My Thoughts: March 2014 Ipsy GlamBag

#Ipsy #Glambags #March2014

My Ipsy March 2014 GlamRoom.

My March 2014 Ipsy Glambag came a few days ago. At first I was pretty pleased with the items I received however after looking or sampling the items I realized only 50% of the items sent I’ll actually use. It’s still a good bag with good products just two of the items I won’t or can’t use.

Ipsy Glambag

First, let me start with the Glambag itself. I do think the pattern is cute, it reminds me of water marbling. The artist – Klari Reis – is based out of San Fransisco and has a done an entire series dealing with city streets. I believe along with the San Fransisco street map there is also a London, Tokyo and New York street map similar to the this pattern which is the streets of San Fransisco.

My only complaint on the bag is I don’t care for the material – plastic exterior with a blue lined interior – simply because it cheapens the bag. Wish this was canvas like something an artist would use. I’m not sure if I’ll actually use this bag or not, guess time will tell.

bareMinerals Marvelous Moxie Lipgloss in Rebel

What a lovely shade of lipgloss from bareMineral. Rebel is described as a pink mauve with sheer to medium coverage. It smells amazing like vanilla peppermint. I do have another Marvelous Moxie lip gloss which I’ve really liked and may take advantage of the promo code for free sample of 10-in-1 Volumizing Mascara and shipping that came with the gloss. Each promo code is unique so unfortunately this is one I can’t share. If I were to take advantage I’d probably pick up Kiss & Tell and/or Show Me The Shimmer both for $18 each.

Retail: $18 4.5 ml / 0.15 fl oz
Sample value: $9 2.25 ml/ 0.07 fl oz
Made in the USA

Be a Bombshell Bora Bora Eyeshadow Quad

I do admit, I find the colors in the Bora Bora shadow quad from Be A Bombshell to be very pretty but not colors I would normally wear. I haven’t swatched it out since I’m not sure if I want to keep it or swap it for someone who wants it. I do think the colors are pretty though.

Retail: $16
Made in People’s Republic of China

Klorane Smoothing and relaxing patches with soothing cornflower

I love my Skyn Iceland eye gels, still on the fence about the ones that came in my February Glossybox but was still excited to try these from Klorane and I did. I like these Smoothing & Relaxing Patches with Soothing Cornflower almost as much as Skyn.

What it is:
Revive tired and puffy eyes safely, naturally and effectively.

What it’s used for:
Soothing and Relaxing Patches for Tired-Eyes are designed to revive puffy, fatigued eyes for a brighter appearance. Formulated with softening cornflower extract, smoothing and stimulating arnica and relaxing chamomile, these easy to use patches increase circulation while decreasing signs of stress, lack of sleep, prolonged activity, sickness and allergies. Use before a night out to diminish puffiness and dark circles, after a long day of working in the garden or as a once a week treatment for bright, smooth and youthful eyes. 

These are far less expensive than my Skyn ($30 for eight pairs) but you get one pair less for $18. I did find these had a nice cooling effect but the downside is that these had one of the longer wear times. These patches have to be worn for 20 minutes which is twice as long as Skyn’s. As the liquid is absorbed by the skin the gel pads become more white though it doesn’t become completely white.

I liked these and would consider purchasing these and trying it out more since Ipsy only sent two pairs.

Retail price: $18 for 7 pairs
Sample value: $5.14 for 2 pairs
Made in Japan

Missha M Perfect Cover BB Cream SPF 42 PA+++

I love Korean BB cream but unfortunately this Missha M Perfect Cover BB Cream SPF 42 PA+++ in Honey Beige is way too orange for me. On the Missha website Honey Beige looks perfect but in person it’s orange.

Retail Price: $22.00 for 50ml
Sample value: $4.40 for 10 ml
Made in Korea

Ingredients:

Since the incident last month with POP Beauty I’ve seen several people comment on MakeupTalk and on my own Facebook wondering about the ingredients in samples versus what’s listed on full size products or even on the company’s website. I do want to point out that the mistake POP Beauty manufacturer made is most likely uncommon. For those of you curious at to the ingredients in the products this month here are side-by-side photo comparisons of the samples versus the companies websites. I do not own the full size of the products sent so I can’t compare the sample ingredients to full size ingredients. Note: Bora Bora shadow quad from Be A Bombshell is suppose to be full size.

bareMinerals Marvelous Moxie in Rebel

The ingredients on the sample do and do not match the bareMinerals website. From what I can tell the ingredients are out of order about half way in but I haven’t done a full side-by-side to see if there were any added or omitted ingredients. My guess in the difference is due to the color.

Be A Bombshell Bora Bora quad

The Be A Bombshell website does not list the ingredients directly on the product pages, instead they place their ingredients in the Frequently Asked Questions section. They do state on their site that ingredients may vary by color which may explain why talc is omitted from the website while it’s listed on the packaging.

Klorane Smoothing and relaxing patches with soothing cornflower

The Klorane patches do match the website.

M Perfect Cover BB CreamBroad Spectrum SPF 42

Unfortunately no ingredients are listed on the exterior box packaging or on the tube itself so there is no way to compare what’s in the tube to the Missha website. The paper insert also does not list the ingredients.

My Thoughts: My Spring 2014 Soap Box

#FortuneCookieSoap #spring2014

My Fortune Cookie Soap Box came a few days ago and I was so excited about it arriving!

As I removed the box out of my mailbox I immediately realized that at least one item came broken. The reason why I realized this was because there was a “scratching” sound as the items shifted in the box. This led me to think it was going to be either the bath bomb or the Steam Me Up that came broken, it turned out to be both but more that later one.

The items came in a small cardboard box and as I opened it the first thing I saw was the card describing each of the items. I actually like their cards since those are typically really cute on it’s own. There was yellow crinkle paper and pink faux flower petals inside the box.  Eight items were sent out in the Spring box, unfortunately two of those eight did arrive damaged with one severely damaged that I won’t be able to use it at all. I will email Fortune Cookie Soap about it, not to seek a replacement but just to let them know of the damage since it may have been a bad batch since the Shower “Steam Me Up” was very crumbly as if it were too dry.

The Goods:

Native Nectar Body Wash

Described as “fresh, crack coconut” this body wash smells really yummy, like a Piña Colada. This I would love as a body lotion.

Afternoon Delight OCD

Described as “pink watermelon dancing with fresh apricots, crowned in white florals“. Since OCD is a hand sanitizer it has a heavy alcohol scent to it, the alcohol really overpowers the scent but once the alcohol wears off the watermelon, apricot, floral scent remains behind. I’m not a fan of hand sanitizers but I do use it on occasion and this will be one I’ll toss in my purse. My middle daughter already has plans to make off with this one, she loves the hand sanitizers from Fortune Cookie Soap and has stolen each and every one I’ve ever received in a FCSB. lol Strike that, she’s made off with it. LOL

Marshmallow Dreams Cuticle Butter

You can see on the black packaging the remnants of the “Steam Me Up Scotty!”

This is described as “lavender sprigs draped over sage, basil, livened with a splash of vodka, and a swirl of sticky, sweet marshmallow fluff“. With a description like that it makes me want to eat it rather than use it on my cuticles! LOL I’m not entirely sure if I can smell the lavender in it but I can smell the sage, basil and marshmallow scents in it. I’m on the fence with this one.

The Evils:

Make It Rain Whipped Cream

Oh now THIS I LIKE! Described as, “Sparkling droplets of citrus & jasmine dripping with must, clutched by bloated cedarwood boughs.” I can really smell the jasmine in this and jasmine is one of my top favorite scents. I can also smell the sandlewood but it’s not as strong as the jasmine. This may be one I’ll have to purchase full size if it’s sold full size.

Forbidden Fruit Fortune Cookie Soap

In person it’s a very vivid neon green with blue.  Described as “Dusky verbena creeping over fresh blueberry skins and lemon zest” it smells like a blueberry muffin and while I love blueberry muffins I’m not sure if I like the scent on my skin. This will be passed to one of my girls.

Me So Thorny Steam Me Up Scotty!

So this was the item that was very damaged and all over my box. In the top picture you can see it inside the wrapper. That is exactly how I removed it from the box and I didn’t unwrap it. I ended up just taking it out of the wrapper completely and putting it into two small plastic containers. I think I can repress it to use as a shower steamer but I’m not entirely sure.

As for the scent, it’s described as “Citrus, lavender and French Vanilla corrupted by a dark shadow of patchouli & sandalwood.” The patchouli is very strong in this and it reminds me of Tenzing Momo at Pike’s Place Market in Seattle. Part of me likes it, part of me doesn’t. Not a big loss for me that this arrived broken.

The Bloom Bloom Room Bath Fizzy

The other item that came damaged was The Bloom Bloom Room bath fizzy. I love the name! I also like the scent from this one but I don’t take baths! My bathtub is a tiny standard bathtub but if I had a clawfoot tub or one of those deep soaking tubs I’d use this in a heartbeat. This one is described as, “A sinfully sweet combination of Jasmine, Lilac, and Lily of the Valley darkened with throbbing musical notes of fresh peach & citrus, all swirling around poles of decadent spun sugar.” I can smell the jasmine in it along with the peach and citrus. This I may have to purchase as a bar soap if the scent is available as a bar soap.

Venus Fly Trap Perfume Oil

This one was an absolute pass for me as I’m not fond of scent. Described as “Bergamot, narcaisse & must lurk beneath delicate notes of water orchid, sparkling lemon and pink jasmine” the bergamot is just too overpowering for my liking. My youngest daughter does like it and claimed it for her own which is fine by me since it’s just too strong for me. lol

Overall, I liked the items that came this month, disappointed by the broken items, but there were a few scents in the box that I would most certainly buy as either an air freshener, soap bar or lotion.

My Thoughts: Ipsy February Glam Bag

#Ipsy #Glambags #February2014

So my Ipsy bag arrived yesterday but not in the normal pink bubble mailer but in a large yellow envelope. I did use up 1,000 of my Ipsy points to redeem on the Kiss Nail Kit but it was too late for it to come in my January Ipsy bag so instead it came this month. I spent another 1,000 right at the end of January for the Benefit High Beam.

Before I go into what I actually got and my thoughts on the items I received let me say that Ipsy is quickly becoming like Birchbox with variations. Unlike Birchbox, Ipsy does not publish all the variations on their site however on the bag they ship out there is a bag number located on the shipping label. This number may be hidden under or by a smaller label. This month my label # is partially hidden by the smaller label but you can see it clearly states, “IPSY BAG17LAX&Bea”. The whole label includes “BEAMKISS” which are the two redemption items I received.

So I opened my bag and saw the plain pink bag with the white zipper. The white pull says IPSY on it. I’m not a fan of pink but it’s simple with no designs on it and I’ll use it. I opened up the bag and pulled out the items and quickly realized I didn’t get the bag I was expecting.

What I was expecting	What I received
POP Beauty Plump Pout Mini	POP Beauty Plump Pout Mini
Zoya Nail Polish	Zoya Nail Polish
Tini Beauty Eyetini Cordial Cream Shadow + Base In One	Tini Beauty Eyetini Cordial Cream Shadow + Base In One
J.Cat Beauty Eyelashes + Eyelash Glue	J.Cat Beauty Eyelashes + Eyelash Glue
First Aid Beauty Skin Rescue Deep Cleanser with Red Clay	skyn ICELAND Fresh Start Mask with Ice Age Mud

I checked my Glam Room and it still shows that I was to receive the FAB cleanser but I didn’t get that and instead received the Skyn Iceland mud mask which I’m actually happier about since I didn’t want the FAB cleanser in the first place. Granted the FAB cleanser has a higher value than the mask but for me the mask is a better item. No idea if Ipsy has been reading my posts and had their shipping facility substitute the item OR if it was mistake on the shipping warehouse part. I’ve emailed Ipsy and should hear back from them by Tuesday.

POP Beauty Plump Pout Mini

The color in person is pretty and it’s a shade I would pick out for myself so I’m happy to try this. 

Zoya in Odette

I like the muted purple color. I actually was waiting to see if I was getting this color or Dot because I wanted to go to ULTA and see if they still had that sale going for the gift with purchase on two of the colors from the collection that color came from. I’m happy with this color.

‘Tini Beauty Eyetini Cordial Cream Shadow + Base In One in Ambrosia

Meh. LOL Ok, so sometimes I’ll go “meh” on something and once I tried it I’ll end up liking it or loving it… or hating it. lol So while the item is something I wouldn’t pick out for myself, I’ll give this color a try. I had a pending trade on this if the color wasn’t Ambrosia which it is so that trade fell through. So since it did I’ll give it a whirl.

J.Cat Beauty Eyelashes + Eyelash Glue

I’m a lash lover. I love lashes and I can’t believe I’m saying this but I’m lashed out! LOL I received lashes in my December (2013) Glam Bag and my daughters also received lashes in the December and June Ipsy bags. While I will go out and buy more lashes I would love to try other products besides lashes.

These are 747XS from J.Cat are actually very natural looking so it looks like I will be able to wear these with my glasses.

skyn ICELAND Fresh Start Mask with Ice Age Mud

 So, as I mentioned above I was expecting the First Aid Beauty Skin Rescue Deep Cleanser with Red Clay but instead received the skyn ICELAND Fresh Start Mask with Ice Age Mud. I’m actually thrilled with this mistake the shipping did OR if it wasn’t a mistaken then I’m thankful that the folks at Ipsy substituted the item I didn’t want. Granted it caused my pending trade to fall through since I was going to trade the FAB with another member at MakeupTalk for her mud mask but that’s okay for me. I love the eye gels from Skyn Iceland so I’m excited to try this out.

As for the bag itself, I like the plainness of the bag, not a fan of pink but like how plain it is. I also like the interior pattern with the pink cheetah print inside. I wouldn’t mind if they revisited this style again but in PURPLE. lol

Overall, I ended up happy with what I received this month from Ipsy. I wasn’t at first but a simple “oops” or “substitution” for something I wanted did make me happy. Now had a second substitution been on the lashes… well I would have been ecstatic. I love lashes but out of everything else they could have sent out… I would have liked to try something different. Oh well, it is what it is. lol

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My Thoughts: Birchbox January 2014 box

#Birchbox #Janaury2014

It’s been a while since I shared my thoughts on one of my Birchbox boxes but here’s my thoughts on my January 2014 box. Let’s just say you’ll understand why I was happy with my January Ipsy bag.

So in my January Birchbox I recieve a total of seven items from five different brands. While the items are okay, good even, the fact is that there are items I’m allergic to which makes this month’s box a bust. If it weren’t for my allergies then I would probably be much happier with the items received. My primary allergies – raspberries and bee stings – these two things can land me in the hospital.

I don’t do much swapping on MakeupTalk but two of the items from the January box will eventually make it’s way to my swap list.

100% Pure is a company that prides itself on being a company whose products are made from vegetables, fruits, berries and other types of plants and natural ingredients. As such I’m well aware that some of their products contains raspberry juice or extracts and unfortunately their Fruit Pigmented Mascara is one of those items that contains raspberries – to be specific it contains Rubus Idaeus Fruit Extract (Raspberry Extract).

Birchbox sample size: 0.1 oz / 3g

Sample value: $7.50

Full size: 0.24 oz / 7g

Retail: $18

The next item I’m allergic to is Whish’s Three Whishes Body Butter. I was actually surprised by the ingredients in this one –  “Rubus Idaeus (Organic Raspberry) Juice” – since I didn’t expect it to have any raspberries in it. Needless to say this is also another item I can’t ever use.

Birchbox sample size: 0.75 oz / 22 ml

Sample value: $3.52

Full size: 150 ml

Retail: $24

Then there are the Ahmad Teas Assorted teabags that came in my January box. I saw that one of the teas was… can you guess what it is?… made from raspberries! Can you say I was VERY disappointed about that especially since I LOVE teas but obviously I can’t drink raspberry tea!

Thankfully I received a mint tea, an English tea and a blackcurrant tea, all of which I can drink. Since I’m such a tea lover I have no complaints about the teas other than these are teas! Seriously Birchbox?!

Birchbox sample size: three bags

Sample value: $0.53

Full size: 20 bags

Retail: $3.50

Serge Normant Meta Revive Dry Conditioner is definitely different. I’m use to dry shampoos but have never used a dry conditioner before. It’s essentially like a dry shampoo and used in the same manner but the difference is that this is suppose to add a conditioning aspect that normal dry shampoos lack. Honestly, I still don’t know what to make of it. I’m not a big fan of dry shampoos in the first place so I’m just not sure how I feel about this dry conditioner. I’ll used it a few more times before I give a final opinion on it but right now I’m on the fence.

Birchbox sample size:1.2 oz / 34 g

Sample value: $9.37

Full size: 3.2 oz

Retail: $25

The last item in my box that I could use was Paula’s Choice RESIST BHA 9 for Stubborn Imperfections and what an utter disappointment in the size of the product. It’s a tiny, tiny vial that’s essentially smaller than a perfume vial! Yes there is enough for a few uses but considering the rest of my box was a let down with two items I definitely can’t use – ever – the size of the RESIST BHA was equally disappointing. I’ll give this a shot, who knows maybe I will end up liking it.

Birchbox sample size: 0.03

Sample value: $3.70 (though it sells on the Paula choice for $5)

Full size: 0.3 oz

Retail: $36.95

My box total value: $24.62 ($25.92 if I use the $5 value instead of the $3.70 value). Overall, Birchbox’s January box was a big ol’ box of disappointment and it looks like my February box isn’t that great either. At least I have my points from this and that box to make up for it.

My Thoughts: Ipsy January Glam Bag

#Ipsy #Glambags #Janaury2014

So my Ipsy bag arrived near the end of January and over all I’m happy with what I received. Some I’ve used before, some are new and some… well I liked but the color was a bit off.
So I received five items:

1. Benefit’s The POREfessional
2. (MALIN+GOETZ)’s Mojito Lip Balm
3. Balanced Guru’s Balm Me Up Organic Sweet Cocoa & Tangy Body Balm
4. Absolute! Makeup Cleansing Tissue
5. yaby’s Liquid Foundation in Buff

Benefit’s The POREfessional is nothing new to me. I have many small travel samples and I have an almost brand new full size tube, that has gone missing, so I’ve used it. I like it, it’s not a bad primer but it is a pricy one at $30 for 0.75 oz tube. It does fill in the pores in a “natural” color but because it’s a silicone based primer applying a water based foundation over it can cause some issues with caking depending on the foundation. Would I buy it again? Probably. I get so many samples of it that I haven’t had to buy a full size one since the first time I bought a full size tube of it back in late 2012.

Ipsy sample size: 0.10 oz

Full size: 0.75 oz

Value: $4

The Mojito Lip balm from Malin+Goetz was okay. To me it felt a bit sticky and oily even a half after applying it continued to feel sticky. The applicator, or should I say lack of an applicator, was odd. While it smelled nice there was no actual taste to it at all which was also odd. Overall, my experience with it kind of reminded me of a Vaseline product only more on the thin, liquidy side. While this was full size, at $12 a tube it’s a big pass for me on re-purchasing it. Maybe if it were more like C.O. Bigelow’s lemon lip balm I’d be more inclined to re-purchase it but as it stands now, it’s a pass.

Ipsy sample size: .35oz. / 10g

Full size: .35oz. / 10g

Retail: $12

As for Balanced Guru’s Balm Me Up Organic Sweet Cocoa & Tangy Body Balm, I actually like the smell of it. While I could smell other sweet fragrances to me the lemongrass was really strong. When I first applied it I thought it was going to be an oily mess however my skin quickly absorbed the oil and it didn’t stain my clothes. I’m not entirely sure that I would purchase this partially because it’s $45 for a 4 oz container and partially because I’m not sure it’s a product I’d use frequently.

Ipsy sample size: 1 oz / 30ml

Full size: 4 oz / 114g

Value: $11.25

Beauty Treat’s Absolute! Makeup Cleansing Tissue is an absolute pass for me. When I first opened up the package the first thoughts that popped into my head about the scent was “spicy”. It did an okay job of removing my makeup but I had to use multiple wipes to really get everything off and even then I went back and washed my face with a cleansing product because I didn’t feel as if it removed all my makeup.

To me it felt like a waste of money, if I had purchased it, because I used four or five wipes in one use.  It’d be okay to travel as if you’re going out of town for the weekend and need to take something with you but using it frequently… big pass for me. The 60 count package is $7.99 which is a better price than the 10 count package.

Ipsy sample size: 10 count

Full size: 10 count / 60 count

Retail: $2.49 / $7.99

The last item in my Ipsy Janaury Glam Bag was the Yaby’s Liquid Foundation in Buff. When I first saw it I had high hopes that it would work for me however it’s as I feared – too orange for my skin color. Buff is suppose to be neutral but I found it to be too orange for my yellow (with olive) undertones.

I would like to try this particular foundation in Ivory and/or Custard, since those two colors are suppose to be for those with yellow undertones, but I won’t buy this online since apparently the sample sent out in the Ipsy Glam Bag is FULL size! It’s tiny and at almost $14 (excluding shipping) it’s just way too expensive for me to buy. I might pick on up at IMATS LA in 2015 though.

Top two squares: My coloring in natural light (no makeup) with no flash and flash.

Bottom left: Me wearing Yaby foundation in Buff. 

Bottom right: My skin back in October, you can see the olive in my skin in this image along with my Rosacea.

I typically use Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics (tint and skin) in Y1 though in the summer I can use Y2 and in the winter, sometimes, use Y0. As you can see in the picture below of OCC Tint in Y1 and Yaby foundation in Buff that Buff appears to be too orange on my skin.

Several months ago Ipsy sent out Yaby’s concealers in Buff and unlike the foundation was truly more neutral and matched my coloring better than the foundation.

Yaby’s foundation in Buff versus OCC Tint Red (left) series and Yellow (right) series.

Ipsy sample size: 8 ml / 0.272 oz

Full size: 15.4 g / 8 ml / 0.272 oz

Retail: $13.99

Edit to add: As for the actual bag itself, I’m indifferent to it. While the color was okay I wasn’t crazy about the pattern (disliked). I wouldn’t carry it in my purse that’s for sure but I’d use it around the house. Oh! And I was reminded that these were among the top three smelliest bags! I completely forgot about the smell but yes it reeked. No idea why but I had to leave mine outside overnight. It was horrible.

Overall, I was happy with my bag, at first I wasn’t sure because I already own POREfessional, was iffy about the foundation and indifferent to the rest but in the end I did like my bag. I would like to see other products from Yaby and Balanced Guru and of course more samples from Benefit even if I already own the product (keeps me from having to repurchase). 😉

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My Thoughts: Best Holidays lip sets for your money

It’s NOVEMBER! Can you believe another year is almost over? Well, now that we’re rapidly approaching winter that means we’re also rapidly approaching all the winter holidays. You know what that means? It’s PRESENT TIME! lol

So many gifts to give. So many gifts to receive. For those participating in gift exchanges or Secret Santa exchanges or looking to buy your makeup addict something well I have a few picks for you!

Once again Sephora has put together their kit called Sephora Favorites. I’ve got to admit these are some of my favorites as well and most are reasonably priced at only $25. Of course the prices do go up to almost $80 but the beauty of these kits is that you can buy a few and break the kits down to create your own customize beauty box!

So here are a few of my favorite lip set from Sephora:

Give Me Some Lip, retail $25 (value $90)

I actually did buy this and am waiting for it to arrive. It contains:

1. 0.10 oz Laura Mercier Lip Glacé in Bare Pink
2. 0.07 oz Buxom® Full-On™ Lip Polish in Dolly 
3. 0.14 oz NARS Lip Gloss in Turkish Delight
4. 0.08 oz Fresh Sugar Rosé Tinted Lip Treatment
5. 0.05 oz Bite Beauty High Pigment Pencil in Rhubarb
6. 0.10 oz Tarte LipSurgence™ Lip Luster in Glitzy [full size!]

My favorites out of this set – Sugar and Tarte, two products I tend to buy over and over (well, buy sets in which these items come in since I like to get more bang for my buck). Is it worth the $25? Absolutely! The Tarte LipSurgence alone is $22 since it’s full size!

Give Me More Lip, retail $59 (value $209)

1. 0.12 oz bareMinerals ® Marvelous Moxie™ Lipstick in Never Say Never [full size!]
2. 0.05 oz Bite Beauty High Pigment Pencil in Pomegranate
3. 0.04 oz BUXOM® Full-Bodied™ Lip Stick in Menance
4. 0.07 oz BUXOM® Full-Bodied™ Lip Cream in White Russian
5. 0.03 oz Hourglass Opaque Rouge Liquid Lipstick in Icon
6. 0.03 oz Kat Von D in Everlasting Love Liquid Lipstick in Backstage Bambi
7. 0.042 oz Kat Von D Foiled Love Lipstick in Adora
8. 0.1 oz Laura Mercier Lip Glace in Bare Naked
9. 0.05 oz Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Natural N45
10. 0.33 oz Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Lip Tar in Strumpet [full size!]
11. 0.1 oz Smashbox Be Lengendary Lipstick in Nylon Nude [full size!]
12. 0.14 oz Smashbox Lip Gloss in Pout
13. 0.03 oz Stila Color Balm Lipstick in Sonya
14. 0.03 oz Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lip Color in Dolce
15. 0.009 oz Tarte Glamazon™ Pure Performance 12-Hour Lipstick in Inspired
16. 0.11 oz Too Faced La Crème Color Drenched Lip Cream in Marshmallow Bunny  [full size!]

Now the Give Me More Lip is an absolute steal. There are four full size items in this set and those four items alone retail for $77 which means you’re already saving $18 or it’s like getting the OCC lip tar plus all the other deluxe size lip goodies for free! Can you guess what’s my wish list? Oh yeah, this set is definitely on my “Santa, I’ve been an awful good girl this year” list. 😉

Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Lip Tar All-Star Mini x 12 Set, retail $58 (value $90)

• 0.08 x 6 Matte Lip Tar in:
• Clear
• Divine
• Clockwork
• Psycho
• Stalker
• Strumpet
• 0.08 oz x 6 Metallic Lip Tar in:
• Pris
• Lovecraft
• Yaoi
• Super NSFW
• Electric Grandma
• Authentic
• Precision Lip Brush

Oh I love this mini set, I don’t expect to buy it for myself as I have all the Lip Tars in this set as full size versions but it’s a fantastic deal to introduce yourself to OCC Lip Tars. These also make great stocking stuffers HOWEVER I have to warn you these are NOT lip glosses, lip stains or lip sticks so use a small amount or mix with other colors or even other glosses to create your own look. Very pigmented so a little goes a long, long way.

Stila Color Me Glossy Lip Glaze Set, retail $28 (value $124)
0.45 oz x 9 Lip Glaze in

1. Cranberry
2. Persimmon
3. Melon
4. Dazzleberry
5. Wildberry
6. Strawberry Cream
7. Passion Fruit
8. Kaleidoscope
9. Amaretto 

These are just slightly smaller than the Lip Glaze trios (0.5 oz) and a little less than 1/2 the size of a full size Lip Glaze (0.8 oz). I still think these are a great way to introduce yourself or a friend to Stila’s Lip Glazes.

There you have it my top four favorite lip sets from Sephora. I’ve already bought the Give Me Some Lip set and I’m considering getting the Give Me More Lip set for my Secret Santa box and to make my own beauty box for my daughters and three sisters-in-law.

Disclaimer: Not affiliated with Sephora.

My thoughts: Philosophy Vanilla Birthday Cake gift set

So a couple of weeks ago I finally got around to placing an order on Sephora so I could get my 2013 birthday gift and I finally caved but instead of ordering the full size (16 oz, $16.50) I ordered the “Birthday girl vanilla birthday cake gift set” for $20.

One of the perks of being a Sephora Beauty Insider is that every year during your birthday month Sephora will give you an item. My birthday is in late summer so I typically get my gift in mid-September.

The birthday gift in 2011 was a 6 oz bottle of Philosophy’s Vanilla Birthday Cake. It took me over a year to completely use it up since I interchanged my shower gels with other shower products but I do know that it became one of my favorite shower gels and I really liked the scent.

The set contains an 8 oz bottle of Vanilla Birthday Cake (value $8.25) and a 0.4 oz tube of Vanilla Birthday Cake lip gloss (value $8). As I mentioned above, the full size Vanilla Birthday Cake retails for $16.50 and it’s an 16 oz bottle. The full size lip gloss is 0.5 oz and retails for $10.

So my thoughts. Love the scent of the Vanilla Birthday Cake however dislike the fact that I essentially over paid for this set when the overall value of both items in the gift set is only $16.25. Granted it’s only a $3.75 difference between the actual value and the retail value but if I could exchange it or return it I would. I would actually return this set if I didn’t toss the Sephora order slip out but I’m going to call my local Sephora and see what they say since it’s in my order history. I rather just use the $20 and but the full size Vanilla Birthday Cake and not get the lip gloss or buy both full size items and just pay the extra $6.50 (plus tax).

That all said, this does still make a good gift to give to someone else but if you’re going to purchase this for yourself save your money and buy the full size items instead.

My Thoughts: First impressions of the NIGHT LIFE Palette from .EM Michelle Phan

YouTube sensation Michelle Phan has finally launched her new cosmetic line called EM Michelle Phan. EM Michelle Phan is in conjunction with the L’Oreal Group which also owns Maybelline, L’Oreal, Lancôme, Giorgio Armani along with numerous other lines.

I’ve been aware of the new cosmetic line since January or February of this year however I had suspicions of it since later last year when Michelle was asking her readers to name various products. At first I and others thought it was for a new Ipsy cosmetic line since Ipsy/MyGlam had previously branded items such as Andrea’s Circus polishes and MyGlam brushes in the past. Nothing came of it in 2012 and so most people forgot about it.

In February, on the Michelle Phan website a survey was done revealing the EM Michelle Phan cosmetic line. The survey showed every single item ranging from foundations to powder to lipsticks to eyeliners and the Life palettes. Among the questions asked was the price as the Life palettes were going to be priced at $75 each and this is what the palettes are selling for. Personally I thought then as I do now that is overpriced and considering that Michelle’s demographics are teens and college students to me many of them won’t be able to afford her line. Sure there are those who can but the comments I’m seeing on my FB wall, on MakeupTalk and even on the EM wall is that it’s too high of a price. I just don’t get how this can be a luxury brand yet at the same time a social media site while catering to teens and college students (majority of the profiles I’ve seen are for girls between the ages of 13 and 25).

I was and am excited that Michelle’s line has finally launched because I’ve been dying to see what the final products looked like. I was hoping that they weren’t going to go into the designer/luxury pricing since (I’m sorry but) I don’t think luxury when I think L’Oreal. The prices are what’s keeping me from making an actual purchase however I was sent the Night Life palette as a gift.

The palette packaging is fairly large. The exterior box is approximately 8 3/8 x 8 3/8 inches while the interior palette is 7¾ x 7¾ inches. It’s a good size palette. Which leads to a problem for me – it’s too big especially for travel. EM solves the too big to travel by having a smaller travel size palette (currently free with purchase of a Life palette) which fits one quadrant of colors from a Life palette. I was not sent the travel palette but judging from the photo on EM the travel is a replica of a single quadrant.

Each Life palette contains 24 eyeshadows, 4 blushes, 8 lip pans. The colors are broken down in what I’m calling quadrants and each quadrant having it’s own individual look and name. For example, in the Night Life palette that I was sent the quadrants are City Glitz (top left), First Date (top right), Happy Hour (bottom left) and Dinner at Eight (bottom right).

All of the colors in the palette have names which at this time I have not cross referenced to the names people gave Michelle in October2012. I’ve attempted to cross reference on one of the pictures but the winners choices were deleted.

My first thoughts of the cosmetics BEFORE I received it was that the prices are way overpriced. The lipsticks are $16.50 and are pretty much the same price as Lime Crime’s lipsticks ($15.99), less than Urban Decay’s Revolution lipsticks ($22) but over a dollar more than MAC ($15). The lipstick prices actually don’t bother me as much as the prices on the palettes – specifically the Life palettes. I just can’t justify the price of $75, I’ve tried since the set up looks like you’re getting four different palettes in one plus a travel palette to break down the colors into a smaller palette but honestly I can’t justify the price! (Note: The travel palette is currently free however down the road this may no longer be offered.)

I did think, “well if they sold a single quadrant for $25 then it is a deal at $75 since it’s like buy three single palettes (one quadrant) and getting one free“. BUT! I remember that I bought the Stila Ultimate Color Palette for my eldest daughter; it had 4 blushes, 39 shadows, 15 lip products and best of all I paid $20 for it! The Stila brand is a fantastic brand and that particular palette is basically 75% less than the EM Life Palettes! (Note: Stila sells those types of palettes during the holidays and only during the holidays.)

The overall weight of the Night Life palette is 26.8 g / 0.948 oz. Now compare this to Urban Decay’s Book of Shadows IV, Sephora’s Shades of Natural palette or their Precious Metals palette and it’s roughly the same weight size.

Urban Decay’s BoS4 contains 16 shadows at 0.8 grams each / 0.03 oz (total 0.48 oz) plus waterproof eyeliner (0.25 oz), SuperCurl mascara (0.18 oz) and a mini primer (0.13 oz). If I recall correctly BoS4 was $64. The two Sephora Pantone palettes were $48 if I recall correctly. The Shades of Nature (white box) contains 35 shadows each 0.024 oz (total weight 0.84 oz) and the Precious Metals was 0.042 oz each pan (total weight 1.47 oz). To me while you get more shadows/blushes/lip products from EM than BoS I feel that compared to the overall package that the UD was a far better deal.

As for the actual size of the products in the Life palettes, well here is where it gets tricky. There are four blushes, eight lip products and 24 shadows HOWEVER the shadows are not the same size – there are 12 large pans and 12 small pans. Each quadrant contains one blush, two lip pans, three large shadows and three smaller shadow pans. For comparison purpose I put the items against other items that I own.

Top left: Saucebox Cosmetics Creme de la Creme palette. This contains six pans that contain 5 grams of product. Retail: 39. Bottom left: a pan from Creme de la Creme against Candlelit (blush from the Dinner at Eight quadrant). Both are roughly the same size – 5 grams.

Top right: various 26 mm pans from Makeup Geek, Mirabella and Flirt Cosmetics along with in the small Glam RX palette Yaby cosmetics shadows and concealer plus Coastal Scents mini shadow pans (sent by Ipsy). Bottom right: Side by side comparisons with Yaby items on the top line, EM in the middle line and Coastal Scents / Mirabella on the bottom line. (The EM items are Nude Attitude lip pan, Mini Skirt shadow and Get Ready shadow. The Mirabella is SemiFormal. Yaby are Sand Dune and So Vein [least I think it’s Sand Dune].)

Top left: em michelle phan Get Ready vs Mirabella Beauty Semiformal. Bottom left: EM’s Mini Skirt (shadow) & Nude Attitude (top line). Yaby refill pans Sand Dune & So Vein from Ipsy. Top right: EM’s Mini Skirt (shadow) & Nude Attitude compared to a penny and quarter. Bottom right: Comparison of all four against the penny and quarter.

I have no idea what the individual weights are but judging from the comparisons the lip pans and mini shadows from EM are approximately 3 grams each since that’s what Yaby’s are. When I did a DIY tutorial to show how to make Yaby’s pans fit into a magnetic pan I used washers that are 3/16. The larger EM shadows are smaller than the standard 26 mm / 1″ pans which are the size of MUG, Mirabella, Flirt Cosmetics, BH Cosmetics (full size/individual), Coastal Scents (full size/individual) pans. The blushes are at least 5 grams each based on the comparison to Saucebox Cosmetics’ shadows.

AT THIS POINT IN TIME I HAVE YET TO SWATCH OR TRY THE ACTUAL PRODUCTS.

So, bottom line. Would I buy more palettes? Most likely no. Would I buy other items from EM? Most likely no (though the lipstick in Hug Me is calling my name). I just can’t see myself spending that kind of money on products I’ve never tried and can’t try in a retail setting. Right now they’re doing various promo codes to encourage Ipsy members and Michelle’s fans to buy from EM Cosmetics but I just can’t justify spending that much money on her products at this time. Yes it’s easy to spend $35 for free mascara or $60 for free eyeliner but I just can’t justify spending that kind of money on two or three items. My opinion could easily change once I DO use the Night Life palette and I might end up kicking myself for not taking advantage of the promos going on but right now as of this post I just can’t see myself spending $35 for a couple of lipsticks or $60 for a powder foundation and a couple of lipsticks much less $75 for a 2nd palette so I can get the travel palette.

I reserve my final judgement to once I actually DO try the Night Life palette. Who knows maybe I’ll change my mind about the prices.

Disclaimer: Gifted to me by Michelle Phan’s PR.

My Thoughts: NOYA Lip Balms

I have to admit prior to doing the August Ipsy sneak peeks I hadn’t heard of Noya. I first saw Noya in the first Ipsy sneak peek and later saw their lip balms on Birchbox’s Facebook wall. so being a curious person, and mostly impatient for the August Ipsy bags, I contacted Noya and they were kind enough to send me all four lip balms for reviewing purposes.

Noya’s products are Kosher and all natural however these are not vegan due to the beeswax in it. My first impression of their site was that “oh, they’re a Jewish company” so I asked and was told,”Our company started in 2012, but we aren’t actually a Jewish company though I can see why you’d think so! We simply make a line of awesome, natural cosmetics that also happen to be kosher. Since most of our ingredients are food-stuff (like EVOO), we thought, why stop at being just natural, simple, safe and super yummy when we can also go kosher 🙂 It’s an added-value.” So while they’re not a Jewish company their products are Kosher!

The other great thing about Noya is that for every balm purchased they’ll donate a balm to homeless shelters in the New York City area! Got to love a company that donates to homeless shelters and while some might not think it’s much considering that most of us take for granted the simple things I think what Noya does is fantastic!

So there are four flavors to choose from – Vanilla, Cherry, Spearmint and Natural.

Some Ipsy subscribers received the vanilla lip balm and some the cherry lip balm. I actually got the Urban Decay Revolution lipstick while my girls received the Noya balms. (As of this blog post my bag and two of my daughters bags are in transit however our Ipsy Glam Rooms have updated reveiling what we’re getting). My middle daughter’s bag actually came today and she got cherry which she tried (mine) and like it saying, “I like the cherry. Doesn’t taste bad like other cherry stuff.” I’m not fond of the cherry myself because it does taste like cherries and I’m not a cherry fan but if you love cherry flavors you’ll like the cherry lip balm from Noya.

The vanilla lip balm is described on Noya’s site as “a cupcake packed into every balm” and they’re right. The vanilla lip balm reminds me of a white or yellow cake. Both the cherry and vanilla balm are very moisturizing as both contain Coconut Oil, Beeswax, Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Natural flavor, Organic Stevia. The difference between these two are the flavorings.

The natural lip balm contains absolutely no flavorings what so ever and only contains Coconut Oil, Beeswax, Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Organic Stevia. It should be pretty much identical to the vanilla and cherry however I found it to be a bit less moisturizing, less creamy and buttery than the vanilla and cherry lip balms. It’s highly possible that the lack of flavorings contributes to the less creamy, buttery feeling but it’s not a real negative for the lip balm.

I know some members of Makeuptalk didn’t like the Noya lip balms in cherry or vanilla because they thought it was too slippery or slick so they might like the natural lip balm instead. Out of the four Noya lip balms it’s one that can easily be used as a nail balm or to help tame frizzes due to the fact it doesn’t contain any flavorings.

Finally, the last one I tried was the spearmint. I really liked this one but not as much as the vanilla one. The spearmint lip balm really reminds me of a freshly brewed cup of mint tea, the mint in it is very strong. I popped the cap off and was hit by how strong the mint in it actually is. The spearmint lip balm to me is the most buttery soft lip balms due to the mint oil extract in it but I do have to warn you because of that mint extract those with sensitive lips may not be able to use this particular lip balm. The spearmint lip balm contains Coconut Oil, Beeswax, Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Spearmint Oil, Menthol, Organic Stevia.

My lips were tingly the first time I used the spearmint lip balm which didn’t really bother me but I do think some might be bothered by it. I later layered the vanilla and spearmint together and loved it. The vanilla cut the spearmint so I didn’t have as much of a tingly feeling as I did when I used the spearmint alone. I also tried the natural with spearmint (natural applied first then spearmint) and that also cut the spearmint from being too tingly. I think I’ll put the spearmint one away for use during the fall and winter.

I’ve also layered the vanilla with a lemon lip balm from a different company and loved the flavor and scent when those two were combined (think lemon pound cake). I’ve been mainly using the vanilla one for over a week now and I really do like the vanilla one the most of all four. Now if they make a strawberry-lemonade one (strawberries and lemon flavored/scented) I’d be all over that and would stock up on it because I’m a sucker for strawberry-lemon flavored anything.

Overall, I like the lip balms from Noya. While cherry isn’t my favorite it does live up to their claims but for me hands down the vanilla is my favorite of the four. At $3.99 it may seem a bit steep for a lip balm when compared to Chapstick but unlike Chapstick the Noya lip balms are all natural with no artificial colors.

For Ipsy subscribers there is a 20% off promo code good until September 15, 2013. I think I may take advantage of that promo code and pick up more of the vanilla lip balms to give as stocking stuffers or small gifts to my daughters’ friends.

Disclaimer: Press sample.

Hair failure

So about 21 years ago I went to cosmetology school. Going to cosmetology school gave me the base skills I use in other aspects of my life. I do remember some aspects of my education but have forgotten pretty much everything when it comes to hair. I hated hair then and I hate hair now. I’m just not good with hair. I admit it, hair is something that I’ve never been comfortable with and it shows when it comes to the latest endeavor.

My youngest daughter wanted to go blonde. I told her before I dyed her hair that it has been a very long time since I’ve done what she was asking me to do. I told her that it would better if she went to see her grandmother (cosmetologist) to take her from a brunette to a blonde. Nope, she wanted it done now. So she went to Sally’s this morning and bought the things to dye her hair blonde.

I should have gone with my first instincts – send her to her grandmother to dye her hair. If she wanted me to wax her brows, I can do that. If she wanted her ears pierced, I can do that. If she wanted me to do her makeup, I can do that. If she wanted to go blonde… yeah, I can’t do that. LOL

• Ion Color Brilliance 10G-10.3 Lightest Golden Blonde.
• 40 volume peroxide.
• 1:1 ratio

Elapsed time (from start to finish):

• 60 minutes.

So a couple things I did wrong.

1. I didn’t bleach her hair first.
2. I used a golden blonde on her rather than a high lift blonde with a neutral base.
3. I used a 1:1 ratio (2 oz dye, 2 oz peroxide) rather than a 1:2 ratio (2 oz dye, 4 oz peroxide).

The color is pretty but it’s not the blonde we were going for. She’s happy with the color and it suits her skin coloring but it’s NOT blonde which is what she originally wanted. She’s keeping this color because she loves it. If she wants to go blonde she’s going to have to go see her grandmother because her hair is no longer virgin hair and I’m just not comfortable with attempting to take her blonde. I’m too scared that I’m going to severely damage her hair to the point where it’ll have to be cut drastically so in my opinion it’s best for her grandmother to do this than for me to try again. I’ll stick with makeup and leave the hair to someone with the experience and know how.