Dreamworld Hermetica Avalon Matte Samples

Items were received by Dreamworld Hermetica complimentary.

A while ago, Dreamworld Hermetica was looking for testers for their new matte line and volunteered. Unfortunately, life caught up with me and I was unable to provide my feedback in a timely manner. While I did swatch the samples, I have had very little time to experiment much with it. Hopefully later this weekend, I'll have more to show you. For the time being though, here are the swatches!

This particular line is the Avalon Mattes and each colour is marvellously brilliant. At first I thought I'd be receiving a few samples but definitely not the whole collection which was previously unreleased. In addition to each eyeshadow, the company sent an eye primer, and a jar of both Mistletoe and Grendel's Mother (which are from the Medieval Collection). Below you'll find the entire series along with the swatches. Please remember that you can click on the pictures to enlarge them a bit. 

Apple Island, Avalon Nyght, Laird, Sayge, Small Sea, and The Grove.

Ygraine, Woad, Noble, Chalice, Blade, and Avalon Sunset.

Arthur's Shield, Druid's Earth, Into the Myst, Pagan, Round Table, Grendel's Mother, and Mistletoe.

This Absence

While I've been absent, I've been trying a variety of things. This variety ranges from a seasonal Trader Joe's Pumpkin Body Butter (which is divine for my dry skin), Bag Balm (does wonders for dry spots), to Shea Moisture hair care (my hair loves it), and everything in between. Sadly, I haven't been taking very many notes but here's what I can share with you as I slowly prepare for the onslaught of posts.

Quarterly - Bill Nye (NYE01)

Forgive me for my lack of updates. While I've mostly kept quiet everywhere (this includes most social media), I've been dealing with a lot personally and haven't really had the chance to sit down and write. During my absence though there's been a lot of things that I've been playing around with so I have a lot to go through. That's going to include both this blog and my makeup blog. For now though, let's review my first ever Quarterly box. This one was specifically curated by Bill Nye.

How did this discovery come about? Well, even if you didn't care, I'm still going to talk about it, because it's a bit of a fun story. Lately my co-workers and I have been talking about subscription boxes of different types. From Graze, to Wantable, we've been looking up a variety of different kinds and trying out a bunch. When my co-worker found out that there was a Quarterly box curated by Bill Nye, I immediately knew I had to get it. I purchased the box immediately (in September) and anxiously awaited the day that it would ship. A few weeks ago I finally received it and it came so quickly, Quarterly hadn't even sent out the shipping notification to me.

I had never subscribed to a Quarterly box prior to this so I knew that I really wouldn't know what to expect especially since it varies by curator. I knew that this would have to be awesome because it's Bill Nye... One of the ultimate science guys. So let's take a look at the box. 

When I first got the box, the thing that was missing was a description of the items. The box directs you to a website with a video but sadly each time I tried to check it out the video simply wasn't working. For a few of the items, I was genuinely at a loss as to what I needed to do next with them. I'm happy to say that the video is working now and that issue of the delayed video doesn't effect how I feel about the box.

For a cursory glance, the box came with a solar powered grasshopper, a salt water driven car, chalk, a paper plate, a plastic straw, a pen, a bag of beads, and a compass.

There are directions on how to create a sundial within the Manila

envelope (so that's what the chalk, paper plate, and straw were for), and since the car and grasshopper were in boxes, that seemed pretty simple to figure out. The only thing that perplexed me for a while was the little bag with beads. 

The night we got the box, one of my friends immediately built the grasshopper. Sadly, the little guy never sprang to life. Ultimately we know that with robotics kits that is something that could happen and that's not a reflection of the Quarterly box. After watching the video, I do wish that we built the salt water car with the solar panel from the grasshopper instead of committing the solar panel to living the life of a dead grasshopper.

Defying Life like a true solar
powered grasshopper.

The pen was amazing because I personally adore having more writing instruments around me. The pen works well but also has a great story behind it. It's made from recycled bottles and Nye mentions that he specifically uses blue because it can't be photocopied. 

Our friend mimicking
Dr. Frankenstein.

Admittedly we never got around to create the sundial but I'm still glad that we have all the pieces. As for the beads, I had no idea what was their deal till I saw the video (which I just checked out tonight). I can't wait till tomorrow when the sun is up to see what different colours they turn.

Overall, I really liked the box. A lot. I can't wait till the next one and I'm glad that I gave it a shot to begin with because there's nothing (to me) quite satisfying as being able to build something. Even if it doesn't work and even if you aren't sure, there's a certain satisfaction about troubleshooting it. And I'll be honest here, even if the items themselves didn't feel worth it (lulz, yeah right, come on... the compass alone is a solid piece), the fact that Nye put in a copy of the "Rules of the Road" which is the single page from which they made the rules (the "roadmap") for the Bill Nye the Science Guy show (which is what is in the yellow envelope) makes it so worth it.

My First Stitch Fix!

I admit that trying out Wantable woke up this urge for me to finally update my closet. I had all these new accessories and nothing to pair it with. So after considering it for a bit, I decided to hold off on Wantable and start focusing on revamping my wardrobe. And by "revamp," I mean "Finally get clothes that fits and isn't over 5 years old." The problem though is that I simply do not have time to shop. Heck, I barely have time to write nowadays. So I did what has been the fashionable thing to do lately... Try to find a box that would alleviate the pressure of having to actually go to stores. 

Through /r/beautyboxes, I found out about Stitch Fix (referral link). It kind of seemed like a huge commitment, so I weighed on it for days. You create a style profile which seems quite in depth and then you spend $20 to pay a stylist to pick out clothes. Upon receiving the box, you have three days to decide what you want to keep -- if there's anything you want to return, you simply toss it back into a bag that they provide that has a label already printed, and drop it into a mailbox. Seems simple enough right? Well, the commitment is in the cost. If you keep anything, that $20 is applied toward your purchase. If you buy all 5 items in your box, then you get 25% off. (Oh and California residents have to pay additional sales tax). If you dislike everything, then you are out $20. Luckily, they try darn hard to make sure that you at least like something in the box (or so it seems). 

Getting a date can be tricky and you do have to check back if you haven't gotten a slot. I didn't realize this at the time so I went back and forth for weeks before finally deciding that I would at least try them out. That was October 22nd and the earliest ship date I could get was "The Week of November 20th." So here's my first ever Stitch Fix!

The packaging is actually quite nice and somewhat reminiscent of True & Co. Everything was stacked neatly on top of one another and wrapped in tissue paper. Along the side was an envelope with the information about the items in the box with pairing suggestions, the notation of cost for each items, a Holiday Fix packet (which included recipes), and the return bag.

There were a total of 5 items and that breaks down to 3 shirts, a blazer, and a pair of jeans. The shirts and the blazer are labelled "41Hawthorn" which leads me to believe that this is their brand. This is fine with me so long as they send pieces that work out for me. Without further ado, let's look at those pieces. 

41Hawthorn: Franklin Solid Side Gathered Knit - $48

41Hawthorn: Moni Stud Detailed 3/4 Sleeve Blouse - $58

41Hawthorn: Queensland Dolman Jersey Top - $48

41Hawthorn: Benson 3/4 Sleeve Blazer - $78

Kensie Jeans: Johnny Skinny Jeans

When I first took everything out of the box, I immediately thought "Oh no, not jeans." I have had a long standing problem with jeans and it's very difficult to find jeans that fit correctly. The only jeans that seems to have fit me are Levi's Curve ID's and that's about it. So I tried the jeans on first and to my surprise, they actually fit! Not just that, but they might be flattering!

The next item I was on the fence about was the blue Moni Stud but seeing it on me changed my mind. It actually reminded me of my first lengha that I ever owned. What's interesting is that after trying everything out, the one that I ended up disliking was the purple Side Gathered Knit because the material felt weird and it just did not flatter my body type at all. I opted to keep it though because I figured that maybe I just didn't pair it correctly and had the perfect dress pants to go with it. 

So the damage? The damage pricey. (There's that commitment thing again). The total coming out to just about $242. Yes. I weeped a bit in the corner when I thought about the damage here. But here's out I logically worked it out for myself.

1. I hate clothes shopping.
2. I don't go clothes shopping.
3. I hate going to stores and having to try on everything.
4. I hate being disappointed when I go clothes shopping and find nothing.
5. I shop online for clothes twice a year so that means that I don't have a steady flow of decent clothes in my wardrobe.

While this is expensive (still crying and still telling myself that it's okay to make this choice), this may work out since I can try on clothes at home and since they know my tastes, it's going to be catered to me. I'm opting to try one more month to see how it works out. With this box from Stitch Fix (referral link), I'm very impressed and very happy to have the new pieces in my closet. 

My First Graze Box!

Items were received by Graze complimentary.

Admittedly, I've been slacking on my updates. I signed up for Graze's Nibble Box on Halloween when they offered a free code through their Facebook page. On November 4th, the box was prepped and around November 11th I was notified it was shipped. I got the box on November 13th which was right after BlizzCon so I didn't really have much time to think. 

Unlike other boxes that I've come across, this one does not offer a tracking code and actually ship through normal mailing means. This meant that I didn't really know where my box was or why it was taking so long (now I know). Also when it arrived, it had a puncture that went right through the top to the bottom of the box. All that meant to me was that I needed to consume that sample immediately (no harm, no foul).

Let's take a look at the inside of the box. The box has a great presentation and everything is wonderfully prepped. 

• Garden of England (top left): Strawberries black currants, and apple slices. 
• Jalapeno Fiesta (bottom right): Jalapeno peanuts, roasted sunflower seeds, salsa almonds and roasted pumpkin seeds.
• Key Lime Pie (top right): Lime infused raisins, sponge pieces, mini meringues and green raisins. 
• Cracking Black Peppercorn (bottom right): Black pepper rice crackers.

I ended up eating the Garden of England one right away since that was the little tray that was punctured. I loved that one since it's been a while since I've feasted on black currants (currant rolls are my favourite pastry and I haven't had them in a long time). A few nights later when I split the remainder between my boyfriend and my friend, I ended up having the majority of the Key Lime Pie which was amazingly delicious. It was a surprising blend though I will admit that the mini meringues were a tad bit too sweet.

The other two were devoured by my boyfriend and my friend. My friend happened to love the Cracking Black Peppercorn and is currently trying to devise ways of just getting that in bulk. 

At this point my only true concern was that while this seemed great for a free box, I wasn't entirely sure of the cost and couldn't determine if it was worth it (at the time). After all, the samples are all small, there's no way it seems to properly configure (or rig) a box for your favourites, nor is there an option to buy your favourites. I do suspect this might be something that they have already considered. So when I decided to actually double check the website, I realized... well, shucks, the box is actually only $6. 

So it turns out that yeah, it's actually pretty much worth it. 

Graze is currently still invitation only and they are limiting the amount of "FriendCodes" that each person can give out. I have four two more if you'd like to give it a shot -- the first box is free. Leave me a note if you'd like my code!

End of October Hauls

Last week my Sephora haul arrived just in time for the Halloween party. I didn't have a chance to post but since I got my most recent soap haul and my China Glaze nail polishes, I figured that now is the time to show it all off. 

Up first is what I got from Sephora during their Friends & Family sale. I got the Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Lip Tar & Nail Lacquer Set in NSFW because who could pass up a matching set of true red! Hourglass Opaque Rouge Liquid Lipstick in Icon and SEPHORA+PANTONE UNIVERSE Spectral Lacquer in Purple Wine. 

I've already gotten the chance to try out the OCC set and they are amazing but the lip tar does take a bit of practice. I noticed that it bled a bit which led me to believe that I may have been a bit heavy handed during the application. A little does goes a long way and I'd suggest just using a bit, and reapplying if necessary much later on. The nail polish is beautiful and as a side note, it looked great with my Captain Hook costume. 

Geeky Little Things (Wonder Witch) is a soap shop that I figured I'd give a shot. Now maybe it was because they Harry Potter themed soaps or maybe it was because the main moisturizers are either olive oil, shea butter, and/or oatmeal but something about this store seemed whimsical and cute. So in honour of Halloween, I decided to grab a couple of soaps and their Butterbeer balm. The packaging is lovely and I was more than surprised when I got everything.

I've already opened the Butterbeer balm and it's scent is a butterscotch base, with french vanilla, burnt sugar, and marshmallows. It's quite moisturizing and I'm so glad I opened it immediately to use. As for the soaps, here's what was in my order:

• Madam Puddifoot's Green Tea Soap (Green Tea, Cucumber, and Oatmeal Soap)
• Professor Trelawney’s Divination Bar (Oatmeal, Milk, Honey, and Poppy Seed Soap)
• Hogwarts Express Pumpkin Pasties Soap (Pumpkin Almond Shea Butter Soap)
• Honeydukes Salty and Sweet Soap (Salted Caramel Goat’s Milk Soap)
• Dumbledore Sherbet lemon Bar (Lemon Oatmeal Soap)

Finally, I got my China Glaze nail polishes! These are all from the Monsters Ball lineup. Almost every year I have the hardest time finding these in stores but this year Groupon had them as an offer. As a result, I had to indulge! 

From left to right is: Bat My Eyes, Fang-Tastic, Howl You Doin', Boo-Gie Down, Ghoulish Glow, and Bump in the Night. 

Comparison of Blushes (and Pressing)

So whenever I get a new blush, I always do a swatch comparison against the others that I have -- even if they aren't remotely the same. This helps me to place the colour so in that way in the future, I know where they fall with the others. Originally, I swatched the Whip Hand Cosmetics in Cheek Flash Distraction which came in my Wantable Makeup Box. 

Currently, these are the blushes I have in rotation, along with my franken-blush (read about that here) which is not pictured as it is in my UNII palette. So if you look at my hand along the bottom, you're seeing from left to right: the franken-blush, The Body Shop, tarte, and Whip Hands.

Since my Darling Girl Cosmetics haul arrived, I decided to add in the Purple Haze into the mix to get a better feel for it against the other blushes. So pictured below is the updated image for your viewing pleasure. The Purple Haze Duochrome blush appears just before the Whip Hands Cosmetics blush. 

Once more with feeling, from left to right of the second picture you are looking at swatches of:

•  Franken-blush
• The Body Shop All-In-One Blusher in Guava
• tarte Amazonian clay 12-hour blush in Blushing Bride
• Darling Girl Cosmetics DuoChrome Blush in Purple Haze
• Whip Hands Cosmetics Cheek Flash Loose Blush in Distraction

I think the two new blushes are a great addition to the collection. But they are loose, which means that my desire to use them in the morning may be limited since I'm often in a rush. So, I decided to try my hand at pressing them. 

While it's recommended that use a binder with the loose pigments, I found that sometimes it's a bit troublesome to press them correctly. As a result, I've resorted to just pressing with alocohol. I don't know just yet if that will prove to be a problem in the future, but I can assure you that I will find out this week if that was a large error on my behalf. Anyhow, I present my three magnetic palettes!

I didn't need to picture them all, but I wanted to show how useful they have become. The palette on the right has become a designated "blush palette" so I went as far to depot the blush I have from The Body Shop into it as well. Here's a closeup of the 3 blushes and from top to bottom that is Darling Girl in Purple Haze, Whip Hand in Distraction, and finally the franken that I decided to fix (I didn't have the proper pressing tool at the time that I made it so it was a bit rough).

---

Product: The Body Shop All-In-One Blusher in Guava

Price:  $16

Stars: ★★★☆☆ 

Would Recommend? Not really.

Takeaway: I feel a bit weird not really liking this one, but I've been using it for a few months now and the pigmentation is lacking. And since the pigmentation itself is lacking, the lasting power of it is a bit sad. It's not buildable so even I layered it on, it doesn't quite pop. Often when I use this one, I have to keep going over it till the colour finally shows a bit. 

Product: tarte Amazonian clay 12-hour blush in Blushing Bride 

Price: $26

Stars: ★★★★☆  

Would Recommend? Yes.

Takeaway: The pigmentation on this one is also somewhat lacking however unlike The Body Shop's blusher, I can build layers upon this one to make it a bit more visible. Also it lasts a bit longer on my wonderfully oily face which makes it a high contender. 

Product: Darling Girl Cosmetics DuoChrome Blush in Purple Haze

Price: $5.90

Stars: ★★★★☆ 

Would Recommend? Yes but with caution.

Takeaway: For this one, it's highly pigmented which is great, but if you're not careful, it will get everywhere. At some point it got into my hair and I couldn't get it out of my bleached parts for a day. That's probably a testament to it's lasting power, but do be careful since it's a loose powder. It's wonderfully beautiful and long lasting.

Product: Whip Hands Cosmetics Cheek Flash Loose Blush in Distraction

Note: I received this product for free with my complimentary Wantable Makeup Box.

Price: $18

Stars: ★★★★☆ 

Would Recommend? Yes!

Takeaway: This one pops and it's not hard to control either. It lasts all day to my surprise especially since I've been a bit stressed and therefore a bit oilier than normal. I'm pretty impressed with this one.

Wantable October 2013 Accessories Box

I got my Wantable October 2013 Accessories Box (referral link) on Monday which made me pleasantly surprised; the shipping notification also came through on Monday so I suspect there was a bit of lag with the email. Nonetheless, I couldn't wait to see what I got especially since this was on heels of the October Makeup box. 

With this month's accessories box, I received 3 items (compared to last month's 4 items). The difference though was that two of the items in this box were right up my alley. In this box, I got:

• Miranda Necklace: $20
• Adore Ring: $24
• Ruthe Necklace: $34

Upon seeing the ring, I fell in love with it. I can't explain it, it's kind of quirky but incredibly simple and with the current state of my wardrobe, I feel as though it will easily fit in with anything.

As for the necklaces, I liked Miranda immediately for it's simple nature. But then I saw Ruthe and just fell in love with that one. I love pearls, I think that they are beautifully unique (pearls, that is) even when imperfect so at first, when I saw it in the bag, I was hesitant. Once I took it out, I was in love, especially since it's a tie style necklace. 

Miranda

Ruthe

The three boxes that I received have been amazing so far which leads me to the conundrum of trying to figure out what I should stick with. I'd highly suggest these boxes since so far they have been great! They are a bit pricey as one box (without the subscription) costs $40 and with the subscription they are $36. Thus far the boxes seem incredibly tailored, have high quality items, and seem to hit the mark. 

A Halloween Rant

I had been holding out on my annual Halloween rant because I held out the hope that perhaps, just maybe, stores were waiting till we got closer to Halloween to start putting out Halloween inspired makeup. But I guess that all of makeup land (with the exception of indie companies) has decided to skip it in favour of Christmas. Go figure.

This was from last year. It seems to have
not made it into production this year.

Every year around this time, I stock up on a few things: all things pumpkin and/or marshmallow. Oh yeah, and that's when I take a concrete approach to my entire makeup collection and check what I have along with what I need, and what needs to be replaced. Why? Because executing some looks for Halloween expands one's capability and tests thew quality along with the longevity of makeup. Seriously, think about it. You need these makeup creations to last all throughout Halloween night and it's a great test to not just what you can create, but how well makeup fares. So, each year, I think about the colours in my costume, what I need to execute on, test the makeup I currently have and prepare by creating a list of what I'll need. 

This year upon reviewing my collection, I realized that I hadn't replaced a lot of the colours that I gave away (yes, I still routinely prune my collection which involves giving items away to my friends or donating it if it hasn't been used). On top of that, longevity is key -- this year we're doing Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party and a regular Halloween party so my costume needs to be on point. 

So this year for Captain Hook (which is just me repurposing an old costume), I need to make sure my makeup is on point because I will get all of the candy. Moving on, this means that were looking to stay at Disneyland for hours and if you've ever tried to touch your makeup at a park, you know that it's somewhat difficult. Which means that all of my top notch makeup is going with me. 

Back to my rant: This is why whenever you read my posts, I talk about traveling or just being able to carry makeup around. Sure, I can create custom palettes by depotting or pressing myself but golly is it tiring to do that. All I'm asking from companies is to just put together a legit Halloween palette. Perhaps toss in some awesome lipsticks and lip liners too. But really the question to them is simply:

Why must you hate on Halloween and skip it in favour of Christmas palettes? There's a market out there for it -- I can assure you it exists. Perhaps you think that they don't sell well, but maybe you need to stop selling palettes full of neutrals during October when people are looking for brights, bolds, darks, and everything else. 

I don't need a Christmas inspired palette right now. I need a Halloween palette with black, orange, purple, green, and white. Sure, toss in some other colours, but I need for them to be dark and I need them to varied. 

So, since regular companies haven't stepped up their game, here's a shout out to some of the few indie companies who understand their customers needs. Please note that I haven't ordered from all of these places so I've placed an asterisk by the ones that I have tried. I'm also not linking their Halloween or Seasonal page directly since it might go away depending on the time of the year. >_<

• BFTE Cosmetics
• Chinovi Cosmetics
• Darling Girl Cosmetics*
• Detrivore Cosmetics
• Dream World Hermetica
• Impulse Cosmetics
• Innocent + Twisted Alchemy
• Madd Style Cosmetics
• Meow Cosmetics*
• Oslo Cosmetics
• Pretty Serious
• Pure Fusion Cosmetics
• Shiro Cosmetics*
• Sobe Botanicals
• Spectrum Cosmetics
• The Chequered Lily
• Venomous Cosmetics
• Victorian Disco Cosmetics

And for the other items! (Again, this list is only for indie companies and I'll add an asterisk to the ones I've tried myself).

• Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab*
• Book of Shadows*
• Bubbles Up! Soap*
• Dollish Polish
• Happy Hands Nail Polish
• Lucky 13 Lacquers*
• Lulabelle Nail Polish
• One Hand Washes the Other

Darling Girl Cosmetics Haul

My order arrived from Darling Girl Cosmetics on Friday and I was so excited to see it. Darling Girl currently has a high turnaround time (14-16 days) and when I checked in, the store was closed (likely to catch up on orders). I didn't fret about it, but I also didn't expect the package till next week so I was pretty content to see it waiting for me.

Now I admit, I totally forgot exactly what I ordered. I remembered the colours but I forgot that I ordered "petits" (which are in 3g jars) rather than samples (which are in zip lock bags). Part of my intent with this haul was to practice pressing eyeshadows so when it arrived and I found that they were in jars, my reaction was: "Darn it, the packaging is so cute, I don't want to press these." 

The pictures above are from the night that I first got them. I didn't really organize them properly so I had to align them again but take down their names. Off to the side on the right, you'll see two differently shaped items and that is the sample of "All of the Pumpkin" which is a gift with purchase and a sample of Burnished, one of the Wet Paint Pots (WPP). DG's WPP are of a creamy consistency that can be worn alone or layered with other eyeshadows.

Okay so, the samples are to the left now, and this time they are vaguely aligned in a way that I could remember the colours. Below you'll find the names of everything with the exception of the blush, Purple Haze, which I'll write about in another post.

My favourites from all of the swatches are: London Calling, Incognito, Attack of the 50ft Woman, Leviathan, and Monther Within. I think they all have a place in my collection, but some definitely stand out more than others. I haven't tried them out for longevitiy or tried them just yet in a look, but I have high hopes for all of them. I just need to figure out how to draw out "All of the Pumpkin" and "Burnished."

I did want to note that I did press the sample of "All of the Pumpkin" though. The sample size doesn't come with a sifter so it was a bit messy when I opened it. The shop did tape it down so it didn't make a mess anywhere else, but I realized that it would be friendly in it's loose format if I were in a rush in the morning (which I usually am) or if I were traveling. 

So after I was done swatching the first row, I ran into the "lab" and pressed it. 

---

Product: Darling Girl Cosmetics Eyeshadows

Price: Varies based on size. The petits were $2.50 and the full size (blush) was $5.90.

Stars: ★★★★★

Would Recommend? Yes! 

Takeaway: DG has a variety of beautiful colours and any of them would be a welcomed addition to a collection (seriously, I just focused on colours that I didn't have already and I'm pretty impressed). 

Wantable October 2013 Cosmetics Box

Items were received by Wantable complimentary.

A few days ago, over on Reddit, Stuart was kind enough to ask the community if there would be bloggers willing to "spread the word about Wantable." Being a current subscriber to their accessories box (in fact, my October one is on it's way and I can't wait) -- I reached out to them and asked if I could snag a cosmetics box because I had been on the fence about it. Sure enough, his team provided a free box and I'm happy to share it's contents.

A quick overview of Wantable: You fill out your preferences and they state that will never send your dislikes. In fact, with each box that you get, there's a review of all of the items along with your preferences. They also provide a retail price for almost all of the products (with the exception of the sample) so that you can gauge whether the box at $36 a month or a single box for $40 is worth it to you. Anyhow, let's take a look at the box.

You'll have to forgive Heero, as he might have confused this with his old pet monthly subscription box. I thought it was super cute that he decided to make an appearance. 

This particular box came with the following items:

• Michael Marcus Nail Polish in Blood Red
• Japonesque Angled Foundation Brush
• Whip Hand Cosmetics in Cheek Flash Distraction
• Lise Watier Feline Mascara Black
• Skiin Instant Skin Tightener & Line Filler Sample

Wantable provided a freebie code on Thursday, October 10th which is the same day I ordered it and the box arrived on Tuesday, October 15th. So as with the Accessories box, super fast shipping. The box would have been here on Monday had the Post Office not observed Columbus Day. 

To start, I kind of had an idea of what to expect. If you check such places as /r/BeautyBoxes, it'll give you a decent idea of what's going out that month. It will not give you an exact idea since the boxes vary based on preference. I did expect the angled foundation brush (I seem to collect brushes even though I've switched to sponges) but everything else took me by pleasant surprise. 

Closer pictures to follow however I ask that you ignore the Halloween manicure. :( It's been a long week which is why it's taken so long to write this post.

The only thing not pictured is the sample of the skin tightener. Honestly, I'd actually like to give that a try before I post my thoughts about it.

My initial thoughts on everything else though? I really like this box. It seems small in quantity but the quality factor is high. Now I'm not familiar with these particular brands, so when I say quality, I'm actually not referring to the products but I'm referring to Wantable because they nailed it.

I have been feigning over a new blush colour but I seem to pick the same one each time. And even though this one is still pretty close in colour to the others, the pigmentation is pretty great which makes me quite impressed. The nail polish colour is amazing and I can assure you, before I started typing this post, I removed that black nail polish and I'll be putting that red on shortly. As a huge mascara addict, I could always use another and I'll be trying it out this week and next week to give my overall thoughts of the brand.

So, is Wantable worth it? YES. While you may not like the box they created for me, please keep in mind that they will make one specific to you. Thus far they have had amazing customer service and I'd would highly recommend them because even if you have a bad experience, they seem to very much want to help you and make things right. In conclusion, here's my referral link and... Go sign up. :)