August Ipsy Bag

I received my August Ipsy Glam bag in the mail yesterday. I have to say, I was less than thrilled with this month’s items.  This is my 3rd month subscribing to Ipsy and the past 2 haven’t been so great. I’m hoping the more I review items and re-take the Beauty Test, the better my bags will get.  Here are my first impressions of the items I got.

Jersey Shore Sun Mongongo Nutrient Dense Anti-Aging Lip Conditioner. Let me start off by saying I love lip balms. I have at least 6 different lip balms and glosses floating around in my purse at all times. I am always open to trying new lip products. But I HATE this lip balm. It feels okay on my lips but it smells TERRIBLE! The flavor/scent of this balm is Mandarin Green Orange Ginger but it smells like old tea bags to me. (As weird as that sounds.) Maybe other flavors of this balm of are better,  but this one is no bueno. I will definitely be throwing this in the trash.

Next up is Klorane Extra-Gentle Dry Shampoo with Oat Milk.  I wasn’t happy or sad about getting this product in my bag.  I’m just kind of in the ‘meh’ region. I’ve never used a dry shampoo before so I guess I will give it a try now.  I haven’t used this product on my hair yet, but I sprayed some on my hand and it has a very strong hairspray-type smell which I guess is okay.  Again, not very excited about this product. Its just kind of whatever.

Next is J Cat Beauty Flying Solo eyeshadow in Half Naked.  I have a slight obsession with eyeshadow. It is probably the product I buy the most of when it comes to makeup. I have never heard of J Cat Beauty before, but the formulation of this shadow seems to be pretty good. I’m not crazy about the shade they sent me. Its a peachy-light orange color. When I swatched it on my hand, it mostly appeared as just a shimmer tone.  Perhaps a darker color would have suited me better, but I’m not terribly impressed with this item either.

Here we have a sample size of Coastal Scents Forever Blush. Other than its tiny size, this is probably the product that pleased me the most. I have heard of Coastal Scents before, but have never purchased any of their products. I really like the shades of these blushes and they seem to have great pigmentation.  Next to eyeshadow, blush is also a product I buy a lot of.  I have only swatched these blushes on my hand, so I am anxious to see how they look on my cheeks.

Last up is Urban Decay 24/7 Velvet Glide-On eye pencil. This is a really great product. As the name suggests, this eye liner goes on very smooth and velvety. It has impeccable pigmentation, and stays on well. The only downfall of this product is that they sent it to me in Plushie which is basically purple. I wear purple eyeliner once in a blue moon so unfortunately I don’t think I’ll get much wear out of this liner. Other than the shade, this seems to be another great product from Urban Decay.

Needless to say I was not overjoyed with my Ipsy this month. I’m hoping for a much better bag next month. While I love giving new products and brands a try, I am hoping Ipsy will start to send me products and shades that I will actually use.

-Kimberly

July Favorites

 

This is my first Favorites post! Many of the items featured here are things I have mentioned in previous posts, but I love them so much I just have to share them again! Here are the 7 products that made my July radiant:

Maybelline Pumped Up Colossal Volum’ Express mascara. Good grief, could that name be any longer? This mascara is THE best on the market, in my opinion. The formula is amazing, the wand is amazing, the packaging is amazing, and it really does pump up your lashes. It is awesome. Do yourself a favor and go buy it.

Got2b Crazy Sleek 4 Days flat iron and blow dry lotion. I’m usually all about salon-brand hair products. There are very few drugstore products that actually treat my heavily-highlighted hair well. I bought this product on a whim from TJ Maxx for $3.99. The label says this product is for coarse hair, but my hair is far from coarse and this did wonderfully on my hair. I put about 5 pumps of this product throughout my hair and combed it through before blow drying. My hair turned out so soft and glossy. I was completely shocked at the quality of this product. Like I said, I usually swear by salon-brand products, but  this lotion is definitely worth giving a try.

I have mentioned this Maybelline Dream Fresh BB Cream a million and a half times. I LOVE this product. The label declares this product blurs impections, enhances, brightens, adjusts to skin-tone, smooths, hydrates, has SPF 30, and has no oils or other heavy ingredients. I can confirm that this BB Cream does all of these things.  This product is perfect for summer or anyone who prefers lightweight makeup. It blends beautifully, it lasts all day, and is great for sensitive skin.

Lorac Tantalizer highlighter and matte bronzer duo. This is another product I have recently mentioned. If you are new to contouring, this is the product for you. It is so easy to use and looks great on light skin-tones.

Loreal Infallible eyeshadow in Amber Rush.  This is one of the best drugstore brand eyeshadow singles on the market. This is an incredibly pigmented shadow and this shade is to die for. This shadow is a bronzey-rose gold color.  Jaclyn Hill used this shadow in her drugstore makeup tutorial. Like she says in her video, this shadow is definitely applied best with the finger rather than a brush. This is such a great shade and formula that I am definitely planning on trying other Infallible shadows in different colors.

Clear Clinic Laboratories Vanished  Clear Spot Treatment. I received this sample-size product in my lastest Ipsy bag. I don’t usually venture out into blemish-fighting products because, well, they usually just don’t work. I usually get a couple of breakouts once a month and this product arrived just in time for them. The label says you can apply this treatment up to four times daily, but I just applied once a night. I woke up the next morning to visibly smaller blemishes. As far as acne products go, this is the best thing I have tried thus far. I will definitely be purchasing the full-size treatment when I run out.

Last, but not least, the Lorac Unzipped palette. This is another product I have already raved about in previous posts. I love this palette and all its neutral, rose gold, and brown glory. If you are a natural eye makeup person, this is the palette for you. Every shade is phenomenal, they are pigmented, but not overly bold, and they apply and blend so well.

So there are my July Favorites! I love trying new products and will definitely continue to do a monthly post on favorites. Leave me some suggestions on products to try in the month of August!

-Kimberly

Throw the Party of the Month? Nah- the Party of the Year!

If you know the song from which this post got its title from, then high five to you for being a 90s/00s  pre-teen.

Today was my last day of school for the semester. To say that I am excited is the understatement of the year! Going to school during the summer just really isn’t that fun.  So naturally, a party is in order-even if the only party-goer is myself!  After getting out of class today, I partied my way over to Ulta and found the most fitting gift for myself.

This is Ulta’s Get Ready for the Party Color Collection. As you can see, the original price of the 6-piece set was $30, but I found it on the clearance rack for $9.97!  I immediately threw this set into my shopping bag.

The following products were included in this box set:

-Lorac Behind the Scenes eye primer

-Butter London nail lacquer in Rosie Lee

-Napoleon loose eye dust in Pink Champagne

-Pur Minerals Mineral Glow bronzer

-Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes! mascara

-Laura Geller City Lights lip gloss

I have used the Lorac eye primer and Tarte mascara before and love both of these products. I am so excited to try the rest of these products. I love finding good deals on makeup. Especially high-end brands!  As you can see, my party-of-one turned out to be pretty great.  I also picked up a few other products in addition to these which I’ll talk more about later on.

I’m so glad to have a 2 and a half week break from school and will definitely being making lots of new posts during my time off.

-Kimberly

Top Ten Maybelline Products

 

In my previous post, I mentioned that NYX was one of favorite drugstore brands of makeup. Maybelline would definitely be up there with my favorites as well. Anytime I’m in my local drugstore or Target, I always gravitate towards the Maybelline section first. I own lots of Maybelline makeup and have so many products that I love from them, but I thought I would comprise a list of ten of my all time favorites from Maybelline. This was a pretty hard list to make, but these are the products I would recommend to anyone to try.

Pumped Up Colossal Volum Express mascara. Jaclyn Hill mentioned this product in her June favorites video and I almost immediately went out and bought it. This is a fantastic mascara. The formula is great and the brush is perfect for adding lots of volume to the lashes.

This is also I product I recently bought. For the summer, I wanted to switch to a light-weight coverage as opposed to my usual foundation. I love this BB Cream. It is sheer and light, but also corrects uneven tones in my skin as well leaving it feel hydrated and fresh. Plus, it has 30 SPF, which is perfect when spending time outdoors.

I love these Color Whisper lip colors. I bought my first in the shade Coral Ambition. It is a beautiful peachy-pink tone and doesn’t overpower my other makeup. I love bright colors, but I have always been weary of wearing those tones on my lips. Color Whisper sticks are perfect for someone who is looking for just a touch of color. These lip colors don’t leave my lips feeling dried out- which I love.

This is my most recent Maybelline purchase. I love the way this product looks and feels on my skin. Just as the name would depict, its leaves my face feeling incredibly smooth. This is a great product to use as a face primer.

This is the one and only drugstore brand foundation that I actually like. It gives good coverage, isn’t heavy on the skin, and matches skin tones really well. The Maybelline Fit Me line also includes powders, bronzers, and concealers to complement the foundation.

I always have a Baby Lips stashed away in my purse. I love these lip products. These sticks are SUPER hydrating and come in a wide variety of colors. I own three Baby Lips and will definitely be purchasing more.

Before I discovered the Pumped Up Colossal mascara, Colossal Volum was my go-to mascara. Though Pumped Up has knocked this product out of it’s daily use spot, I still really love this mascara. I love the formula of this product, and the brush is great for really accentuating the lashes. Glam Black is my favorite of this mascara.

I love to use this Mineral Power Illuminator in Peach as a highlight or blush. This product is shimmery without being glittery. It adds a really nice look to the cheeks and is a product I have bought often.

Finding a good liquid eyeliner can be quite a project.  When it comes to drugstore brand, this Master Duo eyeliner is the one I’ve found that works best for me. This product goes on smooth and even and dries quick.  The applicator has a broad face for bold lines and a fine edge for smaller lines.

Maybelline puts out some really great nail polishes. I love the Color Show Polka Dots collection. I own a few different bottles, but Clearly Spotted is the one that I use most often. Its great to wear on top of other polishes or by itself. It almost looks like splatter paint on the nails which I think is really fun.

So there you have it! I really love Maybelline products and it was really hard to narrow it down to 10 products. Did your favorite Maybelline product get left off the list? Leave me a comment and share some of your favorites with me.

-Kimberly

Product Review: NYX Dream Catcher Palette

 

Anytime I find myself at my local Ulta, I can never seem to resist the desire to pick up something from NYX. As far as drugstore brands goes, NYX is definitely one of my favorites.  The Dream Catcher palettes were at the bottom of the eyeshadow display and almost didn’t catch my attention. These NYX palettes come in three different shades. I picked up Dusk til Dawn.

This palette includes 10 shades ranging from a light cream, golds, browns, and black. Even though NYX is a brand I trust, I’m always weary to buy drugstore brand shadows. I’m very picky about the pigmentation of my eyeshadows and 9 times out of 10, drugstore shadows just don’t make the cut.  I was pleasantly surprised by how awesome this palette was. These shadows have beautiful pigmentation and blend really well. Here are the swatches:

Considering I only paid $14.99 for this palette, I was so thrilled to see bold and lasting colors show up when I swatched them. I am all about neutral tones and this palette has easily become one of my favorites for everyday use. The packaging of this palette is much more durable than some previous NYX products I’ve used, so I was pleased to see the Dream Catcher palette was made with good, reliable plastic.

Final Verdict:

Would I recommend this palette? YES. For $14.99, this palette is very high quality, has a wide variety of beautiful shades, is incredibly pigmented, blends well, and is packaged well.

To learn more about the Dream Catcher palettes and other NYX products, click here.