October 2014 Ipsy Bag!! :)

Ipsy is a monthly package service where you get five curated items of beauty products sent to your door for $10 a month, free shipping, inside a cute little bag, that's inside another cute pink bubblewrap parcel, inside your mailbox!!! (haha, too precious??) :)  The service sends you items in accordance to a quiz you take on the website stating your beauty product preferences.  I absolutely adore it.  So far, I've only disliked 2-3 items in the five months I have been participating in the website :)  And I've tried so many products that I thought I was going to hate, but ended up totally loving.  It truly has changed my perception of many different types of makeup products for the better and introduced me to some formulas I never would have tried out!

Without further ado, let's get into what was put in MY bag this month!!!

What I Got This Month:
Pretty teal bag
Rihanna Rogue Perfume, .5 oz
Smashbox Photo Finish Primer - Pore Minimizing Formula, .25 oz
Starlooks Lip Gloss, .3 oz
Indie Lee Brightening Cleanser, .5 oz
Mica Beauty Mineral Eye Shadow - Harlequin, .1 oz

Thoughts On Each Product:

Rihanna Rogue Perfume:  This came in it's own box, separate from the bag :)  It is a beautiful, classy looking bottle, and the lid grasps tightly onto it, but you need to give it a little push to do so, and be careful not to tilt it to the side, because you may accidentally squeeze down the perfume, but for me it's not close to being unmanageable and nothing really to complain about. The smell is WONDERFUL.  Upon initial application--those first ten seconds, you do get a bit of a mosquito spray smell mixed with somewhat of an orange oil smell.  20 seconds later, it just smells fresh and clean, with a hint of floral/sugary sweetness.  And a few minutes later, the sweetness really blooms and you're left with this wonderful, feminine, clean scent that isn't over-powering.  I adore it.  It's nothing like any of the perfumes I own and I feel as if this is a scent I could even wear to job interviews and be taken seriously with it on.  It's truly a perfect blend that isn't too much.  My favorite product of the lot.  I would absolutely consider buying the full size bottle.

Smashbox Photo Finish Primer:  This is NOTHING like the original Smashbox primer, which I'm not a big fan of.  Right after application, it completely smooths the skin, not sinking into fine lines or pores but just leaving a blank canvas.  It absorbs oil and almost feels powdery.  It ALMOST looks as if it's brinking into the appearance of looking powdery as well, but it just looks natural and lovely.  I adore it.  Because this bag is new however, I question the staying power of it.  I will update this review when I know how it performs better.

Starlooks Lip Gloss, Mica Beauty Eyeshadow - Harlequin, Smashbox Photo Finish Primer - Pore Minimizing Formula

Starlooks Lip Gloss:  This is a pretty, natural shade of pink lipgloss, bordering on a nude shade, but has just a deep enough shade of pink for it to not really be considered a nude on my skintone.  I think it would be beautiful on every skin tone.  The formula feels and appears to be just like the Hard Candy Plumping Serum Lip Glosses (of which there is no plumping action, so please ignore the name).  It just feels smooth, creamy, slightly sticky and has good pigmentation that is buildable and beautiful.  It's a pretty, simple lip gloss that I don't think will disappoint.  There is no unique quality to this that would tempt me to repurchase it, already having the Hard Candy lip glosses mentioned, which are more accessible since I wouldn't have to order them online and come in colors that are more pigmented and longer lasting.  Average staying power.

Indie Lee Brightening Cleanser:  I ADORE the smell of this.  It smells like strawberry, bubblegum, soapy heaven...but more expensive than that (in my humble opinion!).  It comes out like a watery gel, and I do recommend applying it to a dry face and RINSING it off afterward rather than applying it to a wet face--it seems to lather better on a dry face, since there's already quite a bit of moisture within the product.  It is an extremely gentle formula.  I really enjoy it and I think it is gentle enough to use every morning to get the face fresh and clean, though I wouldn't use it alone to remove makeup at the end of the day, as I don't think it'd be enough.  Some girls have mentioned using it to clean makeup brushes--I honestly don't think it would do the job thoroughly enough.  However, to clean a face that's already had it's makeup removed, it's absolutely lovely and gentle.  I enjoy it and it's just what I need.  Harsh cleansers are irritating on the skin when used too often.  Due to it's gel nature, it's also easy to rinse off.  I would consider purchasing the full size of this.  I think it's lovely.

Mica Beauty Mineral Eyeshadow - Harlequin:  This is 100% pure mica.  There are no other ingredients added.  This means, you should really use a primer under it to keep your color lasting and in tact!!  I have been dying to try pure mica, and I'm glad I got to try out this lovely eyeshadow!!  It's a beautiful sea blue-green shade that seems to fade into a lighter green shade.  I tried to emphasize this in the swatch, piling on the shade more heavily at the bottom and keeping the swatch faded at the top.  There's actually a little weight to the container...I don't see myself running out of this product for a LONG time...As LONG as I use a primer.  Would I purchase this?  No.  You can buy pure mica for MUCH cheaper in bulk if you are interested in it.  If I'm to buy an eyeshadow, I want a super unique formula that's going to have longevity and some sort of uniqueness to it, maybe texturally, that makes it superior to pure mica.  Pure mica is HARD to beat.  It's absolutely GORGEOUS.  I highly recommend it.  There is so much depth of color.  But the downside to it is that if you don't have a good eye primer, it falls off.  So buy it in bulk or stick to quality mica eyeshadows that have the unique qualities, and often that means more ingredients, that you desire.


Thoughts On Everything As A Whole:

I loved my bag this month.  When I first saw the products I'd be getting on the website, I was disenchanted and even considering canceling my subscription, but when I got them, it was a completely different story.  The perfume smells wonderful and, while small, is still a larger size than I thought it would be.  The Smashbox Primer appears to be much higher in quality than I'd anticipated.  I don't own a shade like the Starlooks Lip Gloss.  The brightening cleanser, which I really wasn't enthused about, smells WONDERFUL and is gentle as a dream but still cleanses great.  And the mica finally gave me a taste of what pure mica is like--and I personally LOVE it, but I'm weary of the staying power!!


If you're interested in subscribing to Ipsy's monthly service, you can do so by following this link :)


Just a fun little treat I get every month.  If things start looking not so good, I may unsubscribe, but so far, every month I have been cheered by these little presents I get!  Something small and fun, just for myself :)  If you subscribe, I'd love to hear if it works out for you :)  And take that beauty quiz!  It helps!!

The Seven Makeup Products I Run Out Of The Slowest!!! (and one disposable makeup tool!)

Why won't you die?!?!

I see so many different types of makeup blogs, lists and compilations of "Bests," "Worsts," this vs. that, top high-end products, top drugstore products, least favorite, most favorites...

But what about the ones you use on a daily basis, but you just run out of it slower than others?!  Isn't that helpful to know?  For myself personally, I like to stock up on what I actually need, that way I can save money and not waste money repurchasing products that I probably will never run out of at this point :) (Unless of course I want to repurchase it because it is a BETTER product.  But that's a different story!!)

For the minimalists, the budgeters, it's nice to know what products we use the least of that way we can save both space and money for the products that we go through quickly!!

So without further ado, here are the makeup products that take ME the longest to use up!!!  Yours could be completely different than mine, however hopefully this will give you a sense for what takes you a long time to use up too!!  It's nice to know what we should be repurchasing and what we should be saving money for :)

Note: I have pale, combo skin.  There are a few things on here that you may run out of slightly quicker than me if you don't have one or both of these things, and that's totally okay!! :)

1.  Bronzer.  I have to mention bronzer here.  It seems I can barely put a dent in a pan of bronzer, even though I have the fairest shades available from 3 or 4 companies.  It may have something to do with the fact that I have pale skin, and dousing the stuff all over my face will surely lead to me looking strange, like I just played in a pile of dirt!!!  So for my skin-tone, bronzer is definitely a staple, but it's something I run out of extremely slowly!!!

2.  Powder Highlighter.  All you need is a tiny pinch of this magical fairy-dust and your skin is alive and glowing... Highlighter is quite possibly my FAVORITE item of makeup to use... And yet, for some reason powder highlighter still takes forever to go through, in spite of my love to reapply the stuff at the most unnecessary of times!!! :)  I would say I go through it much faster than bronzer, but to this day, the only highlighter I've ever hit pan on was one I was using continuously as my only highlight shade for 5 years!!! :P (I've broadened my horizons since then...)

3.  Pressed colorful eyeshadows.  Girls, lets be real here--how long does it take you to finish up one pan of eyeshadow in a COLORFUL shade (not neutrals, you can douse those on and they run out a lot faster!!!)?!  Depending on the pigmentation of the shade, you could be using the same one shade for years and still not even reach pan.  Makeup Forever Diamond Shadow in Turquoise, I am looking at you!!!  I used this shade almost every day for a year when I was in college because I thought it was so beautiful--and this was back when I didn't know about primer and had to reapply!!!  If the shadow were not cracked to pieces (While I've done this with other shadows and they still gave the same performance, I am too afraid to alcohol this one in case it musses up its beautiful formula), it still would not even be close to hitting pan!!!  It's hard to run out of a good colored eyeshadow...but maybe I should let this one slide, after all, we could always use another color!! ;P

4.  Pressed powder.  It feels like an eternity before I finally finish a pressed powder!!!  Considering it is a full-face product, you would expect it to disappear into thin air!  It could be because my skin only gets oily in my t-zone.  A powder that definitely deserves a mention here is Coty Airspun powder in translucent.  I'm not sure what it is about the stuff, but it takes an extremely small amount to cover and absorb oils on my face.

5.  Blush.  I have somewhat of a blush addiction.  It's definitely the makeup item I own the most of, next to eyeshadows (which are a lot easier to come by and come in much larger packs!).  On my skin tone, I also need very little to accomplish a brightly flushed look, so I have to use it sparingly.  I have around 25 of the La Femme blushes, and may I say I think I could use ONE of those blushes every single day for a year and probably not put a dent in it?!  I rarely find that my blush disappears.  However there are a few exceptions:  I just bought the NYX blush in the shade "Pinched," and my goodness, it's disappearing fast!!  I suppose it also depends on the pigmentation and the amount of product you are given in a container as well.  But anyway, for the most part, blush is a definite slow-go in my collection (and yet I still can't get enough of it!!!  Always looking for new colors and formulas!).

6.  Lipstick/Lip Gloss.  Oh lip products, what is it about you?  I was honestly unsure if I should even include this in the list, but it had to be done.  In my entire life-time, I've only managed to completely finish one container of lipstick, and I have NEVER finished a lip gloss (granted, until recently, I used lipgloss far, far less, so we will see!).  It isn't like they give you very much product in the tubes.  Could it be because I surround myself in a bounty of different colors and combinations at all times?  Is it the fact that I'm using less because I'm layering liners beneath it and glosses above it--even though half the time I am solely using it on it's own?  I honestly don't know.  I reapply my lip products plentifully throughout the day, and yet for some reason, my lipsticks last me years.  They don't disappear!!

7.  Perfume.  I know technically perfume is not considered makeup, but to me it is something that is so like it, it may as well be included.  It is a product from a small container that you put on your body to boost your confidence :)  So, sorry if you disagree, but this absolutely HAD to be included on this list.  I NEVER run out of this stuff!!!  In my entire life time, I have only managed to finish one bottle of full-sized perfume--it was back in Middle School, and it was the only perfume I'd owned at the time, so naturally being the only one I was using, and being used on a daily basis, it eventually ran out! (It was the blue bottle of Ralph by Ralph Lauren :) )  Years later, I now have an entire tray of bottles that still have plenty of perfume left inside them, and these are bottles I've been accumulating for almost a decade now.  In spite of their regular use (for me, every other day), bottles of perfume seem to last me forever!!  Are you the same way?


And the random funny thing that everyone seems to need, but I personally never seem to run out of:
Q-tips!!!  What is it about these little guys?  I am aware they have their uses, but I find I'm hardly ever at a loss for a q-tip, and it's definitely not something I use on a regular basis (though after a lower-lid mascara mishap today, I'm starting to believe they could be a very good thing for getting smears beneath the lashes).  Could it be the fact they come in packs of 500, or the fact that sometimes, not liking to waste and money-saving loving as I am, I'll grab big handfuls and cut them in halves all at once?!  These guys NEVER run out!!!  I have had the same two boxes of purple and blue ones for YEARS.


What do you think the next entry will be?  I have a hunch it's going to be the list of products that I use the quickest ;)  These are definitely the things we should be saving our money for if we enjoy wearing makeup!!

Hope you had fun, if not you can leave :P

Take care!


PS:  For sure, without fail, the makeup item that I've had the absolute HARDEST TIME using up is the one in the picture at the top of this blog.  It's a bronzer from Victoria's Secret called Bare Bronze.  The stuff is so packed into the pan that it's hard, dense, and heavy, and it's also difficult to load onto a brush unless it's something like the NARS Ita brush (I have the Sonia Kashuk version).  The thing sat in a cabinet in a while (before I realized the goodness of how it went on my skintype and how to apply it), and then in the last 3 years I've been wearing it at least a few times a week...and it still pretty much looks brand new, dare I say it, even untouched!!!!  Kinda funny!! :)  So I thought it was perfect to put at the top of the entry juxtaposed with the sunflower!!