Ipsy Review - October 2014

In lieu of Tell Me About Tuesday, I'm going to give you my ipsy review for October. I'll start out by saying I thought this was an excellent month. The theme for this month was "Beauty Candy" and I thought for the most part, everything went along with that well.

 

The bag itself was a nice teal color with quilting. I can't say that the bags themselves usually get much use, but this one was one of the cuter ones. 

As for the products, per usual, we'll start with the good:

ModelCo VolumEyes Exteme Black Mascara (sample size)

As my frequent readers may know, my favorite mascara ever is a ModelCo mascara so I was super excited to try this one. It lived up to the brand hype! It went on smooth, volumized well, stayed on all day without flaking, and came off easy. What more could a girl ask for? Will I be switching from my other ModelCo mascara? Probably not, but that's because I can use BB points to get the other one at a discount, but I was pleased that this was such a large sample size so I don't have to buy either one for awhile. 

Figs & Rouge Hand Cream in Rose Berry (full size)

If any one product epitomized the theme of Beauty Candy, it was this one. It smelled like sweet tarts! It was delectable. It wasn't too thick, moisturized well, and I couldn't get enough of the smell.

Nicole by OPI Nail Lacquer in Very Cherry (full size) 

I couldn't actually find a link to this anywhere and this color wasn't listed on their website which is a shame because it is gorgeous. It took 2 coats to get to the above consistency but that's fairly standard. I love that from far away it almost looks black, but the closer you get, the more cherry color you can see. 

Moving on to the bad category:

Starlooks Lipgloss in Guilty Pleasure (sample size)

Normally I'm super excited about lip products and this one looked like it had some potential. However, it was the stickiest lip gloss I've ever put on my lips. I swear it has hair magnets worked into the formula. It took much less than the usual gust of wind to blow my hair into it's sticky web. Literally every step I took, I was pulling hair of my lips. I just couldn't do it. It came off pretty quick. 

Lastly the meh:

Epice Purifying Exfoliant (sample size) 

Did this exfoliant work? Sure! Did it feel nice? Yeah. Why is it a meh? I don't plan on spending $32 on an exfoliant when you can get one that is just as effective for much less.

So there you have it folks. October was pretty good. The hand cream and the nail polish made the whole bag worth it despite failings in other areas. 

If you're interested in signing up for ipsy, I would appreciate it if you would use my referral link!

Happy Shopping!

Tell Me About - My Fave Beauty Products

Those of you that know me in person, and those that have been following me for awhile may have deduced that I am a pretty low maintenance person when it comes to my beauty routine. While I love trying new things with BIRCHBOX and ipsy, I tend to keep going back to the same beauty products and make up for my daily use (although some of those items I found through my beauty subscriptions). For Tell Me About...Tuesday, I thought it might be fun to go through a couple of my favorite everyday beauty products.

We'll start with hair:

Beauty Protector Shampoo, Conditioner, and Detangler
I tried this trio of products from Beauty Protector through various Birchboxes and I fell in love right away. They smell amazing. They leave my hair feeling soft and smooth, and I love how shiny my hair looks after using them. The detangler acts as a thermal protectant during blow-drying, and it works great. They are a bit pricey but Birchbox offers them in a package for $50 which saves about $16 off buying them individually. I typically save up my BB points to take off some of the sting of the price.

Moving on to moisturizers:

Neutrogena Healthy Defense SPF 50 Daily Moisturizer 
It's light, it feels nice, it's not greasy, and it protects my face from the sun. Need I say more?

Make up-
Brows:

Mary Kay Brow Definer Pencil in Blonde
Having blonde eyebrows has it's perks (I've never plucked ever!) and it's downside (if I don't color them in, you can't see them!) but one thing is for sure. A good eyebrow pencil is a necessity! I've used the Mary Kay blonde eyebrow pencil for as long as I've been drawing on my eyebrows. It adds just enough color so you can see my brows without making me look ridiculous. As you can see, I use this pencil a lot as it's starting to look short and stumpy. Don't worry! I've got another one on the way. It seriously lasts close to forever though.

Mascara:

ModelCo Fibre Lashextend Lengthening Mascara
This is the mascara that I compare all other mascaras to. I got it in one of my first Birchboxes and I've been hooked ever since. It goes on smooth and non-clumpy, it stays on all day without smudging or flaking, and it comes off super easy.

Eyeliner:

Eyeko Skinny Liquid Liner
It took me some time to feel comfortable using liquid liner, but I think I have it down. I like how smooth and even, this liner goes on and the tip is pointy enough that it goes on precisely.

Eyeshadow:

Julep Sweep Eyeshadow Palette - Neutrals
You may have guessed that I don't go crazy with the eyeshadow. I typically stick to neutrals and this palette that I got in one of my Julep boxes usually does the trick. Who knew that a nail polish company would do eyeshadow well?

Lips:

Burt's Bees Beeswax Lip Balm
I'm a sucker for a classic. Why is this lip balm so popular? Because it works! I've never found something that works better. I don't like any of the fancy Burt's Bees lip balms either. Just the plain old, yellow tube beeswax lip balm.


Nails:

Julep Annemarie
Nude nails are having a moment right now. I picked this color up at one of Julep's sales for a steal. To be fair, it leans more towards brown than nude, but I love it. I like that it's subtle color, but still makes it look like you put in some effort. The last time I wore it, I couldn't stop looking at my nails. They just looked so classy.

So there you have it folks: my super simple and low maintenance beauty routine. Are there any beauty products you can't live without?

Tell Me About: Walmart Beauty Box

I'm starting a new segment I'm calling "Tell Me About...Tuesdays". Every Tuesday, I will be telling you about a site that I love, a product I'm excited about, or a brand that I can't get enough of.

To kick the segment off, I'm going to be telling you about the Walmart Beauty Box. It's a new box that Walmart is putting out 4 times a year, and all you pay is $5 for shipping. You do have to subscribe to receive them and there isn't the ability to skip, but $20 for a year is pretty good and quite affordable. Especially after you see what's in it. You can sign up here.

From what I can tell, there are 2 possible boxes this season, and it looks like they are based on age.

Here's what I got in my box:

CoverGirl Glowing Nights Glosstinis Nail Polish in After Dark (full size) $2.97

At first I thought this was sample size, but after looking at the website it's the full size. It seems everyone who got the same box I did could've received any of the colors.

L'Oreal Paris Glossy Balm in Pink Me Up (full size) $6.97

It's a bit too pink for every day wear but it can be dressed up.

Secret Clinical Strength Completely Clean Clear Gel (full size) $11.97

This alone is more than twice the cost of the box, and (hopefully) everyone wears deodorant.

That's all of the full size samples, but if you've been doing the math, those are worth $21.91. So clearly the box is worth the shipping.

Dove Advanced Series Oxygen Moisture Shampoo, Conditioner, and Pure Care Dry Oil Nourishing Hair Treatment (sample size)

These smell AMAZING!

Nicki Minaj Pink Friday Eau de Parfum Spray (sample size)

Eh. It doesn't smell terrible.

L'Oreal Paris Youth Code Pore Vanisher (sample size)

Haven't tried this yet, but it says it reduces the look of pores in one month. Clearly there isn't enough here for a month of use, so I'm not sure how much of the effectiveness I could judge from the sample.

Neutrogena Nourishing Long Wear Makeup (sample size). I couldn't find the exact match for this on Walmart's website so it must be super new.

It's nice that they send you the palette so you can decide what tone you are before you buy. One of the benefits of being super pale is that I just always choose the lightest color they carry and it's usually a match.

So that's it for the box. Hopefully you find this new segment useful. If there's something specific you've seen in one of my previous posts that you'd like to know more about, or you've discovered something fun that you think might be up my alley, let me know and I'll try to feature it in an upcoming Tell Me About Tuesday segment!

Happy Shopping! 

BIRCHBOX Review - September 2014

Check me out, getting my reviews done. If you knew the week I'm having, you'd recognize that as the feat that it is. Enough about me. Let's get to the review. It was a big month for BIRCHBOX. This month is their 4 year anniversary! They celebrated with these pretty keepsake boxes, and the box didn't disappoint.

Pretty, right? Another fun thing about this month was the fact that we got another opportunity to customize our own box. We could choose one sample from a list of 4 and be surprised by the rest, or in lieu of choosing a sample, you could choose the box curated by Fashionista and know all 5 of your samples. I took a peek at both options and decided I would take my chances, choose one sample, and be surprised by the rest. I liked a couple of the things in the Fashionista box, but what can I say? I'm a sucker for surprises. But let's get to it.

The good:

Shiseido Ultimune Power Infusing Concentrate (sample size)

This was the sample that I chose, and I'm pretty pleased with my choice. I've been impressed in the past with Shiseido products so I figured it was a safe bet. I also read in my People Style Watch that this was one of the must have products of the year. I put it on my face after cleansing, but before moisturizing as instructed and my first impression was that it smelled great. Almost immediately I noticed a difference in my face. It felt really soft and smooth. I'm convinced that this product works, but I'm not convinced of the price. $65 is a bit steep. I'm still glad I got the opportunity to try it, and I'm happy that the sample size was pretty generous.

R+Co Bel Air Smoothing Shampoo and Conditioner (sample size)

This was an extra thrown in to the box, and I'm glad it was. Not only did I get to try an extra sample, but it's 2 more products for me to review on the site and get BB points for. I know there are a lot of people that don't like getting shampoo/conditioner samples but I love them. I think it's because it's easy to try (I wash my hair daily, so I know it'll get used), and I usually know pretty quickly if I like them or not. I was quite impressed with these. I let my hair air dry after trying them which has the possibility of creating a frizzy mess, but after using this, my hair really was smoother. Oh, and did I mention it smelled really good? Like exclaim "ooh" in the shower good. I felt like I was in a shampoo commercial, but I digress.

Atelier Cologne Vanille Insensee Cologne Absolue (sample size)

First off, they sent this sample with this lovely postcard. Wasn't that nice? Second, I'm totally the person that hates perfume samples. I feel like I never wear them, and I'm hard to please scent-wise. I prefer fruity or vanilla-like scents. I guess I prefer to smell like food. Any way, I actually really liked the smell of this. It's a blend of jasmine, vanilla, and lime and it smells so nice. My only complaint? The $120 price tag. Ouch.

Next, the bad:

Harvey Prince Ageless Liquid Loofah Body Wash (sample size)

I was excited to get this because again, I shower daily so I know it'll get used. And let me be straight. It smelled good. It should since it's based on Harvey Prince's Ageless fragrance. After admiring the smell, I squeezed it on my loofah and my first thought was "there's not a lot of product here". Eh. Disappointing but not a problem with the product necessarily. But then comes the bad, for something called "liquid loofah", you'd expect it to lather really well. Well it didn't. The small amount in the bottle (which is more than enough with my usual body wash), barely had enough lather to wash my whole body. I have a big problem with products that advertise themselves as one thing, and don't deliver on that. So despite the great smell, this gets a bad rating.

TOCCA Crema da Mano Luxe Hand Cream (sample size)

I'm 0 for 2 this month on hand creams. While this one didn't smell as bad as the one I got from ipsy, it was much too "soapy" smelling for me. It also left my hands really greasy instead of moisturized. Not a fan.

Lastly in the "meh" category, we have:

Pixi Breath of Fresh Air Tinted Lip Balm in Honey Nectar (full size)

Normally I'm all over lip products, and this one wasn't terrible. It wasn't great either (isn't that the definition of "meh"?). The "tint" pretty much matched my natural lip color so it didn't make a difference visually. The lip balm properties, they were meh. Not terrible, but not super impressive either.

So there you have it. This box was FULL of product and most of it was pretty good. I'll definitely finish using the ones in the good category. I'll probably even use the pixi lip balm (at worst it'll sit in the bottom of my purse until I have a lip balm emergency). Either way, I have lots of product to review which will help me rack up some BB points. I call it a win.

If you're interested in signing up for BIRCHBOX, it would be appreciated if you used my link!

Happy Shopping!

ipsy Review - September 2014

Happy September! I bring you another edition of the Good, the Bad, and the Meh. The theme for ipsy this month is Street Style. The bag is an appropriate studded, silver bag, and the contents, for the most part, fit the theme.

As usual, we'll start with the good.

Pacifica Natural Waterproof Eye Pencil in Gun Metal (sample size)

I was so happy to receive an eyeliner sample in a color other than black. This silver color was fun! It was subtle while still adding some pop to my eyes. It stayed on all day without smudging or transferring to my upper lid. I approve! It was the perfect addition to the "Street Style" theme.

Cailyn Art Touch Tinted Lip Gloss in Love Affair (full size)

This lip gloss was a bit more dramatic than I usually wear, but it looked pretty good on. It wasn't overly sticky and it went on smooth. Definitely a good product.

Crown Brush Infinity Shadow/Crease Duet Brush (full size)

I'm always a fan of receiving make up brushes in my beauty subscriptions because they are quite useful, and I'm not likely to go out and buy them myself. This one was pretty good. The crease side was good for a precise application on the lids while the shadow side was great for blending (does that sound like I know what I'm doing, 'cause I'm totally winging it).

Onto the bad:

Nourish Organic Moisturizing Cream Face Cleanser (sample size)

I was excited to try this product because I may not always know what to do with makeup products but facial cleanser? I'm pretty sure I know how to wash my face. Well this stuff was...awful. Now maybe it's because I'm not used to cream cleansers, but let's just say I had to wash my face with my regular cleanser to get this off. My hands seemed to stick to my face as I was rubbing it in, and it just got worse. I generally prefer my face to feel softer and I don't know, CLEAN after washing. This just made my face feel sticky.

Mitchell and Peach Luxury Hand Cream (sample size)

I saw this and thought "Oh, a LUXURY hand cream. Well that's got to be good!" News flash: if that's what luxury smells like, I'm fine being with the unwashed masses. Seriously. I couldn't wash this off fast enough. It smelled like grass and soap, but not good soap.

Apparently I felt pretty strongly about everything in this bag because there is nothing in the meh category this month. I'm not sure if that's a good thing, but it's how it goes.

Overall, the things in the good category definitely made this month worth it. Just the lip gloss and makeup brush alone added up to triple the cost of the bag, so I certainly can't complain, and if there's ever a bag where I love every single thing in it, it'll be a miracle.

If you're interested in signing up for ipsy, use my referral link here. In theory, you would skip the waitlist, but I make no guarantees.

PS. If you're already an ipsy subscriber, be sure to check out the ipsy points page. They've updated the list of redeemable items! They usually go fast so hurry, hurry, hurry!

Happy Shopping!

ipsy Review - August 2014

Guess who got both her ipsy and BIRCHBOX reviews done this month? This girl! We'll get right to it.

Starting with the good:



The makeup bag this month is super cute. I'm a sucker for polka dots and I love that this is shaped more like a pencil bag than their usually makeup bags. I will likely actually use this one to keep my makeup organized (or at least my plethora of eyeliners).

Urban Decay Perversion Mascara (sample size)

I received a sample of this about a month ago directly from Urban Decay and loved it, so I was happy to get another one. My 3 rules for mascara are that it volumizes my lashes, stays on all day without flaking, and then comes off with minimal effort. The first 2 were definitely met. My eyelashes looked super full and it lasted all day. It wasn't the easiest to get off, but it didn't take a ton of scrubbing so I'd say that rule was met too. I can definitely recommend this one.

Jersey Shore Mongongo Organic Anti-Aging Lip Balm (full size)

I'm very particular about my lip balm so I was pleasantly surprised with this. It immediately relieved my dry lips and kept them moisturized for hours. I have issues with most lip balm making my lips feel dryer after an hour or so. That was not the case here. This stuff lasted.


Paula's Choice Clear Ultra-light Daily Mattifying Fluid SPF 30+ (sample size)

I couldn't decide if I really loved this stuff, but in the end, I couldn't think of anything bad about it except that I didn't like the way it smelled. It was a lot thinner than my usual moisturizer too, but I couldn't deny it was effective. It moisturized, mattified, and offered sun protection. It squeaked by into the good category.

There wasn't anything in the bad category in this month's bag so we'll move onto the meh:


Lord & Berry Silk Kajal Kohl Eye Pencil (sample size)

There was nothing stand-out amazing about this eyeliner, and there was transference to my upper lid, so it wasn't great. However it wasn't as bad as the Noir eyeliner from my BIRCHBOX. Also, after reading the website, it looks like it's one of the only eyeliners tested and approved safe for inner eyeline use. I guess I will have to try it in that capacity although the thought of getting that close to my eye with it scares me.


Coastal Scents Forever Blush Sample Duo (sample size)

OK. So I know I went into a long explanation on my BIRCHBOX review about how I try to make sure I try all the products, but I didn't try this one. Why? Because I don't need blush. I have naturally rosy cheeks, and I don't feel the need to do any contouring. So this sample was a waste on me, but since there wasn't anything wrong with it, it goes in the meh category.

This month they finally updated their rewards point bonus items so I picked up 2 extra items using points:


Eyetini Cordial Cream Shadow in Ambrosia (full size)

This freebie is worth $18 so I was super happy about that. I also love cream eyeshadow. I think it's because it blends easier making it easier to apply. At least this novice thinks so. This was a good color too; pretty neutral so it gives just enough oomph to my eyes (please tell me I used that semi-colon correctly).


Sugar Line n' Shine Eyeliner Pencil and Bonus Sharpener (full size)

I found this eyeliner to be longer lasting than the sample one I received, and the bonus (to the bonus) sharpener was a great add in. You can never have too many of those.

Overall it was a good month. Any month where there is no bad is fine by me, and with the add ons, this bag was worth at keast triple what I paid for it.

If you're interested in joining ipsy, use my link here!

Happy Shopping!