ipsy July 2014

My first ipsy bag has arrived!
Just like I do with the birchboxes, I'll post the spoilers and how I feel about them prior to receiving the box first, and then I'll post photos and my overall review of the box.




- The Bag: It's cute and appears like it might be made out of some type of waterproof material, but it will probably be something I pass off to a younger girl.
- bareMinerals 5-in-1 BB Advanced Performance Cream Eyeshadow Broad Spectrum SPF 15: This is something I'm really excited to try! Everyone that gets an ipsy bag this month was either getting this or a ready eyeshadow, and I'm kind of glad I got this- I already know how I feel about their eyeshadows, but this is an entirely new product to me. Apparently we can receive either Divine Wine or Barely Nude, and I'm really hoping for the latter.
- Elizabeth Mott Tints & Sass: Let me put it this way- I've already told my sister-in-law that she will probably be receiving this when I come down to San Diego in August.
- Faith Aromatherapy Citrus-Ginger Anti-Oxidant Body Lotion: I like the idea of Aromatherapy as a body lotion, and the description says this could help with concentration, so I guess we'll see!
- POP Beauty Sunkissed Bronzer: I'm not really one to mess with Bronzers, but if this isn't too dark for my skintone, I'll give it a shot!
- Pur-lisse pur-protect essential daily moisturizer spf 30: I've heard good things about this brand, but have never tried it. Now I will!




I really loved opening my mailbox and seeing this bright pink package!



Here's the bag. When I was seeing reviews around the internet, I thought "what a cheap looking bag!". But it's way cuter in person. It still feels kind of cheap, but I only plan on keeping the ones I like the most, and passing along the others. For now, I've made this my "work bag" that I keep stuff in that I like to have out at my desk (feminine hygiene products, a couple lipglosses/balms, a foundation, and my keys), and I'll probably do that with all of these bags, just so I can actually use them for awhile to see how I like them. But I have a little girl cousin that might really like this one, so we'll see!



I really did enjoy this little detail on the zipper. I love things like this.



All of my products! And, yes, they do all fit inside the bag. I noticed that some people's do some months, and others don't, but this month, mine all did. 





bareMinerals 5-in-1 BB Advanced Performance Cream Eyeshadow Broad Spectrum SPF 15 in Divine Wine
Meet the next generation in eyeshadow: creamy, long-wearing color meets exceptional skincare benefits and Broad Spectrum SPF protection. Chock-full of skin-loving ingredients, this breakthrough product delivers 5 benefits in one luxurious formula.
How To Use: Smooth on with paddle applicator and blend with fingertips or your preferred brush. Repeat for added intensity. Wear alone or under your favorite eyecolors for multidimensional effects.
How It Works: Benefits: 12-hour long-wearing color, supercharged primer, powerful brightening benefits, smoothes the appearance of fine lines, and protects with Broad Spectrum SPF 15
Will I Use It?: I have tried this already. It's not as dark as it appears on the swatch, especially once it's blended out. It's an okay color on it's own, but not really for me. I'll probably be layering this under other colors.
I will say that I didn't notice any creasing with this, and the color stayed true for me throughout the day. I've read reviews of people saying otherwise, but that's not my experience. 






Elizabeth Mott Tints & Sass in Cherry
All day color that will kick some SASS! That’s right, we said it. Tints & Sass is the only head turning lip and cheek stain that gives you fail proof color every time! The non-drying formula lasts all day, even after a power lunch and yoga session, and was created to accommodate every second of a gal's busy schedule. 
How to Use: The gentle and lightweight formula feels like it's barely there, unlike heavy lipsticks and rouges. The soft tipped applicator makes it ridiculously easy to swipe onto lips and the apples of the cheeks, creating a natural yet unforgettably sexy glow.
How It Works: Smells like delicious cherries! Formulated to not only stay put all day, but it's also absolutely irresistible and keeps the boys coming back for more; Check out the non-drip and spill proof bottle, because there is nothing worse than staining anything other than your gorgeous lips and cheeks; and Want a more dramatic look? Layer Tints & Sass to transform that dewy color to a red-hot siren lip with rosier cheeks. (Remember: Blend with your fingers while wet to smooth out the color.) 
Will I Use It?: Well... I'm really nervous about this product. I'm not really one for tints and stuff like this, and the color is slightly intimidating to me. I will try it, but, most likely, this will travel with me to San Diego next month and I'll be giving it to my sister-in-law. 




Faith Aromatherapy Citrus-Ginger Anti-Oxidant Body Lotion
A daily body lotion that softens your skin and locks in moisture while preventing environmental oxidation. The light citrus-ginger uplifts the senses, balances digestion, and increases positivity.
How To Use: For best results, apply in the morning or evening after bathing and exfoliation. May be used on the face for normal/dry skin types.
How It Works: This body lotion is absorbent and softens your skin to lock in moisture while preventing environmental oxidation with Faith’s Cell DNA Protection Complex. The light citrus-ginger essential oil fragrance blend not only softens the skin, but also aids in concentration, uplifts the senses, and fights free radical damage. 
Will I Use It?: I will definitely add this to my growing collection of sample lotions! However, something in this just doesn't agree with me, scent-wise. It has almost a citrusy-feet type smell (does anyone else know what I'm talking about when I say feet smell?). It could be the ginger. I definitely won't be using this on my face, but I will give it a shot for a body lotion.







POP Beauty Sunkissed Bronzer
How To Use: POP your skills: Gently buff pigments onto apples of cheeks & cheekbones, forehead, jaw line & bridge of the nose. Blend until seamless. Swoop gently over eyelids for a no-fuss eye defining effect. 
How It Works: This radiance enhancing bronze glow delivers a soft honey beamed hue, adding warmth and a sun kissed lift to complexion. 
Will I Use It?: I used this a couple of times, and I think it imparts a nice glow to my skin. I have to be really, really careful with bronzers, because I am so fair, but I think this is a nice one to add to my small bronzer collection. It's also really pretty blended into the crease of my eye to deepen out some of my more natural eye looks. 




pur~lisse pur~protect essential daily moisturizer spf 30
Recently featured in Vogue as Editor’s Favorite Summer Sun Product,this anti-aging moisturizer has SPF 30 built-in, so you’ll get extra protection for incidental sun exposure. You’ll love the lightweight, yet nourishing, texture. Plus, it doesn’t leave skin with a white tint, so you can use with or without makeup. This moisturizer dries down to a healthy glow, and is perfect for sensitive skin. 
How To Use: After cleansing skin, apply liberally. The most effective use is 30 minutes before sun exposure.
How It Works: Stay protected with pure flower power. Pur~lisse's unique peptide complex, Lotus Lupine 5, and Hydra-Shield Complex, offers superior full-spectrum sun protection in a light weight nourishing moisturizer. Skin is pampered and protected against premature aging caused by the day's rays. 
Will I Use It?: I've used this a couple of times, and it does sink in super fast, and didn't seem overly greasy on my skin. For a facial sunscreen, that is definitely a win!


Overall, my first ipsy bag is a win for me! I wasn't jumping up and down for anything specifically, but it's nicely curated, and all of the products seem to fit my profile.

If any of you are interested in signing up for ipsy, please click there and use my affiliate link! I receive points which I will exchange for products that I can review on this blog.


FTC: This box was purchased by me with my own money. All opinions are my own. All product descriptions were taken directly from the ipsy card included in the box.
This post contains Amazon.com affiliate links and an ipsyaffiliate link. Please see my disclosure policy for more information.
The individual product links to the ipsy product page are not affiliate links.

Top 10 Makeup Products I Can't Live Without

About a month ago, I posted a "Top 10 Makeup Products I Can't Live Without", but it was a guest post by my sister-in-law, Jenna. I have never actually done my own.
After about a month of thinking about it, I have finally decided on my own Top 10.


1. The Lorac Pro Palette



As of this post, this is my absolute, cannot live without it, don't know how I never had it before, palette. It has every single shade I need to do all of my eye looks. It's the one I pack when I go places. And to be honest, when I don't have it in my makeup bag, I miss it. A lot. It has both matte and shimmer shades, and it's just the perfect palette, in general.


2. Too Faced Shadow Insurance



I never do my makeup without an eye primer, and this is my go to. As you can see above, I even have a backup. This is what I use when I do my makeup for any type of occasion where I know I need my eye makeup to stay put. I wore it on my wedding day. I wore it to my high school reunion. I wear it in the hot, 100+ degrees days of summer. My eye makeup NEVER creases when I wear this under it, and I never have to worry that it will do so. It really is a product I cannot, under any circumstances, live without.


3. Ulta Waterproof Automatic Eye Liner (specifically in black)



I know everyone goes on and on about the Urban Decay 24/7 liners, but this is really my holy grail liner. It is so black, and it never goes anywhere other than where I put it. It glides on super easy on the water line, and really stays put there. And it's cheap- at the most, it costs me around $8.00, but Ulta almost always has some type of bogo deal on all of their branded products. If you're still looking for that great, very black eyeliner, I recommend at least trying this one.


4. BareMinerals Original SPF 15 Foundation in Fairly Light



I did live without this product for a few months, and now I'm not sure how. Yes, my L'Oreal powder foundation is good. But there is just something special about the way this goes on, and the way it matches my skin so flawlessly. And the way it never seems to cake up on my skin, even if I do go a little overboard. I can never see myself being without this product again.


5. NYX Eyebrow Cake Powder



I didn't really start filling in my brows until about a year ago, but it really does make a big difference. Even if all I do it put on a little mascara and fill in my brows a bit, it makes me look so much more put together. And this kit really matches my eye brows well- I tend to go dark blonde when I dye my hair, and for the first couple weeks, I can use the darker shade, and for the last couple of weeks, I mix the two.


6. Too Faced Lashgasm Mascara



When I was thinking about my list, this is one of the first products I thought of. It's not a mascara I use all the time, but it is a mascara I will always repurchase, and always want to have on hand. It really thickens and lengthens, and never flakes on me. And it never clumps. It's pretty much the only mascara I own that I don't need to have a spooly to run through my lashes to de-clump them a bit. It is pricey, but completely worth it.


7. Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette



I thought long and hard about this, but this is a must-have for me. It's surprisingly versatile, and has the best matte black (and yes, it is better than the one in the Lorac Pro Palette) I have ever used. All the shades are super creamy, and go on like butter. If all my other palettes just disappeared, I would replace the Lorac Pro first, and this second. And it would be enough for me.


8. Urban Decay eyeshadow in Sin



I choose the Lorac Pro over my Naked palette, but this shade is one I cannot see myself never having. It is the perfect shade for my skin tone- it matches beautifully. It goes on smooth. It's my go-to color when I'm having trouble deciding what else to wear. And right now, it's the only palette color I've loved enough to go out and buy a full size of.


9. Physician's Formula Mineral Wear blush in Pink Glow



Ahh, this blush. I get so happy every time I see it in my makeup kit, because it is my absolute favorite. It gives my skin the perfect flush, and still looks natural. And a little goes a long way. If all my blushes disappeared, this would be the first one I would replace, because it looks good with every single eye look I have worn with it.


10. Urban Decay All Nighter Long Lasting Makeup Setting Spray



I went out and bought this the night of my high school reunion because I was out. That is how much I cannot live without this product. Do I use it every day? Of course not! But on those days/nights where I really need to make sure my makeup stays put, this is all I use. It really does work.



I feel like this would be something fun to do maybe once a year or so, to see how much things change- because I feel like every time I try a new product, it becomes something that could be a product I can't live without. At one time, I did not own anything above, and now I would grab all of these things first. And, funny enough, I could do my makeup with all of these products and get a complete look (other than lips- I'm not really a lip product junkie so I don't have one I can't live without).

What are some products that you can't live without??


FTC: All of the above products were either purchased by me or a gift. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
This post does contain Amazon affiliate links. Please see my disclosure policy for more information.

Bare Escentuals Beauty Surprise Collection Unboxing

A couple of weeks ago I received an e-mail from Bare Escentuals telling me they were going to be releasing a Surprise Beauty Box. My understanding is they also did one last year. For $50.00, it said you could get 14 pieces worth $255.00, including an original foundation. I ran out of my Bare Minerals foundation quite awhile ago and have been wanting another, so I figured what the heck, and ordered it!

Overall, I am happy I ordered! I received quite a few things I am excited to use!
I wasn't too happy, though, when I got my shipment confirmation and it told me everything that was in the box! Way to ruin the surprise, BE. But, I was still happy when I read what was contained.

I felt like my order got here pretty quickly, and was actually a couple of days early!



When I opened the box, it looked like this! I felt like everything was packaged in there very well.

The first thing I pulled out is the Get Started Kit ($60.00 value). The original foundation was also included, and I chose the shade Fairly Light. I've used this shade for a long time so I knew it was the one that I should get!





When I first got into Bare Minerals, I bought a Get Started Kit, but I love that it comes with a Brush Shampoo now! I've never owned a shampoo for brushes specifically (I usually just used baby shampoo), so this will be nice to try out.
The kit came with the brush shampoo, Warmth, Original Foundation in Fairly Light, Original Mineral Veil, a Flawless Face brush, the Full Flawless Face brush, the Max Coverage Concealer brush, and a booklet and CD showing how to use the foundation. I have two concealer brushes and two flawless face brushes from prior purchases, so these I wasn't too excited about. And I'm not a huge fan of warmth, and usually give it to a friend of mine, but I might hang onto this one. We'll see!




(I couldn't get a good swatch of Mineral Veil, but it's just a translucent powder.)





This is all you would need to do your whole face. This is actually probably too much for me.



It's a little orange-ish on my skin. I'm just not a huge fan of the product, but I still might play with it a bit. It's been quite a few years since I've used it, and I'm a lot better at applying makeup than I was before.



Fairly Light is a great match for my skintone, and I've been using it for years! If you've been in my 'What's in my makeup bag?' posts, you would know I've been using the L'oreal Mineral Foundation. And I do really like that and it's comparable, but this is still my absolute favorite powder foundation.



This is what I tend to use for my whole face. You really don't need that much. And it does build up if you feel like you need more coverage (which on some days I do, but for the most part I'm just putting on enough to make myself feel a little more covered up).



I put this on quite heavy to show the swatch, but this is absolutely a match for my skin tone. I just love it!



This is a pretty good concealer brush.



I really like this brush for putting the mineral veil on over my foundation. I feel like it gives the perfect coverage, and it's very soft.



I have three of these now. I sometimes will use it if I want a lighter blush application, but I almost never use it for foundation.


The next thing included in the box is Pure Radiance, which is meant to be put on the high points of the face. I personally really like it for a blush color.
The sample included was considered Extra Small, and the standard size is Medium, which is $19.00. I'm going to guess this sample is probably worth about $10.00, but that is a generous estimate.





I really, really love this color on myself. I think it's so flattering, and beautiful. I'm so glad this was included in my box- I've actually been wanting to try this for years and just never have purchased it.

The next item is the Flawless Definition Mascara. I've used the Flawless Definition Volumizing Mascara, but never the regular version!



The box included a 0.16 fl oz sample, and the standard size is 0.33 fl oz, so it was a little less than half of the full size. The standard size is worth $18.00, so I'll say the sample is worth half that- $9.00.

I have used this mascara, and I really enjoy it. It reminds me a lot of the Too Faced Lash Injection mascara, in the way it performs. It really separated my lashes, and it is very black. Not at all like the volumizing, which is more of a subtle black.

The next item included is the Bare Minerals Ready Eyeshadow in the shade "The Phenomenon".





This isn't available on the bareMinerals website, but is available from Sephora and is valued at $20.00. It's a full size, as well!





I'm not super impressed with Azure Iris- I wore it on my eyes one day and just wasn't impressed with the pigmentation or color. But I really, really like Golden Iris! I used a touch in my crease for a neutral look and it really warmed the whole area up.


The next thing I opened was in it's own package.



It's the bareMinerals Eye Club in The Basics. It includes an eyeshadow brush, and three shadows.



The colors included are Pearl Sateen, Smoky Sage, and Graphite.



I can't even find this on sale, but the other kits available on the website are valued at $24.99. I'm not sure if this is an old product, or something that is going to be released soon, but I couldn't find any information at the time of this post.



The brush is excellent for blending, especially for the crease.



I enjoy the colors enough, but they're not exactly unique. I think I'll enjoy the Pearl Sateen for a lid color.


The last two products are what I would consider samples- it's not something I would pay for, so it doesn't have a value to me. It is basically something I would get for placing any order, or as a free sample with purchase.



I was initially very excited about this sample- I've never tried their Ready foundation and was looking forward to giving it a try. Until I saw the shade they selected for me.



What? Didn't I put my skintone preference in for my kit? I sure did! And this definitely isn't it!



I think they really dropped the ball on including this sample in this kit. I can't wear this shade, at all. It would have been more beneficial to send me the shade I ordered, so I could actually work with it and see if I'd like to purchase this foundation, instead of the original foundation. Or even in addition to.

The other sample they included was two foil packets of the Naturally Luminous Duo for Combination Skin.





I haven't used this yet, but I might, however, it's not really enough to give me an idea of how it will work.


Overall, this surprise box had an actual value of $123.99- nowhere near the value of $255.00. I'm sure they considered each piece it's own separate value when quoting this figure, but I value all the pieces as a whole- if it's part of a kit, it gets a kit price. I think they really should have included a full size of the skin care products to up the value.
I do think I will use everything, but I'm not sure that I will be ordering this box again. Even though it is valued for more than I paid, it's not the price I was quoted, so it is a little disappointing.


FTC: I purchased this box with my own money.