LipMonthly - July 2014 - pics, swatches, mini reviews & value breakdown!

Hello, Beautiful!

This is my July 2014 LipMonthly box! 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 box!

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 enter code SUMMERLIPS to get your first box for only $5!!! Join me and let's be LipMonthly friends!

July 2014 LipMonthly Box

Included Info Card:

Shipment Quick Stats:

• Value of this month's LipMonthly Box: $36.77 (value is approximate)
• Total # of Items Received: 5
• # of FULL SIZED items: 4
• # of deluxe sized sample items: 1
• # of lip items: 4
• # of non-lip items: 1

Now I'll talk about each product...

Appeal Cosmetics - Lipstick
Shade: Red Light District

 

• MY THOUGHTS: I'm not a red lipstick type of gal, so instantly I was turned off by this product only by the shade. Which is a shame, since this is the highest value item in this month's box. Shade aside, this lipstick formula is actually really nice! It's very creamy, goes on smooth, has great pigmentation and feels comfortable on the lips. I haven't tested the wear of this lipstick, so can't comment on that. I'll likely keep this around in my collection for a day I want to wear a red. I may have to look into the Appeal Cosmetics brand and see what else they offer and what other shades this lipstick comes in.
• SIZE I RECEIVED: Full Sized
• VALUE: $22.00

City Color - Lip Balm
Shade: Bright Pink

  

• MY THOUGHTS: Initially I was most excited about this product because I love pink lip products - and in the summer, especially bright pink lip products. But this turned out to be my least favorite product of the box. The color looks bright pink but goes on much more sheer with less intensity and it also has a frost to it that I personally don't enjoy. As far as a lip balm goes, I don't feel like this does a good job. It kind of just sits on top of the lips without sinking in and feels slick on the lips. Not something I would seek out other shades or recommend.
• SIZE I RECEIVED: Full Sized
• VALUE: $2.99

City Color - Lip Lush Luscious Lip Crayon
Shade: Wine

• MY THOUGHTS: This product isn't bad, but I feel like the shade is better suited for fall. It's definitely a more fall/vampy shade of purple. That being said, I do like that this lip crayon is thinner, making it easier to line the lips - which is important when you have a deeper shade. I also like that it's a twist up lip crayon. It has nice pigmentation too. But it's drying on my lips. I definitely need to put a lip balm on first (and/or after) if I want to wear this comfortably. I don't know how long this wears because I didn't test that out yet, but I will keep this around for the fall and definitely pull it out to use then.
• SIZE I RECEIVED: Full Size
• VALUE: $2.99

Revlon - Colorburst Lipgloss
Shade: 044 Sunbaked

 

• MY THOUGHTS: I already know I like the Revlon Colorburst Lipglosses, so was happy to see one in there (even though I believe this packaging/formula is discontinued now). The shade I received, Sunbaked, isn't one I would probably pick up in the store but I'm actually very happy I received it because I like it a lot! Again, same with the previous item, I feel like this is more of a fall shade. It's a nude lip color but more brown than pink and on me, it wears a bit deeper/darker of a nude so more suited for fall. But I do like it and the formula as well. Probably my favorite product in the whole box!
• SIZE I RECEIVED: Full Sized
• VALUE: $6.99

John Frieda - Frizz-Ease Straight Fixation Smoothing Creme

 

• MY THOUGHTS: You don't always get lip products in your LipMonthly box, and this month I received this Smoothing Creme from John Frieda. I actually own this in full size, so I'll either keep this one for travel or use it in a giveaway. A good product to have if you like straight and smooth hair.
• FULL SIZE: 5 oz @ $5.99
• SIZE I RECEIVED: 1.5 oz
• VALUE: $1.80

My Thoughts On The Entire Box...

• FULL SIZE/DELUXE SIZE: This box contained 4 full sized items and 1 deluxe size sample.
• VALUE: The value was approximately $36.77
• USAGE: I will use the Revlon Colorburst LipGloss for sure. I'm going to keep the Appeal Cosmetics Lipstick around for when I want to wear red lipstick. The City Color Lip Lush Luscious Lip Crayon may get some use in the fall, when paired with a hydrating lip balm. The other City Color product - the Lip Balm - is definitely not something I'd use. I'll either pass it onto my nieces or blog sale it in the future at a super low price. The John Frieda Smoothing Creme with either be used when I travel (since I own the full size) or I may use it in a giveaway!
• FINAL THOUGHTS: This was my very first LipMonthly box so I really didn't know what all to expect. The info card said this month was a good mix of shades, and I did get a red, a pink, a plum and a nude. The value is there too; you pay $10 and my box this month was valued at $36.77 (and my first box I got for just $5). The value is no question - you definitely get your money's worth! I'm just not exactly thrilled with the shade/brand selection I received. But that's whats good about subscription services; you get to try out products you may otherwise would have never tried. It's also a great way to discover new brands or new products within brands you already love. I'm certainly excited about future shipments and this is a subscription service that I'd recommend. It's fun to get lip products in the mail and everyone receives different items (at least from my understanding). I have a feeling LipMonthly will get bigger and better as the months go on, and I'm going to stick around for awhile and see how they grow and what each month brings!

Let me know what you think...

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

Benefit They're Real! Push-Up Liner - pics, swatches, review

Hello, Beautiful!

Benefit's They're Real! Push-Up Liner has gotten a lot of hype and a lot of mixed reviews... so when Sephora was offering a mini version as a sample, I had to try it out for myself and see what all the hype was about. I love the idea of a gel eye liner in a pen formula - but originally didn't think it was actual gel that came up through a hole in a silicone angled tip. My brain thought it was more of a liquid liner that had a gel-like glide/feel. Of course that was me not really looking into the product or reading anything on it at all.

However, once I did start reading up on it, I started to see a lot of negative reviews. I personally don't think it's as horrible as people make it out to be - I like it actually - but it certainly can be a pain in the ass to work with, and I'll explain why in my review below. I think there is a definite learning curve to this product but it can give you really nice results and amazing staying power.

Also, Maybelline has come out with their own version of the Benefit They're Real! Push-Up liner called Lasting Drama Pen Gel Liner. This product isn't over here in the USA yet, but I'm assuming it will make it's way here eventually.

Continue reading to see my full review, along with all the product info, after the pics!

Benefit They're Real! Push-Up Liner
Shade: Black
Keep in mind, this is just a sample size - NOT the full size.

These pics show my FIRST time trying this liner!

Benefit They're Real! Push-Up Liner Info & Review:

Cost/Availability: $24.00 (0.04 oz/1.4 g full size). Available on the Benefit website, at Sephora, at Ulta, and everywhere else Benefit Cosmetics are sold.

My Rating: 3.5/4 out of 5 Kisses

Product Info...

It's the first ever lash-hugging gel liner in a pen! This matte black gel formula won't smudge, budge or dry out and the innovative soft AccuFlex tip hugs your lashline from corner to corner. The closer the line, the bigger the eye!

First time use: Remove and discard the tip protector. Activate They're Real! Push-Up Liner by twisting the base 8 to 10 times or until gel is delivered to the tip. Wipe any excess on tissue (or on your hand -- see my tip below in my review).



My Review...

Let's start with the good about this product....

This liner made it super easy to get a wing with a point on the end. Probably the fastest I was able to achieve a wing without needing to go back and perfect anything. I was actually shocked at how perfect of a wing it could create in a single swipe. Of course that depends on how you're holding the pen - you can't just go stabbing your eye and making squiggly lines and expect it to do all the work for you - BUT if you know how to hold a liquid liner pen, this pen will do the work for you when it comes to creating that wing on the end.

The shade of this liner is a beautiful deep matte black. Really sharp looking on your eye to really define it and make your eyes the center of attention.

And probably the best part is the staying power. On my eyes this liner lasted ridiculously long - even over night! I woke up with perfect wings still - only the very inner portion of the liner was slightly smudged and probably because I rubbed my eye. The staying power alone on this liner I believe prompted Benefit to make the They're Real! Remover. But do you need a special eye makeup remover to remove this product? No. Certainly not. I don't think you need to spend $18 on this makeup remover just to remove this liner (and the They're Real! Mascara). My Maybelline Clean Express liquid eye makeup remover got the job done just fine. Although I can appreciate a good makeup remover; I personally haven't tried the Benefit They're Real! Remover -- but if it's anything like the Make Up For Ever Sens' Eyes makeup remover, then it might be worth it. I personally LOVE the Make Up For Ever Sens' Eyes remover because it is the fastest and gentlest makeup remover I've ever used in my life. And it will remove any and all eye - and even long-wear lip products - with little product and little pressure. It just gets it done.

But with the good, comes some bad..... so let's get into why I don't like this liner.

First, it has a little orange stopper, that if you don't keep and replace each time, your tip will get more clogged up and you'll have more issues. Even though Benefit says to throw that out. I personally think keeping the tip will help prolong the tip from being clogged, but who has time to replace a tiny little tip every time and get their fingers messy with liner?! Ain't nobody got time for that!

But even with that going back into the tip of this liner, you'll still waste product because you will have to squeeze up the excess product from your last use to get any new product to come out. It still slightly dries up and you'll waste some good product too.

Getting it to not come out in a clump is what makes this product have a learning curve. It doesn't come out in a clean line. It comes out in almost a ball. You'll want to do a half click to a full click tops, and even then sometimes I wipe the product on the back of my hand first to get a straight, flat line to work with. I will say, once you do figure out the right amount of clicks and application style, it is a really good liner.

TIP: The excess that you squeeze out doesn't have to go to waste!! Squeeze it out onto the back of your hand and using the non-dried up portion and a liner brush, liner your lower waterline!

If I had not gotten a sample I don't know if I would have purchased this liner after seeing all the reviews. But after trying it for myself I'm not quite sure if I would repurchase or not. I think the formula is amazing --- deep matte black and amazing staying power. The applicator is an innovative idea that makes getting a wing really easy. But this liner can be tricky to work with and I don't think everyone will want to work with it the way it needs to be. Once you get it down it becomes quick and easy, but honestly I think I prefer a regular potted gel liner and a brush. I do think this would be great for travel - no need to carry a brush and a jar. Just a slim liner that is both in one. I'll definitively take this little sample with me when I travel. And I may even re-purchase in the future --- although I'm curious to try the Maybelline version, whenever it gets to the USA!

Now let me know what you think...

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