IPSY Review – March 2017

Have you heard of Ipsy?! It is a monthly beauty subscription service that allows you to try unique brands, use different products, and collect items items that you may not pick up on your own. For only $10 a month I’d say it’s quite the deal! You can join by clicking here if you’re interested.

Here is what I got in my most recent March bag…

Ofra Cosmetics – Peach Blush Talk about a dupe for Nars’ Orgasm!!! This blush has some serious gold reflection to it that is very flattering on the skin. On my skin tone specifcally I had some difficulty with the peach shade showing up, but I do think this will flatter lighter skin tones.

Air Repair Skincare – Complexion Boosting Moisturizer I am pretty picky with skincare and this passed the test. It is packed full of antioxidants and left my skin feeling perfectly moisturized. Can’t ask for much more than that!

Beau Gachis – Tapered Blending Brush This is my favorite item of the bag! Ipsy seriously reads my mind when it comes to brushes, because I’ve been on the lookout for a new blending brush. This baby is going to seriously come in handy. I love the curved tip and fluffy bristles… it makes blending a dream.

Tarte – Tartiest Quick Dry Matte Lip Paint While I love this brand, I’m not a huge liquid lipstick lover. However I did try this out and it was less drying than others I have tried in the past, with more of a velvet matte finish. The applicator is very precise and I think it will be a good shade to save for autumn.

ModelCo – Eye Define Crayon Liner This liner claims to glide on without tugging or dragging, which is the exact opposite experience I had with it. The product is very stiff and difficult to blend. I do like trying new black liners because, let’s face it, they are a staple in any makeup collection but this one just did not do it for me.

Ipsy Review – February 2017

If you are unfamiliar with Ipsy, it is a ten dollar a month beauty subscription service. You can sign up here to get five deluxe or full size samples sent to you in a unique beauty bag every month. I have been a member for well over a year now and can say that it is so fun to play around with a set of new and customized products. It’s a perfect way to build your makeup, haircare, and skincare collection.

Here is what I got this month!!!

NYX “Butter Lipstick” – Lippies are my favorite!!! I got the shade Lifeguard, which is not a full on red but more of a deep magenta. The satin finish on this is amazing. It is super moisturizing and comfortable on the lips. I will definitely be on the look out for more of these babies in different shades.

Luxie “Rose Gold Blush Brush #514” – When I started getting back into makeup a couple of years ago, I bought myself a (cheap) brush set off of amazon. Since then, I have been upgrading brush by brush so I was super excited to get this! I love Luxie because it is a cruelty-free brand and is great quality. This brush has synthetic bristles and is in a small dome shape. It is meant for blush, which for me works perfectly.

BeFine “Gentle Face Cleanser” – This cleanser, while a good product, wasn’t my favorite. I do like that it is vegan with all natural ingredients and has a nice minty scent. However, my preference is to use a face wash that has scrubby beads in order to really feel like my skin is getting cleansed. This is more of a smooth texture so I likely won’t be using it regularly, but do love the brand. (Here is a tip: Keep products you won’t use in a small basket in your bathroom to put out for when you have guests over!)

Elizabeth Mott “Whatup Beaches Bronzer” – I LOVE this bronzer!!! It is so soft and silky with the perfect matte formula and the shade is on point. My only complaint is the tiny little pan it came in, but I am debating getting this in a full size because I love it that much.

 Winky Lux “Diamond Complexion Powder” – And last but not least a… diamond powder?! Apparently this powder has finely crushed diamonds in it and while I am skeptical at that, I do like this a lot. I have been using it to set my under eye concealer and that’s been working out great. It gives a little extra coverage than my normal loose translucent powder.

January 2017 Favorites

Rose Gold iPhone 7 – Unfortunately I dropped my phone right after the holidays and, while I thought the thing was indestructible, it ended up not working after it took it’s last hit. That meant I needed an upgrade. Shucks 🙂 . This is literally the best phone I’ve ever had! I love the size, color, and quality. It’s perfect for me.

Clear Mandala Phone Case – So of course I had to get something pretty to keep this one safe. I opted for a clear, mandala-patterned back case so that the pink could shine through. I paired it with a clear screen protector and now I’m all set!

Moleskine 2017 Weekly Planner – This baby has been keeping me organized already. I love the layout of this planner because it includes daily, weekly, and monthly layouts. I set a lot of different types of goals this year and think the process of tracking everything in this planner will help me stick to them.

Bare Minerals Marvelous Moxie Lip Gloss – I’m not sure why, but this lippie in the shade “Birthday Babe” has been on repeat for me in January because I’m more comfortable with a color on my lips, but this has been an easy transition into neutrals for me. It’s a great winter shade and a comfortable wear.

Real Techniques Blush Brush – You need this brush!!! The size, hands down, is my favorite part. I didn’t realize the pain I was putting myself through with smaller blush brushes until I got this baby and having been seriously loving it.

Clean and Clear Shower Mask – I got this in a recent Walmart Beauty Box as a sample and liked it so much that I purchased the full sized version. This works nicely for me in the shower after I do a deep face exfoliation. It’s a nice way to get moisture back into the skin and fully cleanse the surface of your face.

Ipsy Review – December 2016

Ipsy is a monthly beauty subscription service that allows you to try unique brands, use different products, and collect items items that you may not pick up on your own… AND it’s only $10 a month!!! I’ve been a member for about a year and half and love this service. You can join by clicking here if you’re interested.

Smashbox – InstaMatte Lipstick Transformer: I honestly think I am the only person on the planet that doesn’t love the matte lip trend. That being said, I did give this a quick shot and found it didn’t work too well for me so I did pass it along to someone else in my life who I think it may work better for.

Privai – Aqua Gel Masque: I have been meaning to try a gel moisturizer, as I have acne prone skin and use cream moisturizers, which I hear can enhance pimples. This one has worked nicely for me so far. It smells and feels great on the skin!

Royal & Langnickel – MODA Angle Shader Brush: Ipsy has sent me this brand of brushes before and I really love them! This is high quality and I’m in love with the purple!

City Cosmetics – Be Matte Blushes: This is my favorite item I got this month… I love trying out new blushes and don’t have any of these colors. The shades are called Fresh Melon, Blackberry, and Guava. They are great quality and I’ve found them to last all day long.

NYX – Prismatic Shadow: And my least favorite items I got is this little guy in the shade Fireball. I don’t love red-based shadows on my eyes and keep getting them sent to me, grrrrr.

Ipsy Review – November 2016

Time for my monthly unbagging! If you are unfamiliar with Ipsy, it is a ten dollar a month beauty subscription service. You get five deluxe or full size samples sent to you in a unique beauty bag. (Join by clicking here if you are interested.) Here is what I got this month…

Out of my mix of items I will probably get the most use out of angled eye brush because, let’s face it, no woman can have enough make up brushes! However why in the world any company makes brushes with white bristles is a mystery to me. I’ve already tried the Formula X nail polish and, while I LOVE this brand, the color isn’t much my style. I may use the Ofra Banana Powder but prefer a more full coverage powder. I like this product but would recommend it to my less acne-prone friends out there. For me, it just doesn’t provide the coverage I like. I was excited to try theBalm Mad Lash mascara but the packaging is super strange and after reading reviews I know I’m not the only person who thinks so! Instead of twisting the wand up you have to pull it out and it got pretty messy for me. Lastly I just don’t see myself using the NUXE facial serum and will probably pass it along to someone else.

I hate to be negative, but honestly I’m not overly thrilled with my bag this month. I find that the months tend to wax and wane… some months are just better than others and this month just wasn’t my favorite, XOXO.

Ipsy Review – October 2016

Ummmm Ipsy were you literally reading my mind this month?! I’m so excited for this bag of goodies!!! I have seriously been wanting to some of these products forever and a day. And this super appropriately themed Halloween bag?!?! STOP!!!

If I had to pick, I think I would say I’m most excited for theBalm Cosmetics blush in Cabana Boy. I am in love with Frat Boy and can’t wait to try this one because of the warm tone and shimmer quality. I’m almost equally as excited for the MeMeMe Blush Brush because the bristles look like they will give a really natural appearance for the blush application. The blush brush I currently use has very tightly packed bristles, which I think gives a harsher look, and these look looser. Next up I’m super stoked for Sally’s Box Aqua Moist Gel Cream. I’ve heard that gel moisturizers help control acne more than others, so really look forward to seeing if that will hold true for me. While I am excited for the Ciate London Fierce Flicks Eyeliner, I do have several black eyeliners that need to be used up so I’m not as excited for this product but will get use out of it. Can a girl really have too many black liners?! And lastly is the Cosmoholic Liquid Lipstick in Mysterious Mocha, which looks like a shade I may pass along to my (trendier than me) niece.

Overall I’m super excited for the bag this month!!! I do find that Ipsy bags tend to wax and wane for me… some months are kind of meh and others are amazing like this one. I hope you enjoyed  this pre-unbagging and as always you can click here to sign up to get Ipsy for yourself, XOXO!

July Favorites

As you can see, it was a great beauty month in July!!!

Since I cancelled my Birchbox this month (click here to find out why) I wanted to cash in my points for products, so opted for the Coastal Scents “Revealed 2” and “Revealed Smoky” eye shadow palettes. They are my first higher quality palettes and  did not disappoint one bit. The color selection on each is amazing and the formula is really buttery yet easy to blend out. Speaking of shadows, I found myself reaching for small angled brushes paired with a dark eye shadow this month instead of my go-to sharp liner look. Something about that look just seems so much lighter for summer to me. On my tight line, I had Colourpop’s “Swerve” on repeat this month. It’s as black as black can be and that baby sure stays put! I signed up for Curology in July and, while I haven’t seen any acne results yet, I am hopeful that I will so wanted to include it in this batch of favorites. (I will keep you posted on my progress!) Finally, I wanted to share with you the sweetest smelling strawberry yummy lotion that my body has been loving this month! The formula of this Grace Cole body butter is really light weight yet moisturizing and has been perfect for summer, XOXO.

Have you tried any of these products? What were your favorites this month?

Ipsy Review – July 2016

I love the mix of products I got this month! Let’s jump in 🙂 .

The BeFine – Food Skin Care is an unscented lotion which is something I know I will get a lot of use out of. The formula is creamy and not at all greasy. I was super excited to receive the Too Faced – Hangover Replenishing Face Primer and I do like it but don’t think it does much to control my oil, which is my top priority in using a primer. The smell is to die for and it does do a great job hydrating. To be honest I haven’t tried the Em Cosmetics – Lash Gallery Lengthening Mascara and don’t plan to until I use up a few other already opened mascaras I have in my collection… but I’m happy I got it. The Vasanti Cosmetics – Professional Eyeshadow Brush is really nice. The bristles are soft, the wand is long, and it is overall just a great brush for packing shadow onto the lid. My favorite product is by far the Bella Pierre Cosmetics – Banana Setting Powder!!! This is the first time I’ve tried a banana powder and I am in love.

Did you get any of the same products? What did you love this month?

Ipsy June 2016 – Preview

I’m seriously looking forward to every single item I’m getting this month! I’m most excited for the blush. It  will be fun to try out a new-to-me brand and expand my collection.

There is honestly nothing in this mix that I am least excited for, however the eye shadow and eye pencil come in different shades this month and if I get the red shadow or brown pencil I won’t be entirely happy with those. (I posted photos of the purple shadow and black pencil to send out good vibes :).)

The masks will come in handy as well as the brush… those are two items that I will totally put to great use!!! Looks like a good month to me, XOXO.

Ipsy April 2016 – Review

I love this time of the month, IPSY TIME!!!

You can sign up here to receive 5 deluxe-sized samples in a cute new Ipsy bag every month. It’s a great way to try unique brands, use different products, and collect items that you may not pick up on your own. For only $10 a month, the price is right! Here is what I got this month…

City Color – Highlight Trio

This was my favorite product by far! The colors are super gorgeous and have a good amount of pigment. I am most excited to bring this traveling because it’s a 3-in-1, which means less packing.

Probelle – Nail Lacquer

I’m in love with the shade I got, “In Or Out” so much that I had to try it out right away :). The formula is nice and it seems to be pretty long lasting for a nail polish.

Nth Degree – Moroccan Argan Oil & Keratin Hair Serum

In my Ipsy April 2016 – Preview post, I predicted this would be my least favorite product. While that does hold true, I actually like this more than I thought I would. It’s useful to smooth dry ends and even though it’s not something I would typically buy, it seems like it will be nice to have.

Tarte – LipSurgence Lip Creme

My very first Tarte product! (It did not disappoint, that’s for sure.) The color I got is called “Wonder”. This isn’t the most opaque and long-lasting lipstick, but is very hydrating and easy to apply, which I have been reaching for lately anyway.

Crown Brush – C427 Duo Fiber Blush Brush

This is very versatile and easy to use… there are actually indents where your fingers should go! Easy peasy. The bristles are a little stiff and not as dense as I normally prefer, but still a great product to get.

My Rating: 

One of the best bags I’ve ever gotten!!! This was spot on with my preferences. The colors are all ones I would personally pick out and everything in this bag is something I will use. I am impressed at the sizes of the samples I got, which I really think make this particular bag worth it. Good job, Ipsy! XOXO