Reviews

September Boxycharm Review

September 17, 2019 itsamandaburnett 2 Comments

Another month, another BoxyCharm review!

At the beginning of each month, I’m always checking Boxycharm’s Instagram to see sneak peeks of what they’re offering each month! Septembers Boxycharm is a good one! This month’s theme is All Access. All Access makes you think of events, right? So whatever they were adding to the boxes, they had to be things that would be great for events or parties. That’s especially exciting since the holidays are right around the corner!

Before I get into my products, I wanted to let you guys know that I’m posting to YouTube again and I made a video reviewing what I got! I also created a makeup look using these products.

Products In My September Box

Tarte | Clay Play Face Shaping Palette ($45)

First Impression: This is the first product that I pulled out of the box and I was automatically excited because Tarte is one of my favorite brands. This palette contains 12 Amazonian clay powdered shades including three bronzers. The shades are gorgeous!

Review: When I opened the palette up, I was in love. I love neutral colors in general, but it’s fall now so it’s time to start creating the best smokey eyes! The eyeshadows are also smooth and silky. Before this palette, I only had one bronzer that I liked using but it still wasn’t the best. This palette gives me three! They’re all so beautiful on the skin too.

Dr Brandt | Hydro Biotic Recovery Sleeping Mask ($52)

First Impression: The sleeping mask claims to reduce redness, irritation, and locks in moisture overnight. As a girl who deals with very dry and irritated skin, I was super happy to see that I received this! I’ve also heard great things about this brand in general so that was a plus in my book.

Review: The texture of this mask is very silky and almost water-like when you apply it to your face. I put a dime size on my fingers and worked it into my skin. When I woke up the next morning, my skin looked healthy and felt hydrated!

Moda | 5 pc Brush Set ($27.95)

First Impression: Getting more brushes to add to my brush collection is never a problem! I was excited to see that I got this along with the Tarte palette I got as well. I knew I was going to have fun pairing them both and creating a fun eye look!

Review: I automatically had to take them out of the package and feel the bristles – so soft! I think the part that I really love is how the handles are textured for a nice grip and they’re labeled! Since I’ve been applying eyeshadow for a few years now, I know what certain brushes are for but this would have been a lifesaver when I was first getting serious about makeup. When applying my eyeshadow, the brushes blended everything beautifully!

Hank & Henry | Blickity Black Eye Liner ($20)

First Impression: I’m running out of eyeliner all the time so I’m so thankful to get this in my box! This eyeliner is vegan and claims to dry into a satin/matte finish. It also says its ‘extremely’ long-wearing and transfer-resistant. Yes, please!

Review: To be honest, I’m completely blown away by this eyeliner! It’s the best I’ve used in years. The tip is perfectly long and the amount of product that comes out is amazing. I barely even had to press it against my eyelid for the rich black pigment to glide across! I will hands-down purchase this again after it runs out.

Billion Dollar Brow | The Microblade Effect Brow Pen ($18)

First Impression: Now this product, I think I squealed a bit over because I’ve been needing a good brow product. It’s supposed to mimic the look of actual brow hairs for a more natural look. The brow product I’ve been using is nice but it creates more of a dramatic look. This brow pen also claims to be long-lasting!

Review: Sadly, I wasn’t too impressed with this product. I had high hopes for it and I loved the idea. Although, not a lot of product came out of it. It almost felt like it was dried out so maybe it was just a dud! When I was able to get some product come out of it though, the result was beautiful!

What’s It Worth?

Amazing products, right? Now let’s add it all up and see how much everything in the box is worth.

162.95!

Wow. For only paying $21 for the whole box this month, I basically got $141 of products for free! That’s insane. If you like getting a bang for your buck, Boxycharm is where it’s at. If you’re interested in trying Boxycharm, click here!

I hope you enjoyed this post as much as I loved making it! Remember, there will be a video up on my YouTube channel if you like watching reviews and seeing how I created a subtle fall look with these products.

My First Boxycharm | June Review

July 15, 2019 itsamandaburnett 5 Comments

For years, I’ve been receiving Ipsy bags and writing my reviews for those. On the 25th of June, I made the decision to pause Ipsy and try something new. I was tired of only getting samples and my Ipsy bag stash has been piling up. I’ve been seeing people loving Boxycharm so I thought, why not? For $20/month you supposedly get 5 full-sized products worth over $100. That sounded too good to be true so I needed some proof, you know?

The Day It Arrived

I’ll be honest, I was so excited to get this package that I was clicking that tracking link every morning to see where my package was. The morning that I clicked it and it said my package was in transit to my house, I was doing a little dance around my living room. Yes, makeup makes me that happy. Don’t judge me. But that excitement only grew when I saw that black box sitting in my mailbox.

What’s In The Box

The Products

Tarte – Be You. Naturally. Eyeshadow Palette

When it comes to eye shadow, I like to keep it natural and smoke it out a bit. Seeing the colors, I knew this was going to be one of my favorite palettes! There are 4 shimmer shades and 4 matte shades. Every shade is packed with great pigment, blends well, and creates a beautiful look.

The listing price is $36. This one product covers what you pay for this whole box plus some!

Steve Laurant Jelly Highlighter in Cotton Candy

If you’ve seen any of my Ipsy bag reviews, you already know how excited I get about highlighters! Out of all the highlighters I’ve collected over the years, I don’t own a jelly highlighter so I was proud to say this one is different from the rest. When I swatched it on my hand, I gasped. The texture is SO silky. I barely waited a whole minute before I went to go tap a little bit on my cheekbones and I’m obsessed. I would choose this over any powder highlight I have. It blends in so well and looks stunning. Literally.

The listing price for this item is $26.

Dominique Cosmetics Lemonade Lip Gloss in Peach Tea

My lip gloss is cool, my lip gloss be poppin’! As I mentioned above, I often go for a natural makeup look. This light pink lipgloss is absolutely perfect for a natural look. It’s a lightweight formula that’s not sticky! It smells kind of like chocolate and is very hydrating.

The listing price for this lipstick is $17.

Touch In Sol – No Poreblem Prime Essence

Primers never used to be my thing but I love when I get a good one that really makes a difference. The first thing I noticed was the packaging. I really love the applicator. The product itself is on the watery side and a little bit goes a long way. This claims to tighten pores and create a silky smooth canvas for your makeup. I’ve tried this a couple of times and this definitely makes my makeup look better!

The listing price for this item is $23.

Haruharu Wonder Maqui Berry Anti-oxidant Mask

I’m not usually a fan of sheet masks. The process of pulling them out of the package, them dripping everywhere when you’re trying to unfold it, then the task of correctly placing it on your face just isn’t very relaxing to me. The con of this product was all of that. Once I got it placed on my face, I let it sit for 20 minutes. It had a very light fruity scent. After the 20 minutes, I pulled the mask off and my skin definitely looked more radiant! I would do this mask again so I guess it’s a good thing it came in a pack of three!

The listing price for the three masks is $9

My Final Thoughts

For this being my very first Boxycharm ever, I’m very impressed! For a girl whos been receiving 5 samples every month for the past few years, I’m so excited about having the chance to get 5 full sized products for only $21 a month for a value of over $100! I’m obsessed with makeup and trying new products so I don’t think I could ever get tired of this subscription. Especially because I’m also obsessed with good deals.

So, let’s talk about the value of this box specifically. I added up all the prices of each product and it came out to $111!

Now let’s do some math. 111 – 21 = 90.

I got $90 worth of products for free. I don’t know about you but that just blows my mind!

Are you interested in trying Boxycharm? Check it out here!

Thank you so much for reading this review! I appreciate you lots. ♡

Tanologist Self Tan Water | Review

June 17, 2019 itsamandaburnett 3 Comments

Welcome back to my blog!

I’ll admit, I feel more confident when I’m tan. Although, here in Washington it’s dark and gloomy most months out of the year so having a natural suntan doesn’t come easy. Self-tan products have been popping up all over my social media for quite some time now. I’ve noticed that a lot of self-tanners cost a pretty penny and I’m not one to splurge on products easily. Frugal Amanda over here!

Caught My Eye

Last week, my mom and I were at Target and actually only getting things that we needed. Seriously shocking. I should have known better though because as we were walking towards the check out lines, we walked by the beauty section. I may have frugal habits but that isle never ceases to steal my money! Walking quickly by thinking about the money I need to be saving should have worked but, of course, I spotted a display of Tanologist products and I was immediately intrigued.

First of all, water that creates a tan? I need to try it to believe it. The packaging was super cute and best of all, the price was great compared to other self-tan products out there! $16.99? Yup, that I grabbed that and didn’t think twice.

There are three shades: light, medium, and dark. You’re supposed to choose your skin tone which I would be light. But my mom wanted to use it too and she’s darker than me so we settled on medium. I knew that results on me would most likely be a little bit more dramatic but I didn’t care.

My Thoughts – Pro’s & Con’s

When we got back from Target, we immediately pulled that bad boy out of the bag. We were planning on going to the park after so we thought, let’s apply it now then we can shower when we get back. Also, let me note that Target doesn’t carry tanning mitts and since I don’t self-tan often, I didn’t have one. What could go wrong with using your hands? (If you follow me on Twitter, you already know.) Let me just say, please don’t use your hands.

Pros:

It smells amazing and not like most self-tanners! When I looked at the ingredients, I did see it contains fragrance. I have sensitive skin, but this didn’t irritate me at all. It also contains lots of skin-loving ingredients such as vitamins and fruit extracts!
Easy application. It comes in a spray bottle so all you have to do is mist it all over and rub it in.
Dries quickly and leaves no sticky residue!
The color ends up being beautiful and natural. I absolutely love the color my tan turned out to be! It was a bit dark because like I said, I got the medium shade so my mom could use it too and it still looked great!
Great to use on your face! Never broke me out.
Lasts at least a week! It’s week two and I just scrubbed the last of the tan off today. I’m impressed with how well this held up.

Cons:

My biggest con to this is that it’s a clear formula (water’s clear so I guess that was a no brainer) but it’s hard to tell where exactly you’ve applied it well and where you haven’t.
No tanning mitt included! This is an easy fix because you can find them pretty much anywhere else. Although, I wasn’t very smart because I applied this with my hands and since it’s a clear formula, I didn’t think about how it would stain them. I’ve only used self-tanners with color guides.
Tip: Wash your hands (if you’re not using a mitt) after application. Then take a makeup brush and apply the self-tanner to the tops of your hands for an even finish!

Results

So if you’re looking for an affordable self-tanner that is beautiful, natural, and can be found at Target, this is for you! I definitely recommend this product.

My May Ipsy Bag | A Full Review

May 22, 2019 itsamandaburnett 5 Comments

Welcome back to my blog! This week has been crazy. I was hoping to have this post up last week but long story short, my computer was stolen. I will most likely make a YouTube video better explaining everything that happened. I’m just happy to be blogging again. Now let’s look at this month’s Ipsy bag!

On May 11th, I opened my mailbox to reveal my favorite pink package from Ipsy. This was more exciting than usual because it was a day before my birthday so it kind of felt like a birthday present!

The Bag:

Glitter heaven! This bag is my favorite bag I’ve received so far! I’m obsessed with all things sparkly so this bag is a dream. I usually put my collection of Ipsy bags under the sink for when I need a travel bag but this is way too pretty to just put aside. This will be sitting pretty on my counter full of my everyday products!

The 5 Products:

Nature Cartel Multi-Purpose Stick in GlowBal Awakening

When I first tried this product, I wasn’t too impressed. It’s a very subtle highlight with not too much pigment and I guess I was hoping for it to be more dramatic. If you’re wanting a subtle highlight, it is actually pretty. I also thought the tone would be pink because the product itself looks pink. Surprisingly, it’s a golden tone!

Alterna Haircare Bond Repair Leave-In Hair Protection Spray

I explained in my previous hair blog post that I don’t like to use heat on my hair so I thought I wouldn’t have a use for this product. Although, it’s getting warmer outside which could dry out our hair so I spray this when I’m going to be outside for long periods of time. It smells so good and makes my hair feel soft! It’s also vitamin-enriched so you can feel good about spraying this all over.

F.A.R.A.H Brush in 22E Shade & Blend

Brushes are always good to have and I’m loving the double ended brushes! As you can tell, I’ve been using this brush a lot already! I always end up packing these when I’m going on a trip. Two brushes in one – very convenient! The bristles are extremely soft and apply product beautifully.

Pixi by Petra H20 Skindrink

When I saw this product in my bag, I squealed. I absolutely love Pixi beauty, I even made a blog post about my Pixi collection. I’ve heard great things about this H20 Skindrink so I applied it and was pretty impressed! This contains aloe vera, green tea, and rosemary extract. It smells amazing and it made my face so smooth and soft. It felt truly hydrated! I can’t wait to order the full sized.

INMO Velveteen Dream Eyeshadow in Super Bass

I’ve been wearing this eyeshadow almost every day since I opened it up! It’s such a pretty sheer pink. It’s great for everyday wear. The texture is very silky and stays on the lids without creasing.

That’s my May Ipsy bag review! Overall, I’m very happy with everything that I got in my bag this month. Especially the bag itself! Again, I’m sorry this post is up so late. Things are starting to fall back into place. Thank you for your patience!

If you’re interested in getting Ipsy, I have a referral link just for you! Check it out.