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 ;)

 

November 2014: Julep "Friendsgiving"

Man, I can't even begin to tell you how much trouble I went through this month to get my Julep box. The box was supposed to be here on the 7th, it never got here. I checked the shipping status, and got that same error message I had gotten before about no such address existing. I called Julep and told them how whatever shipping company they use truncates my address, so the last digit in my apartment number is missing. They said I wasn't the first person to have that issue this month... SO YOU'D THINK THEY'D DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT?

They reordered my box for me, and changed my address, so it no longer said "Apt" just a # sign... But the box didn't even send till a week after they said they'd reorder it, and I just got it Wednesday. I really hope I don't have this issue with December's box.

 Eventually it did get to me... in two shipments?

In the pink box was just the mascara that came with my "classic with a twist" beauty profile this month. Nothing else... Just mascara. 

Ignore my marker stained hands- that's what happens when you teach special ed.

It's mascara, I haven't had a chance to try it yet, but I feel like the more mascara I have the better, so I'm eager to give it a try and see if it can help me fake the fact that I have no lashes.

This was the second box.

I kept my classic with a twist box, and just added one color. From l to r: Shari, Devon, and Kiki.

I wasn't really wowed with the color selection this month, so I kept my box and  just added Kiki to the order, although I did go add-on heavy with eyeliner :x

Speaking of which, I just realized that I never got a "bonus gift" for filling out all my add-0n spots. 

I don't really care, but it's sort of false advertising to claim you're going to do something and then not follow through with that claim.  It's totally not worth calling them about either... If I did, it would just take another two weeks to send me whatever the bonus product was and who knows if I'd even like it.

Anyhow....

Shari is a very light white pink color. I don't know if I'll ever wear it. But it isn't hideous.

Devon is pretty nifty, it's a gray color with a pink sheen:

[That was the best pic I could get that you can sort of see the pink sheen]

Kiki is a light blue glitter. It's nothing special, but I do like cooler colors like greens, blues, purples, etc as opposed to other colors.

This is every single gel eyeliner color minus the black one, which I own already.

I actually really like their gel eyeliner. It goes on smooth. I barely need primer. And it has amazing staying power, it's definitely up there as one of my preferred eyeliner choices, and it goes on the waterline quite smoothly.

Graphite Shimmer is a really dark gray color that looks more black than gray, and it's pretty awesome. I dig anything that is either black or gray.

Smokey Plum is a black purple. It's more black than purple, but it does have a hint of violet, it's a good color for when black is boring and I want something with a little more color but still dark. 

Bronze Shimmer is a nice neutral dark brown. I lack neutral colors for eyeliner aside from basic blacks, so it's an every day color that I can wear to school.

Regal Teal Shimmer is blue-green and bright. It's a nice wild color.

Smokey Taupe is a pale golden color, it has a nice sparkle, and it's also nice for every day neutral wear.

So as usual I spent far too much money on my monthly Julep box, but I would say I'm satisfied with the products I got, once they eventually got me.

Here's hoping December has far less shipping difficulties. 

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.

Julep: Jewel Heist Mystery Box

Last week, I ordered another Julep mystery box.

The theme was "Jewel Heist", and 50 random subscribers would get a box filled with all the birthstone nailpolish colors, and some sparkly earrings. 

I ordered the box, knowing I wouldn't win, but hoping maybe I could score some of the jewel birthstone polish, since I don't own any of it.

This was the first look at the box.

Ajani wasn't impressed.

I added one "mystery polish" add on, and these were the three colors I got. 

From l to r:  Kristen, Emilie, & Kam.

Kristen is a combination of blue and silver glitter. I want to say I have it, but if I don't, I have one just like it, but either way, it's a pretty color, and if I do have it, I don't mind a second bottle of it.

Emilie is a turquoise green color. I really like it a lot.

Kam is a pastel mint color. I also really adore this color.

Each nail polish retails for 11.20 with maven prices.

So the total retail value for those three polishes was $33.60 with maven prices. I initially paid $9.oo-$14.00 for the add on, I don't remember which, but either way, the value of those three polishes was far more than what I paid for it, and I really love all three of those colors.

This was the inside of the box.

Julep mascara, in brown, worth $5.99, since it's currently on sale.

Eh. I have several Julep mascaras that I've acquired from various mystery boxes throughout the years. It's not the worst mascara I've owned, but it's nothing awesome either. It's also brown, and I tend to only wear black mascara. This is a fail.

Julep Mask Noir, $25.60 with maven prices.

I love facial masks. In college, my best friend B and I would buy all sorts of face masks in hope of making our skin look better. 

I'm excited to try this because I do love masks, and I tend to love what they do for my skin. So the verdict is: win.

A bronzer brush, worth $22.40 with maven prices.

I don't wear bronzer, I have no desire to ever wear bronzer. I wouldn't have minded an eyeliner or eyeshadow brush, but a bronzer brush?

Verdict: Fail

Green tea facial blotting papers, worth $5.00ish. It's not listed on the website, I based this over similar products on the internet.

I love these. I live in Texas, land of humidity and sweat, and man does my face get oily. I love when Julep sends me these in boxes.

Verdict: WIN

Julep ink gel eyeliner in black, worth about $14.40 with maven prices.

I already own this, I got it in the February Julep box, I believe.

I'm indifferent to this, I tend to prefer pencil eyeliner to liquid or gel, but I don't hate gel eyeliner, and I do like black eyeliner.

Verdict: Indifferent

Nailpolish in Alma, worth $11.20, with maven prices.

Verdict: HATE IT

I hate yellow. I hate yellow, and I hate orange. This nail polish is the fucking color of mustard and disgusting. 

Total value: $84.59

Not even close to the $120+ value that they promised.

Verdict on the Box: Meh

This wasn't a special box. If it wasn't for the three add-on colors I got, I would've been very disappointed with this box.

There were no stand-out products for me.

I was satisfied with some of the products I got, but not wowed, at all.

I also don't understand how they advertised this as a "jewel mystery box", yet didn't send even one of the birthstone colors.

So this was a so/so mystery box, not the worst I've ever gotten, but not the best either.

On another note, October Reveal opened today! The October collection looks good, very much Halloween themed :)

I may or may not have upgraded to the entire collection

Ipsy: Street Style, September 2014

I love September because my birthday is in September. 

So, this year, for my birthday, I asked fiance to get me a joint birthday/Christmas present of a fancy DSLR camera because my DSLR is way out-dated, as in I got it in 2007, and with our wedding, in exactly six months from today, and our road trip honeymoon up the west coast, I wanted a camera to capture it all.

So yesterday, he gave me this:

A Nikon DSLR, so maybe my pictures for this blog will be better now ;P

This came in the mail on Friday... Only I've been way too busy to actually open it and check it out. Gotta love the school year. Oh and then, I knew that I was getting my new camera this weekend, and wanted to wait till I had it to open it :P

Ipsy  costs a measly ten dollars a month. For that ten dollars, you get a brand-new makeup bag filled with 4-6 products based on a style profile that you make when you sign up for it.

It's a mixture of full-size and sample size products, and you always get a good value for your dollar. The bag itself is pretty useful to, I've used them to travel, for pencil and pen cases, and they have a myriad of other uses.

This month's Ipsy theme was "street style."

I like the color of the bag, I do like silver, but I would've liked it better without the silver studs near the zipper.

This is what was in my bag. Mind you, I hadn't bothered to check out spoilers or anything. So I really had no clue, nor do I know why I got two of the same product. I think it was just a lucky extra? Because when I checked my glam room, there was nothing missing from it that it claimed I was going to get but hadn't in the bag. 

Briogeo Don't Despair, Repair, deep conditioning mask, worth about $5.00, based on the prize of a full-size product, which is about 5 ounces, and this one is 1 ounce, and the full-price is about twenty-six dollars.

I've never tried a hair mask before, but my hair is dry and damaged, especially since I swim almost every day as a workout... gotta get in shape for the wedding... and chlorine is a killer to my hair. So I'd like to see if this does anything to my hair to make it healthier. 

If it does, I may consider picking up a full-size.

Nyx Hot Singles Eyeshadow, in Asphyxiation, full-size, worth $4.50.

I like eyeshadow. I like this color. 

This is the color on my hand. It's a nice matte color with the right amount of sparkle, and the color sort of reminds me of Tardis blue. Blue is a good color on me because I have blue eyes.

Pacifica Natural-Proof Eye Pencil, in fringe, worth about $6.00 because it looks like it's about half the size of a regular eye-liner pencil.

On my hand.

Eyeliner is my favorite type of makeup. I could use a good brown pencil. It isn't a color I would have chosen for myself, I prefer blacks/grays/blues, but it's a welcome addition to my eyeliner collection :)

Crown Brush, infinity Shadow/Crease duet brush, worth $7.00.

I like eyeshadow brushes. Lately I've been seeing how useful they are to apply to eyeshadow with, so I'm eager to have another one to play with.

Cailyn Art-Tinted Lip Gloss, in Basic instinct, times two, worth a total of $38.00

Like I said, I have no idea why I got two of them, the exact same product and the exact same color.

Here it is on my hand.

It's a nice nude pink, and the color looks nice on my skin tone. I don't really wear lip gloss too much, but if I do decide to wear it, I do think that's a good color for me.

So the total worth of my bag is... about $60.00

Not too shabby.

For the most part, I think this was a great bag, it had products that I may not always use, but if do chose to use, they're good for me.

Gotta love Ipsy, always a great bang for your buck :)

I'm already looking forward to the October bag, especially since I LOVE HALLOWEEN.