Mary Kay Glamour VoxBox from Influenster

I received the Mary Kay Glamour VoxBox free for testing purposes from Influenster.  Included in the box were a Mary Kay Lash Love Mascara, a Lash Primer, a Cream Eye Color in Violet Storm, a True Dimensions Lip Stick in Pink Cherie, and a Cream Eye Color/Concealer Brush.  I think it's a great mix of products that appeals to a lot of people.  I only tested the lip stick and the cream eye shadow. 

The Mary Kay True Dimensions Lip Stick in Pink Cherie is nearly identical to the Revlon Lip Butter in Sweet Tart.  It does feel a little waxier than the lip butter, but not too much, which I like.  I don't like how regular lip sticks feel on my lips.  The color is a warm neon pink, which really brings out the natural redness in my face.  I won't be wearing Pink Cherie much because of that.

The cream eyeshadow in the color Violet Storm is beautiful.  It's a gorgeous lavender color.  Unfortunately, it doesn't work for me.  It creased and melted, then wore off really bad in my eyelids.  It was fun to try, but I'm not ready to leave the house wearing eyeshadow yet.

I really dislike that Mary Kay products are both made and sold in China, where testing on animals is mandatory.  I have been trying to switch to cruelty-free products which are made in the U.S.A when possible, although it is much more difficult than I expected.  I am an impulse buyer and pretty colors are my weakness.

Review: Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick in Beso.

I love getting lip product samples, whether they're in my Birchbox, a gift with purchase, or a sample like Jouer sometimes sends out if you were to e-mail them.

I think I hate the Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick that I got in my August Birchbox.  It's the color Beso, which looks orange-red in the tube, but it dries much darker and turns a blue-red.  When I got my box, I tried the lip stick first thing.  I did not have a problem with it staining my lips and I don't remember it being hard to remove.  I think I may have had lip gloss on before I applied the liquid lipstick those times.  I tried it again today hoping to get a picture of my lips wearing it.  It was a total failure.

1. It's a horrible mess to apply, but I'm not the best at applying lip stick anyway, so I just cleaned the edges & corners with a bit of paper towel like I always do.  Compared to other highly pigmented lip sticks, I did have to work harder at cleaning up Beso.

2. It takes 1/2 an hour to dry, it really dries matte, and it feels uncomfortably dry on my lips.  I do not like how it feels at all.  It stays wet and sticky for about 10 minutes.  Then it starts to feel dry and sticky.  After that, it feels so dry it's almost painful.

3. I didn't blot it, so it looked freaking bumpy, so after it dried it looked like I put it on over a cold sore in a bunch of spots.  I did blot it when I wore it before, and there were no bumps when it dried then.

4. The lines on my lips look 5 times deeper with this lip stick than with anything else I've ever worn. How does it do that?  My lips looked super-dehydrated and cracked, which they are not because I use a crap-ton of moisturizing lip gloss every day.  I also exfoliate my lips.

5. Removing this Stila lip stick with the make up wipe was messy and took more than a few swipes, but completely effective and there was no staining of my lips, so I guess that's 1 positive thing. I did have to work at it.  I don't think it was that hard to get off before, probably due to the lip gloss under it.

All said, I'm giving the Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick a grade of D+ because it's a bigger pain in the ass to wear than any other lip product I own.  I'm not giving it an F because it doesn't bleed outside the edges of my lips and I really like the dark red color of Beso.  I didn't use a lip liner like I do with any other red to prevent the bleeding and migrating at the edges.

Another Chanel Peridot Dupe?

Painted and Photographed Saturday, August 17, 2013.  Left: Outside.  Right: Inside.  Finger Paints brand Fall of Surprises Copper Glitter over OPI Just Spotted the Lizard and Color Club Editorial.  OPI on Thumb, Middle Finger, and Pinkie.  Editorial on Index Finger and Ring Finger.  They are the Exact Same Color.  Three Coats.  Orly Bonder Base Coat and In-A-Snap Top Coat.

August Birchbox Points Haul

Look What Arrived Today! 

Original Total $19.50.  Used 200 (4 Months' Worth) Birchbox Points.  Paid Nothing.  Shea Terra Black Soap. Color Club Editorial.  Pick 2 Pack = Vapour Lip Gloss & 12 Benefits Hair Treatment.

Excited to Try Everything.  Especially the Soap.