Ipsy - March 2016

Here's the most recent Ipsy bag.

Apparently you could get two different variations on the bag. I would have preferred the blue roses instead, but I still think the bag is nice.

The card isn't that unique or interesting. I wish they went back to illustrations or graphic designs rather than people.

*sigh* Another hair product. I'm tired of Marc Anthony products and conditioners. I don't use conditioner that often. I'll probably give this to my sister.

It's exclusive to Ulta and Rite Aid.

Another brush, which I don't mind. It's by Beau Gachis Paris again, and I got a brush from the same company in the February bag. It's soft, and a little less round.

Next is an Ofra pencil eyeliner in Green Go. I haven't tried anything from Ofra except for their eyebrow pencil (also from ipsy), which I didn't like. This liner wasn't that soft, and while the color was unique, I have no use for it.

This is another product from Be A Bombshell. It's a baked bronzer. It's way too shimmery for any contour, and the shade is so close to my skin tone I can't use it as a full highlight. I'm tired of getting Be A Bombshell products.

Next is the Nyx Liquid Suede in Soft Spoken. It's very creamy. The color is a nude shade, but I prefer more pinky nudes. The finish seemed to be a semi-matte finish.

Swatches:

On the left is the Liquid Suede. It's a little more warm toned brown, whereas in person it's much lighter. Next to it is the eyeliner. After that is the bronzer, swatched normally. The last swatch on the right is the bronzer after being wetted. 

Ipsy - February 2016

Time for February's Ipsy bag! I just received it today.


When I opened the pink packaging, it was really cold because it had been outside. The bag has this really neat texture on it, kind of like snakeskin. When I first saw the bag I was like huh, this is odd, but now it's grown on me. The back is just a solid hot pink.

This is the card for this month. I wish Ipsy put all the pricing info on their cards like other companies. 

First I received this Ogx Moisture + Vitamin B5 Weightless Oil Mist. It retails for $7.99. I keep getting hair care products in my Ipsy bag, and I'm not the kind of person that uses hair care products all the time. My hair is really thick, so a lot of products weigh it down, and it gets oily easily. 

Anyways. I opened the bottle to see what it smelled like, and because it had been in the cold, it instantly did one of those cool freezing things. I panicked for a second and thought I broke it. 

I just set it in warm water for a few minutes and it was back to normal. 

 Next is the Perfect Formula Pink Gel Coat. This is a sample size, and full size retails for $30. It has a slight pink tint to it, and it's supposed to whiten the tips of your nails, fill in any ridges, and make your nails healthier.

This is the It Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye concealer. I'm not sure how much the sample size retails for, but the full size is $24. It seems a bit thick for my liking, especially under the eyes, But it is a good shade match for me.

This is the Josie Maran Argan Enlightenment Illuminizing Wand. It's a sample, and full size retails for $28. I really like the color of the packaging, it's a rose gold, but not too rosy. The highlight is nice, but I'll probably use it as a cream eye shadow highlight instead. It is really creamy.

This is the Sparkling Lipgloss in Pink Sequin from Vintage by Jessica Liebeskind. Sample, and full size retails for $21. It's very pink and sparkly, and looks like a gloss version of the highlight I received by the brand in a past bag. It has a brush applicator. I thought it was going to be sticky, but it wasn't. I don't know if I'm going to make use of this or not.

Here are the swatches. The highlighter is on the top, the lip gloss on the bottom.

Overall, I thought this bag was okay. I would have loved to received either of the two fragrances, but alas, I got a lipgloss instead, even when I've retaken the quiz many times, no matter how much of it they take into consideration.

Ipsy - January 2016

I've gotten Ipsy bags for about three years now. I figured it was time to do some reviews. In future posts, the lighting or setup may change-I'm still trying to find the right configuration. 

The bag looks like this. I think it's one of my favorites now. I like the pop-art design and the colors. The back is just solid blue, the same as the girl's hair. 

This is the card it comes with. I liked the cards in the beginning, when they looked more like postcards weren't actual pictures of people. They were prettier and nicer to display. Also, to much avail, I still cannot create an eye drawing that looks like the one on the left.

The first item I received was the Hikari Cream Pigment. It retails for $13. Every Hikari product I've received has been full size, and I can't find any info on amount on their website.  I like Hikari products, but apparently there's been some controversy about the brand. The cream is in the shade Mink, and it's kind of a taupe-y color. It's a little squishy in the jar. The jar is plastic, and it feels kind of cheap, but I like how it's flatter than most so it's easier to get the product.

I received the Lasting Smiles organic lip balm. It retails for $3.99. It's in the scent Peppermint Creme. It's reminiscent of an Altoid. The coloring on the packaging is a bit more teal than the picture shows. Apparently, the brand also helps fund cleft surgeries for children every time you purchase, which is great.

Next is this Peek Natural Stain Brow Powder. Full size retails for $22. This is extremely small, and I don't know if it's half of a full size product or not. But that doesn't matter, because it's adorable. I received the color Expresso, which I find a bit odd since it is usually spelled espresso, with an E. I really like how it slides open. There's also this foamy bit or whatever surrounding the powder, and I don't know what that's for. It claims to stain your brows, but I need to experiment around with it more. It's definitely a cool-toned brown, leaning on the taupe side.

Next is theBalm Mr. Write (Now). This is a full size product, and retails for $17. I got the shade Jac, and it's a bronzy-gold color. It's really smooth and creamy.

This is by Beau Gâchis Paris, and it retails for $18. It feels like it would blend everything nicely, but the bristles (?) remind me of a paintbrush. It's not super rough, however.

Here are the swatches. TheBalm eyeliner on top, then the eyebrow color and the cream pigment. Ignore the other swatches on my hand please!

Overall, this is one of the best Ipsy bags I've had. I know I'm going to use every single product.
You can buy Ipsy at http://www.ipsy.com for $10.

Starting Fresh - 2016

So, welcome to another year! 2015 has gone by so fast and so has this year already. My tastes have definitely changed ever since I started this blog (2011-ish?). I've decided I'm starting new and turning this into a beauty/lifestyle blog. I'm no expert, but I just want to share my favorite things. You might see a few fashion things, travel posts, book reviews, and random posts. But I definitely want to create a more mature blog than before. I still need name ideas. 

Claire