Wow...

I have not been posting!! Poop lol well that is about to change. I have long since cancelled my ipsy and Birchbox and picked up a love of indies!!! Sooo I think I will start doing a lot of indie reviews! :). I am in college so we will see how long this lasts.

Birchbox March 2014 Unboxing!!

So I was thinking about doing a side by side comparison post of my Ipsy and Birchbox. But I do not like comparing them, because really the only comparison between the two are that they are both $10 a month. I sub to them for completely different reasons and expectations so I will keep them separate. I like this month's box. I have had better, but I am still very pleased with it. Here is what I got:

My Box:

First impressions: I was a little bummed that I did not get the How 'bout Them Apples cheek stain from TheBalm. That little package was so cute and I am an uber fan of TheBalm! I was also a tad disappointed I did not get any makeup products, but at the same time it is good I didn't. It's not like I need any more makeup! lol Also, 6 Products this month! Yes please! Let's begin with my favorite product of the month!

Keims Cleanshine Energizing Shampoo

LOVE THIS! This will be a repurchase! I have thin hair...cry for me later...and this just made my hair so soft and manageable. My hair has a stupid tendency to knot up at every moment. I am always brushing my hair or cutting it super short. It is so frustrating, I've been learning to kind of just let my hair go wild, but then this little beauty came into my life. LOVE IT! I wish it was foamy and sudsy, but I am not going to complain. Love it!

Air Repair Rescue Balm All-Purpose Skin Salve and Lip Balm

 I was excited for this product. This weather has been messing up my lips so bad. They are fine now, but next time they are chapped I will be running to put this on them. I did test it on my lips already, and it's definitely not a normal lip balm. I will not be using it on my lips unless I need too. The flavor was...umm...not a pleasnt one. It's not meant to be though. I will be using this on dry skin though.

Vasanti Brighten Up! Enzymatic Face Rejuvenator   

I haven't used this yet. I am excited to try it though. I like exfoliators, but I also fear them. I don't have problematic skin, so I am typically weary of trying things that might mess that up. 

Control Corrective Cucumber Bead Cleanser and Oil Free Healing Lotion 

I forgot to save the edits to this photo lol Like the Vasanti I have yet to try this, but I am excited too. I like the fact it comes with a healing lotion. 

Last but not least I received COOLA Tinted Matte SPF 30 For Face

 When I got this I may have groaned. I received a teeny tiny COOLA sample in my ipsy and was just not impressed at an overpriced sunblock. I change my mind about this product though. I haven't tried it yet, but I am keeping an open mind. The fact that it is tinted makes me a little more open minded. I don't wear any foundation or BB creams because I am too pale for them. I want to find something that will just give me the lightest of coverage, just to even out my skin tone and I am hoping that this will provide that.

Overall, I am very pleased with my box. I am hoping for a hand lotion for next month. I would say that at this point this is a 6/6 box, because I am excited to try everything.

Ipsy March 2014 Opening!

I have been so busy at school that I haven't had a chance to do much posting, but luckily I am on spring break!!! WOOO HOOO PARTY!!!!!....actually, no. I am just going to sleep all week lol But I have time to do my ipsy opening! I LOVED this month bag! Let's just get right into it!

My bag!

 

ARGHH I am so in love with this month's bag!

First off the bag itself, SO CUTE! I squealed when I saw the spoiler, it is so cute! I love it so much! So So So much! I am going to go and try and find some more for sale on ebay or something.

 Ok, I don't know where to begin! My favorite product has to be the Be a Bombshell eyeshadow quad in Bora Bora

Can we just talk about that blue for a bit! Like wahhhhhh! So pretty! I have been wearing these colors for the past couple of days, and I am just in awe of this palette. I am a little biased when it comes to Be A Bombshell. I adore every one of their products! The pigmentation is unreal. I use it on top of my NYX milk pencil, but I always use that as a base, even with my Urban Decay. I would highly suggest picking up this palette. It is $16 and for the $10 I paid for my ipsy bag made it soooo worth it. I love using the blue all over my lid and taking the reddish brown and blending it into my crease. I use the lighter brown as a highlight and the dark brown in the > part. 

My next favorite product was the Pacifica lotion!

 The last time ipsy gave me Pacifica they thought I needed tanning lotion and no. Just no. However, they redeemed themselves with this! I LOVE IT! It smells so good! I love the smell of coconut. It has a nice soft feeling to it and is not greasy at all. I will definitely repurchase this. Love the size of it too. Perfect for my purse.

Ipsy was giving out BareMinerals lipstick or lipgloss. I got the lipstick. 

I was a little disappointed at first when I saw I wasn't getting the lipgloss, but as soon as I saw the lipstick I was so in love...can't you tell how much I love this bag!! haha. The color is Get Ready and is so perfect! It's a very pretty browny pink. Perfect for everyday. The size! So cute and tiny! I love smaller deluxe samples. I find full size to be overwhelming I prefer little sizes. I wish ipsy sent more out. I have too much full size products....that's so strange to complain about, but it's true! 

My last product was Nicole by OPI Rougles in "On what Grounds"

I just got rid of 50 nailpolishes. No lie! I decided I had wayyyy too much so I just went through and got rid of so much. The universe is telling me no though, that I need a bigger collection! I was going to trade this, because I am not a fan of textured polishes, but the color is so pretty so I had to try it. So glad I did, I actually love it. The staying power is unreal and it feels so cool! I will definitely check out the others in the collection. 

SWATCH TIME!!!!

This was definitely one of my favorite bags in a long time and is making it very difficult for me to cancel. I am definitely sticking around for a bit after this bag! 4/4! 

Ipsy February 2014

It's my favorite time of the month again! IPSY! I received my bag on Thursday and I decided to wait until now to post it so I could try everything first....also I am lazy and kind of forgot. hehe. Let's just get right into it. 

MY BAG!

I am very pleased with my bag. I got the variations that I was very happy with. As long as I didn't get the lashes I was pretty happy with anything though. I have nothing against lashes, I tend to wear them on occasion, but I have so many pairs as it is that I really don't need any more. I guess I could say that about any makeup product though. Ehh lol

I will start with my most favorite product.

 Pop Beauty Plump Pout Lip Gloss in Peony Petal

OMG!!!! THIS! Just yes. I adore this so much! This has replaced my Marc Jacobs lip vinyl in my purse. (Side note: I am so sorry Marc Jacobs. You know I love you and literally everything you do, but I need an affair with this lip gloss, you know I will come running back to you.) The only lip gloss I tend to wear is Overprotected by Marc Jacobs or the Lip Maximizer by Dior which are both a very sheer light pink. I don't have the best luck with colored lip glosses staying on until this one. The staying power of this is unreal! The color lasted hours!! I had a slight problem with feathering, but I fixed it by pairing it with a Stila lipliner. The color is my favorite. It's darker mauve/pink kind of color. (I am an art major with a horrible sense of color lol) I love dark/grungy makeup looks and this pairs beautifully with it. It goes great with a natural look and with a dark eye look. It's a very universal color for me. By far, my favorite item in the bag. 

 My second favorite item in the bag is the City Color Be Matte Blush.

I was very happy to receive this blush. It was on my wishlist! I received Fresh Melon and the color is gorgeous! The only problem I have with this blush is that it is....wait for it....TOO PIGMENTED! I have never said that about a product before! A slight hand is almost too much. This product will last me forever, because all I need to do is lightly tap the brush on it. That is almost too much. However, I am very pale and a little goes a long way with practically all my blushes. I would highly suggest picking these blushes up. at 2.99 you cannot go wrong. I am off to pick up the other colors.

The next product I recieved was the Tini Beauty eyetini Cordial Cream Shadow + Base in Spiced Rum

I love this color and product! I was a little weary about this at first because most cream shadows tend to crease on me so I don't bother with them. This one though is different It stayed for hours without creasing. It is such a cool product. It goes on like a cream and dries into a powder. It is a bronze kind of color which I love! I really like making a bronze smokey eye and tend to do it a lot, so this is very much welcome in my life. If you want a cream shadow with a very good staying power, I would highly recommend this. It is amazing on its own or as a base. 

SWATCH TIME!

From left to right: Pop Beauty Peony Petal, Eyetini Spiced Rum, and City Color Fresh Melon

These are all one swipe of the product. 

I also got Zoya nail polish in Odette

I am not a Zoya fan, however this one converted me. It is a very pretty muted purple. I am wearing it in the picture under a purple glitter. I was introduced to Zoya through ipsy. I do not like the others I received because I do not like nail polish that has a glitter fleck/metallic kind of texture. I only like cream and then I use a glitter topcoat if I want. I found those to be hard to apply. I like this one though! I will gladly keep this one and incorporate it into my nail polish collection. It has yet to chip on me and will gladly buy more of these polishes.

The last product I received was the Nu-Me Intense Renewel Hair Mask

I have yet to try this out, but I am so excited too! I have been getting into hair products like crazy since my hair is finally growing out (A pixie was the worst idea EVER!) I have been wanting to try this brand and product for quite some time so YAY!

I have been really contemplating on cancelling ipsy because I really need to get through the stash that I have now, but I love ipsy too much to cancel! I have decided to at least hold out until April (my birthday month) and see if they really wow me. If they don't then I feel like I need to take a break just to get through my very large makeup collection. This bag is making me want to stay forever! 

Bag worth: 5/5

I cannot say which I liked better this month: Birchbox or Ipsy? I understand they are completely different subs and I loved them both so much this month, so I think it is a tie. 

wet n wild Review

So I mentioned a week ago how I broke my makeup no-buy for the new wet n wild Art in the Streets color-icon palette. Well, I played with it the last week and I have to say over all I am very pleased with it.

The palette contains a matte purple, orange, yellow, green and purple and not just any old boring colors. No. These colors are BRIGHT! Like holy crap that is some 80's neon color bright.
EDIT: I wanted to add that these products were purchased with my own money and I am in no way affiliated with wet n wild and all opinions are my own

  

LOOK! LOOK AT THAT! Seriously, so bright and pretty!

This is the layout of the colors. I noticed on the other new palettes have labels on them on how you should wear the colors such as brow, definer, crease, etc. This is the only palette that does not have labels. I think this is because you probably should not wear all these colors at once. I have yet to try it, but it would probably be way too much. I don't want to look like a clown. 

The swatches are very pigmented on the hand

This is the swatch with just one swipe. The bottom line is over NYX Milk Pencil. They are pretty pigmented on their own, but I highly suggest you wear it with a very good base such as the NYX milk pencil. I noticed that these colors kind of lose their pigmentation when applied to the eyes. If you want a more bright color, I would also suggest applying it with your finger to get more pigmentation, because with a brush they are just not as bright. 

I created many looks with this palette that I loved. The blue in the corner of my eyes created a very nice pop of color. I am madly in love with Chicago and I am a Bears fan so I had to create a look with the blue and orange. I used the blue all over my lids and put the orange in my crease. And WOAH is that orange pigmented! I must admit that I did not go out in public with it. BUT when football starts up again I will proudly wear those colors with my jersey! 

I would highly suggest this palette and I will be buying some of the others. You cannot beat the $3.99 price tag. 

I also picked up the new Color Icon Glitter eyeshadow singles in Binge and Groupie

Binge

Groupie

Binge is a purple glitter creme and Groupie is a pink glitter creme. 

With one swipe these add a nice little glitter touch to an eyeshadow look and 3 swipes could almost make an eye look on it's own. As you can see Binge definitely has a better pay off than Groupie. To apply these I just dab my finger in the product and then tap the glitter onto my eye. It has a vaseline type base so I could not suggest a brush to use with these. I would suggest just using your finger. My only problem with these is the same problem I have with every creme base glitter that I have tried. They slide and do not really stay in place and they crease. However, these held up fairly well. I had very little creasing compared to others so I would highly suggest these if you like super glittery looks. I will be buying Vices once I can find it. Sadly, they were sold out. These are available for .99cents and you cannot beat that deal at all! 

Sorry about the eyeliner swatches. The staying power is unreal and they refuse to wipe off! haha

If you are curious about the new wet n wild collection I would highly suggest picking some up. These are the only drug store eyeshadow I like and will wear.

Sunday Club

Oh goodness it has been another week. The time seems to be flying since I have been back in school. Err, actually stuck at home thanks to all the snow. This snow can just stop already. The sun can come back into my life when ever it wants to. My picks this week are

Eyeshadow: Stila duo in Seashell and Burgundy, Urban Decay Mariposa Palette, Yaby Singles in Teal and Sandune

I really love the Yaby Teal, it is so pretty. I think I used the Stila duo maybe once. I just forget about it. If it's not in a big palette I tend to overlook it. I am so bad for ignoring my singles.

Eyeliner: Jordana Liquid Eyeliner pencil in Aqua Stone and Purple Fix, Eyeko Liquid Eyeliner Pen, Starlooks Obsidian Liner, Starlooks Amethyst Pencil

I have a review of these coming up soon. I love the Aqua one. I have been wearing it all week.

Mascara:  Urban Decay Super Curl

I am trying to use this up, So I can use some BB points to get a Full Size BadGal Lash.

Blush: Be A Bombshell One Stick In Flustered

I am terrified of this, it is so red! A little goes a LONG way.

Lippies: Be a Bombshell Lip Crayon in Hot Damn, Revlon Skyline and Backstage. Marc Jacobs Lip gloss in Overprotected, Stila Lipliner in Delightful and Devoted. 

I really want to play around with some lip colors this week

Staying the Same: Too Faced Brow Envy, CG Brow Pencil, NYX Milk Pencil, UD Primer, CG Powder, and Pixi Bronzer

My picks for this week are nothing exciting. I am focusing on some blues for my eyes this week. Unless I am doing a red lip, then I will do a more natural eye look.

Birchbox February 2014 Box Opening!!

My second box from Birchbox came! Now, this is technically my first month with them. I did receive January's box, but I signed up way after the 15th cut off date. I used the Us Weekly promo code to join so I think that is why I also received January's. I am so shocked that I got my box this early! I am used to getting my ipsy bag around the 15th, so to get a box on the 8th is so exciting! 

 So, this month Birchbox did a collaboration with Us Weekly. I don't know how often they do collab boxes, or what the difference is, but I LOVED THIS BOX! I am so very pleased with it.

What did I get? Well I shall tell you *Drum Roll Please* MY BOX!

*SQUEALS WITH EXCITMENT!*

I got the three things I wanted the most! I shall start with what I was most excited about!

Eyeko Skinny Liquid Eyeliner

I have been dying to try a liquid eyeliner pen forever! I did not want to have to pay a lot of money for something I am unsure I will like. I am a pencil girl, so using a liquid pen is VERY new to me. I am SO excited to play around with this. I have had a eyeliner pen on my ipsy wishlist practically every month and I never get it. It is funny to me that I finally got it in my first month's Birchbox. I should have joined a long time ago! I am very pleased with the size. It will be great to throw in my purse, and its so cute!

The thing I was also really hoping I got was the Beauty Protector Protect & Oil

 I was so very happy to see this in my box. It leaked a teeny tiny bit, but no big deal at all. The little jar is so cute and it smells AMAZING! I cannot wait to try this out. Also, the card says this was an exclusive launch. I feel so honored to be trying it first. Oh la la.

 OPI Sheer Tints in Be Magentale With Me

AHHH! Mini Nail Polish! AHHH SO CUTE! (Idk if you can tell or not, but mini things make me so happy) I love samples! This was the third thing I was really hoping to get. I LOVE OPI nail polishes. They are one of my all time favorites and to get this is very exciting. They are one of few nail polishes that do not chip. I tried it on one nail, but not a full manicure yet. I will be doing that later tonight. The card says to wear alone for a sheer bit of color or over another nail polish to get a shade shifting effect. I will be putting it on top of another color. My nails are slightly stained black from the nail polish I have on them now, so I won't do it alone

Juicy Couture Couture La La Malibu Perfume

This is another ipsy complaint that Birchbox full filled. I LOVE perfume. LOVE IT! I collect it and ipsy has NEVER sent me a perfume even though it is marked that I love it. Birchbox has me covered though! I really like the smell of this. I will throw it on my purse. 

Harney & Sons Fine Teas Wrapped Satchets Tea in Organic Bangkok and Mint Verbena

I know some people do not like receiving teas in their box, but I am A-OK with this. I love teas!! I am very exciting to try these especially the Mint Verbena one :D MHMMM

Sherlock reference: Moriar-tea. That's what people BREW! HAHA

I love everything in this box!!

Box rate: 5/5

I cannot wait till next month!