Wednesday, June 26, 2013

BzzAgent - Dr. Scholl's For Her High Heel Insoles

I signed up for BzzAgent recently, and a few weeks ago I received my first product to review from them. It seems to be a nice program so far - you just sign up and answer some surveys and they will send you invites for getting products to review for free. I got my first invite very quickly - within a day or two of signing up.


I received a pair of the Dr. Scholl's For Her High Heel Insoles, and several coupons for $4 off for them. I've already given away all the coupons - each pair retails for around $8, so the coupon gives you half off! Not a bad incentive to get friends and co-workers to try them.


And here they are outside of the package. They're designed to help take the pressure off the ball of your foot, and have a thick gel padding in the center. They claim that they are near-invisible even with strappy/open shoes, and that is indeed true  - can you see them in my heels in the picture below? =)


They're non-slip but don't have an adhesive, so it's easy to switch them to another pair of shoes. They say they don't cause shoes to feel tight, but I found this wasn't the case. In some of my heels that were snug to begin with, it felt really uncomfortable. I've mainly been using these in my high-heeled boots that I wear to work a lot, and they feel a lot better in those.

After getting used to them, I think they are pretty helpful. After working a full day and then running errands afterwards in heels, my feet would get really sore by the time I got home, but I've noticed that using the insoles have made a big difference. Ultimately I think I will continue using these.

Friday, June 21, 2013

Julep - June 2013 - Bombshell

I haven't been too active on my blog lately, but I have very good excuses! Hopefully I'm done with house disasters for a while..it's been awful the past two weeks. Water leak under our slab foundation...the breakers to our AC melting..ugh. Yay for homeownership!


I got my June 2013 Julep box earlier this month - I decided to go with Bombshell this time!


Either they randomly decided to give me a card with the ingredients for salt water taffy...or their bonus surprise this month is taffy. (It was the latter =P)


Box Contents:
DD Creme in Light - value $28.80
Nail polish in "Raegan" (hot pink) - value $14
Nail polish in "Payton" (hot green) - value $14

Total Value: $56.80
(not going to bother adding in the value of the three pieces of taffy)

Pretty awesome for a $19.99 box!

And unlike Glossybox they actually pay attention to which skin tone you specify in the Beauty Bio! It's always nice to be able to use the items in your boxes =p I really enjoy the BB/CC/DD creams in general - they've replaced regular foundation in my makeup routine. Julep's has been pretty decent. It looks dark and a bit orangey coming out of the tube, but it ends up working really well for my skin tone. I may pick up their new concealer later on.


Close-up of Raegan and Payton...


Here's Raegan in action!

Another awesome Julep box...of course it helps that they let you know what you're getting ahead of time and give you a chance to skip or change beauty profiles before they ship!

Box Score: 5 on 1-5 scale

Saturday, June 15, 2013

Glossybox May 2013

I apologize for the lateness in posting anything - work and a plumbing leak took up most of my time this week =(


Anyway, on to the May 2013 Glossybox!


It came in a pretty, sturdy reusable box like always!


Box Contents:
(value rounded to nearest quarter dollar)
Amorepacific Color Control Cushion Compact in Amber Gold - value $16
etre belle Collagen & Aloe Vera mask - value $4
European Wax Center small foil samples x2 - difficult to put value on because of their size, but we'll say value is $2
My Prime mattifying moisturizer - value $11.25
Nicka K Absolute! solid perfume stick in Dream 42- value $15
Sebastian Volupt Spray - value $6.75

Total Box Value: $55

Not a bad value for a $21 box!


However, there were a few disappointments..
The Amorepacific compact came in "Amber Gold", which is WAY too dark for me. If Glossybox has you fill out a beauty profile (which includes your skin tone, and I indeed had it set to "Fair"), and they send out these types of products, why can't they send you an appropriate shade?
I also didn't care for the perfume stick. I liked the scent (Dream 42), it had a nice citrus smell to it - but it's like putting on deodorant! It leaves a residue and clumps up unattractively after wearing it for a while (like the underarm residue you can get from a deodorant stick!) I much prefer traditional perfume..

They gave each person two out of three possible European Wax Center packet samples - I received the exfoliate and the body wash. They seemed pretty nice, but the samples barely provided one use of each, so I couldn't get a really good feel for the products.

The etre belle mask was nice - it did seem to make my skin feel smoother/softer afterwards, but it seems like something you would need to use on a regular basis to get the most out of it.

I liked the My Prime mattifying moisturizer. It didn't leave my t-zone shiny like most other moisturizers and didn't have a greasy/oily feel to it. It's rather expensive though ($68 for the full size, which is 60ml!), so I'm likely not going to be purchasing it.

My favorite item out of the box is definitely the Sebastian Volupt Spray. Especially when I spray it on my wet hair before blowdrying, I can tell there's a big different in volume. I have fine hair so I like it a lot! It doesn't have too much residue either - it feels about the same as a light coat of hair spray. Definitely something I'll consider getting in the future!

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This was definitely not my favorite Glossybox ever, but I get good boxes from them consistently, so I'm not too worried. Looking forward to the June box!

Box Score: 4 on 1-5 scale

Sunday, June 9, 2013

Blood is the New Black (May 2013)


I recently got my bargain bag from Blood is the New Black, and I was pretty pleased! (I got the men's bargain bag in XL, since they didn't have a women's one in my size at that time).


This is the first shirt I took out, and it alone would have been worth the $25 cost of the bag to me... BEST. SHIRT. EVER. Apparently I'm not the only one who thinks that, since I got several compliments on it and was asked where I got it while I was out the other day =P ...will have to keep an eye on Demonbabies!


Not something I would have bought on my own, but good for lounging.


Not sure why, but this one's growing on me, despite being pretty ugly!


I like this one a lot..it has a melancholic feel to it.


The design is neat, but not something I would have bought myself.

It might be my imagination, but it seems like the shirts all fit a little differently, despite them all being XL and having the same shirt type.

At any rate, it was a good use of $25! =D

Bag Score: 5 on 1-5 scale

Friday, June 7, 2013

Blood is the New Black



Information out of date? Please contact me at reverse.will.cg@gmail.com!

This is the general review page for Blood is the New Black. Each time I review them, it can affect its total score. I will award a score of 1 (awful) through 5 (awesomeness) on each of the following: content, value, uniqueness, shipping, customer service, and perks.

Service Type: Online store

About: Blood is the New Black is an online clothing store that sells mostly t-shirts. Their shirts feature artwork from emerging/underground artists, whom you support by buying their tees. My review(s) of them will be pertaining to their mystery "Bargain Bags" in their sale section - $25 for five shirts that are from the current or past season. You have to check back frequently as they'll run out of certain sizes or types of shirts for a while (waiting for another boyfriend tee bag!)

Cost (in USD): $25 for five shirts - which considering that full price for their shirts is $40+ each, not bad at all! And in my last bargain bag, I got some shirts that are still going for full price in their store!

Shipping From: Los Angeles, CA.

Shipping Schedule: They say they take 7-10 business days for processing and shipping before you get your package (in the US), but it didn't take nearly that long for me to get my bag.

Countries They Ship To: Looks like they'll ship to any country.

Bonuses: Free shipping if you order stuff adding up to $100 or more, but other than that they don't appear to have a rewards program.

Customer Service: N/A - I haven't had to contact customer service.

Individual Product Reviews: May 2013


Total HM! Score:
Content: 5 Shirts seem to be well made, and are definitely unique. Value: 5 You can get shirts in the bargain bag that retail at their store for $40+ each...and in each bargain bag  you get five shirts for $25! Uniqueness: 5 The artwork on the shirts is made by artists who aren't well known and mainstream. Shipping: 5 Shipping is faster than stated. Customer Service: N/A I haven't had to contact customer service about anything.  Perks: 2 Apart from the bargain bags and free shipping over $100, they don't offer anything as far as rewards, etc. Which is a shame considering how expensive their full-price shirts are.

Total Score: 4.4 on 1-5 scale

Monday, June 3, 2013

Goodies.co May 2013


Heeere's my May 2013 Goodies box! If you can't see it in the image, they included a card with the code "SKIPTHELINE" so you don't have to wait for them to send a subscription invite!

Cat not included!
 Box Contents (value rounded to the nearest quarter-dollar):

California Olive Ranch Olive Oil packets x2 - value $1.25
Sour Power Straws in strawberry - value $1.00
Sour Power Straws, assorted - value $1.00
Bronco Bob's Roasted Raspberry Chipotle Sauce - value $1.50
Numi Moroccan Mint tea - value $0.50
Kathie's Kitchen sea salt pumpkin seeds - value $1.00
Beanitos chips in white bean with sea salt - value $1.00
Zico coconut water - value $4.25

Total Approximate Box Value: $11.50

I also got a bag clip and a coupon for Wholly Guacamole. Not bad for a $7 box!


I don't like coconut water, so of course I got a honking liter of it! I've been drinking on it, but, eh, it's still coconut water. It might be good (or at least tolerable) flavored or as an ingredient in a fruity drink.

I do like to use olive oil in cooking, although I haven't cooked in a while. The California Olive Ranch packets will definitely get used though.

The other item I haven't tried yet is the Numi tea. It's caffeine free, and with my erratic schedule I've been having to rely on caffeinated drinks lately =P I like tea, though, so I will also use this.

The Sour Power Straws got eaten pretty quickly though! I like gummy candy anyway, and these were nice and soft (and sour!) They don't have that waxy taste/consistency like some brands do.


Beanitos were another big hit with me! They have a slightly different taste from typical tortilla chips (in a good way). Our Homeland carries Beanitos (although not a big variety), and I picked up the pinto bean ones, which are also good. Definitely will be buying these in the future, too. They're also delicious with melted shredded cheese on top..mmmmmmm!

The salted pumpkin seeds were okay, nothing too exciting or special - I don't typically buy pumpkin seeds and they're not exactly my favorite food, but these made a good snack.

My least favorite item out of the box was definitely the raspberry chipotle sauce! I don't like raspberries and I don't like fruity and spicy tastes together, so unsurprisingly I don't like this sauce. I tried it as a dipping sauce with chicken and quickly went back to my staple sweet and sour sauce (did I mention I don't cook a lot? =P) This is purely a personal preference though, so if you like that type of flavor, then you might like this.

In all, I thought this was an excellent box (it introduced me to Beanitos after all!) The things I didn't like are more about my personal taste and don't necessarily reflect the quality of the products, so I'm not counting them against the box score. I'm loving my Goodies Co subscription! They've introduced me to all kinds of tasty things I probably wouldn't have tried otherwise.

Box Score: 5

Saturday, June 1, 2013

Little Black Bag (May 2013), Pixi


I recently got my first Little Black Bag shipment! Obviously it was heavy on the Pixi products. I'm a fan of eyeshadow pens in general, so I've gotten two more of theirs.


Out of my original bag (after trading):
- Pixi Lid Last eyeshadow pen in Graphite Glint - retails for $18
-Pixi Lid Last eyeshadow pen in Peach Pave - retails for $18
-Pixi Fairy Light Solo eyeshadow in Gilded Olive - retails for $15

Add-ons:
-Pixi Lip Blush in Youth - retails for $18
-skyn ICELAND Icelandic Relief Eye Pen - retails for $20

Total Value: $89
Total Spent: $50.78

So...not a bad deal! I had a lot of fun with the trading too, although I've heard that the trading was better before they changed.

Bag Score: 5 on 1-5 scale

Read more about LLB here!


Now I want to talk about Pixi =)

Like I said, I love eyeshadow pens anyway, and these were no exception. ...Then the day came when I wore down the point and needed to get more product out. Since they're plastic, I assumed that you would twist the bottom to make more come out, like other plastic eyeshadow pens. Well, that didn't work, but luckily before I broke it in my attempt to twist it, I did a little research online. Apparently you have to sharpen them. That sounds weird to sharpen plastic, but that's what you do. Now, the rather crappy thing is that the Lid Last pens are too fat to go in most makeup pencil sharpeners (even the ones for "big" pencils). I think I'd read online that there may be a few non-Pixi sharpeners that some people got to work, but that's the exception. Otherwise your only choice is to buy the Pixi brand sharpener. Target carries Pixi products, but neither of the two Target stores I checked in NW OKC carries the sharpener. Online I found it available on the Pixi website and on Birchbox. I like to order things off Birchbox on a regular basis anyway, so I ordered it from them. I just find it kind of irritating that Pixi made it so that you have to buy their sharpener. (If anyone knows specifically which other brands/kinds out there that can sharpen these things, please let me know!) But, well, I still like the pens (plus I have three of them now so I might as well get the stupid sharpener, heheh).

I like the Fairy Light Solo eyeshadow, too. It goes on easily and I really like the Gilded Olive shade I went with =)

The Lip Blush is ok, but not my favorite lip product. It's felt tip, so it feels like I'm coloring my lips with a magic marker (which I guess I kinda am)! The color doesn't go on very bold, but that's not necessarily a bad thing depending on what you're going for. I might try a different lip product from them in the future, but probably not another Lip Blush.