February 2017 Birchbox Unboxing!

February is all things love, especially due to Valentine’s day. Themes of reds, pinks, and whites are abound, often containing hearts, lip prints, and bunches of xoxo’s! Needless to say, this month’s Birchbox fit this to a tee!

On the back of the insert, it says to “let your lips do the talking with this month’s samples” but for this month, out of the five samples I received, only one was lip related!  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Oh well, let’s move on to the samples!

For hair, I got two products, Oribe Crème for Style and Obliphica Professional Seaberry Hair Mask!

Hair masks are ALWAYS great to use, especially for my color treated hair. I’m lucky in the sense that I don’t have to use a lot of styling product in my hair, but come summer when the humidity hits full blown, it will be nice to see how the Oribe cream helps to tame the humidity frizzies I always get! XD

For skincare, I got Coola’s Mineral Sunscreen Unscented Matt Tint Natural BB Cream with SPF 30…is it me, or are the names of things getting longer?! XD

I’ve just recently started adding SPF face creams to my collection, so this is just one more to add to the pile of “to try” items, and see how it works. The fact that it’s a BB cream with a matte tint sounds lovely to me!

For makeup, I got the one lip product I mentioned earlier, and that is a Vibrant Matte Lipstick in the shade ‘Playful’ from LOC.

I’ve actually already tested this, and it’s a coral pink that does apply smoothly, but also has a drying-out feel. I think it’s a flattering shade that complements a lot of skin tones. My only suggestion would be to make sure you put on a lip primer or balm before this, as it can settle in your lip creases and give a cracky look.

To finish off the box is another perfume sample, Dream from Lollia by Morgot Elena.

This is a lovely scent; it’s described as a combination of Linden, White Tea, Bergamot, and Honeysuckle, but to me, it has a warm, powdery smell that is comforting, and reminds me of being a kid, and playing at my nanny’s dressing table. I could definitely see myself purchasing a full size bottle of this!

That’s it for this month’s Birchbox! If you’re also subscribed, did you get any samples that are different than mine? Please feel free to share them in the comments! x

Tarte Cosmetics Friends & Family Sale: Unboxing and First Impressions.

Hello everyone!

Recently, Tarte had their huge Friends & Family sale, and I could not resist buying a few items to add to my Tarte collection; at 30% off, I think you’d agree with me.

I started off with two items from their skincare range, the “Pack Your Bags 911 Under Eye Rescue Patches” and the “Frxxxtion Stick 3-in-1 Exfoliating Cleanser”.

These under eye gel patches are comprised of Tarte’s Rainforest of the Sea complex, which is a combination of algae and marine flower extracts, which are infused with a coconut-oil serum, to help soften and brighten your under eye area. They come in four individual packets, with two eye pads per packet. I am greatly looking forward to see how these help with my dark circles. I hope they do work well, because at $22.00 a box, that equals out to $5.50 per packet, for only 4 uses. You can get a full sheet face mask for about the same price, for more facial coverage. I have read where others have recommended putting these in the fridge prior to using, to get a nice cooling sensation; may have to give that a try. 😀

Another recent release is Tarte’s 3-in-1 facial cleansing stick. Also comprised of the Rainforest of the Sea complex, this stick acts as an exfoliator, cleanser, or face mask, depending upon your need. The packaging is small, but holds a lot of product, so this would be an item that would be great to have when you’re traveling or if you’re constantly on the go.

After skin care items, it was time to look at the make up options. \:D/
It’s not like I needed another palette, but when I saw the “Rainforest After Dark Colored Clay Eye & Cheek Palette”, I was lost! This all-in-one palette includes six eyeshadows, a blush, a highlighter, and a bronzer! Major win!

The clay based formula of this palette helps to control oil and shine, ensuring long wear all day; the colors are suitable for day or night wear.

In the above image, the swatches are as follows:
Top left, is the bronzer in “Park Ave Princess”; right below that is the highlighter in “Champagne”. On the right we have the six eyeshadows; from top to bottom are “Don’t Turn A-Brown” (dark brown), “Tan-gled Up In You” (tan), “Up to No Gold” (gold), “Plum Away with Me” (dark plum), “Make a Mauve” (plum mauve), and “Bare to Explore” (pink beige). Below the eyeshadows is a lovely circle of blush called “Unleashed”, which is a very pretty rosy-nude shade. (Also, the names picked for the shades are just awesome! XD) I have already tested out this palette, and just love how versatile it really is. It’s also build-able; the swatches were only 3-4 strokes, so you can make it as light or as dark as you want.

Next up is the “Lip Sculptor Lipstick & Lipgloss” in shade “VIP” – my inner Big Bang fangirl approves! XD

This is another multi-functional item, where you can use the lipstick and lipgloss separately, or together. When using the lipstick alone, you get a creamy matte finish. Adding the lipgloss on top gives a creamy gloss. I’m not yet too fond of the texture yet, so I tend to use them solo, and not together. It also has a lovely vanilla scent.

The last item I got was the “Eye Architect” Limited Edition 4 Piece Shadow & Liner Set.

Hey, look! It’s another 2-in1 item! Much surprise, such wow! XD

Each stick has a cream powder on one end, with a coordinating liner color on the other end. I haven’t been able to fully test these items, as they arrived separately from the main shipment, but when swatching them, they applied very smoothly.

From top to bottom, and liner to shadow, we have the combinations of copper & champagne, plum & silver rose, brown & bronze, and black & taupe. When washing off, the shadows came off easily enough with soap and water, but the liner still stayed a little longer, only coming off after a few more washes. At least I’ll know that the liner will definitely have an all day staying power.

All in all, I’m very happy with my mini Tart haul. Any other Tartlettes who happen upon this post, please feel free to share your favorite Tarte items in the comments below. ❤