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)

Wishlist!

Hello Lovelies!!

I hope you are all having a wonderful start to your week!  Hopefully you all had a fun-filled and SAFE St. Patricks Day (and hopefully you aren't suffering from too much of a hangover)!  I am actually feeling pretty bright-eyed and bushy-tailed this morning because the weather kept me home last night. But enough about that; on to the make-up!

So as I was thinking about what to post this week I started thinking about all of the awesome make-up that I have really been wanting this month and thought, "hey, I'll post a wish list!"  This post is just to let you guys know what I have been hearing a lot of hype about lately and have been wanting to get my hands on and try. 

Just a disclaimer for this and the next post:  I am somewhat limited at the moment because I am home on spring break until next Tuesday so my make-up collection is limited at the moment so I'll try and review some things I have with me and let you know how they are working and what-not, but that is why I haven't really been able to start doing any tutorials just yet but they are coming soon!!

Anyway, on to my March 2014 Wish-list!:

Tarte Maracuja Miracle Foundation

This foundation looks BEAUTIFUL.  I have been lusting after this luxurious formula for a few months now actually and can't wait until I have the opportunity to get my hands on it.  It is a fairly expensive product at $42 (and I am a broke college student) but I am willing to pony that up for this beautiful foundation.  It promises a long-wearing formula which is important to me because I don't have time to be touching up my make-up all the time between class, work, and other extra-curriculars so long-wearing formulas are at the top of my list.  This foundation also has a dewy finish.  If this foundation can give me a dewy finish without making me look sweaty and without wearing off it will be worth every penny.  A lot of times I really look for a matte finish but sometimes I just want that ethereal look that dewy finish foundations can offer.  Long story short, as soon as I can get my hands on this I will be purchasing it!

Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush

These blushes are ah-mazing. I have tested them in the store and all of the colors are so pigmented and beautiful.  I can't even pinpoint a specific shade that I want because they are all amazing.  There is a great variety of mattes and shimmers and an awesome range of colors from bright pinks to warm corals to mauves to subtle tans.  These blushes will run you $26 at Ulta and I'm guessing would be worth every penny.  As soon as I get my hands on some I will be sure you guys are the first to know!

EDIT:  I picked up one of these in the shade Flawless! Review to come soon!

Urban Decay Naked Lipgloss

These glosses are wonderful.  They are sheer glosses is neutral colors that give just enough color to brighten the face but not so much that they perform like a liquid lipgloss.  I am in love with the colors Liar and Streak.  Liar is a coordinating color to the shade of the same name in the Naked 3 palette which is a deep is nude pink.  Streak is a coral color with a subtle nude quality.  I love nude pink lip colors and I have a special affinity for coral lipsticks and lip glosses so that explains why I want these two colors so badly.  They ring it at $20 a piece. I'll be sure to let you guys know when I finally get my hands on some!

EDIT:  I also picked up a couple of these in the shades Streak and Lovechild and will be reviewing them and possibly picking up a couple more to do some swatches!

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush

Now I'm sure you have all heard the hype about these blushes and I have fallen victim to said hype and want to try these so bad!  They are supposed to leave the skin with a beautiful sheen that is subtle yet noticeable when the light hits. I have heard nothing but good things about these from many bloggers and YouTubers (I first heard about these from the lovely Jaclyn Hill) and although they carry a pretty hefty price tag coming in at $35 a piece they seem to be worth the money! These look gorgeous and I want them all! (But I'll settle for one or two for now)

Well that is my wish-list for this month! I will let you guys know as I start collecting these and add them to my collection of make-up.  I'm sure they will be wonderful additions and I can't wait for them to be mine! What is on your wish-list this month? Let me know in the comments!

Hope you guys have a lovely week! 

If you have any questions be sure to leave a comment below!  And if you love this post don't forget to share it on Twitter and Facebook using the icons below and be sure to also follow me on Twitter and bloglovin' and subscribe by email in the sidebar!  Let me know what you guys want to see next and be on the look out for my first video on YouTube in the next couple of weeks! 

(Originally Published in March 2014)