Beauty Army: April 2012

This month Beauty Army added a Skip option! Now if you aren't happy with the selection, skip away.

Don't know what Beauty Army is? Beauty Army is a once a month beauty subscription service that delivers a GORGEOUS kit of premium beauty samples to your door. So how is it different from any of the other services out there? Well you get to CHOOSE your samples. Each month based on your preferences (long, thoughtful style quiz that can be changed at any time) you will receive 9 products to choose from. From those you get to pick 6. The products this month ranged from beauty, skincare, hair, body, and more. Some of the products you can choose from are full-size items. Beauty Army costs $12 a month, and your kit will always be valued way above!
Click here to join Beauty Army.

April 2012

Last month I was really disappointed with the product selection. There were multiple repeat products and brands from February, a very monotonous selection (almost all skincare/moisturizers), and no matter how many times I took my quiz I couldn't get different products to show up. This month they hinted that they had a ton of new products to share with us, and they did not disappoint! I had so many new options that I had such a hard time just selecting 6! The selection was so well varied: skincare, beauty, tools, nails, etc. And I was able to retake my survey multiple times and each time I got new products. Even though Beauty Army has the skip option, if they keep offering such varied and new products I won't ever use it!

Information Card:

Products:
Clickr Skincare: Acne Spot Serum
Lethal, yet loving, bad boy combo serum that eradicates blemishes without killing skin in the process. Fast, furious, and functional.
Full Size: 0.11oz ($20.00)
Size Received: Full-size! 0.11oz ($20.00)
I was really excited when Beauty Army announced that they were partnering with this all vegan, plant-based acne company. Instead of harsh benzoyl peroxide it uses 2% salicylic acid and lactic acid and an anti-bacterial. It works fast to penetrate pores and exfoliate while cleaning skin of acne-causing bacteria. I love that it can work on top of makeup. I know some days my skin is awful and halfway through my day I'll find a new zit. Well now I can keep this in my purse to start the healing process way before I get home. It is a nice clear, formula that cools on touch. I have no active blemishes right now since dermalogica's mediBac overnight clearing gel worked wonders last night, but next time I do I'll be trying out this bad boy. It has gotten so many great reviews that I bet it will be a winner!

Cover FX: SkinPrep FX
This hydrating and smoothing primer really does it all. For all skin types including sensitive skin, this paraben, oil, and fragrance free primer will help makeup look fresh all day.
Full Size: 1.0oz ($45.00)
Size Received: 0.16oz ($7.20)
I can't help myself when it comes to primers. It is the one thing that I feel like I have not found my perfect match so I love hunting around for new ones. Last month I tried the Cover FX Eye Prep primer which I did like, so I figured why not this one. Apparently this primer does double duty and has an anti-aging serum formula. So not only will it smooth out fine lines and pores but it might actually reduce their appearance. Sounds good to me.

LaVaque: Crystal Nail File

Double-sided crystal nail file gives your nails a remarkable flawless edge. File can be cleaned and sanitized and used for years. Goodbye emory boards!

Full Size: 1 nail file ($5.95)

Size Received: Full-size! 1 nail file ($5.95)

It was only in my March Julep Maven box that I received my first real nail file! I like the soft buffing side of it, but the actual filing side doesn't do that great a job. It causes the top of my nails to get trimmed down really far, but the bottom layer turns to dust. I have to manually peel off the bottom layer, and then I realize I have uneven nails. This happens no matter what angle I use that nail file. When I tried the crystal nail file, although it made me shiver, it quickly and evenly filed down my nails. Its great! And the fact that Ill have this for years and years is amazing. 

myface cosmetics: mymix Foundation in Fair 02
Upgrade your image with this smooth, weightless foundation. Goes on seamlessly and provides a flawless finish that lasts all day.
Full Size: 1.18oz ($34.00)
Size Received: 0.5oz ($14.41)
Since summer is approaching I want to find a lighter foundation. Lucky for me this color matches my skin very well! So great job on Beauty Army for getting my skin tone right. And the sample is a great size! I'll get weeks of use out of it! The website promises that it is a color-correcting formula that will help eliminate redness. This is a huge perk for me. My skin is very pink and has a lot of red blotches. I hope that it does work well in covering up my redness. The test will be if the coverage lasts all day. I'll be using this foundation tomorrow and I'll report back on what I think.

Purely Cosmetic: Diamond Perfect Finish Powder

Made with read diamonds (seriously), this powder is the perfect finishing touch to your makeup routine. Achieve a red-carpet, airbrushed look with this light, weight translucent powder.

Full Size: 0.21oz ($18.50)

Size Received: 0.1oz ($8.81)

I'm new to setting powders. I love and use fixing sprays every day, but what I dont love is that half way through the day my skin gets oily and shiny. Last month I got to try out Young Blood's HD finishing powder from my Sindulge box and loved it! It kept my skin matte all day, although did it help create an airbrushed look? Probably not. This product has real diamonds that will help illuminate the skin. It says it will reduce the apperance of shadows, wrinkles, pigmentations, and discolorations! This is possible because the diamonds will refract light, but they are so finely milled that they will not give off a shimmer/shine. I tried this out on my makeup-less face and HOLY CRAP! Immediately I saw it reduced the visibility of my pores and fine lines! It did make my deep shadowed eyes a little brighter and it mattified my skin is seconds. I'm so pumped about this stuff! 

Chella: Razor with Brush and Comb

For a quick touch-up or when hairs are too short to pluck, this unique grooming tool fine tunes your brows.

Full Size: 1 razor ($10.00)

Size Received: Full-size! 1 razor ($10.00)

I've never used a razor on my brows before, but Im obsessed with fixing up my brows. It may be the fact that I have no brows to begin with that shaping them has become my favorite past-time. The directions say to stroke the razor lightly against the grain of the hair's direction growth. Like many blondes, my face is covered in bleach blonde peach fuzz. I think I am going to have a lot of fun with this razor removing all that peach fuzz. The hair is so fine that sometimes wax won't even get it all up. And there is no way that Im going to wax every inch of my face. This worked amazing and in just 3 minutes I removed a ton of peach fuzz! No longer with my foundation look crappy because of how light my hair is! And it did a great job at removing stray eyebrow hairs. I wonder how long the razor will stay sharp... Either way so happy about this guy. 

Total Value of my April 2012 Kit: $66.37
I am very, very happy with my April kit! What a turn around. I think I'll have used everything in my kit by tomorrow night! And I've still not tried some of the products from last month! My faith in Beauty Army has been revived!


What do you think of the products I selected? Have you tried any of them? What did you select in your Beauty Army kit? Let me know in the comments below!
If you don't get Beauty Army, click here to join!

P.S. I used my school loaned Nikon D3100 and Nikon Speedlite SB-900 for these photos! I'm really excited how they turned out! So excited that I plan on buying the camera kit once my class is over (I get a huge discount for buying the used equipment)!

Beauty Army: February 2012

The second month for the new beauty subscription service Beauty Army. I got notified on Feb 1st that I was able to make my next sample selection, exactly one month from the date I signed up. I rushed and looked at what was chosen for me. At first I was a little disappointed, there were so many skin products and a few repeat brands from the month before. I remembered that I could retake the quiz to get a different selection. I ended up taking it a good number of times until I was happier with my selection. I hope in the future months there will be more varied product types and companies. (hint, hint!) Plus, I saw other kits from later in january that had many of the 'new' products that I picked for february. So I guess I feel like I got leftovers instead of new and exciting things.

Don't know what Beauty Army is? Beauty Army is a once a month beauty subscription service that delivers a GORGEOUS kit of premium beauty samples to your door. So how is it different from any of the other services out there? Well you get to CHOOSE your samples. Each month based on your preferences (long, thoughtful style quiz that can be changed at any time) you will receive 9 products to choose from. From those you get to pick 6. The products this month ranged from beauty, skincare, hair, body, and more. Some of the products you can choose from are full-size items. Beauty Army costs $12 a month, and your kit will always be valued way above!
Click here to join Beauty Army.

February 2012
Last month I had commented that many of my products were unwrapped and rolling around the box when I got it. Well, this mont they were all neatly and tightly package, so it looks like they do listen! I was also concerned about the boxes, but they are such good quality and so easy to flip open that I've already repurposed both of mine. Yes, even the one I just got. One holds my favorite nail polishes and the new box will be for my growing eyeshadow collection. 

Information Card:

Products:
LIFTLAB: Lift & Firm Eye Cream
This intensive eye cream is designed to specifically target crow's feet, wrinkles, dark circles, puffiness, and sagginess of the delicate skin around your eyes. With active ingredients proven to fight aging, this serum will protect and drastically improve skin.

Full Size: .50 oz ($95)

Size Received: 0.17 oz ($32.30)

A teensy bit of this product leaked out of the packaging. The container is oily and left a stain on my white paper when I was taking it's photo. But it was so neatly wrapped that it didn't get on anything else in the box. I'm familiar with the LIFTLAB brand, I received a sample from a Bircbox months ago. It was a wrinkle serum, but I'm not sure if it worked or not. I have so few wrinkles since Im so young. The only wrinkles I have are scowl wrinkles from concentrating. And it didn't really work on those. But what I do have is dark circles like nobody's business. I cannot wait to try this product! The LIFTLAB website says to apply morning and at night after moisturizing by gently patting the product. We shall see. I've been using this pretty regularly for the past few weeks and not sure if I like this. The sample is very generous, but the formula does not absorb on my skin. Just sits there and then balls up when I touch my skin. It does cool my skin down, but Im not sure if I see any improvement on my dark circles or wrinkles. Ill keep using it though and hope that it just takes awhile to see results.

myface cosmetics: Blingtone Eyeshadow in purple haze
Create a wicked wash of colour and dramatic, wet-looking shine. Blingtone eyeshadows glide on smoothly and wont drop or flake.

Full Size: 0.09 oz ($20.00)

Size Received: Full-size! 0.09 oz ($20.00)

Recognize this product? This is an exact repeat from last month, just a different color. I liked my Sp'ice'y brown eyeshadow, so I figured why not a purple. It has a lot of pink undertones that I really like. The glitter/sparkle is again out of control. With this shade, a little too much. I currently am rocking sparkles on my cardigan, jeans, camera case, keyboard, mouse pad, anything I've touched in the last hour! Im going to only ever apply this one wet with thick primer to hopes to avoid the sparkle attack. But either way the color is gorgeous and once I get it on my eyes I'll love how the sparkle lights up my eyes. I get so many compliments when I wear the brown shade.

Control Corrective: Botanical Soothing Cream
This soothing, calming, and hydrating moisturizer really does it all! With vitamin E, A, and aloe vera hard at work to control redness and SPF to protect from the sun, your skin will look redness free today and tomorrow.

Full Size: 2.5 oz ($48)

Size Received: 0.1 oz ($1.92)

Well this is a very small sample. Probably only enough for a use or two. Im actually really excited about this cream. Normally Im all oh Cetaphil moisturizing cream lovey dovey but I have a major issue with spot redness on my face that make-up never fully covers up. I blame it all on accutane, my skin never fully recovered from the intense medication. I hope that this cream does what it says and I see a miracle happen with the little bit of sample I have. If it works I'm buying the full size. Again, I'll let you all know.
eta: no luck with the two day sample I had. But even if it did I hated the smell! It smelled like candy cigarettes...

StriVectin: StriVectin-SD Concentrate
This leading wrinkle and stretch mark fighter has a new and improved formula to reduce those pesky skin imperfections while improving the look and feel of skin overall. Try it out to see clinically-proven results quickly.

Full Size: 5 oz ($135)

Size Received: 0.75 oz ($20.25)

This product was apparently discovered in skin cancer prevention research to help rebuild skin layers. It is also backed with clinical research, ooh ahh. The sample is a 3 week sample, pretty awesome. Im glad they gave you so much, because sometimes it does take a few weeks to see improvements. It says to apply twice a day, AM and PM on clean skin. I've heard some amazing things about this product. Every girl has a few stretch marks or wrinkles. I'm going to take this for a spin.
eta: I kind of think it is working making my stretch marks less noticeable. But after a few weeks they are still there, just semi-faded. I'm almost out, but I wouldn't rebuy this unless I found it massively marked down. I have seen the full-size at Marshalls and TJ Maxx for ~$40-50, but still don't think I would buy it for that price.

CellCeuticals: CellGenesis Regenerative Skin Treatment

With a new breakthrough formula, CellGenesis encourages the regeneration of new skin, encouraging a more visibly youthful and glowing complexion. This treatment reduces wrinkles, firms AND tones, showing off more radiant skin.

Full Size: 1 oz ($85)

Size Received: 0.33 oz ($28.05)

See a trend? Wrinkle and firming products were all the rage this month. At least this one also makes your skin glow. I've heard some people buzzing about this product. Apparently it was created by the doctor that fixed Bruce Jenner's hack job. Apparently they guarantee results within two weeks. Im always so skeptical of these types of products. I'll let you know what I think.

Freeman Beauty: Pssssst! Instant Dry Shampoo
The original dry shampoo to refresh and rejuvinate hair by soaking up excess oil, removing product build-up and boosting volume. Hair looks, feels and smells freshly shampooed. Cleans, deodorizes and conditions hair-without water!

Full Size: 5.3 oz ($6.99)

Size Received: 1.76 oz ($2.32)

Is it silly that this is the product I am most excited about? I love when products are cheap enough that I can afford to buy if I love it. As a graduate student, I have many late nights or days where taking a shower eats too much time. I used to use baby powder on my hair in undergraduate, but my hair was much lighter than it is now. You shake it up real good, spray at the roots and scalp (shake every so often between sprays), wait a few minutes, and brush through. I think it works really well. My hair feels lighter and softer than before and it looks brighter and lighter. Plus, I do think it volumized my roots a bit. It has a nice smell to it, a little like Baby's Soft Perfume if I remember correctly.

Total Value of my February 2012 kit:$104.84

Another insanely valued box!

What did you think of my kit? What did you choose in your own? If you dont get Beauty Army, click here to join! Let me know in the comments below!

Beauty Army: January 2012

Only 300 lovelies got a chance to be part of the inaugural month of Beauty Army. I set an alarm weeks in advance and here I am with my hands on the first ever Beauty Army kit.

Don't know what Beauty Army is? Beauty Army is a once a month beauty subscription service that delivers a GORGEOUS kit of premium beauty samples to your door. So how is it different from any of the other services out there? Well you get to CHOOSE your samples. Each month based on your preferences (long, thoughtful style quiz that can be changed at any time) you will receive 9 products to choose from. From those you get to pick 6. The products this month ranged from beauty, skincare, hair, body, and more. Some of the products you can choose from are full-size items. Beauty Army costs $12 a month, and your kit will always be valued way above!
Click here to join Beauty Army.

January 2012, Inaugural Kit #1
The box the kit comes in is absolutely gorgeous. I normally recycle all other subscription service boxes immediately, but this is large enough that I could use it as storage. Although, its sad that most likely every future month will get immediately thrown in the recycling for me, but I wonder how many people throw these straight in the trash.  One complaint before I move on, the tissue paper wrapping the products was not well wrapped. Half of my products had fallen out of the tissue and must have been slopping around during shipment. 

Information Card:

Products:

myface cosmetics: Blingtone Eyeshadow in Sp'ice'y

Create a wicked wash of colour and dramatic, wet-looking shine. Blingtone eyeshadows glide on smoothly and wont drop or flake.

Full Size: 0.09 oz ($20.00)

Size Received: Full-size! 0.09 oz ($20.00)

On the Beauty Army website I was a little hesitant choosing the eyeshadow because of the color. It was a bit too red/brown for my taste. But when I got it in my hands I absolutely adore it! The sparkle is out of control! When it hits the light it makes your entire face brighten up. I am actually wearing it right now. It did glide on great and didn't drop, but I have noticed that my lower eyes have some dusting of shimmer. I love that it looks like an average brown, but when it catches the light that gold pops like wow.

Joico: K-Pak Revitaluxe

A luxury hair treatment clinically proven to instantly correct years of damage. Hair becomes automatically stronger, softer, and more moisturized.

Full Size: 5.1 oz ($24.99)

Size Received: 1.7 oz ($8.33)

I have pretty thin hair and barely ever use more than a dot of conditioner, but my hair needs revitalization as much as the next gals. I tried this out in the shower after my run today. You let it sit for 3-5 minutes and right away when you are washing it out you can tell how much moisture it added. My hair feels softer and more pliable. And that was just one wash! Im going to use this product once a week. It feels like I just went to the salon. I wasn't the biggest fan of the smell, almost like organic smells + chemicals. But I dont really smell anything in my hair. 

LaRocca Skincare: Shield Multi-Active Lip Balm in Proseco

Nourishes and protects with amino acids and anti-microbials. This lip balm improves the look and feel of your lips and smells amazing!

Full Size: 0.27 oz ($15.00)

Size Received: Full-size! 0.27 oz ($15.00)

Just what I need for winter. My lips get so chapped and I just eat them up while Im standing around at work. This certified vegan, cruelty free, and made with 100% wind energy (that alone makes me love the company!) moisturizes deep! It is really nice and creamy and my lips feel extra soft, even after it wore off. The color is a nice sweet pink, a good color for day wear. Definitely happy with this, and it is my new lip balm. Plus it has SPF 8!

Shea Terra: Rose Hips Black Soap Deep Pore Facial Cleanser

Sourced from the Yoruba tribe in Nigeria, this black facial wash and mask has a true cult following. Working like microderbrasion to get rid of dead skin this face wash is said to make you look younger in minutes.

Full Size: 4 oz ($18.00)

Size Received: 1 oz ($4.50)

I was very intrigued by this product, I mean I've never heard of black soap before. The consistency surprised me, it is almost like molasses (and uh sort of smells like dirt...). But you can even see in the swatch photo that there are many textures that would exfoliate deeply. Im excited to try this product. It can be used as a cleanser or a mask. I may even try it just on my nose tonight to see if it'll get those darn pores clean! I'll report back on my discoveries. 

Boo Boo Cover-up: Cover-up in medium

Keep looking your best, even while you're healing with this unique formula that doubles as a concealer and healing treatment. Containing natural ingredients known to accelerate healing, this concealer will ensure no one will ever know about your "boo boo."

Full Size: 0.5 oz ($20.85)

Size Received: 0.1 oz ($4.17)

I almost gasped when I opened up the container and saw how little was in there. I didn't even want to waste any for a hand swatch. It looks like it is very creamy and thick, so a little will go a long way. I don't have any zits at the moment, but the minute I do, Im slapping this cover-up on. For a medium shade it is pretty light. I was scared it would be too dark, but I think medium may actually be my shade. 

Chella: Anti-Fatigue Eye Mask Kit

The collagen in this eye mask lifts, firms, and smooths skin, hiding your tired eyes, fighting puffiness, and reducing dark circles. Wear this mask to make your skin glow like it would after a full night's sleep!

Full Size: 4 masks and 4 activators ($45.00)

Size Received: 1 mask and 1 activator ($11.25)

Being the biggest procrastinator in the world, I have lots of all-nighters. And my all-nighters do not mean Im in my bed by 5am, it means Im home by noon the next day. I know Ill get good use out of this kit. But Im going to be patient and wait until I look like death to use it. The activator gets poured on top of the masks and then once they are fully saturated you slap them under your eyes and leave for 20 minutes. Chella's website further explains that it also helps to reduce redness, hydrates skin, and stimulates collagen synthesis. I couldn't afford to buy this product on my own, but Im excited to see me turn from a zombie into a radiant in minutes. We shall see...

Total Value of my January 2012 kit:$63.25

Wowza!! Best valued kit I've ever received.

What did you think of my kit? What did you choose in your own? If you dont get Beauty Army, click here to join! Let me know in the comments below!