Getting Rid of Clutter: In your Makeup Bags

Do you ever feel like you have too much stuff but never want to throw any of it out? Do you know you will never use a product or item again but feel the need to hang on to it because it has a memory associated with it--or just in case you may need it 10 years from now? If you answered both of these questions with a yes then you  are just like me.

I have decided to start a series of blog posts related to clutter. I eventually want to move out of this apartment into a nicer apartment and I do not want to move all of this stuff with me nor want my new place to look as cluttered as my current place does. Also, is it fair to make all my family and friends move my clutter? The clutter posts will happen once a in a while, usually when I have an idea and actually clear some clutter. The clutter series may go on for the life of a blog, as no one ever truly gets rid of all their clutter, but will not be the only posts that I write. Clutter will not take over my life, nor will it take over my blog!!

This first Clutter post is one that is fairly simple to do without too much guilt! I challenge all of you to clean out your makeup bags after you finish reading this post. I am sure most of you will find at least one item to toss.

In my makeup bags I found items that are over 5 years old but ranged from not opened to used all up. I feel bad about throwing hardly used makeup out because it did cost me money once upon a time, but I will most likely never use the product again. I decided to toss mostly low end brand items out (such as the marykate and ashley collection and calgon, haha). My reasoning behind this is quite simple: they are very old and the cheaper the item cost me to begin with the lower quality it was to begin with thus it probably contains more bacteria than the more expensive items. I do not know if the second statement is true or not, but it is my theory.

The pictures below are a some of the items I threw out on my spree. I also threw out other makeup items and quite a few calgon perfumes that are not pictured. I have to remind myself that being a sweeper (I have a part time job entering sweepstakes, on top of my full time job and school) that I will win many many beauty items in the future. Also, being subscribed to Birchbox will guarantee me new beauty products every month.

Readers Challenge: I challenge you to go through your makeup bags and throw out items that are more than four years old, that you have not used in over a couple years, look or smell old, are dried up, or may no longer be flattering colors. Any questions or comments please leave them below.

Step by step we will get through the clutter together. Do not get discouraged when throwing out little items (such as makeup) thinking that throwing out small items will not get rid of your clutter. A lot of small items may fit into one box, but it all adds up to one box you can throw away!!

For a step by step guide for organizing and decluttering makeup products check out this amazing article on One Pampered Life. 

September 2012 Birchbox

I am a little disappointed with the September Birchbox. Mostly because I received my box so much later than everyone else, and the tracking took FOREVER to update. I contacted their customer service a few times, and while they were prompt with their responses, they basically just copied and pasted what they had wrote before. Don't get me wrong, I still like this month's Birchbox, it is not terrible, but I certainly do not love it. My feelings mostly come from the fact that I was so hyped up to get it and then it was not what I was expecting. Anyways....to the box.

So the items in this months box are:

1.) One Twistband 

2.) Tiny Sample of Kate Spade New York "Twirl" Perfume

3.) Color Club Birchbox Custom Nailpolish

4.) Tiny Sample of Jouer Matte Moisture Tint

5.) Sample of Boscia Purifying Cleansing Gel

6.) 3 Tea Packets of Mighty Leaf Tea

Also included; A coupon for $25 off a purchase of $75 or more at Madewell

So this box did have one more item than my last box so that is a good thing and I hope I continue to get six items in my box. Even though I will use most of these items I just feel that these items are okay, and not very exciting. I would love to see a full size cosmetic item in my box as others have. The twist band is so cute I will be sure to use that. I do not like to color nailpolish provided so I will be using that as a stocking stuffer. While I am a huge tea drinker, I do not drink Mighty Leaf, like ever. I will be sure to try it and let you guys know how it is though. 

Is this box worth $10: Yes, I feel that between the nail polish, the twist band, the 3 tea packets, and the travel size bottle of Boscia these items would cost over the $10 if you were to buy them all as is.

Is this box worth my $10: No. The nailpolish I won't use, but I know a few friends who would like it so I will give it to them for a gift. The tea I will drink but do not buy this brand. I can get much cheaper Cleansing Gel which works wonders on my skin. The only thing in this box that I would spend money on again in the future is the twist band. The coupon I will definitely not use since I do not have that much money to spend on clothes at the moment. 

The thing I love about Birchbox is that even though this was not my favorite box, I still can not wait for my next one! I understand that I am paying for a sample service, so while my posts are weighing the pros and cons of the $10 deposit on the box, I understand that I will not be receiving a box valued at much more than that. 

Disclaimer: These opinions are my own and I was not asked, nor do I get compensation, to review the box or these items.

If you would like to sign up for the Beauty Box yourself, here is the link: https://www.birchbox.com?raf=l4w14

Glade Expressions Collection Review

I signed up through BzzAgent to test out the new Glade Expressions Collection and review the products. The   Fragrance mist (pictured left) retailed for about $4. I found it at CVS and they only had one scent (the Cotton & Italian Manderine). I am sure I could have found other options at another store, but CVS is usually my go to store. I am happy with the scent though. It looks like an upscale bathroom spray, but it does not smell at all like a bathroom spray. The spray eliminates odors rather quickly. I live in a small apartment with two cats so this spray definitely comes in handy! 

As for the Oil Diffuser (pictured right) I had to go to FOUR stores just to find this product! I went to CVS, Walgreens, Shaws, and finally Target where I found it! I was not very happy about not finding the product very easy. Also, what was more of a bummer was when I found this item at target they only had one scent for this item ( the lavender and juniper berry). This product works very well and masks odors rather quickly. It is said to last 30 days. The product was on sale for target for $5.99. Another plus is that the diffuser blends in with furniture pretty well.

Want to get both items free? Both items are on promotion right now to get them free after rebate. Rebate Forms: Oil Diffuser and Fragrance Mist. However, it says on the rebate form that you must send in the sticker to get the rebate back! I found the stickers on SOME of the oil diffuser boxes at Target. Please be aware that the Rebate rules state that the sticker is a requirement, and that they may refuse to refund you if you do not send in the sticker. When filling out rebates please remember to read all of the requirements before sending it in. 

My Top 5 Beauty Picks

I have gathered up a few of my favorite beauty items and decided to share with the world how great these products really are.

1.) Revlon Just Bitten Lip Stain & Balm: Passion $8.99
     Don't let the hefty price tag on this item sway you away from purchasing this. Of course I did not pay $8.99 for it, I bought it using a Revlon Manufacturer's coupon while it was on sale at CVS. I used Extrabucks to purchase it and received Extrabucks back for purchasing it. This lipstain lasts all day, even after eating breakfast and lunch. Obviously, it does fade from morning to night but it still outlasts many of the other products in its class that I have tried.

2.) Lancome Art Liner  $29.50
     I was lucky enough to receive this as a reward from Loreal for voicing my opinion on their products. I usually do not like liquid eyeliner (for some reason I am not very good at applying it and prefer the pencil) but this is so easy to apply and really looks great for any eye color.

3.) L'oreal B.B Skin Beautifier Magic, Fair. $11
    I did not think that I would ever purchase a BB Cream, but I got a sample of this product in a magazine in light. The light was a little dark for me so I purchased it in the only lighter color it comes in (Fair) and I love the product! I did not even need to put foundation on with this product. I will use it during the weekend when I do not want to wear heavy makeup. This BB Cream feels very light on the skin.

4.) Lancome Color Design Shadow and Liner Palette, Taupe Craze. $49
   Wow! I did not know how expensive these were until I just looked up the price for you guys! I luckily got two of these (one in Taupe Craze and another in Mauve Cherie) through the same program in which I got the Art liner from. These totally make my eyes pop and they come with instructions on how to apply them for a Day Look and for a Night Look. As much as I love these though I probably would not drop $49 on them once I need a replacement.

5.) theBalm Staniac Tinted Gel Blush for Cheeks and Lips, Beauty Queen. $17
     This item I got out of my August Birchbox. I was so happy with the August Birchbox that I can not wait for my next box. I hope that the products will be just as good. This product ranks number 5 on the list because while I do not love it I do like it a lot. It works a lot better, for me anyway, on the cheeks than it does on the lips. I will not buy this product once I run out of the sample but I will continue to use the sample until every last drop is gone. I would recommend this product if you can find it at a rock bottom price!

Clairol Nice N Easy Non-Permanent Hair Color Review.

Vocalpoint asked me to do a review of the Nice N Easy Non-Permanent Hair Color by Clairol. For me to review the product they sent me a FREE Product Coupon. I must say that when I brought the coupon to my local CVS I was not too happy with the selection. All the items were in stock, but there were very few hair color choices. There are some colors that I see on the website that were not available at my store. Basically I had to choose from a blonde, a golden brown, and a black. My hair color is naturally brown and I did not want to get too drastic with the blonde, nor wanted my color to be black.

I decided to choose the golden brown. The color did make my hair a golden color, and you can tell by the photos below that my hair is a lot less dull than before! The product was very easy to apply, which is great because I do not like to use beauty products that require to much work (that's what a salon is for!) I am happy with the results, but wish CVS would have offered up more choices. The product retailed for around $5, so I would recommend the product to anyone who wants to temporarily color their hair (it lasts up to 28 shampoos) and finds a color that they like.

Before                                       After 

  

Thanks again to the sponsors, Clairol and Vocalpoint, for allowing me to test and review this product. For more information on this product please visit: vocalpoint.com/FlirtWithHairColor

Unreal Candy Review

Thanks to BzzAgent, I was able to try any Unreal Candy for my choice for free. I chose the Unreal Candy Coated Chocolates (which compare to M&Ms) since I love M&Ms. I was very pleased with my choice, since the candy tasted great. I do have to admit that the Unreal version tasted more salty than regular M&Ms, however it did not hurt the taste at all. I will continue to buy these candies when they are on sale due to them being healthier than other candies of their sort. I look forward to trying other types of Unreal Candy, and encourage anyone who has tried the Peanut Butter cups to leave me a comment and let me know what they think. 

Unreal is based out of Boston, MA and the guy who made these candies is from my area. His daughter was eating candy and asked him why candy could not be healthy, and thus Unreal was born. To learn more about Unreal Candy visit their site at http://getunreal.com/.  

Want to try Free Products and give your own review on them? Visit https://www.bzzagent.com/ and sign up to be a BzzAgent today!

August 2012 BirchBox

I signed up for the BirchBox, which delivers to your door around 5 deluxe beauty samples each month, because I wanted to try new products as well as have a surprise "gift" each month. The box costs $10 a month so I was iffy to join in the first place but I will give it a few months before deciding to continue or cancel. The $10 cost includes the cost of the shipping.

So my first Birchbox arrived today and I wanted to give everyone a peek of whats inside as well as my opinion on the box.

The items that I found inside were :

1.) Hydro Schick Razor, with 2 coupons attached (one for razor refills and the other for Skintimate shave gel)

2.) Eye Rock (Pack of Four)

3.) Tiny sample of Juicy Couture, Viva la Juicy La Fleur

4.) Small sample of theBalm Cosmetics Stainiac in Beauty Queen

4.) Tiny sample of Yu-Be Moisturizing Skin Cream

I am excited for the razor since it is definitely something I will use. The coupons attached are nice but I get those same coupons in my Sunday newspaper. The other other item I was impressed with was the Stainiac ( a lip and cheek stain) since I do not use this type of product already and am excited to try it. The Eye Rock is a deluxe sample and one of the "better" items in the box, but this type of product is not for me and will more than likely go in a goody bag to one of my friends who would actually use it. As far as the Yu-Be and Juicy Couture samples I will definitely be using them, but they are so tiny that I could have got these samples for free in the mail or at CVS. Those are not items that I want to be paying $10 a month for.

Is this box worth $10: Yes, the two deluxe items in this box (the Razor and the Eye Rock) make this box a value of about $10.

Is this box worth my $10: No, The only thing in this box I would pay for is the Razor (and those I usually get for free at CVS!). Other than the razor I am only excited about the Stainiac. Since I do not like the Eye Rock this box is worth less to me than it would be for other people.

So I am going to keep my subscription for a few more months and see how it goes. I will stay until I feel I am not getting either some sort of value from the box or am not excited for the box anymore. Even for the items I do not like I will use as stocking stuffers for Christmas. I have seen from other reviews that some people got shaving cream as a sample which I would have preferred over the Eye Rock. Others got a Shadow Pen which I also would have preferred. Neither of these girls got the Eye Rock so I am kind of disappointed in that regard and hope the birchbox is better next month.

Disclaimer: These opinions are my own and I was not asked, nor do I get compensation, to review the box or these items.

If you would like to sign up for the Beauty Box yourself, here is the link: https://www.birchbox.com?raf=l4w14