So I received a Soapbox Shampoo and Conditioner last April from Influenster. I received the the Bataua fruit which they say is a native to the Amazonian rainforests of Brazil and long regarded for its root-to-tip hair repairing talent. Packed with essential fatty acids and amino acids, it works by nourishing both the scalp and hair.
I have been using this combo for a while now and I really like it so far. The shampoo lathers really well and cleans my hair as it should. The scent reminds me of passion fruit although the fragrance doesn't stay long on the hair. The conditioner provides adequate amount of moisture to my hair making it soft and smooth. I also am liking the fact that this doesn't contain sulfates and parabens which could be deemed harmful over time.
Not only is this very affordable and can be bought from Target, my favorite store, but every purchase of any soap box product also provides a month's supply of clean water to a community in need through their partner Splash. According to my Hope code my Shampoo and Conditioner are helping provide water to the communities in Nepal and Thailand, I love giving back and with just purchasing a simple as a shampoo and conditioner would greatly help to other communities make me wanna support this brand even more. I am really thankful to Influenster for giving me the opportunity to review this product.
I know I am too late in blogging about this but I really wanna take my time in writing down my posts now. I feel that I don't want blogging to be a stressful job but a hobby that a truly enjoy, I don't really do this because I wanna be popular but I just wanna share my experiences and opinions to anyone who would want to read it. I love receiving this both my IPSY and Birchbox every month its something that lets experience different brands that I would never though of trying out.
So here is what I got with my IPSY bag this month.
What I think so far... I don't paint my nails anymore I am too lazy to remove it once its already chipped so I opted out of the nail polish option with IPSY but they keep sending nail polish still so I just give it to my cousin or aunt instead.
Crown Brush Oval Concealer Brush
Full size $2.98
Product Description
The Crown Brush Oval Concealer Brush is made of 100% Flexible Japanese Torray Taklon Bristles (synthetic). The brush can be used for application and blending of all concealer formulas, emollient products and for applying cream based shadows. The tapered tip is for precision placement and great for use around the lip area to conceal when wearing bold colors. What I think so far...
I love getting brushes from my IPSY bag that's what I like most about them I may have already received 3 to 4 different brushes from them through out the years that I'm subscribed and I love getting more. This feels like a good quality brush so I have no complaints about getting this one.
Olive Natural Beauty The Olive Lip Balm
Full size 0.07oz $5.95
Product Description
Who doesn’t want soft, moist, kissable lips? Olive Natural Beauty’s proprietary formula harnesses organic and luxurious extra virgin olive oil for enduring moisture with no added synthetics or chemicals so your lips are always ready for that spontaneous kiss. Olive Natural Beauty uses animal cruelty-free beeswax cultivated at a higher altitude to produce the most pure wax, protecting your lips from the elements while allowing them to breathe and stay plump. With Olive Natural Beauty’s petroleum-free lip balm, you’ll forget all about dry and cracked lips as well as those other lip balms in your purse. It’s a lip tease–we know!
cosDNA analysis What I think so far... I don't like getting lip balms at all I would much prefer getting lipsticks than this I have a lot of lip balms already so I may pass this on to somebody else.
theBalm Cosmetics NUDE Dude Eyeshadow Single in Flirty
Sample size 0.035oz $3.75
Product Description
Product DescriptionIntroducing theBalm's latest addition to the Nude series... Nude Dude! Get a quick look using any combination of these triple-milled shadows or dress up your look by adding water to transform your favorite shades into loyal liners. The shadows can be worn wet or dry and alone or layered for added intensity, so go ahead and cover (or uncover) your eyes.
cosDNA analysis What I think so far... I was pretty excited when I got this I have never owned the balm eye shadows before so happy I got to try this out it's such a pretty color its a purple with golden sheen to it. It's not super pigmented as I liked it to be you have to keep building up the color but it's decent enough and you can see swatches below.
Pandora's Makeup Box in Pink Carnation Blush
Full size 0.14oz $14
Product Description
Pandora’s Makeup Box Pink Carnation Blush is suitable for all skin tones and made with long-lasting, vibrant pigments with a silky texture for easy application. The formula is designed for professional use and contains the best quality pigment and ingredients to highlight the cheekbone for the ultimate glowing texture and color. What I think so far...
This has a really pretty pink blush very pigmented and I love the color this is very fitting for spring and summer make up looks. Swatches below again. ^.^
Here is what I got from my Birchbox,I love the box design they keep getting better and better every month it's so exciting!
Real Chemistry Luminous 3-Minute Peel Sample size 0.17oz $4.8
Product Description
This acid-free peel gently exfoliates for instantly softer, smoother, brighter skin. Apply to clean face and massage to slough off dull, dry skin. Rinse away. What I think so far... I have reviewed this product before when I obtained a free sample from them before you can read that more here. I love peels like this it's the safest way to exfoliate your skin without irritating it or causing skin tears.
Number 4 Volumizing Shampoo Sample size 1oz $4
Product Description
This sulfate-free, botanical-rich cleanser helps create bouncy, bodacious hair. Rub a small amount between damp hands to lather up. Work through wet hair, then rinse well. What I think so far... I love the scent of this shampoo it smells so fresh and floral but I really didn't observe any volumizing on my hair when I used it. I don't think I would wanna spend to much money on shampoo I would rather spend it on more makeup! LOL!
This customer-fave hair oil defends against UV rays, heat, and breakage. Work 1-3 drops into damp hair, or the ends of dry hair. Perfect for all hair types.
What I think so far... I love this its smells like sweet caramel to me! ^.^ I love putting oil on the ends of my hair to keep it from having split ends this is doesn't leave a sticky residue on my hair upon application when I ran out of my Macadamia oil I will surely purchase a full size of this one.
A shea butter packed shaving cream with deletable scent. Apply to legs, armpits or bikini line before you shave. What I think so far... I don't really see the point of a shaving cream since I just use what ever body wash I am using when I am shaving in the shower. I like that it foams up and yes it's very soft on the skin after shaving but so does my body wash, so I don't see the point of purchasing a full size of this but it was nice to get to try this out. ^.^ Pop Beauty Pop Portfolio Eyeshadow Palette in Peach Parfait Trio $2.17? Product Description With three pretty pastel shades, this satiny shadows is our spring go-to. Sweep a single color over your eyelid, or mix, match, and blend. What I think so far... I had gotten a trio sample of this from a previous IPSY bag but in a different color, so when I saw this for the sample choice I had to get it! It is a really nice selection of colors perfect for spring I really liked the peach and the golden peach shade they glide on smoothly and really pigmented. Swatches below.
TOTAL REVIEW
The total value of my Ipsy bag for April is around $30.67 I really loved I got three full size products this month but I think the overall curation is just okay, while my Birchbox value is around $16.04 which is pretty low in value but I love the Beauty protector oil, real chemistry and pop beauty eye shadow trio! <3
UNBOXING WARS WINNER!
BIRCHBOX
If you are interested in subscribing to IPSY please use my link here.
If you are interested in subscribing to Birchbox please use my link here.
Thank you in advance if you did use my referral link! ^.^
I am nervous excited about this collaboration with Beauteque since I have never done anything like this before I am still an amateur blogger and I am not a 100% expert on Kbeauty not like the previous bloggers they have worked with, I just have been expose to the Kbeauty because of being a Kdrama addict and Kpop fan of BIGBANG which by the way is back with another album which I am so excited after waiting 3 years for their comeback!!!
I am so so in love with their new song LOSER that I had to put it in here! ^.^
I have been a a fan for 9 years now! And I am so proud of them that they are still all together till now and still making great music <3
Ok back into topic again! ^.^
Back in February Beauteque had a Blogger's contest where you could share your thoughts about the Beauty Trends you think will be for 2015 and I did a blog post on that which I won. So I have been emailing back and forth with them about the contents of the bag that I am curating. They let me choose items suggested for each category of my choice of beauty trends which are sheet mask, BB cushion, and unique ingredients in skincare. And so I picked out items from their website that I like to put on my collab bag and below are the choices that I picked out.
The bag consist of 5 full sized products although 3 of this items are one time use products and this bag will cost $38 but I think they have a promo code SPRING2 for $2 off your purchase so it would cost $36 and they have a free shipping for $35 purchases for USA customers, this will also be available for International shipping but fees would vary depending on where you are.
To start with I love sheet masks it's a fun way to relax and pamper your skin, and I do it as often as I could. My beauty diary masks are not technically from Korea but I really wanted to include them into the bag since they have been highly raved about online.
Beauty Diary Mask in Black Pearl, Imperial Bird's nest and Sake yeast
The Beauty Diary Sheet masks I really enjoyed I have heard so many great reviews about and I must say I enjoyed using all the mask that I have included in this bag. I really liked that they have a plastic film folded together with the sheet mask itself making it easier to unfold the mask before putting it on your face. All the mask are generous in essences and it took more or less 30 mins before it got absorbed completely to my skin. The bird's nest and black pearl mask had floral scents but they weren't so noticeable when you put it on, while the sake mask had the scent of fermented liquor as expected since sake is product of fermentation but nothing to over powerful that would bother me. All mask fitted my face perfectly with the exception of the nose area. And all of them didnt felt sticky after all the essence was absorbed, and I felt that my skin was well moisturized and soft, although the Sake yeast was my favorite by far out of the three because I felt that my skin felt firmer and more softer after using it.
This is with the primer plus BB cushion. I find that it helps hide the redness on my skin and blurs out my pores. Upon application, it dries up to a semi-matte finish.
The left side is with primer only and the right side is with BB cushion. I would say that it has a light to medium coverage.
Finished make up look. ^.^
I have been a fan of BB cushions and I have hear so many great reviews about this one that it was my first choice for the BB cushion for this collab bag. Beauteque would let you choose from three shades of Light Beige, Natural Beige, and Honey Beige. I have a MAC Studio fix powder foundation in the shade C3 and my skin tone is around a medium shade with yellow undertone and the one that I picked out is the Honey Beige which works really well with my skin tone. As for coverage, I think this a light to medium, since I still used my concealer to conceal some of my blemishes. I like that BB cushions are lightweight enough so I don't feel that I have to much foundation on and let my skin breath and they are easy to carry around in your purse.
UPDATE: So I just found out today (Thursday) that they sent me the wrong cushion and that the Etude House Moist Precious Mineral any Cushion is the one going to be featured for my bag, so I am updating this blogpost from my phone with another review of a cushion. I am not gonna delete the review above coz it might be helpful to some readers about the difference.
The left side is the EH Precious Mineral Moist Any Cushion in Natural Beige and the right side is the EH Precious Mineral Any Cushion in Honey Beige.
Same also for the pictures below.
As I observed the moist cushion has a more natural finish than the regular one. I prefer the moist cushion than the other even though they both have a light to medium coverage and a semi-matte finish I think it gives more of a natural glow on the skin which I much prefer. So I think the little hiccup turned out well in the end as this one I much more prefer now that I have tried it. As for the staying power, with having an oily skin both didn't exhibit a long wear effect on my skin so I had to retouch a couple of times when wearing it, it's a good thing it looks so fancy and portable to take with my purse and makeup bag. ^.^
One of my favorite skin care ingredients nowadays is Snail. Yes, it sounds disgusting to those who have not tried it but I assure you that you will love it once you do.^.^ This has been in the Korean beauty industry for a long while and it's just been recently becoming popular here in the USA. Snail filtrate is obtained from secretion left behind by lab bred snails so no snail was harmed during the production of this product. And snail slime is said to contain natural acids and elastin that will improve the appearance, texture and protect the skin from future damage. Skin care benefits from using it includes in reduction of fine lines and wrinkles and also hyper pigmentation, helps in acne prevention, and dryness.
I have trouble using snail products during my morning routines since some of them are too heavy for my oily skin but this particular cream is lightweight enough that it easily absorbs to my skin without any problems and I am able to use it in the morning and night time. Although cosdna suggests that this contains some acne triggers, I haven't seen any new break outs on my skin since I have been using this. I find that this one would work really well for normal, combination and oily skin types but for dry skin types I would think this would not be sufficient enough in terms of hydration.
I hope some of you that will end up buying the bag would enjoy it as much as I did, I know the curation of the bag is not for everyone and it contains some ingredients you might have tried before or not tried or haven't heard of before but it would fun to discover something new. ^.^ You can buy this from the Beauteque website for $38 but you can use the coupon code SPRING2 for $2 off your purchase.
Discalimer: The post contains external links. The products in this post was given to me free of charge with my participation in curating the bag, I have no commission of any sort if you end up buying the bag from Beautueque.
