March IPSY 2017

I know this post is a little late and I plan on being more consistent in the future but I figure its better late than never. I really want to try post my unbagging/unboxing's on YouTube I want my blog to reflect on how I really felt about the products after I've tried, used, and can formulate and opinion on. So here is the March 2017 Ipsy bag.

So here is the bag design for March. It is a little bigger than Ipsy bags tend to be which is nice. I've actually reused this bag to store my face products. The bag design is kinda of blah but overall it is a decent bag just due to the size of it. 

Now let's discuss the products inside. First product up is 

Beau Gachis Tapered Blending Brush which retails for $12.00. While this may not be the most expensive brush I LOVE IT. It is one of the best blending brushes I've used It blends and works great for blending in that perfect crease shade. I always love when I get brushes in my Ipsy bag and this one is a great one.  One of my favorite items from March's bag.You can buy it online here https://www.beaugachis.com/products/beau-gachis-tapered-blending-brush

Next item in bag is

The Tarte Cosmetics Tartiest Lip Pain in the shade Delish. This is a sample size and a full size of this liquid lipstick is $20. I would describe this shade a rosy mauve. On me it looks like a nude, which is all right but I'm more of a hot pink, red, or berry lipstick person. The formula is nice and not to drying. Overall a decent liquid lipstick. You can purchase here http://tartecosmetics.com/tarte-item-tarteist-quick-dry-matte-lip-paint

Now let's see what else is in the bag

It's an eye define retractable eyeliner from ModelCO in the color black. This eyeliner retails for $14 which is kinda steep for eyeliner, but there are more expensive ones out there. When I first opened it I noticed it had a grey coating but I soon realized that was just the wax and no effect on the product itself. Overall it is a decent liner and stays in the waterline. You can purchase here  https://www.modelcocosmetics.com/shop/eye-define-crayon-liner

Next item in my bag is

The Mint Pear Collagen Serum. A full size of this stuff retails for $99!!! I was not really impressed with this product. It felt too sticky and just didn't agree with my skin. I thought it would smell like mint or pear but neither. It didn't really have a fragrance which is sometimes a good thing with skincare. Just not something I cared for. 

Last item

Is an eyeshadow from Doucce Freematic in the shade Marissa. The full size retails for $10. This was my least favorite item in the bag. Upon first glance this looks pretty and would be a great lid shade. Then you swatch and it swatches into nothing. Like it was never even there. I would save my money and buy something else. I've seen Dollar Tree shadows perform better. You can purchase here https://www.doucce.com/product/eyes/freematic-eye-shadow-palette/ but I would save my money. 

Overall a pretty decent bag. Not my best bag but decent.

So are you signed up for Ipsy? Interested in trying it out? It runs $10 a month. Here is my link 

 https://www.ipsy.com/new?cid=ppage_ref&sid=twitter&refer=ye90c

Wal-Mart Beauty Box Winter Edition

A few months ago I recently signed up to receive the Wal-Mart Beauty box which is subscription box that you receive seasonally (Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall). It runs $5.00 which is just the cost of shipping so the products you actually receive for free. If you are interested in signing up here is the link https://beautybox.walmart.com/

Let's take a look at the winter box I received back in February (I think). 

And now let's open it

So pretty on the inside with that cute tissue paper. I love that it also states to treat yourself. Everyone deserves to treat themselves and this is a great way to start out on a beauty subscription box.

Let's check out the items in the box

WOW! These look like great sample size products. I will break down each of these products and let you know my experience with each product whether I love, hate, or are indifferent to a product.

First off let me get to the one product I loved the most which was

the Vera Wang Embrace fragrance. This scent would be great for any season but just an overall nice smell. It contains pear blossom and green tea which is a nice fruity floral fragrance that is not overpowering.

Next up is

the Curel Hydra Therapy Wet Skin Moisturizer which is a moisturizer you use right after you get out of the shower while your skin is still wet. I've already did a blog post on how much I love this product which you can read all about here http://606jenny.blogspot.com/2016/09/curel-hydratherapy-wet-skin-moisturizer.html

Now let's look at another item

This is the TRESemme dry shampoo. I liked this pretty well it had a decent fragrance and didn't leave behind much residue. My favorite dry shampoo is Batiste and while this item is not as good as my favorite it is still a pretty decent dry shampoo. 

Next up

Is this Dove Go Fresh shower gel. I loved the way it smelled, lathered, and made my skin feel.  I would purchase this in a heartbeat. And I plan on doing so here very soon.

Last but not least the final product is

The Burt's Bees nourishing body lotion. This is a nice moisturizing lotion. While the fragrance is not my favorite it is not strong. Burt's Bees makes awesome natural products. 

Overall I'm very happy with what I received in this box which was only $5.00. I will continue getting this box as I can always use the items and love that they come in sampling sizes as its great for travel. 

PLAY! By Sephora February Box

Play! By Sephora is a monthly subscription box which runs $10.00 a month and you get 5 beauty sample size products (think beauty insider rewards perk sizes) plus a fragrance sample bonus. You can sign up for Play! By Sephora at sephora.com/play now there is sometimes a wait list but usually the wait is not too long. I always do an unboxing of this item on my Youtube channel which I will link here https://youtu.be/HjOYss1pGNU  Let's check out February box.

I know this is not the best picture but I did want you to see that it comes in a box and then the box contains a nice little bag that stores the products. Every month also has a theme and the one for February was The Soft Side. Also with every box you get a Play pass which you can redeem in your local Sephora (they need to make this usable for online...maybe one day) for 50 extra beauty insider points. I really enjoy this and have used every pass to build up those points. Here is what the Play pass looks like

Inside the the bag contained these items which I will give my thoughts and opinions on which are entirely my own. Sometimes I will love a product and sometimes I will hate a product just depending on how it worked for me. Let;s get to item number 1 (in no particular order)

This is the Too Faced Lip Injection in the shade Milkshake. This is basically a lip plumper. I'm not really of fan of any lip plumpers as they always sting and make my lips feel uncomfortable. This product does sting but it does plump up your lips. This is not something I would reach for but I would imagine that if you do like these products this would be a good one. I did notice my lips get slightly bigger as well. It also claims that if you use this product consistently you will see an improvement in the softness of your lips. I myself would not know as I only tried this twice and realized it is not for me. The full size retails for $22.00 and if I didnt' mention it all these products can be found at Sephora.

Here is the Nars Velvet Lip glide in the shade Bound (which is a nude pink shade) These are a semi-matte with a silk finish. The feel of this lippie is nice but don't expect it to stay all day. I would like to try more shades of this particular item as I loved the formula but I'm not that big into nude shades (I go for the bold bright shades). The full size of this item retails for ($26.00)

Next up is the Sephora (brand) Lashcraft mascara. I thought this what such a cute sample size of mascara. Right now I"m using a bunch of different mascaras and didn't want to open one more so I gave this to a family member. This is supposed to give you length and volume. While I myself cannot say how well the product worked my family member liked it. 

And the next item is from Clinque whic is the pep start hydroblur moisturizer. This was the one product I was most excited about (I have dry skin and love any type of facial moisturizer). This is a product that combines your primer and and moisturizer. I was actually let down by this product but only because my hopes were very high for it. I don't think it is a bad product but I think you still need a primer for your makeup routine. This retails for ($29.50)

Here is a product from the Brand Origins which is the Ginzing Refreshing Eye Cream. This was MY FAVORITE item from this months box. This is a luminous eye cream (so it will really brighten the under eye area). Yes it is luminous and makes the under eye look so much better, I would buy the full size of this in a heartbeat. It does what it says it does and that is what I want from a product. This retails for $30.00.

Here was this month's fragrance sample which is Marc Jacobs Divine Decadence. I've smelled this perfume before and I DO NOT LIKE IT. This fragrance is just not for me. This is an earthy woody fragrance. I do know that people do like this fragrance but just not for me. The full size which retails for $72.00 which is shaped like a purse which is kind of neat. 

So that was everything in February's box. I do know that there are sometimes variations of the boxes so some people may get different items. I feel like if you like beauty products this is a great way to try them out. Totally worth the $10.00.

February 2017 Ipsy Bag Review

I want to try something different with my blog and review my Ipsy and other subscription boxes I receive. I want to give everyone an idea of what I think of the bag and the products that were included in this months bag. I wish I would have started this in January but I chalk that up to laziness. Ipsy is a $10.00 a month subscription service where you can try 5-6 sample beauty items. These items can be makeup, hair care, or skin care products. Sign up here at ipsy.com. Also make sure to fill out your questionnaire so you will get the products you want to try. So lets get started...

This was the bag design for February. I personally didn't like this months bag print. It felt like it was made with blue jean like material and had orange trim around it. I did like that the Ipsy pull was in the shape of lips, but I felt like they could've really went all out with the design for February with being pink or red, and having hearts, lipsticks, or other fun designs. I get that I won't like every bag print but I felt like this was just a disappointment. But I know it's not always about the bag but rather the samples they send you.

First up is this tiny bronzer

by Elizabeth Mott called Whatup Beaches. While it looks like it might be a nice bronzer it is too tiny to be used as one. I did use this as an eyeshadow for a crease shade and it was nice. I would've liked to have tried it as a bronzer but it was too small. Now I understand Ipsy gets these products from companies and that is what they want to send out so consumers can test them. I just think they need a better way for bronzers to be sent out. 

Next up are

face mask by the brand SOO AE. Both of these are hydrating mask and I can use all the hydration I can get as I suffer from dry skin. I enjoy facial mask (and posing for my #maskselfies on Instagram). I thought both of these masks where pretty good and I know you an find these at Walmart for around $2.50 a piece. I think I liked the purifying charcoal mask a little better. 

Next item is

this NYX butter lipstick in the shade lifeguard. Which the shade is right up my alley. I love my reds. I thought this was an OK lipstick as it was moisturizing but I did find that it had some slip and would have to be reapplied after eating, drinking, or talking for long periods of time. 

One of my favorite items in this bag

was this Luxie Beauty blush brush. The bristles are so nice and it applies products beautifully. I used this brush to apply both blush and highlight. I highly recommend this brush and love that I got it in my bag.

Last but not least

is this highlighter by Luna Cosmetics. This highlight was so pretty and my 2nd favorite item in my bag. It has an almost purple shift but I believe would be great with any skin tone. Plus you can wear this lightly or layer it on for that beaming glow. 

Here is my bag with all the products

Overall I'm very happy with the contents of this months bag and think it is totally worth the $10 price tag. 

Suave Professionals Avocado Oil Range

Thanks to Crowdtap I was able to participate in a sample share from Suave. I will link Crowdtap for any one who is interested in joining as it is an awesome platform for all kinds of brands and possibly getting to sample (for FREE) all kinds of neat products. 

They sent me The Suave Professionals Avocado Shampoo, Conditioner , and leave in conditioning cream.

I love getting shampoo/conditioners to try out. Now I'm not big on a lot of hair products but I can always use shampoo and conditioner. First off notice the green packaging. I really like it and I think it stands out. I think Suave is really changing their marketing and trying to make their products seem higher end. I've used Suave products before and have liked them (particularly when I'm on a budget). The shampoo and conditioner retail for around $4.99 at Wal-mart and the leave in conditioning cream around $2.98. Which in this day in age is pretty decent. 

So how does this product work you are asking?? It works AMAZINGLY. The smell of all 3 products is almost salon quality. Both the shampoo and conditioner are a just right consistency not too thin or thick. Now I use my conditioner first then my shampoo (purely for more volume). When you are using the products you can tell how soft it makes your hair. So once you are done washing your hair it is so easy to comb through. This product is for dry frizzy hair and if your hair suffers from that you need to check out these products. 

Look how soft my strands look in this picture (please ignore the bad lighting)

If you are interested in checking this product out you should be able to find this in most major retailers such as Wal-Mart and most drug stores. 

Read more about this product and other products at Suave.com