BirchBox VS Ipsy Throwdown-August 2014

It's that time again!!  Time to have Birchbox and Ipsy face off!!  See who won last month, HERE.  Since my post last month, I have gotten several more of my friends to sign up to Birchbox so let's see what this month does!!

Actually, I have to give Birchbox big points right off the bat, because my box came before the shipping email even did! I never look at my shipping label and I regret it this month because I guess they did something special and gave everyone a really neat title, like Marvelous or Vivacious! I wonder what mine was.....Probably not Babbling, which is what I was called in high school ;)

Okay, moving on, here is a first look at both of them.

Here is Birchbox and this month's theme is Lighten Up. Here's to keeping cool and laughing our way into fall! Ummm, for me, it will be crying as I LOVE SUMMER!! :)

And here is Ipsy, and their theme is Beauty Schooled.

Now when I do my breakdowns, I like to try to compare the items that are the most similar to each other from each bag and this month it is going to be hard to do that.  But let's try :)

First up from Birchbox is Marcelle BB Cream in Golden Glow.

I chose to review this first as I had considered purchasing this before I bought my Becca Foundation.  Read that review HERE.  But in my experience, BB cream's don't really have much coverage, so I did not.  I am happily surprised with this BB cream!  It offers coverage and isn't just a tinted moisturizer!  In fact, the description says it is a universal shade.  Plus it gave my skin a nice healthy glow, not an orangey tan glow.  If you use the code MARCELLE at checkout at Birchbox, you will get a free lux gloss :)

Here is my face with only the BB cream :) and yes, I am still sick :(

I really like it a lot!!

Ipsy gave me Dr. Brandt's Pores No More Pore Refiner.

I actually had this product in a sample (and for the life of me cannot remember where my sample came from) already. The closest thing I can compare this primer to is POREFESSIONAL.  And I do that with caution.  It is the same color (nude tone) but goes on a little bit thinner and oilier for me.  I had no idea that the full size product of this was $45 either.  That being said, it does make my pores seem much smaller and some of them completely disappear so I will be using this up for sure.

I have to give the point to Birchbox.

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Next up, from Birchbox is, LAQA and Co. Sheer Lip Lube Pencil in Menatour.

I am IN LOVE with this color!! My only other experience with LAQA and CO was with another lip lube I was given in a light pink color that makes me look sick so I have never used it after I swatched it.  Boy, did this change my mind!

It goes on a little pinker but is gorgeous and long lasting.  Also, if you turn the end of it like a dial, it gives more product so you actually have more then it looks like you have :)

Ipsy gave me Jersey Shore Sun Lip Conditioner in Mongongo.

This is an all natural, oil based, anti aging lip conditioner.  But after seeing how excited I am over my purple lip color, who do you think won this one??  I did read the reviews on it and it does not go on waxy and that is a huge plus.  Look for this in one of my giveaways!

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Next up, Birchbox gave me a sample of Atelier Orange Sanguine Cologne.

Although I was unable to review it online and get my Birchbox points, I did email them so I know it will be resolved soon.  This smells really nice.  It is orange (thank you Captain Obvious) and earthy smelling, due to the Sandalwood.  I am not a huge fan of fruity smelling perfumes but I liked the way this one smelled on me more than in the bottle.

Ipsy gave me Klorane Dry Shampoo with Oat Milk.

Okay here is the funny part.  I have been a HUGE fan of this since Birchbox sent it to me as a sample and it is now the only dry shampoo I use.  And I always buy it from Birchbox!!  But now that Ipsy sent it to me and I can get a discount, that is where my next purchase will be made!  If you use dry shampoo, you HAVE to try this one.  It changed the way I looked at dry shampoo.  It not only gets the oil out of my second day hair but it refreshes and brightens up my hair.  It has a great fresh smell, too.  Some dry shampoos actually make my hair feel dirtier after using them but this one is a game changer.

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Birchbox gave me Acure Brightening Facial Scrub with Sea Kelp.

And mama likey!!  I like the way it exfoliates my skin and I like the herbal smell.  I do wish it was a larger sample as I don't think I am going to get that many uses out of it.  Because of that, I don't know that I will be able to notice if it brightens my skin.

Ipsy gave me J. Cat Beauty Eye Shadow in Half Naked.

Hmmmm, so this is a peachy color.  It appears to maybe have some shimmer but I wear bold colors so at most, I would use this as a highlighting shade.  This will also be going in my next giveaway.

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Last up from Birchbox is Supergoop Forever Young hand cream.

I love Supergoop but I have been getting an abundance of mini mini samples from them.  This was a rich moisturizer but I would have only gotten one use if I had used it on my hands, so I used it on my cuticles.

Ipsy gave me Urban Decay's Perversion Mascara.

Funny enough, I won this before it's release and included it in my first giveaway so I never even got to try it!So I am excited that I got it again.  I love a good dark black mascara as much as I love my colored ones, so I hope this lives up to the hype :)

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TA DA!!  Birchbox won AGAIN!!  Thanks so much for another great month of beauty products!

The other thing I wanted to mention is each month, Ipsy gives you a reusable makeup bag.  This is the one I got this month.

This one is super cute and vinyl and I love me some polka dots!  :)

Birchbox usually doesn't send anything extra but this month they included a really pretty postcard with the perfume.  I know who I am mailing it out to already :)

I hope ya'l' enjoyed this month's battle of the boxes between these two!

What was your favorite item in either your Birchbox or Ipsy this month?

Let me know in the comments below!  Plus, click on any of the highlighted links for either box to sign up today to get your box ASAP! :)

Have a great day!

Flash Giveaway!!!

Good morning, Ya'll!!

I have been blessed yet again with the success of this blog and we are almost to 700 likes on the Facebook page :)  So let's celebrate!! Rafflecopter now allows me to have giveaways directly off of my posts on Facebook and helps me out again by selecting random winners.

I have two prizes that I am going to give away to two separate people.....

First up is IT Cosmetics Heavenly Luxe Powder Brush!  This is a $48 value :)  It is a wonderful brush and quite luxurious and delivers an air brushed finish!! IT Cosmetics is 100% cruelty free but that is only one of the reasons I love their products!

Next up is Supergoop's Every Day SPF 50 Sunscreen and Acai Fusion Lip Balm SPF30. These are valued at $27.50!!  Summer isn't officially over yet so these will still come in handy!  Lip balm is super hydrating and a great scent and the sunscreen is oil free and fast absorbing!

Here is how you can win one of these prizes (this contest is only open to US residents):

• Make sure you like Mudpipes and Glitter on Facebook and comment on the Facebook post for this giveaway letting me know you have done so!
• Like the Facebook post for this giveaway, share the Facebook post (make it a public post) and comment on the Facebook post letting me know that you have done so!!  Easy Peasy!!

Go ahead and tag your friends who you think would be interested in these prizes too!! Contest starts at 10am CT on 8/12 and ends at 10am CT on 8/13!!

Have fun and have a great day!!

Sample Society Unboxing August 2014

This is my second box from Sample Society.  I fell under their spell with July's box and was very happy to get another wonderful box!  Read about July's unboxing HERE.  My mama also signed up and was just as pleased!! The thing I like most about this monthly beauty subscription is that the products are usually all brands that I have heard of.  Sure, I like learning about new brands but sometimes there is something great about already knowing how good a brand is and then getting an awesome product from them.  Know what I mean?

Here is my first look at the box.

They always include a mini Allure mag that describes each product, it's uses and what they thought after testing it.

First up, one of my favorite polish brands.

Ciate mini pot in Cha Cha Cha. This color is the perfect summer shade, a bright, neon orange which I was so glad to get since Fall is right around the corner and I am still in denial about that.  It did take me 4 coats to achieve the look that I wanted but the bold color made up for it.  It is much brighter on my nails than it is in the bottle. Speaking of fall, I am holding out on using my velvet manicure kits in grey, navy and purple.  They are gorgeous!

Next we have Kate Somerville's Dio Oil Restorative Treatment.

News to me, but Dio Oil is a rare oil from Fiji that promotes healthier looking skin and firms and evens skin tone, among other things.  Now, I am a Caudalie girl so I am interested in trying this to see how it compares.It has a hefty price tag but claims to be one of the best of the oils out there.  It can be used at night or under your makeup (after moisturizer) during the day.  I think I will do half on my face with my regular oil to really see how they compare.

Next up is Jane Iredale Longest Lash Mascara in Black Ice.

 I have mixed feelings about this so far.  When I pulled it out, it didn't look like there was any color on the wand.  And the wand looks like a caterpillar.  It seemed to lengthen my lashes but not really make them bold and dark.  Lemme show you.......

Here is just with this mascara.

And here is with my mascara added on top of it.

So I think adding my own mascara on top made a dramatic difference in my lashes but not by itself.

Next up is Oribe Surfcomber Tousled Texture Mousse.  This size alone is $21.50.

Smells great and the key to adding massive texture to your hair is using it dry.  I am still figuring out the right amount to use. I accidentally used two large sized poufs and it says to use ping pong sized haha But once I scrunched my hair it did give it some nice texture and made my pony tail really full so I'm excited to use it again.

Lastly, Too Faced Melted Liquified Long Wear Lipstick in Melted Peony.

It's much brighter than the tube indicates.  Make sure you exfoliate good before putting it on, too.  It goes on like paint with a spongey tip.  Also, it is matte.  I am a glossy girl so I would have to put something on over it when I wear it but the description says that will ruin the chalky effect, so we will see.  It is a long lasting stain though, it stayed on for hours.  I really really want the color violet, it's so pretty!! Wait until you see my Birchbox unboxing and you'll see why!!

So like I said, I was super happy with this box subscription yet again and 200% happier than I was with Beauty Box 5.  Since Sample Society is through BeautyBar.com(online beauty boutique similar to ULTA), if you use my referral code, you can get 20% off of your first order.  Just click on the banner to the left of the screen or use the code MIAN969688 and click HERE.

What did you think of this month's box?  Have you used Oribe's products before? Have any tips?

Let me know in the comments below!

Have a great day!!

Pucker Up Darlings-Lip Gloss Favorites

I have always been a lip gloss girl.  Sometimes lipstick is just too much but I am a sucker for a great glossy pout.  I love coral's, maroon's, nudes and shimmers.  Today I wanted to share the ones I have been sporting lately and give some lip gloss reviews and recommendations, thanks to my beauty boxes.

First is my newest fav (and the one my kisser is sporting above)!

LOREAL's Color Riche Extraordinary Lip Color in Coral Encore.  It goes on like a gloss but stays put like a lipstick.  Look at that shine.  The color is simply smashing.

Next up is one of the first ones I ever received and wore it every day.

Bareminerals Marvelous Moxie in Maverick.  The color is described as a rosewood shimmer.  I'm noticing it looks a lot darker on my hand than on my lips.  It smells like chocolate, but is infused with shea butter, avocado and murumuru butters.  Enough said.

Bella Pierre Cosmetics Super Lip Gloss in Vanilla Pink.  I received this full size one in my Glossybox.  At first glance, I did not think I was going to like it as it was pink.  But as you can see it is a more shimmery mauve color and it also smells incredible.  My hubby really likes it when he kisses me :) It isn't sticky either.....or he wouldn't be kissing me ;) Plus it plumps my lips when I wear it.  Cheaper than surgery!

Julep's Lip Gloss in Charming.  This came in a Maven box that I ordered and I didn't think I was going to like the color either.  It is a shimmery nude color and super pretty on with tons of shimmer.

Benefit's Coralista Ultra Plush Lip Gloss.  I knew I was going to love this one! It's coral after all!  High shine as you can clearly see. and the perfect summer gloss :) Only con is you have to squeeze it out and I am not a huge fan of that.  They also make a blush in this color!

Rimmel's Stay Glossy 3D in Popcorn for 2.  This came in a special edition Birchbox.  Pure gloss.  Its pretty on its on as a sheer shimmer or it can be layered on top of any other color!  It is a smidge sticky.

Another winner by Benefit!  Hoola Lip Gloss.  They also make a bronzer in this color that I use.  The gloss is another shimmery nude.

NYX Butter Gloss in Eclair. This came in an Ipsy bag.  I was sure I wasn't going to like it as it is pink but it goes on so smooth and creamy and I think it looks great!  Thanks to the lighting for making me look orange in the above pic.....haha!

Lastly, I received some samples for Urban Decay's Revolution Lipstick.

I am wearing Liar.  It is really pretty, I also tried 69.  They don't come out as dark as they look from the samples though.  I put on about 3 coats just to achieve the look above.  They are sold in sticks so maybe it comes out darker when not using a lip brush for application.

The last thing that I got free was from Jouer.  It is their Essential Lip Enhancer.

It is pretty much a chapstick feel in a way.  I don't mean to minimize the product in any way, I love it and am glad I received it but so far I haven't been able to justify the $14 price tag.  Maybe continuous use will make a difference in plumping up my lips.

The thing I want to recommend is e.l.f.'s lip exfoliator!! I forgot to take a pic :)

It is amazing!  And only $3!! It removes dry dead skin on chapped lips but moisturizes too.

And there ya have it!

I would love to know your favorite glosses!

Let me know in the comments below :)

Have a great day!!