IPSY: JANUARY GLAM BAG REVIEW

I've been subscribed to Ipsy's Glam Bag service for three months now and I just received my January Glam Bag yesterday. If you don't know what Ipsy is, it's a beauty subscription service that sends you 5-6 deluxe sample/full size products once a month for a $10 fee. I've been pretty satisfied with the products as they really pay for the bag itself. It also gives me a great opportunity to try out high end products that I may have not purchased before due to the price. (I'm broke lol)

This month we received a Big Sexy hair spray, Nailtini nail polish, Josie Maran argon oil, Soho brush, and a Pacifica body butter.

THE BAG ITSELF: Eh. It's a flimsy navy blue color with a star pattern on the inside. I wasn't too thrilled with this bag as it just felt cheap to me. I was also kind of disappointed that we received yet another plain bag. I've seen in previous months before I was subscribed pretty patterns on the bags such as multi-colored stripes, a chevron pattern, flowers, etc. I'm hoping next month they go back to the patterns because I'm getting kind of tired of the plain! It's still a good bag to put make up in for traveling though.

BIG SEXY HAIR HAIRSPRAY: YES! Thank you for this, Ipsy. My hair is flat, dull, unfortunate. I was so happy to see this as I know this brand is kind of pricey. I actually saw this exactly sample size for $8 at my local drugstore. WOW. So basically, this product itself almost pays for the bag. I've heard amazing things about this brand but was never willing to spend the money for it. If I love this product, I will definitely be purchasing it.

NAILTINI NAIL POLISH: This was probably the product I was the least thrilled about. Last month, we got a nail polish by the same brand in a beautiful sparkly color called Millionaire. I've used that nail polish so much in the past month as it was perfect for the holidays. Unfortunately, I received a red color called bloody mary. I don't wear red nail polish and I don't see much of a use for this. I was kind of bummed I didn't get the other color that was sent out called frappe. It's whatever though. A full size nail polish? Pretty good deal.

JOSIE MARAN ARGON OIL: AMAZING. This product definitely makes the whole bag worth it. This is a very expensive product that is supposedly supposed to work wonders for your face, hair, body, nails etc. For someone who suffers from acne scarring and split ends, this is like heaven sent. I'm going to try and use the whole sample within the next month or two and do a review if it does anything amazing for me!

SOHO BRUSH: I received the crease brush and I'm cool with that. I kind of went crazy with buying brushes lately so an extra brush doesn't really hurt.

PACIFICA BODY BUTTER: I've kind of been on a body butter craze lately so I was definitely happy to receive this in the bag. This product smells AMAZING. It also makes your skin feel so soft which is a plus for me since my skin is so dry right now. (Thank you, Winter!)

Overall, I think it's a pretty good bag. Definitely not my favorite out of the three I've received but it is what is is. For $10 a month you're getting some great, high end products. The bag pays for itself so you can't really go wrong.

FAIL.

So tonight I was shopping at Meijer just picking up some cat food, the usual. Of course I strayed to the make up section like I usually do (lol). I knew I didn't want to spend money I don't have on anything crazy so I was looking around for some possible on sale items. I came across these lipsticks by Milani that were on clearance: originally $4.49 on clearance for $2.49! I was excited because I've been on a lipstick kick lately. I purchased the shades 29A Beloved and 12B Tiki-Tiki-Pink.

These looked SO PROMISING. Unfortunately, they are on clearance for a good reason.

Problem #1: They smell like grape cough syrup. I was shocked by how awful of a scent these lipsticks have. SERIOUSLY. I've never smelled a scent quite like this before. I was almost too appalled to put them on my lips.

Problem #2: What is up with the shape? They are kind of like a sphere shape with sharp edges. Um, what? 

Problem #3: They look decent when they are swatched but on they are SO UGLY. Tiki-Tiki-Pink is so sheer and the bit of color it does have is like an ugly coral. Beloved is sheer as well with a tint of brownish/caramel/I don't even know.

I've learned my lesson. Never buy lipsticks on clearance again. There's a reason WHY people are not buying them. I love the brand Milani but this product was overly disappointing. I think the smell is probably the biggest thing wrong with this product. I don't get it, I don't lol.

ELF BRUSHES REVIEW

Elf 12 Piece Brush Set!

I was in dire need of new make up brushes when I stumbled upon this Elf twelve piece set on Amazon. The craziest part? TWELVE BRUSHES FOR TWELVE DOLLARS. Say what? I've seen Elf brushes in Target for three bucks a piece so I knew this was an absolute steal. (Direct link to the brushes above). I have nothing to really compare these brushes to as I've never owned higher end brush sets, but as far as I'm concerned: these get the job done!

The set comes with: a concealer brush, blush/bronzer brush, foundation brush, blending eye brush, smudge eye sponge, eye liner brush, total face brush, defining eye brush, eyelash and brow wand, lip defining brush, brow comb, and an eyeshadow brush. For $12? That's INSANE.

The quality of these brushes are fantastic as well. I've experienced no fall out with the bristles which sometimes tends to be an issue with cheaper brushes. The "total face brush" AKA powder brush is probably my favorite out of all. It feels so amazing on my face - it's soft and not scratchy like other brushes I've encountered. It blends my powder perfectly and I'm obsessed.

The packaging is great as well: for semi-newbies with make up it is so helpful that each brush comes packaged individually with a description of what they're used for. Also, if you throw out the packaging and forget, the usage of the brush is written on the actual brush itself.

I don't know if it's just me, but I don't think I could ever justify spending $30 on one brush. I think this is a great deal and you're also getting quality products which is even better.

HOLY GRAIL: Concealer

Thanks to my wonderful teenage years, I've been graced with some ugly acne scars. Glamoflauge by Hard Candy is the perfect concealer to conceal not only my acne scars but to use as a highligher as well. I've only seen this brand at Walmart and I remember the first time I saw it I thought this brand looked like it belonged in Sephora. For $6, I've found a concealer that does a great job at concealing what I need concealed!

WARNING: This concealer is exactly what it says on the packaging. HEAVY. Apparently, it's supposed to be able to cover tattoos! It's extremely thick and a little bit goes a long way. I've had the same tube for probably a year or so now and I still have so much left over. I chose the shade light (It also comes in medium and dark) because I wanted it to be a little lighter than my skin tone. By choosing the lighter shade, I also use this underneath my eyes to brighten them up a bit. I've found that this concealer can be cakey if you use too much. I use probably half a pea size amount for my entire face. It doesn't crease and it is definitely long lasting.

For those of you in the same position as me, I highly recommend purchasing this concealer! It's affordable, it does its job, and there's nothing bad to say about it.

Beau and the concealer. I'm such a cat lady it's insane.

NYX ROUNDED LIPSTICK REVIEW/SWATCHES

After seeing so many awesome reviews on these lipsticks, I knew I had to try a few out. Apparently, these lipsticks are a top selling product for NYX. I mean, how can you go wrong with a lipstick that is $2.99? I bought Chic Red, Tea Rose, and Fig from www.cherryculture.com. These lipsticks are also available at Ulta for $3.99 each.

As you can see from the swatches, Tea Rose and Fig are extremely similar. I didn't realize how similar they were until I actually swatched them to be honest! Fig is a deeper mauve color while Tea Rose is a softer peachy mauve. My favorite of the three is definitely Tea Rose. I think it's the most wearable and works best for someone with a ghostly complexion (such as myself lol).

Chic Red is an IN YOUR FACE bright true to form shade of red. I'm not sure what I was thinking when I ordered it online except that I wanted to go outside my comfort zone. I don't see myself wearing it very often but it's definitely pretty. It kind of reminds me SLIGHTLY of Mac's Ruby Woo. I don't think this picture does it justice.

Fig is a pretty mauve color that I think is perfect for the Fall/Winter time. I don't think there's anything special about this color honestly. It reminds me of honey for some reason. I'm not sure why! lol.

Tea Rose is apparently one of the most popular NYX round stick colors. It's probably my favorite out of the three. It's so similar to Fig yet I feel like it's just a prettier color. It's softer and looks great on fair skin, in my opinion.

Although I'm not completely happy with the three colors I chose (FYI- ordering lipstick online is probably not the best idea. There are HORRIBLE swatches for these lipsticks which don't show their true colors) I think the quality of these lipsticks are great for the price. They glide on like BUTTER. They aren't drying in the slightest which is great because my lips are so chapped right now thanks to beautiful Winter! I can see myself purchasing more in the future for sure.

No make up (Sorry!) This is what Tea Rose looks like on me. :)

an introduction :)

Hi! (if anyone is reading this right now, lol). I've decided to start a blog devoted to beauty as it is an important aspect of my every day life. I don't really have a set plan for this blog - it's just going to be anything and everything. Reviews, thoughts, possible tutorials.. I'm not exactly sure right now! I'm not a professional by any means - just a normal girl who enjoys a whole lot of girly stuff. :)

A little about me:

My name is Stephanie and I recently graduated from college (May 2012). I'm 23 years old and living in Ohio. I'm obsessed with cupcakes and cats. I live for the moment, not for the past. I love my friends and family more than words can describe. I love to online shop a little too much. I wouldn't consider myself amazing at make up, but I'm definitely learning! I love following new beauty blogs so feel free to comment!