November Favorites!

Happy December!

I know I'm really late on this, it's already December 3rd. Can you believe it? 22 more days until Christmas! I'm almost done Christmas shopping, all I have left are gifts for the men in the family. (: I hope Christmas shopping has gone well for all of you out there, especially with Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals all throughout the week! Let's hope your wallets are hurting as much as mine right now. Ha ha. On a better note, I'll be revisiting all the sample bags from this month and giving you the details on which item I loved most. This is going to be such a painful process because I'm pretty sure I loved them all. Ha ha. Let's start from the beginning of the month!

Sephora Festive Cherry

I loved this bag! Not included in this box is the brush cleaner, the Anastasia brow powder duo, and the sample packets, excluding the Tresor. Item details:

• Anastasia Beverly Hills Lash Genius Waterproof Topcoat
• Ren Hydra-Calm Cleansing Milk
• Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion Anti-Aging
• Lancome Tresor Eau de Parfum
• Smashbox Full Exposure Mascara
• Ojon Color Sustain PRO Fade-Fighter Weekly Conditioning Treatment
• Kat Von D Painted Love Lipstick in Celebutard
• Smashbox Camera Ready CC Cream Broad Spectrum SPF 30 Dark Spot Correcting

Trying to decide my favorite item from this bag is so difficult. I loved the Smashbox mascara (Review coming soon), because it's so nice and fluffy. Ha ha. But I think the winner is the Kat Von D Painted Love Lipstick in Celebutard. It's such a lovely nude with a pink tint to it. I always have trouble finding a perfect nude, as they seem to always be too light. But this one was a real winner. I plan on purchasing it after I run out of my sample product. 

Net-A-Porter Glossybox

This was such a fabulous box. Truly luxurious products. Many of these brands I never heard of, then all of a sudden I was seeing them everywhere. Gorgeous packaging and awesome products. This box is still available at Net-A-Porter's website, if you would like to purchase it. Included:

• Joya Ames Soeurs Roll-On Parfum, 0.5ml at $1.40
• Kevyn Aucoin Eyeshadow Duo in #206, FULL SIZE $42.00
•  RGB Cuticle Oil, FULL SIZE .40 fl oz at $20.00
• Klorane Gentle Dry Shampoo, 50ml at $6.00
• Avene Thermal Spring Water Spray, 1.76oz/50ml at $9.00
• Natura Bisse Diamond White SPF 50 PA+++ Oil Free, 0.3oz at $30.00
• Ellis Faas Mascara, FULL SIZE at $34.00
• Philip B Oud Royal Gravity-Defying Gel, 0.5floz/15ml at $2.40 

And again, choosing a favorite product is hard. I love, love, love the Ellis Faas Mascara and the Kevyn Aucoin duo. I actually purchased a Kevyon Aucoin lipstick when it was on Hautelook (for $10!). Ha ha. I was so happy. The verdict: Ellis Faas Mascara. Though I love the duo, I definitely use the mascara more often. The tube does feel a bit cheap and plastic, but the formula is amazing and so smooth and creamy. I haven't experienced any clumping at all with this mascara. It does a great job at lengthening and thickening your eyelashes. (: 

BeautyBar's Sample Society

This was my very first Sample Society box. I was so excited to receive it and when I did, it smelled wonderful (thanks to the candle)! I expressed my disappointment in receiving the candle, mostly because we can't light candles in our on-campus apartments. I know, right? But the smell is still so amazing and I can't wait to use it for the holidays when I go back home.  Included in this box:

• Jane Iredale Lip Drink Lip Balm, estimated amount: .5floz at ~$2
• Borghese Splendore Brightening Makeup, FULL SIZE at $29.50 ($30 on their website)
• Annick Goutal Eau d'Hadrien Eau de Toilette, .06floz/1.75ml at $2.75
• Murad Hydro-Dynamic Ultimate Moisture, 0.25floz/75ml at $9.56
• Illume Balsam & Cedar Metallic Tin Candle, 30g/1oz at ~$3

I have yet to use the fragrance, mostly because I have a new-found favorite (Bvlgari au the vert, thanks to Glossybox!), but also due to the fact that I have so many sample fragrances, I can't seem to use them all! Ha ha. I'll get around to it eventually. I will address the lip balm, mostly because it was something that did not work for me, perhaps for others. My favorite product from this box was the Borghese Splendore Brightening Make-up. It does such a wonderful job at highlighting your features. I don't mix it in with my foundation because it is way too shimmery for that, but perfect as a highlighter. The shimmer gives you a very nice, dewy look. It pretty much makes you look dreamy and makes you feel fabulous. 

Birchbox

I was very thrilled with this Birchbox, mostly because I have had those Chuao chocolates in my Birchbox shopping cart for FOREVERRR. Ha ha. And I finally received one in my box. I ate it as soon as I saw it. Trust me, it was so yummy. I love dark chocolate, plus the honey comb. Delicious! But let's stop dreaming about chocolate. Here's what's included:

• BeeKind Body Lotion, 30ml for $1.87
• Chella Ivory Lace Highlighter Pencil, FULL SIZE for $18
• Color Club Nail Polish in Dark'n Stormy, 7ml/0.25floz for $4
• Paula's Choice Resist BHA 9 for Stubborn Imperfections, 0.03floz/0.83ml for $10 (Currently on sale on their website for $5)
• Chuao Chocolate in Honeycomb, 0.39oz/11g for $0.83, or if you get the 8 pack one would be $1.25

I was very surprised (but I also expected), because I received the Chella highlighter, which I already have from my Ipsy bag from a previous month. It's a great product but something that will and may take me forever to finish using, so it will be something I gift. The chocolate was definitely a great product, but as far as beauty products go, I really liked the Paula's Choice Resist BHA 9. I used it very sparingly and applied only enough to cover my face. In doing so, I was able to use it for about 4 or 5 nights. It may have just been a placebo effect, but I felt like my skin looked much nicer, dewier, and my skin tone looked more even. I noticed a pimple trying to sprout, applied it at night, and the next morning the pimple was practically gone. I may just have to purchase this product, though it is very expensive. Ha ha.

Glossybox

Oh Romance~ I feel like one of the objectives of this box was a smokey eye and fluffy hair. I love how Glossybox included a make-up tool in this box, and in many of their other boxes. I feel like not very many beauty subscription boxes do that, but I have already experienced a lot of that from Glossybox, which I really appreciate. Here's what the box contains:

• Emite Micronized Eyeshadow in Damson Black, FULL SIZE $27.00
• Jelly Pong Pong 2-in-1 Eyeliner&Shadow, FULL SIZE $17.00
• Mastey Color Protection Color Protecting Leave-in Oil Treament, FULL SIZE $25.00
• Nicka K NY Professional Angled Shadow Brush, FULL SIZE $5.00
• The Aloe Source Jojoba Radiance Cleansing Polish, 1oz $4.50

Just as an update, I use all of these products except for the Jelly Pong Pong. I'm not much of a pencil liner person... Just because. Ha ha. It's not anything I have much of a use for, but they are great for smokey eyes, especially if you like smudging to create a gradient effect. The Mastey oil treatment smells really good and the Aloe Source cleanser feels really nice. But overall, I think the Emite eyeshadow stole my heart. It's very pigmented and long-lasting. It has a slight shimmer to it, but I would still use it if you were trying to achieve a matte look. I use this eyeshadow very often, especially for setting in eyeliner on my waterline to prevent smudging. It's a great product and Glossybox is getting me to really like Emite Make-Up.

 BONUS!

I HAD to include this item. I bought this from Birchbox using my points and spent probably... $3. But it is such a great product. I use it to prime and moisturize my face before applying make-up. It has such a great smell to it and feels really nice. It keeps my skin moisturized and fresh-feeling throughout the day. The only drawback is that I recommend not using this product if you use a more oily moisturizer. I used the Murad moisturizer I received from the Sample Society box, then applied the Embroylisse soon after and my face was just way too oily. So be wary of your products. Other than that, this is a great buy!

Well that concludes my November favorites! I hope you all enjoyed that. If you would like to make requests, just E-mail me at jchaochang@gmail.com.

Thank you! (: