Black Box Subscriptions November 2015

Happy New Years Eve everyone!!

My 3rd Black Box arrived before Christmas but I've been so busy that I only had a chance to open it afterwards.  This box was pretty fun and once again I'm excited for the next one so I'll keep subscribing for now!

Here is a picture of the overall contents. Not pictured is the black nail polish....right after filming the unboxing video I dropped it and the bottle broke so I had to throw it out.  But that's ok because I'll get another one next month, haha.

Kleancolor Eye Bow-Tux Matte Shadow Palette

So first up is the makeup item for this month.  I am very very happy about this as it is absolutely perfect for me.  I love colorful shadows and I love matte. It is also a super tiny size which is PERFECT for travel.  My only travel palette right now is all neutrals so it will be really nice to have a colorful travel palette as well. It seems that I got this in the shade Gala Diva.

I quickly swatched the colors and they are not incredibly pigmented but this is also over bare skin with no primer and not built up.  I think these will be just fine as a quick to go solution over some primer and built up to a good opacity.  I probably won't use the green side very often but the pinks and purples will be used very frequently.

Here is an eye look I put together using four of the colors from this palette.  Going from left to right on my arm swatches on my lid is #1, in my crease is #11, in my inner corner is #9, and on my lower lashline is #10. I used a matte black NYX shadow to add depth to my outer corner. On my lips is Kat Von D's Ayesha.  I am definitely digging the quality of this palette. It's not the Electric palette for sure...but it also doesn't cost $50.

I am very happy about this palette!

Where to buy: kleancolor.com

Price: $6

Bat Sticker

One of the random goodies this month is this super adorable sparkly bat sticker.  I definitely prefer this over the Halloween stickers from my last few boxes as this one is thicker, and just overall better in every way. I will definitely be sticking this somewhere fun.

Ghost Charm

This adorable little ghost was wrapped around the black nail polish that I stupidly dropped and broke this month.  He is super adorable and will be attached to something soon.

Spooky Potion Halloween Ornament Craft Kit

This month included a very different kind of item.  It is a crafty sort of item, specifically a build it yourself ornament.  I got the ornament in the Spooky Potion variety and built it soon after filming the unboxing video.

Not going to lie...the instructions were pretty unclear and weird to follow so I honestly just did what seems to be right, which when looking at the item page...was not exactly correct.  It said to adhere the clear part to the hollow circle but my circle piece had no adhesive on it.  Also the larger top part, when you take off the back to make it sticky the top portion is not stuck to anything so instead it stuck to my table.  I had to cut the paper backing and stick it back on to prevent it from sticking to everything.

So even though it isn't exactly correct it still does what it is meant to and was fun to put together.  I really liked the addition of this to the box this month!

Where to buy: orientaltrading.com

Price:$2.28

Owl Pin

Oh my goodness.  Look at this owl pin. OH MY. It is just too awesome.  I don't really use pins but I will find a bag to put this one because it is just so amazing.  The owls are so cute but intense and just aaah!! I love this piece and its one of my favorite things from the box.

I could not find this exact pin so based on others of its kind I would say it is $3-5

Lock and Key Earrings

These are definitely not my favorite kind of jewelry as I feel they aren't really my style.  They kind of look like they should be but I don't know...maybe its the asymmetry, I'm just not in love with them. I will definitely wear them however, maybe they just need to grow on me.

I couldn't find these exact ones online but I'd guess they are between $2-4.

Moon Bead Necklace

This piece definitely looks handmade. It is a black cord featuring a crescent moon bead framed by two decorative silver beads.  It is very cute and dainty and at first look I didn't think I'd like it but I ended up really liking how it looked with my outfit after trying it on.

I will definitely be wearing this when I want a more subdued piece of jewelry!

Element 18 Bath Fizz A Forest

This month's guest business was Element 18.  I have browsed their site before and found it to be mostly jewelry so I am excited to try out something different from them. This is a bath fizz in the scent A Forest and it definitely smells as such. It has many earthy notes to it and is quite pleasant.  The instructions say to use this entire bag for one bath.

This brand does not seem to have any bath products on their store page so I have no way to say what this costs but I'd guess maybe $2-3

So overall, trying to estimate based on actual and estimated prices, I'd say this box comes out to $19-24 which makes this potentially one of the most expensive boxes so far!

As I said early I am once again satisfied and will definitely be continuing my subscription!

www.blackboxsubscriptions.com

Watch me unbox it!

Jamberry Tannenbaum

I'm so sorry for the disappearance.  Finals and then the holidays really messed up by blog schedule.  However now that Christmas is over I hope to get a few done before the new year.  I already have two unboxing videos made and have some ideas for future posts, so yay!

I hope everyone had a great holiday this year.  For my Christmas manicure I bought Tannenbaum from Jamberry.  They are slightly metallic and have blurred dots in red, gray, and white.  I wanted to get these up before Christmas but it just didn't happen...so here they are a bit late.  These will be retiring after the new year so if you like how they look grab them asap! 

Honestly I don't think they l look as great as I had imagined them but they were a nice holiday specific nail for me to have on hand for the season.

I also had issues with these lifting and they are once again the satin finish.  I think I'm going to avoid purchasing any satins in the future just because I don't seem to have a lot of luck with them.

Here is a bonus picture I took of my sweet pup on Christmas morning <3

Shiro Cosmetics A Girl and A Cat Tinted Balm

I am embarrassed to admit how long I've had this lip balm and kind of forgot it existed....I recently found it again and remembered how adorable it was!  I am a bit bummed that Shiro got rid of their opaque lip products and now only offers these lip balms or glosses.  

I had to get this one as its Kiki's Delivery Service themed which is one of my all time favorite movies.  I even cosplayed as Kiki last year! How can I say no to a purple lip product with a picture of Jiji on it? I can't.

This applies very easily and definitely leaves more pigment on the lips than the hand swatch would lead one to believe.  As you can see it turns my lips a very pleasant berry shade. I think it is very flattering and is a perfect choice for days I want to add color but not deal with lip upkeep.  It will last a few hours as long as you don't eat so I generally only throw this on if I won't be eating for a bit. It is very moisturizing and feels nice on the lips. It also has a slight smell to it, the website says its vanilla, its very nice and not overpowering.

I would definitely recommend these lip balms if you like this kind of lip product finish! They are all so fun and Miyazaki themed.  I'd probably own them all if they were matte liquid lipsticks! Unfortunately tinted balms aren't my go to, but I will enjoy this one. If I ever did buy another it would probably be the Princess Mononoke themed With Eyes Unclouded deep red shade.

Where to buy: shirocosmetics.com

Price: $5

Kat Von D Vs Formula X Studded X: Mini Lip + Nail Polish Duo Poe

While out shopping with my friend we took a necessary stop at Sephora.  It wasn't quite December yet but I was really hoping they would give me my birthday gift and luckily they did!  While checking out I spotted these super cute Kat Von D Vs Formula X packs of a matching lipstick and nail polish duo.  I looove Kat Vond D so naturally I made an impulse buy and picked one up.  Naturally I snatched the purple one.

On the front the lipstick looks like a gorgeous deep purple.

And this assumption is confirmed on the back of the packaging.  this looks purple right? Right!?

Well I got this box home and opened it up only to find it contained Poe, a shimmery navy shade.  I wanted a deep blue lipstick anyway....but seriously? At least advertise with the correct colors. I have to admit I was a bit disappointed as I was definitely expecting a purple lipstick as shown. But live and let die, right?

Here is what you get for the $15 price tag.  the lipstick is decently sized but I was definitely expecting a larger nail polish considering last year I got two full sized Formula X polishes for $10.

In the bottle the nail polish looks very purple and shimmery and beautiful but as we will see it doesn't apply as such. I have no idea what color this is as it doesn't specify anywhere.

Even just looking inside you can see how blue it appears, not at all like the outside.

And yep its pretty darn navy.  Sometimes in the right light you can see purple shimmer but overall its a very dark blue. In a lack of light it almost looks black. Excuse the little slivers of felt...they got stuck to my nails and I didn't notice... 

I won't lie, I like this nail polish I just can't believe Kat Von D would advertise this as purple.....

Its lasted a full 24 hours so far without chipping and that is pretty long for me, as I'm really hard on nail polish.

And here's Poe!  It is definitely not purple.  Not even close.  Its a gorgeous blue but...Why Kat Von D....Why put a picture of purple lips on the box....why....

In this picture sample size Poe is next to full sized Wolfsmouth.  You get a pretty decent amount of product and the tiny size makes it much easier to apply. I wouldn't want to spend the full price on this as its a color I wouldn't wear often so I am happy I now own it in a mini size.

On the lips it is a very stunning deep blue.  Not too deep that it looks black but deep enough that it is wearable.  It has tiny specks of gold shimmer that honestly isn't too terribly noticeable.  My friend did a guest post on my blog reviewing this lipstick and she said it was very patchy and dry.  I haven't experienced this at all with Poe.  It is very possible that they have revamped their formula to be better, as she bought this lipstick a year ago. This goes on creamy, even, and opaque.  I feel its much more moisturizing than Wolfsmouth which actively cracks my lips after wearing it all day.

Overall I'm very happy with the products but a bit confused why it was decided to put blue products into a purple box.

Where to buy: Sephora

Price: $15