BEAUTY BOX 5 FOR FREE? Details and link in blog…FREEBIE FRIDAY

Earlier in this blog, I reviewed my August BeautyBox5. It was a total WIN this month.

BeautyBox5 is now running a special promotional offer, buy the September box for $12 and get the August box for FREE. Use coupon code AUGUSTFREE and you’ll be on your way to getting your free box.

Here’s a link so you can jump on this. I’m sure supplies are limited so don’t delay!

BB5 link: http://www.beautybox5.com/?u=12356
COUPON CODE: AUGUSTFREE

Stay beautiful!

QVC Beauty Tube: JUST DO IT!!!!!!!!!!

Oh my my, it’s celebration day at Casa The Beholding Eye.  My much-ballyhooed first QVC Beauty Test Tube arrived today. My little black heart started pounding out of my chest as I tore into this baby. I ordered this directly from the QVC website and it’s an every-other-month subscription for $29.96 plus a few bucks shipping and handling. As it turns out, quite the bargain and by leaps and bounds my winner in the contest for best subscription box (or tube, in this case) this month.

Here’s what it looks like out of its pretty pink QVC box:

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It comes with an amazingly beautiful glossy magazine (about 500 pages, I believe), and the purple pamphlet describes each and every item in detail in full color. Such a nice finishing touch. I’d probably pay about $10 just for the magazine alone.

Here’s what it looks like pulling off the initial layer of protective tissue paper and peering down into the tube:

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Bottles and boxes and tubes, oh my!!!

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And there are the box contents spread out on that gorgeous magazine…My heart’s really at top speed now.

Let’s take a closer look at the products included.

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Wow. Just…WOW.

Bliss Spa, Mally Beauty, Phytodefrisant, Kate Somerville, Philosophy, IT Cosmetics, Fresh…Ladies, it just doesn’t get any better than this. Every single one of these items is something I’ll use (and quickly as possible). QVC, this tube is a HOME RUN. Even the lip gloss, the brand of which I’m not familiar with, is a drop-dead peachy/pink shade that feels like butter on the lips.

My advice? Do not stop. Do not pass go. Do not collect the $200.

GO STRAIGHT TO QVC and sign up for this…I’m confident it’s the one beauty subscription that will never disappoint.

If you’d like to order yours (I believe this one is still available and you can choose Auto Shipment to enroll in the subscription service) here’s your link:

QVC website: http://www.qvc.com/NewBeauty-8-Piece-TestTube-with-Magazine-Auto-Delivery-.product.A262684.html?upsh=1&sc=A251376-CSWB

Until next time, stay beautiful…And feel free to follow me on Twitter:  @MrsMorelion

WANTABLE August Makeup Box: Is it worth your $40/month?

It’s going to be a great week for subscription box delivery, and my palms got sweaty as soon as I received an email notification that my WANTABLE box was crying for me to rescue it from my mailbox.  I was ecstatic to oblige.

Let’s just rip this baby open and get started.

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Ahhhhh…Full-sized products. After the Lilliputian journey that was the August Ipsy bag, these babies look downright gigantic.

First up is a full-sized jet black mascara by Elizabeth Mott, “It’s So Big.”
RETAIL VALUE: $19.99

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I tried to get a picture of the brush. Doing it with one hand shaking in excitement over the unboxing, the results aren’t great but here it is….Very similar to the brush on Too Faced Better Than Sex and other mascaras in the market:

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And next to find its way into my grubby (yet well-manicured) clutches was this gorgeous eyeliner by Mica Beauty Cosmetics in Silver. It’s a very soft pencil and swatches very easily with minimal pressure.
RETAIL VALUE: 20.00
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Next up is a clear brow gel by Billion Dollar Brows. Seems to have a very nice consistency and not too sticky or tacky.
RETAIL VALUE: $18.00

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And the last gem in the box is a Geri G. lip gloss creme in Peache. This is AMAZING. Great texture, great opaque color, and not sticky on the lips. My favorite out of the box.
RETAIL VALUE: $18.00

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Total Retail Value: $76.00
Subscription Cost: $40/monthly or $36/month with subscription

Now, some may feel this box is a bit pricey. I agree it might not be in every fashionista’s budget. Conversely, the products are of very good quality and are usually on a par with MAC or other higher-end, perhaps more well-known brands. I don’t think I’ve ever gotten a less than great quality product in a Wantable box.

If you’d like more information on Wantable (which, by the way, also offers Accessory boxes and Intimates boxes, and will soon be launching a Yoga-inspired box!), feel free to follow the yellow brick road below…You might just find that you love it as much as I do.

Website: https://www.wantable.com/invite/zOoO0LlC828
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Wantableco

And feel free to follow yours truly on Twitter: @MrsMorelion

Birchbox for CEW Beauty Box (and how I got it for free)

Birchbox has a promotion going at the moment where you can choose boxes specially curated by the Cosmetic Executive Women (CEW) Insiders’ Choice Beauty Awards. I had enough Birchbox points accrued from purchases and product reviews, as well as a code for free shipping, that allowed me to get a box for free. The choices were “Mass Appeal” and “Prestige Appeal.” While both boxes had good product content, I opted for the “Mass Appeal” box as it contained the most products I know I’ll be using.

Let’s take a closer look at the “Mass Appeal” box contents.

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These are the products included with this particular box. I loved it as soon as my greedy but well-manicured fingers pried the lid off.

Here’s a closer look at the various products:

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The Burt’s Bees Lip Gloss is amazing, in that “your lips but better” kind of way, and not sticky at all. Really pleased with that one…nice choice, Birchbox! And that little purse-friendly tub of Vaseline Lip Therapy Rosy Lips? TOTALLY in love with that one and, even though it looks small, I need so little product to cover my lips that it’s going to last me quite awhile. I’ve been wanting to try the L’Oreal Voluminous Butterfly Mascara, so I’m really excited to give this a test drive.

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The remaining products include a travel-sized Dove Go Fresh Body Wash that smells absolutely amazing. So amazing that as soon as I publish this blog, I’m going to hop into a hot shower with it. There is also a HUGE 4-ounce size of Simple Protecting Light Moisturizer with SPF 15. I’ve used this product before and just loved it (Simple had sent me a very generous 1 ounce “sample” bottle of it a few months ago, and it covered me for quite awhile). This jumbo bottle is perfect for light daytime moisture, especially during spring and summer months. Also included is a full-sized TRESemme Keratin Smooth Keratin Infusing Serum. I’m normally a total devotee to John Frieda’s amazing Frizz Ease but I’m always open to trying new products. This one gets good reviews, so I’ll be using it (probably as soon as I get out of the shower from trying the new Dove body wash).

There were no retail prices on these, but even without running a price check on these items, a “guess-timation” of $30 is probably too low. Off the top of my ginger head, I believe the mascara retails for around $10 and the Burt’s lip gloss for around $8, so there’s $18 right there with just those 2 items. Considering I was able to score the box for absolutely no money out of my pocket, it’s a total WIN for me. Here’s the product card listing the contents:

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I believe there are still boxes available, so if you’re a Birchbox subscriber who has points to redeem or if you’re new to Birchbox and would like to purchase the box, here is the link to their website. All in all, this CEW box is fabulous, and totally makes up for the lackluster August box I reviewed last week.

For those new to Birchbox, they have an amazing rewards program where points are accumulated very quickly and can be redeemed to purchase products through their Birchbox store…or you can save them up like I did and score free swag.

Birchbox = WINNING!

Birchbox: https://www.birchbox.com/invite/ngb9d

(LATER THIS WEEK I’LL HAVE REVIEWS FOR THE CURRENT WANTABLE BOX, AS WELL AS REVIEWS FOR A COUPLE OF SMALLISH ULTA HAULS…STAY TUNED!).

Until next time, stay beautiful!!!

Ipsy August 2014 Glam Bag: Lilliputian-Palooza!

Ipsy August 2014 Glam Bag: Lilliputian-Palooza!.

Ipsy August 2014 Glam Bag: Lilliputian-Palooza!

Okay, first of all, I entirely agree that the samples this month are…well, let’s just say “dainty.” Conversely, most of the products are of exceptional quality and it’s nice to be able to sample them. And, yes, I definitely mean sample. As you’ll see below, a handful of uses at best is what you’ll get out of this month’s munchkin-sized delights. Well, let’s just jump on over to the Land of Lilliputian.

Here’s the bag and its contents. Speaking of the bag, not really feeling it this month, Ipsy. Feels like something I’d just hand off to my kindergarten student for their pencils. The pattern was cute but I wasn’t prepared for the crumpled way it arrived nor the Dollar Store material. But, I digress. Let’s move on to what was in the bag:

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And the first thing, which was outside of the bag, is a sample-sized Urban Decay Perversion Mascara. I love UD products, and I’m going to pretty much love anything called “Perversion.” I’ve heard really good things about this mascara so I’ll definitely put aside my Too Faced Better Than Sex to give this a whirl:

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Next up is a diminutive Lord & Taylor eyeliner in Black Silk (and when they put “Mini” on the pencil, they weren’t kidding). It did swatch nicely on my hand but any eyeliner is going to have to offer a whole lot of something to pry me away from my Urban Decay 24/7 in Zero.

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Now we’ll move on to the lip balm by “You’re The Balm,” which is actually full-sized…but unfortunately smells and tastes like a hefty dose of Dimetap. Not my favorite flavor but if it works well, I’ll deal with that issue.

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Next up is one of my favorite brands, Dr. Brandt, with the “Pores No More” tinted facial primer. There’s not a lot in this tube, but was enough for me to fall in love with it with a single small dot to my hand. Blended like a dream, perfect color, and left my skin feeling like silk. This I’ll definitely consider purchasinging in full-size form. WINNING!

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Next up is a try-it size duo of Coastal Scents “Forever Blush.” I’ve had really good luck with Coastal Scents products, and their “Revealed” palettes are seriously a dead-on dupe for Urban Decay’s “Naked” palettes at a fraction of the price. This little duo looks like it might be a dupe for Clinique’s blush/bronze duo, which I love. I’m looking forward to trying this out and, if I like it, would definitely consider purchasing the full-sized product, especially with that nice little discount coupon that came with the sample.

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This brings us to the last little goody in this month’s bag, which is a “beauty schooled” card, where they encouraged their GlamBag subscribes to write their best beauty advice on the card, photograph it, and send it via Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

While tempted to write, SIZE MATTERS!, I instead controlled my inner snark and decided on SMILE. It’s the one thing that makes us all even lovelier than we already are.

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So that’s it in a nutshell (and all of these products could practically fit in a nutshell) for the August Glambag. Was it disappointing? Yeah, kinda/sorta. I’d have loved larger products or at least a different flavored/scented lip balm but, hey, it’s only $10/month and usually has a cute little bag to go with it. Summer is winding down and I’m hopeful next month’s GlamBag will be more satisfying. I didn’t bother with retail values. To be honest, I think all of these (except the balm) are things you could probably get for free at Sephora or Ulta as hand-out samples if you’re near one.

Hopefully the September GlamBag shouldn’t require a “CHOKING HAZARD” label.

If you’d like more information on Ipsy, here are links to their website and to their Facebook page:

Website: http://www.ipsy.com/r/jk7y

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ipsy

Until next time, stay beautiful!!!

Birchbox August 2014 Box: Zombie Apocalypse Preparedness Begins Now

Birchbox August 2014 Box: Zombie Apocalypse Preparedness Begins Now.

Birchbox August 2014 Box: Zombie Apocalypse Preparedness Begins Now

Well, the second unboxing today was that of the Birchbox August box. I had seen a preview of the products I would be getting this month, and it didn’t excite me as it usually does, with the exception of a “bonus” item that I personally chose. I was tempted to title this blog WHAT’S THAT SMELL? (for reasons you’ll read about below) but decided to employ a little restraint.

Here’s the box opened with its contents on display:

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The picture is pretty self-explanatory so let’s just dive on in…

First is a shampoo and conditioner by Neil George in a decent travel size. I don’t mind getting the occasional hair product in my box but…well, when half the box is hair product, it doesn’t give me the warm fuzzies. Especially with the way these babies smell. Ye gads. I’m not sure if this product is geared towards the male demographic or if it’s becoming trendy to want to smell like men’s (cheap) aftershave, but…Oy! These will go safely to the back of my cabinet and only used in the event of extreme emergency. Like the Zombie Apocalypse has struck and I cannot leave my residence to buy anything else to use.

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After that sensory explosion, the next item I decided to check out was something a little less…”fragrant.” Here we have a trial size of Paula’s Choice Resist Intensive Wrinkle Repair Retinol Serum. This appears to be a fairly decent trial size. I’ve heard great things about Paula’s Choice products, so I’ll definitely be taking this baby for a spin.

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Next is the BIG WINNER of this box. This baby almost makes up for the olfactory attack of the Neil George shampoo and conditioner. This is a Whish Coconut Milk CC Body Cream and, wow, does it smell like a piece of confection heaven! If anyone has ever smelled the popular Votre Vu hand cream, this product is, to my sniffer, almost an exact duplicate of that product. This smells amazing. I’ll definitely be using up this tube and buying a full-sized one as well.

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The last item is a Laura Geller Beauty Cool Lids Cream Eyeshadow in Silver Sands. This is the bonus product I selected myself because, well, it’s Laura Geller and it’s a great neutral color. It did not disappoint. This little tube will last me for awhile, so this was a winner, too (but not as great as that Whish body cream…yum!).

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So, there we have it, the somewhat disappointing August BirchBox. Although tempted to cancel since I don’t want to collect too many “just in case” products for a possible Zombie Apocalypse, I’m going to give them another month, as their previous boxes have been pretty good.

For $10/month, it’s usually a bargain.

If you’d like more information on BirchBox (or if you’d like to start your own Zombie Apocalypse stash with that Neil George set above), here’s a link to their website and their Facebook page. As I said, it’s normally a nice little $10/box and I’ve had no previous complaints.

Website Link: https://www.birchbox.com/invite/ngb9d
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Birchbox

LIP MONTHLY: 5 Full-Sized Products and A Bag for $10?

LIP MONTHLY: 5 Full-Sized Products and A Bag for $10?.

LIP MONTHLY: 5 Full-Sized Products and A Bag for $10?

(LINK FOR A SPECIAL SAVINGS CODE FOR YOUR FIRST BAG AT THE END OF THIS BLOG…HAPPY SATURDAY!)

It’s a Happy Saturday at Casa TheBeholdingEye with the mail carrier three (3!!!) subscription boxes today. I actually saved what I had hoped would be the best for last to open, but now sharing the best of the 3 first.

Lip Monthly is a relatively new subscription service, offering 5 full-sized products (4 lip/1 mix-up) per month, both drugstore and higher-end brands, for $10/month. And starting this month, they’re even sending the products in a totally adorbs lippie-adorned bag.

Let’s dive on in. Here’s the bag and its contents:

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Yep, sure enough…5 full-sized products, a descriptor card, and that spiffy bag!

Let’s take a closer look at that bag. It’s really cute and deserves its own picture:

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Okay, now for the products. First, we have a full-sized City Color Be Matte lipstick in “Phoebe,” a really lovely pinkish/coral shade that swatches very nicely, good pigment with a matte finish. Not a shade I’ll wear every day but definitely one that I will wear.

RETAIL VALUE: $3.99

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Next up we have a full-sized Jesse’s Girl Cosmetics lip gloss in “Lip Lock.” It’s a really pretty shade of sparkly pink…That I could never wear, so I’m passing this one on to my daughter. She will LOVE this shade. Admittedly, I didn’t swatch this one because it clearly isn’t a color that would flatter my complexion.

RETAIL VALUE: $4.99

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The next full-sized product is a new product (so new I’m not sure it’s been released yet), but it’s a City Color Cosmetics Magic Balm. It goes onto your lips clear and the color develops as it warms up to your body temperature. Pretty clever, City Color Cosmetics! I’ll be keeping this little gem.

RETAIL VALUE: $3.99

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The last lip product is a full-sized City Color Cosmetics lip balm in the shade “Ultra Pink.” It swatches more to the coral side than to the pink side and is a very wearable color. I think I’ll be reaching for this one quite a bit for everyday wear.

RETAIL VALUE: $2.99

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And that brings us to the 5th item in the bag, the “Monthly Mix-Up.” This month it is a full-sized Pixi by Petra Lid Last Eye Shadow Pen in the color “590” (a pretty neutral gold/taupe color). Pixi has great products. I didn’t bother to swatch this one because I’m familiar with Pixi products and this color is definitely one I would purchase for myself.

RETAIL VALUE: $18

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So, there it is. My first Lip Monthly subscription bag, retail value approximately $34. Not a bad deal for $10 a month (and did I mention that adorable bag, too???).

If you’re interested in more information about Lip Monthly, here are links to both their website and their Facebook page. (PS: SPECIAL CODE “SUMMERLIPS” AT CHECKOUT FOR $6.99 ON YOUR FIRST BAG…COPY AND PASTE LINK BELOW TO START YOUR SUBSCRIPTION!).

Website: http://mbsy.co/7ps9N
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/lipmonthly