Marshmallow Pumpkin Latte Fine Fragrance Mist

This might be cheating, but I feel like this spray deserves a review. Around this time last year, I bought myself some body lotion and matching body spray from Bath & Body Works. After inhaling plenty of autumn-themed scents, I chose Marshmallow Pumpkin Latte for both things. I don't actually like pumpkin spice lattes and don't really like the flavor of pumpkin at all, but damn do I love this season and the looks of gourds.

One thing I've found when huffing body product is that some scents don't transition from product to product. I remember really liking a certain scent as lotion but thinking it just smelled like generic body wash as body wash.I thought this particular scent makes a good transition. Some scents just don't really work in one form or another. Marshmallow Pumpkin Latte actually smells nice across the board as lotion, body wash and mist.

Now here's the issue: the nice smell doesn't last for shit. I know this isn't perfume, so I'm expecting long lasting fragrance, but the short time this mist lasts is laughable. It seems like between the time I put it on and when I get to classes (maybe 10-15 minutes) the scent is gone. I've tried conservatively spraying on my wrist and gone a bit more liberal with spraying some in my hair and on my clothes. It's not even a matter of me getting used to it, either. I'll smell my wrists or clothes and there will be nothing.

If this was only a few bucks, then so be it, but this bottle costs $14 which is plenty more than I'm willing to spend again for such a disappointment. You'll also notice I mentioned buying this last year. I remember having these exact same feelings, putting the mist in a drawer and finding it again in September. I can't imagine they've really updated the formula to be longer lasting this year, so I doubt there's a difference (aside from the bottle graphics) in the mist from last year to this year. I'll keep using this since it is season appropriate, but I'll never again buy another one.

MissTutii Subscription (Products and Overall Review)

   Ever since I abandoned Birchbox and ipsy, I've been looking for similar services. Part of me loves the mystery, part of me enjoys getting mail that isn't junk and part of me just likes having beauty products- especially the practical care items. With that being said, I shopped around and subscribed to a subscription called MissTutii. So here I've decided to review the service as a whole and the bags I've gotten.

   First thing to know about MissTutii is that it's products are all Asian, especially Japanese and Korean. I've had really good luck with Korean products, so I liked the idea of branching out to other countries. Second thing is there there's technically three subscriptions: boxes, bags, and masks.
   The tutiibox has 6-7 items, some full size and some sample sized. The tutiibag has 5 items, again, some full sized and some "deluxe" sample sized. I put deluxe in quotes because the sample sizes aren't bigger than what you'd figure a typical sample is, so don't get hung up on thinking it'll be bigger.
   When selecting your bag/box you can select oily/acne/combo or normal/dry/combo for skin. Not the most in depth, but it's better than nothing.
   You also have the option of tutiimasks where you get 7-8 face masks per month.
The box is $25.00, the bag is $15.00 and the mask pack is $12.95 per month, but you can prepay for six months or a year, which offers a slight discount. Shipping to the USA is free and there's an offer for 10% off your first bag or box when you go to add it to cart. Also important; items aren't exclusive to the bag or box, so you can get any item in either.

   I went for the tutiibag, both for the price and because I didn't want to get overloaded with items, especially the potential of getting full sized items I don't like. I have more than one bag, but I'm just going to flash review the first one.

   The items come in a drawstring pouch and comes with a card that explains what each item is, what it does and how to use it. Very useful since it's possible any given product has no English on it. I actually like that, because it means that the item is the real McCoy and not a diluted or edited version made for Western markets. Interestingly, I also got a little tip calculator card. Totally unexpected, but a nifty little extra. My first bag came with the following:

   My full size item was pore peeling gel by Rosette that's meant to be used 2-3 times a week to clear out dem pores. I like this. I use it twice a week before my shower and I like it. I want to believe it makes my acne wash more effective because my pores are open (or at least a little cleaner, hopefully).
   I guess technically this mask is a full size item, but I don't really count that. I DIY my own masks but I'll get around to this. I recently used a similar mask (as in it's a fiber-y thing you place on your face) and I wasn't uber impressed. Still, I'll use it. The mask is Essence Korean Edition Mask from A.C. Care and comes in assorted packages.
   The two little packets are Sk-II brand Facial Treatment Gentle Cleansing Gel. I gave this a try before my pre-shower cleanser. I don't like using too many things on my face throughout the day so I think this pre-cleanser cleanser may be one thing too many. And at $84 for a full size, this is well out of my price range anyway. Still, I wore some makeup today so I used it to help wash it off. It feels like lotion and emulsifies in water. Does leave the skin feeling fresh.
   The little toner is from the Royal Honey Treatment line from Skinfood. I really like toner, although this is another thing I tend to whip up myself. Still, my last few homemade batches haven't been good so I'm happy to have this. It doesn't smell much like honey, and at first I thought it made my skin feel a bit sticky, but after it dried, my skin felt nice and importantly non-sticky. I use a reusable fiber pad for toner and, oddly, it stained it. Not permanently, but until it got rung out well.
   Finally we have a BB Concealer from Yadah. This concealer is  for sensitive skin and says it controls sebum, so I assume that if you didn't choose the oily skin option, you'd of gotten something different or a different version. I don't usually wear concealer, but this seems to be a good one and can be used sparingly. It blends with my skin and does a good job of making some problems areas less noticeable. However, if you have bad acne or serious discoloration, I don't know if this would be all that effective. Skin color could be another issue, since I don't know how well this would blend if your skin is very dark. Ingredient-wise, a potential upside to this is that it has a "5 non-added system" meaning it doesn't have "tar color, paraben, benzophenoene, mineral oil, animal materials" (quotes taken from the product).

   Overall I liked this bag. Is it worth the $15 (or $13.50 since I used the 10% off)? That depends. I don't consider the printed retail value as completely accurate. I buy most of my beauty/cosmetic items on Amazon so that's what I use as a reference. However, I couldn't find most of items in this bag on Amazon. I did find for sure was the Skinfood toner that goes for $15.59 while the info card says it goes for $20-$25. The Rosette gel goes for $7.85 while the info card says $12. So for everything else that means I have to take the prices given at face value on MissTutii, or compare it with one of those sites that strictly deals with importing cosmetic products from Asia.

   But lets say that you didn't like the full size item. MissTutii has you covered. If you email them and follow their instructions, you can send your (unopened, unused) full sized item back and they'll give you a credit on your account to use in the shop. That's pretty neat. The limit is three swaps per year, but I think that's generous.

   Now poking around the website, I do have a complaint: the site isn't the best. It seems like some of the items shipped aren't even available to buy from MissTutii. Case in point, I can't find the Skinfood toner. I searched the name, looked through brands (Skinfood doesn't seem to be listed) and checked the toner category. Same thing with the Sk-II packs and the BB concealer. The shop also seems very small, as far as stock goes. Looks like masks are a large chunk of the items on offer.
While it seems like there's a good amount of brands represented, a lot of them are almost (or are) exclusively masks which I think is cheating a bit.
And your mileage may vary on this one, but I'm having a hard time going down the brands tab. When I try and see the end brands the page scrolls down, not the tab.

   But even if you do find the item you're looking for, here's no ingredient list, which might not be good for people with certain allergies or just want to avoid certain things. Some products might have key ingredients explained, but it's not everything. So unless you can read whatever language your product is in, you'll need to find an ingredients list elsewhere if you need to.

   Another thing to note that I mentioned very briefly, but there's no real curated service here. Aside from having the grand choice to choose between two skin types, there's nothing to really set my bag apart from yours. This a pretty big pitfall when it comes to colors and shades, but from checking the makeup tab, there isn't that much. While makeup is a possible addition to your order, I'd say the real focus is on general epidermal maintenance. Looking at the makeup, there are a few compacts and eye shadow pallets, but the compacts only have one or two (very similar) shades and the palettes are all very similar.

   MissTutii has itself a points system (don't they all?) where points come from buying subscriptions, buying items, liking on Facebook, sharing the site on Twitter, etc. Points from buying equate to one point for one dollar. The minimum amount to use is 100 points for a one dollar discount. So 200 points is two dollars off, 400 points is four dollars off... . The other options are five dollars off, 10 dollars off and 15 dollars off.

   My final verdict: I like MissTutii. As wonky as the website is, I like what I got in my bags and don't feel like I'm being ripped off. I've mentioned a lot of little issues, primarily with the website, but I don't consider any of them deal-breakers. No system is perfect, and I'd rather have an iffy website than getting products that just sit in my box of items I can't/don't use. So while I can get around the things I mentioned, I can understand why someone may not be comfortable getting foreign products with no ingredient list or that someone may want makeup colors that compliment their eyes.

  I think if you want to try Korean and Japanese products (both my tutiibags were exclusively Japanese and Korean although apparently Taiwan is represented) the tutiibag is a good way to start.

One Love cleansing sponge (Bamboo Charcoal)

I had my eye on this for a while. I have a trip coming up and can't take my face scrub with me, so I figure this is as good as any time to give this a shot.

Here we have a cute little heart-shaped sponge. There's three varieties: original, bamboo charcoal and rose clay. They're all made of konjac plant fiber but are slightly different in what else they have in them. The website says the bamboo charcoal one is best for clarifying skin and is best for oily or skin prone to issues while the rose clay sponge is best for calming the skin and is for dry or mature skin. The original sponge is for normal skin and doesn't have anything aside from the fibers it's made from. The boxes have the important info on the side, which I think is neat, especially if your gifting this.

Obviously, we're looking at the bamboo charcoal one here today. I've never used any special sponges so I wasn't totally sure what to expect, aside from the pretty picture. It does look pretty close the picture, although I thought it would be plump and rounded, but in reality it's a bit flat (more on that below). But don't think I meant that in a bad way, especially since it'll expand when it gets soaked. Also note that it has a tiny string through it, which is very handy and helps with it's care.

Once wet, it does indeed expand and soften. I think the promo pictures the website uses are when it's wet. Which makes sense, since, admittedly, it is less appealing when it's completely dry.

I noticed even when it was hard it has a mild scent, but only if you really shove it in your face. I think the smell is just related to the charcoal and it's pretty easy to not notice.
On the face, it feels pretty nice. It's not rough, but it does feel like more than just fingers. I use it on the days I don't use my face scrub and I think it's a good measure. Sometimes I use it with cleanser, and sometimes I don't. Either way I think this little sponge is a neat thing to have, especially if traditional scrub is too irritating but you still want some exfoliant action.

 Each sponge sells for about $10, but if you poke around you can find other konjac sponges for a bit cheaper, including some brands on Amazon that have two or three packs for $10.
As nice as this does feel, I don't know if I'd of bought this without the steep discount I managed to get. Unless you can't live without the novelty of a heart shape, I think buying a cheaper one or multipack might be a better deal. I could be wrong, but I can't imagine quality could vary too much.

One Love says their sponges should last up to three months with proper care. It takes a while to dry, even after I press as much water out as I can. The care directions say to hang in a cool, dry place, especially if you want to max out the sponge's life. Sometimes it can take days to dry out completely so this might not be for daily use if you really want to keep it for as long as possible.

My overall opinion is that I like this. I wouldn't call it something that changed my life or is a total necessity, but I'd like to think that it helps. Anyone curious about one of these things?

A Brief Update

So to cut a short story even shorter, in addition to cancelling my ipsy subscription, I have also ended my Birchbox sucscription (RIP good points system). However, that does not mean I'm done posting. I have subscribed to two new beauty boxes. They do have a common theme (you can probably guess what that is) but I'm not going to disclose anything until I get it and review some... assuming I have things to say.

I fully admit most of the products I review are from subscription services. I'm horrible at picking products, so a curated box does make things a teeny bit easier. Just a reminder, I don't make any money or get any discounts from these reviews. They are all 100% unbiased and uncompensated.

I do have a few items in mind to review in the meantime, but if there's a long stretch between reviews, just hang in there, something is coming!

(In fact, I think I may have something coming in the next few days...)

Ipsy: The Dissapointing End

The June bag sucks.

A (not so) quick run down:

CoulourPop Cosmetics eyeliner in Swerve. Just another black eyeliner.  I get that black and neutral shades are safest for ipsy, but I really wish they'd mix it up more and include more interesting colors. I tend not to like this type of liner because it's hard to use and easy to break. Case and point, the tip snapped off about a minute of using it. I don't think I was even putting too much pressure on it. Lines are too thin for me anyway. Formula is fine enough if you like this type of eyeliner. Barrel doesn't feel lose and shake either, which is good.

Delectable by Cake. Apparently this is an "everything balm" which you can use on anything that needs TLC (or at least moisturizing). So I guess we got a jack of all trades, master of none thing going on. Really, I tend to dislike 2-in-1 products for that same reason and feel like, while a lot of ingredients do overlap, the formula is so basic it doesn't really do much of anything.
This stuff feels and tastes like petroleum jelly. Ipsy suggests adding your own color to make your own lip color. I love DIY and do make my own makeup, but I'm not paying for a sketchy DIY base. I rubbed some in on my hand, and honestly, I can't imagine anyone putting this on their face or in their hair.

3 Tone Bronzer by Crown. Don't use bronzer. Don't like the colors. I'll probably pop out out the pressed powder and use the nifty little container for something better. However, if someone does actually like Crown, here's a discount if you're so inclined:

Urban Decay eye shadow in Fireball. Remember that comment about boring colors? If I had gotten Lounge ( a "decadent reddish-brown topped with teal-green shimmer") I'd of used it due to sheer color love. I actually have a mica called Nosy Be Chameleon and it reminds me of Lounge. The idea is that it's a duotone, so it supposed to look peach or pink depending on how you look at it. It sort of works (at least the swatch on my arm does) but it doesn't matter because pink and peach are so similar it's not not a noticeable change. I did use this on my eyes. I will fully admit I don't really know how to put on eye shadow. My eyes are deep set so there isn't much lid to be seen, but I still tried to follow the suggested application from the product description. First thing that came to mind was eye infection. I can't put my finger on it, but it didn't look good. Swollen eyes also came to mind. Again, I concede that if I knew how to use eye shadow better, perhaps I'd have a better result (but I somehow doubt that since the color is the same ugly one).

Left: no primer
Right: primer underneath

This sample is also laughably small for how much you need to use on both eyes.

Finally, we have Pout Potion by Be a Bombshell Cosmetics. I got Secret but it doesn't really matter.  The two color options are almost the same, they're both pink. One is just slightly darker than the other. I already have another lip gloss that's the exact same shade as Secret(and guess what, it sucks in that brand too). Streaky, poor converge, ugly color. If you move your lips at all or, gasp!, take a sip of something the entire application is ruined.

Overall, this bag is a total bust. And I say that including the bag itself. In my previous reviews, I've mentioned that I usually really like the bags and they come in super handy. But this bag, I hate the ugly design. When I saw Rebel Rebel I thought it would be bad ass, but I guess the graffiti behind the models should of made me know  better. 
I'm not going to get into it about whether graffiti is art or not. Is or isn't, it's not my style. I actually hate this bag design way more than I should, but I suppose some of that may be because I know everything inside it isn't for me either. At least there's consistency. Also of note is my pattern isn't centered. The example bag on ipsy's website shows the word "MAKEUP" or more accuracy "MAKEUPY" front and center but mine isn't so and I can't really make anything out.

I seriously wonder how much ipsy actually uses the beauty profile quiz. I've changed certain parameters but it doesn't seem to do anything. I purposely didn't chose eye shadow, bronzer or lip gloss but I keep getting it. I know the options are more of a suggestion, but it seems like ipsy doesn't bother taking it into account (and if anyone is wondering, no I'm not being overly picky and looking for one thing). I also repeatedly review products and whenever I get a beige/peach/nude I always rate it negatively.
Don't even get my started on the style-part of the quiz which I'm convinced is just for show.

Interesting to note, when you click unsubscribe on ipsy's website, it says if you want to rejoin you might be wait listed if they're sold out, but then when you confirm your new lack of subscription via email they say you can rejoin any time without being wait listed. Nice job, ladies. What bothered me more is that I'm waiting on this bag, but for some reason I could no longer track it. When I go to that area it just encourages me to resubscribe. The last time I was able to see it said my bag wasn't shipped yet. I just got my bag today but for a second I was wondering if I'd eventually have to complain and get my money back.

PS; I'm trying to review my samples but it's not letting me. It won't let me without posting to Facebook. But even when I do allow it (don't worry, the posts are locked so only I can see them) it won't go through to the website. I don't know if it has something to do with my subscription status, but it sure is annoying.

Piggy Paint natural nail polish (Sometimes Sweet & Radioactive)

As a (semi) recovering mail biter, I'm not one for manicures. I get my nails all polished up and then I either start to bite at my nails or the color starts to chip and I chip it more and typically after a day or two the color is either gone completely or almost so. Toes are another story. I like having some color on my toes, usually black or red.

So when it was time to pick up some color I went with a recent discovery of mine- Piggy Paint. The big draw for this color is that it's made of nicer ingredients than typical polishes. From the website, the ingredients are: "Water, acrylates copolymer, neem oil" and colorants. So the big difference between this brand and others is that the ingredients are a bit friendlier and water based.

Another claim by the brand is that it's low odor, and that's no lie. It doesn't have the typically harsh smell other polishes have. There is a very mild odor, but it smells like acrylic paint rather than nail polish. After using it, it seems a bit more like acrylic paint than polish.

First color we have is Sometimes Sweet (Red). I chose this because I wanted a solid red. The bottle looks pretty promising. The effect, however, was a bit less stellar.
First thing is this color is very streaky and not as dark as I thought. It reminds me more of a strawberry-shade: red, but not entirely red. Normal polish takes me about 2 coats to get an even, dark enough coat but this brand requires 3 or 4. Managing the streakiness is also a bit difficult. When I turn my nails and the light hits the color I can see it's a bit goopy and uneven.

Middle finger: Cheap-o polish
Pointer: Piggy Paint

Here's a comparison between a typical grocery brand and Piggy Paint. Each nail has 1, admittedly heavy, coat and no top coat. The grocery brand is much darker and smoother while Piggy Paint looks goopy and uneven (and not for a lack of trying to get it even). You can also see some of the white part of my nail.

Piggy Paint has it's own nail polish remover and top coat, but for my real application I just used one from Sinful Colors that I got at ShopRite. I made the mistake of putting on top coat when the polish wasn't 100% dry and it totally ruined it. It made parts dilute and go funny and look not good. So I redid the nail, waited, top coated and it seems to be fine. I'm sure if anyone noticed my toenails they wouldn't notice anything, but when I look close I can see the color didn't spread 100% even.

Still, I'm less than impressed. Even after using top coat and letting it dry it looks dull, a lot duller than regular polish. I have a feeling that this may be because the typical top coat doesn't mix well with this type of polish. Maybe the top coat from Piggy Polish would work better, but I really don't feel like spending another $10 on a single nail product.

Another thing I noticed is that this color doesn't chip, so much as it peels off. I consider taking a shower the final frontier for all nail polishes (especially on fingernails) and the first shower I took nearly all the color on my nails peeled off.
I felt like I've done my nails a million times over the last few days between adding coats, re-doing it entirely, adding topcoat or all of the above.

But that isn't the only color. I also picked up Radioactive (which glows in the dark!). I love stuff that glows in the dark, but my only other experience with glow polish was Halloween makeup fare- meaning it was crap. This stuff is much better. Maybe because it's almost-but-not-quite clear it's not nearly as streaky and seems easier to get an even coat. This color only needed 2 coats to feel covered.

One or two coats is enough for a nice glow when your nails are charged up, but it does looks a bit streaky, but I think that's just the nature of glow polish. Even if you use one coat you still brush over the same parts, which means some parts will just be a bit darker (i.e glow-ier) than others. Still, this is much better than the cheapass Halloween glow polished. Last time I used that one it was go goopy and thick and I couldn't use top coat with it, it would block out any glow. With Radioactive you can use top coat if need be, but I haven't since shine isn't really what this polish is meant for. I might end up using top coat if I'll mean my nails fare better in the shower.

Overall, I'm super torn about this. I'm not hyper paranoid about nail polish, but being a nail biter the temptation is always there and while I'm not going to make a meal of this nail color, I feel slightly better about the idea of this getting in my mouth. But honestly, the coverage is kind of bad and hard to work with. I imagine light colors would be even worse since you could really see the streaks. I guess my nails look alright, but I really wish this red was darker. I considered returning Sometimes Sweet Piggy Paint for the adult Sophi red (Red Bottomed Stiletto) but nail polish is considered hazardous as far as USPS is concerned and even going through Amazon prime I'll still be out some cash after the refund when it's all said and done.

I'm going to keep it and still use it but I'm really apprehensive about buying another bottle. Part of me thinks Sophi would be better since that's the line meant for adult women so maybe the formula is a bit different for better coverage and staying power. Radioactive is much more satisfying, probably because of the niche factor and not color appeal. There's other, similar brands that use an alternative formula so maybe I'll give one of them a shot after Piggy Paint runs out.

My final thought is that if you really are concerned about your nail polish and don't mind spending more (Piggy Paint/ Sophi is $7.99 plus shipping on the website, and from $7.99-10 on Amazon with Prime) then consider this, but maybe considering buying Piggy Paint's top coat.
I really want to love this, but so far all I can say is that it's an interesting alternative, but I woudn't really recommend it.

TONYMOLY Petite Bunny Gloss Bar (#4 Juicy Cherry)

I was scheduling courses for my upcoming (final undergrad!!!) semester and noticed there's a makeup artistry class for fashion students. I suppose that's a good idea, especially for students who want to design their own clothes or have a line. I, however, am not taking that course. I am, however, still going fawn over TONLYMOLY. And what we have here is a petite gloss bar, which is like lip gloss, but better.

As customary, this package is awesome. There's nine in the range, and each has it's own little expression. Personally, I think this face fits me perfectly.
Expression aside, I chose this one because it appears that it was the darkest one and (from pictures I've seen) I'm right. Also very neat is that is does live up to it's name of Juicy Cherry. It does have a light smell and taste of cherries.

Here's what it looks like on skin. On the left is one single glide and the right is a few. Application wise, it does glide nice and easy and layers to look very light red/ pink. It's really neat and is a nice alternative to lipstick if you don't want a deep red.
As for the formula, this might be the best lip gloss I've used. It doesn't really feel like a typical gloss. It's not sticky or weak. Yes, it might come off a bit on your glass, but it doesn't wear off too fast from normal wear.

Here's a closeup up the cap and gloss. You put it on like chapstick, which is easy as pie. However, I have to say the barrel feels a bit loose. Backing me up on that is that mine is technically broken. It'll twist up but if I want to twist is down I need to push it down with my finger. This isn't a deal-breaker, but it is slightly annoying since I always worry about the integrity of twist barrels. If you plan on getting one of the bunnies I suggest being very careful- and by that I mean you should totally get one of the bunnies since they're so awesome and a great little gloss for subtle to just noticeable enough lip color.