Starlooks Starbox September Edition

So I'm at that point where I've narrowed down my favorite monthly sub services and I'm now just sticking with two...Starlooks Starboxes & Beauty Army.  Each month I've done reviews on each...you can see how awesome these companies are.  Starlooks has a special place in my heart because it is all makeup, that's right ALL makeup! Each month I open my box I'm amazed over & over again.  I have never been disappointed.  When I opened September's box I was stoked to see that it included an eyeshadow palette that contained 5 colors! SAAWEEET! Keep reading to see what else came in my September box :)

 Monographic 5 Shade Shadow Palette 

 Swatches with flash

 No flash

 So at first I was a little perplexed, why such light colors? After using them a bit, I started to put them over plain matte shades to really change the whole look of my shadow.  These colors work amazing on their own but even better over colors you already have! My personal favorite is a matte black with the middle pink shimmer color over. GORGEOUS! The formula of these are just as great as all the other Starlooks shadows.  I have yet to come across one of their products that isn't amazing.

Eye Shadow Primer

 I've never used an eyeshadow primer that has a texture like this product.  It reminded me of vaseline at first which I was very worried about putting something like that on my oily lids. After it's blended in it takes on a very smooth powdery finish.  My shadows went on beautifully and lasted all day & night.  I tried one eye with my UDPP & one with this Starlooks Primer and you couldn't tell the difference! Score!

Flat-back Swarovski Eye Crystals

These champagne & bronze crystals couldn't of come at a better time! I've been doing some fun Halloween looks and really didn't want to have to place an online order for some of these. It's like Starlooks read my mind! 

As always, my Starlooks Starbox also came with a mystic quartz crystal, I've been collecting these in a cute little glass & it sits on my vanity. Starboxes are $15 a month and each month you will receive 3-4 high-quality, full sized makeup items.  The value is phenomenal (as you can see) they also have their store online where you can purchase tons of their awesome products from their line & that includes free shipping for anything under 10lbs.  They have also started a points program, every dollar you spend you earn a point...100 points = 10 Star Dollars toward your next purchase.  

Sign up by clicking here & I would be ever so grateful if you could use my username - mcubedmakeup as the person who referred you :) 

Until next time,

This item was purchased on my own with my own money. 

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Beauty Blogger Bunch Fall Giveaway ft. The Balm!

The Beauty Blogger Bunch Fall Beauty Giveaway has officially started.

One grand prize winner will win $175 worth of The Balm products! Enter below using the rafflecopter application. This giveaway will run for 2 weeks and ends on October 22nd, 2012. Multiple ways to enter, including a freebie!

Sponsored by:

Ashley Elizabeth : Ashley Elizabeth's Beauty Blog

Janelle : Glamorous Mama

Casey : Beauty 101 Blog

Kim Bai : Fashion and Beauty by Kim Bai

Marina : mCubedmakeup

Melissa : This Girls Life 

Miss L : Beauty by Miss L

Make sure to stop by our sponsor's blogs and say hello along with our participating beauty hosts, who also host their own beauty blog giveaways.

Beauty Test Dummies : www.beautytestdummies.com

Christy Breazeal : www.mysbaddiction.blogspot.com

Emily : www.emilyreviews.com

Jennifer : www.boogiesnbooboos.com

Kristyn : www.ksquaredglamour.org

LolaRose : lolarose1.blogspot.ie

Lydia : allofheryesterdays.blogspot.co.uk

Mina Slater : www.minaslater.com

Natasha : bellezakisses.wordpress.com

Tiffany : psbeautyblog.blogspot.com

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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This or That Makeup Tag

It's been so long since I've done a tag so I was stoked when I saw that the lovely Caateryna tagged me in her post :)

Check out her answers here and while you're there take some time to look around, she's got some AMAZING nail art and one of my very favorites, her DIY Magnetic Palette! Your own homemade Z Palette for a lot less! Seriously, she rocks!

1. Blush or Bronzer? I'd have to say bronzer for sure!  In a pinch you can just use your bronzer to contour and blend up a bit and voila, blush!
2. Lipgloss or Lipstick? I used to be obsessed with lip gloss but over the last few years I am a total lipstick junkie.  I really can't even stand the feeling of gloss on my lips anymore, my hair just gets stuck to it! LOL
3. Chapstick or Lip Butter? Korres Lip Butter FTW!
4. Matte or Sparkle Eye Shadow? Well, I like a good mix of both but if I HAD to choose it would be matte!
5. Gel, Liquid, Cream, or Pencil Eyeliner? If I'm running late, pencil.  If I have time then I choose liquid. 
6. Foundation or Concealer? Foundation, with a good foundation I usually don't even need concealer, just a color-corrector depending on how my face looks that day. 
7. Liquid or Powder Foundation? Liquid for sure! I do use powder foundation to set the liquid though :) I've never been a fan of powder foundation on it's own. 
8. Neutral or Statement Eyes? Statement eyes 5 days a week, the other 2 days are usually neutral for me...so I guess I'd have to choose statement! Hehe
9. Pressed or Loose Shadows? Pressed, I only like loose when I'm doing something really artsy like fun designs. 
10. Waterproof or Non Water proof? Depends on what product...mascara = non.  Foundation = waterproof :)
11. Brushes, Sponges or Fingers? Brushes, with the exception of my Beauty Blender. 
12. Powder, Cream, or Liquid Highlighter? Powder on myself, liquid on my clients.

Thanks Cat for tagging me! I tag these beauties:

Vanity & Vodka

Glitter Gloss & Glaze

Makeup Junkie Nikki

FashionCHICsta

Geniabeme

The New Beauty Review

Gloss & Glitz

Lady Million

Your BFF

Until next time,

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Lucky Lucy Body Desserts

Yay! I'm here! I have felt so disconnected from all of my social media platforms! While I've been gone, I had the opportunity to try out some products from a new company, Lucky Lucy Body Desserts!

I had been speaking with Nicole back & forth a bit when she first started her facebook page, I loved the name & the fact that all of their products are handmade and natural really interested me.  Nicole sent me 3 yummy items to try out.  They came in the CUTEST package ever! Pink & black...two of the world's best colors, I posted a picture on Instagram the second I got it.

Two items came from their Hello Good Morning Collection, their apricot-sugar scrub & their organic body wash.  It is described as having bursts of citrus and traces of vanilla. One item came from there Lady E Collection.

 The Hello Good Morning body wash is made from organic sunflower oil, palm kernel, essential oils & other delightful treats. This lathered very well & left my skin super soft.  The best part to me was the smell...oh my gosh that smell! You get a hit of citrus followed by a super sweet ribbon of vanilla followed by a scent that can only be described as sugary sweet! I wanted to eat this stuff! All of it!

The Body Buffer Scrub is made with shea butter, apricots, grapeseed, sugar, spice & other things that are nice <---- seriously, how cute is that description?! This scrub was much thicker than most but not as abrasive which is nice.  Sometimes I'm not wanting to slough off the first 6 layers of my skin. This smells just like the body wash and left my skin glowing! I can't get over the amazing scent, I'm needing Nicole & Tara to start making candles, perfumes, air fresheners & fabric softeners in these scents please & thank you ;) After smelling them, you'll be begging for the same thing.

The last item I was sent comes from their Lady E Collection and it's their Body Souffle which is described as being made with goats milk, honey, almonds, various essential oils & other wonderful things.  This body souffle was perfect in texture, not too thick, not too thin, not too greasy, but just enough to keep my skin moisturized and feeling great.  The smell reminds me of sweet roses, I'm not a rose scented fan at all but they managed to make this so subtle you can't help but want to rub your whole body down with this yummy goodness.

 The packaging is very simple & my only complaint would have to be the labels which I feel that over time if left in the shower, will start to come off.  That's really not a big deal in my book, though.

These 3 items plus many more handmade organic/natural items will be available from Lucky Lucky Body Desserts starting October 31st! Be sure to follow them on Twitter & go like their Facebook page so you can stay up-to-date with them when they launch!

Until next time,

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Beauty Blogger Bunch

The featured company for The Beauty Blogger Bunch Fall 2012 Grand Prize Giveaway is The Balm.

I just joined the Beauty Blogger Bunch and signed up as a sponsor for the Fall 2012 Grand Prize Giveaway. The #bbloggerBunch was created to host huge quarterly beauty giveaways. It is free and open to all beauty or fashion bloggers since the motto is about promoting and encouraging each other, while meeting lots of new friends along the way.

This giveaway will accept entries from the general public but anyone who joins the #bbloggerBunch will be invited to be a part of all the giveaways in one of two ways, either as a beauty host (free) or as a sponsor ($30 +). There were over 4000 entries in the first Grand Prize Giveaway in just 2 weeks!! Beauty Hosts spots just opened up for the upcoming giveaway...but once again spots are limited.

To qualify as a beauty host you must be a beauty blogger that will be hosting a beauty giveaway during the same time frame as The Beauty Blogger Bunch giveaway (October 1st, 2012 - October 15th, 2012) and the value of your prize much be greater than $25. Your link will be published and displayed every time someone enters The Beauty Bunch Fall Giveaway...similar to a blog hop. Beauty giveaways are preferable, but fashion and jewelry giveaways are acceptable too.

BEAUTY HOST REQUIREMENTS:
• You must include the event in your giveaway post.
• The value of your giveaway must be at least $25. You can choose more than one winner or have multiple prizes.
• You must have an acceptable themed giveaway hosted by yourself on your blog. Although it's not required to use Rafflecopter for your giveaway it is recommended. It is easy and free!
• To gain more exposure to this event we kindly ask if you can post the button in your sidebar, promote the giveaway on your Google, Facebook, Twitter and other social media outlets. The more bloggers that see your link will only increase the exposure to the event, along with traffic to your giveaway.




SPONSORSHIP INFORMATION:
This is a huge opportunity to gain more exposure and increase traffic to your beauty or fashion blog. Being a sponsor also means your logo will be on the promotional material that is created for that giveaway. The promotional materials will be uploaded on many various social media sites, along with all the other sponsors and the beauty hosts. (*mentioned above)

SPONSORSHIP COST: Minimum $30 (sent via paypal)
• This price includes up to 3 links in the Rafflecopter application, your prize portion and to help cover the cost of shipping and handling.
We have 5 limited spaces for sponsors for each giveaway, so spots will fill up fast, but if spots are full we will put you on a waiting list for a future giveaway. If the response is phenomenal, more frequent giveaways will be offered.

SPONSORSHIP REQUIREMENTS:
• Sponsors must fill out the form linked below to apply and if approved must agree to send their sponsorship portion two weeks prior to the giveaway starting. We also ask that you submit your artwork (logo, picture, etc.) two weeks prior to the giveaway starting. We will not be responsible for a redesign on promotional material if you fail to meet the deadline.
• Sponsors can be individuals or companies.
• If you would like additional links (3 are included in sponsorship) added to the main Grand Prize Blogger Collaboration Giveaway rafflecopter app, each link will cost $2.

To sign up to be a sponsor for future giveaways, click here.

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August Starlooks Starbox!

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Update & Getting Back Into Shape...AGAIN

A while back I had created a post about me wanting to get back in shape...I was determined! Last time I had decided to get back to my old body it was so much easier, I just cut out sugars & watched my sodium & fat intake & the weight melted off...this time, not so much.  I've recently started working another job and sometimes burritos & corn dogs are my only lunch option (that's not true, I'm just usually too lazy to make myself lunch so I'm stuck with fast food options). I'm back to eating dinners very late at night and loading on carbs and sugar during the day.  I just can't seem to resist fast food & all the icky items I KNOW I shouldn't be putting in my body.  The pounds just keep on a'comin! It seems like every time I want to start my week off by eating right I have some excuse or reason of why I should just grab a TV dinner or order takeout.  I feel like I'm in such a weight-loss rut.  Making videos has become last on my priority list because 1. I can't seem to find time and 2. I feel so horrible about myself & weight that the last thing I want is to be putting myself out there.

I need to remind myself of this every day!
Since my last update/weight loss post in April, I've gained 5 pounds, now that may not seem like a lot to some people, but for me, it's meant not fitting into my favorite dress, pair of jeans and tops. There's nothing more upsetting than not fitting into your clothes. There's only so many excuses I can make, I've GOT to get back into shape and start living a healthier lifestyle.  I'm hoping to take you all along on this journey of getting back to the old me, yes it's embarrassing to put it all out there like this but I feel like it will help me stick to my goals.  What are some words of wisdom or advice you could give me?  What are your favorite low sugar/low fat snacks? If you're on MyFitnessPal please add me, I can use all the support I can get! It's always easier when you have your friends along for the ride.  Also, if you're on Pinterest let's follow each other! I'm always looking for new healthy recipes and snacks on there!

Until next time,

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July Starlooks Starbox - All Makeup Monthly Subscription Service!

Okay, let's face it...by now you all know how much I ADORE monthly subscription services!  Last month I reviewed my June Starlooks Starbox which can be seen by clicking here.  I thought that this would be one of those services where the first month is fabulous but the quality just goes down from there. Well, not with this company! This month is probably one of my favorites out of every sub service box I've ever recieved. I'm in LOOOVE!

Here's the box all nice and pretty :)

 All the goodies grouped together

Starlooks Shadow swatch in Gold Dust

This shadow is insanely smooth and highly pigmented.  This color makes a beautiful lid color as well as in the inner corner of the eye. 

 Starlooks Shadow packaging...it comes with an applicator and mirror inside. 

 Starlooks Blush swatch in Classy.  On lighter skin tones this would make a beautiful blush, for darker skin tones this makes an amazing highlighter!  I've also used this as an all over lid color as well as on my cheeks and it really warmed up my whole face.  The quality of this blush is very high quality. Super smooth!

Just like the shadow, their blush packaging comes with a mirror and brush for on-the-go touch ups!

 Starlooks Tendergloss Lipstick in Citron...this lip product is a lipgloss/lipstick hybrid.  I completely fell in love with the smooth, buttery texture the second I put it on my lips.  The color is out of this world!  It's a gorgeous coral/red with gold shimmer, you can really see the gold stand out in the swatch I've done.  I didn't experience and feathering or bleeding (yay!) This retails for $11 so that right there makes this box a superb deal!

Super cute compact with a regular and magnified mirror

My box also came with a quartz crystal! Unfortunately, I couldn't get the crystal to photograph well 

:( The quartz crystal is said to, "Attract energy, help maintain focus and is the ultimate symbol of beauty." Pretty cool little add-in, I've placed it on my nightstand :) 

I can't rave enough about this sub service.  It's an AMAZING deal for the products you recieve, I 150% recommend Starlooks Starbox if you're looking for an all-makeup monthly service.  This is also a great way to slowly build your makeup collection.  For $15 a month you get 3-4 full sized makeup items from the Starlooks store! 

I'm part of the Starlooks Starbox referral program, if you decide to sign up (awesome choice, btw) please use my YouTube/Blog user name mcubedmakeup in the referral box when checking out. 

You can sign up for your box by clicking here.

Until next time,

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Coastal Scents Creative Me #1

I've been seeing quite a few beauty vloggers & bloggers RAVING about this palette as well as Coastal Scents Hot Pots which they compare to MAC shadows. Hmm. Well, I must be the one & only person who thinks the opposite. I ordered mine from Amazon for $20.50 and it came the next day. Now I know that a lot of matte shadows are harder to work with and some do tend to be on the chalkier side but these are like nothing I've ever used before. 

 The colors look so bright and vivid in the pan! I was like a child on Christmas morning when I opened this up! Sadly, that's where my excitement ended.

 I had to swipe my finger across the shadow a minimum of 8-10 times just to get a bit of color to swatch. The colors were so chalky and applied insanely patchy. Here's the first row of colors. You can really see with the yellows how patchy the colors went on.

 The second row was just as bad. The third purple I had to swatch over and over again to get color to show up and it's still very faint. The 1st and 4th color in this row are the 2 colors that I can work with somewhat. Some do look bright in these swatches but the massive amount of product I had to pack on to get to that just makes it too much work.

 The 3rd row would have to be the worst out of the palette, some of the pinks/purple can be worked with but these were just not going to happen.  I had to repeatedly apply color and when I would swipe the color on my hand it would disappear and fade out.  You can see how faint the colors went on and I really packed these babies on!

I am so disappointed in this product, I really thought from all the reviews that this would soon be my go-to bright colored palette but I honestly can't see myself ever using this.  I had an online cart full of the Hot Pots to purchase but I just don't see that happening any more.  

Have any of you beauties tried this palette or any others from Coastal Scents?

Until next time,

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Influenster Summer Beauty VoxBox

I LOVE LOVE LOVE Influenster! I think it is such an amazing program! A few months ago I received a VoxBox and discovered some really awesome brands/products I would've never tried! For those of you not familiar with Influenster, it is a free program that you sign up for and if you're chosen, they send you a box of goodies to try out for free! I loved this VoxBox! A few of the items I received are products I've had my eye on for a while :) 

First up, Quaker Banana Nut Bread Soft Baked Bars. I literally grabbed this out of my box and shoved it in my mouth...and then I remembered I wanted to take pics for my blog...fail. Well, this turned out to be such a delicious treat that I went out that same day to buy a box! I purchased another flavor as well. I stick them in the microwave & have been enjoying them in the morning. They have 6g of protein, high in fiber & low in sugar! Winning! These retail for $3.29 a box

Sally Hansen Magnetic Nail Color in Ionic Indigo.  I wasn't too excited about this color, I'm more of a pink & purple girl.  This retails for $9.99 which I do think is pretty expensive for a drug store nail polish.  I haven't had a chance to try this out yet, I will update when I do.  

 Tampax & Always Radiant Collection.  I was surprised when I saw this in my box, since Influenster is a program where you are supposed to use social media to talk about the products, I thought that was strange because some people may not be comfortable blogging or talking about feminine care products. I personally don't mind but I'm pretty set in the products I use.  The bag it came with is adorable! I will definitely be using it.

 Inside are "womanly" goodies.

 Hawaiian Tropic Silk Hydration Lotion with SPF 30.  I kept seeing this in the store and really wanted to get it but I just have so much lotion, I couldn't justify it.  I really like this because of the SPF, it comes in SPF 12, 30 & 50.  I'd probably pick up the 50 when I buy the full size. The scent is super tropical and the formula is very moisturizing. This retails for $8.99 for a 6oz bottle. I will be re-purchasing.

Sally Hansen Nails & Cuticles Hand Creme was one of the products (along with the Tampax/Always bag) I pushed to the side at first.  I remembered seeing this product in my local Big Lots one day and trying it out in the store.  When I got around to testing this out the other day, I felt it really didn't wow me.  Just a basic hand moisturizer.  I didn't really notice too much difference with my icky cuticles.  This retails for $5.99, I won't be repurchasing.

 2nd most exciting item for me! Clear Scalp & Hair Beauty Therapy. I've seen the commercial with Heidi Klum advertising this about a bazillion times so I've really wanted to try this.  I am going on a mini vacation in a bit so I will be taking these with me for the trip! I did open them and smell them and they smelt very clean, not too "perfumey" which is great. I will update when I try them out :)

Sign up with Influenster by clicking here.

Until next time,

*I received these products for free for testing purposes, these opinions are my own*

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Ruddy Water - Blushed Roller Ball & Pouch

One day when I was strolling around my feed on Twitter, I came across a tweet about Ruddy Water, the name was intriguing so I decided to follow and see what it was all about.  Turns out Ruddy Water was created by Elizabeth Noe because she was searching for fragrance towelettes but came up empty handed.  She did what any person does when they can't find an item, they create their own! ;) 

Her Blushed scent is described as: notes of bright red currant and rich vanilla, wrapped around subtle sweet lemon, slightly spicy ginger, and kissed with a hint of sugar. Ok, that seriously sounds like 5 of the worlds best scents smushed together for a yummy party! Well, it definitely is.  Upon smelling my first Blushed Pouch that I received in my Beauty Army box, I was in complete love.  I got chills smelling it, literally! It's one of the most comforting, sexy, sweet, delicious scents my nostrils have come into contact with.  My husband definitely agrees! "Okay okay, so the scent is amazing but what about the lasting power," you ask. Well, that my friends is just as fabulous! I put on the towelette on my wrists, neck, behind my ears & the inside of my elbow and throughout the day I was receiving compliments! When I came home that evening I could still smell it! 

I love the concept because when I travel I really dislike having to bring a glass perfume bottle with me, having your glass bottle burst in your suitcase all over your clothes is not a fun time. Not at all. I'm able to use 1 pouch for 2 days so the portability is fantastic!  A large glass bottle of perfume is one less item I have to worry about now! These little pouches fit anywhere. 

You can purchase a 24 pack of towelettes for $22.00 by going to her website here.

Next up is the same signature Blushed fragrance but in a rollerball.  Now I'm not usually a rollerball fan because sometimes I like to spray my clothes.  This little glass vial of wonderful has converted me! The packaging itself is beautiful, the glass bottle is hand etched! Seriously! I'm a sucker for packaging and that just blew me away. Each rollerball is hand filled upon each order! No stale perfume here, folks!  

 You can purchase your own Blushed Rollerball for $16.50 clicking here.  Also on the Ruddy Water site is the Blushed Blooming Mist which is next on my list.  I can only imagine how amazing my linens will smell after I get my hands on one! Mmmm :)

Check out Ruddy Water on Facebook & Twitter!

Until next time,
 

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$300 Summer Beauty Collab Giveaway!

Welcome to the first Summer Beauty Giveaway Event.

Each participating blog is offering a prize worth at least $25 all about beauty!

Make sure to hop around and enter all the giveaways listed. Have fun!


Be sure to enter the $300 grand prize hosted by Glamorousmama, Brunette Mafia,Mcubedmakeup, Ashleyelizabeth,  and Beauty101blog 

*Giveaway will start July 15th and will run till July 29th. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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