As collegiettes our days are very busy — we barely have time to use all the beauty products we have, never mind keep track of all the new ones hitting shelves.
Luckily, the beauty bloggers at Her Campus are here to try out some fun products and let you know which ones actually have our seal of approval! We’ll answer all your questions: What makes one lip gloss better than another? Which new nail polish is worth the splurge? What does that perfume actually smell like?
This week we tried out a Starlooks Starbox (a makeup subscription box), a makeup case perfect for travelers, and an awesome Urban Decay eyeliner!
If you’ve tried any of these products, we’d love to get your opinion too! Comment below and let us know what you think!
MAKEUP SUBSCIPTION BOX: Starlooks Starbox
Price: $15/month
Where to get it: Starbox.Starlooks.com
I didn’t know what to expect when opening Starlook’s Starbox–but that’s half the fun! Every box includes three Starlooks makeup products — plus mine included a bonus zebra nail file and a crystal for “energy and beauty”. A cute touch. I had never actually used any of the products they included in the May box, which included eyebrow shader, cream blush, and a pigment luster. But each one was of great quality, and they pushed me to test out new looks with my makeup I had never tried before — which is exactly what I claimed I wanted to do this summer!
I had a blast testing out the new styles, and would much rather do so with a quality product that I won’t have to be nervous about. For $15 a month, I’d say it’s definitely worth it! If you’re hoping to mix up your beauty routine, find a gift for the beauty maven who has everything, or just have some fun testing out good quality makeup, I would definitely recommend Starbox. If you are worried about the risk of surprise, Starlooks also offers all of their products individually (and for you to choose) on their website. My personal favorite was the pigment luster in Cinnamon Toss, which, as the helpful instructions card included in every box notes, really does work for just about any skin tone.
MAKEUP CASE: Joy Mangano Ultimate Better Beauty Case Set
Price: $34.95
Where to buy it: HSN.com
With a job in New York, a boyfriend in Richmond, friends in Boston and DC, and my family in Philadelphia, I have been doing a lot of travel this summer. I am also the worst packer in the world. I cannot express how much this beauty case set has helped that issue. It comes with two parts: a smaller part, with four clear zip-up cases that I use to store my work make-up, night make-up, weekend make-up, and miscellaneous items. It folds perfectly into a compact little bag that I can keep out of the way on my desk. The second piece is identical in form, but larger, so I use this when I travel and it fits all of my toiletries, apart from the larger shampoo bottles, etc. The nice part is that both cases allow you to remove individual sleeves (the smaller one permits all four, the larger only two). So when I was traveling and couldn’t fit the whole case in my backpack, I took out my daily make-up and the larger sleeve with my toiletries and slipped them easily into my backpack’s smaller pocket. I can’t imagine an easier system for keeping all of my stray beauty items organized for daily use or for travel, or a more convenient way to translate from daily use to travel. Also it looks much nicer, classier, and neater than the two little toiletry cases I had been stuffing my items into before. I got it in Saddle (which I love), but it comes in a variety of colors and also a variant version called Satin Stripe.
EYELINER: Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil
Price: $19.99
Where to get it: Sephora, UrbanDecay.com
While it is very hard to justify spending $20 on an eyeliner, I just can’t live without this one! I have the UD 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Zero (black) and I use it every single day. The pencil is soft enough to glide on really easily without tugging on your eye or scratching it, but it’s not so soft that it rubs off. They’re not kidding when they say “24/7” – if I didn’t use makeup remover every night, this pencil could definitely last multiple days. I like to use it for my tight line (the equivalent of your water line on your upper lid), because it makes my lashes appear fuller and darker. It’s also great if you want to create a smokey eye, because it blends really easily (I would just make sure you set it with a black eye-shadow to avoid any transferring!) Overall, if I had to splurge on just one product in my eye makeup routine, it would be this UD eyeliner.
Photos courtesy of: starbox.starlooks.com; hsn.com; urbandecay.com