April BeautyBox5

Finally back to subscription reviews!  I opened and photographed THREE subscription boxes a while ago!  And today's review is for the April edition of BeautyBox5.

(The others will come in the coming days.)

I wasn't exactly thrilled with the size of this box.  It seemed almost the size of the box that my business cards came in.  And it was light.  Perhaps this wasn't exactly fair to BB5, as I had gotten Birchbox and Boxycharm a couple of weeks ago, and their boxes a very generous in comparison.  Plus, it seemed on the light side as far as weight is concerned, and everything was rattling around on the inside.  Still I was willing to give it a chance.

Now the other two boxes I received before were packaged rather well, yet BB5 seemed to just throw things in there.  Still, perhaps this is just an off month.  I always try to keep these things in mind, and give the benefit of the doubt.

Blum Naturals All Purpose Cleansing Wipes ★★1/2 $6.99

Not exactly what I expected in a beauty box, but okay.  These are okay...and the travel sized container is nice for your purse.  I didn't see, feel or smell anything special about them.  Perhaps these are good in a pinch or on a plane?  The wipe sizes are quite small and dainty, and as a mother of 4, that does me no good.  Still, I suppose if you were childless and travelled a bit, these might be okay.  I have no use for them, nor would I, in a million years, spend $6.99 on something like this.

Jergens Natural Glow 3 pack, Medium to Tan ★★★★

I've used Jergens Natural Glow before.  Too much sun is a no-no for anyone, but as a redhead "too much sun" can be 15 minutes without any sunscreen on.  Plus, we redheads tend to come in either alabaster white or lobster red...nothing in between...which can be blindingly obvious when it comes to summer and shorts season.  So, I use Jergens Naturals to give me a little bit of color.  Like any other sunless tanner, you have to be sure that you put it on evenly, and exfoliate before your first application.  Unfortunately for me, this pack is for "medium to tan" which will turn me a burnt orange color.  This will end up going to my daughter or my sister.  "A" for effort, though.

bh Cosmetics California Collection  ★★★1/2 

This cutesy little compact eyeshadow has nice packaging, but the colors were a bit shocking when I first opened them.

These didn't photograph that well, but Hollywood is a deep yet bright shimmer purple...San Francisco is a shimmery nude and Malibu is...shimmery golden yellow?  Alrighty then.  These do not appear to be too highly pigmented, but the color is build able.  I can see myself using SF and maybe Hollywood but the Malibu is not for me.  Again, though, it might just be my skin coloring...and not everyone is paler than milk.  It might be nice on a darker skin tone.  I am not sure how much BB5 wants me to believe this is worth, but it has to be super cheap when a 26 color palette on Amazon is $16.99.

Bonne Belle Lip Definer in Ash Rose $1.99 ★★★★

Who doesn't have experience with Bonne Belle?  It's rather on the low end of the price line at any department or drug store, and most of us cut our cosmetic teeth on Bonne Bell lip glosses.  The pencil is nice enough, and the color almost exactly matches most of my more subdued lipsticks.  I usually prefer a creme pencil, but this one will do the trick just fine.

NickAK New York Lipstick in Concerto - $4.99 ★★★

I had never heard of NickAk New York before, so I wasn't sure what to expect.  At $4.99, this is...well...a cheap lipstick.  The color is great for me, and it pairs perfectly with the Bonne Belle Lip Definer listed above.  It's especially pretty with a rose or nude lip gloss over it. I don't know that I would go out of my way to get this lipstick again...but this will get plenty of use.  Who knows, though?  Maybe I will fall in love with it.  I don't discount anything.

And there you have it.  Yup, that's it.  I can't feel but a little gypped with this box.  At $10 a month, I don't think I got $10 worth out of it.  Personally, I feel like subscription boxes should make you feel like you are getting a great deal, if not your money's worth.  I am holding out that maybe this is just an off month for them? Surely not every box is this...cheap?  

Maybe BB5 will surprise me next month.  

My first look at Ipsy in a few days!  Stay tuned!

Xoxo,

Sam

Revenge of the Nerds

Hey guys!  I know its been a while since I updated the blog, which almost borders on cliche for new blogs.  Many blog writers get lofty goals, and then burn out quickly and I am sure some of you are thinking that is what happened with me.

Mais non, mon amis!!

See, what had happened was, I launched my business at the same time as the blog, AND business has been booming, and I got a bit compulsive about the inner workings of my business.  I got super obsessive with creating sales trackers and inventory forms and super duper organized date sheets awaiting my input.  I got a trifle caught up in the moment with it all at first, but as I am finding my professional rhythm, I aim to get back to blogging here.

I've gotten THREE subscription beauty boxes in the last week or so, and have only opened one.  I will blog more about that tomorrow.  So far, the one I opened is a box that I had never received before, and...well...I was less than impressed.  Details will follow within about 24 hours or so.

But before I go much further, I wanted to get something off my chest.  Are you ready for this, Blogosphere?   Are you ready to hear the thing that has been eating away at me for quite some time?

I love nerds.

Seriously, I love nerds of all kinds.  Yes, there is the traditional nerd that wears bow ties and pocket protectors and performs calculus functions in their sleep.  Those nerds are awesome, and great, and wonderful and I do love them.  But I love all nerds.

I love music nerds, and computer nerds, and gaming nerds, and make up nerds.  I love fitness nerds.  I love movie nerds.  I love literary nerds.  I love car nerds, and sports nerds, and trivia nerds.  I love beauty nerds, and clothing nerds, and philosophical nerds, and photography nerds, and social issues nerds, and theatre nerds, and dance nerds, and animal nerds, and political nerds. I love all nerds. ALL nerds.

For me, a nerd is someone who has a passion.  And having a passion for something...anything...is sexy, for lack of a better term.  Sexy in a non-sexual way.  I love passionate people, and I find their passions to be contagious because, while I may not be completely excited about what excited them, their passion is stimulating.  Being around passionate people has a way of opening my mind and my soul to new experiences and knowledge.  I could honestly give a rats patootie about HTML coding or how to rebuild a carburetor. But I can be completely mesmerized in learning about those things when my educator is passionate about the subject.

Nerds are beautiful.  I really and truly believe that because that is how I comprehend them.  They may not have symmetrical features, or they may be plump or have a lot of piercings or tattoos, or be a societal beacon of beauty.  That doesn't matter.  You can be "pretty" and boring, and I ill find you off putting.  Be "plain" but passionate about something, and I am drawn to you like a moth to a flame.

I review make up and skin products and hair products, and I sell jewelry, not in effort to encourage someone to conform to a societal definition of beauty.  Actually, I hope to lend someone a helping hand in accepting the fact that they are beautiful.  Applying a complimentary shade of lipstick or accessorizing an outfit with the right earrings doesn't, in fact, make anyone more or less attractive to the eye.  What it does is raise someone's confidence level, and that is a change that is visible to the eye and can make someone more attractive. And, THAT, dear readers, is my end game.

So if there are any of you that feel less than awesome because Cosmo hasn't begged you to be on their cover...find a passion.  Have a passion?  A real burn-in-your-gut-and-heart passionate that gives you the giddy rush you can feel in your bones passion?  Well, then darlin', you are gorgeous and sexy and beautiful.  You are a nerd.  Embrace it.  Love it.  And love yourself.  The rest is nothing but cake.

Until next time,
Xoxo
Sam