July Look Bag and August Julep Box!

Although it's been cancelled, I still wanted to review the items from the July Look Bag, which I received a couple of weeks ago.

Included:

Full Size Korres Mango Butter Lipstick in Rose-- $18.00 (for full size) Apparently, some people got a full-sized lipstick in their bags--mine was not, but was still a good size. The color is ok--I like the pink tone, but the gold undertone is kinda meh.

.08 Ultraflesh Gold Standard Mascara. value = $7.88 (.27 oz. $26.00) I actually kinda like it, which is surprising because I am allergic to EVERYTHING. It makes my eyelashes look really long. but they seem a little too individualized (? I'm not sure if that's the right word, but they seem to look kind of like the eyelashes in Nightmare Before Christmas, but not that bad) I put it in my purse for quick touchups

1ml. Betsey Johnson Perfume. value = $1.53 (1oz. $45.00) - This is quite possibly the worst perfume dispenser device ever invented. I don't know why they didn't send us the little spray bottles or roll-ons like you get from Sephora and such.

.24 oz. Bremenn Research Labs Miracle Cream (for the face). value = $9.07 (1.3oz. $49.00) 

I didn't like it very much. It smelled kinda bad and didn't feel very nice. I didn't have any adverse reactions to it, but I definitely didn't think it was a "miracle". 

"An Upcoming Trend" - each month we take to the beauty trenches and see what's upcoming trends out Look Bag subscribers just have to try out.  they sent 2 small bottle of nail polish one in blue and one in purple. value = $1.00/ea. These are clearly Bon Bons, from when you were 7 and wanted to paint your nails. They go on cheap because they are cheap. That being said, if you have a 7 year old girl in your life, they're great. I do not.

Apparently, they're going to figure things out and re-launch soon, dunno if I'll re-subscribe. A lot will depend on how much I like this month's Glam Bag and Birch Box and Sample Society. 

Julep was OK this month. Like I said before, I only did it this month because I had a free one due to referrals--I think the service is way too expensive to just have. That being said, if you use the code COLOR2012, you should still be able to get your first month for a penny. It's worth trying, and if you normally spend a lot of money on nail polishes, then it's definitely good. I tried swatching, but the colors looked weird in the pictures, so none for you.

This month I did August Bombshell, which included: 

Kim, gunmetal grey metallic.

Harley, liquid silver metallic chrome.

Julep Acetone-Free Conditioning Nail Polish Remover, a professional pump-action bottle for easy, one-handed use.

I also added Melanie, pastel indigo metallic chrome as my free add-on because I'm new.  They sent Melanie separately because it was an add-on, which I didn't like, because I felt it was wasteful--they spent extra money on shipping (which is undoubtedly one of the reasons their subscription rates are so high), and they used extra packaging, which is bad for the environment. I can't imagine that they have SO MANY subscribers that it wouldn't be cheaper for them to package the add-ons with the regular boxes instead of sending 2 separate packages.
Because it was their 1-year anniversary, they included a free "tote" which was too small to be called a tote, in my opinion, but whatevs. 

So I loved the color of Kim, but it's streaky and tacky and kinda sucks to apply. 

Harly is pretty, but it's a lighter color than I really wanted and is very similar to something my mom found me on clearance for like $2. 

Melanie was ok also, but I regret it as an impulse buy a little bit, because it's just not a color I really wear. That being said, it's still pretty. 

The pump action bottle is pretty cool, which is mostly what I was excited about because I like the pumping action. That being said, I like Target brand remover better. I plan to just keep refilling my pump bottle with Target stuff. 

All-in-all, I would say these two subscription services are OK. I'm not in love with them, but I don't think they're awful either. 

**I paid for my own Look Bag and received the August Julep box for free because I referred two other people after having paid for my first box.

I might have a problem....

While we were in The Boy's hometown, he was getting a haircut. I was supposed to be getting some jeans tailored while this was happening, but the tailor was on vacation, so I tagged along. While I was waiting, I picked up a magazine. In the magazine, I read about Birchbox. (If you click this link and buy stuff, I get credits for free stuff, so please do)

I tried getting a subscription, but they are currently full and I am on the waiting list. When I decided to read more about it, I stumbled on some very bad news for my Discover card balance over at The Girly Enthusiast. Apparently there are approximately 8,576,903,275 of these monthly sample subscription things. I spent the day signing up for them/other wait lists. As I get them in the mail, I'll review them on here and maybe cancel as needed. Currently I'm paying for them all myself, but if someone out there (all these companies, I'm talking to you!) wants to pay for my subscriptions (or at least take me off the waiting list!) I am ALL FOR IT. Because I am a poor, poor graduate student. And I love me some cheap stuff (free is better!)

Subscribed:
Sample Society
Referral Code:JENK2635
They will be shipping my first order on August 1. The referral code does not get me points, but does give money to charity, so definitely use this one. Share the love.
This is the one of my 2 actual subscriptions that I am most excited about. Hopefully, they won't disappoint. Also, bonus, I get a free 1 year subscription to Allure magazine that doesn't auto-renew, so I won't have to worry about remembering to cancel it. Unfortunately, this one costs $15/month, unlike all of the others which are only $10. 

The Look Bag
No Referral Code =/
They didn't exactly specify my shipping date. It kinda said today, but considering I placed my order after 3 PM EST, I'm guessing not today.
I haven't heard of as many of the brands on this site, so it may be cancelled after one month. Or, I might love it. We shall see. 

They have cancelled the service because they've been having issues. They may rehaul and relaunch, but no word on that yet. They say that they will be sending July bags to people who have already paid for them (which I have), and that they've been shipping all week, but from what I can find on the internet, no one has actually gotten one and everyone is pissed. If I get one (I'm not exactly holding my breath--but if I don't I want my frigging $10 back) I'll post a review. My bag came today, I'll try out the products this weekend and post the reviews.

Waitlisted:
Birchbox
(Again, the link itself is the referral code)
I'm kind of annoyed that they let themselves be featured in a national magazine (Glamour? I think? or Redbook?), but then limit the amount of people that they allow to sign up. I feel like you need to be willing to accommodate MILLIONS if you're going to do that. I also don't like that they don't tell you how many millions of women are ahead of you on the waitlist (they also have a men's line that I thought about getting for The Boy (he has expensive tastes), but I decided against it. He can look if he wants). Work on that, Birchbox. That's strike one. If they send me awesome stuff or pull me off the waitlist soon, I'll be much happier. Also, points to them for allowing you to review stuff for points which can be used toward future purchases. Boo that they have to be used in 100 point (=$10) increments (e.g. a purchase of $16.99 would require 200 points/$20 reward dollars). It should only require 170 points. Don't scam. I know you're Harvard B-School grads, but I also know what you're up to.


My Glam Bag
This one looks like it has some pretty cool stuff, but they make you put your credit card in when you reserve a spot on the waitlist, and will automatically charge it when your turn comes. I don't like that, because my situation might change and I might completely forget about this in a few months. You can opt out of the waitlist at any point before you're called, but I don't like that they can just charge me at will. I feel like they should do what Birchbox does and say "Oh, hey, it's your turn, go order your box" instead. 


CraveBox
No referral code
I'm not gonna lie--I think this one might be the most all-around awesome box, because they come up with themes and include all sorts of products (including food and gender neutral items) that are all good-sized and seemingly awesome. I am allergic to a lot of skincare and makeup, so having samples of other things would be pretty cool. Hopefully they open up soon.


But for reals, y'all, I need to not be dropping $55/month on samples. If I get pulled off some waitlists, other things are gonna have to go. Probably. Maybe. I don't know. I guess it depends on the type of haul I end up getting. $55/month is worth it if I'm getting decent- to full-sized products that retail for more than $55. If not though... things will be getting the axe. And I will be doing reviews.


Now I need to actually get something productive done for today/this week. Oy.