April 2014 Ipsy Bag Review

*This post contains a referral link*

This was my first month getting an Ipsy Glam Bag, and waiting patiently for it to come was the hardest thing I've had to do all month. For those who don't know, Ipsy is a beauty subscription service that delivers 4-5 deluxe sample and full sized makeup and skin care products to your door once a month in an awesome makeup bag, all for $10 a month (in the USA). When you sign up you take a beauty personality quiz to help Ipsy narrow down what products out of the monthly list are the best fit for you, and you can retake the quiz at any point to better sync your style up. Each month has a theme and this month's theme was Beauty Rocks, which is reflected in both the products picked and the bag. If you would like to sign up and skip the wait list, you can use my referral link here.

My April Ispy bag arrived with 5 items, 3 of them full sized. Initially I was super happy with what I got minus the eyelashes (I wear glasses so fake eyelashes are not practicle for me), would much rather have gotten the jasmine roll on perfume instead.  Let's start with the bag, shall we?

The bag is taller than the average makeup bag, which is an added plus, and has this great record player design on it. I loved it but I've got another bag I prefer for my makeup right now so this will hold cords and chargers in my bag instead.

These are the eyelashes I received, and while I won't be wearing them I can appreciate the company's attempt to make them look more natural by tapering the ends. I'll be either swapping these or gifting them to someone. These retail for $3.99, so at least it wasn't a high value item.

I received the Cailyn Cosmetics Tinted Lip Balm in Acid Pink, which is my favorite thing from the bag. The color is shockingly bright pink and has an amazing amount of pigment for a tint. The packaging was really clever too, the lip brush sits inside the lid so you'll always have it available. The other color was a more neutral mauve sort of color, so I'm doubly glad I got this one. These retail for $19, which is a little high for me but between the color and the fact that a little goes a long way I would for sure buy this on my own.

I seem to think everybody received an Urban Decay 24/7 Velvet Glide On Eye Pencil in black, which was a pretty awesome thing to get in the bag. The color was very well pigmented and very matte, which I like. I don't know how well it will survive allergy season but I'd definitely call it smudge proof for the most part. A casual rub of your eye won't ruin it but after a day outside rubbing and having watery eyes it was looking less than stellar. This is a travel size according to Ipsy, 25% smaller than a full sized (which is crazy expensive at $20 for a friggin eye pencil!) making this about $15 in value.

The Color City Cream Eyeshadow and Highlighter was on my wish list, so I was very pleased to get it. I'm experimenting with highlighters, trying to find just the right one and this is pretty high on the list. The texture was velvety and smooth and while I think it'd suck for a straight up eyeshadow it rocks as a highlighter. In the jar it looked pearly but on my skin it had this beautiful gold sheen to it that complimented my skin tone incredibly well. The price online is $3.99, which is a great value. I did discover that a cream eyeshadow from E.L.F Cosmetics that I received by accident is an exact dupe so I'll have to do a post about that later.

I received the coveted Benefit Lollitint Cheek and Lip Stain, and this may make me the odd man out but I hated it. The shade is the exact same color as the jar, and as you can tell I'm fairly tan so this color looked awful on me. There's obviously a learning curve to applying a cheek stain and making it look good, but this color just made me look like I had a rash. I think it would be fantastic on someone really pale for sure, but those of us with warmer tones should try something else instead. I'm going to try it on my lips and see it that works a little better, I'd hate for this to go to waste. A full sized bottle is 12.5 mL and retails for a whopping $30, this deluxe sample is only 2.5 mL so I'm valuing it at $6.

This extra large picture should give you a pretty good idea of the colors. From left to right is Cailyn Lip Tint, the Urban Decay Eyeliner, the Lollitint, and the City Color Cream Eyeshadow/Highlighter.

All total the value of this bag comes to $47.98 by my calculations, and since I only paid $10 for it I'm calling that a huge win! The value of the items I will use on a regular basis is $37.99, which I think is still really good. If you received the April Ipsy Bag what did you get and what did you think of it all?

Weekend Tips and Tricks

I'm going to try a new thing called "Weekend Tips and Tricks", a list of 3-5 little tips and/or tricks to help your life run a little smoother. This will bump me up to 2 posts a week, which is getting to where I want this blog to be. I'm going to attempt to have these written during the week and then queued so they will publish Saturday mornings. Here's to hoping everything goes smooth and these tips/tricks help your life run a little bit smoother as well.

Tip #1: Clothes a little wrinkly but no time to iron them? Hang them in the bathroom as you take your morning shower. The steam will help the wrinkles release and the fabric relax. Just be careful not to splash water on them.

Tip #2: Unruly eyebrows but no eyebrow gel? Spray a little hairspray on a clean mascara wand and run that through your brow to tame the errant hair(s).

Tip #3: Never underestimate the power of a good nights sleep to make you both look and feel good. While it is so tempting to check email or Twitter in bed (guilty as charged), these can delay you falling asleep and before you know it it's well past midnight and you have to be up in a few hours for work.

Malin+Goetz Mojito Lip Balm Review

Everybody needs at least one good lip balm in their beauty arsenal, and boy have I found an amazing one. It's a little more (ok, a lot more) than I typically spend on lip balm, but this stuff is amazing! What am I raving about? The Malin+Goetz Mojito Lip Balm, which is $12 on their site (link can be found here) though you may be able to find it cheaper if you do some looking online. What makes this better than all the other lip balms I own? Lasting power for one, this product is THICK so you don't need a lot and you don't have to reapply often. I'm sitting here eating a snack and drinking a smoothie and I can still feel it on my lips. The scent actually smells like mojitos (also comes in unscented for those who don't like fragrances), which is refreshing and perfect for getting me in a sunny day mood. I don't detect a flavor, which is fine by me, just means less junk on my skin.

The formula boosts "fatty acid absorption technology", which is something I've never seen on other products. According to their site, this allows the product to start working instantly and will provide a layer of protection throughout the day. It is a little sticky, sort of like a lip gloss, but really not bad and the less you apply the less sticky it is. This will definitely be a permanent stay in my makeup bag, my lips feel amazing already from it. The size isn't bad at all, about as long as a tube of lipstick (according to the tube there is .35 oz of lip balm in it) so it won't take up a ton of space unlike the tin of lip balm I've been using. Have you tried this product yet? If so, what were your thoughts?


The image above is directly from the Malin+Goetz website.

Target's Up and Up brand

I, like probably most of you, see no point in paying extra money just to have a "good" name attached to a product. While I have to doubt that that $50 lipstick is very nice, why would I pay $50 when there are exact duplicates for a fraction of the price? I have spent hours scouring the internet for cheap dupes for expensive makeup, but that's a post for another time. Today I'd like to talk about a store brand across the board dupe I'm a big fan of.

I live within walking distance of a Target, so combine that with the pretty good prices and a wide variety of things, we do quite a bit of shopping there. They have a brand of their own called Up and Up, and there is a dupe for just about every product out there. Some are total crap while others are really good and always a few bucks cheaper than the name brand version. I've been slowly working my way through the bath and beauty products and so far I've been really happy with everything. Their version of baby shampoo/wash is really good, so we get that a lot for my son, and I've been known to steal the lavender scented shampoo from him when my skin is to sensitive for regular shampoo. I'm a REALLY big fan of their apricot scrub, an exact dupe for St Ives apricot scrub and like $2 cheaper. I use the scrub on my face and chest about once a week, so I go through a tube about every other month. In fact I need to go buy some more soon so I'll update this with an exact price breakdown later. I also really like their deep cleaning cream that's a dupe for a Clean and Clear deep cleaning cream. Big price difference with no actual difference between the two. I think the Up and Up one is actually a bigger bottle but I could be wrong, I'll check next time I'm at Target.

Knock off brands can be really awesome or really awful, you're just going to have to experiment or look for reviews online. But when there's a big price difference I think a bit of experimenting is well worth it. What knock off brand do you really like?

Product Review: ELF Zit Zapper

There are few things I love more than great products for a great value. I hate paying big bucks for something that barely works, and I'm betting you are the same way. I recently bought a ridiculous amount of ELF (Eyes Lips Face) cosmetics during their half off of everything sale, so expect to see a ton of reviews of their products.

One that I will be reordering for sure is the ELF Essentials Zit Zapper, which costs only $1! I had heard how amazing it was so I just had to give it a try and holy smokes does it do the job well! My face is currently giant zit free because of this sucker, I kid you not. You apply it once a day and within a few days the zit will be gone! I've had smaller zits gone the next day, which is amazing! I struggle with acne due to some hormone issues, so something cheap that actually works is a blessing.

Here's the blurp you'd find if you went to the online page, "Zap zits away with the unique blend of Salicylic Acid, Tea Tree Oil, Witch Hazel and Camphor. This special clear roll-on formula helps to fight and prevent acne, reduce redness and swelling, minimize pore size and clear skin." Sounds awesome, right? The roller ball keeps you from applying to much formula at once, which is both economic and smart. And for only a buck, you have to try this! You can purchase it at ELF Essentials Zit Zapper or certain stores carry it (Target does for sure, Walgreens sometimes, and I've heard Walmart does as well). Go give it a try.

The Best Lip Exfoliation Without Paying The Big Bucks

Greetings! I know this post is late, everybody in my house has been dead sick for the last week and a half (there is nothing worst than a sick toddler let me tell you), but I'll make up for it by letting you in on my DIY lip exfoliation secret. All the ingredients are cheap and you probably already own them and use them on a regular basis, just not on your face. All you need for soft and smooth lips is olive oil and brown sugar. That's it, no hard to find powdered clay, no super specific type of salt or essential oils. Just olive oil (any kind, I use extra virgin since I always have a gallon of it in my kitchen) and some brown sugar.

Mix about a teaspoon of brown sugar with enough olive oil to make a paste and apply to your lips in a circular pattern, gently scrubbing away the dead skin. The oil will serve as a moisturizer, leaving your lips feeling smooth and looking great. As an added bonus it won't taste horrible or make you sick if you get some in your mouth, as I always do. Easy as can be and won't cost you a dime assuming you already have olive oil and brown sugar in your kitchen.

Vaseline: Cheap, readily available, and mulitpurpose

Let's start at the beginning, shall we? The very base of any beauty routine should be items that keep your skin looking great, such as lotions and cleansers. Now I don't know about you guys, but its currently winter where I live and the temps are freezing or below which means my skin is dry and wind burned if I braved the elements enough to leave my abode. The cause of dry skin during winter is how dry the air is, which will pull moisture from your skin. Regular cream lotions will help put moisture back in but you need to seal the moisture in to really solve the problem. Now you can spend big bucks and buy special nighttime emollient lotions or extra hydrating tonics, or you can spend a buck and a half on a giant tub of Vaseline and do the same thing.

Vaseline is one of those multipurpose items that people seem to forget about all the time. Just Google Vaseline beauty uses and you'll get over half a million hits. I know people who use it to keep unruly eyebrow hairs at bay (use it like you would hair gel, just a little smear), you can use it on your cheekbones to highlight them, works as a lipgloss/chapstick, I've even heard of people using it on their split ends before. But my favorite is to use it on my dry and wind burned skin before bed so I wake up to softened knees and elbows and unchapped lips and hands. You can even go the extra mile and put cotton gloves or socks on to really enhance the effect while you sleep.

And the great thing is Vaseline is cheap and available everywhere! I have a giant tube of knock off brand I bought for under $2 (I bought it originally to protect the skin on my face, ears, and neck from hair dye when I use to dye my hair blue or purple. Worked like a charm and kept the bleach from giving me a chemical burn) and a smaller jar that is perfect for throwing in my bag when I go places. Both were purchased at my local Rite Aid, but you can buy them at just about any store, even the dollar store! Use a generic brand for even greater savings, and you'll really be feeling luxurious.