March Ipsy Glam Bag

Today I am going to share my March Ipsy Glam Bag with you. This month's theme is Floral Fantasy.

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.

As always included with your bag is a little card with the theme on it and either has more information about the theme, the Ipsy beauty vloggers, or inspirational quotes. The bag this month is a pretty blue floral print with the signature "Ipsy" zipper pull. The material of this bag is the same as last month's material, it's a nice coated fabric that is heavier than regular fabric.

The first item I got in my bag was this NYX Cosmetics Butter Lipstick in the shade Little Susie. This shade is kind of a pinky color. I love these lipsticks because not only are they affordable but they are very comfortable on your lips. They don't dry out my lips at all. This was a full sized product.

The second item I got was the Sexy Hair Soy Renewal Creme Oil. This is a luxurious styling crème made of the lines staple blend of soy, cocoa and argan oil. Soy Renewal Crème Oil gives lightweight conditioning and moisturizing that helps hair look and feel extra healthy! I have not tried this yet so I am not sure how well it works or if I like it. This was a travel sized product.

The third item I got is the Chella Ivory Lace Highlighter, this is formulated for light skin tone so it should work well on me. Chella says it is a neutral pencil that will brighten and visibly lift your eyes when lightly applied on the brow bone, dark circles, blemishes and red spots. In addition, this multi-purpose pencil can be used to brighten and “open” the eye area by applying to the water line and inner corners of the eye. I haven't used it yet but I am really looking forward to trying it out real soon! This is a full sized pencil.

My fourth item I got was the Dr. Brandt Skincare Pores No More Anti-aging Mattifying Lotion. This is a deluxe sample sized. This is a lightweight lotion formulated with apple stem cells to help delay the natural signs of aging by maintaining the longevity and activity of stem cells in the skin. Simultaneously, retinol stimulates new cell turnover and improves the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. They say it is "oil-free, helps delay the natural signs of aging by maintaining the longevity & activity of stem cells in the skin. Also stimulates new cell turnover, improving the appearance of lines & wrinkles and increases water reserves, limits water loss & improves lipid barrier function to balance moisture levels". I haven't tried it yet but I will be giving it a try real soon.

The final item I got was the Marsk Mineral Eyeshadow in the shade Lucky Penny. I believe this is a full sized product. They are 100% natural, mineral based loose powder. Featuring a creamy texture, this highly pigmented powder is easily blendable and offers the ability to create depth and intensity around the eye. I have not tried it out yet but it looks to be a copper color and I've heard it's really pigmented.


That is all I got in my bag this month and I was pleased with most of the items. The styling creme and mattifying lotion I'm not sure about yet but that's just because I have really sensitive skin so I'm always unsure of how my skin will react to something new. I am sure that I will use the mattifying lotion but I am just not sure how I will like the styling creme in my hair, I don't put a lot of stuff in my hair because it is fine and I don't want to weigh it down and I hate that when it does.

Stay tuned for next month's Ipsy Glam bag and I'm excited to see what the theme for April will be.

OPI My Voice Is A Little Norse

Today I have a nice little glitter polish from the OPI Fall 2014 Nordic Collection. This is "My Voice Is A Little Norse". This is a clear base with small silver holographic square glitters. You can wear this on it's own or as a top coat over another color. I should have taken some pictures of it over another color to show you how gorgeous it is.

I used 3 thin coats for these photos and 2 coats of Out The Door top coat to smooth it out.

I had no problems with this, it wasn't chunky or gloopy when I was applying and it really does have a beautiful sparkle that just didn't come through in the pictures. Please excuse the look of my cuticles in the macro picture but I had been having some major issues with dry skin and hadn't gotten it under control when I did these swatches. Thankfully it's much better now and my hands and nails are looking back to normal. The pictures were all taken indoors under artificial lighting and no flash.

OPI products are available at a number of stores such as Target, Walmart, and Ulta. It's also available at salons and beauty supply stores, numerous online retailers and Amazon. They retail for $9 but some places may have slightly different prices.

ColourPop Super Shock Shadow Collab Collection from Shaaaanxo

Today I have some of the Colourpop Super Shock Shadows to show you. This is a foursome created by the super fabulous Shaaanxo. The perfect bundle of shades that allow you to create a multitude of looks! I purchased this myself and I am so glad I did. These shadows are amazing!! I am becoming obsessed with these ColourPop shadows. Colourpop shadows are cruelty free, bunny approved, and all but 5 of them are vegan. These shadows only cost $5 each!! That's an amazing price for a product this good.

A little about these shadows before I go on to the swatches. The formula on these shadows is completely unique and super soft and highly pigmented. They recommend that for best application you pat it on your lids with your fingers, but don't press down too hard on the shadow pot because they are really soft and creamy but they aren't a cream, they are a powder shadow. You can use a soft brush also to apply but I've heard recommendations that you should use a synthetic brush like the Real Techniques brushes (those are the brushes I use).

XO is a light champagne with a pearlized finish.

Selfie is a mid-tone peachy brown with a matte finish.

Rebel is a mid-tone khaki green with a matte finish.

Deluxe is a warm red bronze with a pearlized finish.

“XO is perfect for highlighting the inner corner. Rebel is the most amazing Khaki shade It looks gorgeous all over the lid or lower lash line. Deluxe is gorgeous blended all over the lid for a darker bronze smokey eye. Selfie is an amazing transition shade to use in your crease, or all over the lid for a natural sunkissed glow!” – Shaaanxo

Here are the colors swatched on my arm. I did not use a primer under these swatches. They are listed from right to left: XO, Selfie, Deluxe, and Rebel.

Colourpop Super Shock Shadows can be purchased exclusively from their site here. They retail for $5 each and you get free shipping with orders of $30 or more. These are truly a great deal for the amazing product you get. If you haven't tried them yet you really should head over to Colourpop's site and check them out!!

You can check out my other reviews of more Super Shock Shadows here and here.

ZOYA NAIL POLISH MINIS FOR YOUR EASTER BASKET!

  

 

  

 

You're never too old for an Easter Basket and Zoya Delight Minis are the perfect way to add a little something sweet to it without the calories! For a limited time, you can get the Zoya Nail Polish* Delight shades in special Limited Edition boxes!

These color cuties are available for Pre-Order NOWand will be shipping on 3/23/15! SPECIAL
Get any 5 color cuties for $20 PLUS Free Shipping! Use Code: MINI5

Head to www.zoya.com to pre-order these adorable minis now!

PS - they make the PERFECT gift!

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

ColourPop Lippie Pencils and Lippie Stix Wifey & Heart On

Today I have some more of the Colourpop Lippie Stix and Lippie Pencils to show you. I purchased these myself and I am so glad I did. These lippies are amazing!! I know I've said it before but they really are amazing. These Lippie Stix and Lippie Pencils have been my go to lippies ever since I tried my first ones.You can read my review on the first three batches of Lippie Stix and Lippie Pencils I purchased here, here and here.

Let me just say that these are not only amazing products but they are super budget friendly too! All of their products that are on their site are $5 each. $5 is so affordable!!! Plus if you order $30 or more you get free shipping. They have the Lippie Stix, Lippie Pencils, the new blushes, and they have their Colour Shock Shadows (I ordered 4 more shadows that were part of a vlogger collaboration with Shaaanxo when I ordered these lippie stix and pencils. You can read my review on my previous posts on the Super Shock Shadows here and here). I haven't tried the new blushes yet but I've heard some really great reviews from other bloggers and vloggers. I'll have to purchase a couple and see how awesome they really are for myself!

Colourpop cosmetics is a cruelty free company (they are "bunny approved") and they are made right here in the USA in southern California. All but 5 of their shadows are vegan (check out their FAQ page here) and their Lippie Stix are not technically vegan because they do contain less than .1% bees wax.

These Lippie Pencils are not like any other lip pencil that I've tried. I usually stay away from lip pencils because they are dry and hard to apply but these are super creamy and go on so smoothly. They look like a plastic retractable pencil but they do not retract, you do have to sharpen them and it is suggested that you use a really good sharp sharpener (I use the Grindhouse one from Urban Decay). The Lippie Stix also come in a slim stick that is retractable, their packaging is just so slim and nice.

This time I purchased 2 Lippie Stix and matching Lippie Pencils. I've been on a pink kick lately so this time around I purchased the Wifey Lippie Stix and matching Pencil and Heart On Lippie Stix and matching pencil. I really love the Heart On, it's my favorite out of these two shades.


Wifey is a bright lavender pink in a satin finish.

Here is just the Wifey Lippie Pencil on my lips.

Here I have the Wifey Lippie Stix over the Lippie Pencil.

Heart On is a bright cool toned magenta in a matte finish.

Here is Heart On Lippie Pencil alone on my lips.

Here is the Heart On Lippie Stix over the Lippie Pencil on my lips.

As you can see they are very pigmented and they do apply easily, they are super creamy, and not drying at all on my lips. I really do love these lippies and plan on expanding my ColourPop collection some more.
When I get more I will surely share it with all of you!

ColourPop Cosmetics are purchased exclusively through their site and the Lippie Pencils, Lippie Stix, and Super Shock Shadows retail for just $5 each and the new ColourPop Super Shock Cheek blushes retail for $8 each.

NYC New York Color Strip Me Off

****PRESS SAMPLE****

Do you love to wear glitter or textured polishes but hate the removal process? Now you can wear glitter or textured polishes and have super easy removal without any damage to your natural nails! NYC New York Color has come out with it's own super affordable peel off base coat called "Strip Me Off". I love the name of this, it's a little racy.

NYC New York Color was kind enough to send me a bottle of this to try out and review. I will tell you that when I heard they were coming out with this I was so excited because I love wearing glitter and textured polishes but I hate how difficult most are to remove. I know that there are other indie brands out there who have a base coat similar to this but I want something that is super affordable and I can get at my local store if I happen to run out. This product really fit the bill and when I was asked if I wanted to try it out I was very eager to say yes!

This base coat can be used under any polish to make it peelable. You can now change up your nail color anytime you want with no remover needed. It has a unique formula that protects nails while smoothing ridges and imperfections.

To apply this you generously apply Strip Me Off base coat to clean nails. Once the white coat has dried to a transparent finish you can paint you nails with your favorite nail color, glitter, or textured polish.

To remove this polish you just simply peel it off. As you can see in my pictures that I started peeling mine off at the edge and peeled it across the nail to the other side. There were just a couple tiny spots that still had some on my nail but I simply just caught the edge of it with my nail and it peeled right off.

As you can see that it peeled off in pretty much one piece and you can see on my nail that it did not leave any damage to my natural nail. In fact my nail was in the exact same condition it was in when I applied the Strip Me Off base coat. I love this base coat so much that as soon as I saw it in my local store I grabbed another bottle just so that I had an extra one on hand for just in case. You never know when you are going to run out and need to have some more.

This is available in chain drugstores and mass merchandisers nationwide. It retails for $1.99. This is so affordable that I think I am going to pick up another bottle or two the next time I'm at the store. To find a retailer near you, please visit NYC New York Color's site.

Spring Dotticure with Zoya Delights

Today I just have a really simple but cute manicure that you can create without any tools, just using things you have at home already. Now with doing dots you don't really need to buy dotting tools, you can use the head of a bobby pin or the end of a stick pin (like what you use for sewing that has the pearl ball on the end). You can even use the tip of an old pen if you want. I have dotting tools that I purchased on Amazon for only like $3 or something. They took a while to get to me since they were coming from China but they were worth the wait for me.

For this manicure all I did was put my base coat of my nail strengthener that I always wear and let that dry. Then I took and dipped my dotting tool in Tiana (the minty green) and did some dots at the tip of my nails. Next I took and put my dotting tool in Eden (the pink) and dotted some more dots at the tips of my nails and put a couple smaller ones over the rest of the nail. Last I dipped my dotting tool in Rayne (the metallic blue) and did some more dots at the tips and then a couple over the rest of the nail.

I wanted the majority of the dots at the tips of the nails to create sort of a french tip. It's almost like there are pastel bubbles on my nails. I think this is just so perfect for Spring and Easter is coming up too!

The Zoya Delights are available on Zoya's site here and if they aren't in Ulta stores and select salons yet, don't worry, they will be soon. They retail for $9 each. You can also check out my review and swatches of the whole Delights Collection here.