Beauty Subscription Showdown: February 2014

Hello everyone! In today's post I will be sharing with you what I received in my Birchbox and Ipsy bag this month. If you are wondering, they are each $10/month and you receive anywhere from 3-5 deluxe side beauty samples. It's such a fun little surprise to get out of your mailbox every four weeks and I always look forward to seeing what I got. Which one will come out on top this month?! Let's find out!

Birchbox:

DDF Ultra Lite Oil Free Moisturizing Dew- I got the chance to use this product last night and I was pretty impressed! A little goes a long way so I didn't need an entire pump to cover my whole face. It moisturized well but for me the texture was a little off. I am a huge fan of really thick creamy moisturizers especially when using them at night and this was the exact opposite of that. I could totally see myself using this more during the summer due to it's light-weight feel.

Agave Healing Oil Treatment- As I say in the video I already own and use this product! I typically apply this after showering to damp hair in place of my detangler. It does a great job at smoothing out my hair and defining it a bit but you do not need this if you already own similar oils. Comparing it to Moroccan Oil I hardly see any differences in the way it performs. 

100% Pure Fruit Pigmented Mascara- I didn't know what to think about this product. As much as I love the idea of using more natural beauty products mascara was pushing it for me. I love a bold mascara that gives my lashes tons of curl, volume, and length and I wasn't sure if this would make the cut. I got what I expected! This mascara came no where close to giving the popular drugstore formulas a run for their money. It was VERY light and left my lashes looking darker and slightly longer… that's it! However, I was shocked by how much I loved this on my bottom lashes. The brush is the perfect size and defines every lash without looking too heavy or clumpy. 

COOLA Tinted Matte SPF for Face- Unfortunately, I haven't had a chance to try this product. From what I can tell it does go on fairly matte but doesn't provide much coverage. I do love that fact that it contains SPF 30 though!

Harvey Prince Hello- This is something I keep going back to! At first I wasn't a huge fan but it's definitely a scent that grows on you. I am going to throw this in my purse to use on the go and like I say in the video, I think it would be perfect for spring and summer!

Ipsy:

Skyn Iceland Fresh Start Mask- Whoa this stuff was weird! Never before have I used a two step face mask. You apply this by starting with the "Blue Clay" then immediately top that with the other packet containing the "Activating Gel". You massage both together into a warming foam then let it sit for 5-10 minutes! The clay went on really nicely and smelled okay but once I reached for the gel I was cracking up- It felt like I was smoothing clear slime all over my face! Somehow I managed to get enough on to begin massaging it around and at this point things were moving along nicely. It did bubble up slightly and felt warm and tingly. Once I washed it off my skin was very tight and dry so I followed up with the Benefit Moisture Prep Toning Lotion.

(Please ignore the messy hair and hoodie)!

'Tini Beauty Cream Shadow + Base- I have officially found the dud of the bunch! I wanted to quickly mention that after swatching this product on the back of my hand while filming it was almost impossible to remove! Luckily it eventually came off but I was a little afraid to put this on my eyelid. I do like the purple tone this has but the formula is a bit off. I applied this with the doe foot applicator all over the lid then blended the edges with my finger to soften them a bit. It ended up being very uneven and creased almost instantly. What a bummer! Thankfully though it was much easier to remove from my eye area.

Zoya Nail Polish in Dot- I was pleasantly surprised by the opacity of this polish- way to go Zoya! On the nails it is truly beautiful and makes my hands look so clean and polished. This is the exact shade that I needed to round out my collection and I can see this becoming that go-to shade when I can't make up my mind. 

Pop Beauty Plump Pout Mini Lipgloss in Fuchsia Freesia- Being that I am not a lip gloss person I wasn't completely turned off by this product! The pigmentation was nice, the applicator was very precise, and the shine was outstanding. The only thing I got hung up on though was the scent. It was so strange to me! In no way did I think this gloss smelled good but I can look past that when I occasionally pull this out.

J. Cat Beauty Eyelashes Style EL20- Quite honestly I don't see myself trying these anytime soon. After my experience with the last pair I was less than impressed. For my taste the band is too think and un-natural looking. When I wear these people are able to notice that I have false lashes on and that is not my goal! I would definitely recommend looking into the Salon Perfect Demi Wispies if you are in need of some new lashes.

That is all that I have for you today! Please make sure to check out my video for initial reactions, prices of samples, and the overall winner for this month!

Love, Lacey