700 Followers Beauty Giveaway!

When I started my blog over two years ago, I had no idea that I would ever reach 700 blog followers. It is truly an honour and I would like to thank all of you with a beauty giveaway.

You can enter by filling out the Rafflecopter form below.

Good Luck!

****This giveaway is open internationally and will close on July 18, 2014 at 11:59 PM****

a Rafflecopter giveaway

June 2013 Ipsy Bag

I have found that the biggest downside to a lot of the current sample subscription boxes is the selection of products. Some months I receive only skincare and haircare products which is very disappointing; I signed up for the services for their makeup products, and due to my sensitive skin and straight, fine hair, I don’t like trying new products for skin and hair.

This is exactly why I decided to subscribe to Ipsy! The bags feature beauty products from popular brands. This month’s bag is my first so I wanted to give you my thoughts and first impressions.

First, let’s talk about the bag…

As a former subscriber of Glymm, I have accumulated many of these mini makeup bags over the past few years. Therefore, I will only keep new ones if I love the pattern. Sadly, I really dislike the design of this month’s Ipsy bag. I am not a fan of animal print, especially when paired with neon. However, I know that a lot of people love this combo so I will send the prizes from one of my giveaways in this bag.

Now onto the makeup items…

1. Cailyn Cosmetics Line-Fix Gel Eyeliner: I received this product in the shade Iron which is a steel grey colour. The product comes with a built-in brush which I imagine will be too thick for those who like a thin, precise line. I will not be taking this product out of the box since I don’t use liner very often and will likely save this one for a giveaway. I was sent a full size jar of this product which retails for $21.

2. Starlooks lip pencil: I received this product in the shade Tipsy which is a matte coral colour. I don’t really wear lipstick so I have never had much use for a lip liner. That said, I’m really loving the colour so I may try to use it lightly to stain my lips and then top it with a clear gloss or balm. The one downside to this product is that the colour is cased in a wooden pencil which requires manual sharpening. This item is full size as well and retails for $12.

3. NYX Mosaic Powder in Dare: If you have seen my previous Glymm or Luxe Box posts, you will know that I don’t really enjoy receiving NYX products in these subscription bags/boxes. I subscribe because I want to try new or higher end items and NYX products can easily be found at the drugstore. This powder looks quite pretty in the pan but it contains a few orange and reddish brown shades that won’t complement my cool toned skin. This product retails for $10.99.

4. J. Cat Beauty Sparkling Cream Palette: I received this palette in Voltage which contains sparkly creams in neutral shades. As someone who normally wears natural makeup, I know that I will never use this palette. I also feel that it is not age appropriate as I would have used something like this when I was a child playing with glitter. It seems very appropriate for theatrical makeup and dance recital makeup but I could not pull this off at work. The palette retails for $4.49.

5. J. Cat Eyelashes + Eyelash Glue (C32): While these lashes look very pretty and wispy, I’m really not a false lash gal. I would much rather sweep on a couple coats of mascara than glue something to my sensitive eyelids. Like the cream palette, these lashes seem appropriate for stage makeup and special events. This set retails for $3.99.

Overall, I liked that the June Ipsy bag sent five full size makeup products retailing at over $50 combined . However, I cannot really see myself using any of them, and I’m left wondering if Ipsy actually took my beauty profile/survey into consideration when selecting my items. I have not decided if I will subscribe to Ipsy for much longer. I will wait a couple more months to see how I feel. I think that the price is right at $10 but I don’t like paying $4.95 for shipping. This additional fee makes the bag more expensive than Topbox which sends items that are more appropriate for my age and preferences.

What are your thoughts on Ipsy?

500 Blog Followers Beauty Giveaway

When I started my blog over a year ago, I had no idea that I would ever reach 500 blog followers. It is truly an honour and I would like to thank all of you with a beauty giveaway.
You can enter by filling out the Rafflecopter form below.
Good Luck!

****This giveaway is international and will close on Saturday, March 30 at 12:00 AM****
a Rafflecopter giveaway

September Glossybox

This is the second month of my Glossybox subscription and I found this month’s box even more impressive than the last. It came with a great selection of deluxe samples that I will actually use and a full sized NYX palette ($25 value!)
You can sign up for Glossybox here if you are interested, and save $1.50 on your first box with the code GLOSSY8.

First Impressions: NYX Jumbo Eye Pencils

I just got my first NYX Jumbo Eye Pencils! I ordered them on ebay and purchased the colours Milk, Lavender, and Cottage Cheese.
When I first opened the envelope that the came in, I was worried that they were fake because the tips of the pencils were surrounded by plastic rather than wood. With some research I learned that many of the jumbo pencils now come with plastic tips. As for sharpening, I’m not sure how that works but I have heard that the NYX sharpener will sharpen the plastic tips. Once I get the sharpener I will try it out and let you know how it goes.
So far I have not tried the pencils on my eyes but I have swatched them on my hand as you can see from the photos below. Milk is very pigmented whereas Cottage Cheese and Lavender are very sheer. I think that Cottage Cheese will work well as a highlight colour but I am not sure what I will use Lavender for. I was hoping to use it as a base under some of my lighter purple shadows but I am not sure if it is pigmented enough. If not, I can just use Milk.
The pencils have a very creamy texture that blends well. Once I try these on my eyes I will test to see whether or not they crease easily and if they must be worn with a primer.
For those of you that have used these pencils, what do you think of them?
*click photos to enlarge*

Milk:

Cottage Cheese:

Lavender: