#projectbeautyshare

Before I get to April's Ipsy, just a note on some box changes. I finally got subscribed to CurlBox! So excited! CurlBox is a subscription for curly hair. It's marketed specifically to African American women, but from my reading, in general curly hair is curly hair and can use the same care products. I'll definitely be keeping you up to date here. Thing is, CurlBox is $25. I've already unsubbed from Lola to help pay for it, but I've also decided to drop Sephora Play.

I like Sephora Play, but Play focuses on skincare. There is some makeup and hair care, and the mix is really good early in a self-care journey or when you want to mix things up a bit. I'm really happy with my skincare at the moment. YOY, Boxycharm, and Ipsy also include skincare, and for two of them, it's in full sizes. Sample sizes are okay, but often don't give you the full picture of how well it will work for you. Ipsy sometimes gives full size makeup items, Play rarely does. So, for now, it's time to let Play go. I did get the April Play bag, but I won't be reviewing it.

Which leaves Ipsy and Yes Oh Yas for April reviews. And today, it's Ipsy's turn!

My Ipsy bag included: Firma Beauty Angled 202 Blender Brush ($12.99), Smashbox Always On Liquid Lipstick in Miss Conduct ($5.34), Feel Restored Self-Warming Clay Mask ($7.49), Purlisse Coconut + Coffee Sugar Body Scrub ($4.20), OFRA Pressed Blush in Chameleon ($15). Total Value: $45.02. I loved the bag, but had to request a new one because the zipper was broken. One thing that keeps me with Ipsy is their customer service. They sent me a new bag that's perfect. Very pleased.

On to the reviews!

Firma Beauty Angled 202 Blender Brush :: This brush is denser than I'm used to for the shape. It does work well with some shadows, but it's not the only brush that works for those shadows. I don't reach for it much, so even though it's a decent brush, it'll probably land in my ProjectBeautyShare.org box. Or with one of my girls (who tend to go through the box and pick out things they want at the end of every month).

Smashbox Always On Liquid Lipstick in Miss Conduct :: This is a beautiful deep, berry red that's right up my alley, but I haven't worn it much yet since I've been leaning towards mid-toned berries of late.  I did try it on when I unbagged it, and like the application of it. It does dry down a bit sticky on the lips, but it feels comfortable. Definitely keeping it for my more dramatic looks.

Feel Restored Self-Warming Clay Mask :: This was both neat and weird at the same time. The consistency is thick like a mud mask until it's applied to the skin. It thins out and warms up as it spreads. As the mask sits, it slowly cools, but it never dries down completely. It's easy to rinse off and leaves my skin smooth and very soft without any dryness. My Radiance pad came up slightly discolored, and my skin tingled a little when I used it. Wish there was more in the envelope they sent, but at least I'm getting two, maybe three, uses out of it.

Purlisse Coconut + Coffee Sugar Body Scrub :: So, since this says it's a scrub, and it doesn't say otherwise on the bottle, I thought this could be used in place of a face wash. No. just no. it didn't cleam (my Radiance pad came up REALLY dirty), and it left behind a waxy residue/layer. Honestly, that made me glad I didn't use it after my face wash—talk about a way to ruin your cleansing routine. And while I like the smell of coffee (I don't like the taste, but I think the smell is heavenly, for the most part), this was way to strong for me. All it took was one time and nope. Never again.

OFRA Pressed Blush in Chameleon :: Soft, creamy (no kickback at all), this gives me a soft, warm glow. Builds up nicely when I want more color, and it plays well with other blushes. I really like this, just wish it had come in a pan.

I'm really pleased with most of the things I tried this time around. I should have loved the brush, but it didn't work for me. I don't notice that much difference between eye brushes, and my faves are across the board from elf pro to Luxie to Vasanti. The ones I reach for the least are across the board as well. And that's mostly because the differences aren't as noticeable to me as the differences in bigger brushes. I do declutter brushes, but it's usually to remove duplicates or brush shapes that don't work for me, so this was an odd, new experience.

A little while back, I contacted Profusion Cosmetics to let them know I really liked a brow pencil I received in one of my subs and to ask for a couple samples of other things to try. I did include my YouTube channel and was up front about being a REALLY small channel (at the time, I had less than 50 subscribers; I'm still a small channel, but now have more than twice that). I honestly expected them to completely ignore me the way another company had, or if anything, to just send one or two smaller items. Most companies want a much larger reach than I have. Even Octoly requires 1000 YouTube subscribers before you qualify for their program. So, yea, wasn't expecting much.

Instead, Profusion blew me away and put me on their PR list! Their response to my email was so encouraging too: "First of all, we love you. You have a very honest, relatable and unpretentious way about your channel and content and that is exactly what Profusion is all about. We’d love to send you some samples!"

Props to Profusion for recognizing smaller channels! I've had other fairly well known companies (I haven't even tried the high end like Urban Decay etc, so these are generally affordable companies who are lesser known than, say, Cover Girl or Maybelline) completely ignore me. And I get it. My little channel isn't going to give any of them much in the way of exposure, and companies want the biggest bang for their buck, so I really appreciate Profusion's trust.

Even better? Most of the products I received (including the one mini palette, the Flawless Luxe palette, and the Pro Contour Case that I purchased) are amazing quality, especially for the price point. Most of these items run $8-$12. The Flawless is $20 (it comes with a mirror, 48 eyeshadows, 5 eyeliner pencils, 1 dual-ended brow pencil, 3 brushes, a mascara, and a sharpener). The mini (which is not available on their site, so must be discontinued) cost me a couple dollars at most. I've been using them for awhile now, so the following reviews aren't first impressions.

Flawless Luxe Eyeshadows :: My biggest complaint about this eyeshadow book is that it's not purse travel friendly (I have a spot that needs reapplication no matter how good the shadows—it's a quirk of my eyes, not a technical issue) and the mirror is awkwardly placed. That said, there's a beautiful range of colors that make this an all in one eyeshadow palette. There are a few that don't work with my coloring, but the shadows are pigmented and blendable.

Flawless Luxe Eyeliners :: Sadly, these are a bit too hard to use on my eyes—I'd have to press too hard to get the pigmentation I'd like and they'd tug. I much prefer a softer liner like Urban Decay's 24/7. That said, the black works really well as a brow pencil and the others can be used as lip liners, though a couple of them are in colors that I don't use. A couple of these will probably end up in my Project Beauty Share box, but the colors I'm more likely to use elsewhere on my face will be kept.

Flawless Luxe Mascara :: The formula is on the thicker side, and the mascara tends to thicken more than it lengthens. It's a little clumpy, but not horribly so, and it's easily fixed without losing coverage using a second wand. It is a beautiful dark black on par with Urban Decay's Perversion. I had to use two coats to get the kind of lash coverage I like. Sadly, though, it did transfer to my under eye. It's not a bad mascara, but not my favorite either.

Flawless Brow Pencil :: This was on par with the previous brow pencil I've tried from them. Nice application. The only problem here was the colors included, and that's just a risk you take with these all in one palettes. Fortunately, one of the lip liners works well in this pencil's place.

Flawless Luxe Brushes :: These are travel sized brushes that are pretty sturdy and soft, though the bristles are a bit long. I think the length of the bristles that makes them a bit awkward to use. They pick up and apply color well.

Mixed Metals Peach Palette :: While beautiful, this was a bit of a mixed bag for me. Most of the colors perform well and pigmented, there are a few that don't work as well for me. Some just die on my skin (a color match issue), others apply on the sheer side and don't build up for me. However, the metallics are gorgeous and the misses are the minority in the palette. While it could be used to create a full look on its own (even with the misses), I tend to use it as a support pallete rather than a solo palette.

Peach Liquid Lip :: This is a really pretty rose gold color that's a bit too light for me on its own. It does work as a topper to adjust color or add shine with a touch of glitter. It does dry down a bit sticky, so it's not bad, but also not a favorite. (That said, one of my girls keeps borrowing it, so once I film the update for my channel, it'll probably go to her. lol)

Peach Matte Lip Pencil :: As with the liquid lip, this is too light for my skin. That said, it's creamy and pigmented and applies well.

Peach Eyeshadow Brush :: The Peach items came in a really nice package that included the palette, liquid lip, lip pencil, and this brush. This is a full sized brush that I like to use in my crease. It's sturdy with a rose gold ferrule, the bristles are soft and the right length. Very pleased with it.

Pearl Eyeshadow Mini :: As you can see in the photo, this mini is REALLY mini. Despite my experience with the Peach and Flawless shadows, this surprised me. I expected tis palette (being sold for a dollar store price and probably an older palette since it's not available at the Profusion site). The shades are soft and shimmery with great pigmentation, and are very blendable. I would have liked one of the pinks and one of the lighter colors to be replaced with a green and maybe a yellow, but other than the color selection, I'm really happy with it.

Contour Pro Makeup Case :: This palette is a nice mix of warm and cool tones, with one really deep shade and two highlighter (one with shimmer, one without). I tend to mix the cool, deeper contour with one of the warmer middle range colors. They are soft and pigmented, and I recommend starting light and building up to what you like as they can apply quite heavily if you don't.

Highlighter Pro Makeup Case :: I love the range of colors in this palette. They impart a beautiful, buildable glow (though I haven't tried to go outer space blinding with it; and I suspect the palette wouldn't suit a person who prefers that level of shine). A couple that I use more frequently are getting a pebbled surface, but they aren't getting hard pan and are still usable. It's become one of my most reached for highlighters.

Blush Studio Icon Collection :: This palette comes with six shades, from a light pink and peach to a bright pink to a deep purple-pink. Two of the colors are matte, the other four are shimmers. They are surprisingly pigmented, so care needs to be taken when applying to avoid clown face. This palette is as good or better than my Nyx Sweet Cheeks palette (which has 2 more colors and goes for $20) and is only $5. Highly recommend.

So domy tried these and is overall impressed. There were a few misses, but the price of these is astoundingly low for the quality. Very pleased with my purchases, despite a few misses. I wish the peach items were more suited to my skin tone, but they generally perform really well. I had this brand on my “to try” list and am happy with my experience.

Decided to get the last backlogged BH haul up, especially since I’m getting a build up of other stuff including a couple of orders (stuff on sale, stuff bought with discounts and gift cards), subscription bags that are about to start coming in, and a pile of samples I’ve picked up for little to no cost. So far the freebie or nearly free pile includes Riversol (15 day trial), C E Ferulic Serum, a Loreal moisturizer, Ocean Mist mineral makeup, and Zila Derm cream (some of these aren’t here yet). Plus I have a number of review uodates almost ready. Incoming subscriptions include Ipsy, Sephora, Glossybox, and Lola Beauty Box. I gave up waiting on getting off the Boxycharm wait list. Lots of reasons for that, but I’ll be comparing Lola and Glossy and deciding between them by February at the latest.

This BH haul is from February and includes: the original Take Me To Brazil Eyeshadow Palette, Beautiful Brown Eyes Enhancing Eyes Palette, Second Edition 120 Eyeshadow Palette, Floral Blush Duo Cheek Color in Bahama Bronze, Bombshell Blush Illuminating Baked Blush in Elegant, Color Lock Long Lasting Lip color in Rapture, Cream Luxe Lipstick in Berry Bite, Angled Definer Brush, and Modern Mattes To Go 6-Color Eyeshadow Palette (free).

So let’s get to the reviews! These will mostly be brief since I either haven’t used them in awhile or handed them off.

Take Me To Brazil Eyeshadow Palette :: Sadly, this was a total fail for me. I picked it up for the beautiful brights, but they not only weren’t very bright on my skin, they also weren’t very pigmented (especially the lighter colors and mattes). This ended up going to one of my daughters. Interestingly, I kinda hope the new palette has been reformulated. I love the colors and would really like to own one of these just because the colors are so gorgeous. I’m just hesitant to purchase it since this palette was such a fail for me.

Beautiful Brown Eyes Enhancing Eyes Palette :: I still have this palette. I don’t use it much, but the colors are very pretty, and BH’s shimmers (which is the majority of the palette) are fairly decent.

Second Edition 120 Eyeshadow Palette :: I still have one (maybe both? Not sure since I went through all three of the 120s I owned and only kept 4 of the 6 trays) of the trays in this palette. The 120s are actually the best quality I’ve seen from BH, and I highly recommend them (though I have yet to use any mattes from them). The downsides to the, is that there is very little product for each color (which makes sense with how many shadows are in the set) and the number of colors can be overwhelming to choose from. That said, the packaging is sturdy so each palette can be used for travel, and you wouldn’t need any other eye shadows for a complete look. I really like all the 120s I own.

Floral Blush Duo Cheek Color :: Another one I still have. The blush is pigmented, though the two colors are VERY close (the larger flower is a touch darker) and this is a more shimmery blush. These colors fit my skin tone for a more natural look even with the shimmer.

Bombshell Blush Illuminating Baked Blush :: I’ve actually never used this one because the color ended up a bit lighter and pinker than I tend to use. It’s heading off to a friend who has no makeup and can’t afford any. ;)

Color Lock Long Lasting Lip Color :: One thing BH does well is lipstick, and the Color Lock lipsticks in particular have impressed me. After I ordered this one, I picked up another one or two. The packaging is very pretty but feels a bit cheap. One of things I really like about them is the size: smaller around than a standard lipstick, but larger than the narrow lipsticks along the same lines, though I usually use a lip brush to smooth out the outer edges. The color applies smoothly, and is creamy and pigmented without any patchiness. It actually dries down, though there is some transfer.

Cream Luxe Lipstick :: I picked this one up in the search for my perfect red (it isn’t, it’s definitely more of a berry color). It’s much closer to a traditional lipstick in terms of formulation (it doesn’t dry down, lots of transfer), and is almost the same size as one around (its just a little smaller). The packaging is simple and feels more sturdy than the Color Lock’s. It does apply a bit more sheer than expected, but is smooth, creamy, and pigmented with no patchiness.

Angled Definer Brush :: I ended up passing these (I ordered two) along to ProjectBeautyShare.org (in the box that’s already gone out). I think I just didn’t use them enough to warrant keeping them because most BH brushes are pretty decent (not the best, but definitely not the worst I’ve used).

Modern Mattes To Go 6-Color Eyeshadow Palette :: This went out in the ProjectBeautyShare.org box that I just shipped. As noted, BH’s mattes haven’t impressed me, it was a freebie, and the colors really didn’t interest me (except maybe the lavender, but not enough to keep it).

And that’s it for all the oldest hauls! BH didn’t do badly in this order, for the most part, but I was highly disappointed in Brazil. A number of smaller orders plus one larger one with more fails than successes, however, moved me on from BH, especially after I found Nyx. All said, however, domy tried these and was happy for the most part.

I do not have enough thumbs for the next week or two. Both my Play bag and Glossybox came in yesterday, my Ipsy bag and Sephora VIB sale purchases should be in on Monday, my Nyx custom made Christmas palette should be in Tuesday, and I have a Morphe (probably my only Morphe ever) brush also on its way that should be in by the end of the week or early next week. Even better, so far everything I see is rockin’ it and going to get a lot of thumbs up from me. Let’s start with the Glossybox.

In this month’s gorgeous Glossybox (the photo doesn’t do it justice, really):  tarte's Tartiest Brow Gel ($19), Kat Von D's Sinner Perfume ($6.50 because a full size is an astounding $65), Evio Beauty's Green Tea Primer ($29.50), Laqa & Co's Cloud Lips Airy Matte Lipstick in Daydream ($17), and a Nature Queen's shampoo and conditioner pair ($16.50). Total: $88.50. And the box is gorgeous. Not the standard pink box, but a beautiful white and gold with "Grateful" in elegant script on the lid (photo doesn't do the box justice, it really is gorgeous). I can't use the perfume, but my middle girl is going to test it out for me so I can write my review for Glossy. But you all know the deal with perfumes around here: I like breathing so I don’t try them.

Let’s get started on the things I can review. ;)

tarte's Tartiest Brow Gel ::  I've only recently begun doing much with my brows, so don't have much to compare this to, but I liked it. It's clear and smooths and directs even the most stubborn brow without them feeling stiff or glued down. And it doesn't take much, so the sample should last awhile. It gives a nice, clean, natural brow that stays put. Once it’s gone, I’m not sure I’d buy tarte specifically. I might look for a dupe instead. I like tarte, but $19? That’s a lot for something that’s not a palette or skin care.

Evio Beauty's Green Tea Primer :: The consistency of this primer is very similar to my Nyx Hydra Touch Primer (which I adore). It has a nice scent and is cool and refreshing when applied (also much like the Nyx).My skin feels soft and smooth, and makeup seems to do well on it. My liquid concealer is a bit harder to blend out on it (I’d hate to try the pot concealer, which is already a bit more work to blend out). I like it, I’ll use it up, but it hasn’t blown me away enough to get me to pay $20 more on primer than I do with the Nyx.

Laqa & Co's Cloud Lips Airy Matte Lipstick in Daydream :: Daydream is a pinkish nude color that works well on me for a natural look. It’s very creamy and smooth with decent pigmentation and covers the lips in a single layer without patchiness. There’s a lot of transfer with this lipstick, and it really only stays put if you don’t touch it, even if wearing a primer under it. I like the color, but the price is a bit high for a lipstick I’d have to touch up all the time (therefore use up pretty quickly). As much as I like it, I’m unlikely to repurchase once this one runs out.

Nature Queen Premium Herbal Shampoo and Conditioner pair :: These were...odd. The shampoo is a dark brown and has an odd consistency, plus a really sharp scent (which didn’t bother me and didn’t last long); and the conditioner is really loose. The shampoo doesn’t lather the way I’m used to, but seemed to work reasonably well. It’s not something I’d convert to, but I can see using it every other week, give or take, to cut through shampoo buildup. The conditioner is another story. Again, it didn’t perform the way I’m used to other conditioners performing, but that wasn’t a big deal. The big deal was that it left my hair feeling greasy/oily, and no amount of rinsing got rid of that feeling. This landed in my ProjectBeaautyShare.org box. Hopefully whoever receives it will have better luck with it.

I really wish I could try the perfume and not risk being unable to breath, but my allergies have been so bad lately, I don’t even dare try to smell it, much less spray it on my skin.

My first ProjectBeautyShare.org box is ready to go. It'll go out in about ten days or so (have to wait for a check). I forgot to put a note in telling them I cleaned things up and all that. but they'd probably clean it again anyway. lol