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)

September Ipsy Bag

Hello Lovelies!

 I hope this week is finding you well. 

Can we all take a minute to notice that I have posted two weeks in a row consistently.  Low-bar, I know, but I'm pretty proud of myself. 

Anyways, on to this months ipsy bag. Now, I have to say my bags from May to August were really...underwhelming. There was too much skincare (I think I received about 6 different moisturizers...) and not enough make-up that I actually use. I actually though about canceling my subscription, but by the time I got around to that my September bag was already on the way and I figured I would wait until I got this month's to cancel and boy am I glad I waited!

The Bag

This bag is so damn cute. First of all, I love anything with studs so I was bound to like it. The color is also really great and its actually constructed pretty well with the studs grommeted on instead of just glued which is definitely a plus. 

Briogio: Don't Despair, Repair! Deep Conditioning Mask

As I've stated before, I use a lot of heat when I'm styling my hair and I am willing to try any deep conditioning treatment I can get my hands on.  This mask has avocado, almond and argan oils, rosehip oil and other ingredients that are supposed to help repair chemically treated hair. The thing I like about this so far is that it only has to sit in your hair for around 3-5 mins when some deep conditioning treatments can take up to 10. Bueno.

Crown Brush: Dual-ended Crease and Shadow Brush

Again, something I am very excited about. I have heard a lot about Crown Brushes but haven't ever tried them. Sometimes dual-ended brushes are a pain to store but that is pretty minor. The brush says the small end is a crease brush, however, this is a little small for a crease brush in my opinion but will function well as a pencil brush for use on the lower lash-line. The other side is a shadow brush and it's a pretty decent size and is a fluffier brush; this should work well for placing a wash of shadow on the lid and blending out the edges lightly. Yay for this item!

Pacifica Eyeliner in Fringe

I wasn't sure how to feel about this item when I pulled it out. On one hand, I always need a dark brown eyeliner but on the other hand the other Pacifica item I tried I threw away as soon as a swatched it.  However, when I swatched this it was soft and creamy with good pigmentation. If the staying power is decent I can see myself being very happy with this product. 

NYX Eyeshadow in Innocent

Another product I'm excited about. I haven't had the pleasure of trying too many NYX products because they are kind of hard for me to get. This is a great neutral shadow that I can try to get a feel for NYX eyeshadows. When I swatched this out the shadow was soft and creamy.  It comes off more bronze and metallic on the skin than it does in the pan (as you can see in the swatch) but I already love this shadow, its gorgeous and I cant wait to use it. 

Hikari Lipstick in Cabernet

I love deep red lipstick so I was pretty excited about this too. It comes in a sleek black tube and is a deep wine color. When swatched it comes out a little more sheer than I would like, however, that means it can be sheered down to create a totally different look which is kind of cool too. The formula is creamy and not dry at all which is so great considering I have very, VERY, dry lips in the winter (and in general really). The swatch comes off way more red in the picture than it is in real life. In real life it is more purple and has more depth to it. Very in for fall and very pretty. 

May Ipsy Bag!

Hey guys, 

So I got my May ipsy bag in the mail today!!  This is my second ipsy bag and I thought I would start doing posts on what came in the ipsy bag/what my first impression of this month's bag is. So let's get right to it, shall we?

The Bag

The bag this month is SO cute. It is canvas with a green leaf print all over it and a green zipper. Absolutely no complaints here!

Eva NYC Therapy Session Hair Mask

When I pulled this out I was immediately excited. I use a lot of heat products on my hair so sometimes my hair needs a little help. There is supposed to be Argan oil in this product that will help "condition, repair and strengthen damaged hair," and is also supposed to "increase hair's strength and elasticity."  I am really hoping this product works because I need a good hair mask for my hair right now!!

Hey Honey: Take It Off

This is an exfoliating peel off mask that has honey in it....That is about all the information I could glean from the bottle considering it is so tiny. This mask is supposed to be appropriate for all skin types and is an exfoliating mask. Yes, this bottle is really tiny, but I love a good face mask and am always on board to try new ones, so while I wish they sent me more than 2 masks worth of product, I am excited to try this!

Hang Ten Classic Sport 50 SPF Sunscreen

.........why? That is pretty much what came to mind when I pulled this product out. Now, I would understand if this was a face sunscreen specifically but it explicitly says "full body coverage' on the back. First of all this tube is so small I probably wouldn't be able to cover my whole body with what is here. Second, I'm really not picky about my sunscreen at all as long as it keeps me from getting burnt (which even the cheapest of the cheap brands seem to do) so I'm really not interested in getting a sample for something that I'm going to buy in a generic brand anyways. Unless this totally rocks my world and changes my life, I'm a little disappointed.

Pacifica Eyeshadow Duo in Duo #2

So from the outside this duo looks really pretty, not terribly unique, but pretty. It is a muted plummy purple color and a white highlighter, both shimmer. Well I got curious and opened it up to swatch it a little bit..So much disappointment. The white shade is a pretty highlight but I already have multiple products that are almost exactly the same color, and the purple was just sad: the swatch didn't even show up on my hand. Besides that, both of these shadows feel super dry and would probably be difficult to apply easily and look good. Not impressed.

Eau Thermale Avène Thermal Spring Water

This is pretty self explanatory: you spray it on your face, it feels good. I like spraying cool things on my face when I'm hot so what is there to like, or dislike for that matter. Pretty simple.

All in all I'm kind of 50/50 on this bag. I think the sunscreen was a bad choice to put into a bag, and the eyeshadow was suck-tastic. I am excited to try the face and hair mask and I have something new to spray on my face. Not as good as my first bag by any means, but I don't feel like it was a waste. 

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Have a good rest of your week lovelies! xoxo

(Originally Published May 2014)