Destination Beauty: My Glam (Ipsy) March 2014 Bag

This may come a little late but I still wanted to share. I've been seeing different hauls and I feel like there were a lot of product combinations. I'm really happy with what I got and I'm excited to use them!

[MORE AFTER THE JUMP]

Subscription Haul: New Beauty Test Tube January 2013

Today I bring you another haul! I got my Test Tube last week and thought I'd share what I got. I feel like this subscription is the least talked about and it deserves so much more hype. It's my favorite subscription by far and although this month's box wasn't as good as last one (because I received an It Cosmetics powder brush from that and that was a game changer for me!), it's still pretty impressive. 

Here's what you'll see when you open the pretty pink box it comes in (without the booklet - I forgot to include!)

They usually send an extra bag of "Beauty To Go" in a clear bag. Let's dive in that first, shall we?

Subscription Haul: My January 2014 Ipsy (My Glam) Bag

Hey guys!

Today I wanted to show you what I received in my Ipsy Bag this month. Here are all of the products together:

[MORE AFTER THE BREAK]

Subscription Haul and First Impressions: Ipsy/ My Glam September 2013

Today, I bring you the September Ipsy (My Glam) Bag. If you didn't know yet, Ipsy is a beauty subscription service headed by one of YouTube's most successful beauty people, Michelle Phan. It's for $10/ month and you get about 5 products (mix of sample size and full size). This month's theme is Classic Beauty.

I'm really happy about this month's products so without further ado, here they are:

Jesse's Girl Liquid Eyeliner (Retail: $6.99) - This is one of the products I'm really excited about. I haven't had any luck finding a felt tip pen liner that I really love so I have high hopes for this one. I've only tried it on the back of my hand and so far so good. It writes a very fine line so it's perfect for subtle eye liner looks.

Cailyn Tinted Lip Balm in Big Apple (Retail: $19.00) - This lip balm has the same exact packaging as the gel eye liner I got a couple month's ago from Ipsy (see here). I really like this as it has a more opaque color payout than a regular lip balm and the lasting power (at least when I tested it on my hand), is pretty impressive. 

Nyx Eyeshadow in Cryptonite (Retail: $4.50) - This is my first single eyeshadow from Nyx and I now understand the rave about it. The pigmentation is beautiful! This particular color is a very nice grayish black with green and gold sparkle.  This would make a really pretty smokey eye look. I think Nyx is one of the best inexpensive makeup brands and I'm happy to add this to my collection.

It's So Big Volumizing Mascara from Elizabeth Mott 4ml (Retail: $19.99/ 10ml) - I'm looking forward to trying this out. This is from the same company that brought us the Lash Card that I also got from one of my Ipsy bags that I honestly never used. They're just in a drawer, chillin'. Anyway, the mascara looks really black which is what I prefer. The wand isn't shaped in a particularly exciting way, just your regular, good old straight wand with a little bit of a skinnier middle. 

J. Cat Fantabulous Lipstick in Honeycrisp (Retail: $2.49) - For this last item, I have to give a special shout out to the Ipsy Customer Care Team! My lipstick came in damaged and so I emailed customer care to get a replacement. I received a reply less than 48 hours later and my replacement was shipped a couple of days after. Fantastic service! Anyhoo, This lipstick is a nice, creamy, nude color - as in erase my lips kind of nude. At first I was like, "Meh. I don't think I'll ever use this." but then I realized that it's prefect for layering over a brighter, bolder color for that papow! my lipstick in your face! effect. It's super creamy and the color pay off is really nice. I love that a lot more inexpensive lipsticks are coming out with the quality that is way beyond their price point.

Overall, I'm really, really pleased with this month's bag. There's not one item that I don't like or I'm not excited to try out. I have to say, I think Ipsy has been getting better and better lately.

Here's the coupon codes for this month if you're interested:

Jesse's Girl: 20% off your purchase with code IPSYSEPT2013 (valid through 10/15/13)

J.Cat Beauty: 25% off your purchase with code FABIPSY (valid through 10/15/13)

Nyx: 30% off eyeshadow bases and HD eyeshadow bases with code IPSYPRIME (valid through 10/15/13)

Elizabeth Mott: 50% off your purchase with code IPSYBIG (valid through 10/30/13)

Cailyn: 30% off your purchase with code IPSY30 (valid through 10/15/13)

So, what did you think of this month's bag? Anything you're particularly interested in?

Subscription Haul and Review: September Beauty Box 5

So this is it. I have decided and acted on cancelling my Beauty Box 5 membership. If you've been following my hauls, you'd know that I have always been on the fence about this subscription. For $12 a month, the products I have been getting have been hits and misses and lately, it's been a lot of misses. I've been talking about cancelling but always felt like I needed to give it a chance. After about a year (I think), I've finally cancelled my subscription. Just like the past few months, this month's box has just not been my cup of tea. I'm just not impressed especially if I compare it to my Ipsy subscription which I've been loving lately. Noting that the Ipsy subscription is also $2 less.

So here it is, my last Beauty Box 5 Haul. Read til the end for the coupon codes that you can use for this month's products.

First we have this 4-PACK OF ELASTIC HAIR TIES FROM FLY TIES (Retails $7.95 for 4-pack) - Ever since the original ones came out, I've been irritated at how companies have been selling these at ridiculously high prices. You can easily DIY this for about 24 cents a piece! I'll give it to whoever first came up with using fold over elastics, it's a great idea. It doesn't dent the hair and they hold up pretty well. This has been mostly all I've ever used since I started making them. What I don't appreciate though is the insane markup when you put a brand name on it. These ones aren't even singed! And let me tell you, making sure that the ends are nicely done plays an essential part on making sure that you can keep these babies for a while!

.08OZ BELLA PIERRE COSMETICS CELEBRATION SHIMMER POWDER (Retail: $15/.08oz) - This is a really pretty rose gold loose shimmer powder. I imagine it would look fantastic over eyeshadow. I'm not a big fan of loose powder because of how tricky it is to work with but I'm definitely keeping this in my stash for when I need a dash of fancy!

3ml SKIIN SOOTHING & SMOOTHING EYE CREAM (Retail: $49.95/ .5oz) - There's also this teeny tiny sample of an extremely expensive eye cream. I'm continuously on the hunt for good eye creams but I don't get excited about really small samples like this because I don't think I can't really tell if I like a product based from a tiny amount. This packaging is also very unappealing. It reminds me of medicine and I don't think it's meant for more than one time use.

5-PACK EVERY BEAUTY MAKEUP REMOVER PADS WITH ARGAN OIL (Retail: $6.99/ 50ct) - I love trying out new make up remover pads. This one is pretty interesting since they're dry and you just add water to activate it. I'll try this out tonight and see how it goes. I'm hoping to get good results since it's promising Argan oil properties and since winter is coming, I need hydrating properties from as many products as I can get!

Last is a BODY DRENCH LIP DRENCH LIP BALM (COCONUT LIME) (Retail: $4.99/ .15oz) - I'm a big lip balm hoarder and this one's pretty decent. It's hydrating but I'm not keeping it only because I cannot stand coconut flavored products. I'm passing it on to my sister. 

There you go. I think out of the 5 products, the ones I like are the shimmer powder and the makeup remover pads. The lip balm to if it was a different flavor!

Did you like anything from this month's box? What are your thoughts?

Ooooh, but before I go, let me share with you this month's coupon codes!

Bella Pierre: Use code beautybox5 to get 50% off Get the Look Kits (exp. 10/15/13). Check out the Purple Storm Kit! So pretty!

Fly Ties: Use code BB20 to get 20% off site wide (exp. 12/15/13). I don't think I'm Boho-chic enough but if I was, I'd totally get this feather accessory.

Skiin Shop: Use code BOX5 to get 30% off site wide (exp. 10/5/13). This Skin Tightener and Line Filler's intriguing.

See you next time,

Subscription Haul and Review: July Beauty Box 5

I've mentioned in a post before that out of all my subscription boxes, Beauty Box 5 is my least favorite. I feel like the past few months, they were sending very similar products in the boxes. They were mostly small sample sizes too. I find that I end up enjoying very few of the products coming from there. Additionally, the subscription is $12/month while Ipsy(subscription that it's most comparable to), is only $10. I feel like it wasn't worth it. I was gonna cancel my membership but when I went to the website, the server was down and they were asking me to call customer service if I needed to do anything. And of course, I was checking very late at night and so I decided I'd call the next day. Well, I forgot and so I got billed again. Well played, people. Well played.

Anyway, I wasn't expecting much from this particular one. I was actually annoyed when it didn't come mid month like it usually does. It came towards the end of July. When I finally got my package, I was pleasantly surprised that this month's products were a little bit different and I found myself actually looking forward to using them. Nothing special, just basic products but I feel like these are products that I would actually use.

The product I'm probably most excited about is this EVERY BEAUTY FOOT SMOOTHER. My feet need to be pampered very badly. Haha! (Retail: $4.99)

Then there's LA FRESH TRAVEL LITE ANTIBACTERIAL WIPES (8 WIPES). See what I mean when I said they're products that I would need? (Retail: $1.99)

There's a couple of JEAN PIERRE NAIL POLISH REMOVER WIPES (2 WIPES)  Again, one of those basic things that everybody needs. (Retail: $3.99/10 pieces)

Also, a teeny tiny sample of H2O PLUS FACE OASIS HYDRATING TREATMENT (8ML) (Retail: $36/50ml)

Lastly, there's a BE A BOMBSHELL LIP GLOSS IN SUMMER LOVIN' (FULL SIZE) - I think this is my 3rd lip gloss from this brand. I think they're alright. Super glossy. This one is a really pretty orange-y coral color. It's sheer and sparkly. (Retail: $14)

There you go.  Again, I was pretty pleased with the July box mostly because I wasn't really expecting anymore. The items are pretty basic, nothing mind blowingly good  but I think I'll give Beauty Box 5 another chance and see what they send me next month. Anything in particular you liked?

Til my next post,

Beach Babe (My Glam by Ipsy July 2013) + A Special Package

Hey fellow Beauty fans!

I received my July Ipsy bag today and I'm sharing it with you guys! I have to say, I'm a little bit disappointed this month not because I didn't like the products but because I was expecting something else. In my post about my last Ipsy bag, I mentioned that I heard that there was gonna be Benetint and a lip crayon in this months bag. Well, both products were featured BUT I don't know why I didn't realize that there was a possibility that I would get just one of the two "featured" products. See, sometimes, they give out different products in each bag. Not all the products are different but just maybe one or two. I got really, really excited about the Benetint. Lots of people have been raving about it and I wanted to try it out for myself. But of course, life had different plans. Lol I got the Pop crayon instead. Not a big deal but... ya know. I got my hopes up.

Anywayyyy, I think my favorite part of the whole thing is this month's bag. It's a transparent, neon pink, rounded purse. I think it's my new favorite one from Ipsy. Well, no. Maybe it's a tie between this and the chevron one I got last year!

If you're new around here and have never heard of Ipsy, it's a subscription service that send you about 5 beauty products a month for only $10. It's a great way to try out new products before purchasing them full size and to find out about products you wouldn't normally pick up.

Here's the July 2013 bag -

COOLA MINERAL FACIAL SUNSCREEN (.23 fl. oz.) - Happy about this. I need a new travel sunscreen for my purse for days that I need to reapply or when I'm rushing and forget to put sunscreen on. Additional details FYI: mineral, unscented and organic. (Retail: $36 for 1.7 fl. oz)

BIG SEXY HAIR WEATHER PROOF SPRAY (1.4 oz) - I'm not a big hair person but this is handy to have around. I've used Sexy Hair products before and they seem to do their job. This spray is supposed to fight humidity and frizz. Hmmm, interesting. (Retail: $18.95 for 3.4 oz)

POP BEAUTY POUTY POP CRAYON in CORAL CRUSH (Full Size) - Aaaah, this just reminds me of the product I couldn't have. Oh, Benetint, when will you come my way? Haha Anyhoo, I've been hoarding more lip products lately. I'm a fan of CoverGirl chubby sticks and find that lip crayons are so much easier to use and they're not too overwhelming like lipsticks sometimes are. They're sheer but still give your lips a nice hint of color. This one by Pop is a really pretty coral color on the stick but I find that it's a lot more pink when I applied it. I wished it was the same color as on the stick but oh well, it's still nice and you can't really have enough lip colors, can you? (Retail: $25 for a set of 6 crayons)

DERMA E MICRODERMABRASION SCRUB (1 oz) - This is probably the one I'm most excited about from this month's bag. I love facial scrubs! I try to exfoliate my face 1-2 times a week to get rid of dead skin cells. I am deeply in love with my Suki Exfoliate Foaming Cleanser so this one by Derma E has some pretty big shoes to fill. It's a white cream in the jar with very fine crystals that kind of remind me of the texture of white sugar. I think I'm gonna use this tonight.  Additional details FYI: gluten free and vegan (Retail: $26.99 for 2 oz)

BH COSMETICS CALIFORNIA COLLECTION EYESHADOW PALETTE SAMPLE (3 pans) - Honestly, this was such a let down for me. I've been eyeing the California palettes at the BH Cosmetics website for the longest time and I was quite disappointed to find that they have very poor color pay off. When I first tried to swatch them with my finger, they didn't show up at all. I could only see sparkle on the back of my hand. I tried 2 different brushes on my hand and even tried it on my eyes but again, it didn't show up as pigmented as they were in the palette. I know a lot of people who use BH cosmetic palettes and are quite happy with the products so I'm hoping that this palette is just a bad egg. (Retail: $9.95 for each palette)

The last photo is the product card that came with my bag this month. 

There you go, my 5 products for this month. Have you tried any of them before? Are you an Ipsy subscriber? If so, what product are you most excited about? Did you get the Benetint?!

Let me know!!

And if you want to join Ipsy, click here.

OOOOH. And PS. I posted this photo on my Instagram today!

I'm se excited to share that I'm one of Influenster's recipients of the new Ponds Luminous Finish BB Cream. There's a special project coming up so stay tuned! I'm trying this out tomorrow and hopefully film a video on it. Yay!

My Favorite Beauty Subscription: New Beauty TestTube July 2013

In my previous post, I shared what I got in my last Ipsy/ My Glam bag. I also took pictures for both my Beauty Box 5 and my previous TestTube(May 2013) but I got the latest TestTube on Monday so I decided to share that first.

Basically, New Beauty TestTube is a subscription box that comes 6 times a year (every 2 months). It used to be every season (4 times a year) but they recently changed it. It costs $29.99 a box plus shipping and handling so it costs me $39.99 every time. Yes, it is a lot more expensive than the other subscription boxes but it's really, really worth it. You get higher end products and for the most part, bigger samples and more full sized products. Some of my favorite brands that I got from previous boxes include Tarte, Bare Minerals, Simple, and NeoStrata.

I have been subscribed for a year now and so far, I have loved all my TestTubes. I have been highly satisfied with most of the products and I feel like I'm definitely getting more than my money's worth. AND, they always have bonus products! If you want to sign up for only one subscription box, this is definitely the way to go.

As I mentioned, I only got this 2 days ago so I haven't tried them out yet but if you're interested in finding more about a certain product, definitely let me know and I can do a demo/ review.

Anyhoo, on to the things I got:

MOROCCAN OIL BODY BUTTER (1.7 fl. oz) - I've been having a lot of dry patches on my legs lately so I'm very excited to try this out! It is not as scented as The Body Shop butters which is nice because sometimes, those scents can be too overwhelming. (Retail: $52 for 6.4 fl. oz.)

IT'S A 10 MIRACLE LEAVE-IN LITE (2 fl. oz) - I like how this is in a lite formula. Hopefully, that means that it doesn't feel heavy. I have very fine hair and I find that most products tend to weigh my hair down and leave my roots greasy. (Retail: $18 for 4 fl. oz)

PERLAGE ILLUMINATING PRIMER (.017 oz.)- I've never heard of this product or brand before but this is supposed to have light-diffusing particles to illuminate the face. It also has botanical extracts, vitamins and antioxidants so it works to help the skin deeper as well. (Retail: $19 for 2.0 fl.oz.)

ORLY NAIL LACQUER (0.6 fl. oz - full size) - This is the first polish product from TestTube. They've never included nail products in previous boxes but I think they're expanding the product range. I kind of wish I got a different color just because most of my nail polishes are red. 

PANTENE EXPERT COLLECTION SHAMPOO (3.9 fl. oz.) AND CONDITIONER (2.5 fl. oz) - I've never tried the expert collection line before but I've always been a fan of Pantene. Their products are not harsh, they smell good, doesn't break the bank and the formulations are pretty consistent. (Retail: Shampoo - $7.99 for 10.1 fl. oz; Conditioner - $7.99 for 8.4 fl. oz)

YBF (Your Best Friend) EYEBROW PENCIL IN UNIVERSAL TAUPE (FULL SIZE) - I only noticed after taking pictures that there is a spoolie brush on the other end of the pencil. I'm in the process of learning to do my eyebrows better so this is perfect! The color doesn't seem too harsh but gives just enough color pay off. (Retail: $12)

TARTE PURE MARACUJA OIL ROLLERBALL (0.6 fl. oz - FULL SIZE) - Oils have been all the rage lately and Marajuca oil is just one of the many kinds out in the market today. I've never tried it before but I find that oils are very hydrating without being heavy and sticky. This particular product is packaged in a small bottle with a rollerball so you can use it on your face to hydrate your skin, brighten dark eye circles and even fade out scars and discoloration. I've never tried to use straight up oil on my face before so this should be interesting. (Retail: $17)

LUMENE VITAMIN C + PURE RADIANCE NIGHT CREAM (0.5 fl. oz.) - I've been using the Lumene day cream for a few weeks now. I haven't noticed a big difference but I find that it's a good substitute for moisturizer + sunscreen now that it's summer time. I'm curious to see how the night cream will work out. (Retail: $19.99 for 1.7 fl. oz) Note: I got my Lumene Day Cream in this same sample size from CVS for under $5 but I'm not sure if the night cream is available too)

PHILOSOPHY PURITY MADE SIMPLE FACIAL CLEANSER (1 fl. oz) - Most people rave about Philosophy so I wanted to love previous products I've tried before but for some reason, they're just so-so to me. I'll try this one and see if that changes things. (Retail: $32 for 16 fl. oz.)

BONUS PRODUCTS:

Here are all the products all together:

Isn't it awesome? I can't wait to try out my new products! 

Also, when you sign up, you get a catalog of all the products including brand information, product ingredients and directions on how to use them; As well as a subscription to the New Beauty Magazine which is full of news and reviews and everything related to the latest and best beauty products. Bonus feature: You can view your magazine digitally on your tablet too!

What do you think? You can sign up for the TestTube here if you'd like. Sign up soon so you can get the next one! :)

PS. If you are interested in signing up, I have referral links to get you $5 off your first TestTube. Leave your email below if you'd like me to send you the link!