GLOSSYBOX NOVEMBER 2014 UNBOXING: KEEP IT OR KICK IT TO THE CURB?

TGIF, my lovelies. I hope everyone has a splendid weekend planned full of all sorts of awesome fun.

The mail carrier brought a surprise to the door today, the November Glossybox, which had shown as being scheduled for delivery Saturday. We’re always happy to take delivery of any and all subscription boxes early, so thank you very much, Ms. Mail Carrier!

We had already seen and blogged about a couple of the items as spoilers but still…It’s not quite the same as having the actual products in hand.

Let’s see what’s in the November Glossybox and if it meets our standards to go forward in 2015.

And there’s a familiar sight, the lovely pink box emblazoned with black lettering.

One more sip of coffee and we’ll lift the lid and check out the contents.

And there we have it, this month’s descriptor card outlining the products contained herein, with the products hidden by a layer of pink tissue paper.

Let’s dig in and see what goodies we’ve received this lovely Friday morning.

RETAIL VALUE: $20 for full-sized (3.38 fl oz) product

Anything encased in purple has to be good. That’s just a hard and fast rule at Casa Beholding Eye. Here we have a sample size of Kneipp Herbal Bath: Balancing in Lavender. Out of Germany, this touts the ability to calm nervousness and control mental fatigue. Sounds promising. Smells divine. Can’t wait to try this out tonight, maybe with a candle or two going to add to the ambiance. After a long week of work and holiday activities, this might be just what the beauty doctor ordered. Grazi, Glossybox!

RETAIL VALUE: $20.00 for full-sized (6 oz) product

Oh, this looks promising. A very decent-sized sample of 12 Benefits Instant Healthy Hair Treatment. This is a leave-in treatment designed to offer a dozen benefits (hence the name, I gather) to chemically processed, pollution-exposed, or heat-styled hair, as well as boosting vibrancy of existing hair color and preventing sun stress through sunscreen. We love hair products (especially my daughter with her epic mane of thick, naturally wavy hair). She’s really looking forward to trying this out.

RETAIL VALUE: $45.00 for full-sized (2 oz) product

I’m excited about this product, as it happens to be from the same skincare line as one of the products in the FabFitFun Winter box, which should be shipping anytime now. From Juice Beauty, it’s their Green Apple Age Defy Moisturizer, which is purported to be a potent brightening complex of apple, lemon and white grape juices with vitamin C and peptides. I’ll hold off on using this product until I receive the green apple peel coming in the FFF box. This is very nice-sized sample and should be more than efficient to determine whether it’s worth pursuing a full-sized product.

RETAIL VALUE: $23.29 (this is a full-sized product)

From So Susan, a cosmetics company with which I’m completely unfamiliar, is this UH-MAY-ZING Universal Blush. It claims to combine the staying power of a micronized blush along with the skincare benefits of Buriti, an Amazonian fruit containing beta-carotene and essential fatty acids. This shade is simply gorgeous. Sort of like Nars Orgasm/sort of not like Nars Orgasm. Here, see for yourselves:

It’s difficult to capture in a photograph, but it’s a truly gorgeous combination of pink, mauve, peach, and copper with flecks of gold that truly does look like it would be perfect on any skin tone. I think my daughter and I may have to engage in a quick game of rock/paper/scissors to see who wins primary custody of this piece of awesomeness.

RETAIL VALUE: $9.50 (this is a full-sized product)

From OPI is the custom-created nail lacquer in “Pink Outside the Glossybox.” Cute name, lovely color. While it’s probably not something that will actually be used until Spring, it is nonetheless a very pretty shade that would work equally well on a mani or a pedi. And OPI has great products, so we have high hopes for this little gem.

And there we have it, the November Glossybox, all unboxed.

Now for the test of whether to keep it or kick it to the curb in 2015.

Does it have products we’re looking forward to trying? Why, yes. Yes it does. Every single item in this box is definitely something either my daughter or I will love trying on for size.

Do we feel that we got sufficient bang for our proverbial buck? For $21/month, yes. Two of the items are full-sized products with a retail value of about $35, with 3 additional deluxe-sized samples of equally impressive products.

Will Glossybox be kept around for the December box and going into 2015? That’s a resounding yes. In fact, after careful consideration, if we ever had to decide between Allure Sample Society and Glossybox, we’d probably opt to keep Glossybox. There’s a nice variety of products and even the deluxe samples are of a sufficient amount to get a good idea on how effective any given product might be.

If you’d like more information on Glossybox and maybe snag your own subscription, here are some links to get you started:

WEBSITE WITH REFERRAL: http://www.glossybox.com/referal?CI=MTIxNDg0
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/GlossyBox.com

As always, feel free to follow what I’m up to on the following social media:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Beholding-Eye/683364698413511
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheBeholdingEye
Instagram: https://instagram.com/thebeholdingeye

Until next time, stay beautiful…

BOXYCHARM DECEMBER 2014 SNEAK PEEK: JINGLE BELLES…AND ROCKS!!!

Happy Tuesday, lovelies! As temperatures continue to drop in most areas and the holidays draw nearer, our friends at Boxycharm decided to give us a little sneak peek into their December box, which has the pretty adorable theme of “Jingle Belles.”

And here it is, your first sneak peek into the Boxycharm December “Jingle Belles” box:

“December Sneak Peek #1: Coastal Scents REVEALED Palette! Enjoy all 20 natural and metallic shades this holiday season! Perfect for day and night, these vegan and cruelty-free eyeshadows are highly pigmented, long lasting and absolutely gorgeous. We can’t wait to see how you wear them! Share this Sneak Peek by tagging a friend or sharing this post! There are limited spots available for our December “Jingle Belles” Box so be sure to SUBSCRIBE TODAY at http://www.boxycharm.com
Xoxo, Your BOXYCHARM Team”

OH. EM. GEE.

I love you, Boxycharm. I completely forgive you for that rather disappointing November box. The sight of this sneak peek just erased it completely from my mind.

Now, THIS is what I’ve come to expect from Boxycharm, fantastic deals with great products.

What are you waiting for? Go grab your December Jingle Belles box now before they sell out or go back to a waiting list.

Enjoy, my lovelies!!!

WEBSITE WITH REFERRAL CODE: https://www.boxycharm.com/rewardsref/index/refer/id/9718/
FACEBOOK PAGE: https://www.facebook.com/Boxycharm

As always, feel free to follow what I’m up to on the following social media:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Beholding-Eye/683364698413511
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheBeholdingEye
Instagram: https://instagram.com/thebeholdingeye

IPSY GLAM BAG UNBOXING OCTOBER 2014: TO KEEP OR NOT TO KEEP?

Well, today is a banner day for subscription boxes at Casa Beholding Eye. This morning saw the mail carrier delivering Lip Monthly and Ipsy, and UPS will be gracing me with their presence and my October Birchbox later today.

I’ve been on the fence about Ipsy for a couple of months. Some months they really knock it out of the park with great products that I’ve either heard about and wanted to try or new products that I’m interested in trying. After a couple of lackluster months, I debate on cancelling…But then they go and hit a home run and I decide to keep the subscription going.

Let’s see if this month’s Ipsy bag impresses or disappoints.

First off, this month’s bag is absolutely adorable. It’s quite a bit darker teal in person than in the photograph, and super cute…Cute enough where I’d consider carrying it as a clutch just to run to the store or to a casual event. Small enough to not be obnoxious, large enough to hold the necessities for a few hours.

Again, really cute bag…Not quite as cute as last month’s but super cute nonetheless.

And now for the REAL test…the contents.

There they are, all 5 products, at least one of which appears to be full sized. Let’s check things out further.

Here is a full-sized bottle of Nicole by OPI nail lacquer in the shade “Feeling Very Cherry.” Well, I’m “Feeling Very Cheery” just looking at this. An absolutely gorgeous shade by one of my favorite companies and PERFECT for fall. In fact, I sense a manicure in my near future…like tonight. As soon as I get off of work.
(RETAIL VALUE: $5.97 at Walmart)

And next up is a 1-ounce generous sample size of Epice Purifying Exfoliator. Now, this is a product I’m looking forward to trying. It’s going to have to be fantabulous to outdo my personal favorite exfoliator, Suki Face Foaming Exfoliator, but I’m definitely open minded about switching alliances if this product knocks my knitted little socks off.
(RETAIL VALUE: $1 FOR THE SAMPLE BASED ON EPICE’S WEBSITE)

With fall weather here (and what with the fear of the dreaded Ebola embedded in my brain and thus amped up application of drying hand sanitizer), I’m always appreciative of a good hand cream. This one, by Figs and Rouge out of the United Kingdom, is in the scent Rose Berry and touts itself as being pure and natural, nourishing and soothing. I’ll be using this tonight in conjunction with my “Feeling Very Cherry” manicure.
(RETAIL VALUE: $5 based on the price of $10 for a full-sized product on various beauty sites)

Woot! Here we have a small sample of Starlooks Lip Gloss in the color “Guilty Pleasure.” It’s a small sample but definitely large enough for me to decide whether it’s something I’d like to add to my repertoire.
(RETAIL VALUE: $3 based on the $12 price tag for a full size of this gloss).

The last item in this month’s bag is a full-sized mascara from Model Co, “VolumEyes.” I’ve got quite an assortment of mascaras from various subscription boxes the last few months, so I’ll put this one in its appropriate place in line and definitely try it at a future point (right now the Sothy’s Volume Care mascara from my amazing French Box is next up on my list to try).
(RETAIL VALUE: $20 from the Model Co website).

So there we have it. Another month of Ipsy, another super cute bag to add to my collection…but is it worth the $10/month or would I be better off cancelling and applying that $10 towards another subscription?

Well, approximate retail value of this month’s bag is $35, for which I paid $10. Both the mascara and the amazing nail lacquer are both full-sized products and account for most of the total retail value of the bag.

Okay, Ipsy…those 2 products have suckered me in to keep you going for another month.

But, being female, it’s my prerogative to change my mind at any given time.

If you’d like more information on Ipsy and would like to sign up for your own little monthly treat, here are some links to get you started:

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/ipsy
WEBSITE AND REFERRAL LINK: http://www.ipsy.com/r/jk7y?sid=ipsypoints&cid=general

As always, feel free to follow what I’m up to on the following social media:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Beholding-Eye/683364698413511
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheBeholdingEye
Instagram: https://instagram.com/thebeholdingeye

Until next time, stay beautiful…and if you haven’t entered the Big October Beauty Giveaway, here is the link so you can jump in now…You definitely don’t want to miss out on a chance to win this amazing haul of makeup and beauty treasures!

ENTER RAFFLE HERE: a Rafflecopter giveaway

BEAUTY BOX 5 OCTOBER 2014 UNBOXING AND GIVEAWAY UPDATE!!!

So it begins, the delivery of October beauty boxes. Every reader of this blog who subscribes to any beauty boxes very well knows the excitement that goes with receiving the first box of the month and knowing the influx is starting.

First up, as usual, at Casa Beholding Eye is the October BeautyBox5. BB5 is a nice little subscription service that costs $12/month. Containing a mix of full-sized and sample-sized products, I subscribe to this one for my daughter. She loves this box and it always seems pretty well-suited to her as well. She actually received this yesterday but she was working, so I persuaded her to wait to sample anything until after I had a chance to take pictures for the blog.

So, here we go…The unboxing of the October BB5:

The BB5 theme this month is Effortless Allure.

And the reverse side of the card gives us a run down of this month’s products and their retail values:

Looks pretty good at first glance but let’s investigate further, shall we?

Oooh, now this is a handy little gadget. The SpattyDaddy is a long-handled miniature spatula that is specially designed to help the consumer get every last drop of that favorite lip gloss, serum, etc. I think we’ve all experienced the utter frustration of knowing there are still several applications’ worth of a product at the bottom of the container, even though it isn’t enough to be caught with an applicator or a pump. The SpattyDaddy has that covered, readers. Even if this hadn’t come in this BB5 box, it was definitely on the 10 Most Wanted List at Casa Beholding Eye. Awesome!!!
(RETAIL VALUE: $5.49)

Lip balms of any kind are always welcome, especially with the cooler weather and chapped lips on the horizon. This is a full-sized Chapstick Hydration Lock double-ended lip balm. This will definitely be put to good use.
(RETAIL VALUE: $2.99)

Next goody in the box is a sample size of Lashem Picture Perfect serum for fine lines that also works as a primer. At first I thought I could wrench this from my daughter’s perfectly manicured little fingers, but no such luck…Turns out this baby doubles as a primer for those not yet worried about wrinkles!
(RETAIL VALUE: $3.95 for full sized product)

Shades of awesomeness…Here’s an absolutely GORGEOUS nail polish by Nanacoco called Surfer’s Dream. And a dream it is. Although I normally associate teal and its various incarnations as a summer color, this hue is especially deep and I actually think might work for early Fall, as well. Outstanding addition to our obscenely large polish collection.
(RETAIL VALUE: $3.95).

And, oh my my, saving (in my opinion) the best for the last is this little gem from Bella Pierre. It’s their Lip and Cheek Stain in Pink. What a lovely shade, perfect for my daughter (pinks don’t normally play well with my complexion, so I can’t arm wrestle her for this one). It blends beautifully and is a lovely, just-in-from-the-snow flush. She’ll definitely put this to good use. Maybe next month she’ll get a similar product in the peach family and we can play Rock, Paper, Scissors for it.
(RETAIL VALUE: $19.99).

As I said, BB5 is $12/month. This month’s box has 4 out of 5 full-sized products, with an estimated retail value of just over $30 (which doesn’t include the estimated value of the Lashem serum sample). Now, that’s what I call a deal, particularly when every single item in this box will be used and not tossed into the Makeup Graveyard (c’mon now, we all have one, right?).

If you’d like more information on Beauty Box 5 or perhaps to sign up for it, here are my referral link to their website as well as the link to the BB5 Facebook page:

WEBSITE REFERRAL LINK: http://www.beautybox5.com/?u=12356
FACEBOOK LINK: https://www.facebook.com/BeautyBox5

GIVEAWAY UPDATE: MORE ITEMS TO BE ADDED TOMORROW!!!!

Be sure to subscribe to this blog, leave a comment on the original giveaway announcement, and follow the directions through the Rafflecopter for your chance to win. Winner will be chosen by Rafflecopter. Entries end October 28, 2014, and the winner will be announced via this blog on October 31st.

As you can see, we’re only 5 items in and the estimated retail value of this giveaway is currently at about $225 (and growing). Great time to enter and a great time to share this giveaway with your friends, too!

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Beholding-Eye/683364698413511
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MrsMorelion
Instagram: https://instagram.com/thebeholdingeye

ENTER RAFFLE HERE: a Rafflecopter giveaway

Until next time, stay beautiful, go treat yourself to Beauty Box 5, and good luck to all of you who are entering the raffle. Check back often. I try to add a prize every couple of days and you never know when the product you’ve been coveting might just pop up!

(Please note that the giveaway will only be available for US and Canadian residents, otherwise postage would be cost-prohibitive…Thanks for understanding!)

BIG OCTOBER BEAUTY GIVEAWAY – SNEAK PEEK #5 – RV NOW UP TO ABOUT $225!!!

Happy Thursday from Casa Beholding Eye…It’s beautiful weather today and I’m getting ready to dive into a cheeseburger for lunch (a rare treat!), so I decided to share the next sneak peek with all of you lovelies who are entering the Big October Beauty Giveaway.

I present Sneak Peel #5, which is a product many were clamoring for and was included in the August BoxyCharm subscription.

*DRUM ROLL*

RV: $22 (PRODUCT IN GIVEAWAY IS FULL SIZE)

From Model Co., it is their Lip and Cheek stain in Rosy Red. This is a really nice product. It blends out to very sheer and natural looking “just came in from the snow” flush or can be built up for a more dramatic impact. If you missed the August BoxyCharm and really wanted to try this product, here’s your chance so enter below for your chance at winning this amazing giveaway!

And just to refresh your memory, here is a peek at Sneak Peeks 1 through 4:

Be sure to subscribe to this blog, leave a comment on the original giveaway announcement, and follow the directions through the Rafflecopter for your chance to win. Winner will be chosen by Rafflecopter. Entries end October 28, 2014, and the winner will be announced via this blog on October 31st.

As you can see, we’re only 5 items in and the estimated retail value of this giveaway is currently at about $225 (and growing). Great time to enter and a great time to share this giveaway with your friends, too!

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Beholding-Eye/683364698413511
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MrsMorelion
Instagram: https://instagram.com/thebeholdingeye

ENTER RAFFLE HERE: a Rafflecopter giveaway

Until next time, stay beautiful, and good luck to all who enter.

(Please note that the giveaway will only be available for US and Canadian residents, otherwise postage would be cost-prohibitive…Thanks for understanding!)

BIG OCTOBER BEAUTY GIVEAWAY – SNEAK PEEK #2 HERE – GO BIG OR GO HOME!!!

Well, the weather is cooling down and I’m feeling a little bit festive and decided to go ahead and do another sneak peek of the items in the giveaway today.

As a reminder, here is item #1:

SONYA DAKAR FLASH FACIAL – RV $95 (GIVEAWAY IS A FULL-SIZE ITEM)

And, drum roll please, here is item #2:

Yes, this is the much-coveted Enter Pronoun bronzer from the August BoxyCharm. It’s absolutely gorgeous and the packaging is a million-dollar knockout…That being said, I can tell it’s going to be a bit too dark for me and would rather see it in a loving home with someone who can use it.
ENTER PRONOUN BRONZER IN BLOWTORCH – RV $35 (GIVEAWAY IS A FULL-SIZED ITEM)

So far the giveaway (which has just begun) is up to a retail value of over $100.

Here at The Beholding Eye, we’re doing our first giveaway with a total GO BIG OR GO HOME attitude. Although the products that are being included are amazing, they will just be pretty shiny things sitting on a shelf and I’d much rather see them in good homes with a lovely who will put them to good use.

Want to get in on the action? Follow the yellow brick road…or, in this case, the below link:

ENTER HERE: a Rafflecopter giveaway

Another sneak peek is planned for Monday…or, heck, maybe even tomorrow. Until then, stay beautiful!

IPSY OCTOBER GLAM BAG: SNEAK PEEK #3 AND GIVEAWAY UPDATE!!!

And yet another sneak peek sent out today by the lovely people at Ipsy. In case you missed sneak peek #1 and #2, I’ll put reminder pictures on this blog as well.

SNEAK PEEK #1:

SNEAK PEEK #2:

Drum Roll, please…

SNEAK PEEK #3:

As best as I can tell, the possible options for sneak peek #3 include either a Rogue for Women perfume spray, a Pampas Sunrise body polish, and a Figs and Rouge hand cream. Not a bad little variety.

If you’d like to sign up for Ipsy here are a referral link and the link to their FB page:

Referral link to subscribe: http://www.ipsy.com/r/jk7y?sid=ipsypoints&cid=general
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ipsy

And, as always, feel free to follow me on the following social media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Beholding-Eye/683364698413511
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MrsMorelion
Instagram: https://instagram.com/thebeholdingeye

And, again, be sure to subscribe to this blog to be eligible for the big October GIVEAWAY. Sneak peeks are planned starting TODAY, and with names like Tarina Tarantino included in the products, you definitely want a chance at taking this baby home.

Until next time, stay beautiful!!!