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?

Julep Review - July 2014

For the first time in a long time, I didn't skip Julep. I haven't been feeling them lately because I'd usually like one color, but not the other, or I wasn't interested in the extras, or I just didn't feel like paying the $20 that month. This month, not only did I want both colors, but I found 3 add ons that I wanted. Their Poolside Collection is a lot of fun!

We'll start with the polishes.

Lorenzana (Shiitake Creme)
Tamara (Lipstick Red Creme)

These were the colors included in the original Boho Glam box. I loved the taupe because I can wear it to work and it looks subtle but (forgive the pun) polished. I needed a good red as well so this box was perfect for me.

Lissa (Tumbled Turquoise Creme)
Vicki (Pink Flamingo Creme)

These were 2 add on colors that I chose because they just looked fun, bright, and summery. I'd been on the hunt for a good turquoise, and who doesn't love flamingo pink?

Since the lighting in my house sucks, I also took a picture outside in natural light. Lorenzana (taupe) and Vicki (pink) required 2 coats.  The other 2 were good with just 1.

Bare Body Milk

This was the additional item other than the polishes that came in the Boho Glam box. My hands were super dry today and I didn't put on lotion all day (totally on purpose because I knew my box was coming, right? Just kidding, I just kept forgetting to put on lotion but it worked out in your favor FOR SCIENCE) About a dime sized amount and my hands are moisturized and smell amazing. The dryness and cracking are gone. This stuff is legit.

Clean Slate Polish Corrector Pen

This was my third add on. These things are great! I usually use a q-tip to touch up my nails but this is so much more precise.  Plus, you may notice it comes with extra tips for when the end gets too dirty. Awesome! Now I can make it look like I did my nails right the first time instead of it looking like a toddler attempted it.

Octavia (Smoky Indigo Creme)
Soraphine (Classic Sheer White Creme)

This pretty set came as a gift because I chose 3 add ons! I was pretty excited about that.

(Wow, the lighting in my house is really bad.) Both colors took 2 coats. Clearly Soraphine is meant to just be glossy and not really a color.

So overall, I got 6 polishes, awesome hand lotion, and a polish corrector pen for $33. Sounds like a pretty good month to me!

If you're interested in trying Julep, use my link here. They are a subscription service but you can pick and choose which box you want each month and you can skip months! You can get your first box free with code FREEBOX (totally original, right?). Just pay shipping.

Happy Shopping!

Long Overdue Bondi Update

I was reminded today that I never did an update on the Bondi "situation". A better description would probably be "train wreck." Their subscription model fell apart and the September and October boxes never got sent out. Most people were given refunds for their boxes, but some still have not received their money back.

Just prior to announcing they were no longer going to offer the subscription model, they did a promo to try to pump up subscriptions which added 100s of customers, only to turn around and cancel them all, leaving a pretty sour taste in everyone's mouth. It sounds to me like they bit off way more than they could chew and rather than admitting to that, they took one last big bite to try to choke it all down.  I encouraged a friend to join during that promo, and she was pretty disappointed when within a week it was cancelled. The last straw was that they turned off the ability to comment on their facebook page. When I asked about it, the CEO stated that it was turned off because there were a few negative customers that were trying to incite negative responses and widen customer concerns. Either way, it didn't look good that they shut down the commenting ability right before they made their big move and cancelled their subscription service, thus disallowing customers to ask questions on their facebook page (although they could still email customer service). Part of their appeal has always been their transparency, and this was a pretty big step back.

Their regular retail business still exists, and you can still order their colors individually online, but I haven't quite decided if I'm ever going to purchase from them again. I did love their polish. It was high quality and it came in fantastic colors, but I did not appreciate the way this subscription situation was handled. I guess time will tell. One thing I know for sure, if I decide not to buy from them again, I will be one of many customers that has made that decision. They've upset a lot of people, me included, and who knows. They may have completely shot themselves in the foot, and may not be able to come back from this. For now, I certainly can't suggest them to anyone else. We shall see how it all works out.

Bondi New York Update and October Colors

There is some news on the Bondi subscription front. It came out maybe 2 weeks ago, but this is the first I've thought to post about it. You may have noticed I have not posted a review for my September Bondi box. Well that's because it hasn't come yet...and it won't be coming for another month. All subscribers received an email that said that the company received the shipment in, but was not happy with the quality of the product so they sent it back and have to wait for the new shipment before they ship the boxes out. This means the September and October boxes will be shipping around the same time. I was a bit disappointed, but I admire their dedication to high quality products. I also appreciate the transparency. They gave their customers the opportunity to either cancel or wait it out. If you don't cancel your subscription, they'll be giving you a $15 voucher that you can use for anything in the store with the exception of future subscription boxes. I thought that was pretty fair, and I'm a patient person so I decided to wait it out.

In the meantime, they released choices for your October box. You can choose from any of the September colors in addition to these new colors:




You can find the September colors on my previous post here or on their page here. I really like Cuff Me, Girl On Top, and Glitz n Glam. I may take those three for my box. I'm going to take some time to think about it.

In other news, Bondi has been doing pretty frequent facebook contests to give away some of their original collection. My sister won Teal Magnolia, and I won Chasing the Sun.



I stole Teal Magnolia from my sister and wore it all last week while I was on vacation in Louisiana. It's a great color that goes with everything. I was a little hesitant about how orange Chasing the Sun was, but I rocked it at church and ended up really liking it. It will definitely be great when Halloween rolls around.

It's clear Bondi is having some growing pains, but I think they are handling it to the best of their ability. I can't complain about how they treat their customers, and I definitely think the tardiness of the boxes is forgivable considering all the extras they are throwing in to try to make it right.

If you're interested on signing up for their subscription, you can find it here.

BIRCHBOX Review - September 2013

I received my ipsy bag and BIRCHBOX around the same time, but have had a much harder time wanting to do this review because the products weren't nearly as convenient to try. Makeup can be worn daily, but I have to actually set aside time to try out a "facial peel".  Personally, I don't like to do my reviews until I've actually tried all of the products (with one or two exceptions).

So here it is. The theme for this month was "heritage" since it's their 2 year anniversary month, and they chose to feature brands that have "fascinating histories".

I'll start with the good, but I'll be honest. These are the items I had no complaints about. I don't feel like I have to have any of these items, but they weren't bad and they were a step above "meh".


RUFFIAN Nail Lacquer in "Foxtrot" (sample size).  I tried this out of my toes. The color was a nice shimmery red-orange. It went on smooth and only took one coat. After almost a week it's still in tact with no chipping. Good quality, good color. Everyone this month got a sample of the nail polish.


Serge Normant Meta Luxe Hair Spray (sample size).  I wear hairspray everyday in my uniform so this was fairly easy to test. The spray was super powerful. I don't mean the smell (which was pleasant). I mean it came out of the can super fast. It was quite startling the first time I tried it. It created a bit more of the "helmet head" effect than I prefer, but it smelled nice and it held my hair in place. If you're looking for a "flexible hold" this is not for you since it made my hair quite stiff.


Juice Beauty Green Apple Peel Sensitive (sample size). It took me some time to get around to testing this. I used it this morning after my shower, and it wasn't bad. The smell wasn't overpowering. It didn't smell good per se, but it didn't smell bad either. It went on easy, and a little went a long way (so the sample size is good). It's a good thing it was for sensitive skin because I definitely felt the heated tingling when it went on, but it wasn't painful like the mask I got from ipsy last month. I put it on and then got dressed and ready. After about 10 min I rinsed it off and then put on my minimal makeup. My skin seems to be pretty smooth as a result (not that it was super rough before). Overall a thumbs up. Easier than I thought it was going to be.


Jouer Moisturizing Lip Gloss in Riviera (sample size). When I opened the box and saw this I was disappointed yet again by the fact that they sent me really red shade. I decided to try it anyway and to my delight it was very sheer. It gave a very subtle red hint to my lips instead of making me look like the joker. It went on pretty sticky, but seemed to smooth out as I was wearing it. I can't say it really moisturized my lips but it didn't dry them out so that's a thing.

There really wasn't any bad in this box so I'll move onto the meh.

Borracha Wine Wipes (2 wipes). My first question was "what on earth are wine wipes?" Turns out you are supposed to wipe them on your teeth and mouth before (or after) drinking red wine to keep the wine from staining your mouth. Good concept, but there's one problem. I don't drink wine. Like EVER. I don't drink any alcohol so there's no way I'm ever going to use these. I really wish there was an option on the site to specify that you don't drink certain things so I don't end up with stuff like this (or any of the teas that they sell). I would've much preferred the other Borracha product, Pearly Wipes, which are a wipe that you can use to freshen your mouth and whiten your teeth throughout the day if you need a "brushing touch up".

Overall, the box wasn't bad for the month. As I said, I don't plan on rushing out on buying any of this, but I didn't hate any of it. I may splurge for the Lip Gloss just because I have a weakness for lip products, but that's about it.

If you're interested in signing up for the waitlist, you can use my link here. Even if I don't NEED all the products, I always enjoy the adventure of trying new things (and the happiness of getting a box every month).

For last month's review see here.

Happy Shopping!

Julep - September Review

I didn't feel the need to get a September Julep box because I wasn't interested in any of the pairs of colors (I'd like one from one box and one from another, but none as a pair). So I thought it'd be fun to bring in a guest to do the September review. I bring you my friend Shawn! Ta da! 

My September Julep  Box:
The deets: Classic with a Twist=Julep BARE FACE Cleansing Oil, polish in Florence, and polish in Padma.

The low down: This is my second Julep box and I loved the first month—a lovely light lilac polish (Helen, I think), a super cool orangey-brick red (Catherine…methinks and currently gracing my piggies), and some minty exfoliating foot lotion—score! So I when I saw my September box I was a little bummed but I’m better now. Let me explain….

The polish first—I love, love, LOVE Padma. It’s a super dark purple that went on well with only one healthy coat. Like any dark polish, it stained my nail (and surrounding skin—I’m a sloppy polisher) immediately but a base coat and some polish remover easily remedies that. I can’t wait until winter to rock it on my nails and until then, it will be in my regular rotation for my toes.



Florence, on the other hand (well, on the index finger in this case), not so much, and I was really looking forward to this one. I love a good beige neutral but this one (the photo is not doing it justice) is more of a khaki so not good for my skin tone. I can probably pull it off as a toe polish, maybe with a thin coat of something sparkly over it, but sadly, I’m still on the hunt for the perfect beige for my hands.

Finally, the oil wash. I have crazy oily skin. I live in Colorado where the dry air sucks the moisture from your body faster than you can replenish it and my skin is STILL an oil slick. So, when I saw this I did a Scooby Do “HUHHHHH?!?!?!”—did they make a mistake? Nope, a check of Julep’s website and a quick scan of a couple reviews assured me this is for all skin types. Still skeptical, I dove in and there is photographic evidence to document it.

 

The first picture is me, fresh from a weekend road trip—sweaty, sunburnt, and grimy. The second…me with the oil smeared on my face and rubbed in really good. Finally, me post-rinse, all squeaky clean. This stuff is some kind of magic! It easily dissolved the makeup and grime from my face and rinsed off easily. My skin felt moisturized and not too oily. The downside…an hour or so later my face felt a tad TOO moisturized (a.k.a. oily) but one of the reviews I read claimed my skin would adjust over time. End result for me? This will go in my travel to-go bag because it’s a great multi-tasker but I’m still afraid to use it every day. Having said that, I might bust it out again if I’m feeling brave this winter when it’s even drier in my neck of the woods.

For those folks with “normal” oily skin—I say go for it, I bet you’ll love it.

One final thing…I’m not sure if I got this in my first box—if I did I’m bummed I missed it…the quote! I am a connoisseur of quotes so the Julep elves really found the way to my heart with this…and what a great choice! “If your dreams do not scare you, they aren’t big enough” (Ellen Johnson Sirleaf)---loved it and it totally made up for the heartbreak of Florence.

Thank you so much Shawn for doing that for me. (Isn't she adorable!!) Also, "the heartbreak of Florence" sounds like a good romance novel. Thanks for reading! 

Bondi Fall Preview

I'm so incredibly excited. Bondi released their fall preview for the subscribers to pick their three colors for the September box.
Before I give you the preview, I'll give you the deets again for Bondi.
Company: Bondi New York
Price: $19.99 per month
Description: Bondi New York is a nail polish subscription service that delivers 3 full size polishes and a deluxe beauty product once a month. The option to skip is available. You will just need to go on their website and live chat to skip before your card is charged on the last day of the month.  The first box was a mystery box from their current collection. The September box will be a preview of their fall collection, and from then on out you will get to preview your colors before they charge you so you can skip if you'd like. Their products are five free (formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin, camphor, toluene and DBP), and they donate 100% of the net profit on these boxes to charity.
Now on to the colors.

It's seriously so hard to choose. I'm already in love with "Meadow Moss". I'm also super excited about "In the Buff" since I've been looking for a good brown polish after I saw one on my friend Sarah. The third one is the tough one. I'm torn between "On the Rocks", "Park Aven-hue", and "Twerk-uoise" (Did I mention how much I love the names?). I'll probably go with Park Aven-hue since I can wear it to work.  What do you think?
The beauty gift for the month will be a surprise and everyone will be getting the same gift.
If you'd like to sign up for a subscription of your own click here. They don't have a referral program set up just yet, but they said they are working on it. You can sign up for the month to month option for $19.99, the 3 month option for $49.97 (saving $10), the 6 month option for $99.95 (you get the 6th box free) or the year option costing $199.90 (you get the 11th and 12th month free). If you sign up for any of the subscriptions, you also get 25% off of all their products (excluding subscription boxes).
They also have a facebook page you can check out here.