MyGlam: February 2012

I was  expecting my MyGlam bag this Saturday but it was already at my doorstep Thursday afternoon. A nice surprise since Im home from work feeling crummy. MyGlam listened to customer complaints and this month switched over to UPS Innovations and sent East Coast bags first. I love that they actually listen to our feedback. It gives me hope that every month will be an improvement.

Don't know what MyGlam is? MyGlam is a once a month beauty subscription service that delivers premium beauty samples to your door. The creator of MyGlam, Michelle Phan, is a YouTube beauty expert that wants to share her favorite items with the world. The bags are delivered in the cutest reusable beauty bags. Once you join you will take a beauty/preference quiz that will help the girls choose the best products for you. The products range from beauty, skincare, hair, body, nails, and more. Every month you should also expect to receive full-sized products. MyGlam costs $10 a month, and your bag will always be valued above! Click here to join MyGlam.

February 2012, Valentine's Day Bag

The February theme was loosely based on Valentine's Day and special moments. Adding extra sparkle for a big date or a girl's night and unleashing your inner bombshell. Im in love with this month's makeup bag. I know I wont be able to keep all of them, but they will make perfect bags for gift giving. Although, I wasn't as excited about what I found inside the bag. Lots of paper and a few too many small, teensy samples. Plus, chocolates I can't eat. I'm giving MyGlam one more month to see if they can knock it out of the park like the December bag.

Information Card:

This month no pricing information was printed on the info card, wonder if it was because of the goofs last month.


Products:
Freeman: Facial Hydration Mask in Goji Berry
Turn your date night prep-time into a soothing spa experience with easy-to-use skin-perfecting masks. 
Full Size:6 oz ($3.99)
Size Received:0.5 oz ($0.33)
This is my third Freeman product in two months. I received two now from MyGlam and one from Beauty Army. After using my Freeman Cucumber Peel Mask a few times I haven't been too impressed. I love the feeling of peeling it off, but barely does anything for my skin. This month I received the Goji Berry hydrating mask which helps to restore healthy skin tone and improves moisture retention. Soothes and hydrates creating supple, soft skin. This will be a good mask to try out on a lazy Sunday afternoon. My skin is beat from the constant weather changes of DC. So we shall see.

X Out: Shine Control
Stay flawless and shine free with this oil-free moisturizer with a mattifying complex.
Full Size:? oz ($?)
Size Received:0.75 oz ($~5.00)
Oh boy, another Guthy-Renker product. That makes 3 in the last two months from MyGlam. This product is made by Proactive. Shine Control keeps skin hydrated, healthy-looking, and shine-free. I'm actually intrigued by this product. It would have been great to get in a summer bag when my forehead and nose are glistening like a mirror. It has a translucent, creamy texture that really does dry matte. And it absorbed quickly, which I loved. The skin I tried it out on is silky smooth. What Im not too excited about is that this is one of those proactive free gifts you get when you sign up for a month of their acne treatment. So the only way to get this is to buy the X Out Wash-In Acne Treatment. The website doesn't specify what the full-size is or its monetary value alone. Only that the 30-day supply for both products is 19.95. Im just assuming it has a lower value than the acne treatment itself.

NYX: Roll On Shimmer in Onyx
NYX's brand new, intensely rich, shimmering powder that can be applied to the eyes, face, and body.
Full Size: 0.052 oz ($4.50)
Size Received: Full-size! 0.052 oz ($4.50)
The container has a roller ball tip that rolls out the loose powder pigment and glitter. It feels like it applies moist, but who knows. The color I received is Onyx, a charcoal black with silver colored glitter. Im not too excited about this color because I dont see how this product is versatile. Yes, maybe I can wear this on my eyes. But my face and body? Maybe halloween? But speaking generally about the product, although there is great pigmentation and sparkle, it wears off easily. No matter how long you wait for the product to 'set in' the glitter gets everywhere and I easily rubbed off the pigmentation too. I can only see it creasing terribly and getting black glitter all over my face. No bueno.
Included 30% NYX Roll on Shimmer coupon code (GLAMMENYX)

Premier: Dead Sea Cinderella Mask
Luxury skincare rich in life-enhancing minerals from the Dead Sea waters.
Full Size: 2.04 oz ($149)($20.73 on amazon)
Size Received: 0.07 oz ($5.11)($0.71)
The mask which is also called the Instant Stretching & Revitalizing (Lifting) Mask is packed full of essential oils and other natural ingredients, plus mud from the Dead Sea. It has a lifting or reviving effect within the 5-10 minutes you wear it. The mask stimulates the metabolism of skin refreshing tired skin and reducing wrinkles. It says it will last 3 days. It is called the Cinderella Mask because it works miracles. Use on clean skin and massage mask into face and neck, wait 5-10 minutes and rinse off. I'm actually excited about this. Especially since it is a reasonable price on amazon. My life is hectic and generally sleep and relaxation are the last thing on my list of things to do. This may be my miracle worker!

Premier: Concentrated Facial Serum w/vitamin E and C
Luxury skincare rich in life-enhancing minerals from the Dead Sea waters
Full Size: 1.7 oz ($149)($28.18 on amazon)
Size Received: 0.07 oz ($6.14)($1.16)
I also received a second sample from Premier not listed on the information card. The serum is suposed to provide an invisible veil of support for skin. It lifts, tightens, and nourishes skin improving texture and appearance of fine lines. It promises a lot. But Im intrigued to try it. It says to apply to a clean face, and massage into skin with upward strokes, and moisturizer should be applied after the serum has been absorbed. The product has many positive reviews on amazon. Who knows maybe this will help with the few fine lines I have.
Included is a information card letting you know if you like Premier on facebook you can enter to win $100 shopping spree.  And a coupon code for 50% your entire purchase on their website (MYGLAM).
WORD OF CAUTION! I found both Premier products on amazon for less than $25. That is a huge difference from what the website is charging. If you like this product buy from amazon!

NuMe: $100 Gift Card
Enjoy $100 towards NuMe's products. Hair tools that will revolutionize your everyday look.
Although a generous coupon code, Im not rushing to order. NuMe products are extremely expensive, think a straightener for $300. And the coupon is only for styling tools not hair care or accessories. I dont straighten my hair often and am happy with my Conair blow dryer. Plus, there is currently (as of 2/16/12) a NuMe Haute Look event where some straighteners and blow dryers are under $100. But I have until August 31st, 2012 to decide if I do want to use it or give it to a friend. Who knows, maybe I'll want a mini straightener for travel? Either way it is generous.

Ghiradelli: 2 Chocolate SQUARES
Dear Glammies, Here's a sweet surprise with love from San Francisco! Enjoy these decadent delights!
Full Size: 12 squares ($3.75)
Size Received: 2 squares ($0.63)
Two Ghiradelli squares, Dark Chocolate and Milk Chocolate. A cute extra, although I can't eat either. It always sucks getting dark chocolate that has milk fat in it. I swear it would taste just as good if you didn't add the milk fat. What about vanilla? I gave the chocolate's to my roommate who could enjoy them.

Total Value of my February 2012 MyGlam bag: ~$12.33 (without including $100 coupon code)
Not entirely impressed. Again little samples. Skin care and masks galore. Liked last month's better.

What did you think of my bag? What was your favorite product this month? If you dont get Myglam, click here to join! Let me know what you think in the comments below!

Review: NYX soft matte lip cream

I have never used any NYX products in the past, but after seeing their name here and there over the past few months I decided to try a few different products. First, I chose the soft matte lip cream because I found a coupon for 50% off each bought on the NYX website. Surprisingly it was a coupon from the MyGlam Dec bag (although the coupon officially has expired, boo). Many shades many enticed me but I didn't want to buy too many colors since I wasn't sure how well the product would work. So I went to both extremes: neutral (Stockholm) and bright (Amsterdam). 

The many times I have tried to take just lip photos, my lips look funny, uneven, and grumpy...so I figured for lips I will just do a complete head shot. Hello world!

NYX soft matte lip cream in Amsterdam:

NYX soft matte lip cream in Stockholm:

Review

NYX soft matte lip creams are just that...a cream. There is really no way else to describe them. NYX sells 11 colors varying from bright reds, to bright pinks, and many neutrals in between. I had the hardest time deciding what colors to get, so I decided to go for a sexy red (Amsterdam) and a neutral color that I figured would match my skin (Stockholm). The other shades are also named after major cities around the globe. 

They glide on like a lip gloss but thankfully are not sticky. The color is nice and pigmented; I only applied one coat of Amsterdam to achieve the look I wanted and two of Stockholm. What really suprised me when I opened up the bottle was the smell. They are SCENTED, although they smell good I dont want to salivate from the smell of my lip product. Like a vanilla latte or cake batter. The cream applies like butter but will slowly set, maybe took around 5 minutes for the cream to feel completely dry. Thankfully, the smell disappears as they set.  Once the color sets they are matte.

NYX states that the creams are highly durable and moisturizing, so what is my verdict? I found that Amsterdam wore off in just a few hours, well it turned into a softer, bright stain on my lips. But if I put gloss over it, the color would transfer to my gloss brush. Stockholm had very long lasting wear, but the color was so minimal to begin with. I tend to have problems with massive loss of color from saliva, which I think is beyond hideous, but color wears off mostly evenly. I dont look a mess a few hours later, just a little more refined. Now were the soft matte lip cream's moisturizing. Not really? My lips felt dry and looked dry. I'd recommend putting on a thick coating of lip moisturizer before applying. Or add a layer of gloss on top to keep them moisturized while you are wearing (but that defeats the whole matte thing, eh?). 

Color-wise I was very disappointed with Stockholm, the photo from the website does not match the product swatch at all. My swatch is obviously very pink toned, whereas the website shows Stockholm being more yellow. I wanted a color to make my lips almost concealer-like, but this almost matches my lip color perfectly. Amsterdam is pretty much what I expected, just a little brighter. I'm hesitant to try other shades if the website swatches are off for other colors.

NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream's retail for $6.00 and are available in 11 colors. Take a look at the shades at: nyxcosmetics.com

The bottom line: Cheap, Pigmented matte color, Acceptable wear, but somewhat drying. 3/5

Have you tried NYX soft matte lip creams before? What do you think about them? What is your favorite shade? Let me know in the comments.