As I’ve been doing for the past few months, I opened my latest beauty subscription box – my May shipment from Sample Society by BeautyBar.com – live in the video above.

Like last month, I feel that Sample Society did a really great job of sending products I will actually use by brands that I know.

Here’s everything that I received in my box:

• Alterna UV Plus Fade-Proof Fluide – OK, I don’t actually know what this is.
• Strivectin SD Intensive Concentrate – to help with wrinkles and stretch marks
• Colorescience Pro SPF 20 Travel Puff
• Bond No. 9 Mini Bon Bon Fragrance
• Stila Forever Your Curl Mini Mascara

Here’s some good news: Last month when I wrote about Sample Society they were not taking any more members. Well, that has changed and you can now join Sample Society! Woo Hoo! Right now Sample Society from BeautyBar.com is one of my favorite beauty sample sites, so I definitely recommend checking it out. Membership costs $15 per month, so it’s definitely one of the costlier boxes, though not as pricey as Glossybox.

If you love sites like Sample Society, be sure to check out our full list of beauty sample sites!

Tags: beauty sample sites, BeautyBar.com, Glossybox, sample society, subscription boxes

If I tell you all something gross, do you promise not to judge me?! I used to never wash my make-up brushes! EW! I know! Total beauty faux pas! However, now that I’ve discovered bareMinerals Well-Cared for Condtioning Shampoo for Makeup Brushes, I will never go back to not washing them again.

I can’t even tell you why I didn’t wash my brushes. Laziness perhaps? Instead, I’d just chuck them and get new ones. Totally not frugal, I know!! Now that I’ve actually put some money into a nice set of make-up  brushes, I wanted to make them last, so I bought this stuff on my last trip to Ulta.

And, as previously mentioned, I guess I was lazy to not clean them before, but seriously, this is the easiest thing in the world. Just squirt a little in the palm of your hand, add some water and swirl you brush around. Then just rinse your brush and allow to dry. Viola. Easy as pie.

What I really like about this stuff is that it leaves my brushes soft. I did a little experiment with soap and water. I washed my brushes like above. Were they clean? Absolutely. Were the brushes just as soft? No, they were stiffer. I bought my brushes because they are so soft and this product truly made sure they stayed that way. And, just because this is made by BareMinerals/Bare Escentuals, that doesn’t mean you only have to use those brushes. I got mine from Mary Kay and it works great on them!

The downside is that it’s expensive. $14 for a 4.0 oz bottle seems high in my book. But, the product worked, so I’m ok with spending a little bit more on a product that works and I had a coupon.

What have you found to work great for cleaning your make-up brushes?

Tags: Bare Escentuals, bareMinerals, Beauty Review, ulta

This is not a DIY blog and I don’t intend on it ever becoming one, mainly because I can’t/won’t/don’t DIY anything. I respect those who can, but craftiness is not in my bag of tricks.

That being said, I saw this captoe shoe DIY on Pinterest and thought it was worth sharing. The steps seem easy enough and you could use this tutorial to make capstone flats or pumps.

The only bummer? The site links back to a Spanish language blog. Luckily, I think the photos mostly speak for themselves.

Would you ever make your own pair of capstone shoes?

Are you on Pinterest? Let’s connect!

Tags: capstone shoes, DIY, Shoes

I love Stella & Dot jewelry, I just don’t always love the price tags because they can get a little high for my budget. Luckily, right now there’s a Stella & Dot Spring Sale taking place and a few pieces are marked down as much as 50%!

This Casablanca Bib Necklace is tops on my list because it has such an interesting design!

I’m not alone in my adoration as this necklace was recently spotted on Ali Fedotowsky from The Bachelorette!

Originally $89, the necklace is now on sale for $53.40.

Admittedly, I think we’re past the season where a necklace this large would be appropriate, but it’s never too early to stock up for the next season, especially if the price is right!

Click here to check out the Stella & Dot Spring Sale now!!!

Tags: Ali Fedotowsky, Jewelry, Stella & Dot, The Bachlorette

Over at Gilt City you can pick up a $22 voucher for Casa.com for just $10! Casa.com is owned by the same company that runs diapers.com and soap.com.

Casa.com features all sorts of home goods and decorations. They seriously seem to have a little bit of everything!

Per the fine print, this voucher must be redeemed by August 31, 2012 and cannot be combined with any other promotions.

Click here to snag this deal from Gilt City now!!!

Tags: casa.com, Daily Deals, Gilt City

I picked up this eye palette – The Balm’s Nude’tude – a few months back from somewhere {I can’t remember where}, and I’ve been wanting to recommend it to you all ever since. Unfortunately, it doesn’t really seem to be sold anywhere.

I picked this up because I am far too cheap to pay $50 for the Naked Palette. Yes, I want it, but $50 worth of eyeshadow? That’s a lot of dough. I paid about $18 for The Balm’s version above, which is the same price HauteLook is selling this palette for today. You see the second color from the left in the bottom row? That’s my favorite eye shadow right now!

HauteLook has a large assortment of The Balm beauty products on sale today. I’ve only tried the eyeshadow from this brand thus bar, but based on that I’m a fan!

Click here to check out The Balm sale at HauteLook!

Tags: HauteLook, Nude’Tude, Sample Sales, The Balm

Normally, I’m all about buying clothes over accessories but since I can barely fit any more pieces in my closet, my last shopping splurge was on jewelry! I’ve been wearing dainty jewelry for the past couple of months, but lately, I’ve been getting some inspiration for outfits with colorful costume jewelry. I’ve never bought jewelry from Banana Republic, but when I saw their sale for 25% off my purchase of $100, I went for it! Use the code BRSUMMER25 now through tomorrow, Thursday, at 11:59pm EST. This sale is online only.

I just bought these three necklaces:

Banana Republic Gradient Necklace, $59.50

Banana Republic Aqua Focal Necklace, $49.50

Banana Republic Island Oasis Necklace, $59.50

With the 25% discount, I saved $43.13 on my order subtotal of $168.50. I also got free shipping and 13% cash back through an Ebates promotion (If you’re not a member, you can sign up now and get a free $10 Target Gift Card!)

With the NY tax, my total was $137.59 minus my cash back of $17.89 = $119.70! I saved $50! I’m so excited to get my new necklaces!

Tags: Accessories, Banana Republic, coupon code, Jewelry, Necklaces, Sale, save

Glossybox, one of the first beauty boxes, will soon be launching in the United States! Glossybox first launched internationally but it is finally making its way toward us!

Not much information is available on the site at this point, but from what I gather, Glossybox will be similar to Birchbox in that you will fill out a beauty profile and then they will send 5 travel-sized items your way each month that are based on the profile you filled out.

Pretty Shiny Sparkly was sent a preview Glossybox and the items she received were fabulous! My only question would be how authentic the preview box actually is to what they will release to the public considering she received 3 full-sized products and they advertise sending out “travel-sized” products. Time will tell, I suppose!

Glossybox will be one of the more expensive boxes on the market, at $21 per month.

If you’re interested, you can head on over to Glossybox and register for their newsletter. I just did this myself and I’m hopeful that by doing so we will receive first word when registration opens!

If you’re interested in sites like Glossybox, be sure to check out our full list of subscription boxes!

Tags: beauty box, beauty subscription box, Birchbox, Glossybox, subscription boxes

I have been seeing a lot of inverted silhouette dresses this season, where the colors are reversed on the top and the bottom. While I love this look, I wouldn’t have the first clue how to pull it off myself without looking like a crazy person.

Enter this Butterfly Silhouette Dress {$69.95} from eShakti. I think it’s absolutely gorgeous and it’s versatile enough that it can be worn casually or easily be dressed up with the right accessories. The v neck is super flattering, as is the paneling at the waist. As I’ve mentioned a few times now, eShakti is one of my favorite online shopping destinations, mainly because they make it so easy to be fashionable!

eShakti offers both traditional sizing and custom sizing. While you can get this dress in an XS-3X {another reason to love eShakti…they don’t size discriminate!}, I highly recommend going the custom sizing route. Custom sizing adds just $7.50 to your order, or is FREE the first time you order from eShakti! With custom sizing, you give them all of your measurements {you’ll need a tape measure if you don’t have them handy}, and they create a garment guaranteed to fit you! I love this option!

Tags: Butterfly Silhouette Dress, eShakti, Treat Yourself

Somehow, in the middle of everything yesterday, I missed that it is CLINIQUE BONUS TIME! That’s right, with any $23.50 purchase at Clinique you’ll receive the following items:

• Cosmetics Bag
• All About Eyes Serum De-Puffing Eye Massage
• Repairware Laser Focus Wrinkle & UV Damage Corrector
• Moisture Surge Intense Skin Fortifying Hydrator
• Lash Doubling Mascara in Black
• Clinique Eyeshadow Duo – choose between violets and nudes
• Chubby Stick Moisturizing Lip Balm

All told, that’s a pretty fab haul! While you’ll automatically get the gift above with any $23.50 purchase, spend $50 and use code “UPGRADE” and you’ll get free shipping AND an extra treat! {I have no idea what the extra treat will be.}

This Clinique Bonus Time Sale is only valid online at the moment. If you’re a Clinique lover, this is the time to stock up {or at least spend $23.50} because this is their single biggest promotion of the year.

If you’re looking for a recommendation, Megan recently wrote a Clinique Chubby Stick review, which is still on my must-try list.

Click here to head to Clinique now!!!

Tags: Beauty, Clinique, Clinique bonus, Clinique Chubby Stick