WORTH THE SPLURGE? Kérastase Resistance Thérapiste Bain Shampoo & Soin Premier Thérapiste Conditioner

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Since we're already talking about scrimping and splurging today, how do you feel about splashing out big bucks on haircare products? For a long time I was one of those people who would only buy drugstore haircare, but I've been trying to broaden my horizons lately and try new things. So when Influenster sent me a couple items from salon brand Kérastase's Resistance haircare line I was naturally quite curious—would they be worth the extra cost? Read on to find out!

Etude House Pink Bird Box: Mini reviews of the ugraded Collagen Moistfull skincare line, Precious Mineral Cover & Bright Fit BB Cream + GIVEAWAY!

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Who's ready to hear about some new makeup and skincare goodies from Etude House? Pink Bird Box powers activate!

Unboxing | Walmart Beauty Box Fall/September 2015

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Happy fall, y'all! With the change of seasons comes a bounty of new beauty products and beauty boxes, including today's catch, the latest Walmart Beauty Box.

Hey, it's the August Etude House Pink Bird Box: Swatches of the new Bling Bling Eye Sticks, Dear Darling Water Tint & More

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One of my favorite things in the world is finding new makeup that's inexpensive, works well, and isn't a total pain in the ass to use. There was at least one thing in the latest Etude House Pink Bird Box that ticked all three of those boxes—but you'll have to keep reading to find out what it is! [Insert gleeful cackle]

At long last, the July 2015 Etude House Pink Bird Box: Play 101 pencil swatches, post office weirdness & GIVEAWAY!

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So here's a funny story that's not actually that funny: Etude House sent me this box in July (as one might expect), but it never showed up at my doorstep. After a while I contacted them for the tracking number to see if I could hunt it down, but by the time I got it, it was already listed as "returned to sender" because they had tried to deliver it so long ago. (Except nobody ever tried to deliver it, or if they did, they didn't leave one of those little pink missed delivery slips that American postal customers enjoy so much.) Don't you love it when that happens? Anyway, I thought it was long gone, but when my boyfriend went to the post office to pick up a different package a couple of weeks later it was somehow magically there. I don't even know anymore. In any case my local post office is awesome, and I finally have the July Etude House Pink Bird Box to show you!

A look inside the Etude House Pink Bird box: Open Your Eyes Make Up Box Kit, Decoden kit cuteness and more

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Who wants to see some fun goodies from Etude House? Sorry it took me a while to post about June's box—this has been a crazy month. The contents of the box are still delightful though. Aged like a fine wine? Or something.

Unboxing | Scent Trunk Women's Fragrance Box - July 2015

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I'll cut to the chase: I'm a big fan of Scent Trunk. This should come as no surprise to anyone who's read my dozens of indie fragrance reviews, but for folks who are new around here, I'll say this: If you like indie fragrance, you should really check them out. What's in a Scent Trunk, you might be wondering? Well I'm about to show you!

Introducing Mishibox, a new Korean beauty box

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I don't know if you've noticed, but Korean beauty products have become really, really popular lately. This is great news for folks like me who have been using this stuff for years—at long last, some of our favorite products are available for purchase without weeks of waiting time! (International shipping is slow, yo.) But one thing I've really been missing is a good subscription K-beauty box. There are several non-subscription options out there (I'm sure I don't need to name names), but companies that will send you good boxes of surprise stuff each month. And not just samples—a mixture of samples and full-sizes. Luckily, new subscription box service Mishibox offers just that—and they ship from right here in the USA! They were kind enough to send me their first box for review, so let's take a look and see if it fills that K-shaped hole in my heart.

Unboxing | Walmart Beauty Box Summer 2015

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For the second time in a row, the Walmart Beauty Box managed to show up on my doorstep without any warning. A quick search of my e-mail reveals that they did in fact send me tracking info, but it came from "auto-notify" with the subject line "Unregistered Demo". Who knows how I managed to overlook that. Anyway, it's here now—want to see what's in it?

Unboxing of the NEW Scent Trunk Women's Fragrance Box + GIVEAWAY!

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If you've been reading my blog for a while, you probably know how much I love niche and indie fragrances (Who remembers the 30 day #HPBScentOfTheDay challenge?) Today I'm pleased to introduce you to a subscription service that makes that niche perfume sampling itch ever-so-easy to scratch: Scent Trunk! Fragrance sample hoarders of the universe unite.

Meet Scentbird, the perfect subscription for perfume lovers

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It's no secret that I love trying out different perfumes. I've tried a couple of curated fragrance sampling subscriptions, and while I feel like they're a good idea in theory, they often end up sending me stuff that I end up not liking. Bummer, bro. Luckily, there's a new-ish scent sampling game in town: Scentbird! They allow you to sample specific fragrances of your choice or choose from recommendations based on other scents you've liked in the past, making it an awesome discovery service for picky perfume connoisseurs.

Indie Friday: The Sweet Anthem/SA List - Fall 2014 Fragrance Anthology

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At long last, my SA List fall box is here! There was a bit of a shipping mix-up which resulted in me getting this waaaay late, but the owner was super-fast to rectify the situation once I noticed it was missing, so kudos to her for that.

I'm starting PocketDerm. Wish me luck!

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I wrote a post yesterday that mentioned my how my skin cleared up a lot after I honed in on quality products in my skincare routine. While I am mostly happy with my skin these days, there is one product I have always wanted to try but has eluded me for practical reasons: Tretinoin. Also known by the brand name Retin-A. It's a highly effective treatment against acne AND wrinkles in some cases, but if you live in the United States (and a number of other countries) you need a prescription to get it. Crappy insurance + dermatology visits not being covered = tretinoin is too cost-prohibitive for me, boo-hoo-hoo.

I read about something called PocketDerm recently, which is essentially a subscription service that (a) allows you to consult with a certified dermatologist online and (b) allows you to get prescription topical creams for acne inclusive in the cost (which is very affordable at $19.95 per month). I suspect that some of you reading have already heard of PocketDerm, being the savvy internet users that you are, but I thought it might be interesting to write up a little intro and document my experience for folks who are new to it, so uh.... here you go.

Indie Friday: The SA List - Sweet Anthem Perfume Subscription

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Have you ever thought to yourself "Man, I wish there was a subscription service for indie perfume samples!" Anybody? (Just me?) Well, thankfully for me and my need to smell everything ever, such a thing exists.

Meet The SA List, from craft perfumery Sweet Anthem. This is their summer box.

Madison Reed Hair Color Subscription Service + Discount

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Before I start this review, I guess I should tell you that I have a long and storied history with home hair dye kits. I have been dyeing my hair at home by myself since I was twelve years old (that's eighteen years ago, for those of you who are bad at math and/or haven't read my "about me" section). I've tried temporary dyes, permanent dyes, kits, self-mixed colors, bleaching, you name it. If there's a thing you can put on your head to make your hair change color, I've probably tried it at some point.

With all that said, I'm thrilled to introduce Madison Reed, an at-home hair color subscription service. Why so thrilled? Because I had an excellent (I mean it!) experience with it. Keep reading to learn more...

Why Birchbox Doesn't Actually Suck: The Points System & A Haul

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Warning: This post is going to be rambly as hell.

Folks who read my subscription box reviews regularly may have noticed that I complain about Birchbox sometimes. Here's the thing - I feel like they sent me weird, shitty samples these last couple of months. Yet I've stayed subscribed. Why, you may wonder? Because their reward points system makes it still sort of worth it.

If you've been on the fence about subscribing to Birchbox you may want to read this post, as I'll be talking about some of the finer points of the rewards system. I'll also be showing off all the crap I just bought with my points, so I guess it's worth sticking around even if you just like hauls. :P

Review: Memebox Global Box #3 (Korean Beauty Box)

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Today I have something to share with you that I'm really excited about. I mean really, really *really* excited about. If you read my blog regularly then you probably know that I'm a big fan of both beauty boxes and Korean cosmetics. Well, what if I told you that there was a Korean beauty box that shipped overseas, and that it was an exceptionally good value to boot? Holy savings, Batman!

The thing I'm talking about is Memebox, and and today I'll be reviewing their third global edition box.