Excited for ipsy august 2015

After three months of ipsy I feel comfortable saying I'm truly enjoying it and don't see myself cancelling any time soon. Of the products I've received there are only a few I won't or haven't used and those will either be swapped for something I do want or donated to a women's shelter so someone else can enjoy them. So now to my bag!!!

Up first is the Aila nail polish in Mr. Pookies. This 2asnt personally my color. Is was very fall-y but I didn't love it and I usually wear fake nails so nail polish isn't really my thing. This product and company is 5 free so if you like nail polish and like natural products this is something to try although at $17 a bottle it's a little steep for my taste. I have 2 daughters who love to paint their nails and my and my husband's toenails so expensive nail polish really is a waste of money I usually stick to dollar store nail polish and it serves me just fine.
That being said I did swap this for the Doll 10 creme blush and I absolutely love it. I've worn it everytime I've done my makeup since receiving it.

Next I got the Briogeo volumizung spray. I had never heard of this brand before but then a week or so after I got my bag sephora was giving this same spray as a spend $25 promotional gift. I've used it a few times and I didn't really notice  any difference. It smells good and I'm not totally disappointed but I doubt I'll be buying this product in the future. 

The doucce eyeliner in black is absolutely amazing and has probably become my favorite product from this bag! It goes on great, stays on and was a fill size product which is always a plus. I use black eyeliner everytime I wear makeup so I can go through it like no one's business so I am always open to try a new one. I know some people think black is too harsh for everyday wear for them but for me it's a must have. 

Jessies Girl eyeshadow primer was a surprising Rockstar of this bag. I didn't really expect much from it but after testing it and using it i was blown away. I did a swatch with and without this using the same eyeshadow and it took 3 applications of the shadow without get it close to as pigmented as one application with this primer. Honestly when I run  out of eyeshadow primer this will probably be the one I purchase. 

When I peeked at my bag early I was happy to see the Hikari lip gloss and was hoping for the shade merlot, which luckily is what I received. This is a beautiful color for fall and I thought it had a great formula. It wasn't overly sticky and I felt that it "dried" to what I would consider a moist stain which I thought was perfect. It lasted well after eating and drinking and I only reapplied once throughout the night wearing it.

Now for the bag, I'm a fan of houndstooth and I was pleasantly surprised that it was a plasticy bag which I think worked. This has probably been my favorite design that I've received so far. 

This is the swatches of eyeshadow with the Jessies Girl primer the one on the right is the one coat with primer, the left is three coats with out I hope you can see that the primered side is much more pigmented. This is also swatches of the doucce eyeliner (black) and the Hikari lip gloss 

July ipsy bag

So after getting an amazing bag last month I was super excited to receive my ipsy bag this month. Now I did cheat and look at what I was getting before the bag arrived and while there was one or two things from the spoilers I was really hoping to get and didn't I was still completely happy with my bag.
The first product was the pur~lisse cleanser and makeup remover. This was probably the product I was least excited about. I did use it and it made my face feel super dry, after my face was begging to be slathered in moisturizer. So this product was a miss for me.

Next up I got the Jor'el Parker rollerball perfume in classico. So I'll do the positives of this first. This is a great sized rollerball perfect to put in your purse or makeup bag and I love the idea of a sample being a rollerball I'm a huge fan of rollerballs. Now for the negative, I personally felt that this smelled a little old ladyish and when I had my husband smell it, before I told him what I thought, he said the same thing. I won't be using this but I'm sure I can find someone to gift it to.

Now that I've gone over the items I wasn't crazy about I'll talk about the great things I got in my bag.

Eyetini swizzle stick eyeliner. This came in shade Blue Hawaiian which is a bright bright blue. I was excited to see this in my spoiler and loved it after I tried it. Everyone knows colored eyeliner is really hot right now and this color absolutely screams summer. Now I read alot of people's comments on ipsys facebook posts about how they didn't want this or wouldn't use this color mostly it was because of age or eye color but I guess I'm young or bold enough to not think it's crazy to wear a blue eyeliner and I thought it looked fine with my brown eyes i also put it on my daughter who has grey blue eyes and it really stood out. The only negative I have about this is that I wear glasses and it kind of got lost behind them and didn't really stand out through them. I also usually wear lots of black eyeliner so this might have played a part in why I didn't notice the blue as much.

I was apprehensive about the bright red color that the be a bombshell lip balm came in and I had been secretly hoping I was going to get the light pink color that was also available but when I opened my bag up I had the ruby shade. Now I have to say I'm so glad I got the ruby. It gives just a light hint of color and I love it. As a lip balm it's kind of middle of the road. It's not the most moisturizing or longest lasting but it didn't dry my lips out or make them look bad and the great color definately makes it one that I will reach for.

Lastly I got the Tarte bronzer in park ave princess. This seemed to be the item everyone wanted from the spoilers and I understand why. Tarte is a great high end brand and this is a great color. Especially for fair skinned people like me. Some bronzers can be way too dark for me and even one light application can make me look like I have a bad fake tan.

The actually bag this month is slightly smaller than last month's and made out of canvas with a colorful chevron like design and front zipper. It's nice and thick and sturdy. I don't love it as much as last month's which I am currently using as my purse makeup bag but I'm using this to store some products I don't use often but like to be able to find easily when I need/want them.

So overall 3 items I loved 2 I wasn't so crazy about. The 3 hits were absolutely worth the $10 for the bag and the chance to try new products. Of the products I got this month the only brand I knew of and had tried before was tarte. I think that's really what I love about ipsy most that I get to try new brands which is so much fun 

Living Proof

So this was my first time to ever try any Living Proof products and I had the chance to try the restore shampoo and conditioner and the restore instant repair.
My initial response in getting these was of course excitement I've heard alot about Living Proof so I was glad to get a chance to form my own opinion. I got two uses each out of the shampoo and conditioner and I will say I enjoyed using them. They smelled great which is always important to me with shampoo and the shampoo got really foamy, foamyness is very important to my husband he always judges a shampoos quality based on its foam, I usually only wash my hair a couple times a week so my shampoo doesn't usually get too foamy. A hairstylist once told me that it's ok if your shampoo doesn't foam much and that the less frequently you wash the less foam you should expect and I've found that to be generally true especially since I also tend to use quite a few products on my hair between washes. The conditioner made my hair feel really soft as it washed out and I love it when I'm washing conditioner out and my hair feels like silk.
I can't say I noticed any strand healing from these samples but I am interested in possibly buying the full size product and seeing if it delivers on that front.
I also got the restore instant repair lotion and I will say the tube is super full which I love and a little goes a really long way and so far I am really enjoying using this product. It says it can be used on dry hair but so far I've only used it on wet maybe next time I'll give it a try on dry just to see what happens.
Overall I am happy I got to try these products and am interested in purchasing more to give them even more of a try which is the purpose of sample right?!
How do you feel about Living Proof products?

First ipsy bag!!!

So I received my first ipsy bag for the month of June and I have to say I was very excited to sign up, excited to open it and I really loved my first bag. I decided to join ipsy for a couple of reasons, firstly I love makeup and through what I've seen about the beauty boxes out there ipsy seems to be the most makeup centric one except for maybe one or two indie type boxes. Secondly for $10 a month that is a very hard price point to beat.
If you don't know what ipsy is its a subscription service for $10 a month as mentioned that sends out 5 samples, minis, or full size products each month in a makeup bag. Every month everyone gets the same bag but gets a variety of products inside of it. This month I received:
Liptitide Hydrating Lip Stain.
This is a very dark pink lip stain with a minty smell and a kind of thick formula. I personally didn't like this for a couple of reasons. The color was too dark for me and the actually lip stain itself got very messy and got all over my teeth while I wore it.

The next product I received was treStique Mini Shadow Crayon in marimoto pink pearl. When I first took this out of the bag I thought that the lid had fallen off but then I realized that it was actually just the packaging and I thought it was really adorable. It went on super smooth and evenly and has a very nice creamy texture. The color is really too light for me to wear as just an eyeshadow but is great for use as an all over highlighter.

I also got another eye product the Aurora Intensively Precise Eyeliner in blackberry. This is a felt tipped type eyeliner which I haven't ever used anything like before.  The color is black and it has real staying power. The only problem I had was that the lobe was really too thin for me which I think I can work out if I just use it some more and get familiar with it.

My last makeup item is the Smashbox Photo Finish primer. I have used this product before it's not my favorite primer but it works well and I'll definitely use it.

Thw only non makeup product I received was the Altchek Depuff eye pads. I received two sets of these I have used one. I put it in the refrigerator like the package suggests and it was very nice and cooling and felt good on my skin. I don't really have puffy eyes or fine lines and wrinkles so I didn't notice any difference in this area however I am saving the second set to use after I have my baby in three weeks when there is a way better chance that I will have puffy eyes that will enjoy a cooling eye pad.

The last thing is of course the ipsy bag itself. This one is a black bag with raised ipsy logos on the front and a neoprene back and a bright orange zipper. I personally love this bag and think it's great to throw in a pool/beach bag or just a purse.

Overall I would give this bag a 9 out of 10

My newest cheap obsession

I love finding a great cheap alternative to an expensive beauty product and I think I have found a holy grail type equivalent. I have recently forgone salon fake nails in favor of glue on nails I've found at Dollar Tree. So far I've used 4 pairs and I have had nothing but good results. I get tons of compliments on them and never fail to let the complimenter in on my secret. Now they aren't as durable or long lasting as salon nails but what they lack in those areas they make up for in great designs and the price.

Saturday at Sephora

So as a sweet surprise yesterday my husband let me wander around aimlessly at Sephora for as long as I wanted. So while I was there I took full advantage of the fact that I had no makeup on and I played. I started with one of the mini makeovers that they offer and did the eyebrow tutorial to help me really master the trend of statement brows. I have to say the girl was great. She really talked me through how to get a great technique and she did one brow then had me do the other so I could practice with her watching. I used Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade in medium brown as the brow filler.
This was also the first time I had ever used any products from the Anastasia line and I have to say that I was impressed. The color was great, a little went a long way, and it lasted all day which was great.
After having my brows done I decided I was only going to try products I wasn't familiar with but had been wanting to try. So next up was a trip to the Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics to try out their lip tar. I chose the Black Dahlia color which is a dark berry with a matte finish. I liked the color and it lasted a long time, however I do not think I will be purchasing this product for myself because it had that waxy lipstick taste which I do not like and it dried my lips out so much that ay the end of the night I needed two applications of Chapstick to get them hydrated again.
I headed over to Urban Decay next to try out their Big Fatty mascara which I liked but was not exceptionally impressed with. I would use it if given to me but don't see a purchase in the future. I finished my makeup journey with a trip to Benefit where I tried an eyeshadow out of their World Famous Neutrals palette in the color It's Complicated which was a glittery golden shade it was soft but I had really played up the lips so I wasn't looking for a heavy eye look.
To round out my Sephora experience I headed to perfume and spritzed on Lady Million by Paco Rabanne. My husband loves the men's fragrance One Million so I had to try out the women's version. I was not disappointed and my husband loved it too so I definitely see a bottle finding it's way into my perfume collection in the future. Overall it was a great day and I got to play with my favorite toy of all time: makeup.

Primed Up

Prime me up darling!
To prime or not to prime? Why do we do it and should we?
I love most primer. When I say  most I mean I am an avid user of both face and eye shadow primer but I don't use lip primer at all really. For face primer I like to do a three part priming that I actually use to replace foundation. I first use an amazing sunscreen fluid LA Roche-Posay Anthelios 60 that is light weight, easy to apply and has a matte finish that I love. Secondly I use Benefit's The Porefessional which is a thickish balm that is supposed to minimize the look of pores and again has a matte finish which makes my skin feel so smooth and wonderful. Lastly I finish it up with Too Faced primed and pore less. I think the mixture of all three gives me a great all day coverage that let's me skip foundation which I always have problems with.
Eyeshadow primer does pretty much the same for your eye lids but tends to be thicker and you can buy it in tons of formulas from almost every brand. I'm a big fan of Benefit's stay don't stray and urban decay's eyeshadow primer potion. I think they help your lids from getting oily and making your eyeshadow wear off or fade away. Whenever I use primer my eyeshadow looks just as good when I take it off as it did when I put it on. I also run primer along my bottom lash line to help my liner stay on and in place. 
Lastly I have tried lip primer but I'm not a fan I actually just prefer some Chapstick about 30 minutes before I put on gloss or lipstick to make my lips soft and moisturized. I feel that this works just as well and cost a whole lot less.
How do u feel about primer? Does anyone else swear by it like I do?