May 2015 Favorites

Hi everyone! I'm sorry again for the lack of posts, but life got in the way a bit. I officially was finished work on the 30th, so my plan is to post as much as I can here. I'm hoping to do 4-5 posts a week until I can get into a set routine. Anyways, today I'm going to be sharing my favorites for May. There aren't too many, but the few I have, I've really been loving.

I know I talked about Bioderma in a previous favorites, but it really is amazing! It gets off all my makeup without leaving any traces behind, and it's so incredibly gentle on my skin. I have sensitive eyes and even with eye makeup removers that say they won't burn or sting, they still do for me. Bioderma does not and it's just an amazing product. I want to do a full review on this at some point. 

Next up is The Body Shop Tea Tree Pore Minimiser. This stuff is amazing at filling in your pores before makeup, and it's helped a ton with keeping my oily skin pretty calm. I would never use this as just a moisturizer, but it's an excellent primer.

I won the Belif Moisturizing and Firming Eye Cream in an Instagram giveaway, and I've been so impressed. It's very thick and moisturizing, but it doesn't leave a greasy feeling around my eyes. When I consistently use this, my eyes start looking so much better. I have a few different eye products I'm rotating through, but this one is probably my favorite nighttime eye cream. 

I put off trying the Bite Beauty Agave Lip Mask for ages and bought it quite a bit ago. I was having an issue with my lips in May, I think I may have had an allergic reaction to something, but nothing was making it go away. I was getting frustrated until I remembered I had this. This stuff cleared it up in a couple days and made my lips look and feel so much better. 

My last favorite is the Pop Pouty Pop Crayon in the shade Coral Crush. This came in a previous Ipsy bag and I would pull it out occasionally then switch to something else. In May, this was basically all I used. It's such a pretty color too, and I always got a ton of compliments while wearing it. It's definitely a good Spring/Summer shade.

What were some of your favorites in May?

January 2015 Empties

Hi everyone! It's time for me to share what I used up in the first month of the year. I have to say, I'm pretty impressed with everything I used up, and I'm going to be trying really hard to make a dent in my beauty collection for 2015. Lets see what I've used up!

The first product I used up is the Bath & Body Works Moisturizing Hand Soap in the Fresh Picked Strawberries scent. I'm more of a fan of their hand soaps with the little scrubby bits in them and this one didn't have those. I didn't really care for this hand soap because it smelled a bit perfume-y to me and my husband didn't really like it either. Glad to see it gone!

I then used up the ZenWise Labs Hair Growth Vitamins. I was sent his product from BrandBacker to try and I did a review of it here. I'm still sticking to my original thoughts on this, and that is it did help with growing my hair, but not with the thickness or new growth. My roots are showing like crazy now, so if you just want your hair to grow out faster, this product will help with that, but it won't help with making it thicker. 

I used up a Degree Expert Protection Deodorant in the scent Linen Dry. I got this at Big Lots and it was pretty cheap, probably around $1 or $2. I liked how it smelled and this is supposed to release scent when it detects motion, and I did notice as I moved around I could smell it, which didn't bother me at all. 

I used up quite a bit of skincare, so woohoo on that! The first product is the Peter Thomas Roth Aloe Tonic Mist. This toner is alcohol free and fragrance free, so it reminded me of my beloved Aloe Calming Toner from The Body Shop.This stuff is alot more expensive, but it worked the same at TBS toner, so I'll keep repurchasing that one for quite a while. 

I used up a little baby container of the Josie Maran Argan Oil. I used this over moisturizer if I needed extra hydration and I also started using one drop in my foundation/bb cream. I got that idea from Wayne Goss on YouTube and that changed my life honestly. I don't think I'll do that trick in the Summer, but in the Winter it's great. It helps my foundation go on better and it makes my skin look flawless. 

I also used up another baby container of the Juice Beauty Oil-Free Moisturizer. I remember I took this little tube with me on my honeymoon over a year ago and just wanted to finish it up since it still had about 4 days of use left. It smelled and looked fine though, so no worries about that!

I finally ran out of the little tube of the GlamGlow Thirstymud Hydrating Treatment mask. I did a review on this here, and I have to say, this is a Holy Grail product for me now! I can't not use it after I use a clay mask that's drying. I have a full size of this and will continue to repurchase despite it being so darn expensive. It makes my skin feel just amazingly soft and supple. 

I used up The Body Shop Aloe Protective Serum, and I mixed this into moisturizer in the morning to add some extra hydration to my skin. I still love this product as it calms my skin but gives me the little boost I need this Winter. 

I was happy to finally finish up the Philosophy Help Me Retinol Night Treatment. I will say, I think it did help my skin a little bit, but this stuff smells so strange! It's not like it was too old to use strange, but it just wasn't my cup of tea. It was a bit drying too so I had to follow up with an extra hydrating moisturizer. 

I used up my morning time moisturizer from The Body Shop, the Tea Tree Sin Clearing Lotion. I absolutely love this stuff for my oily, acne-prone skin, but in the Winter it's really drying, so I used the Aloe Serum above mixed in and that helped out alot. This gel type moisturizer is definitely a Summer time moisturizer.

Now for a bit of randomness. I was so excited to finally use up the Massive tub of The Body Shop Shea Body Butter. I had been using this since last Winter and probably around the second week of January it was gone. I don't really use body butters in the Summer as I'm not as dry. Once in a while I will, but I usually stick to light lotions then. These body butters are no joke though, they hydrate your skin like crazy and this one smells so clean and fresh. 

The Almay Oil-Free Eye Makeup Remover Pads were pretty awesome. I used one for each eye at night when I removed my eye makeup and I had no problems taking off mascara or dark eyeshadows. Occasionally these did sting my eyes a little bit, but it wasn't terrible and I always washed my face thoroughly after removing makeup. 

I got the Figs & Rouge Hand Cream in the scent Rose Berry in an Ipsy bag, and I loved how this stuff smelled. It had way more berry than rose which I'm fine with, but I have to be honest, this isn't hydrating at all for me. I think it actually made my hands drier. I still used this when I was at work just so I had something, but most days when I got home, I had to put on a thicker hand cream to help my hands feel better. 

The Urban Decay B6 Vitamin-Infused Complexion Prep Spray came in a 500 point perk from Sephora. I think this is the most gimmicky product. It doesn't do anything special for my skin and acts no different than other makeup sprays. I will never buy a full size of this.

I have two mascaras here, the Pop Beauty Smoky Lash Kapow!!!, and the Bobbi Brown Everything mascara. The Pop one was just dried out so I couldn't use it, but the Bobbi Brown one was fantastic! It made my lashes look amazing, but the only downside is it smudged on me. If it didn't smudge, it would be perfect in every way. 

The final product I used up is the Tarte Clean Slate Creaseless Eye Primer. This is a white liquid-y primer that was just okay for me. It didn't really make my shadows last any longer and I still got creasing by the end of the day. There is still nothing that compares to the original UD Primer Potion for me.

What did you use up in January?

Remember I have my Borghese giveaway going on until the beginning of March, so there's plenty of time to enter! Also, I have my blog sale as well :)

October 2014 Empties

Hey everyone! I used up so many products in October, especially skincare, so I'm just gonna get right into it.

The first product I used up is the Colgate Optic White mouthwash. I thank everything that is holy this is used up. I hated this so much, it burned and didn't make my breath feel fresh at all. Hated this stuff!

The next product is a good one, and it's The Body Shop Satsuma Shower Gel. This product smells like heaven. I swear everytime I use this in the shower, it makes my whole house smell like oranges. I'm a huge fan of The Body Shop's shower gels and will always have one or two backups in my closet. 

Next up is a Hair, Skin & Nails supplement by Spring Valley. I like taking these supplements to help take care of my hair, but I notice a huge difference in the health of my nails the most. 

Then I have a small tube of L'Occitane Hand Cream. This hand cream contains 20% shea butter so it's ultra hydrating. I liked using this before bed so it could sink into my skin. My hands are really starting to dry out now, so I can already tell I'll be going through hand cream like crazy. 

I definitely used up quite a bit of skincare and the first product is the Hydroxatone AM/PM Anti-Wrinkle Complex moisturizer. This took me ages to use up because I used it at night and I did alternate between different moisturizers. This stuff is pretty heavy, but I didn't break out from it, which was nice. I did a review of it here and it was sent to me from iFabbo.

The next product I used up is the Boots Expert Sensitive Gentle Refreshing Toner. I think I may have put this in a monthly favorites, but don't quote me. I did like this toner alot. It was very inexpensive and did feel good on my skin. I don't know if I'll repurchase only because I'm so attached to the Aloe Toner from The Body Shop. 

Next I used up the Garnier Moisture Rescue Refreshing Gel-Cream Moisturizer. I don't like this stuff at all. It doesn't do anything for my skin and the scent is too overpowering for me. 

I've decided to throw away the Proactiv Mild Exfoliating Peel. I was going through my closet and saw this in there. I was actually going to use it then saw when it expired. In the trash it goes!

The last skincare product is the Own Firming Silk Concentrate. I did a review on this here, and now that it's all used up, I can say that I would not repurchase it. It was nice while it lasted. I mixed it into my night time moisturizer for extra hydration, but it did feel a little oily on my skin. 

I loved the Smashbox Full Exposure Mascara. It lasted for close to a month and made my lashes look nice. All other mascaras pictured were drier than the Sahara so in the trash they go. The mascaras are Pop Beauty Smoky Lash Kapow!!! (yes, it really has 3 exclamation points at the end of the name), theBalm What's Your Type? "The Body Builder", Make Up For Ever Smoky Lash, Korres Provitamin B5 & Rice Bran, and two of the Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes. All of those were just so dry and un-useable.

Now finally some makeup products! The first product is the Pixi Flawless & Poreless Primer. I didn't find this particularly amazing. I think it did help foundation/concealer go on a bit nicer, but it didn't really do much for my pores or oily skin. I do have another one of these to use up though.

I finally used up my Maybelline Age Rewind Dark Circle Treatment Concealer in the color Fair. I love this stuff so much and will always repurchase once I use up some other concealers. I think this is one of the best concealers for my dark circles. 

I also finally used up my Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder in the Translucent shade. This took me so long to use up since I don't use alot and mostly used it under my eyes. I love how fine this powder is and how it keeps my skin looking nice and shine free for a while.

I'm sad to say it's time to get rid of the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge I've been using. It had started to get tears in it and little bits were coming off when I was using it. Even though this is way less expensive than the Beauty Blender, it doesn't hold up as well as the Beauty Blender. I've been using my Beauty Blender longer than I was using this Miracle Complexion Sponge and it's holding up so much better. 

I used up this tiny sample of the Chella Eyebrow Defining Gel that I received in an Ipsy bag. I actually did really like this. I don't do much with my eyebrows, so some gel to tame them a little is fine with me. 

The last product is the La Fresh Travel Lite Makeup Remover Wipes. This little package came in either an Ipsy bag or an old Birchbox. I used these because I couldn't find a large package of wipes and they kinda sucked to be honest. They didn't remove makeup well, so I mainly used them to clean up swatches. Even then they didn't clean well. 

What did you use up in October?

February 2014 Ipsy Bag

Hello everyone! Yes, I know it's been forever since my last post, but it's been a bit crazy here in Eastern Pennsylvania lately. There have been snowstorms out the wazoo, the power in our house went out when we had a horrible ice storm, and all this nasty weather has been affecting me. I tend to get really down in the Winter, but all this snow we've had has definitely put me in a worse mood than normal. Anyways, I'm back to show you what I got in this month's Ipsy bag. I got this in the mail the day after Valentine's Day. 

The theme this month was The Look of Love, and I absolutely love the bag everything came in! If you know me, you know pink is my favorite color, so I'm definitely happy with how this bag looks and I may actually put it to use. Onto the products!

The first product I received is the City Color Be Matte Blush in the color Fresh Melon. This blush is a pretty color, but I'm not sure how it's going to look on my super fair skin. I usually go for pinker blushes, but this one is a coral-y peach color.

Next up, I received the POP Beauty Plump Pout Mini gloss in the color Peony Petal. This is more of a "me" color so I'll most likely have use for this. I have to say though, this gloss smells terrible! I can't really put my finger on it, but it's like a sweet smell that went bad or something. Kinda off putting. 

I received another Zoya Nail polish in the shade Odette. I'm getting a bit tired of receiving nail polishes in these bags man! I can't tell you how many I've gotten and they're all just sitting. I'm not huge into painting my nails because I just don't have the patience. This is a pretty color though, so I might try and put more effort into doing them more.

Another useless product I got is the J.Cat Beauty Eyelashes + Eyelash Glue. I don't have the best lashes on the planet, but I have never used falsies and probably never will use them. I have pretty sensitive eyes so I don't even want to run the risk of them getting irritated by these.

The last product I received is the Phyto-C Velvet Gel. I'm a skincare junkie, so I was happy to see something I could actually use in here! This serum type product is meant for wrinkles and fine lines, which I don't have, but like to use products to help prevent that stuff. Hopefully this is a nice product!

Overall, I'm disappointed with this month's bag. Looking at all the other products that were sent out, I wish I would've gotten another skincare item instead of the lashes. Oh well, can't win them all! Ipsy is still a nice subscription service and I'll continue to stay subscribed for now, but who knows what the future holds.

Swatch of lip gloss and blush

 Sign up here if you want to subscribe to Ipsy! For $10 a month, plus shipping for some, it's not a bad deal!

If you're subscribed to Ipsy, what did you receive?

December 2013 Ipsy Bag

Hey guys! I know I said in my last post that this post was going to be a haul, but I just received my Ipsy bag in the mail, and I was really looking forward to what I got! So, lets see what's in this month's bag!

Now, I gotta admit, this month I don't like the actual bag everything came in. I do like the color black, but I just don't like the texture of it, or the look. I do like most of the products though!

The first product I received is a NYX Extra Creamy Round Lipstick in the color Ceto. I know I've mentioned before that I'm not much of a lipstick person and that I prefer gloss more, but I think I'm gonna start delving into the world of lipsticks. I do like the pinky nude color I received, so I'm much more comfortable with trying it out!

The next product in my bag was a Mirabella Eye Blender Brush. I'm obsessed with any kind of makeup brushes, so I was extremely happy to have received this! I especially love blending brushes, and the quality of this seems really nice. The handle is good and sturdy and the bristles of the brush are incredibly soft. I'm excited to use this!

I then received a Be a Bombshell The One Stick in the color Flustered. Apparently you can use this on your eyelids, cheeks and lips, which to me seems pretty neat. This product seems like that Nars Multiple Stick, which I don't own but hear alot about. I'd probably only use this as a lip stain or possibly a cheek color in the Winter. My skin is far too oily for cream cheek products any other time of year. 

Next, I received the POP Beauty Bright Up Your Life Eyeshadow Trio in the shade Naturally Bare. I'm a neutral eyeshadow girl most of the time, so I'm very happy I got this one instead of the Smokin Hot trio. The colors in this look nice, but I haven't swatched it yet. I may actually wear this to work later today! 

The last product in my bag is a Nicka K New York Nail Color in the shade Classic Taupe. First off, the bottle is so pretty and classy looking, and the color isn't too bad either. I have to say though, I am a little over getting nail polish in these bags. I have so many nail polishes and rarely paint my nails these days. 

That's everything in my bag this month! Overall, I'm very impressed because the last few bags were just meh in my opinion. For only $10 a month, plus shipping for some, you really get an amazing deal with all the awesome products you can receive. Click here to sign up if you haven't already!

If you are subscribed, what did you receive in your bag this month?

July 2013 Ipsy Bag

Hi everyone! I feel like it's been a while since I've posted anything on here! My work schedule has been kinda crazy and on days off my fiance and I typically have things to do so I've rarely had time to post. Sorry guys! Anyways, I received my Ipsy bag in the mail a few days ago, and I'm pretty excited for it! This month's theme was Beach Beauty.

The bag everything came in is so adorable! My favorite color is pink and I think this is so cute for travel or just to put a few things in your purse without having them get lost. I also love that we got some skincare goodies too!

The first product I received is the Coola Mineral Sunscreen with SPF 20. I've heard of the Coola brand before but have never tried anything of theirs. I'm a little hesitant to use this only because the SPF is a bit low for my liking. I usually go for at least SPF 30, but I typically use SPF 50. I do like that this is unscented so hopefully it won't irritate my skin.

The next product is the Healthy Sexy Hair Soy Renewal Beach Spray. I'm excited to try this if I go to the beach at all this Summer, or if I go to a friend's house to go swimming. My hair tends to dry out from the chlorine in pools and with this having argan oil in it, I'm hoping it helps with conditioning my hair. I'm definitely taking this with me on my honeymoon too.

Second skincare goody! I get so excited when I can try out new skincare products. This is the derma e Microdermabrasion Scrub. I've never tried any products from this brand before but this looks promising as it's supposed to help diminish the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles and acne scars. I love how this smells too! Kinda like a minty lemon, which is awesome to me and perfect for Summer.

Next up is the POP Beauty Pouty Pop Crayon in the color Coral Crush. This is just another one of those twist up lip crayons everyone's raving about. I've tried the Covergirl ones but not this one. I think this is a UK brand but apparently you can find it at Ulta. I've never seen this brand at my Ulta, but then again I've never really looked for it. 

The swatch of this came out nicely pigmented and it felt nice on my skin. It seems to be pretty moisturizing. I'm not the hugest fan of corals, but this color looks more pink on my skin, which I'm totally fine with. If it's an orange-y coral, I'd probably not use it.

The last product I received is the BH Cosmetics California Collection Eyeshadow Sample. I was actually really excited to get this because I have quite a few BH eyeshadow palettes and I love the quality of them. Their prices are also really good and there are always sales going on the website. I love the colors in this little palette, but wasn't impressed with the swatches...

These barely show up on my skin! Granted, I didn't use a primer underneath these, but still, the other palettes BH has are amazing! I was super disappointed in the purple shade because it looks so dark in the palette. The yellow was the most pigmented and the bronze color is alright, but I'll have to try these on my eyes with a primer to see how they really look. I probably won't get the California palettes. I'll stick with the 88 and 120 color palettes, since those have never disappointed me.

Overall, I'm pretty happy with this bag! I'm really happy to have finally gotten some skincare and I can't wait to try out everything. Ipsy has come such a long way since I've been with them, and I feel it's a good investment for only $10 a month, especially since I've gotten to try products from brands I've never tired before. If you've never tried Ipsy and want to, I'd love it if you used my referral link to sign up! Thanks for reading!

What did you get in your Ipsy bag?

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?