QVC Beauty Test Tube Review!

QVC Beauty Test Tube August 2012

QVC Beauty Test Tube ($29.95) is an exclusive, one-of-a-kind sampling program enabling members the opportunity to try a variety of the best beauty products before investing in them, and then share their feedback about the products. Every three months, for $29.95 (plus shipping and handling), subscribers receive a Test Tube filled with deluxe and full-size samples of coveted, high-performance luxury products and the latest issue of NewBeauty magazine. TestTube subscribers also receive videoemails, demonstrating how to achieve optimal results with the products. With 25,000 subscribers, Test Tube has built an unprecedented community of beautyenthusiasts and informed women who sample and share their product favorites.

So unlike the other beauty sample subscriptions, you get four packages a year, as opposed to 12 with most of the other sites. That is $120 a year, while you'd be paying the same amount of money with other companies or more (Birchbox $10/month, Glossybox $21/month, Beauty Box 5 $12/month, etc.) And these other companies give several one-use samples, whereas TestTube only gives deluxe samples.

My aunt gave me five of the products to try and keep, and I was so excited to share my overall thoughts with you!

The August Test Tube included:
Philosophy Love Sweet Love Shampoo, Bath, and Shower Gel, 1 fl oz
A multitasking cleanser for hair and body with a heart-warming scent.
Full Size (16 oz) $22

Bliss Lemon + Sage Body Butter, 1.7 fl oz, TRAVEL SIZE
Bliss Body Butter restores moisture to even the most 'rough and scaly skin' as it protects the skin from free radicals. It smoothes, softens, and hydrates dry skin, without making it feel greasy. Used in over 70,000 bliss spa massages every year worldwide, this superior skin-smoothing formula has gained a huge following—making it one of Bliss' best selling products.
Travel Size (1.7 oz) $6, Full Size (6.7 oz) $29

Mally High Shine Liquid Lipstick Pen in the shade Mally's Look, 0.12-oz, FULL SIZE
Mally's High-Shine Liquid Lipstick Pen is a high-performance, 4-in-1 product that includes your lip primer, lipstick, lip gloss, and lip liner all in one! It is a beautiful, smooth, and creamy formula that lasts. These lip pens give you the perfect amount of color combined with the sexy high shine of a gloss.
Full Size (0.12 oz) $20

Urban Decay Vice Eyeshadow Palette Launching Soon!

Urban Decay Vice Palette for Fall 2012

Urban Decay launches the Vice Palette ($59) for fall—an insanely gorgeous new palette that’s ALL about eyeshadow. All twenty new shades (yes, twenty!) were created exclusively for the palette—you’ve never seen these colors before. With a range of mattes, shimmers, satins, neutrals and brights, there’s something for everyone.

It all comes housed in a sleek purple soft-touch case topped with a sparkling jeweled UD icon. The sophisticated case boasts a large mirror and a double-ended Good Karma Shadow and Crease Brush (a current customer favorite)! We even borrowed motion-control technology from the automotive industry--with the push of a button, the slow-opening lid dramatically unveils all 20 shades, seducing the eye with anticipation.

Every eyeshadow contains Urban Decay’s brand new Pigment Infusion System™, the proprietary blend of ingredients that gives every shade its velvety texture, rich color, serious staying power, and blendability.

The Vice Palette Collection includes:
Desperation – Taupe brown w/ satin finish
Muse – Deep sepia brown w/ multidimensional sparkle finish
Jagged – Metallic black gold w/ shimmer finish
Blitz – Metallic yellow gold w/ shimmer finish
Penny Lane – Metallic peachy bronze pearl w/ golden shimmer finish
Junkie – Dark green/blue pearl w/ golden shimmer
Chaos – Bright blue matte
Occupy – Metallic steel grey w/ multidimensional sparkle and shimmer finish
Unhinged – Metallic electric turquoise w/ shimmer finish
Black Market – Jet black satin
Provocateur – Light metallic mauve w/ multidimensional sparkle and shimmer finish
Rapture – Dark greyish purple w/ multidimensional shimmer finish
Vice – Deep eggplant purple w/ shimmer finish
Noise – Electric punch pink w/ gold sparkle and shimmer finish
Armor – Metallic dove grey w/ silver micro-glitter shimmer finish
Nevermind – Metallic cork w/ shimmer finish
Echo Beach – Pale wheat w/ shimmer finish
Anonymous – Opaque almond w/ matte finish
Free Bird – Pink champagne w/ silver micro-sparkle shimmer finish
Laced – Opaque pinky taupe w/ matte finish

A double-ended Shadow and Crease Brush is also included.

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The Vice Palette ($59) will be available on 9/15 online at urbandecay.com, and on 9/27 at Sephora, ULTA and select Macy’s stores. It will also be available for purchase online at Sephora.com, ulta.com, macys.com and beauty.com.

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Make Up Forever Smoky Lash Mascara Review!

Make Up Forever Smoky Lash Mascara

Make Up Forever Smoky Lash Mascara ($23) is an ultra-pigmented mascara that delivers curl, volume, length and intense-pigment for some seriously bold lashes.

Make Up Forever Smoky Lash Mascara is available in (5) shades: Rich Black, Deep Brown, Dark Blue, Plum and Green.

It's not too often that I'll venture out into pricey mascaras. Considering a tube of mascara only lasts me a month, it's not something I really want to continuously replace - unless there is a mascara that magically transforms my lashes into drag queen lashes, I'm content with my $5 drugstore mascara. Anyways.

I've always wanted to know what the big fuss is with MUFE Smoky Lash, so I got a hold of a sample recently to try it out.

I really like the brush on Smoky Lash. It's a pretty traditional large, fluffy brush - that isn't too large or awkward, reaches my smaller corner lashes, and doesn't get all over my eyelids.

Often times when a mascara claims to provide both intense volume and length, the formula can tend to be clumpy. Make Up Forever Smoky Lash on the other hand seems to define/separate my lashes incredibly well. No matter how many coats I apply, I don't experience any clumping. Lash comb? Who needs one.

My eyelashes before and after (two coats)

MAC Bombshell Lipstick Review, Photos and Swatches!

MAC Bombshell Lipstick

MAC Bombshell Lipstick ($15) is a soft rosy pink with pink and golden shimmer. It's a frost formula lipstick, so if you don't like frost, this might not be a lipstick for you - but for reference, I can tolerate many of MAC's Frost Lipsticks as the actual formula is nice and they don't tend to be overly frosty.

The lipstick is smooth (non-gritty and dry like many frost lipsticks) and applies just as silky as any of their other formulas. It has a satin finish, but if it was a bit more glossy I'd love this lipstick so much more. I think it has a tendency to sometimes looks a little dull on my lips, but it's nothing a little gloss doesn't fix. I've read that it looks great when layered with MAC Nymphette Lipglass, although I just grab any similar pink gloss and it always looks nice.

I notice that when I'm tanner (NC35), it looks more cool toned on my lips, and when I'm lighter (NC25), it looks a bit more rosy. I think Pink Icing would've been an appropriate name, because that's almost what it looks like on my lips.

It's a fabulous shade for every-day, and if you're in the market for a frosty pink that doesn't make you look like a porn-star, check out MAC Bombshell.

MAC Bombshell Lipstick on my lips (around NC30 skin tone)