Shop Miss A Haul & Review!

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I absolutely love bargain hunting so when I heard about the new website Shop Miss A (via my favorite beauty vlogger Miss Emily Noel - check her out!), I knew I had to try it. While I appreciate the appeal of ahigh quality, well-made product, after learning in college about how much branding and marketing plays a part in our decisions, I always try to give new brands or shops a try. Plus, as a woman on a budget - a bargain product keeps my wallet happy (:

Everything on the Shop Miss A site is $1. Yes, you heard that right - $1! I decided to get a range of products to test out the quality and worthiness of the Shop Miss A products. I ordered a grand total of 31 items for an awesomely low $31 (You get free shipping for any purchases over $30! - hence the awkward number)

Make-up:

• Kleancolor: Retractable Eyebrow Pencil in Charcoal
• e.l.f. Essential Shine Eraser
• e.l.f. essential natural lash kit
• e.l.f. essential eyebrow stencil kit
• Santee Eyebrow Powder #4
• Santee Perfect Liquid Eyeliner
• Wonder Eyelash Curler in Pink
• Mixed Makeup Sponge Set
• LA Colors Chunky Lip Pencil in Crème Brulee
• Kleancolor madly matte lipstick in #28 rosewood
• Beauty Treats Lip Crayon in #4
• Kara Eyelash adhesive - clear
• Kara Eyelashes flare - short size
• Kara Eyelashes flare - medium size
• e.l.f. essential individual false lashes

The make-up products were really all over the board on this purchase. Since most of these brands were brands I'd never heard of, I made my purchases based on the product alone. Most of the products were middle of the line, "just ok" products but the Kleancolor lipstick and Beauty Treats lip crayon stood out to me the most - on opposite sides of the spectrum.  The Kleancolor lipstick's design and quality felt just like that of any other high quality lipstick I'd buy. Plus, I love the deep Rosewood shade. The Beauty Treats lip crayon, on the other hand, smelled so artificial that I had a hard time doing everyday things without being repulsed by its smell every couple of minutes. Unfortunately, I tossed the lip crayon after only a few uses.

While I won't be shopping for makeup on Shop Miss A regularly, I do think it is an awesome resource for trying out new products if you're not yet ready to invest too much and just want to experiment a little before committing to an unknown product. Since I've never tried false eyelashes before, I bought a variety of different false eyelash sizes and kits so that I could figure out what works best for my eyes! Given that everything was only $1, this was an awesome opportunity for me to try a new make-up product without having to break the bank.

Jewelry

• Ancient Metal Crescent Necklace
• Connected Stone Pendant Necklace in Orange
• Stone Drop Jacket Earrings in Blue
• Three Layer Stone Necklace in Teal
• Bead Drop Threader Earrings in White
• Vine Pearl Drop Earrings in Silver
• Crescent Threader Earrings in Purple
• Heart Front and Back Earrings in Gold
• Crystal Vine Linear Earrings
• Narrow Teardrop Earrings in White
• Dainty Vine Ear Cuff in Gold
• Endless Hoop Earrings in Silver

The jewelry I bought was definitely my favorite part of this Shop Miss A haul! While a couple of the pieces came a little bit loose, most of the jewelry looked like jewelry I would buy at any other store - but for a way lower price! I especially loved the statement necklaces - they appear to be well made and easily brighten up my outfits. Plus, I got to try a couple of trendy new threader and front/back earrings! Plus one for the accessories department of Shop Miss A!

Everything Else:

• Pink Dotted Washi Tape
• Plated Leaves Barrette in Silver
• Solid Colored Hair Ties in Multicolor

I also decided to try out a couple of their more miscellaneous categories. Since I'm constantly losing my hair ties, I threw in a pack of hair ties for good measure. Unfortunately, I wasn't too thrilled with the hair ties since they ended up being a lot thinner than I had expected and since I have pretty thick hair, they haven't been holding up too well. I'm also a huge stationary junkie so I was excited about the $1 washi tape (especially since washi tape can get very expensive), however, I was sorely disappointed because there was hardly any washi tape on the roll! On the plus side, though, I am in love with the leaves hair barrette - it's adorable and looks fantastic in an updo! I guess with any purchase, you win some and you lose some, right?

Overall Verdict:

Overall, my experience with Shop Miss A has been positive. While the quality of everything wasn't the greatest, I wasn't really expecting too much in the first place since everything was so cheap. In total, it was definitely worth the $31 I paid for the whole lot. I received a bunch of stylish accessories that I will definitely be wearing in the future and got the opportunity to try a ton of other products without making a huge investment in experimental new trends! While I don't think I'll be looking to Shop Miss A for any of my regular makeup purchases, I'll probably hop on a couple of times every season to take a quick look at any new accessory or makeup trends I want to test out.

Have you tried out Shop Miss A? How was your experience? I’d love to hear your thoughts! 

Ipsy Glam Bag: December 2015

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I fell in love with subscription boxes when I started in 2012 witha subscription to Birchbox. Since then, I have fallen in and out of love with different boxes, but I'm always excited to try new boxes. I love coming home to a package in the mail and getting to try new beauty samples without having to spend money on full-size products. I originally subscribed simply because I loved the idea of getting a little gift every month, but I've since found that beauty boxes have actually helped curb my makeup buying habits. I find that (contrary to popular belief) I actually buy less makeup since I know that I will always get a new lip product or nail polish every couple of months

Ipsy is a monthly beauty subscription that gives subscribers 4-5 sample and full size products for $10 a month. All of the beauty samples also come in a handy little makeup bag. I love that all of Ipsy's products come in these adorable bags because they are insanely useful for holding just about anything!

Pacifica: Power of Love Natural Lipstick

My favorite thing about this lipstick is that it almost doesn't feel like I'm putting on a lipstick when I'm applying it. The design of the tube and the consistency of the lipstick both feel more like a lip balm than anything else which makes applying the lipstick much smoother and easier. The lipstick color goes on a little bit more orangey than what the lipstick itself looks like but other than that, I'm happy with this one! 

Briogeo: Curl Charisma Leave-In Crème

With a recently cut curly lob hairstyle, I was excited to receive this product because I'm looking to try more curl creams that will help hold my curls with the newly shortened hair. I really like the consistency of this cream - it's very thin and feels almost like water on your fingertips. It smells fresh and doesn't feel too crusty or oily on my hair. It doesn't really do too much to hold my curls but would be good for helping to define slightly wavy hair.

Peony Cosmetics: Shadow Trio

The shades on this shadow trio look beautiful! When I swatched the shades on my arm they were much sparkly than they look in the palette so beware of this if you're going for a subtle look and planning on using these shades! The eye shadows come in a tiny little container that is incredibly portable and easy to use for travel. As I've said time and time again, however, eye shadows don't work extremely well with my monolids- yet I keep receiving them in my ipsy bag despite my specified preferences. I will be re-gifting this item to someone else and hoping that ipsy listens to preferences for my next bag!

Elizabeth Mott: Thank Me Later Eye Shadow Primer

Like the last sample, I wasn't too thrilled to receive eye shadow primer since I do not use eye shadow often and have indicated this on my ipsy profile before. This eye shadow primer is a little bit more on the oily side than eye shadow primers I've used in the past but since I do not use this type of product much, I'm not sure if this changes it's effectiveness. I'll be giving this away with the shadow trio above. 

Jersey Shore Cosmetics: Vanilla Bean Anti-aging Lip & Hand Polish

This is my favorite beauty sample from this month's bag! My lips get dry very easily and exfoliating them regularly is something I have been intending to do for some time. This product is perfect because the brown sugar in it exfoliates gently without being too rough on the lips. I also love that the brown sugar gives the polish a nice sugary smell/taste that pairs well with the vanilla scent.

I loved the lipstick and the lip polish included in this bag but wasn't too thrilled with the eye shadow products ipsy sent in my bag. I plan to stick it out at least 3-6 more months but I'm really looking for a beauty bag that is more customizable and won't send me products that I've already indicated I do not use. I'm disappointed since ipsy has been so good to me for the past year, but maybe that means it's time to try another beauty subscription- If you have any suggestions for me, let me know!

PopSugar Must Have: December 2015

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I think this month's PopSugar box is my favorite of all of the boxes I've received! There's not one thing in this month's box that I won't be using. Plus, it's introduced me to a couple of new brands that I love and am excited to learn more about! As always, my curious little cat couldn't keep her paws off the new goodies so I've featured some of her shenanigans as well (: 

The PopSugar Must Have box is a monthly subscription (about $40/month or less if you make a 3 or 6 month commitment)  that sends subscribers full-size versions of the season's must-have beauty, fashion, home, and fitness products.

I love that the PopSugar box includes a little card each month with descriptions of all the products. Having these descriptionsmakes me even more excited to try all of the products because there are suggestions on how to use each one of them. Plus, being the nerd that I am, I love to go back through my past subscription cards to see all the goodies I've gotten over the years.

Luv Aj The Rose: Gold Ombre Bracelet - Retail $65

After an initial look at this ombre bracelet, I loved the style but wasn't sure how it would fit with my existing accessories/clothing since I very rarely buy anything that resembles a chain. After wearing it alongside my watch for a couple of days, however, the bracelet has really started to grow on me! The simplicity of the bracelet means that it pairs well when placed with other accessories. Although I do wish that the whole thing was rose gold instead, the ombre colors are very in tune with current trends.

Stowaway Cosmetics: Crème Lipstick Trio - Retail $30

I love the size of this sweet little lipstick trio! Lip products are my number one makeup purchase but I always find myself not being able to use up all of my lipsticks before they expire. These stowaway lipsticks are the perfect little size and incredibly handy to carry around in a purse or even a clutch. Plus the lipstick colors are beautiful and bright and the lipstick itself has a nice faint minty smell.

Nima Oberoi: Lunares Geo Stopper - Retail $24

I am constantly losing my wine stoppers (I have no idea where they disappear to - probably the same place as all my hair ties and bobby pins wander off to) so I was very excited to receive this geo stopper. All of my other stoppers are rubber and come in bright colors so I like that this stopper has a classy, more luxurious-looking design.

Swing Design Nova: Blue Mist Jewelry Box - Retail $36

This little jewelry box is so sweet and adorable! The light blue color is absolutely beautiful and the material on the outside is incredibly soft. Since I already have a bajillion boxes/hangers for my jewelry, my plan is to use this as a desk organizer for my office. Since it’s such a simple, classic-looking box it would pretty much fit in anywhere as the perfect place to store knick knacks. 

My Cup of Cake: Classic Belgian Chocolate - Retail $5.99

I was pleasantly surprised by this little Belgian cake in a cup mix! I’ve tried a couple of Pinterest mug cake mixes that ultimately didn’t end up being very tasty so hopefully a pre-made mix will make a slightly more successful cake. I’m excited to use this mix on a cozy holiday evening with some hot chocolate and slippers (: 

Meri Meri: Silver Stars on White Glitter Tape - Retail $4

One of the things I love about PopSugar is that the focus of their box is not just limited to beauty or fashion items. As someone who is not only beauty-obsessed but also an organization freak, I loved this little glitter tape addition to the box! Although I think it's intended for Christmas-wrapping, I love using different colored tapes in my planner so I plan to use this glitter tape there. 

Gift Tag Stickers + $20 Tiny Prints Promo Card + coupons

I used these Tiny Prints gift tag stickers (not pictured- sorry!)  as soon as I received them as I had a box full of presents labeled with sticky notes at the time! These gift tags are classically designed and simple to use so I will definitely be looking into more of the Tiny Prints products to see where I can use my $20 promo card! PopSugar also included two coupons for future Stowaway and My Cup of Cake purchases.

This was the last box of my initial 3-box test run of the PopSugar Must Have and I’m hooked! I’ve already been planning on buying more PopSugar boxes and saw that they had a fantastic deal for $75 off 6 more boxes. Unfortunately for me - because I didn’t read the fine print carefully - this meant that I made the mistake of buying two December boxes. Lucky for me, however, I love every single item in this box so much that I’m not even mad that I’ll be getting a double! 

What did you think of your December PopSugar box? I would love to hear from you!