Ipsy Glam Bag: January 2016

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I fell in love with subscription boxes when I started in 2012 with a subscription to Birchbox. Since then, I have fallen in and out of love with different boxes, but I'm always excited to try new boxes. I love coming home to a package in the mail and getting to try new beauty samples without having to spend money on full-size products. I originally subscribed simply because I loved the idea of getting a little gift every month, but I've since found that beauty boxes have actually helped curb my makeup buying habits. I find that (contrary to popular belief) I actually buy less makeup since I know that I will always get a new lip product or nail polish every couple of months .

Ipsy is a monthly beauty subscription that gives subscribers 4-5 sample and full size products for $10 a month. All of the beauty samples also come in a handy little makeup bag. I love that all of Ipsy's products come in these adorable bags because they are insanely useful for holding just about anything!

Dirty Little Secrets Cosmetics: Satin Lipstick in Vengeance

Receiving new lip products is my favorite part of getting my ipsy bag! I always get at least one new lip product and since I love trying new lip shades, ipsy is perfect for this. While I'm not in love with this shade - it's a little too bright for my taste - it will still work nicely in combination with some more muted shades. 

Tucker Ashley: Advanced Peptide Eye Complex

I'm always excited about trying new anti-aging products not really because I'm overly obsessed with preventing aging so much as I love feeling like I'm doing something good for my skin, so the more creams I can slather on my face the better - ha! This eye cream has a neutral smell and feels nice and cool on the skin. Plus, the sample is pretty big for an eye cream so it will last me quite a while.  

MARSK: Mineral Eyeshadow

Like I've mentioned in multiple past posts - eye shadow is still a product that I'm learning to use since it can be very tricky with the shape of my eyes. Since I already have a ton of eye shadow that I do not use very often, I really wasn’t looking to receive any more. I always indicate on my profile that I'm not interested in eye shadow but somehow I end up with an eye shadow in every bag. I wish I had the option to opt out of receiving certain products and really feel that this is somewhere that ipsy can work to improve. 

Promise Organic: Ultra Moisturizing Argan Crème Facial Lotion

I love receiving any type of facial lotion in my ipsy bags because I'm always looking for new and better moisturizing products! This one has a nice, natural smell and the consistency is thin. In my experience, many facial lotions have been too heavy and oily for my combination skin so I love that this facial lotion feels light and really feels like it's re-hydrating my face rather than dumping a layer of oil over it!

theBalm Cosmetics: Mr. Write (Now)

I've received a couple of past items from theBalm in my ipsy bag before but have yet to find a product that I'm really in love with.  I like that this eyeliner comes in a twist-up format but it didn't slide on as easily as I was hoping it would despite the fact that I'd primed my eyelids beforehand. 

Unfortunately, for now, I've decided to put a hold on my ipsy subscription. While this likely won't be a permanent cancellation because I do love trying out new beauty samples, I'm really not thrilled with the products I've received in the last couple of months and I don't feel like I'm getting my money's worth of products that are actually relevant to my personal preferences.

Maybe it's time I switched back to Birchbox or tried a new beauty box? I'm still trying to decide! If you've got a beauty box you think I should try, let me know! 

Shop Miss A Haul & Review!

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I absolutely love bargain hunting so when I heard about the new website Shop Miss A (via my favorite beauty vlogger Miss Emily Noel - check her out!), I knew I had to try it. While I appreciate the appeal of ahigh quality, well-made product, after learning in college about how much branding and marketing plays a part in our decisions, I always try to give new brands or shops a try. Plus, as a woman on a budget - a bargain product keeps my wallet happy (:

Everything on the Shop Miss A site is $1. Yes, you heard that right - $1! I decided to get a range of products to test out the quality and worthiness of the Shop Miss A products. I ordered a grand total of 31 items for an awesomely low $31 (You get free shipping for any purchases over $30! - hence the awkward number)

Make-up:

• Kleancolor: Retractable Eyebrow Pencil in Charcoal
• e.l.f. Essential Shine Eraser
• e.l.f. essential natural lash kit
• e.l.f. essential eyebrow stencil kit
• Santee Eyebrow Powder #4
• Santee Perfect Liquid Eyeliner
• Wonder Eyelash Curler in Pink
• Mixed Makeup Sponge Set
• LA Colors Chunky Lip Pencil in Crème Brulee
• Kleancolor madly matte lipstick in #28 rosewood
• Beauty Treats Lip Crayon in #4
• Kara Eyelash adhesive - clear
• Kara Eyelashes flare - short size
• Kara Eyelashes flare - medium size
• e.l.f. essential individual false lashes

The make-up products were really all over the board on this purchase. Since most of these brands were brands I'd never heard of, I made my purchases based on the product alone. Most of the products were middle of the line, "just ok" products but the Kleancolor lipstick and Beauty Treats lip crayon stood out to me the most - on opposite sides of the spectrum.  The Kleancolor lipstick's design and quality felt just like that of any other high quality lipstick I'd buy. Plus, I love the deep Rosewood shade. The Beauty Treats lip crayon, on the other hand, smelled so artificial that I had a hard time doing everyday things without being repulsed by its smell every couple of minutes. Unfortunately, I tossed the lip crayon after only a few uses.

While I won't be shopping for makeup on Shop Miss A regularly, I do think it is an awesome resource for trying out new products if you're not yet ready to invest too much and just want to experiment a little before committing to an unknown product. Since I've never tried false eyelashes before, I bought a variety of different false eyelash sizes and kits so that I could figure out what works best for my eyes! Given that everything was only $1, this was an awesome opportunity for me to try a new make-up product without having to break the bank.

Jewelry

• Ancient Metal Crescent Necklace
• Connected Stone Pendant Necklace in Orange
• Stone Drop Jacket Earrings in Blue
• Three Layer Stone Necklace in Teal
• Bead Drop Threader Earrings in White
• Vine Pearl Drop Earrings in Silver
• Crescent Threader Earrings in Purple
• Heart Front and Back Earrings in Gold
• Crystal Vine Linear Earrings
• Narrow Teardrop Earrings in White
• Dainty Vine Ear Cuff in Gold
• Endless Hoop Earrings in Silver

The jewelry I bought was definitely my favorite part of this Shop Miss A haul! While a couple of the pieces came a little bit loose, most of the jewelry looked like jewelry I would buy at any other store - but for a way lower price! I especially loved the statement necklaces - they appear to be well made and easily brighten up my outfits. Plus, I got to try a couple of trendy new threader and front/back earrings! Plus one for the accessories department of Shop Miss A!

Everything Else:

• Pink Dotted Washi Tape
• Plated Leaves Barrette in Silver
• Solid Colored Hair Ties in Multicolor

I also decided to try out a couple of their more miscellaneous categories. Since I'm constantly losing my hair ties, I threw in a pack of hair ties for good measure. Unfortunately, I wasn't too thrilled with the hair ties since they ended up being a lot thinner than I had expected and since I have pretty thick hair, they haven't been holding up too well. I'm also a huge stationary junkie so I was excited about the $1 washi tape (especially since washi tape can get very expensive), however, I was sorely disappointed because there was hardly any washi tape on the roll! On the plus side, though, I am in love with the leaves hair barrette - it's adorable and looks fantastic in an updo! I guess with any purchase, you win some and you lose some, right?

Overall Verdict:

Overall, my experience with Shop Miss A has been positive. While the quality of everything wasn't the greatest, I wasn't really expecting too much in the first place since everything was so cheap. In total, it was definitely worth the $31 I paid for the whole lot. I received a bunch of stylish accessories that I will definitely be wearing in the future and got the opportunity to try a ton of other products without making a huge investment in experimental new trends! While I don't think I'll be looking to Shop Miss A for any of my regular makeup purchases, I'll probably hop on a couple of times every season to take a quick look at any new accessory or makeup trends I want to test out.

Have you tried out Shop Miss A? How was your experience? I’d love to hear your thoughts! 

Ipsy Glam Bag: December 2015

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I fell in love with subscription boxes when I started in 2012 witha subscription to Birchbox. Since then, I have fallen in and out of love with different boxes, but I'm always excited to try new boxes. I love coming home to a package in the mail and getting to try new beauty samples without having to spend money on full-size products. I originally subscribed simply because I loved the idea of getting a little gift every month, but I've since found that beauty boxes have actually helped curb my makeup buying habits. I find that (contrary to popular belief) I actually buy less makeup since I know that I will always get a new lip product or nail polish every couple of months

Ipsy is a monthly beauty subscription that gives subscribers 4-5 sample and full size products for $10 a month. All of the beauty samples also come in a handy little makeup bag. I love that all of Ipsy's products come in these adorable bags because they are insanely useful for holding just about anything!

Pacifica: Power of Love Natural Lipstick

My favorite thing about this lipstick is that it almost doesn't feel like I'm putting on a lipstick when I'm applying it. The design of the tube and the consistency of the lipstick both feel more like a lip balm than anything else which makes applying the lipstick much smoother and easier. The lipstick color goes on a little bit more orangey than what the lipstick itself looks like but other than that, I'm happy with this one! 

Briogeo: Curl Charisma Leave-In Crème

With a recently cut curly lob hairstyle, I was excited to receive this product because I'm looking to try more curl creams that will help hold my curls with the newly shortened hair. I really like the consistency of this cream - it's very thin and feels almost like water on your fingertips. It smells fresh and doesn't feel too crusty or oily on my hair. It doesn't really do too much to hold my curls but would be good for helping to define slightly wavy hair.

Peony Cosmetics: Shadow Trio

The shades on this shadow trio look beautiful! When I swatched the shades on my arm they were much sparkly than they look in the palette so beware of this if you're going for a subtle look and planning on using these shades! The eye shadows come in a tiny little container that is incredibly portable and easy to use for travel. As I've said time and time again, however, eye shadows don't work extremely well with my monolids- yet I keep receiving them in my ipsy bag despite my specified preferences. I will be re-gifting this item to someone else and hoping that ipsy listens to preferences for my next bag!

Elizabeth Mott: Thank Me Later Eye Shadow Primer

Like the last sample, I wasn't too thrilled to receive eye shadow primer since I do not use eye shadow often and have indicated this on my ipsy profile before. This eye shadow primer is a little bit more on the oily side than eye shadow primers I've used in the past but since I do not use this type of product much, I'm not sure if this changes it's effectiveness. I'll be giving this away with the shadow trio above. 

Jersey Shore Cosmetics: Vanilla Bean Anti-aging Lip & Hand Polish

This is my favorite beauty sample from this month's bag! My lips get dry very easily and exfoliating them regularly is something I have been intending to do for some time. This product is perfect because the brown sugar in it exfoliates gently without being too rough on the lips. I also love that the brown sugar gives the polish a nice sugary smell/taste that pairs well with the vanilla scent.

I loved the lipstick and the lip polish included in this bag but wasn't too thrilled with the eye shadow products ipsy sent in my bag. I plan to stick it out at least 3-6 more months but I'm really looking for a beauty bag that is more customizable and won't send me products that I've already indicated I do not use. I'm disappointed since ipsy has been so good to me for the past year, but maybe that means it's time to try another beauty subscription- If you have any suggestions for me, let me know!