December Ipsy Bag

Hello Lovelies! I hope this holiday season is finding you well. 

Please excuse my absence, I just got a new job (thank god) and have been very busy with that for the last couple months. Things should be settling down as I find my niche in my new position so hopefully things will come more regularly! 

Onwards to the unbagging!

This month's bag came with a pretty good ratio of skincare to makeup to hair care products. I'll start with the skincare!

Beauty Without Cruelty Facial Cleanser

This seems like a pretty basic cleanser from what I have read on the bottle. It is meant for people with normal to oily skin and is 100% vegan and vegetarian. I always have kind of mixed feelings when I get cleansers in my ipsy bag. The issue I have is that they are usually from fairly obscure companies so if I do like the product, I have to work to find it, which for me isn't realistic. However, the mini sizes they come in are great for travel, or you could save up a bunch and bring them to your local women's shelter for the women there to use!

Big Sexy Hair: Style Sexy Hair 450 degree Blowout

This I am kind of excited to try. I pretty much use a heat styling tool on my hair everyday so I am always open to trying products that are supposed to help keep my hair as healthy as possible! This product is supposed to protect hair against heat, add shine, and give just a tiny bit of hold. I've had pretty good luck with "Big Sexy" products so hopefully this one works too!

Cailyn:  Just Mineral Eye Polish #5 Orchid

This product really does look like a nail polish bottle. It has a screw off top with a wand like applicator. This is a very pretty warm light brown (where did they get orchid...?) and it is VERY sparkly.  When swatched to goes on soon smooth and has a metallic finish when packed on. When it is diffused out it gives off a subtle sheen and sparkle. There are particles of glitter but it is not at all chunky, it's fine and this product is very very beautiful. Ugh, I love it already....

NYX Butter Lip Balm In Marshmallow

I was really excited to see this. I love nude lips and low maintenance tinted balms are so awesome for me because I hate worrying about my lip color. I did try this out this morning.....and was super disappointed. It went on streaky and left lines when my lips were pressed together. I'm also not a huge fan of the scent, it's kind of a cherry scent...which really threw me because the shade is Marshmallow. Also, I'm not a fan of the cherry scent anyway soon......no.  However,  I did give it a second shot and it went on better and more smoothly the second time. The color was underwhelming, but maybe I'll try a different shade....?

Tarte: Lights, Camera, Lashes Mascara

I have never purchased a high end mascara. I have tried a few samples and have never been particularly impressed with the way it makes my lashes look or the staying power. As someone who has A LOT of issues with mascara falling down under my eyes I'm very hard to please. Actually, most of the high end mascaras are the worst when it comes to falling under my eyes so my hopes weren't that high. This mascara has gotten quite a bit of hype and, like with all high end mascaras, I kind of rolled my eyes and figured everyone just liked it because it was an expensive brand and the packaging was cool. So when I tried this this morning I wasn't expecting a whole lot.....wow. I was so wrong. This mascara made my eyelashes explode. After two coats they were longer, fuller and were not at all clumped together AND at the end of the day there was almost no smudging....thats 9 hours guys. I'm impressed so far and will post a full length review of this mascara after a few more trial runs!

Well that it for this month! I hope you are all having a wonderful holiday season and are surrounded by people you love and who support you!  Have a safe and happy holidays and new year! 

Kisses!!! xoxo

(Originally Published December 2014)