Ipsy September Subscription

Ipsy's theme this month is Street Style.  I think it's funny that they even try to come up with a theme each month.  I'm not really sure why they bother.  I think that people would still subscribe even if there weren't the assigned theme.  Sometimes I don't even know how the items relate to the theme.  This month is a good example of this.

I will say that the best thing in this box is the Briogeo Don't Despair Repair hair mask.  I haven't used products like this before, but I did enjoy this.  It left my hair feeling really soft and still looking clean.  Often times I skip conditioners because they end up making my hair look greasier after using them.  I haven't even opened the Pacifica eye pencil yet.  I got a really go eye shadow from Pacifica earlier this year.  I rated the brand highly on my Ipsy account, and now I seem to get things all the time from them.  I updated this brand to "just OK" with the hopes of getting some new brands in future months.  A truely new item for me this month was the Nourish Organic face wash.  I like how it works, but I don't think I'll switch brands.

 

Another brand that I down rated on my style profile is Be a Bombshell... I have liked a lot of their things, but it's time for a shake-up.  The highlighter from them this month is the first thing that I've gotten that I have been quite uphappy with.  It doesn't really show up on my skin, apparently I'm too pasty or something.  The lipstick by Hikari is a bright pink/red.  This is the only thing I could equate to "street style" just because it reminded me a little of stop sign red if you squint at it and don't know what color a stop sign really is.  The lipstick is high quality and lasts well all snarkyness aside.  

So, is it worth it...  Ipsy ends up being $10 a month.  This is a subscription that relies heavily on you reviewing the products.  I think this month had some misses, but I feel like Ipsy usually redeems itself with a few products that genuinely impress me.  This one is still worth it in my book.

Rockettes Fancy Box

There is another new Fancy Box in town and this one is curated by the Rockettes.  I'm not really sure who selects the items since they are a rather large dance group.  I do know that when I saw that they were going to have a subscription box, I knew this one was going to be interesting.

I feel like this is a true dancers collection.  All the way down to the tote bag to take your belongings to and from rehearsal.  I do really like the saying on this bag.  I also like how the lettering is staggered to reuse some of the letters in multiple words as well.  I know that I won't use the speaker because I have gotten various Bluetooth speakers from other boxes and not used them.  I have a really nice speaker setup, so this will be passed along to someone else.

What really made it feel like a dancing box was the leg warmers.  I will reveal my secret shame and say that when I opened the box I emitted a small noise showing my glee.  I have always wanted a pair, I know I'm sick and wrong.  I feel like this totally made this box worth it for me.  The hair ties by Twistband were also much appreciated.  I have recently started using this style of head band and have really liked them.

One thing that is disappointing about this box is that it is the same price as other celebrity curated boxes by Fancy and yet there were only four items.  Typically boxes from these celebrity collections have five or more items in them.  I'm hoping that next month will have more items.

So, was it worth it...I'm going to say that I'm on the fence.  The box is $39 plus shipping and handling.  The items in the box are worth nearly $90.  Most of the value, $40, comes from the Bluetooth speaker.  Hopefully next month this Fancy Box will have me feeling more connected either for or against this subscription.

Julep September Box

This month Julep went with the theme of Art Walk.  I'm not really sure what that is supposed to mean...  Apparently it means the start of fall, as there were no bright colors to bring this box together.

When Julep gets ready to send your order to you, they open your monthly box online and let you see what you will be getting.  I'm glad I did this because one of the colors in my shipment was a blecky maroon color.  I ended up trading it out for a teal color.  I was happy with the gray color that was an original pick by Julep.  The beauty product this month was their new Plush Pout.  It is a lipstick with a lip balm center.  Interesting concept, weird texture when you try it though.  It has done what it has claimed thus far, but I feel like as time goes on, how does one ensure that there will be equal distribution of both the color and the balm?  Apparently science will save the day with that one.

When you get to revamp your box, they also finagle you into selecting mystery items for a small fee per item.  I got suckered in by selecting three mystery polishes.  After I did that, I was told that if I bought another nail polish I would get two more surprise items.  I fell for it and got the fourth.  It was hit of miss on the mystery polishes.  I got a metallic black which I really like.  Then I got a weird khaki.  The third was a satin finish teal.  This color would have been great if a glossy teal had not been included in my subscription already.  The fourth, selected by me, has yet to be tried.  I really like that it's supposed to look like a spray paint layer over a color base coat.  I'm looking forward to trying it.

 

The two mystery items were a skin repair serum and a hand and cuticle balm.  Both seem like smart choices with colder months headed my way. I have already used the skin repair serum.   It has yielded excellent results.  I would suggest this to anyone that has tricky dry patches of skin that lotion can't keep up with.  I'll have to wait and see how the balm does this winter.  My hands great really cracked during the winter because I work outdoors in subzero weather.  I'm hoping this will help.

So,was it worth it...I'd say that this month's box had great colors for the polish and the lip stick is an interesting adventure.  I'm going to say that the additional items aren't really worth the money when it comes to "mystery."  I'm going to avoid temptation in the future because the colors weren't worth it.  Getting all of the mystery polishes added $36.96 to my order.  I could have purchased the sole spray paint polish for $5 and gotten something I would for sure use.  The monthly fee for Julep is about $23 with shipping.  I think I'm going to give Julep one more month and see what happens.

August Culinary Box by Fancy

When the Tyler Florence box disappeared from Fancy I wasn't overly surprised.  I was excited when they decided to add a Culinary Box to their line-up.  I decided to subscribe and see where this food box takes me.  I'm hoping that it will do a lot better than their last attempt at a food box did.  This is officially the August box, but mine arrived at the start of September.

Right off the bat I'm noticing some distinct similarities between this subscription box and the one that was curated by Tyler Florence.  There was a cheese plane included by the company Ar+Cook.  I have gotten a lot of products from this company in the short time I have subscribed to Fancy.  I have always been happy with them, and actually really like this one. I must admit I also like the melon slicer set too.  I haven't seen a set that interlocks like this, and that makes it really drawer friendly.  There is also another dang-blasted wooded serving tray.  These are a pain in the patoot.  They are always small to fit in the confines of the shipping box from Fancy.  I have yet to find a use for one I've received, and I've gotten quite a few of them now.

There were also two different glass items in this month.  I'm always impressed with Fancy's minimal packaging that still allows the glassware to make it to us without incident. I know that I will use the four glasses.  The insert from Fancy talked about how they could be used for a variety of ways beyond just drink glasses.  There were some neat ideas, and some that I hadn't thought of before.  They kept talking about different desserts and salads that could be served in them.  I wish there were some recipes to go with all these great suggestions.  The Oggi Cruet is a new one for me.  I don't really see myself using this very often, if at all.  I don't usually have both olive oil and balsamic vinegar on the table.  Hence I don't know if I need a special container that can serve both.

So, was it worth it... This box comes to my door for $46.95, when you add in the price of shipping.  There were some for sure hits and only two misses.  Not bad considering how poorly the items were in my last food box form Fancy.  Let's talk value: the box ends up totaling right around $90.  I have a feeling that this box could become another box of random gadgets, but we'll have to see what comes next month.  At this point, I'm going to keep them coming.

August/September New Beauty TestTube

This month New Beauty TestTube included a note saying that they had too much fun to fit it all in the tube, but not to worry because the tube would be back in their next shipment.  I'm glad this will be back if it means no more weird boxes.  You'll see what I mean in just a little bit.

That big awkward box from Equitance is a skin brightening kit.  While it sounds like it could be a good idea because there are six different items included to meet whatever skin needs you might have, there are just small samples of them. 

They are tiny samples and you may not see the results before you use all of the treatments up.  Some of them are even pills to help from the inside out.  The only thing that stinks about this is if a person found these pills were starting to work, there isn't even enough included for a full week.  The same can be said for all the lotions. 

This was a perplexing group of products.  Apparently it's a thing to spray water on your face.  It is also apparently a thing to buy water that is considered Thermal Spring Water.  I had to look up what this meant.  I found out that it is rain water that travels through a mountain for 40 years making it perfect for curing this and thats.  I feel so out of the loop, or not.  The directions are funny because it tells you to spray it on and then wipe it off after three minutes.  Does that mean it will be too soothing if you leave it on for too long?  I was also confused by the Aha cream.  What the heck does that mean?  Apparently it means Alpha Hydroxy Cream.  It is supposed to smooth and brighten dull skin.  This box seems to really want me to glow once I have committed to all the products.

Curse you foil packets!  Companies should just stop making these.  I feel like if I met someone that said that they always tried foil packets when they received them, I would end the friendship.  The YBF primer works fine.  I just don't really care for face primers.  I gave this one a shot and didn't really see a need for it.  I apparently am fortunate to not need a primer at this point in my life, or don't seem to understand their greatness.

I was also surprised by this assortment because not all of the items featured in the magazine this month were in my box.  I also had items included in my box that were not included in the product magazine.  Interestingly enough what I got in place of the featured items actually had a higher value, so that's a win.

So, was it worth it...Each tube is $38.90 with shipping.  This month was more misses than hits.  The lotion I got from Memoire Liquide has a value of $24.  And, if you combine it with the values of the other items in the box then you do surpass the price tag.  There is a risk of not getting your money's worth if you don't like the items in a subscription box.  This month my money was not deemed worth it.

August Glossy Box

Glossy Box ended up being sent out late this month.  It didn't come until end of the first week in September.  If they sent a note about this through email, I missed it or didn't get it.  It was their three year anniversary.  So, they ended up wrapping everything up in some fancy packaging.

By fancy packaging, I mean a larger explanation of products and a large sticker with the number 3 on it.  I'm blown away by all the festivity...  I'm hoping these weren't any of the reasons for sending the box out late.  I'm guessing it had something to do with the Glossy Box exclusive.

In honor of Glossy Box's birthday, they worked with Kryolan to make a special highlighter.  It goes on well, and I am impressed with the quality of the product.  I hadn't heard of this brand before, but maybe it's one the rest of the world knows and loves.  I did some research and ended up finding out that they also make palates for stage make-up.  I must admit that after doing a Google search for Kryolan, it is a little off-putting when the first thing that comes up is a palate containing primary colors that look rather greasy based on the fact that the flash reflected off the make-up when they took the picture.

 

I'm a little over getting shampoo and conditioners in my subscription boxes.  I am picky with my haircare products, and I seem to keep being bombarded by them.  At least the nail polish makes up for the shampoo and conditioner. They sent out a variety of colors.  Some people would be unhappy with blue, but I really like it.  I have yet to use it, but I think I'm going to really like it!  Ipsy spoiled me a few months ago by introducing me to Urban Decay's eyeliner.  I don't even know if I will try the one included by Eyeko because I have had such success with the one from Ipsy.  I'm also not sure if I will use the firming day cream from Eslor.  I don't really use these kinds of products and will probably end up passing it on to someone else.  I feel like I will need to do a giveaway at the end of the year that has all the items that just weren't for me.

So, was it worth it...Glossy Box ends up being around $21 a month.  The total value for the box when we break down prices by ounces for each of the products ends up being $71.28.  When I look at the value of the items I'm glad I got, the nail polish and highlighter, I ended up with a value of $30.  That still surpasses the price of the box.  So, Yep!  It's worth it.