Thinking of You: Ipsy, December 2014.

 Oh hello Ipsy.

This bag came about a week ago, but between the dealing with children right before the holidays, at school, and planning a wedding in March, I've just been so busy, that I barely have time to check my mail. I haven't even opened half the Christmas Cards I've gotten so far. So I do apologize for the delay. 

Anyhow, Ipsy costs ten dollars a month, and for that ten dollars, you get a makeup bag full of samples and full-size products every month. Your bag will almost always be worth more than you paid for it, and at the same time, you get to try out all sorts of products.

This months theme was "Thinking of You", which I suppose seems appropriate with it being December and holidays and such.

I will say, I did like the bag this month, it's black and simple. 

First up, a precision beauty eyelash curler, worth $5.00.

Verdict: Curious

I've always seen eyelash curlers as some sort of Medieval torture device, so I've never actually owned one. They terrify me. But now that I have one, I'm sort of curious about it and want to try to use it without worrying about pulling all my eyelashes out. I'll let you all know how that goes.

This was what was in the bag.

Beauty Without Cruelty, facial cleanser, worth approximately $3.00.

Verdict: Indifferent

I don't mind facial cleansers. I'm always looking for stuff that can help me face and my skin. So I don't really feel happy or upset about getting a product like this. I would've preferred makeup, but it's not an unwelcome product.

Nyx butter lip balm, in marshmallow, worth $4.00, full-size.

Verdict: Like

Who doesn't want chapstick in the winter?

It's a nice nude color, so it doesn't really give my lips any color, and it smells really good. It smells like Marshmallows.

Lights, Camera, Lashes Mascara, worth about $10.00.

[it's about half the size of a full-size product, which is worth $20.00]

Verdict:  LOVE

I love mascara samples. Thanks to Ipsy, I don't think I've bought mascara in over a year because I'm constantly getting samples of it :)

Pixi Fairy Dust, worth $10.00, full-size.

Verdict: Okay

 The color is so nude that you can barely see it on my skin, at all. 

If I had a choice, I would've chosen a different color because there's not much I can do with this color, and some of the other colors on the website like gold, snow, and copper appear to me more.

It's not a bad product, I used to buy stuff like this all the time, only my choices were more bright and glittery colors, I'm just not a fan of the color that I got sent.

[they used to sell these at Claire's, they were these stackable glitter pots and they were awesome! This product sort of reminds me of those, just less glittery and shimmery.]

So....

The grand total of this month's bag is: $32.00

More than three times what I paid for it.

I didn't hate this month's bag. It was much better than some of the recent bags I've gotten from them in the past few months. 

So if Ipsy appeals to you, by all means, check them out.

And:

 to all, who celebrate....

As for me, I'll be on a plane heading to NJ tomorrow to spend a week wedding planning!

See you next year ;)

 

Ipsy: October 2014, Beauty Candy.

Today has been a day of many packages in my household... My new rainbow keyboard came from newegg, my Halloween costume came despite me putting the wrong address on it [thank goodness, the apartment people, who work in the office, know Justin and I by name], my new workout bathing suit came, my new work clothes from Old Navy came... Oh and Ipsy came.

 

Ipsy  is a subscription bag service. It's ten bucks a month, and you get a makeup bag sent to you every single month full of full-size and sample size beauty products. It's probably, one of the best subscription services, as getting the most bang for your buck, in my opinion. 

They supposedly some kind of Ipsy match service to pick your products for you, but I don't really believe that since I do tend to get a moderate amount of stuff, I'm just "meh" about.

This is what was in my pink envelope. This months theme is "beauty candy."

 

 The bag this month was nothing special, it's a nice color, but I'm quite disappointed that a bright teal bag has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with Halloween.

 

  Acacia, Protein BB Cream, by ECRU New York, worth $12.00, which seems quite expensive for a 1 fl oz bottle, but that's what the website claims.

My hair is a wreck. I swim every single day, except for the next five days because I sliced my finger open cutting carrots for a salad, and had to go to the E.R. yesterday, and they told me pools are off-limits for the next few days due to germs :(

 

But I digress, the point it, my hair is wrecked, thanks to the glorious chemical known as chlorine. So... If this product can somehow minimize all the damage to my hair, from swimming, it's a product, I don't mind trying. 

 

This is the contents of my bag.

 

 Noyah lipstick, Deeply in Mauve, worth probably about $8.00 because it looks like it's half the size of a regular lipstick, the picture is out of focus, purposely, to show you the glitter.

It's more purple and darker than my picture shows.

Meh. I hate lipstick, and I would never wear a color this dark. 

Rose Berry, Figs & Rogue, Hand Cream, worth $3.00.

I'm indifferent to this item. I don't like nor dislike hand cream. It's something I use, especially in winter, so it's a useful sample, just not something I would have chosen for myself.

Skyn Iceland, glacial cleaning clothes, worth $5.00

I like facial cleaning clothes, especially if they help get makeup off of my face. Very useful item. Maybe it'll help my skin in some shape or form.

NYC BIG CURL MASCARA, full-size, worth $4.99.

I love mascara, I'm excited about a full-size mascara product, especially since it seems one of my mascaras are always empty, so it's nice to have a refill. Very happy with this.

Total Value: $32.99

Not the most expensive bag I've ever gotten, but not the worst either, and still over what I paid for it.

Overall, this bag was "meh", I guess with it being October, I was hoping for more Halloween themed products. I wasn't very happy with what I received this month.

If you're interested, check Ipsy out.

Influenster: Vox Box Surf's Up

Influenster is a website, which allows you to use your own social media to review products. You sign up for it, you can review products from different categories, and eventually when you have enough of a score from your activities in the website, it may qualify you for a Vox Box.

About two weeks ago, I got a pre-survey asking me to answer some questions in order to qualify me to review a Surfs Up Vox Box, I guess I had what they were looking for because I soon got another email saying they were going to send me the box.

I was surprised I got picked for a Vox Box since I sort of forgot that Influenster existed, although during winter, I got really bored, and I think I reviewed at least 200 different candy products on their website and some gamer products, so maybe that's why they chose me. Who knows, I'm not complaining.

This is the Surfs Up Box, I GOT IT FOR FREE FROM Influenster. I DID NOT PAY FOR THESE PRODUCTS, they were sent to me to give a fair review. 

The first look at the box.

The info sheet that comes with the box stating the value of and what each product is.

First off, were two coupons for Jamba Juice Smoothie Kits. One is for a free package, and the other saves me a dollar on the smoothies.

I recently introduced my fiance to Jamba Juice because he LOVES milkshakes, and we wanted to find a healthier alternative to milkshakes, and I've always liked Jamba Juice.  We both like Jamba Juice, so I'm actually interested in buying the smoothie kit and the juice needed to make the smoothie. I may pick it up tomorrow,when I go to Kroger to buy the food I need to cook dinner for Justin's mom on Wednesday.

Hawaiian Tropic Silk Hydration After Sun lotion, this sample is worth $3.00.

My favorite summer activity is reading books on my kindle, at the pool. Justin and I also like frequent water parks like Wet & Wild or Schlitterbahn New Braufels/Galveston Island.  We're both pretty good at remembering to put on suntan lotion.

But, you spend a day at a water park, with all the walking around and the crazy water rides, we do sometimes get burned, so this is a product that will be very useful for us. I especially like how it's a travel size, so I can just throw it into my bag, and leave it in a locker, for times after a water park.

First Aid Shot Therapy, worth $3.00.

This product is "an FDA compliant liquid pain relief [drinkable] shot. Common uses for FAST are headache/migraine, sore muscles, back pain, and hangover headache."

I don't drink enough to get hungover, but I do get awful migraines, especially in summer, so next time I have a migraine, I'll try this to see if it works any better then my usual pill regime.

It probably tastes awful though.

Sinful Colors Nailpolish in Ocean Side, worth $2.00.

I've owned many Sinful Color polishes, in the past. For the low cost, they're very good value, and there's a huge variety of colors to choose from. 

However, some of the colors do stain your nails yellow.

I've never tried this one, it is a pretty blue color though. It reminds me more of the sky though, not really ocean water. 

Cover Girl Bombshell Curvaceous by Lashblast Mascara, worth $10.00.

I love mascara, especially seeing as I have nonexistent eyelashes. 

This formula has two parts. The first part volumizes and curls your lashes, and the second part intensifies them.

I've owned lots of Cover Girl mascara, in the past, the original lashblast used to be my go to mascara for several years, and I was always pleased with the results.  I look forward to adding this to my mascara regimen.

I'm also happy I received the mascara as opposed to the other "hot ticket" item, which was a shampoo and conditioner combination.

So... I paid nothing, and got products worth $18.00, and unlike the last Vox Box I received, I'll probably use all the products in this one.

If you want to join Influenster, all you need to do is go to their website, sign up, connect it to social media, and review products, and then maybe you'll get your own Vox Box.

Or, I have 5 invites I've never used and I can invite you to join my team, which means our reviews and stuff would chain together, and we'd earn points together towards things like Vox Boxes and what not... If you're interested in that, just leave your email address, and I'll send an invite to you.

Wantable: Febuary 2014

 For y'all that are new, Wantable is a customizable makeup subscription. It's a bit more pricey than say Ipsy or Birchbox, it's $36.00, per month, and you fill out a survey, that customizes the products you'll receive. Products that you love, you're more likely to get, products you like, you occasionally get, and products you dislike, you never get. I like it because for the most part, you get things that you might actually use, and they're also always full-size products. 

As always, I'm impressed with Wantable's customer service. They charged me twice, last month, and gave me a 10 dollar off credit, and they totally applied it without me even having to remind them.

I was sort of upset with Wantable last month because they send me a million trillion lip products, and I don't really like lip products, so this week, I took my like for lip products and moved it to dislike, so there was no chance of me getting any sort of lip product.

I liked my box this month however:

Here it is.

As always, they include a piece of paper with all my loves/likes/dislikes, and they give you a list of items they sent you, and how much each one costs, which I like since it saves me a google search.

This is the box revealed.

My first item was a Rainbow honey nailpolish in Oni, it's a very glittery bronze gold color, and definitely a color that will be worn in my collection. Retail Value is $10.00

A Mistura Beauty Retractable Brush worth $18.82 [what a weird cents number after that dollar sign]. The brush is cool, I like how it retracts and gets bigger or smaller, but I'm not sure what I'll use it for. I don't really wear blush or foundation, or any of the makeup that you would use a brush such as this for, but I suppose it's a nice tool to add my nonexistent collection of makeup tools.

A Be a Bombshell Eye-Base in Chrome Sweet Chrome, worth $14.00

I really like this color. It's a very me color. I love any sort of silver eye makeup. This product can be used as an eyeshadow, a base for eyeshadow, or even an eyeliner. It's a color that will definitely be worn. Silver eyeliner was always my thing, especially in college, and post-college before I got a real job, although sometimes I still wear silver eyeliner to teach, and nobody's said anything yet :x Silver is my favorite color.

This is it swatched on my hand with no sort of primer or anything.

A Bella Donna Liquid Eye Pencil in Black, worth $25.00.

I really like the point of this eyeliner, it's very sharp and precise and I could get it very thin on my hand when I swatched it. I've never heard of this brand, and liquid eyeliner is something I'm not at all that familiar with, I tend to prefer pencil eyeliner, but a black eyeliner is always welcome in my collection.

Golden Rose Mascara in Perfect Lash Mascara Blue, worth $10.99. 

It's very blue. I don't think I've worn colored mascara since high school days, and that before the millennium. I love Golden Rose as a brand. Their black eyeliner that I got in my first ever wantable box back in December is my go-to mascara. I'll be very curious to try this, and see how it looks. I have very blue eyes, so it might be interesting to see.

Overall, I love this box. I got 3 eye products, 1 nailpolish, and a tool. Those are definitely the types of things I want to see in my monthly boxes, especially eye products, I love me some products.

The overall value for my box was: $78.81

That's a hell of a lot more than I paid.

I was very pleased with my product selection this month. I thought Wantable did a great job. I highly recommend them. Again, they're on the upper price spectrum of subscription boxes, but I think they're definitely worth it, for the very personal selection of products designed for you, to their full-size products that they send.

So check Wantable out, if you're so inclined.

Julep: January 2014, the boudoir collection

Julep's speedy shipping always astounds me. Technically, this was the LAST box of 2013 because it arrived on New Year's Eve, but the apartment office was closed, so I couldn't pick it up till today. But I always get their boxes early, like before the month they're meant to be for starts.

Anyways, HAPPY 2014, I hope everyone has an awesome 2014, and it brings everyone lots of happiness and good things. As for me, I'm just hoping 2014 is better than 2013 was. 2013 wasn't bad, but it wasn't the best year for me either,  so hopefully 2014 can kick it's ass.

2014 also means about one year till my wedding!!!


I'm sad that break is almost over. I'm not sure I'm ready to go back to school. My first graders matured a lot after Christmas break, last year, which was great, here's hoping that Pre-K students do the same.

Mostly over break, I've done this:

Caught 9 different Eevees, so I can have every single Eeveelotion in my current Pokemon X game, which I just got on NYE, and I think I've already played it for 50 hours straight!

 

I will be very sad, when my video-game time is cut in half once the school year starts. 

But anyhow, onto the box:

This month, I didn't really do any upgrade. I wasn't impressed with any of the polish colors, really, and I was just like "meh" but didn't want to skip a month because I want my joules.

For those of you, who are new to Julep: It's a nailpolish subscription site, where for about 20 dollars a month, they send you a variety of nailpolish and makeup/beauty products. There are different profiles, your profile gets picked based on a quiz you take, but you're not stuck being that profile forever, at any month, you can change to any of the other boxes [or upgrade to the full collection] of you like what they get better.

 

I'm "classic with a twist", which means I get two nailpolish colors and one beauty product every single month. I've been a member of Julep since March 2013. 

 

As a Julep Maven, you do get some pretty awesome sales, and they have some pretty nifty mystery boxes, and they do have a variety of nailpolish colors and makeup products to choose from that are usually highly discounted during their sales, which are usually monthly sales. There's usually one mystery box sale per month, as well. 

 

If you're interested, you can click my referral link here

 

This is the inside of the box, and let's hope Julep is right and 2014 will be my year.

 

January is the "boudoir collection," which promises fancy finishes & top drawer products.

In the box I found the following:

Orange Sponges, which I assume are this month's extra. Not sure what I'm going to do with them, but hey, they were free.

This is Julep's TADA! Quick Dry Drops. The directions state to wait one minute after your final coat of polish, then apply 1-2 drops per nail. The liquid smells good, sort of lemony and flowery. I'm interested to these drops. I always look for speedy ways to dry my nails, and I usually opt for sticking my hands in the freezer for two minutes, this seems slightly easier, and less colder, although the freezer method does work extremely well for me. I shall try these next time I paint my nails.

My two monthly colors: Mona & Abigale. 

Mona is a dark bluish gray color. It reminds me of cumulonimbus clouds on a stormy day/night.

Abigale promises a silky finish. I shall let you know what that means after I try it. It's a light pearly pink color with a nice shimmer. 

Overall, I like these two colors. They will get worn eventually. I don't think they're my overall favorite colors ever, but they are nice, and they won't just collect dust, in a corner. 

The other day, I painted my nails with Nellie, which was an It Girl color that I received in my Naughty & Nice mystery box that I ordered back in December. It's very much a neon fuchsia color, in my opinion. It goes on very nicely. This is only one coat of polish. I very much like how it looks, and it's barely chipped, and I've had it on my nails for about three days, already.

I've also been playing with Naked 3 by Urban Decay. This is a look I did the other day. The eyeliner was sort of a dark turquoise color, it was Zeppelin, which is a 24/7 eyeliner crayon from Urban Decay. I used the white shimmer eyeshadow that I got from my Ipsy Pop Beauty Smokey Trio bag back in December, and I used the colors: Mugshot and Darkside from the Naked 3 palette, and it gave my eyes a nice silvery gray sheen. And the Golden Rose Sexy Black Mascara that I got from my December Wantable box is amazing. It makes me look like I have eyelashes, and it's really easy to apply on my bottom lashes, which up until I got that makeup had always been a challenge for me. 

My birchbox has recently been sent in the mail, so I'm sure that will be arriving soon, as it arrives pretty early in the month. Upcoming boxes are Ipsy, Wantable, some eyeshadow I ordered from Shiro Cosmetics, and Nerd Block, which I just started ordering this month. 

Anyhow back to The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey