Wantable Review (Accessories) ~ September 2013

Hello all!  So I wanted to try out a Wantable box after I saw a review about their beauty box on another blog.  When I went to their site I noticed that they actually had an accessories and intimates box as well!  I read about the accessories box and decided that I wanted to try it out.  I received the box pretty quickly and was definitely excited to see the goodies inside.

"A Beautiful New Thing"..ooh la la!

With Wantable's accessories box, you get three to four pieces of boutique jewelry for $40, or $36 per box if you decide to subscribe.  They have you take a short quiz to get to know your own personal style so that they can pick pieces that they think you will like.  I received three items in my box- a watch, a necklace, and a ring.  

The first item that I picked up was this watch.  It is a silver Bora brand watch and I believe the style is the "Rickie".  Now, I did take the style quiz, but this watch is definitely not my style.  Obviously I know they can't read minds so their choices won't always be perfect.   However, I still was not feeling this watch much at all.  I think this one will be gifted to a friend or family member. On the bright side, it does seem to be pretty good quality.  It has a good weight to it and doesn't seem too cheaply made. Overall, not really my style, but pretty good quality nonetheless.  According to my order form from Wantable, this watch retails for $32.

 Next we come to this necklace which I actually did like quite a lot.  This is something I could definitely see myself wearing so they did a good job with this one.  It is a long, multi-tone gold and black necklace which is called the "Hermoine".  The order form doesn't say which brand this necklace is, only the style name.  Once again, this seems like a pretty good quality accessory for being a fashion jewelry piece.  I wear black a lot in the winter so I think I will surely get multiple uses out of this necklace.  According to Wantable's order form this necklace retails for $28.  Seems a little steep for this particular item, but not too outrageous either I suppose.

The last item was this gold-tone ring called the "Cuore".  I told Wantable in the style quiz that my ring size is a 7, so it seems like their rings run pretty true to size.  The ring is a simple, thin band with a little heart in the middle.  Nothing too fancy but I like simple jewelry too so I actually liked this one.  When it comes to rings, I love big, fancy cocktail rings, but I also love simple, small rings as well because my fingers are so tiny.  I normally wear either a size 6 or 7 so finding good-fitting rings can be tough.  This one is very cute and should go with a lot of different looks.  Wantable says this item retails for $22 which I honestly thought seemed WAY too high for this ring.  It is very light and has a little bubbling on the surface of the heart so a retail price that high seemed a little off to me.

Overall, I did like the Wantable accessories box, but I thought the value did not exactly match up.  Although the combined retail price of the box is $82 (according to Wantable), I personally did not think the items lived up to that value.  Seeing as how I was unhappy with one item, I did not feel that the $40 I paid for these three items was necessarily worth it for me.  I actually contacted Wantable because on the order form they send with the box, it showed a picture of three items that I absolutely loved with the caption "Your September Accessories Box".  I guess I misunderstood, because that apparently is just a generic picture that they put on everyone's order form.  I was a little bummed about that since I liked those items a lot more than the items I actually got in my box!  When I got a response from them, they basically said I could return the box if I didn't like it which seemed a little unhelpful to me. I would consider trying another box from Wantable but it would be with a little hesitation.  I still think the box is a little pricey but it seems as though they have pretty good quality jewelry which I guess is still a positive since you never know what you're gonna get when blindly ordering fashion jewelry online!

Ipsy Review ~ September 2013

I have to say, Ipsy is probably one of my favorite monthly beauty subscriptions.  I have been very impressed with their bags and at only $10 per month, the value is fantastic since they feature many higher end brands. This beauty subscription is a recurring one which automatically charges you every month before the bag ships. You also have the option to cancel at any time. They have you take a short quiz when you sign up so they can better decide which items to send you every month. 

You can find the link to their website here: www.ipsy.com. 

One thing I really love about this subscription is that they send their items in different (and always very cute) makeup bags every month!  In my opinion, this definitely increases the value of this subscription because you are getting something else that you can actually use, instead of just a plain box.

So let's get started with this month's bag!

From the card, it looks like the theme of this bag is "Classic Beauty".  They also included a folded card with a sample from "The Life Palette" which appears to be from Michelle Phan's new cosmetic line. Even though it is mainly just for advertising purposes, it is still yet another free sample so i'll take it!

This month's bag had five items in it and the first one that I noticed was this Cailyn Tinted Lip Balm.  The reason that I noticed this particular product first is because I received almost the exact same thing in one of my previous bags.  However, this one was a lip balm and the one I received before was an eyeliner.  You can see by the design of the product why it is so easy to recognize!  This one is a bright red shade called "Big Apple" and when I swatched it I was very surprised how well it stayed on!  I tried to rub it off and it wouldn't budge!  This product us definitely one I am excited to try, simply because of its long-wear potential.  According to their website, this lip balm retails for $19.

Next we come to this kohl eye pencil from StarLooks.  It is in the shade "Obsidian", which is just your basic black color.  To me, this product was so-so, only because I have a ton of kohl eyeliner pencils already.  I suppose it is always nice to have a basic pencil liner, but this product just didn't excite me too much.  This product sells on their website for $12.

The third product is a volumizing mascara sample from Elizabeth Mott.  The name is "It's so BIG" which made me chuckle just little bit.  Especially because, ironically, this sample is so little :P.  I have not tried this mascara before, but I have heard good things about the brand.  The website says this product will lengthen and curl your lashes without smudging so hopefully it lives up to those claims.  Mascara is probably my most essential makeup item so I can never have too much! Plus these little sample sizes are great for traveling. 

This product sells online for $19.99.

Next is this eyebrow pencil in "Taupe" from Victoria Jackson.  Now I believe I have received this brand before in a beauty subscription but I can't remember if it was in an Ipsy bag or not..oh well, no worries, that must mean it is just a popular brand! I was excited to see this product because I have been meaning to get a new eyebrow pencil.  This one is just that except it is more of a twist up pencil than just your ordinary stick one.  The only thing I was a little bummed about was the fact that it is a lighter color than my eyebrows are.  My hair (and eyebrows) are very dark brown, almost black.  This pencil is a lighter brown so I am not too sure how it will look, but I will give it a try.  I thought in Ipsy's little beauty quiz they asked you about hair color, but I could be mistaken.  At any rate, I was still happy to see a product like this.  On their website, this product sells for $14.95.

Lastly, we come to one of my favorite products in the bag.  I am a huge fan of NYX cosmetics already, so when I see any of their products in my subscriptions, I am instantly happy.  This is one of their single eye shadows in the shade "Velvet Suede".  I like this not only because it is a very pretty and unique light blue color, but also because it goes on light enough that it doesn't look gaudy.  I love experimenting with new eye shadow looks so this product was very exciting to me.  These eye shadows retail for $4.50.

For me, this month's Ipsy bag was pretty good in terms of value and product.  I wasn't excited about two out of the five products but I didn't hate them either.  But then I realized something...I actually received FOUR full-size products in this bag.  And for only $10.  That is actually pretty amazing seeing as how the retail value of this bag is well over $50.  So I would say this bag earns a big thumbs up from me.  As I said before, I am a big fan of Ipsy already and they just continue to impress.  I really hope they keep up the trend of sending more full-size products too!  I am always excited to receive their shiny pink envelope in the mail and I am already looking forward to next month!

Birchbox Review ~ September 2013

So let me start off by saying that I have actually had previous Birchboxes before and have been pretty pleased in the past. This is the September box that was themed "Heritage". 

(Yes, that is my zebra bed spread :P)

Birchbox costs $10 per month and you can choose either a one time box, a three month subscription, a six month subscription, or a year long subscription. (There is also a Birchbox for men which costs $20 per month)
You can find the link to their website here: www.birchbox.com

So enough of the details, lets get started with the goodies inside!

I received five items in this month's box, and the first one was this Paula's Choice RESIST BHA 9 serum for stubborn imperfections. Basically it is a spot corrector for everything from blackheads towrinkles. The sample I received is pretty tiny but I guess with this type of product you don't need to use a whole lot anyway. I will definitely give it a try. According to the box, the full size product retails for $36.95.

                       

The next item was a sample of a Coastal Scents eye shadow quad. I was a little disappointed that my particular sample came with one of the colors broken :( However, the shades are definitely ones that I would use so I am curious to see how they look on. The box says this full size product retails for $34-39.  

                        

Now we come to this Serge Normant Meta Luxe Hair Spray sample. It intrigued me that it says it contains natural extracts of echinacea, chamomile, and rosemary. Now, I am not at all sure what that first thing is but any beauty product that has anything natural has got to be better to use, right? I'm gonna go with that. Anyway, it does have an earthy, plant-like smell so I will try it out and see if the hold is just as promising as the scent. The box says this full size product retails for $25. 

                        

The next product is this Ruffian nail lacquer in the color "Hedge Fund". I thought that was actually a pretty clever name! I don't know a whole lot about this brand but when I did a little research I found out that Ruffian is actually a fashion label that teamed up with Birchbox to launch a line of fashionable colored nail polishes. They seem to be getting good reviews so I am very excited to try out this color soon! I personally think it is the perfect color to transition from summer to fall :) 

According to the box, this nail polish retails for $10. 

                        

The last product was perhaps my favorite of the lot.  Now, I will warm you that at first glance it sounds really weird but I promise it is worth a try. It is the Dr. Lipp Original Nipple Balm for Lips. I know. The only thing you can take away from reading that was nipple balm. Believe me, that was my reaction too.  BUT this product is actually really great! I tried it out last night and it left my lips feeling soft and smooth. This product also claims to be 100% natural which is just another plus in my book.  The box says this full size product retails for $14.50. 

                        

Overall I would say this is a pretty successful box. I will get use out of the majority of the products and I believe the value definitely surpasses the $10 paid for the box. Birchbox, in my opinion, is one of the best value boxes out there, simply because you always get at least the value of the box, if not way more. Another thing I love about Birchbox is how they feature a lot of up and coming brands as well as higher quality favorites. I would definitely recommend trying it out if you are looking for a less expensive beauty box to try that will still give you samples from great brands!

                       

 

Welcome!

My name is Natasha and I bring to you my humble opinions on all of the latest subscription boxes out there! I am a recent college fashion graduate and as of late I have become quite obsessed with these addicting monthly boxes and am determined to try them all.  So I thought as I tried them out I would post my honest opinion on the quality and overall value of the boxes so that those reading can make informed decisions when choosing which of the many subscription boxes to subscribe to. I promise my reviews will be 100% honest and I hope to bring just a little humor and fun to everyone's day :)

Thank you for checking me out and I look forward to getting started!