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A few weeks ago I was contacted by the team at GLOSSYBOX and asked if I would be willing to review one of their boxes when they were available in the United States. Obviously I quickly got back to them and told them that YES, this product junky would be THRILLED to test out one of their boxes! Okay maybe I’m getting ahead of myself, let me explain what GLOSSYBOX is for those of you that haven’t yet heard of this service.

GLOSSYBOX is a subscription based beauty box system that delivers 5-6 travel sized beauty products to your door monthly. They focus on really excellent quality beauty and skincare products that come from only the best brands in the world. And that’s what is so fun, you’re getting introduced to new brands that aren’t even all sold in America! From this month’s box alone I’ve fallen completely in love with Canadian brand Cargo and Berlin based company Kryolan, which are two brands I’d never heard of before but absolutely love now.

What’s so cool about GLOSSYBOX to me is their immaculate attention to detail. It truly shows their concern for customer happiness. Just look at how cute the outside box that they ship your box in is. I love a well packaged product!

On top of that, every kit comes with a GLOSSYBOX Trend Guide that shows you detailed beauty trends from around the world:

GLOSSYBOX works in three easy steps:

1. Want is: get 5 travel-sized beauty products delivered each month.
2. Get it: join at GLOSSYBOX.COM and choose your subscription plan and create your beauty profile, by which GLOSSYBOX will know how to best customize your monthly box to be full of things that you’ll absolutely want and need. For just $21/month, think of GLOSSYBOX as a little way to treat yourself for a month’s worth of hard work. Come on, we both know you deserve something nice.
3. Love it: GLOSSYBOX is already making women happy in over 19 different countries! Honestly, what woman wouldn’t be happy if beauty products were delivered to their door step every month?!

Next week I’m going to show off all of the products that I got in a video review. I wanted to use them for a couple of weeks before I did reviews on them, but I can tell you that you’re absolutely going to lose your mind when you get your first GLOSSYBOX… the products are AMAZING!

You can sign up on GLOSSYBOX.com, and while you’re at it make sure that you’re following them on Twitter and on Facebook.

Stay glossy!
Libby

I’ve realized that the older I get, the more I like to have a second set of makeup with me in the purse. Not everything, but the essentials- an extra tube of mascara, a tube
{or 5, let’s be real} of lip gloss, a matte lipstick and a thing of powder. You know, just in case I need a last minute touch up. Well, as fate would have it, I forgot all my makeup on a crucial night out. A few weeks ago, I had an event to attend at the Kennedy Center and shortly thereafter was proposed to by my boyfriend and told we were going to a surprise engagement party with all of our friends. It just so happened that I happened to be t-zone shine CENTRAL that night and I couldn’t bear the thought of my face glimmering in it’s oily glory in every picture I’d be in. I quickly google mapped the closest CVS and made my new fiance drive there immediately. I was under a major time crunch, and quickly rummaged through the aisles and picked up the one that had the best packaging {you know my affinity for good, well branded packaging!} and left. Lucky for me, Revlon ColorStay Powder is the BEST powder I have ever used, and it will never leave my purse again. Here’s why:

Honestly, this product is amazing because it sets your makeup perfectly. Revlon claims that it lasts for over 16 hours {but again, who needs any makeup for that long?}, and while that seems a bit extreme to me, it definitely keeps you shine free and perfectly finished for a full work day or for a full night out. I’ve never had to reapply it twice in one day! It’s also great for concealing or correcting any discoloration in your skin tones. It blends right in for an overall, even tone that NEVER looks or feels caked on. It’s so lightweight!

I would compare this product most to Smashbox’s Photo Set Powder, and while Smashbox’s is $29, the Revlon ColorStay Powder is just $9.99! Major deal for such a great product!

Stay glossy,
Libby

I regularly call myself a mascara connoisseur for the sheer fact that I feel like I am 1. completely addicted to mascara and 2. because I feel like I have tried every major mascara on the market. I can easily determine if I’ll like the mascara based solely off their packaging, the wand style and often times the price. (By the way, I could write a THESIS on why you honestly do NOT need to spend $24+ on a darn tube of mascara. Save your money, ladies!)  And while this addiction has led me to some of my favorite mascaras on the market, it’s also kept me from falling into devious marketing tactics put forth by the beauty industry to take your money. Well, until now. I’m embarrassed to admit this, but ladies, let me introduce you to the greatest marketing trap I’ve ever fallen into: CoverGirl’s Lash Blast 24 Hour Mascara

In this post, I told you about how much I love Cover Girl’s ‘Lash Blast’ mascara line. I’ve tried all of them and always go back to loving the first one they came out with, the orange tube. So when I saw all these amazing commercials of their new sleek, black tube that promised to stay on for 24 hours, I literally ran to my Target the next day and rummaged through every tube until I found my favorite shade of ‘very black’. I ran home and excited ripped off that packaging, felt that refreshing feeling of the first pump of a new tube (I told you I was addicted) and went to layer it on my eyelashes. A few layers later, my eyelids were COVERED in mascara- the wand is a MESS- and I really wasn’t getting the very black results that I usually look for. I decided that maybe I was just in a rush so I layered on a few more coats and ran out the door. It was… fine, definitely nothing special.

But I began to realize the error in my ways when I went to wash off my makeup that night and that mascara would not BUDGE. Like, absolutely none of it came off. It was somewhere around 2 AM and after scrubbing with no luck, losing eyelashes in the process, I went to bed. I woke up the next morning with full mascara on my eyelashes and full mascara under my eyes as well. I honestly looked like I had just had a wild night in Vegas and couldn’t be bothered to wash my face before passing out. Needless to say, it was terrible.

And then it hit me: why would I ever need a mascara that lasts 24 hours? When do I ever go 24 hours without washing my face? My skin would break out like CRAZY if  I left my makeup on that long! I totally fell into a marketing ploy and got mascara that won’t wash off (btw, the packaging does NOT say waterproof, but it totally is, it’s even eyemakeup remover resistant!),  does not deliver in color or volume or quality, but, darnit, it WILL last you 24 hours.

The moral of this story is: never let yourself get fooled by creative beauty product marketing. Probably take 1 minute and think about what they’re even selling you and you’ll be able to avoid the mascara mess that I’ve gotten myself into.

Have you ever bought a product based off the marketing alone and found yourself upset with its lackluster performance? Share your story below, I’d love to know that I’m not the only one!

xo,
Libby