sturdiest jump rope I've ever seen, and even Mr. GGG was impressed.

This month's food item was toasted coconut chips from  Dang Foods.  I'm super excited about these because I love coconut, and lets be honest here, all Popsugar's snacks are amazing.

This month's bonus item was Revlon's Bold Lacquer Mascara.  I received this same mascara in June's Boxycharm (you can read my review here) so I know I like it, and it's always nice to have a spare.

This month's box was, as always, filled with great items that together are worth about $110.  I'm excited to use these products for the remainder of the summer, and remember to stay gorgeous!

XOXO

Gina

Bulu Box weight loss - July 2014

Hello Reader.  Today I have a new subscription box; Bulu Box.  Bulu Box has 2 options; original and weight loss.  Both are $10 a month and you can subscribe here.  I opted for the weight loss box, and I'm not particularly healthy, so these products will likely be and adventure for me every month.

Included is a card detailing the samples inside, which is super helpful for me!

First up is two packets of iron enhanced water, which is supposed to be a good supplement for people on a low fat or vegetarian diet.  I'm not particularly keen on either of those diets, but I'll try the water anyway.

Next is a box of "Rescue Pearls", which are supposed to relieve stress.  Life in general is stressful, and I tend to get stress breakouts so it'll be interesting to see if these pills help with that.  The box contains 28 capsules, which I believe is full sized!

The next item is a MetaPowder fiber supplement from Chosen Foods.  This supplement is in the form of a flavored drink mix, which I like, but I was disappointed that there was only 1 packet.

The next product is a natural sleep aid  from Rutaesomn.  Lucky for me, I hardly ever have trouble falling asleep so these will probably be going to Mr. GGG who isn't quite as lucky in the sleep category.

I'm really excited to try the next product, which is Burn Blend from Shapeology.  This product is supposed to mimic high metabolism.  If these work, I will be using the coupon included to buy more!

This month's bonus item was a mint flavored teabag from Revolution Tea.  I love tea, especially mint, but I think I'll wait until it's a little less hot to try it.

Overall I'm very impressed with my first box, and for only $10 a month it's a great way for me to try out healthier products.  This summer, remember to stay gorgeous AND healthy!

XOXO

Gina

Dear Rus Flower Print Manicure Kit and Transfer Solution Review

Hi Reader!  Today's Manicure was done using the Flower Print manicure kit from Korean Brand Dear Rus.  You can buy this kit from international nail polish website Llarowe for $20.  Let's take a minute here to talk about Llarowe; it's basically the best website ever created for a nail polish lover.  Site owner Leah Ann Buys nail polish from all over the world and sells in on her website; basically she deals with all international shipping headaches so we can get beautiful polishes. Yay!  She also stocks many indie brands on her website as well.  Make sure to like their Facebook page as well to get news about upcoming brands and restocks.  Ok, back to the mani!

Each kit comes with a white polish, the special transfer solution, and 3 sheets of transfer paper.  You can watch a tutorial video here, but it's actually really simple!  First paint you nails like normal and let them completely dry.  You can use any color as a base, but Dear Rus recommends using white, which is what I decided to do.  As a side note, the white polish included is AMAZING; it actually goes on evenly without streaking or bald patches, and is officially my new favorite white polish.  Cut the paper into nail sized pieces and once the polish is dry, take a piece and brush the transfer solution onto the printed side of the paper (be generous!).  Press the paper design side down and apply pressure for 30 seconds.  Peel the paper off, apply transfer solution to the nail, and rub to remove any excess paper (the design will not smear).  After you're all finished, add a top coat and you're done!  Be warned that like stamped designs, a top coat will smear the design so polish very carefully and only brush across any part of the nail once (you can see this on the middle finger of my left hand).  On to the pictures!

The designs transferred really well and there was no mess whatsoever!  I'm officially a fan of this way of doing nail art.  I think I read somewhere that you can use any image from an inkjet printer with the transfer solution, but I haven't tested it yet.  What do you think of this brand?

Remember to stay gorgeous!
XOXO
Gina

Fabletics - July 2014

Good Morning Reader!  Today I have my July selections from Fabletics.  Fabletics is a branch of JustFab that partners with Kate Hudson to create new workout styles every month.  It's $49.95 a month for an outfit that would typically cost $70-$100.  Based on what pieces are included, outfits are either $49.95, $59.95, or $69.95, so you may need to pay $10-$20 in addition to your monthly fee if you choose a more expensive outfit.  Each month's new styles and patterns are released on the 1st, and you have until the 5th to decide whether you want to purchase an outfit or skip that month, in which case the monthly charge will be added to your account to use as a credit for the next month.  You can subscribe here and get your first outfit for $25!

This month I fell in love with 3 different outfits, and was in need of some more pieces, so I got all three.

First up is Antigua - $49.95

Oula Tank - Purple ($15.60)

Suki Short - Charcoal/High Intensity Print ($18.73)

Koia Sports Bra - High Intensity Print ($15.62)

Next is Barbados - $49.95

Oula Tank - Heather Grey ($15.60)

Suva Run Short II - Mint Julep Brush Print ($18.73)

Koia Sports Bra - Heather Grey/Mint Julep ($15.62)

Last up is Tahiti - $69.95

Cayman Top - White ($20.98)

Rio Run Capri - Black/Black and White ($31.48)

Ayni Sports Bra - High Intensity Print ($17.49)

I love every single thing a got this month, the bright prints are so much fun, and everything from Fabletics is so well made.  On your invoice, Fabletics will break down the price of each individual item, and the pieces tend to cost less than even something you would get at Target, which is lower quality to boot!  What do you guys think of Fabletics?

As always, thanks for visiting and stay gorgeous!

XOXO
Gina