LipMonthly September 2014: value breakdown, swatches, mini reviews!

Hello, Beautiful!

This is my September 2014 LipMonthly bag! Check out below to see what I received, a little about each product and my thoughts, as well as a break-down of the value of this month's bag!

Also, I have some updates to some issues/complaints I had in my last post and how they responded - as well as a new complaint about their referral system change. All those details will be towards the end of this post.

LipMonthly is just $10 a month! Each month you'll receive 2 to 3 FULL SIZED lip products and 2 to 3 sample sized products (the sample sized products may not always be lip items). If you want to sign-up for your own LipMonthly box, CLICK HERE (it's my referral link and there is usually a discount/deal when you sign up - but not always). Join me and let's be LipMonthly friends!

September 2014 LipMonthly

Shipment Quick Stats:

• Value of this month's LipMonthly Box: $35.65 (value is approximate)
• Total # of Items Received: 5
• # of FULL SIZED items: 4
• # of deluxe sized sample items: 1
• # of lip items: 2 (because the one item is eye/lip & I would never use it for lips)
• # of non-lip items: 3 

Now I'll talk about each product...

Makeup by Cherimoya - Lip Crayon
Shade: Coral

• MY THOUGHTS: This product had the cutest packaging out of all the items in this month's bag. Upon just looking at everything, I was most excited for this product. Even the lip crayon itself looks like a higher end lip crayon, but looks can be deceiving. The product packaging feels very cheap and the actual stick of color inside the packaging is loose, so if you shake the lip crayon you can hear it moving back and forth inside the tube. It is a twist-up, so not sharpening needed, but it is a cheap twist-up (loud too). The scent is a little cheap too; smells like cheap unscented candle wax or a cheap beeswax. I could look past all of the packaging if the color was pretty. Seeing at the shade name is Coral, I thought I would absolutely love this color; boy was I wrong! It comes off different than it appears and from what you expect a coral to look like. It swatched like a very light, baby pink shade with a hint of coral undertones. On my lips it was even more horrible in shade, looking pasty and pale, and showing every crack and dry flake possible. It also applied very patchy, and when I rubbed my lips together it left a line on my upper lip and just looked very uneven. I had to use my finger to smooth it out for the lip swatch photos. Just a very unflattering shade and not a very good quality product in general.
• FULL SIZE: $8.00
• SIZE I RECEIVED: full size
• VALUE: $8.00

Makeup by Cherimoya - Retractable Lip & Eye Pencil
Shade: Latte (24)

• MY THOUGHTS: LipMonthly counts this as a lip product, but for me this would never be a lip liner - I'd only use this on my eyes. Maybe if I had gotten a different shade I could use it as a lip liner, but I rarely see lip and eye lining shades to be interchangeable. I also don't think a formula for your lip liner should be the same as for your eye liner; but that's just a personal opinion. As you can see from the one photo, it came with a clump of product on the tip, and I think it's because this formula isn't the best. It didn't swatch very nicely on my hand; a little patchy and the product would ball up wherever you first put it, meaning you'd have to remove that ball of product or try and smooth it out. I personally hate the shade; it's not a very noticeable shade on my skintone. It has a frosty sheen to it that would terrible (at least on my lips) as a lip liner and because it's so close to my skintone I wouldn't even bother using it as an eyeliner (not even for my lower waterline). Even though the other Makeup by Cherimoya product was a let down from what I thought it would be, this lip/eye pencil is my least favorite product in the entire bag. One positive about the product: it does come with it's own built-in sharpener.
• FULL SIZE: $4.00
• SIZE I RECEIVED: full size
• VALUE: $4.00

Eco Lips - Fair Trade Organic Hemp Lip Balm
Scent: Vanilla

• MY THOUGHTS: I can always use a lip balm, and I had never tried Eco Lips before (but have heard of them). I like Vanilla so I was sure I'd love the scent. I do like the scent but I don't love it; it smells very much like baking vanilla extract and a little bit of hemp thrown in there, which does throw off the scent a bit. It's unlike other vanilla scents I have. I didn't do a lip swatch because this is just a clear lip balm. I do think it's moisturizing, but it oddly made my lips tingle slightly. I had my friend try it out and he said the same thing, but he didn't feel the tingle as much as I did. Not sure what that tingle is about, but I've used this a few times since getting it and I'm still forming an opinion on this lip balm.
• FULL SIZE: $3.49
• SIZE I RECEIVED: full size
• VALUE: $3.49

Julie G Nail Color
Shade: Anthony

 

• MY THOUGHTS: I actually don't own any Julie G nail polishes, which is odd because I always see them in Rite Aid and love the shades. I'm happy to get this in my bag because it's a really pretty coral-pink (sort of the shade the Makeup by Cherimoya Lip Crayon should have been!). The formula is really lovely! I only used 1 coat for the nail swatch, but depending on how you polish your nails you may want 2 coats. I haven't used this in a manicure yet, and with fall here I kind of want darker more sultry shades on my nails, but this shade will be used for sure. It's pretty!
• FULL SIZE: $3.99
• SIZE I RECEIVED: full size
• VALUE: $3.99

Pur-lisse - Pur-Moist Hydra-Boot Moisturizer

 

• MY THOUGHTS: If you are subscribed to just about any beauty subscription service, you've received a Pur-lisse moisturizer - usually a full size, or a decent size. It's just one of those products people are tired of seeing in their subscription boxes because it's everywhere and often! However, it is a good moisturizer. I don't mind getting it because I can use it, and since it's not the full size I won't have to worry about wasting the whole thing (since I have so much skincare I'm trying to work through now). But I do know a lot of people are kind of annoyed to see this in their bag - which isn't LipMonthly's fault at all, as they've never featured Pur-lisse yet. 
• FULL SIZE: $55.00 for 1.7 oz
• SIZE I RECEIVED: 0.5 oz
• VALUE: $16.17  (LipMonthly has this listed as $18 on the card)

My Thoughts On The Entire Bag...

• FULL SIZE/DELUXE SIZE: This box contained 4 full sized products and 1 deluxe sized sample.
• VALUE: The value was approximately $35.65
• USAGE: I have been using the Eco Lips lip balm here and there since receiving it. I'll use the Julie G nail polish for sure! I've also used the Pur-lisse moisturizer a few times. I absolutely won't be using either of the Makeup by Cherimoya products!
• FINAL THOUGHTS: I wasn't really thrilled with this month's bag; it had some okay products but nothing that was amazing, and it certainly had a couple of bad products (the Makeup by Cherimoya items). Also received another LipMonthly makeup bag, which is the same from last month. I already have enough mini makeup bags from Ipsy, and I'd appreciate more if they were cute (like the Ipsy ones are) but the LipMonthly ones have been the same each month (just two months so far since they've done bags instead of a box). Maybe in the future they will change them up; at least I hope so because I don't know what I'd do with multiples of the same mini makeup bag that is branded all over front and back with LipMonthly. Just lips would be super cute though! I guess I also wish this month had more lip products though considering I signed up for this service because I'm a lip product addict and it is called LipMonthly. But I still appreciate the subscription service and will see how the next month's bag does. I also was supposed to receive an extra item for writing my blog reviews, but that never showed up -- read all the details about that and another issue in the info below!

Some Updates about the LipMonthly Service and Customer Service... 

So last month I had made a specific complaint on my Instagram post about first LipMonthly bag, how I had sent them my blog review to see what they thought, but I didn't even receive a reply back. I had sent that to them also because they had listed that if you make a YouTube video and send them the link, that they'd send you an extra product in your next box. Now I know I didn't make a video, I'm very aware of that, but thought I'd send it to them anyway, seeing as how my blog gets a lot of views every month and it takes a lot of work to take all the photos and swatches - including lip swatches (and my photos aren't crap either). But I never even received a reply back. 

Then, randomly, one day (in August) on my Instagram post they replied saying that did appreciate my hard work and would be sending me an extra item in my next box -- my next box would be this box, my September box. I was thankful and excited.

BUT that item never arrived in my September box (and I realize it's now a bag, but it was a box, so I say box or bag when I typed up this review - you still know what I'm saying). I had made another Instagram post about my LipMonthly bag, just as I did in July and August, but this one was for September and had mentioned how I did not receive the extra item I was told I would receive.

This time around I got a much quicker reply on my Instagram post, asking what extra product I was referring to and to email their customer service - which at this very second that I'm typing up this post, I realized I never did email customer service. I still need to do that, but unfortunately my work schedule has been so hectic and I've been driving/traveling a lot that it completely slipped my mind. So I still need to email them about that extra product and I'll update you all next month with the outcome on that situation.

But then I had another issue....

I hate to sound like I'm complaining - because I'm really not. I understand they are a newer company and there are kinks to be ironed out. I mean, look at Ipsy; they started as MyGlam and there were oh so many issues in the beginning and look at where they are now! So I stay hopeful with LipMonthly that they'll grow from their customer feedback and improve as needed.

The other issues I had is their referral system was set up that for every friend you referred you received a free box. Thanks to you wonderful followers, I had 7 free boxes lined up for me - which I was excited to save some money on my subscription boxes, but still be able to do blog posts like this to share with you all what I received, swatches, and the value breakdown. 

I had randomly looked at my credit card statement and realized they charged me for my September box -- and now that I think of it, they may have charged me for August box as well. So I emailed them on August 28th, thinking it was some kind of billing mix up. I let them know I had 7 free boxes in my referral system and that I was charged for my September box but should not have been charged. Their reply?  They said to please check out their new referral program, which they linked me to, and said they would send me a free box in October, but after that my referrals will be turned into points which are redeemable for "amazing products". 

Their reply was the day after my email, so I was happy with the quick response, but um... gee... thanks? What about all the referrals I had previously gotten? Why all I had previously thought was their referral program was now changed without any notification to me at all. Why not a refund for September's box (and possibly August's box if they also charged me)? So I replied back the same day - August 29th - to ask about it again - making sure I understood that I was getting one free box in October and then the rest of my referrals would be converted to points that I could spend in their store. I waited on a reply and I did get a reply, but not until September 9th.

Before I had received a reply, they had sent out a mass email on September 3rd to notify people of their new referral program. In the email they explained that anyone who had previous referral credits would be able to use 3 of them and the rest would be used in their point system.

So that left me even more confused... and a little annoyed, to be honest. I had just been told I would get 1 free box in October and the rest would go to points, then I get this email saying anyone who previously had referrals could use 3 of them and the rest would go to points.

On September 9th they replied simply saying I would receive a free box in October. They did not answer my question about my points and the value it would equal to. Nothing other than linking me to their helpdesk. 

But I wasn't really happy about that reply - especially after the email they sent out notifying people they'd get to use 3 of their referrals towards free boxes... which would mean October, November and December would be free for me. So I replied back again to inquire about all that... 

They replied back the same day saying they "understand" and have "allowed" me to get the 3 boxes as previously promised and I would not be charged until December 25th for January's box.

That issue was solved, but I'm still left a little uneasy and not sure what to think. Here are some of my thoughts:

I personally think any referrals prior to the switch over should have been grandfathered in and any referrals thereafter would be under their new referral program. If anything, I should have been able to use my referrals for August and September, as I thought it would be, and then imply their new referral rule and have the next 3 boxes free and the rest of my referrals into points. Am I wrong in thinking this? I do need to go back and look at my credit card statements and see if I was also charged for my August box. It's something I feel really uneasy about with them because here I am thinking I am not going to have to worry about being charged for several months, and then I'm charged and without even a warning about the referral program change? I don't like that.

So in conclusion:

While I was initially really happy about them replying to me to include an extra item in my September box, I was really let down to not receive it and then they weren't even sure what product I was talking about on my IG post. But I do like the fact they are listening and responding to their customers. They are trying to improve their service and fix any issues that come up.

Thoughts on this?

Let me know what you think...

What are your thoughts on this month's LipMonthly bag? Did you receive an LipMonthly bag this month? If so, what did you get in your bag and what did you think of the products? Discuss in the comments below.

Votre Vu - Vu-On Rouge Sheer Moisture Color Accent for Lips & Face: pics, swatches, review

Hello, Beautiful!

In this post I'm going to share with you a product that really impressed me, and I think I was so impressed because I typically really dislike this type of product  - especially when used on my lips - but I found this product to be a winner! The product I'm talking about is the Votre Vu Vu-On Rouge Sheer Moisture Color Accent for Lips & Face. This is one of those 2-in-1 sticks that you can use as a cream blush or as a lip color. Since I'm not a fan of cream blushes, I only use this type of product on my lips (even if I test it on my cheeks for review purposes, I never end up using it for blush). Normally this type of product feels dry, thick, or just plain weird on the lips, which in turn means I end up never using it. However, when I put the Votre Vu one on my lips I was pleasantly surprised - both by the color and the feel! Check out my full review, along with the product info, after the pics!

Votre Vu - Vu-On Rouge
Sheer Moisture Color Accent for Lips & Face
Shade: Ma Cherry (1120-02)

 

Votre Vu Vu-On Rouge Sheer Moisture Color Accent for Lips & Face Info & Review:

Cost/Availability: $29.00 -- $20.30 Brand Ambassador price (0.28 oz full size). Available on the Votre Vu website. For more details on their Brand Ambassador program scroll to the bottom of this post.

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Kisses

Product Info...

Your skin takes stage with a kick of color from Vu-On Rouge Sheer Moisture Tint. Just a simple swish of this multi-tasking pop-up stick bestows a fetching and flirty flush to cheeks, lips, lids and facial contours.

Blended with hydrating shea and exotic antioxidant-rich mango seed butters, Vu's ravishing rouge spreads smoothly over skin, creating a dewy luster and irresistible airbrushed finish. Without creasing or caking, this long-wearing plant based pigment evokes renewed vitality to your visage and wouldn't dare settle into fine lines. Skin-conditioning jojoba and castor seed oils step in for a finished formula that naturally flatters, stabilizes and protects.

Available in 4 shades. The shades and their descriptions, as listed on the Votre Vu website, are listed below.

• Ma Cherry: a sweet and classic cherry blue-red hue that becomes every skin tone.
• French Tulip: a cheerful warm and naturally flattering bronze-peach glow de l'ete.
• Bouquet Rose: a delicate, cool and romantic pale pink that will warm hearts with its barely-there beauty.
• Amourette: a neutral mid-tone pink that brightens every complexion with a dreamy summer-crush flush.

My Review...

As I stated at the top of this post, I normally hate the way this type of product feels on the lips. I know a lot of people are big fans of cream blushes, but it's just not my jam. I definitely prefer a powder blush anytime, anywhere. So when I do have this type of 2-in-1 product, made for cheeks and lips, I only end up using it on my lips. Sure, I'll often test it out on my cheeks for review purposes, but I never ever wear it out on my cheeks and I'll explain why later in this review.

Even though a lot of the products similar to this that I've tried can have really pretty colors, and even look nice on the lips, it's how they feel that often makes me not want to actually use them on the lips -- which in turn makes the entire product useless to me.

I find they often feel dry, thick, even a bit paste-like on the lips. Just really not moisturizing or comfortable at all. This product, however, felt really good going onto my lips! I can best describe it as a water-like gel feeling. It was very weightless and thin, yet creamy and smooth.

The color does look a lot darker in the tube than it will look on your cheeks blended out, or on your lips. This shade in particular, Ma Cherry, is described as a sweet and classic cherry blue-red hue that becomes every skin tone. I find that on my lips I can get this to look really natural - like a perfect pink, just gorgeous shade. It can go deeper to a more berry shade, that is equally as pretty. In the swatch photos above, it's shown with a lighter application but it can go as dark as a berry red shade on me. I find lip products like this pull a little different in color on everyone depending on your own natural lip hue.

The way I think I like to apply this best is when it's a bit warmed up, so either I'll rub this onto the back of my hand (which is the messier way about it) and rub my finger back and forth to warm it up, then apply straight to my lips with my finger. I find this method just melts it in even better. You don't have to warm it up on the back of your hand either - you could just let it sit in a sunny spot by a window while you get ready or near a light that may be close to where you get ready, or just rub your finger on the product itself until it becomes softer and creamier. You can of course apply directly from the tube, but keep in mind this is a chubby stick of color so you won't get the best precision and you'll still need to use your finger or a lip brush to blend it out to the edges of your lips and make it look good.

The texture of this product is very creamy and gel-like. It does have a lot of pigmentation, so a little will go a long way. As far as scent goes, there is a scent but I couldn't really specify what it was. I think it may be a cherry vanilla scent - but don't take my word for that. It's a light scent, so it won't be over whelming either way.

Even though the product applies and feels the best on my lips out of any similar product that I've tried, it's by no means a magic lip balm or overly moisturizing. You may feel like you want to apply a lip balm or gloss over top once it kind of dries down a bit and sets in. It will just depend on your type of lips and level of dryness.

Because this shade in particular can pull a bit more darker berry pink on me, and sometimes even pull red, I do think I would like to try another shade - specifically the Amourette! But I do really like this shade, especially applied with a lighter touch. As you can see from the swatch photos, it's just a really gorgeous pink shade that is very natural and effortless.

Unfortunately, because I don't use cream cheek products, I can't speak about how it applies or performs on the cheeks. Sometimes I do test them out for reviews, but right now my cheeks are really broken out and cream blushes really look horrible over top of blemishes. Maybe in the future when my breakouts are gone or not on my cheeks I can try this out again, as well as other cream cheek products, but for now this will be just used on my lips.

They do say you can use this on your eyelids and facial contours as well, but a shade like this just doesn't work for eyelids or contour. Maybe one of the other shades - like French Tulip - would work for contour, and that I would give a go because I do like cream contour products from time to time (that type of shade doesn't make blemishes appear redder or pinker in tone). I've never liked these type of products for eyelids though.

If you do like this kind of 2-in-1 product, then I do think you'd really enjoy this one. It has a fantastic formula, feels better than any other similar 2-in-1 cheek/lip product I've used, and I was really pleased with this Ma Cherry shade.




Votre Vu Brand Ambassador -- CLICK HERE for more details.
Please Note: I am NOT a Votre Vu Brand Ambassador; I simply want to provide those details for anyone interested.

• Sign up for as little as $199
• Receive $400 to $1,000 in top selling products when you sign-up; you get to pick your pak!
• Always enjoy a 30% discount on all purchases.
• Every 3rd (and most expensive) item is 50% off retail on every order.
• Enjoy amazing monthly Brand Ambassador product specials.
• Receive extra rewards for referring others to become Brand Ambassadors!

Now let me know what you think...

What do you think of this lip and cheek product? Have you tried this or is this on your beauty wish list? Discuss in the comments below.

Ipsy - August 2014: pics, swatches and mini reviews!

Hello, Beautiful!

This is my August 2014 Ipsy bag! Check out below to see what I received, a little about each product and my thoughts, as well as a break-down of the value of this month's bag!

Ipsy is just $10 a month! Each month you'll receive 4 to 6 deluxe or even full-sized products. If you want to sign-up for your own Ipsy bag, CLICK HERE (it's my referral link - you don't have to use my referral link; it only gives me points that I can save up to redeem for prizes in the future).

August 2014 Ipsy Bag

Shipment Quick Stats:

• Value of this month's Ipsy Bag: $34.23 (value is approximate & does not include value of actual bag)
• Total # of Items Received: 5
• # of FULL SIZED items: 2
• # of makeup items: 4
• # of nail items: 0
• # of hair care items: 1
• # of skin care items: 0
• # of body care items: 0
• # of fragrance items: 0

Now I'll talk about each product...

Urban Decay Perversion Mascara

• MY THOUGHTS: I was really hoping to get this sample in this month's bag, and I'm actually a big fan of this mascara. It is a nice rich, deep black shade and it provides great length and volume in just one coat -- two coats is the way I roll. Really happy with this mascara... might have to get this in full size when this sample runs out.
• FULL SIZE: 0.4 fl oz @ $22.00
• SIZE I RECEIVED: 0.1 fl oz
• VALUE: $5.50

Klorane Extra-Gentle Dry Shampoo with Oat Milk

 

• MY THOUGHTS: This is my holy grail dry shampoo, so I was really excited to get this in my bag. I love, love, LOVE this dry shampoo. Far more than any I've tried. If you've been looking for a good dry shampoo then I highly recommend this!
• FULL SIZE: 50 ml @ $8.99
• SIZE I RECEIVED: 50 ml
• VALUE: $8.99

Dr. Brandt Pores No More Pore Refiner Primer

 

• MY THOUGHTS: I am excited to try this, because it reminds me a lot of the Benefit Porefessional. I haven't tried it yet, but will absolutely put this to use!
• FULL SIZE: 1 oz @ $45.00
• SIZE I RECEIVED: 0.25 fl oz
• VALUE: $11.25

J. Cat Beauty Flying Solo Eye Shadow
Shade: Half Naked

• MY THOUGHTS: A nice champagne shade, nothing unique but certainly a usable shade. Good pigmentation and texture. I'll use this for sure!
• FULL SIZE: 0.09 oz @ $2.99
• SIZE I RECEIVED: 0.09 oz
• VALUE: $2.99

Jersey Shore Sun Mongongo Nutrient Dense Anti-Aging Lip Conditioner
Flavor: Mandarin Green Orange Ginger

• MY THOUGHTS: I really liked this... at first. I thought it smelled great and it does feel nice on the lips. However, what made me stop liking it is the flavor/scent. To me, it smells/tastes like the lemon lime Cold Eeze... and now I can't use this. They do have a Vanilla Coconut Creme flavor, which I think would be a much better option for me.
• FULL SIZE: 0.15 oz @ $5.50
• SIZE I RECEIVED: full size
• VALUE: $5.50

The actual bag everything comes in...

• This is cute in pattern, but I'm not a fan of the shape. They're okay for storing some makeup brushes or mascaras and liners, but not really totally practical. Smells like a pool inflatable.

My Thoughts On The Entire Bag...

• FULL SIZE/DELUXE SIZE: This bag contained 2 full size items and 3 deluxe sized items.
• VALUE: The value was approximately $34.23
• USAGE: I will everything, except the lip balm and if I was okay with the lip balm, I would have used EVERYTHING in this bag.
• FINAL THOUGHTS: This was a good bag; I loved it all and will use it all (minus the lip balm). Happy that Ipsy didn't give me a bad bag like the last two.

Let me know what you think...

What are your thoughts on this month's Ipsy bag? Did you receive an Ipsy bag this month? If so, what did you get in your bag? Discuss in the comments below.