This past month I received the Spring Bloom Vox Box from Influenster. I really love this program. I receive free things (usually awesome stuff) for posting about it and telling my honest opinion. In line with being honest, I’ve taken a bit to review these products because
My new nephew was born on April 26th! I’ve been busy staring at him and saying how perfect he is.
It’s Spring time…it’s warm. Ain’t no body got time to sit inside!
Well, while the baby was sleeping I sat on my moms back porch to do my nails. I took the ugly old polish off with one Cutex Advanced Revival Pad. It was individually packaged and moist when I opened it. I was ready to grab the regular acetone to get all the glitter off my nails but this worked just fine. What I liked about it was the ease of throwing it in your overnight bag. You don’t have to worry about strong nail polish remover ruining all your stuff when it leaks.
Photo Credit: drugstore.com
My only drawback was they were probably pricey…until I looked them up. They’re about $4 for 10. It makes each about 40 cents. Now, I don’t think you should buy these over regular nail polish remover. (It’s so much cheaper) BUT I do think they are perfect for travel.
Love & Laughter,
Tiffany
I received these free from Influenster but I’ll tell you if I think they suck. 😉
Hello darlings! I’ve waited a bit to give a full review on the YSL Vox Box because I wanted to really use the lipsticks and give an in-depth assessment. A month or so ago I received two full sized YSL Rouge Pur Couture lipsticks in the mail. These lipsticks were sent from Influenster as part of their testing. I’ve been a member for a few years now. These are the highest value items I’ve received yet! I plan on writing a post about how I became an Influenster and what it’s been like for me.
Here’s how it went down: I reviewed some other YSL products in the past. I didn’t think I’d be lucky enough to receive more…but I was wrong! I received an email with a quick survey. I filled it out and within a week I received an email saying I was chosen to try the Voxbox! I seriously jumped up and down, smiling ear-to-ear. In a week, this black box was at my doorstep. Here’s that it looked like!
Once open, there was a card from Influenster and YSL along with the two lipsticks. I love Cara Delevingne. She’s the “face” of the Rouge Pur Couture Collection and is always killing it in their ads. The lipsticks were wrapped in black tissue paper.
Each lipstick was packaged in a shimmery gold box. I’ve learned that higher-end lipsticks don’t typically put names on their products. Instead, they’re recognized by numbers. I’m not sure why this is, but I later had to look up the name of the shades on Sephora’s website. I received both 19 and 9. They are full sized. Each is worth $36, placing the box value at $72!
Here they are chilling with Cara! At this point I was squealing and doing a happy-dance.
I opened the boxes carefully and held each lipstick. The “oohs and awws” took place as I twisted the lipstick up and down. Some things I noticed right off the bat:
The lipstick cases were super heavy
The YSL logo wasn’t slapped on, but instead is part of the design on the side
Even the lipstick product has YSL on it
The closure isn’t magnetic, but holds the lipstick closed really tightly
The lipstick smells like Roses and reminds me of past elegance
The #19 lipstick is in the shade Fuchsia. This is a bright fuchsia pink. It’s bright and cheery. It makes your teeth look extra white. I wore this with a black dress and purple heels to church one Sunday and received a lot of compliments. It’s not for the faint of heart and is more dramatic. Below is a swatch of it on my wrist. When wearing this shade, I keep the rest of my face makeup minimal. I applied black liner, mascara, highlighter, and just a little blush to help the color stand out.
See the bottom of the lipstick? It doesn’t say the shade, just the number!
The other shade I received was #9 and it’s called Rose Stiletto. This shade is described as a rich berry rose. It’s a beautiful shade that’s classic and under-stated. It’s not near as bright as Fuchsia, but it does demand attention when it’s on your lips. I’ve been wearing it a lot more than the other shade because it compliments a number of different makeup looks. It’s perfect for Fall, too. I’ve been wearing it with a slightly smokey eye and then a bronzer.
The formula for the YSL Rouge Pur Couture lipsticks is unlike any I’ve tried in the past. It’s moisturizing and goes on like butter. The smell is fantastic and the lipstick bullets themselves are works of art. When I apply the lipstick, I only need one swipe to get the color pay off I expect. You don’t have to keep going over it and you don’t need to add a primer or any gloss. I appreciate that the formula doesn’t feather or smear off my lips. I’ve worn it in hot weather and it doesn’t budge. The only thing is, you need to reapply it after you eat or drink coffee. I don’t mind that, since it’s not supposed to be a lip stain.
I’ve also noticed a little goes a long way. Since you’re not reapplying the product every few hours, it lasts longer. Rose Stiletto doesn’t even look used and I’ve been using it off and on for about a month! The packaging keeps the lipsticks from opening in your purse and the luxurious feel makes you want to grab them and apply them nonstop (even though you don’t have to).
I had never really considered purchasing YSL lipsticks as a collection. I had hoped for Christmas I might get one last year. Now, though, after receiving these for free, I’ve determined I’d like to collect a few more. The quality is unlike other brands and they look stunning on my makeup vanity. Along with regular finish (like the ones I received), YSL offers satin and matte versions of the shades. I think I’ll stick with the regular since it’s treated me so well.
Overall, my rating is a 10+/10. I hoped these would be as luxurious as they looked, and I wasn’t let down. Influenster kindly sent them to me for free to try out. Everything in this post is my own personal opinion. I’d tell you if they were a flop. (See my review on the Touché Eclat Blur Perfector which kinda sucked.)
Each lipstick in the Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Pur Couture collection is $36. You can order them from Sephora, Nordstrom, Barney’s and YSLBeauty.com. I just saw that Nordstrom has them 10% off and they’re only $32! That’s pretty rare, so take advantage of the discount if you’re interested in trying a more luxurious lipstick.
I about peed my pants when I found out I was selected to try the latest makeup line from Yves Saint Laurent! For those that don’t know, the brand is pretty pricey and is offered from the world-famous luxury brand. Personally, I’ve tried a handful of samples from YSL, but I’ve never tried any full sized items.
So, how did I receive this crazy nice makeup swag? Well, I’ve been a member of Influenster for about three years now. This program is online and allows different people to try new products and give feedback. Now, it helps that I have a lot of Facebook friends and have my own beauty blog. I think that’s why they send me more makeup than others. The program is completely free and I’m not paid to say anything in particular about the brands. In the past I’ve tried razors, makeup items, and even vitamins! This package is by far the highest valued item I’ve been sent and it made my day! I plan on writing a post later about how to become an Influenster and what to do to get sent some of the higher value items to sample. In the meantime, if you’re curious, just click here and begin working on your profile and connecting your social media to the site.
Before I received this box, I received an email with a set of questions to answer. I answered that I loved makeup and was a Very Important Beauty Insider at Sephora (I send $350+ per year there). Once I finished the set of questions, I received a confirmation email that I was receiving the box. It came a few days later and looked like this.
When I opened the packaging I swear I had hearts in my eyes. The compact is beautiful and very luxurious to hold. The packaging is a pale pink with the iconic YSL logo in gold. Once you open the rectangular compact, there is a mirror and then the product. So, what in the world is this pink formula supposed to do?
According to Sephora, the product is a blur perfector. This means that the formula will help matte-ify your skin, blur overlarge pores, and give you a warm glow. The exact description says
“This portable perfector is Yves Saint Laurent’s first ever blur perfector encased within a compact. It transforms from a balm to a powder upon application to soften the skin’s imperfections—creating a transparent yet subtle, rosy-glow effect. Use it alone as an allover complexion perfector, to set makeup, or as a mattifying touch up to sweep away shine and hide imperfections. Featuring one universal shade that complements all skin types, it instantly minimizes the look of pores so that skin feels smoother and the complexion appears more even. ”
So, what did I think? Even though the packaging was beautiful…I didn’t like it. As soon as I opened it, I applied it on top of my Kat Von D Lock It Tattoo foundation. The formula from YSL didn’t mix well and basically made my makeup come off. I noticed the liquid makeup separated and drew even more attention to my large pores (sigh).
I thought maybe it was how it mixed with my foundation. I tried another day by wearing it alone. I didn’t notice a big difference, but my husband said my pores around my nose did seem smaller.
You use a sponge to apply the cream which then turns into a powder. The formula feels great going on and seems to eliminate oil. Unfortunately, I wear liquid makeup almost everyday. This type of product doesn’t work well with my go-to foundation so I won’t have a need for it. Along with trying it all over on top of my foundation, I also used it under and it did the same thing. Another time I only used it near my oily t-zone and again, it didn’t deliver. It was super disappointing for such an expensive and beautiful product. On Sephora, a lot of beauty lovers are saying they’re addicted to it. Perhaps it works better with other foundations? I may try to mix it with my Clinique Almost Powder Makeup on a day when I’m not doing a full face of makeup.
YSL Touch Eclat Blue Perfector cam be purchased at Sephora for $55. If you didn’t get the hint already, I won’t be purchasing it. I feel as if there isn’t a need for this in my day-to-day makeup routine.
Yves Saint Laurent Touch Eclat Blur Primer
I think I’ve found my new favorite primer! After the disappointment of the compact, I was beginning to think Yves Saint Laurent products weren’t as great as I thought they were supposed to be. Thankfully, the primer proved me wrong. I received the primer from Influenster and it was a small sample size. The container has a gold top and has small flecks of gold suspended in the liquid. You apply it with a small sponge applicator. Overall, the product is supposed to help your makeup go on smooth, blur complexion imperfections, and give you a healthy glow. Sephora says,
“Touche Elcat Blur Primer preps skin for foundation application, creating an improved, refined appearance: pores seem to be minimized, skin texture feels smoother, and skintone is more even. It’s enriched with four nourishing oils—corn oil, apricot kernel oil, passiflora oil, and rice bran oil—to leave skin feeling incredibly soft without a greasy residue. Packed with blur technology, this universal primer provides a subtle, golden shimmer for ultimate luminosity. ”
Boy, did this help my makeup stay put! It worked beautifully under my Kat Von D foundation (unlike the compact version) and made my skin look flawless. I even received a few compliments on my skin when wearing it. The gold flecks are interesting. I didn’t see them on my skin. I suppose they blend in? The formula is very silky. I felt like I needed a lot to cover my entire face. It absorbs quickly and helps acne stars look less noticeable. I’ve purchased Lancomes’ LA BASE PRO for $42 in the past. I would say the Yves Saint Laurent Touche Eclat Blur Primer works a tad bit better. It seemed to keep my makeup on just as long and go on just as smooth. The difference is that the YSL product helped my skin have a healthy glow. The Lancome primer didn’t.
Touche Eclat Blur Primer is $52 for one ounce of product. It’s a little bit larger than Lancome’s (.2 ounces more). I think trying this through Influenster has definitely won me over. I saw a promotion at Sephora to receive a deluxe sample of the primer. I spent some money just to get another container of it! Now, can I get myself to invest in a $36 YSL lipstick? 😉
I received both products FREE through Influenster for testing purposes. My opinions are, of course, my own. If I like something, I’ll let you know. If I think it’s a waste of a dollar…I’ll let you know that, too.
