Monroe Misfit Makeup | Beauty Blog: August 2016

August 31, 2016

Express Yourself with the August BOXYCHARM Subscription Box


BOXYCHARM ($21) theme for August is EXPRESS YOURSELF and is full of beauties that allow you to do just that. If you are not familiar with BoxyCharm. They are the best beauty box around that is still worth subscribing to. For $21 a mo. five full size beauty products with over $100 value will land in your mailbox each month. Here is what August had to offer!


Coastal Scents Blush & Bronzer Mini Palette ($13.95+ $6.95)
Everything for a stunning face, all in one palette. Made up of bronzer, blush, and highlight for an all in one look. It also includes its own mini brush. Coastal Scents? Is this 2007? This palette is your typical generic palette blush/bronzers. With three higher value products in this box I can see why they included it so no biggie.

Aloette Time Repair Serum ($48)
Time Repair serum is a powerful age-defying skin care complex fortified with alpha and beta hydroxy acids to smooth away dead skin cells and powerful protective antioxidants. I am a skin serum junkie and I can't wait to try this out!

Dirty Little Secret Velvet Matte Liquid Lipstick ($10)
This long lasting velvet matte liquid lipstick is an intense vibrant orange red. Even though I feel a little over the matte liquid lipstick trend I always like trying out new brands I have never heard of before. It's also very inexpensive at only $10 in comparison to most liquid lipsticks out now. How fun is the packaging? Polka Dots on lipgloss just says hi I'm fun.

Doucce Cosmetics MaxLash Volumizer Mascara ($22)
This creamy and vibrant formula creates a khol effect leaving your lashes thick, extremely volumized, and fashion forward.

Well that's what they say.

I on the other hand found this mascara lackluster. It didn't add any volume to my lashes and was pretty basic for the price point. I gave it two tries before it was retired to the mascara graveyard.

Beauty For Real Shadow STIX ($19)
Making this whole box worth it this month was the Beauty For Real Shadow Stix. This long wearing cream-to-powder eyeshadow stick is easy to apply and infused with ingredients to keep your eyes looking and feeling great. Ever Starstruck is a beautiful soft shimmering champagne gold. It looks amazing worn alone on the lids. With the Summer heat cranked up here to 90 I have been opting for as little makeup as possible and this has been on my eyes since I got it. The soft gold illuminates the eyes and looks so fresh. I wore this in extreme heat and it didn't fade or budge. It also makes an excellent eyeshadow base. I hope they release 20 shades of these because they are one of my new favorites for the eyes!


sample provided for review consideration

August 25, 2016

Beauty For Real Essential Collection Review


Beauty For Real has been one of my favorite beauty brands ever since trying out their amazing lip creams. They were blazing the liquid lipstick trail before it was cool. Since my first review BFR has revamped their packaging and added some new products to the lineup. Today I have the Essentials Collection to share. Four of their hottest products that happen to be perfect for Summer looks!

 Beauty For Real's new packaging is so stylish. I love the logo revamp and how you can see exactly what you're getting right on the product boxes.


Try 4 full-sized BFR products, because we know you will #love it.  Featuring the essentials for cheeks, lips & lashes.  Effortless, high-performance, long-lasting makeup for glam-on-the-go curated for you by pro makeup artist & BFR Founder Leslie Munsell.
Essential Collection includes:
  • HI-DEF Mascara (Black)
  • BLUSH + GLO (In the Pink/Get Lit)
  • D-FINE Lip Pencil (Universal True Tone)
  • LIP GLOSS + SHINE (Kiss Me)
Not Included but you should totally get too: Lip Cream & (TOTAL) Glo

HI-DEF Mascara ($19)
The perfect combination of a volumizing and lengthening formula with a micro brush which has a hollow inner chamber, providing a large reservoir of product which coats every single lash. Amplify your lashes with a smooth, flexible and defined finish that stays perfect all day, even in extreme humidity and heat – inspired by the Miami weather! This mascara is one of my go-to every day mascara's in the Summer. It does't clump, flake, and stays put it. It gives excellent volume! The small brush lets you easily reach and coat even the most inner lashes.

BLUSH + GLO (In the Pink/Get Lit) ($24)
Featuring the patented ingredient, Luminera with a diamond core complex. As the transparent particles come into contact with the skin, the diamond core complex transforms invisible UV light and works to dramatically diminish the expression of wrinkles, discolorations, and imperfections. Vitamin E and grape seed extracts provide anti-aging benefits and antioxidant protection. Pomegranate extracts along with organic minerals contribute to this standout formula to maintain its consistency in all climates and provides exceptionally long wear.


This is the ultimate effortless blush and highlight duo. The blush is insanely pigmented and such a beautiful warm shimmering pink. I like to apply both with my fingers to get a touch of color. The highlight is softer giving your skin a believable glow. I have been using this all Summer, it's just so quick and easy and doesn't require brushes. Perfect for travel, I will be tossing this one in to my bag for my upcoming beach vacation.


(TOTAL) GLO Bronzer ($24)
Light reflecting pigments diffuse imperfections and leave the skin luminous and lightly scented with notes pikaki, lily of the valley and citrus. Combining shea and cupuacu butter with aloe leaf extract for hydrating moisture, providing the benefits of a luxurious body cream with the subtle, natural glow of a bronzer.

This liquid bronzer isn't a part of the collection but I received a sample size so I wanted to include it. Total GLO is a bronzing lotion that imparts a touch of color and shimmer. Even on my pale skin this looked amazing. I loved using this lotion on my legs to give them a little sheen and golden glow when they're looking pale and drab. Total GLO is worth getting a full size because it is a gorgeous glowing body moisturizer.
D-FINE Lip Pencil Universal True Tone ($14)
The soft, creamy texture delivers beautifully defined lips without the telltale lip liner look. You can either line or shade in the entire lip and pair with your favorite gloss or cream. The lip pencil can also be worn alone for matte, natural color finish. No sharpener required.

I first received this lip pencil in one of my subscription boxes a couple years a go and it has been a staple ever since. I use it almost every day with all of my natural/pink/coral lip colors. The new design is retractable which is an upgrade to an already fantastic lip liner. This is the one lip pencil I think everyone needs in their collection. It perfectly enhances your lip line and blends in to your natural lip color with out any effect on the lipstick shade.




Lip Gloss + Shine in Kiss Me ($18)
 Keep your lips feeling silky smooth with hydrating aloe vera and avocado oil. Grapeseed oil and green tea extract provide essential vitamins that work as antioxidants to protect your lips. Marine collagen and peppermint oil will plump your lips while feeling minty cool. The high-tech packaging has a convenient mirror on the bottle and an LED light in the lid that illuminates lips for easy application.

 Not being a huge lip gloss fan, even I love these. They are not sticky at all and have a cool minty taste. The color Kiss Me is a sweet soft shimmering medium Pink. I pop this in the center of the lips for some shine and love how it looks with nearly all of my pink lippies.


Light Up Lip Cream in Barely There ($18)
This Lip Cream provides bright, vibrant color while nourishing and moisturizing. Your will be soft, smooth conditioned lips thanks to natural cupuacu butter, the most hydrating nut butter from the rainforests of Brazil. Great ingredients deliver high performance Mother Nature would be proud of.


While this isn't included in the essentials collection if there is one lip cream to start with Barely There is the one I would reccomend. A beautiful wearable nude shade that looks so natural and gorgeous on. I absoltuely love the formula of the lip cream, they are super lighteweight, non-sticky, and give the lips such a soft look and feel. I have almost every shade of these now and hope they make more! They are some of my favorite lip products EVER.
I just received one of the newly released Shadow Stix in my August BOXYCHARM. I wore Ever Starstruck today and it stayed put in 90 degrees weather! They definitely have another winner on their hands with these eyeshadow pencils. Gorgeous color and bulletproof staying power. I will be getting the other two shades of these for sure, they are amazing!

 Find the BFR Essentials Collection ($39) at beautyforreal.com

sample provided for review consideration

August 19, 2016

Sol De Janeiro Brazilian Bum Bum Cream Review

Sol de Janiero Brazilian Bum Bum Cream was on the best sellers list at SEPHORA while I was shopping and with such an adorable name and wonderful reviews I had to give in a try. When you realize you didn't get Summer bod ready and it's already Summer and you have a beach vacation coming up well, we'll try just about anything! I put the bum bum to test the last couple weeks and here is how this kitchy sounding cream performed!

Many Brazilian creams have a secret ingredient: guaraná, a native Amazonian plant whose fruit contains one of the most potent forms of caffeine on the planet. Brazilian Bum Bum Cream is also powered by a Brazilian blend of extraordinarily nourishing cupuaçu butter, antioxidant powerhouse açaí, and super-conditioning coconut oil for irresistible, touch-me skin. The fast-absorbing texture contains just enough mica to add a perfect Brazilian glow, as the formula helps your body look and feel its smoothest and tightest. Pistachio caramel leaves skin delicately fragranced.

Brazilian Bum Bum cream can be used on the buttocks, stomach, thighs, legs, arms or any areas that need tightening. It is a lusciously thick cream that doesn't feel greasy and absorbs in to the skin quickly. You will immediately be hit by the overwhelming scent. It is VERY strong. I got past it because I wanted to see what the effects of this cream were. If you are sensitive to scents this one is pretty darn intense. It's not offensive, just a very very strong island/floral type scent. I couldn't even get rid of it by washing my hands after applying it!

When I turned 30 I got the lovely gift of cellulite. They say the legs are the first to go and they aren't kidding! I was pretty miffed because my legs were the only part of my body I actually liked and even at my highest weight I never had any cellulite. So my legs turning in to my Mother's made me fork over $45 for a miracle cream. Whatcha gonna do.

The texture is thick and emollient, intensely moisturizing with out any greasy feel. There is a mild warming sensation after you apply it, which is kind of cool and makes you feel like it's working. After a couple weeks I started to notice my legs were actually looking smoother when I used this. It is most noticeable right after applied while the caffeine is doing its work. It has a light shimmer that gives your skin a healthy glowy look. I combined using the cream with Dry Skin Brushing. If you are not familiar with that definitely look it up, it helps with circulation in the body and move out some of that water/inflammation/toxins that can also contribute to cellulite/aging skin.

Overall this is a decent body moisturizer and I felt like my legs looked smoother. The effects only seem to last while you are using it. It is too early to tell if it has any long-term effect on reducing cellulite and firming skin. For me the overpowering scent was a deal breaker, it is just way too strong to handle.

Since bum bum was a bit of a bummer here are the body toning moisturizers that I do like. My favorite cellulite reducing and toning moisturizers are from Body Merry and they're only $17.99. The Cellulite Defense gel-cream is light, and with retinol and caffeine it works immediately to tighten up the skin. You can feel it cooling and tingling a bit. I notice firmer skin when I use this every day. There is definitely a difference. It also smells oddly like coke a' cola even though it says green tea & lime. The Stretch Marks and Scar Cream is also a favorite for lessening the appearance of stretch marks and evening skin tone out overall. The shea butter and vitamins make it so rich and penetrating. With a scent described as a warm whiff of cocoa, it smells like dessert. I am kind of a stickler about scents in my products :)

The Andre Lorent Crazy Beautiful Cellulute Cream ($19.99) is also another winner in the fight against Mom legs. Containing retinol, caffeine, shea butter, and sunflower seed oil to tighten the skin in 3 minutes. This cream is odorless and sinks in to the skin very fast. Finally, to fake toned legs try Jergen's Body BB Glow or Sally Hansen Airbrush Legs. Both act almost like a primer/foundation for the body. Blurring imperfections and giving the skin a touch of color that instantly makes your legs look great.

For times when I want to get my problem areas looking better like before a vacation or an event I might try to tolerate Brazilian Bum Bum Cream again...but at $45 a jar and more scented than a bath & body works maybe I'll just do more pilates!

August 08, 2016

Summer Jewelry Haul of Silver & Stones

Since putting my Rocksbox subscription on hiatus for the Summer while traveling I have been looking outside my usual go-to Kendra Scott for new jewelry to add to my collection. After being all about gemstones for the past forever I felt like adding some silver and sparkle to mix. I have a few new pieces from Amorium, Montana Silversmiths, Cate & Chloe, and a couple cheaper finds from ZAFUL!