Review: MicaBeauty Eye Primer

Hey everyone! Today I'm going to be reviewing the Mica Beauty Eye Primer that I received in a previous Ipsy bag. I love eyeshadow primers, so I was pretty excited to try it!

Taken from the Mica beauty website:

Use MicaBeauty Eye Primer to seal in Eye Shadows and Foundation, enhancing your all-day look. Go from shimmer to matte in just seconds. This waterproof formula provides the perfect foundation for a long lasting, smudge proof look that is designed for your active lifestyle. MicaBeauty Eye Primer helps even out skin tone as well as extends and intensifies your mineral eye shadows, without creasing, smearing, or fading.

Now even though the description says it's to be used with mineral shadows, I figured it would just be like any other primer/base that can be used with any eyeshadow. The product feels nice to the touch, it's soft and a bit creamy, but once applied to the lid, it feels very dry and goes on a bit patchy for me. I do like that it's a skin-tone shade, so it does help with any discoloration or redness on the lids. I do notice I have to set this with a powder first before I apply any shadows or my brush will stick to one spot. I notice my shadows look more vibrant while applying them to my lids, but that's really where it ends for me. This did absolutely nothing in terms of making my shadows last. I had creasing within just a couple hours. I tried using less of this product, applying it with a brush instead of fingers, everything I could. The only way that I can seem to get this to work is if I apply a Maybelline Color Tattoo over the top of this, then my shadow lasts all day. However, that just isn't very practical for if I'm in a rush. 

I couldn't believe the price tag of this product, a whopping $44.95 for 8 grams of product. This pot is 4 grams so that's about $22.50. There is no way I would EVER pay that much for a primer/base, especially since it doesn't work for me. $45?! Come on, that's just ridiculous! There are much better primers out there for alot less money. 

Have you tried this product before?

April 2015 Ipsy Bag

Hey everyone! I'm really excited that my Ipsy bag came in the mail yesterday, and I hadn't even gotten a tracking code. Weird, but that's happened before! This month's theme is called Beautifully Bohemian, and I'm excited for this one.

I love the style of the bag this month! It reminds me of a thin weaved basket, which probably sounds strange. I love the strips of color added and I can definitely see myself using this bag in everyday life. Onto the products!

First up, we have the MicaBeauty Eye Primer. I'm always on the hunt for a good eyeshadow primer, and this one says it's waterproof so hopefully it's good for Summertime use.

Next, I got a theBalm Nude Dude Eyeshadow Single in the shade Flirty, which is described as a shimmering golden violet color. I'm a fan of the brand, but it's not my favorite. I'm an eyeshadow junkie though, so I will have use for this I'm sure. 

I'm actually really excited for this next product. It's a blush by the brand Hikari in the shade Tango. It's a beautiful peachy pink shade and I'm pretty sure this is a full size product. In that case, this by itself costs $15, which is pretty darn cool!

I've heard of Klorane products before but never tried them. When I saw I was going to be receiving their Dry Shampoo with Oat Milk, I was really excited! I love dry shampoos since I don't wash my hair everyday. I'm hoping I can get decent use out of this can because it doesn't feel like it's filled very much. 

The last product I received is a JulieG Nail Color in the shade Damsel. I don't really like getting nail polish in subscription bags, but this color is right up my alley. Since Spring is finally here, I've been in the mood to do something with my nails, and this bright pink color seems perfect. 

Overall, I'm really happy with my bag this month. I feel like I got a nice range of products and they will all get used at some point. 

If you want your own Ipsy bag, you can sign up here! It only costs $10 a month, plus shipping for some, and you get 4-5 deluxe sized sample products with an occasional full sized one, like the blush above!

If you already receive Ipsy bags, what did you get this month?

November 2014 Empties

Hey guys! November was a decent month with the products I was able to use up. I really enjoy the feeling I get when I use something up as it makes room for more products! ;) Anyways, lets see what I used up last month.

I'll start with the more random products. I used up the Bath & Body Works Citrus Garland Anti-Bacterial Deep Cleansing Hand Soap. This was in my kitchen and took forever to go through. I usually wash my hands in the bathroom and just use a soap til it's all used up. I really love how this smelled. It smelled just like limes and was so fresh. I love these hand soaps, especially the deep cleansing ones because they seem to wash my hands better. They're even husband approved!

The next product is the Colgate Maximum Strength Sensitive toothpaste. I feel like I went through this toothpaste so fast, but I guess that's because it's such a small tube. It only had 4 ounces of product and I think I'm used to larger tubes. I usually just buy what's on sale and if I have a coupon or not. I didn't really like this though. It burned my mouth and didn't taste very good. The one I'm currently using is really nice, but I doubt I'll use that up any time soon. 

Then I used up the InstaNatural Phytoceramides. I did a review on this here, and I honestly think it helped me. I noticed my skin was feeling less dry and more glowy. Now that I used it up, my skin is back to feeling more dry. I do have another bottle of this, but I wanted to not start taking it to see if my skin would go back to how it was before, and it did. I'm going to start the other bottle soon.

Now for some skincare! I finally was able to use up the Aveeno Ultra-Calming Foaming Cleanser. I swear, this stuff takes months and months to use up. I did only use it in the morning and it only takes 2-3 pumps of product to be effective at cleansing the skin. I've used this before and I do like it, but only in warmer months. Once it got cold, this dried out my skin so bad so I had to compensate by using a hydrating toner and moisturizer.

Next up is the Fresh Soy Face Cream. At first I didn't care for this, especially because of how it smelled. It's very floral smelling, and that can turn me off at times. It was very hydrating though and I only used it at night for that reason. I would wake up with pretty skin that felt nice and plump. 

I used up another one of my favorite sunscreens, the Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunblock with SPF 55. I've raved about this in the past so I won't go on and on about it. This is definitely my favorite sunscreen of all time, but I am willing to try new things. Usually I end up going back to this product, though!

Then we have a hand cream from L'Occitane and it was lavender scented. I had this little tube for ages and finally used it up. I only used it at night because it smelled so soothing and calming, so it helped me to fall asleep a little better. It's not the most hydrating hand cream like their original one is, but I just loved the lavender scent.

The Dylan's Candy Bar Candy Lip Saver in the Chocolate Cupcake scent was interesting. I absolutely loved how this smelled, but after using it up, I didn't miss it. It didn't feel very hydrating and I found myself having to constantly reapply it. That's no good in my book.

I was going through my sample tubes I had and decided to start using the Coola Mineral Suncreen with SPF 20. I appreciate that this stuff is unscented, but boy did I look like a ghost with it on! It was so white on my skin and I couldn't seem to rub it in enough to make it less noticeable. I only got about a weeks worth of use, but I was glad to get rid of it.

Lastly, the makeup. I was doing my makeup for a Thanksgiving/house warming party my husband and I were going to and I wanted to do some winged eyeliner. I decided to use a gel because I felt like I could control it more. Well both of these MicaBeauty black eyeliners were dried up so bad, that I had to go over everything I did with liquid. I got these in Ipsy bags, but only used them a small handful of times. Maybe the lids weren't on tight enough, but I was upset with how dry they were. 

Once again, we have a ton of dried up mascaras. I think I'm gonna ban myself from buying any mascaras for a long time, because it's just a waste of money not being able to get any use out of what I have. Anyways, the dried up ones were the Cargo TexasLash Mascara. I wanted to use this so bad, but not a single speck of mascara would go onto my lashes. The Blinc Stop Painting Your Lashes...Tube Them! Mascara I think had zero product in the tube to begin with. Josie Maran Instant Natural Volume Argan Mascara was clump city the second I tried applying it. Dior Diorshow Extase was all dried up. Both bareMinerals Flawless Definition Volumizing Mascaras had no product on the wands at all. The only mascara I was able to get use out of was the Stila Forever Your Curl Curl Mascara. I used this 3 times when I decided it sucked. By the end of the day I ended up looking like a panda everytime I used this. 

Well that's everything I used up! what products did you use up recently?

August 2013 Ipsy Bag

Hey guys! I was so happy when I went to my parent's house yesterday and saw my Ipsy bag there! I hadn't even gotten a tracking code or anything until today and I saw that it was actually delivered on the 10th! I don't think I've ever gotten an Ipsy bag so early in the month before. Anyways, this month's theme is Glamour Academy. I'm guessing they named it that because it's almost back to school time. I'm incredibly happy with this month's bag, so lets see what I got!

The bag everything came in is cute, but I'm not the biggest fan of the crest. I love the purple with gold together though. It's a decent size too for traveling purposes.

Now for the actual products! When I found out we were getting a Michael Todd product, I was over the moon! I've been wanting to try Michael Todd products for a while now, and I received the Pumpkin Nutrient-Rich Facial Mask. We could've also received the Jojoba Charcoal Gentle Exfoliating Facial Scrub. I would've been happy with either one, but I love masks a little more personally. 

The next product I received is a Noya Lip Balm in a Cherry flavor. The other product I could've received is an Urban Decay Lipstick. Honestly, I much prefer lip balms over lipsticks anyway, so I'm very happy.

The next product is the Pixi Beauty Lash Booster Mascara in Blackest Black. I'm a bit tired of mascara samples now, but I'm still going to try this and see how I like it.

Next up is the MicaBeauty Eyeshadow in Bronze. I think this is such a beautiful color and it's super pigmented. I can't wait to try this over the Maybelline Color Tattoo in Bad to the Bronze. I think that's gonna look gorgeous!

The last product I received is the Pacifica Alight Multi-Mineral BB Cream. I was excited about this until I read some reviews. I read that it was shimmery, looks orange and doesn't blend well. Now I'm on the fence about this product. I'm not sure if this product was an either/or product, but looking at what else I could've received, I wish I got the NYX blush instead. 

Overall, I'm very pleased with this bag. Ipsy continues to be my favorite subscription service (and only subscription service I get!) and I don't see myself cancelling anytime soon! If you would like to sign up for Ipsy, feel free to use my referral link here. I don't get paid through this link, just an extra product in next month's bag if I get two people to sign up! :)

Also, please check out my giveaway for my one year blogiversary! It's running for 23 more days, so there's plenty of time to enter! It is for US residents only, so I apologize to my readers overseas :(

April 2013 Ipsy Bag

Hey guys! Yesterday I received my Ipsy bag in the mail. I was really excited for this month because the theme was Pretty in Pink! Pink is my favorite color so I really couldn't wait to see what I got. Once I was able to see on the site what products we were getting, I kinda got a tad bit disappointed because the whole bag consists of this or that products, whether it be the actual product, or color of the product. Anyways, let's see what this month's bag brought me!

The actual bag itself is pretty cute. I'm not the hugest fan of white because it gets dirty too fast, but I love the pink at the top! I forgot to take a picture of the inside, but there are thick pink and white stripes and it says Ipsy...beauty by you, on some of the white stripes.

Onto the actual products! The first product was a this or that product. You either get this MicaBeauty Mineral eyeshadow in the color Earth, or you got a Two Cosmetics Duo Eyeshadow in the color Heartache. I was honestly hoping for the duo, only because I have so many mineral eyeshadows, it's getting overwhelming! The Mica eyeshadow isn't a bad color, but when I swatched it on my hand, it felt very chalky and flaked off my hand a bit. I'll be showing a swatch of this at the end of the post!

The next thing I got is the Healthy Sexy Hair Soy Renewal, which is a nourishing styling treatment. Now you either got this product or the Big Sexy Hair Powder Play, which is basically a volumizing powder. I'm happy I got the Soy Renewal. I don't really care for volumizing products, and the soy renewal is made with Morrocan Argan Oil, so that's exciting to me!

Now this Sation Nail Lacquer came in one of two colors. You either get this color, Love At First Byte which is a light peachy pink, or Of Corset I'll Call you which is a romantic lavender-rose. I was really hoping for Of Corset I'll Call You! I prefer purple-y pinks rather than peachy pinks. I'll see how I can make this color work for me.

This last product, a Be A Bombshell blush, came in one of two colors as well. You either got this color called Sweet Cheeks which is a medium rose pink with shimmer, or Beach Please which is a bright matte pink. I was actually hoping to get Beach Please not only because the name of it is really funny, but I don't think I have a bright matte pink blush in my collection! Swatching the one I got, I'm actually pleased with it and I feel like I can get use out of it this Spring and Summer. 

Swatch of blush on left, eyeshadow on right

That's everything I got in my bag! Overall, I'm happy with it, but not super happy because I didn't really get the colors I wanted. Oh well, for a $10 monthly subscription service, this really isn't too shabby. Especially because the blush is full sized and I believe the eyeshadow is as well!

What did you get in your Ipsy Bag? If you don't subscribe to Ipsy, what do you think of the products?

February 2013 Ipsy Bag

Hey everyone! It's that time of month again where I show you all what I received in my monthly Ipsy bag! I'm not the happiest with this months bag, but lets get into what I got!

The first thing I got were Lash Cards. Honestly, this product is useless for me. I'm not really sure why anyone would spend the money for something you don't get many uses out of and this is just really gimmicky to me. I don't have many problems putting on mascara, and if you do get mascara on your eyelids, you can use a q-tip to touch it up. It's alot cheaper that way.

Next I got the Pixi Flawless & Poreless Face Primer. I'm willing to give this primer a try since I'm still on the hunt for a good one, but I've already gotten a face primer in a previous box, and I do have other primers in my stash to use up.

Next I received the MicaBeauty Gel Eyeliner in the black color. I've never tried gel eyeliner before because I feel like it'll be awkward for me, plus I have really hooded eyelids so trying to do a winged look doesn't work out so well and I know gel eyeliner is typically good for winged looks. I might give it a try just to see how it works.

Then I got the POP Smokey Lash Kapow Mascara in the color Smoky Black. I've read some reviews on this mascara, and I keep reading that it smudges quite a bit, which isn't that appealing. I might try this with a lash primer first and see how it works. I already have so many mascara samples anyways, so I don't know when I'll give this a go.

The last product I received was a Coastal Scents quad in the golden color set. There was also a gray/black color set, which I kinda wish I got more. I don't know why, but I hate yellows with a passion. The color Sunbeam looks hideous to me, but I could maybe work with Golden Globe if I mix it with another color. I actually really like the Dark Golden Olive color because greens tend to look nice with my eyes. Dark Goldenrod is just kinda meh to be honest. It still has a yellow tone to it, but I can probably work with it.

Well that's everything! Not really impressed with this months bag. I really hope next month they include some skincare or makeup I'm actually interested in. I'm also not a fan of the actual bag the products came in. It's a major dust magnet!

If you're subscribed to Ipsy, did you like your bag?