MissionCute: November 2014

My November MissionCute box came in the mail. I LOVED it, but I pretty much always love the MissionCute box. 

Mission Cute is $39/month (cheaper with different subscription options) and includes 4-6 hand curated items. Each month, 50% of the proceeds are donated to a different charity. This month it's Make A Wish. 

My first look at this month:

 

The info card:

The goodies:

-MissionCute Mug

-MissionCute Print

-Curly Girl Recipe Cards

-MissionCute Exclusive Gold Bar Necklace

-Naiad Holiday Whipped Soap

My thoughts...

I love this box. The mug is large, which is nice. The recipe cards will make a great Christmas gift as will the necklace. The Whipped Soap smells AMAZING. I am seriously thinking about buying some more for gifts because of how good it smells. It makes me think of brown sugar and pumpkin pie. MissionCute is always a win for me. The products are diverse and never fail to disappoint. 

BeautyBox5: November 2014

My BeautyBox5 came in the mail last week. BeautyBox5 is $12/month for 5 deluxe to full-sized products. Keep an eye out for deals. I got my subscription for less than $8/month.

This month, like every other month, came in the classic blue box. After opening the box, my first look:

The products:

-L'Oreal Paris Nail Color

-DenTek Floss Picks + Case

-Hask Macadamia Revitalizing Shine Oil

-Laura Ashley Body Butter

-Dove Deep Moisture Body Wash

My thoughts about this box... First of all, floss- if I wanted floss, I'd go spend the $1 at the drugstore and buy it. I really don't think floss belongs in a beauty subscription box. Also, we've gotten nail polish in every beauty box for the past several months. If most people are like me, I already have a ton of nail polish and really don't need anymore. Also, my body butter was open and my nail polish was cracked. I contacted customer service and they're sending a replacement, and their response was prompt. I guess I can't complain too much for something that cost me less than $8. I am excited about the HASK Shine Oil. Winter for me means static and flyaways. HOpefully this will help. Overall, I'm feeling so-so about this box. I think if it weren't for my 12-month subscription, I'd probably cancel. However, I will say that if you're looking for a low-cost box that delivers more personal care products and less actual makeup, then this box is for you. I'm always discovering new body washes, hair products, and lotions.

Box of Happies: November 2014

My Box of Happies arrived! I don't get tracking emails for this box, so it's always a surprise. 

Box of Happies includes 3-4 items ranging from home goods to personal care products. You buy the subscription for the number of months you want it; there is no automatic renewing option. The most expensive option is $24 + $4.99 shipping for 1 month. 

This month shipped like usual... A small hard plastic box in a cardboard box in a plastic mailer. I don't understand why they use so much wasteful packaging, but I do appreciate that the most inner box is reusable and I usually end up using the cardboard box for an eDivv trade. 

The goodies in this month's box...

-Box of Happies exclusive necklace and earrings:

- Botanical Bars Soap & Lip Balm:

- UnkamenSupplies Bold Bangle Base + Box of Happies Charm

My thoughts on this box... The definite bonus for me is the Orange Blossom scented soap from Botanical Bars. I love orange scented anything. The rest of this box seemed like it was all pretty much from Box of Happies. Also, all of the jewelry is in gold tone, which I don't wear. The necklace is on a long chain, so I'll probably wear that. The rest will end up as gifts or trades. I have a 12-month subscription to Box of Happies. I don't know if I'll be purchasing any more months after the 12-months runs out. I haven't been too impressed with Box of Happies over the past few months. We'll see. 

DottieBox Mini: November 2014

The mail brought me my DottieBox Mini late last week. DottieBox Mini is $13/month ($10 + $3 S&H) and includes 2 handcrafted goodies ranging from personal care to home goods to jewelry. 

Dottiebox shipped in a little box...

It included:

-Tokoyo Blossom Earrings:

- Botanical Bars Soap

- A bonus item: Cacao Skinny Chocolate

My thoughts... These earrings are creative, but totally not my style. They'll be going up on eDivv. The soap is something that I can use. Who doesn't use soap? And the chocolate is going to my sister. I like DottieBox Mini. It has such a great price point and always offers such a wide variety of products. 

Ipsy Glam Bag: November 2014

My November Ipsy bag came in the mail. Ipsy is $10/month and sends 4-5 deluxe beauty samples from various brands that have included Urban Decay, Be a Bombshell, and Starlooks. 

My classic pink Ipsy mailer...

The contents:

-SeaRX Microdermabrasion Scub

-Be a Bombshell Cosmetics Eye Base in "submissive"

-IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye

-Marc Anthony Oil of Morocco Argan Oil Volume Shine Hairspray

-Starlooks Lip Gloss

My thoughts... I always love Ipsy. At only $10 (less if you get the yearly subscription), they offer a wide variety of brands and products. I'm most excited about the IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye. I have under eye circles like everyone else that I am constantly trying to cover. I'm currently addicted to my Clarisonic, so I'll be passing the SeaRx exfoliant on. I'll also be passing on the lipgloss, hairspray, and eye base. While I love Starlooks, I'm currently on lipgloss overload. I don't need more hairspray, and while I love the Be A Bombshell brand, the gold color of the eye base just isn't for me. 

Even though not all of these products are for me this month, I love the brands and I'm super excited to try the concealer from IT Cosmetics.

Allure Sample Society: November 2014

My Sample Society box came in the mail yesterday. The box is $15 + tax and ships monthly from BeautyBar.com. This subscription includes 5 delux-sized product samples, the Allue editors mini-mag (which is really just a very detailed product description card), and a code for $10 off $50 from BeautyBar.com (isn't that just a ploy to get us to spend more money?). I didn't get a shipping email this month; the box just showed up at my door (thank you UPS).

So, this is my first look at the box. The box it comes in is a sturdy red one. 

After taking off the top:

The products:

-Malin+Goetz Bergamont Body Wash

-Calvin Klein Reveal

-Alterna Caviar Anti-Aging Omega + Nourishing Oil

-Lorac Cobra Mascara

-MD Solar Sciences MD Crème Mineral Beauty Balm

So my initial thought is that I have no use for any of these products except the body wash and maybe the mascara. Additionally, after reading the "mini-magazine," I'm left questioning why the Allure editiors picked these products. Their reviews indicate that they didn't super love any of the products except for the body wash from Malin+Goetz and the Calvin Kelon scent sample. They noted that they Alterna hair oil is "globby out of the dropper" and "leaves a dull residue by day 4." About the Lorac mascara, they note "we can't really pinpoint a right way to use [the brush]" and "if you like to look like you have a zillion lashes and each one is long and thick, move on." Their review of the MD Beauty Balm notes "this BB falls short in coverage."

None of these details make me want to try the products and in fact make me question why they were included in the box. To say I was underwhelmed was an understatement. I'm pretty sure that the only thing I'll be using is the body wash. The rest will be passed on via eDivv. Looks like it might be time to cancel my Sample Society box. Decisions, decisions. 

Birchbox: Limited Edition-Home Sweet Homespun: November 2014

While I don't subscribe to Birchbox on a monthly basis, I couldn't resist a limited-edition Birchbox. They recently released 2 limited edition boxes, and this one was the least expensive of the two. I initially wanted this one as I spotted several products that I leither oved or knew would make great gifts. I paid $40 for this limited edition box. It shipped quickly, and I received it within one week of ordering it.

This box came inside of a nice box within an outer shipping box.I'm keeping this box to use during the holiday season.

My first look inside of the box:

The products:

-Momofuku Milk Bar Cornflake-Chocolate-Chip-Marshmallow Cookie Mix

-Soak Handmaid Luxury Hand Creme

-Makerskit Hanging Photo Clips Complete Project Kit

-Meri Meri The Little Garden Treat Kit

-Askinosie Chocolate Single Origin sipping Chocolate

-Cowshed Lippy Cow Natural Lip Blam

-Richer Poorer Socks

-Illume Mini Tin Soy Candle

This box is probably the most ON POINT box that I've received in a long time. Only the lip balm is going to end up on eDivv, and that's only because I've received enough lip balm in boxes lately to last me for 3 years. I've already worn the Richer Poorer socks and they were so cute and warm. I love them. I'm excited to make the photo clips projects; I'm always looking for an activity to get my creative juices flowing. I've seen quite a few Illume candles in boxes lately. They are super nice candles, but I don't burn candles. I haven't decided whether or not to gift or trade this one.  All of the other products are going to end up being super for gifting. Way to go, Birchbox. This limited edition box was worth every penny!!

QVC New Beauty Test Tube: November 2014

QVC releases their NewBeauty Test Tubes as either a quarterly subscription or as a one-time purchase. I purchased the most recent one as a one-time purchase for $21.19 ($19.99 + $1.20 shipping).

I ordered mine on 11/1 and it arrived on 11/5 at the regular shipping speed. 

It came packaged in a box containing the New Beauty magazine, the product subscription booklet, and the tube containing the products.

The first look inside the tube:

The products:

-Kate Somerville ExfoliKate Intensive Exfoliating Treatment

-Mally Evercolor Shadow Stick in Dusk

-Bliss fabulous foaming face wash

-IT Cosmetics Brow Power Universial Eyebrow Pencil

-Doll 10 Luxe Lip Gloss in Blush

-Phyto Phytodefrisant Botanical Straightening Balm

-Philosophy amazing grace shower gel

-Fresh Mini Sugar Lip Treatment Advanced Therapy

So, after looking at all of these products, I'm super excited about the Bliss Face Wash, the IT Cosmetics Brow Pencil, the Philosophy shower gel, and the Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment. I fell in love with Bliss products through a body butter sample and I love getting new Bliss products to try through subscription boxes or eDivv trades. The IT Cosmetics Brow Pencil is exciting for me because it's 2-in-1. Once end contains the pencil and the other contains a spoolie brush to help blend out the color. Philossphy is a brand that I've always wanted to try and the same goes for the Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment. 

While I don't know that I willl subscribe to the quarterly box (I already get so many boxes), I definetly consider this a steal for the money I paid for it!