Review: Julep Bare Face Cleansing Oil

Julep Bare Face Cleansing Oil (referral link) came in the most recent Julep box. It promises to "[remove] makeup, dirt, and excess oil without over-drying skin". I'm going to come right out and say that this has been my favorite Julep non-polish Maven item to date! It smells citrusy, it removes my makeup, it comes in a sleek bottle and it doesn't dry out to my skin! I've found that unlike cleansing balms (which I love), the oils can have a tendency of drying out my skin. Not this! The only thing I'm not a fan of is that the dispenser is a little short which means I have to hold the bottle to squirt out a few pumps (I usually use around 3-4 for my whole face) and you can't pump it while it's sitting flush on the countertop. Otherwise, I'm a big fan though I might not pay the $28 retail price for the 3.4floz ($22.40 for Mavens). We'll see.


Ingredients: Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Oil, Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, PEG-30 Sorbitan Tetraoleate, Rosa Canina (Rosehip) Fruit Oil, Citris Grandis (Grapefruit) Peel, Tocopherol, Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E), Coffea Arabica (Coffee) Seed Oil, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract, Hibiscus Abelmoschus Extract, Squalane, Phenoxyethanol.

September Birchbox (2013)

I kind of knew that even though I wasn't really satisfied with my last Birchbox, that it would get better. That's how Birchbox (referral link) tends to be. Well, this box turned out to be awesome!

Inside:

*Ruffian Nail Lacquer in Hedge Fund, full size $10
*Mally Beauty Volumizing Mascara, full size $20
*Davines This is a Sea Salt Spray 100ml (full size $27|250ml) worth $10.80
*Dr. Lipp Original Nipple Balm for Lips 3ml (full size $14.50|15ml) worth $2.90
*Malin+Goetz Vitamin E Face moisturizer sachets, 2 packets .08floz (full size $45|4oz) worth $1

I already have the Dr. Lipp but I'm happy to have a spare. The green nail polish looks gorgeous and I'm excited to try it and a full size mascara? Yes please!

What did you get in your September Birchbox?

They also included a 30% off coupon for the Customer Favorites Shop on the Birchbox site. Don't mind if I do.

Review: Kiss-Off Stain Remover

Let me share a short story about my weekend and the magical-ness that is Kiss-Off Stain Remover. My husband and I were traveling to see his parents at their home in Georgia. We left extremely early for our 6:40am flight. I decided to skip the makeup for the first part of our journey and apply it later on during a connecting flight. Application was perfect but I didn't realize that my hand still had some on it and I got it all over my blouse. I forgot about it and the stain stayed on my blouse until we returned home Monday evening. My husband used the Kiss-Off that my father-in-law gave us. It promises to take off :

• Wet and Dry Oil Paint
• Acrylic Paint
• Tempera Paint
• Pencil Marks
• Lipstick
• Make-Up
• Baby Spots
• Wine
• Grass Stains
• Blood
• Coffee
• Pet Stains
• Grease

And it did. It removed the days old stain on my blouse. It is freaking awesome.

So for all of us clumsy makeup applicators, here's my new go-to stain remover.

*Not affiliated. Generous gift from my father-in-law!

August Birchbox (2013)

Guys, I almost wasn't going to post about this Birchbox (referral link) since it was so disappointing, but a) I've posted about my Birchbox as long as I've received it and b) I want to give fair/honest reviews of anything I regularly post about. I also get varying levels of box!

Why I was disappointed: The majority of the products received are free samples given by the company when placing an order (the Coastal Scents mini quads are free when placing an order there), or you can order the Miss Jessie's samples directly through their website (you can order 2 free sample sachets for a $1 shipping charge).

Inside my box:

Arcona Cranberry Gommage 10ml (full size 100ml|$42) worth $4.20
Coastal Scents mini eyeshadow quad (full size $34-$39) worth ?
Miss Jessie's Rapid Recovery Treatment and Sweetback Treatment (13g each) worth $1 due to above
Benefit Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow! Foundation in 5ml (full size 30 ml|$36) worth $6 (Though I already know this is too dark for me).
2 Ahmad Tea sachet (box of 40|$7) worth $.35

The only thing I was really excited about was the Arcona product.

Sad sad face.

I've Been Cheating

... on makeup

So, aside from the a relapse of my back, bronchitis and a trip to my in-laws, I've been cheating on makeup with tea! I know, it's a horrible thing. It all started (officially) with an order from Teavana in May. Then a bit later, I found tea blogs and then just after the tea blogs, I found Steepster which is like the makeupalley of tea. And I'm thoroughly addicted. I do have some posts coming up, including a review of the Stila Beauty Blender dupe, my August Birchbox (I know it's September, but I finally settled down and got over my brief disappointment/anger and will review it), mini-reviews/items I took on vacation and of course my August empties. No fear, I am still using makeup and have a ton of reviews in my head that need to get down on paper. I thank you for your support and staying with me during my multitude of distractions this summer.