November 2013 Ipsy Bag - Glam It Up

Hi everyone! I got my Ipsy bag a few days ago and it was only an okay month for me. It's okay though, not every month can be amazing (like last month!) I'm sure there are people who loved this month and didn't like last month, you know? Let's go ahead and get into the bag!

 The first product I received was an extra bonus item this month from em cosmetics. It is the Lash Gallery Dramatic Volume Mascara in black. I wasn't too excited when I found out I was getting the mascara. I haven't heard good reviews on it. I haven't tried it yet but when I do I will have to update. At least it's full size!

I have never tried a mascara wand like this.

It's actually a pretty big wand.

The second product I received was a BH Cosmetics Galaxy Chic eyeshadow. I got the color Neptune which is a shimmery medium blue color. The only other BH Cosmetics eyeshadows I have tried are the ones we got a few months back from Ipsy and they weren't great at all. I think BH Cosmetics does baked shadows way better than normal ones.

 I was actually hoping for a more wearable color but I can make this work.

Left: wet swatch         Right: dry swatch

 The third product I received was Pixi bronzer in Subtly Suntouched. I wasn't happy when I found out we'd be getting a bronzer this month but this is actually more of a highlight color. I did apply it and it was a really pretty highlight color.

Left: concentrated                   Right: blended out

The fourth product I received was the Be A Bombshell lip crayon in Shameless. Definitely not my kind of color at all. Unfortunately I don't know anyone who would wear it either. The one major problem with this product is the huge silver glitter it leaves on your lips. I'm going to have to find a way to make it work.

 The fifth product I received was the Starlooks Gem Pencil in Topaz. It is a pretty silver color with just a hint of blue. I am not a fan of Starlooks as a whole but I will use this pencil. When I swatch it the pencil seems creamy enough to not tug on the eyes but I haven't applied it to my eye yet. A few months back I got a black Starlooks pencil and it seemed creamy when I swatched it but applied awful to my eyes.

 The sixth, and final, product I received was the Nailtini nail polish in Champagne. It's a pretty color in the bottle but it is pretty sheer on the nail. I am just not a fan of the Nailtini brand. I have received two polishes from them so far and both are duds in my opinion.

 The swatch is three coats and even then it's still not up to my liking. I think Ipsy should try to stick with better brands like Zoya.

So like I said before, this month was only okay for me. There wasn't anything that really blew me away. Here's to hoping for a great bag in December! What did you get in your Ipsy bag this month? Were you happy with the products? Thanks for taking the time to read. Have a great day!

November 2013 Birchbox - More Good

Hey everyone! So I got my Birchbox yesterday. I had no idea what was going to be inside so I was kind of going crazy waiting for it to arrive. I always know what's coming in my ipsy bag so it's a change to not know what's in my Birchbox. I was okay with this months box. Nothing crazy exciting but it was definitely worth the $10.

 The first product I received is the Eyeko Black Magic Mascara. It claims to "create drama, volume and curl to visibly transform and intensify lashes." I tried it yesterday and it was only okay by itself. It actually made the curl fall in my lashes. I am going to try it as a layering mascara and see how that goes. It's always nice to try a mascara though because you just never know when you will find your holy grail (or one to beat your current HG.)

Pretty nice brush.

 The second product I received is the Folle de Joie eau de parfum. It is a blend of mandarin, rose, and sandalwood. I really like the smell of this perfume and so does my husband. Will I buy the full size? Most likely not. Will I use and enjoy the sample? Yes I will.

 The third product I received is the WEI Pomegranate Buffing Beads. The instructions say to mix a full packet into a quarter size amount of cleanser. I don't use that much cleanser so I am going to try to use half a packet. I will try it tonight and update.

 The fourth product I received is the WEI Golden Root Purifying Mud Mask. You are supposed to get 1 use out of this container but I have heard that you can really get 2. I will have to try this tonight too and update on how it worked.

 It's supposed to be nondrying and deep clean and get rid of dullness.

 The fifth product I received is the Ayres Midnight Tango Body Butter. It is made with essential oils of orange blossom and vanilla. I like the smell of this and I intend to use it as a hand moisturizer just so I can make the product last longer.

 This smells exactly like another lotion I got in a gift bag from the hospital when I had my twins. That lotion also has orange blossom in it so I know that's why they smell the same. My husband also enjoys this scent.

 The sixth, and final, product I received is the lifestyle extra. I got the favor smooth mint and it was delicious! It had crushed up Andes mints on it! I LOVE Andes mints, they are my favorite chocolate candy.

 I am planning on making some of these for the holidays to give as gifts to family. I am going to try a few other variations too.

 So that was all for my November Birchbox. It wasn't a bad month. This is only my second box though so I'll be going to a few more months and I may or may not keep it. What all did you get in your box? Was this a good month for you? Thanks for taking the time to stop by and read. Have a great day!

October 2013 Birchbox - Beauty Buzz (Extremely Late)

Hello everyone! So I decided to sign up for Birchbox and give it a go. This is my first box and since I signed up later in the month I got a bit of a weird box. It was only an okay box but I am going to get it for a couple more months and see how I feel. I already knew it wouldn't be as good as Ipsy because my bag was amazing! Ok, now onto the box!

 The first product I received was the pop beauty aqua lacquer in Flowering Fuchsia. I have never tried a lip gloss that had a spatula type applicator. I don't really like any of the products I have tried from pop beauty and this is no exception. I will probably be giving this to a friend.

 The second product I received was Benefit Fake Up concealer in the shade light. I wasn't too excited to try this product once I saw a couple videos showing how tiny the sample is. I don't know why Benefit couldn't just do a mini like they did the Watts Up for the Sephora birthday gift.

 When I opened it up you can see the product was down in the tube. I couldn't get the concealer to twist up no matter how hard I tried. I even had my husband mess with it and he couldn't figure it out. I contacted Birchbox and they gave me 100 Birchbox points since they didn't have any replacements. I really appreciate the great customer service they have. A few days ago I decided to play around with it and used my pinky to get to the product to try it out. It was alright. Then I started trying to twist it up again and nothing happened. So I started banging the product upside down on my table and it came to the top and I was able to twist it up! That was crazy! Then I applied the product how it is intended and it's not too bad.

 The third product I received was the evologie stay clear cream. I haven't tried this yet and I am actually unsure what its purpose is.

 The fourth product I received was the Ruffian nail lacquer in Hedge Fund. This is such a pretty color and it swatched very well. I haven't worn it yet. I would never purchase from this brand though because the amount of polish you get for the price is awful.

Really pretty color!

 The fifth, and final, product I received was the Chap Stick hydration lock and it was a Birchbox find. I actually really like the way this feels on my lips and I have been keeping it by my chair in the living room to use whenever I need it.

So that's it for my October 2013 Birchbox. Which products did you get? Did you like your box? I am okay with this box. I do understand that since I joined later in the month that I got a weird box but I understand. I am curious to see what will be in my November box. It will be here tomorrow! Thanks for taking the time to stop by and read. Have a great day!

October 2013 Ipsy Bag - Art of Beauty (Extremely Late)

I can't believe it's been over a month since I posted anything. My twin boys turned 1 last month so I was busy with all of that. Other than that I just haven't been in the mood to write anything. I do have a ton of ideas though! Ok, so onto the bag!

This month's theme was Art of Beauty. I was very excited for this month! I was really excited to receive pretty much anything they showed in the sneak peeks.

 The first product I received was the LA Fresh face cleansing wipes. Not a huge fan of this brand and I wasn't a fan of the smell the wipes have. I will use these when I go to Ulta or Sephora to wipe swatches off my hand.

 The second product I received was the beDelectable Lemon & Cream hand cream. I really like the smell of this. It smells like lemon cake! The hand cream itself is pretty moisturizing and is nice to keep next to my chair to use during the day. I am actually planning on purchasing a set from Kohls that has all 4 scents in this same size tube for $14. I plan on giving them to 3 of my family members for Christmas.

 The third product I received was the Big Sexy Hair blow dry volumizing gel. I tried this out once and it didn't give my any volume. =\ I did notice that it didn't leave my hair feeling like it had product in it, which I liked. I'll probably give this away to a family member.

 The fourth product I received is Zoya Giovanna. I was so excited to get a Zoya polish! I love Zoya and would have been happy with any color. I wore this last week and it stayed on my nails for about 3 days before it started to chip, but I'm kind of rough on my nails.

Absolutely love this color!!

The fifth, and final, product I received was Buxom Dolly. I was so excited when I checked my Glam Room and saw that I was getting this. I love Buxom glosses and Dolly was a color I was wanting to try so it was perfect! Buxom glosses have got to be my favorite high end formula of glosses that I have tried so far.

Such a pretty color!

All in all I really loved my Ipsy bag this month! This is the best bag I have ever gotten! How did you like your Ipsy bag? Are you excited for November's bag? Thanks for taking the time to read, I hope you have an awesome day!

New Items w/ Swatches and Reviews

Hi! Sorry it's been forever since I posted. Do you ever have those days where you go out looking for some new makeup, whether it be limited edition or new products to a line and you come up empty handed? I have those days a lot. But once in a great while I get lucky and find everything I'm looking for! That happened a couple weeks ago when I went out in search of the limited edition Wet n Wild trios and new Jordana items.

I found the new Wet n Wild Trios with the mascara at my local Kmart and was excited when they had 1 of the trio I wanted left! The display only had about 5 sets on it and if I remember correctly the others were the purple and green trios. I was excited to see the one trio I wanted since this was the only place I found them. My Walgreens didn't have the new trios which wasn't a surprise seeing as my Walgreens hardly ever gets the limited edition stuff, or if they do it doesn't last long. Luckily for me they did have all of the new Jordana stuff and I got the two things I was looking for.

First I'll start with the Wet n Wild trio I picked up. I got Enlisting for Beauty which has three neutral shades that are pretty much all matte. The eyelid shade is the only one that has somewhat on a sheen to it but when applied to the lid it's pretty much matte looking.

They are nicely pigmented colors.

 The mascara that came with the trio is a really wet formula and honestly is awful. The mascara doesn't hold a curl and it makes my lashes stick together. I thought about throwing it away but I thought of a genius way to use it! Right before I remove my makeup I take this mascara and heavily apply it to my lashes. The mascara re-wets the mascara I have on and makes it so much easier to remove that way I don't have to sit there and hold eye makeup remover on my lashes forever lol.

Very typical bristle wand. Doesn't help with separation.

Now onto the Jordana stuff I got from Walgreens. I ended up picking up the 12 hr Made to Last Eyeshadow Pencil in Continuous Almond and the Twist & Shine in Honey Love. I initially went it just to get the eyeshadow pencil and just look at the other items. There was only one left of Honey Love (the one I wanted the most) and I almost left without it. I am so glad I got it though because it is now my favorite lip product I own! The color is gorgeous and the product is so smooth!

Left: Spread out Right: Swatched

Such a pretty pinky mauve color.

 

I really like the way these three colors come together for a look. I don't own any eyeshadow that is similar to the eyelid color, so that is nice. The only other items I incorporated were Wet n Wild Brulee as my brow bone color and a black/brown shadow as liner on my upper lash line. I didn't use the mascara because like I said before, it's awful.

I am in love with this Jordana Twist & Shine in Honey Love. I'm glad I decided to get it. The formula is really nice and pigmented. I don't really notice the staining too much though. I definitely would purchase more colors in the future.

That's all for this post. Thanks for stopping by. I hope you have a great day!