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!

Pacifica Super Hydrating Hand Cream

Today I am going to share with you a new hand cream that I have come upon and it has quickly become my favorite. I found these at my local Ulta one day while I was browsing and shopping for new makeup brushes. I love that Ulta has testers out on their products because I am very particular about my hand creams and lotions and I am super picky about the scents. My hubby is really sensitive to scents so I always try to get stuff that I know won't irritate him.

These are made with shea butter, almond oil and safflower oil. They are also paraben-free and just smell amazing. I picked up the Indian Coconut Nectar and the scent of this one literally reminds me of summer. You know what I mean, it has that coconut-suntan lotion smell that just screams summer! It is a warm, sultry blend of coconut and delicate creamy vanilla is pure ambrosia. I will say that the cream is thick and hydrating and doesn't leave my hands feeling greasy at all. I had tried a little bit of it from the tester on the back of my hand and was literally walking around Ulta smelling the back of my hand, I think the cashier thought I was a little crazy because I was still smelling my hand when I went to check out.

I loved that one so much that I had to make another trip to Ulta and pick up another one. At first I was just going to get another one of the same scent but I decided to try the rest of the scents and see if there was another one I liked. I had heard great things about the Tuscan Blood Orange scented one and smelled the tester. I put a dab of it on the back of my hand to see what it would smell like on me and OMG!! This one smelled amazing too!! The Tuscan Blood Orange isn't as strong of a scent like the Indian Coconut Nectar one but I knew I had to have this one too. This one is a delectable blend, juicy and spicy Blood Orange is offset with subtle strawberry and raspberry notes and grounded in fleshy mandarin and italian sweet orange.

Then I started smelling all of the rest of them to see if I liked anymore of them but I found that I didn't care for any of the other scents as much as I liked these two. This one has that same formula, it's nice and thick and hydrating without leaving you greasy. These hand creams are also listed as 100% vegan on Pacifica's site.

Here is a list of the ingredients for the Super Hydrating Hand Creams: aqua, helianthus annuus (sunflower) seed oil, aloe barbadensis leaf juice, capric caprylic triglycerides, polysorbate 60*, cetearyl alcohol*, glycerin*, butyrospermum parkii (shea) butter, prunus amygdalus dulcis (sweet almond) oil, glyceryl stearate*, sorbitol, stearic acid*, sodium PCA, olea europaea (olive) fruit oil, magnesium ascorbyl phosphate, vitis vinifera (grape) seed oil, laminaria hyperborea (kelp) extract, tocopherol, xanthan gum, sodium alginate, cocos nucifera (coconut) water, iris pallida (sweet iris) leaf cell extract, leuconstoc/radish root ferment filtrate, ethylhexylglycerin, parfum (Pacifica's own with natural and essential oils). *vegetable source.

They retail for $9 for 2.25oz. and in my opinion that is a really great price for such an amazing product! If you get them at Ulta there is always coupons you can use on your purchase. You can also get them on Pacifica's site here. I also heard from another blogger that Pacifica products are also available at select Targets, sadly none of my Targets have them but at least I have Ulta!!

Pacifica Red Red Wine

So this month in my September Ipsy bag I got this gorgeous red wine polish. When I seen the sneak peeks that they were putting out I was really hoping this one would show up in my bag. There was also a gorgeous lipstick that was put out in the sneak peeks that I was hoping to get too. I was so excited when I was able to go on Ipsy's site and view my Glam Room to see what would be coming in my bag and then even more excited when I saw I was getting both the polish and lipstick I was hoping for.

For those of you who don't know what Ipsy is I can explain. 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.

This is Red Red Wine from Pacifica. I had sort of heard of this brand through Ipsy but never had tried it before. From reading the bottle and packaging Pacifica polishes are 7 free and 100% vegan cruelty-free. This is a gorgeous red wine color that I think is absolutely perfect for fall and just for those of you who love a nice red. The formula on this was amazing and dry time was average. I used 2 coats of polish over a base coat and then topped with Out The Door topcoat.

As you will see in some of the pictures that cleanup on this was a little more difficult and I think that is because this is such a highly pigmented color that it sort of "stained" my skin. Not to worry though, the rest came off in the shower that evening and honestly there really wasn't much staining on my skin that I was worried enough about.

Pacifica carries a full line of beauty products and perfumes that you should check out. After I checked out their site I learned that they are available in various types of stores. In my area it looks like Whole Foods carry Pacifica products and a few little stores/salons. There is a store locater section on Pacifica's site so you can find a location near you. I also seen on their site that their polishes retail for $9 on the site but I can't say what cost is in a store (I would imagine that it would be about the same). These are such beautiful polishes that I may have to check out some of their other products. If you haven't tried them you should.