January Ipsy Bag Unbagging

This month's theme for Ipsy is Start Fresh which I think is fitting for January, it's the start of a new year and an opportunity to start fresh with some things. The bag this month is very simple, it's made of a kind of heavy textured vinyl. It has a orange zipper with the signature "Ipsy" zipper pull and it's white on one side and a royal blue on the opposite side. It's very different and yet so simple at the same time in my opinion.

For those of you who are not real familiar with Ipsy here's a little breakdown of what it is...Ipsy is a monthly beauty subscription that you sign up for. It costs $10 a month and they bill you on the first of the month every month. Shipping usually starts around the middle of the month and they start giving out little sneak peeks of what is all going to be in the bags for the month. They start the sneak peeks around the first of the month. Right around the 10th or 12th of the month they open up your "Glam Room" and it will show you what you will be getting in your bag. You get roughly 5 products in your bags and the items they choose for you are somewhat based on the beauty quiz you take when you sign up. Each product is usually a deluxe sized sample and there is usually at least one item that is full sized. You can re-take the quiz at any time if you are not satisfied with the types of products you are getting. Your products are packed inside a cute little make-up bag that is designed for the theme for the month. If you are interested in signing up I will give you my link here. Check out this link for more information and to sign up.

The first item I received in my bag was an item I actually already own but I'm happy to have another one. It is the Real Techniques Fine Liner Brush. It is "the ultimate tool for precision application of liquid or cream eyeliner. The ultra-plush synthetic bristles are hand-cut and 100% cruelty free. Its extended aluminum handle is light and easy to use to make you look pixel-perfect even in the harshest of lights!" I have actually not tried this brush out yet (not even the one I already owned) but I plan to try it out real soon. I have a feeling I am going to love this for perfecting my application of liquid, cream, or gel liner.

Then next item I received in my bag was the J. Cat Beauty Fantabulous Gel Liner. I was really excited to get this item because I have been wanting to try out gel liner. I used to be horrible at eye liner application no matter what I tried but now with practice I'm starting to get better. Now I want to perfect my winged liner look. This gel liner is intense yet it has a smooth creamy texture that lasts all day long and is smudge-proof! The color I got was Blue Black which I am assuming (because I haven't tried it yet) is like a jet black shade.

The next item I got I think will go well with my new gel liner. It is the Pacifica Natural Mineral Coconut Eyeshadow in the shade Ethereal which is a shimmery champagne shade. This has an "incredibly innovative formula that pushes natural makeup and mineral color to new bounds. Rich, lasting, creaseless eye shadows are infused with coconut water for a velvety, cream-like finish. Formulated without: Phthalates, parabens, carmine, beeswax, lanolin, mineral oils, propylene glycol, petroleum and FD& C colors (along with other nasties you do not want on your skin). No animal testing. Gluten-free, 100% vegan and cruelty-free." I can't wait to use this along with the liner I got!

I also received the Manna Kadar Cosmetics Sheer Glo shimmer lotion. It is an incandescent liquid that lights up skin with all over radiance. Mix with foundation or wear alone to provide a luminous glow for all skin types. An especially amazing product for mature or dry skin. Sheer Glo provides a youthful glow and dewy finish. Use on face and/or body and get glowing." I'm not sure if I will use this much but I might try to play around with it. I did rub some on the back of my hand and it did have a nice glow without being overwhelming with shimmer or glitter.

The last item I got in my bag was something that I'm not sure I will use but I'll hang on to it because you never know when I'll want something like this to add to my skincare routine. It is the Nourish Organic Renewing Eye Cream. It says it "provides rich hydration to the delicate skin around the eyes. This powerful product will leave your eyes looking brighter, smoother and younger looking. The Key Ingredients are:
• Avocado Oil - Restores and protects skin, while helping retain clarity and brightness.
• Moroccan Argan Oil - Packed with restorative omega fatty acids to intensely hydrate and replenish.
• Shea Butter - Deeply moisturizes and softens skin."

I had been debating on whether or not I wanted to cancel my Ipsy subscription because I was starting to accumulate a lot of stuff that I haven't used yet but when I seen what I was getting in my Glam Room I was very pleased with the products and knew that I couldn't quit!

2015 Zoya Naturel Satins Collection

****PRESS SAMPLE****

The next generation of Zoya Naturel is almost here! Introducing, Zoya Naturel Satins, a collection of six new, neutral nail polish colors in an ultra-wearable, low-sheen, chic satin finish. A hybrid between matte and glossy polishes, the new Zoya Satin* formula provides opaque coverage and is longer lasting than traditional matte shades. The flawlessly smoothfinish hides imperfections and creates a luxurious, satin finish nail look.

Zoya says that these satins are not intended to be worn with a top coat. For best results: Prep nail with Zoya Remove Plus Nail Polish Remover, apply base coat and finish with 2 thin coats of any Zoya Satin Nail Polish.

The finish on these reminds me a little of the wax finish of a couple of Cult Nails polishes I have. These went on fairly good, I didn't have any problems with the formula and they dried in an average amount of time. I used 2 coats for all the swatches of these. The only thing that I didn't really care for is that if you have any brush marks it showed up, not horribly bad but it still showed. I think that for most people it isn't going to be a problem but I think it's just me, I know it's there so then I see it. Honestly though you really can't see the brush marks on the few that I had. For me I will just take a little extra time with my application and then it will come out perfectly. Maybe I had the brush marks because I was in a little bit of a rush and my hand was shaking a little (sometimes I get a shaky hand, I don't know why, it just happens towards the end of the day).

First up I have Leah, Leah is a lavender tinged taupe. On me the lavender tinge is very slight and it looks more taupe on me.

Next I have Rowan. Rowan is a creamy suede taupe. This one on me is a very creamy taupe and looks a little like a light light brown on me (that's just my skin tone I think).

 

This one is Sage. Sage is a mossy sage green. This one is like a light khaki green on me. It's a lot prettier than I thought it would be, I thought this one would be my least favorite but it's not.

 

Next up is Tove. Tove is a misty slate grey. I really like this one and for some reason on me it has a bit of a dusty blue tinge to it. This is very pretty and elegant.

 

This is Brittany. Brittany is a rose mauve cream. This one is my favorite, to me it is a very pretty dusty rose color that is so perfect in the satin finish.

 

The last one in this collection I have to show you is Ana. Ana is a light toasted almond. This one on me looks more like a beige on me and I'm not sure how I like it. I'll have to wear it some more to get the feel of it.

I was really quite pleased with these and surprised I liked them as much as I did. There were a couple colors that I just didn't like they way they looked on me, those were Rowan and Sage. I just think they didn't go well with my skin tone. I know I'll still use them. I think that these are the perfect transition into Spring.

 

I think that my favorites out of the bunch are Brittany, Tove, and surprisingly Sage. Leah and Rowan I like but they aren't at the top of my list, I really have to be in the mood for a neutral like these when I wear them. Ana I am just not sure about so I can't say where it sits on my list. You should get these and try them out for yourself, you'll love the satin finish and I'm sure you'll find a few favorites that will help you transition into Spring!

 

These retail for $9 each and are available on Zoya's site now and I'm sure will be available at Ulta stores and select salons soon.

Lime Crime Velvetines in Cashmere

Today I am sharing with you my latest lippie obsession. This is the Lime Crime Velevetines Matte Liquid Lipstick in the shade Cashmere. Cashmere is described as a greige (beige/grey). This one does look different on everyone in my opinion. It just depends on your skin tone on how it's going to look on you. I am totally loving this one and have been wearing it for like the last week to work.

Lime Crime Velvetines has a ground breaking formula that goes on liquid and dries completely matte. They are touch-proof, transfer-proof, and long wearing. I have worn this several times and I can honestly say that it really is transfer-proof and long wearing. I have put it on in the morning and didn't have to retouch at all during my work day (I work about 9 hours a day), I have even still had it on when I went to wash my make up off at the end of the day. It really is comfortable and doesn't feel like my lips are dry or uncomfortable.

This shade was one that sold out quickly when it first came available and I was lucky and got one as soon as they restocked at the beginning of July. As of today it is still available on Lime Crime's site. The Velvetines are available in 9 shades with a new one coming soon. I would love to purchase a couple more because I am really into a matte lip lately and these really hold up all day long. I am thinking of getting Red Velvet (the perfect matte red), Suedeberry(a matte coral red), and Pink Velvet (bright matte pink). I'm also thinking of the new shade that is coming out soon Riot, Riot will be an earthy reddish-brown matte. Utopia (a matte vibrant orchid) and Pansy (a true, rich velvety purple) are two others that have caught my eye but I am just really not sure how they will look on me. They have a nice doe foot applicator and I love that the tube is frosted with the pretty pink flowers on the red cap of the applicator.

As you can see in the swatch picture above, Cashmere is listed as a greige but with my skin tone it has a little mauvey tone to it. I love the way it looks on me and I really love the feel of it on my lips. I highly recommend that if you love a matte lip you should most definitely try the Velvetines from Lime Crime. Below is a swatch pic of it on my lips. That matte finish of it does sort of accentuate the lines in my lips but that doesn't bother me, I'm still going to wear this baby every chance I get.

Lime Crime is based in Los Angeles, California and their products are only available through their site. You can check their site out here. The Velvetines Lipsticks retail for $20 plus shipping or if you spend $50 or more you get free shipping. Below is a selfie with me wearing Cashmere on my lips. It really is the perfect matte nude lip!

Zoya Chevron Skittle Mani

Today I just have a pretty simple skittle mani using some Zoya shades I have. I had been sick for a week with a nasty chest cold that was totally kicking my butt when I did this but I was sick of seeing my nails naked so I mustered up every ounce of energy I had to do my nails. I wanted to do something more detailed for the nail art but I couldn't stop coughing enough to get my hand to be steady enough for free hand nail art.

I started out with my base coat of Sally Hansen Maximum Growth and then put Zoya Willa from the Wishes Collection on my thumb, pointer finger, and pinky finger. I then put Zoya Purity on my middle finger and Zoya Trixie on my ring finger.

I then took my mini chevron nail vinyls that I got from Linda at Nail Vinyls. I love her stencils/nail vinyls for making some nail art so simple and easy to do. It's so easy that anyone can do it. I put the mini chevron nail vinyls on my middle finger leaving an open space in between each one so that when I remove them the white below will show through.

I then took my small striping brush and painted Willa and Trixie alternating in the open spots between the nail vinyls. As soon as I was finished painting Willa and Trixie on I removed the nail vinyls to reveal my finished look.

I waited a little bit for the colors to dry on my chevrons so that when I applied my top coat of Out The Door they would not smear.

Zoya polishes can be purchased at Ulta stores, select salons, and Zoya's site here. Regular Zoya polishes retail for $9 each and their PixieDusts retail for $10 each. I hope you liked this mani and hopefully I'll be feeling well enough soon to do some more nail art for you.

Maybelline Brow Drama brow gel

This item I am going to show you has now been my go to eyebrow product and I'm thinking I'm going to have to purchase another one soon so that I have one on hand when I run out of this one. This is the Maybelline Brow Drama Sculpting Brow Mascara. It's like a tinted brow gel that you brush on your brows with the spoolie. I got it in the shade Soft Brown and I purchased it at my local Walmart for I believe it was $6.97 and I had a coupon for $2 off so I got it for roughly $4.97. It is available in 3 shades; Blonde, Soft Brown, and Deep Brown.

The spoolie brush has a ball at the end of it which is what I mainly use to apply. I don't really know why they have the spoolie extending up past the "ball" end because you really can't use that part of the brush. Oh well, I guess they thought that some people would like it. It doesn't bother me, I just don't use that part so I don't care if it extends up or not. You apply it in light upwards strokes on your brows and follow the brow contour. It's so easy and makes my brows look amazing!!

It really does make my brows look fuller, sculpted, and yet natural looking. It is comfortable and doesn't make my brows feel like they are hard or stiff. It dries to a natural finish without making them look shiny or "done". Below is a picture of the product applied to my brows, I naturally have very light colored brows so without anything on my brows it almost looks like I don't have any. I'm not sure why my brows are so light considering my hair is naturally a dark blonde, light brown (maybe it's because when I was younger I had naturally super light blonde hair and my eyebrows didn't change with my hair, lol). I just really love this product and for the price it is super affordable, you can't pass up having a product like this in your beauty bag.

You can purchase this product at a multitude of locations such as Ulta, Walmart, Target, and many other stores/drug stores, wherever Maybelline products are sold.

Kat Von D Lock-It Tattoo Foundation

I've got another Kat Von D product to share with you and I am so excited to share! I don't know if I've told you before but I have Rosacea on my face. Rosacea is a hyperpigmentation of the skin usually on the forehead, nose/apples of the cheeks, and chin area. It looks like you are just either rosy or really red depending on how your skin is that day. I do tend to get a little dryer in these areas in the winter months too. The amount of redness I have varies every day depending on how my skin is feeling, what I'm doing, and factors like that. I know that after I wash my face it's really red and looks like I was super harsh on scrubbing but I wasn't.

Because of my Rosacea I've been on the hunt for a good foundation that gives me an even skintone, covers my Rosacea, and doesn't look cakey or irritate my skin. One day I decided to stop in to my local Sephora and ask the girls working what they would suggest for me and the girl helping me (the service I got there was AMAZING) suggested the Kat Von D Lock-It Tattoo Foundation. It is a high-pigment foundation for full coverage with a long-lasting, beautiful finish. "Kat created this foundation to provide exceptional coverage, without compromising a smooth, striking finish. Formulated with 21 percent pigment, this powerful formula was developed to match a broad range of skintones with bold coverage—the proprietary pigments can even effectively cover tattoos. The combination of raw materials and the best siliconic elastomers and siliconic esters provide 24-hour wear with transfer resistance. Natural polymers absorb oil for a matte, soft finish and the added emollients provide a velvety texture for perfectly smooth, hydrated skin."*

It is without parabens and synthetic fragrances. It does not irritate my skin and when used with a foundation primer it gave me amazingly smooth coverage that lasted all day long! I have used it without a primer (only because I was in a hurry and forgot to apply my primer) and still had great coverage and it still lasted all day long. I love that it doesn't move around my face after hours of wear and I don't get shiny halfway through the day.

The above photo is a side by side of my face without any makeup on to give you an idea of what this stuff has to cover. You can see on the left that my chin, just above my eyebrows, and the apples of my cheeks are rosy but not real red (this is a good day, no flare ups). I took that picture before bed in the bathroom with flash. The photo on the left is my face with a complete makeup look that I did for work. You can see that my face is smooth and the tone is even and smooth looking. You can see no trace of the redness I have underneath. The photo below is just the same picture that is on the right in the above photo but it's the full face shot. Again I cannot say it enough, I LOVE the coverage of this foundation and it is one that I will definitely be re-purchasing again before I run out of this one.

 This is a bottle with a pump on it and it retails for $34 which I think is a good price for such a great product. I apply mine with a blending brush and you have to blend it quickly because it sets really fast. I have heard other people say that it also blends really well with a beauty blender but I don't have a beauty blender to try and let you know what I think. I am in the shade Light 45 and this has a wide range of shades for people of all skin tones. You can purchase this on Sephora's site or in Sephora stores. I recommend going to the store the first time you purchase it so that you can get matched for the correct shade.


*description taken from Sephora's site.

Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick

Today I am going to share with you my thoughts on the Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick I bought. This is a long wear, full coverage liquid lipstick that dries to a smooth matte finish. I bought it in the shade Underage Red, it is a bright crimson red and you'll see in the pictures that it is bright but not neon bright. It's just a nice perfect red matte lipstick.

The Everlasting Liquid Lipsticks are infused with Vitamins A, C, and E for added hydration. It is formulated without parabens. They suggest that for application you should draw lip outline with the applicator tip and then fill in color in one easy swipe of rich color. Ingredients for Underage Red are: lsododecane, Cyclopentasiloxane, Trimethylsioxysilicate, Kaolin, Dimethicone, Polybutene, Silica Dimethyl Silylate, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Beeswax, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Propylene Carbonate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Carthamus Tinctorius (Safflower) Seed Oil, Rosa Canina Flower Extract. May Contain (+/-): lron Oxide (CI 77491), lron Oxide (CI 77492), lron Oxide (CI 77499), Titanium Dioxide (Cl 77891), Red 7 Lake (Cl 15850:1), Red 30 Lake (Cl 73360), Yellow 5 Lake (Cl 19140:1), Red 28 Lake (Cl 45410:2), Red 6 (CI 15850).*

It has a doe foot applicator and the only thing I found that I don't care for too much is that the applicator wand is a little longer than normal ones so it takes a little getting used to for good application. It isn't going to stop me from using this or stop me from purchasing again but I thought I'd let you know so that you are aware.  I didn't really find that it feathered or bled and I really did have long wear. This stuff really stays on, I could only remove it with some make up removing wipes. It didn't dry out my lips and at first when you apply it, it feels a little sticky but once it's completely dry the stickiness was gone and it had a beautiful matte finish. It did finally fade after like 5 or 6 hours but it only faded a little and it faded very evenly. I did eat and drink with this and there really wasn't any transfer either. I really love this product and it truly does live up to it's name.

This is a 0.22oz tube and it retails for $19 on Sephora's site and in Sephora stores. This photo below is just another shot of me wearing Underage Red to give you an idea of what it looks like on. The photo above is a close-up swatch picture that was taken indoors with flash. I know it looks a little shiny but it really is matte once it's completely dry.

*Ingredient list was taken from Sephora's site.

Zoya 3 FREE & Mystery Trio Promo Announcement

NEW YEAR, NEW HUE

 

A New Year means new colors to discover & fresh looks to try. Start 2015 on an extra colorful note with your choice of 3Zoya Nail Polish shades free PLUS a mini trio (0.25oz) of three (3)exclusive mystery colors*! We don’t want to spoil the surprise BUT we can tell you that the mystery shades were selected by Creative Director, Rebecca Isa, as perfect transitional shades and have never been available for purchase previously.That's not all... for this promotion only, we're opening up shipping to our friends inCanada**as well!

 

Get ANY 3 Zoya Nail Polish shades
PLUS 3 Mystery Colors FREE***!
Just pay promotional shipping & processing charge of $15 (USD)

BONUS: Buy an additional $25 of product to get FREE Standard Ground Shipping on your entire order.

 

Use Code: NYNH

Offer valid 1/7/15 – 1/14/15 (11:59pm EST)

 

*Mystery shades have never been available for retail sales and will not be available for individual (open stock) purchase. The three shades will be available exclusively in mini (0.25oz) sizes as part of the mystery gift only.

**International processing fee applies for orders outside of the US. International fee includes pre-payment of all duties and miscellaneous fees. Certain dollar amount and weight restrictions may apply. Any orders shipped to Alaska or Hawaii may incur additional freight charges. Customer will be notified of charges prior to order shipment. International shipping available to consumer accounts only.

***Terms & Conditions
Shipping & Processing fee of $15 applies. Valid online at www.zoya.com 1/7/15 – 1/14/15 (11:59pm EST). Excludes Zoya Nail Treatments and Delight and Satins Collections. US and Canada only. Not valid in conjunction with other coupons, codes or gift with purchase items. Returns or exchanges of promotional items not permitted. Art of Beauty is not responsible for incorrect addresses, credit card entry errors, declined credit cards or web related issues. Limit one code per order. Code must be entered at the time of purchase – code cannot be reinstated on canceled orders.Orders will begin shipping at the completion of the promotional period

 

- Please allow up to 5 weeks for processing if volume warrants it.

 

 

BIG5FREE: Zoya Nail Polish Formula contains no formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin, dibutyl phthalate, toluene or camphor.