Subscription Box Sunday: Birchbox lip products and Ipsy lipstick and perfume

Bonjour!

In this weeks SBS post, I’m going to review the two lip balms I got in my Birchbox and the lipstick and perfume in my Ipsy bag. I figured this would really just be a lip products review considering I’ve reviewed the perfume before.

So let’s get started!

First up, the perfume.

This is the Harvey Prince Hello perfume. Rather than go through a full review of this, click here to read the review I’ve already done. Yay!

Now to the lips!

This is the Hikari Lipstick in Cabernet. It’s a very pretty rich red wine color and retails for $13.

Here’s a close up of the color.

It does have a pinky tone to it, but it is more red in real life.

What I liked: It has great color pay off. It’s very pigmented, but can be sheer. It’s not a creamy formula so it can be layered for a richer color. It’s a great fall color. It also lasts a long time on the lips.

What I didn’t: It’s too pink to be a red. When I want a red, I want a red. Not a fuchsia. This has too much pink in it for my tastes.

Next:

This is the Pixi Shea Butter Lip Balm. It’s very affordable at $8. I got the Honey Nectar shade, which is a nude and looks like the color of the packaging.

What I liked: It’s so smooth and made my lips feel like butter! It was very moisturizing and for a balm, had great color pay off.

What I didn’t: The color just didn’t work for me. It made me look so washed out even with my eyes done up and blush on. It just made me look a bit dead. I do plan on trying other colors though.

Lastly:

This is the Chapstick Hydration Lock Day and Night. It’s even more affordable at $2.99. The day side is moisture plus SPF 12 and the night side has extra moisture to restore lips overnight.

What I liked: Both sides are very smooth and moisturizing. I also love the citrus scent of the night side. I like that the day side has SPF so that I can wear it under lipsticks for the fall because you should still be protecting your skin (including lips) in the cooler months. It also soaks in very nicely so I can put it on before I do the rest of my face and by the time I’m to lips, it’s good and soaked in.

What I didn’t: The blah scent of the day side. That’s probably all I don’t like about this chapstick. It’s definitely something I’ll repurchase and keep in my collection.

Well lovelies, that’s it for this week’s SBS. Do you use any of these products? What do you think? Comment below!

xoxo,

Erica

Subscription Box Sunday on a Tuesday?

Bonjour!

I know I’m late in posting SBS. I don’t really like scheduling posts (though I do it sometimes). I prefer to write the day the post goes up. Unfortunately, I didn’t have time to post this past Sunday, so I’m doing it today. Yay!

So for this SBS, I’ll be reviewing the Harvey Prince Hello perfume from the August 2014 “The Everygirl” Birchbox. 50ml of this stuff costs $55. 8.8ml is $26 so  you have options.

What I liked: It’s a very clean crisp scent. It’s floral and citrus which makes for a nice everyday scent. It’s also a good universal scent. I don’t think this is a scent that would be considered offensive. It might irritate some allergies, but I don’t think it could be considered offensive.

What I didn’t: It smells good when you first put it on, but it didn’t last all day like it claims to. I’m one who can put on perfume that morning and still smell it before I go to bed that night. This perfume didn’t do that for me.

That’s it for this week’s SBS. Sunday, I’ll be posting my last SBS for the August Birchbox and it’s a review of the most talked about product this summer: Benefit’s They’re Real! Push-up Liner.

Have you ever tried this perfume? What did you think? Comment below!

xoxo,

Erica

Subscription Box Sunday: June 2014 Perfume and Lotion

Bonjour!

Today, I’ll be reviewing the Gilchrist and Soames London Collection Body Lotion and the Harvey Prince Singular Scentsations Imperial Gardenia Perfume. Figured I’d knock the body items out in one post, you know?

Anyhoo…

First up the lotion!

A full size 8oz bottle of this lotion costs $16. Here is when I’d say something witty, but I’m just going to let my review do the talking.

What I liked: The smell is nice. It has a floral perfume-y scent to it. It’s also moisturizing. Leaves my skin hydrated. It’s also apparently eco-friendly which is always a plus.

What I didn’t: There’s nothing I dislike about this product, but I would not waste $16 on it. It’s just meh. It’s a hotel lotion. I’d rather just get it free from my room than pay for it. It’s nothing special. It’s nice that it’s supposed to be eco-friendly, but that doesn’t equal $16 to me.

This lotion will be great to take on vacay this summer, but I ain’t paying for it.

Next is the perfume!

A 8.8ml spray of this perfume is $29. This is one of those things were the name literally speaks for itself.

What I liked: The scent is exactly what I expected. It’s gardenia. It’s floral. That’s all it is since the whole idea is a singular scent without other notes adding to it or mudding it up. Which is cool considering you’d get to customize your own scent by layering different singular scents to make a more complex, personal one.

What I didn’t: The length the fragrance stayed on was less than desired. It would usually have faded before I left work. Considering most scents stay on me until I wash them off that night or the next morning, this is a little bit of a let down. Also, the price. Why would I want to spend $29 on this singular scents that I then have to layer with other fragrances to get a decent perfume out of? I love the idea of being able to customize your own scent, but for $29, that’s a bit expensive when I can just buy one $60 perfume that has all the scents I would want layer, and I’d just have to use one bottle and one spray to have my “personal” scent.

I’m all about customization, but there’s definitely a limit on how much I’ll pay for it. Especially when it comes to beauty/perfume.

Have you tried out either of these products? What did you think? Comment below!