January ipsy bag

I was really pleased with this month's ipsy bag. There wasn't anything in it that I actively disliked, and only one item I wasn't super excited about. I was also impressed with how many full sized items I got. There was only one trial sized item, which luckily was the one I wasn't too excited about. Hehe.
Shall we have a look then?

The items I received were:
A lovely block colored makeup bag
La Fresh Eco-Beauty - Be Good. Good Day. Day Moisturizer
Elizabeth Mott - All Over Shadow Brush
Pacifica - Natural Mineral Coconut Eye Shadow (Ethereal)
BelláPierre - Shimmer Powder (Celebration)

All the items came in this lovely makeup bag.

The other side is white. It's a two for one color wise with a orange pull tie.

La Fresh Eco-Beauty - Be Good. Good Day. Day Moisturizer View here

This moisturizer has some pros and cons. I used it yesterday and today. It feels pretty light on your skin. I was surprised, that it did smell like real cucumbers. However it did also have another smell to it that I didn't like as much. I did like the moisturizer, but I know for sure, that I am not in a position that I would spend $40 on a full sized jar of moisturizer. Honestly, I'm not sure if I ever will be in that position. haha

So to test out the two eye shadows I received I figured I'd put down some basic makeup as a canvas. This is me without any of the ipsy items. (Except for the moisturizer I used earlier today)

Before putting on makeup I always put my hair back so it doesn't interfere.

Elizabeth Mott - All Over Shadow Brush View here

Here you can see the back of the packaging. Sorry it's not the best picture, there is some glare.

What can I say about this brush, other than I adore it! Brushes are important, but not usually something I geek out over. This brush is different, it is so very soft and easy to use. Of course the fact that it's pink doesn't hurt either, as you may know I adore pink. The back of the brush package says that the brush is ridiculously soft. Gotta say, they weren't lying! Considering this brush is only $10 i would definitely repurchase it and recommend it to anyone! I used this brush to apply the two eye shadows I received.

Pacifica - Natural Mineral Coconut Eye Shadow (Ethereal) View here

It's a very light color.

This shadow is only for sale in palettes.

The shadow goes on very lightly. It's almost imperceptible.You can see a faint shimmer. I chose to put it on the entire lid as I was planning on putting another shadow on my lower lid. It did feel nice going on.

If you look closely you can see the shimmer under the eyebrow.

Here you can see the full lid.

It looks slightly silverish. I like it as a base lid color.

BelláPierre - Shimmer Powder (Celebration) View here

I got the color celebration which is a very vivid gold.

It's a loose powder. So the application was quite messy. But so worth it! The color is very intense. My photos barely do it justice. At $15 a pop, it's a bit more than I might normally spend on an eyeshadow, but I would definitely consider doing it for this, as  the result was quite phenomenal.

Here you can see how it looks with my eyes open, before I added any mascara.

As you can see I also applied some under my eyes. I was planing on doing that anyway, but with how loose the shadow is, some of it went there automatically, so I decided to roll with it.

On my lower lid.

The color looks even more intense in real life than in the pictures. I love the bold color!


Probelle - Into The Blue Nail Lacquer View here

I love the cheerful color. It is a lot lighter than it looked like on ipsy's website. It's not a bad nailpolish for $6. It does need multiple layers though. I put on three to get good coverage. The first one or two layers look pretty streaky.

The color really is so cheerful. A nice bright blue.

So all together this is my look. I also used my red lipstick starter kit that I received from Meyggy and wrote about on my blog in December.

I'm pretty happy with the look. You can also kind of see the eyeshadow sparkle, even when not looking close up.

Just as a disclaimer, I do not receive any free items for reviewing ipsy products on my blog. I pay the same 10 bucks per month as everyone else. However if you do sign up through this link I earn points that I can then later redeem for additional items.

Ipsy sneak peek

I only painted one nail to do a color check on the nail polish I got from ipsy. Now every time I catch a glimpse of my hand those other nails look so weirdly naked!

Do you ever have weird feelings like that? I almost always have nail polish on, so when I see my fingernails in their natural condition they look weird to me. Do you have a beauty product that seems such an extension of yourself, that you practically always have/use it and would barely recognize yourself without? I'd love to hear!

Don't worry! I'm planing on doing the full testing and review of all the products, including a full set of nails with this color. I'm pretty excited to try them out! They look so promising.  

Please do excuse the bad lighting. I'm writing you from my bed and just took these snapshots with my phone. Tomorrow's pics will be taken with my nice camera, since my friend Rachel is done using it and has returned it to me. :)

December Birch Box

Hello everyone. Yes, I'm finally writing up that December Birch Box review. It's only taken me like two weeks. To be fair I did get this box really late in the month. But still, I should have written this earlier.

Whish Shave Crave Shaving Cream - View Here

This shaving cream is very creamy and thick. I can feel it nourishing my skin, however this also leads to the razor blades getting clogged up super fast. So it's kind of a trade off. You can get really smooth legs, but you'll have to replace your razor blades much more frequently. The smell is pretty nice.


Sumita Color Contrast Eyeliner Jaipur Gold - View here

Here you can see what the color looks like:

It looks goldish, but when when you apply it it looks more like a brownish black. It goes on very smoothly. However if I was going to buy an eyeliner, I would want it to look like the color I bought. I don't know if this is the same with other colors.

It looks like it has a slight goldish tint to it on the upper eyelid, but I think that's more the gold eyeshadow I used too. I do like the consistency. It's easy to apply and very creamy.


amika Perk Up Dry Shampoo - View here

I'm just starting to experiment with dry shampoo. I must say I like this one. It smells fabulous! I'm not sure I would pay $21 for a full sized can of dry shampoo, but who knows. I do like it.


Essentiel Elements Wake Up Rosemary Shower Gel - View here

I liked the rosemary smell. It smelled like real rosemary and not just a fake flavoring. I really liked it. Along with the smell it was very refreshing.


Acure Organics Lip Lush - View here

A nude moisturizing lip gloss. It's a pretty nice gloss, but it's nothing super special. I have tons of glosses like this. It's nice and handy to have around though. I'm sure I'll use it once I've run out of others.

So I just made this a quick post, I'm sure I'll write more on the next one. The January box promises to bring more exciting products to try. Apparently it's already in the mail, and I'm looking forward to it!


If you're interested in testing out Birch Box follow this link.
In the interest of full disclosure: While I don't get anything to write this review and pay the same $10 per month any US subscriber does, but if you sign up through my link I do receive points I can accumulate and trade in for free items.

November Birchbox

I signed up for Birchbox on November 30th I think. I got a November birchbox when everyone else received their December ones, and now I got the December one on Friday. I figured I'd still write up the November one as the product review can be useful, even after you could get it from birchbox. You could get it elsewhere too, so here goes.
Birchbox items come in a box instead of a bag like ipsy. The boxes are cute and I like them, but I do prefer the bags. I'm weird and like to keep all my stuff from each bag together, separate from other items I have. >_< I'm weird, but at least I know it, and own it!

The first item I tested was:
Elsor - Firming Collagen Day Cream  View here

The cream feels very thick, and left my face feeling and looking a bit greasy. I can't really speak to the firming properties, I don't doubt them though. I will keep using it though since it does feel very luxurious. It better, with a price tag of $85 for the full sized jar. That alone would prevent me from every buying it for myself.

Bain de Terre - Argan Oil & Passion Flower Color Therapy Styling Oil  View here

The oil smelled pretty good. I added it to my damp hair after a shower as suggested. It did make my hair feel sleek and manageable, however it did also make it look greasy and stringy once dried. That may not be the product's fault though. My hair has been much more prone to looking oily since I cut it short. They also suggest adding it to hair dye, I may just have to test that out. Or I'll use it later on when my hair is a bit longer.
$14 isn't too bad for a full sized hair oil. While I do recommend this, I am also a bit cheap and like products I can use for different purposes. I've used warmed up coconut oil with fresh sprigs of rosemary in it for my hair when it was long, and that stuff was awesome. Honestly though, this is not much more than getting coconut oil and it smells great. It couldn't hurt to try it if you have dry or color damaged hair.

Joie - Folle de Joie Eau de Parfum View here

Here's the little vial:

This perfume smells really great. It's very floral and sweet. I do like it a lot and will continue using it. I still like my favorite perfume, A Touch of Pink by Lacoste, better, but this does come in pretty close. However the $98 price tag is a deterrent for me. If I had a bunch of cash to blow I'd probably get a full sized one of this though.

theBalm cosmetics - Cindy-Lou Manizer View here

The packaging is really cute, and caught my eye immediately.

I enjoyed working with it and it went on pretty well. I used it as a highlighter. I applied some right under my eyebrows, on my cheek bones, and my T-zone.
Here are the results:

Not Soap, Radio - Joy Inducing Body Wash View here

I used this in my bubble bath on Friday and it was fabulous. The scent reminded me of something I used to get at The Body Shop when I was younger, but for the life of me I can't remember what it was. It made nice bubbles and smelled very refreshing. It is a birchbox exclusive and can only be purchased there. I don't think that $16 is an unreasonable price. So if anyone feels like giving me a gift because I'm just awesome, this would be a good choice. ;)

Sometimes birchbox will send and extra little goodie. I got this:
Dang - Toasted Coconut Chips View here

They were pretty good. I was surprised. I'm not huge on coconut chips, but these were really nice. They tasted sweet and had a buttery taste to them.



All in all I liked everything I received. It's so much fun to get to try out new things. I've really been enjoying my ipsy and birchbox items because it's letting me try new things I may not have thought to try on my own.
I do not get paid or receive free products for these reviews. I pay the same $10 per month that everyone else in the USA does. However if people sign up through the link I post below I do accumulate points that I can use towards free products at a later time.

Sign Up for Birchbox

My lovely Christmas gift from Meyggy

My friend Meyggy gave me some fabulous makeup for Christmas. She's always so sweet and kind! And she is an absolute makeup goddess! Someday I hope I will be half as good as her. I'm kind of just a beginner at makeup. Growing up my mom never used a lot of makeup, so I'm still learning, and catching up slowly.
Aaanyway, here are the fabulous things she gave me. I figured I'd share them here because they are all makeup items.

First is this awesome lip balm:

I've been meaning to try the Eos lip balms for ages! I've just never gotten around to it. I love the optic, so distinctive and cute. This one is a citrusy scent, like a tangerin, or really it's like orange Fanta. It keeps your lips moist for such a long time! It's super good! I love it! It's definitely going into my purse for everyday use! I have to get all of the different flavors now! I'm obsessed! Damn you Meyggy!!!!! I like it even better than the ones I make myself!

So I'd been talking about wanting to change things up lipstick color wise. I usually gravitate to hot pink, with the variety being different kinds of pinks. Haha, not that much variety then. Meyggy's roommate Nessa works for Lancome and let me test out a bright red lipstick. The response was quite positive. I really liked it and got lots of compliments on it. Meyggy remembered this and gave what amounts to a red lipstick starter kit. It's so awesome! Then this week has been super hectic and I've overslept, so I never had a chance to test it all out until today while the Christmas turkey was in the oven.

So I did a bit of basic makeup and added some of my luminizer I got in my birchbox.

Still got that annoying zit on my chin! Any suggestions to help me with that? I'd welcome anything!

First I applied the lip primer Meyggy got me:

NYX Lip Primer View here

It's pretty much a nude shade:

Next comes the red lip liner:

jordana Easyliner for Lips - Sedona Red View here

I'm a bit shaky at applying the lip liner.

I've read about filling out the entire lip with lip liner, and then adding lipstick on top. I may have to try that out at some point. Also, I should have exfoliated my lips. Oh, well.

Now this lovely Mac lipstick:

MAC Retro Matte Lipstick - Ruby Woo View here

The total package:

I like the matte look of this a lot!

Finished applying all of it:

This is what it looks like all together:

She also gave me this fun lip gloss:

NYX butter gloss - BLG 12 Cherry Pie View here

It actually has quite a bit of color on its own. I applied it yesterday. I may have had a little bit of residue from other lipsticks on underneath, but mostly rubbed off.

It's not super bright, but nice on it's own too.

You can also use it the way I did to freshen up the red lipstick combo after it's worn off a bit like I did here:

All of it came in this fun little makeup bag:

Thank you Meyggy! I love everything so much! Gonna start getting out of my comfort zone and wear red more often! So much fun! I had a lovely Christmas getting all dolled up for my husband! I hope you all had an enjoyable Christmas too!