March 2014 Ipsy Bag

Hey everyone! I decided to take a mental health day from work today because I'm not feeling too well so I wanted to finally get this month's Ipsy bag post up! I'll start out by saying that I'm not too impressed. Anyways, onto the bag!

The theme this month is called Destination Beauty and the print on the bag is from an artist named Klari Reis. Ipsy is apparently doing an Artist Series asking artists to design prints for upcoming Ipsy bags. I think it's a neat idea but I don't like this print to be honest. It's too busy for me. Now lets see what products I received!

The first product is the Pacifica Indian Coconut Nectar Body Butter. I remember getting one of these body butters in the blood orange scent which I did really like. I'm pretty obsessed with coconut and this stuff smells really amazing, so I'll definitely be using it!

Then I received a bareMinerals Marvelous Moxie Lipstick in the color Get Ready. I don't think I've ever tried these lipsticks before but this shade is really pretty, kinda like a my lips but better shade. I'm more of a gloss girl but I'll try this and see if I like it. 

Next up is probably my favorite product in the bag, and it's the Be a Bombshell Eyeshadow quad in Bora Bora. When I saw we were either getting this or a NYX trio, I was secretly hoping for this and I'm so happy I did! The colors are beautiful and they're actually not bad quality pigmentation-wise. I haven't used these on my eyes yet, but I did swatch them and am very pleased with the colors.

Last product I really just wanna throw away. I got ANOTHER damn nail polish, and it's the Nicole by OPI Roughles nail polish in the shade On What Grounds?. I can't say how many times I've retaken the quiz and reviewed any nail polish I've gotten negatively. Even though I just bought some nail polish today, I really gotta be in the mood to do my nails, and today I actually am, but I really don't want anymore polishes in my bags for a long, long time! If I get another nail polish next month, I'm gonna scream. I probably won't even use this because I'm not a huge fan of the textured polishes anyways. 

Swatch of lipstick and Bora Bora quad

Well that's everything! In the scheme of things, this isn't a terrible bag. For only $10, it's actually a pretty good deal. You get good sized samples and most of the time, the bags are pretty nice. If you'd like to sign up for Ipsy, click here! It's only $10 a month, plus shipping for some!

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

Also, check out my blog sale!

February 2014 Empties!

Hello everyone! I know it's over half way through March and I have yet to post the products I used up in February. So sorry it took incredibly long! Life's been getting in the way again and I'm trying to figure a good balance between that and blogging. Anyways, February was a good month for empties, and I went through alot of stuff and got rid of really old products as well. 

The first product I used up is my Renu contact solution. This is the only contact solution I can use because everything else I have used has made my contacts feel like I'm sticking acid on my eyeballs! I don't know what it is, but I must be super sensitive to contact solution. This stuff isn't cheap, so I try to buy the double pack at Walmart when I have a coupon for it. 

Next up is the Bath & Body Works Signature Vanilla Shower Gel in the Coconut Vanilla scent. I purchased two of these when they were having a sale, and while I did like the scent, it didn't clean very well. I've been noticing that with a few of the B&BW shower gels I used before. I'll use up the shower gels I have, but I most likely won't repurchase. 

Another B&BW product I used up is the Vanilla Berry Sorbet Anti-Bacterial Deep Cleansing Hand Soap. This stuff smells amazeballs! My husband and I had a friend stay with us for a weekend, and even he said how awesome this stuff smelled. I really love these handsoaps that have the little scrubby particles in them. I feel like they clean better, and with my husband working in construction, these are great for him too! Definitely a repurchase many times over.

I also used up an E.L.F. Therapeutic Conditioning Balm in the scent Vanilla Cream. This stuff sucked! It left a major white cast on my lips so I only used it before bed. It also only lasted maybe three weeks, and it wasn't at all moisturizing. I think this was only a buck, but don't waste your money. I think I have two more of these to use up, but I will never repurchase!

My next empty is one of the best mascaras I've tried, and it's Maybelline's The Rocket Volum' Express in the Blackest Black shade. Love love love this mascara! The only thing is I feel like it dried up way too fast. While I think mascaras tend to get better as they dry out, this one just seems to get too dry too fast and it ended up getting all clumpy on my lashes, so I decided to toss it. I'll most likely repurchase once I go through the tons of mascaras I have to use up!

I also used up these Make-up Remover Facial Wipes that I got from the Dollar Tree. I got what I paid for, which was a horrible wipe that barely removed any makeup. These were so hard to use up so I mainly used them to remove product swatches, which also did a horrendous job! I'll never get these again, even though they were only $1.

I finally used up the Own Lifting Eye Cream, which I did a review on here. iFabbo sent this to me, but it was a pretty decent eye cream. I used it only at night because it was a tad bit heavy for me for daytime use. Now, I'm only 25 years old and I've been using eye creams since I was a teenager (thanks mom!) so I think I have semi-decent undereyes. I do have dark circles (thanks dad!) so I'm trying to find a product that helps mainly with that. I did like this eye cream though because it kept my undereyes hydrated and didn't irritate at all. Not sure if I'll repurchase since I am on a hunt for a good eye cream for dark circles. I'll keep looking!

I decided to throw away the Rimmel Moisture Renew lip gloss in the shade Pink Remedy. This was gifted to me I don't know how long ago and it started to smell funky, so in the trash it goes! 

I'm also throwing out a mini Anastasia Hydrafull Gloss in the color Sugar Pink because it burned the crap outta my lips! I got this in either one of those Sephora holiday lip kits or a monthly subscription box. Not sure how else to describe the burning, but it just felt like I was putting something really hot on my lips. I had to take it off right away, it was that bad.

I'm saving this container just in case I want to put something else in it, but the First Aid Beauty Dual Repair Face Cream got all goopy and smelled really weird, so I dumped it out and cleaned the container. Not sure what I'll use this for yet, but it may come in handy eventually!

I decided to go through my brushes one day and came across these Kat Von D brushes that I had gotten in a kit years and years ago. I don't know what happened to these brushes, but some of the bristles look like they were cut off or chewed up. I honestly don't know what it is, but I never used these, and they look all deformed so it's time to say goodbye. 

Last two products! I used up a Nature Made Multi for Her vitamin bottle. I know this probably isn't an exciting empty, but it can be tough for me to get through taking vitamins. I still don't know if they actually do anything, but I guess deep in my brain, it thinks they do something because I keep buying multis when I run out.

Now I actually didn't use up this whole bottle of Sephora 3 in 1 Perfecting Base Coat, it actually fell over when I didn't realize, and most of it leaked out onto my coffee table. I was kinda pissed because I did like this product and now I don't have another base coat as a backup, but I've decided just to use a top coat as a base coat for now until I decide to buy another one.

Well that's everything I used up/ threw away for being too old! Hopefully you all can forgive me for getting this up super late. I did get my Ipsy bag in the mail a couple days ago, so expect that post soon!

Also, don't forget I have a blog sale going! Take a look because there are alot of nice products!

February 2014 Favorites!

So it seems like my theme last month was dry skin. I mean dry skin everywhere! My whole body basically from head to toe is dry. All of my favorite products from last month are meant to help with dry skin, so lets see what have been my favorites!

First up, we have the Shea Body Butter from The Body Shop. This is one of their really big tubs of body butter that they carry in my store. There are only a few scents in this larger size, but the Shea in particular keeps my skin so hydrated in this nasty, cold weather. We've had snowstorm after snowstorm here, and it's been freezing cold at night, therefore my skin has been a dry, crackly mess! I slather this stuff on after I take a shower. It goes on my arms, legs, stomach, and I even have my husband get my back for me. I've never had dry skin like this before, but I don't need alot of this, so I'm hoping the massive tub lasts me a while!

Next, we have another amazing product from The Body Shop, and that's their Hemp Hand Protector. Best. Hand cream. Ever! I kid you not, this stuff is fantastic! It is a bit heavy and it can just sit on your skin for a little while, but I pretty much only use this before bed, and when I wake up my hands feel so incredibly soft and hydrated. This hand cream is great if you have a job that requires alot of hand washing, or you just work alot with your hands. I work retail, so this stuff is magic in a tube for me when I come home after washing my hands all day with harsh soap. I can't get enough of this stuff!

My last favorite is the Rosebud Strawberry Lip Balm and moisturizer. My poor lips have been so dry and they peel all the time from being so dry. I was looking in my stash for a lip balm to use at night before bed, and this one jumped out at me. I had purchased this from Sephora ages ago and forgot about it. I'm so glad I'm using this now! It makes my lips feel much softer, it takes away the peeling and it makes them feel a bit more plump than normal too. 

That's everything! I know it wasn't much, but with it being freezing, I haven't been really playing with makeup or doing anything fancy with my routine. Even the water in the shower gets freezing cold within 10 minutes! Hopefully March is a bit warmer and nicer to us here in Pennsylvania!

What were some of your favorites in February?

PS. Don't forget my blog sale I have going on! There are lots of good products!

Blog Sale Time!

Hey everyone! I know it's been ages again since I've posted anything. The weather here still stinks and life has been getting in the way again. I just wanted to write up a quick post today letting you all know I'm doing a blog sale! I have it posted here and there's also a tab above that you can click on as well to see everything.

Also, I'm not sure if anyone would be interested, but I'm trying to reorganize everything in my house and get rid of some of my Coach bags. I was thinking of trying to list them on Ebay, but wanted to ask here if anyone would like me to post them on a blog sale first? Let me know in the comments if that's something you'd like to see!

Thank you all for supporting this little blog of mine! :)

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?

January 2014 Empties!

Hey guys! January wasn't too bad in the empties department, but I do wish I went through more products. I'm thinking February might be a tad bit better. Anyways, lets see what I used up this past month!

The first product I was able to use up is the Philosophy Purity Made Simple One-Step Facial Cleanser. I'm in love with this cleanser now! I remember using it back when I was probably 16 or 17 and I hated it. It did nothing for my skin then and it felt like it didn't clean well. I'm thinking now that I'm 25, my skin is much different and it now likes this cleanser. I'd probably repurchase this once I go through all the other cleansers I have, which is alot!

I used up another one of The Body Shop's Aloe Calming Toners. I pretty much go through one of these a month now with all the cold weather we're having. Love this stuff, talked about it multiple times that you're probably sick of hearing right now, so I won't go on and on and on about how much I adore this toner :)

I also used up a shampoo from The Body Shop called Ice Blue Shampoo. I purchased this a really long time ago, back when I worked at The Body Shop about 4 years ago. I think this product was around a long, long time ago so they decided to bring it back, along with the Banana Shampoo and Conditioner I've talked about. Of course they don't carry this now, but I actually liked it. It kinda reminded me of an anti-dandruff shampoo because it was very cooling on my scalp and seemed to lessen the amount of dandruff I did have.

I used up another one of the Batiste Dry Shampoos in the scent Clean & Classic Original. This works like the other Batiste Dry Shampoos I've tried, but I didn't particularly like this scent. Nothing about it interested me, but it was nice to try because I'm on a mission to try every scent Batiste makes!

I used up the Aquafresh Triple Protection Toothpaste as well. I only try to use toothpastes that are made with sensitivity protection, as I have teeth that are uber sensitive. Sometimes it hurts drinking water or eating soup that's not even too hot. This stuff was nice, it made my breath feel good and my teeth feel clean. Not sure if I notice any of my sensitivity lessening, but I am using another tube of this right now, so we'll see. I'm still trying to find a good sensitivity toothpaste, so if anyone knows of a good one, let me know!

I finally used up The Body Shop Sweet Lemon Lip Butter. I loved how this product smelled! It was kinda like lemonade that is really sweet. I don't think it's incredibly moisturizing but I do like how this particular scent doesn't leave a white cast on my lips. I still only used this at night because I'm pretty much terrified to use these during the day now. I don't think I'll repurchase this.

Now this next product came in an Ipsy bag. It's the Yaby Concealer in the color Buff. I hated this stuff! It was a horrible color for me so I never used it. It dried up finally, so I can toss it now. 

I decided to toss the Fairydrops Scandal Queen Mascara. I really liked this mascara when I first opened the tube, but everytime I use it now, it gets all clumpy and doesn't coat my lashes like it used to. It's going in the trash now!

Last two products! I'm so thankful that I used up the Mirabella Prime for Face and Eyes. This stuff sucked so bad. It didn't make my foundation last any longer and it kinda made my skin more oily than I like. I still used this up because I hate wasting product, but I would never go out of my way to buy this. It came in an Ipsy bag a while ago.

I'm deciding to toss the Aveda Lip Glaze in the color Rubisparks. I can't even remember when I bought this. It was years and years ago. I went to use this one day and it smelled funky and didn't apply nicely either. That's a good sign that this is bad now and I shouldn't use anymore! 

That's everything I used up! 10 products isn't too bad, it's really my goal to use up at least 10 products a month. Hopefully next month I can use up a little more!

What did you use up lately?

January 2014 Favorites!

Hey everyone! This is the first favorites of the year, and I'm really excited to share what I've been loving! I've been able to try out some new products that I've been really happy with and have also rediscovered an old favorite, so lets get into it!

First, I'll start with hair products. I've been absolutely loving the Organix Nourishing Coconut Milk Shampoo and Conditioner. These make my hair feel so soft and clean and I love how they smell! I purchased these huge bottles a long time ago at BJ's Wholesale, it's like a Costco or Sam's Club, before my husband and I moved in together. Finally glad I decided to use these!

Then we have a Batiste Dry Shampoo in the scent Floral & Flirty Blush. I'm surprised I like this scent as much as I do. If you read my blog, you know how much I love Batiste. I was unsure of this scent, only because I'm not the biggest fan of flowery smells. This one, however, isn't bad or overbearing at all! After I've rubbed this all in my hair, it leaves such a faint smell. I catch whiffs of it throughout the day and it doesn't give me a headache or anything. 

Oh Naked3, how I love thee! I can't get enough of this palette! I did a separate review here so I won't go into detail here about how wonderful this palette is. I just love it!

While putting together my Urban Decay palette collection post, I forgot how great the original Naked Palette is. Even though Naked2 is more up my alley because it's cooler toned, I can still work with this and make the look wearable. I've actually gotten compliments while wearing shades from this palette lately, so it must be a good one!

Time for some lippies! I've been loving the Buxom Full Color Gloss in the color Ruby. I apologize for this, but I believe this came in a kit of different products from the holiday's maybe a year or two ago. I pulled this out again because I love the deep berry/burgundy color for the Winter season. This is a little sticky but I get decent wear time out of it. 

Next up, we have the Revlon Matte Balm in the color Standout. I did a review of this here so again, I won't go on and on about this amazing lip product. If you don't own any of these, seriously, go out and try just one! This is one of the best lip products I've tried! 

Finally for lips, we have the NYX Butter Gloss in the color Vanilla Cream Pie. I know I've hauled these before, but haven't really talked about them. They kinda got lost in my lip product bag and I finally got a chance to pull one of these out to try. I love this color! It's the perfect pinky nude for me and it feels very nice on the lips. It's not sticky to me at all, but the color doesn't last very long at all. I think that's ok because I'm fine with reapplying anyway. 

Swatch of buxom gloss (left) and NXY gloss (right)

 That's everything I've been loving in January! What were some of your favorites?