ipsy « ((little fat notebook))

Posts Tagged ‘ipsy’

August Favorites 2013

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: beauty, brands, clothing, favorites, food, ipsy, pictures, products

07 September 2013

1. lightweight jackets – In the summer months, it’s so uncomfortable wearing heavy jackets but I still needed something to keep me warm in air-conditioned areas. Literally the day I decided to look for a new jacket, I happened upon the blue on at Kohl’s! It was pretty much exactly the kind I had in mind – this sort of super thin and lightweight material that had a lot of texture on the inside to trap more heat. Perfect. Then I headed over to Target and discovered the purple one, which is the same sort of cloth but with a hoodie. It was on sale for a good price so I decided to get it as well. Now I can choose between hooded or not!

2. Ipsy bags – Over the months I have acquired quite a few Ipsy bags and I am still thinking of uses for them all. I plan on putting one or two in the car and using some in my purse once I start carrying a larger one again. They are perfect for organizing small items like foil samples, hair ties, and lip balms. I think I might also use one for receipts since they always get so mangled in my purse. I enjoy all the different patterns, textures, and shapes that Ipsy comes up with. Certainly keeps things fresh!

3. JCPenney clothing – The last time I shopped at JCPenney must have been in high school and that was to buy a purse. For the longest time, I never gave their clothing a chance, thinking the quality and style choices might not be suitable. Panda convinced me to swing by though when I needed something to wear to an interview and I’m so glad he did! I found this dress, which was just the kind of thing I wanted – a dress with pencil skirt bottom and blouse-like top. I don’t have to worry about matching and I only have one article to put on. 🙂 We got it for such a steal too! In the future, I will keep them in mind for my clothing needs.

4. Olay eyelash serum – I got this as a sample from VocalPoint awhile back and then I lost it. Ever since, I’d been searching for it at a good price (most stores offered the eyelash serum and eye cream set for around $30-35). Then I came across it at Costco at such a deal!! I forgot the exact price, but it was like $25 for two sets of the eyelash serum and eye cream duo. Oh, that was another thing – I only wanted the eyelash serum, not the eye cream, but Olay doesn’t sell them separately! Anyway, I got them for a price I was happy with and I probably remember to use it about once a week. I really do feel like my eyelashes have gotten better since I started using it and I’m not sure if it’s my imagination or just that I didn’t notice what my lashes looked like before. Whatever the case, I’m happy to use this as long as I see results!

5. Nongshim instant udon – We discovered this at Costco as well and I pounced on it. Instant udon?! I don’t really see that around and I love udon noodles. I wasn’t sure how the quality would be and while it’s certainly not healthy for me, I sure do love the taste. This is such a fun and easy meal to have when I don’t want frozen food or leftovers or instant ramen. I try to limit how much I eat since it is priiiicey (about $2/bowl compared to like maybe a quarter for ramen) and very salty. I’m not trying to kill myself with over-consumption of salt here. This is a new staple in the house and I expect it will stay that way as long as they are sold in our area.

6. Gogobot bags – I received this super cool canvas tote bag from Gogobot when I became a Pro. Ever since, it’s been my go-to travel bag. The UK trip and that Panda and I took was no exception, which this bag and my suitcases carrying all my stuff. I also love the toiletry bag I got for writing a certain number of reviews on Gogobot. I can’t seem to find a picture of it and I’m too lazy to get one for you but it’s quite a large bag, with various compartments for all your toiletries. I love it and keep it on the counter at home as well so I can (somewhat) organize my various products. Both of these bags were essential for my travels and I’m so glad I have them.

7. Basin products – I’ve been using the pink grapefruit solid shampoo and conditioner for my showering needs. They smell fabulous and I love how well the shampoo foams up. These bars will last me months and months. I even brought them with me on the trip so I wouldn’t have to worry about liquids. Unfortunately I didn’t realize how abused my checked luggage would get on the way home, because I decided to throw them in the checked bag and now my shampoo bar is one crushed mess. I will need to find a container for it! I’ve also been using the charcoal face wash, which smells nicely of something sweet and makes the skin on my face feel calmer.

8a. & 8b. American Eagle sales -I mentioned Hukkster about a month ago when I got these skinny jeans and dress from American Eagle. If it wasn’t for that service, I never would have known the amazingly cheap jeans I could have gotten! I ordered three pairs of pants and then just a few days later was browsing their site again when I found some cute dresses. This one was on sale for one of the lowest prices so I decided to get it too. I love AE free shipping! Now I am the happy owner and wearer of these articles, three of which made it to the UK with me!

9. Secret Passages game – For some reason when I tried to open this picture in Picasa to add it to my collage, it wouldn’t work, so here it is shown separately. This is a game I’ve been playing a lot lately, where you basically search for items in a picture. It’s designed so you can’t play more than four searches in a row so I have to put it down a lot. While that made me frustrated at first, I kind of like that since it forces me to do other things in my life. Sometimes I can get into games with no end and play for hours!

On My Mind, episode 9

laelene Posted in on my mind，Tags: car, hawaii, homegrown collective, ipsy, kia, on my mind, panda, shopping, subscriptions, target, travel, uk, vacation, work

15 August 2013

I’ve got so much on my mind it’s a perfect time to link up with Jennifer again for Thursday Thoughts!

a. ~I’m so happy that I got the job I really wanted! For awhile I was getting all stressed out because every day that passed felt like weeks and it seemed like I’d never reach the point of getting a job offer. It’s funny how time drags on like that when you’re waiting on something that’s important to you. I mean, from the time I applied to the time I got the offer was really only 2 weeks but I seriously felt like 2 months had gone by. Now that I know, I feel like a weight has been lifted. As they say, the worst is not knowing… then you’re stuck in a limbo not sure of what the next step will be or where it will take you. Oh, and I’m really glad I no longer have to remember to use my debit card 5 times a month to avoid a fee on my checking account. I will have direct deposit again, which will waive that requirement! The small joys of employment…

homegrown collective july box coconut theme

I’ll get Homegrown Collective boxes like these now!

b. ~So since I’ve settled the job thing, now I’ve got a ton of things to hone in on. I’m looking to get a car and a new laptop and maybe some clothes. I’ve been meaning to get a pair of sneakers (I can’t even remember the last time I wore sneakers and it’s high time I use them again!) and I promised myself I could get the Homegrown Collective subscription when I landed a job. There are a ton of other subscription boxes I’ve been eyeing and I want to pick up yoga classes again, but I don’t want to go crazy spending money so I will need to phase these items in slowly. There’s so much stuff to purchase in the coming months! Not only all this stuff I’ve put off until I got a job (I figured that would help motivate me), but also the things we’re going to want for our new home. I can’t wait to get some fun home items like a reed diffuser and some more furniture.

c. ~Once again I checked the mail late yesterday and I was so surprised to find another Ipsy bag! I double and triple and quadruple-checked that both were addressed to me and I didn’t see a second charge on my credit card, so it looks like I got lucky this month! I got identical bags so I’m going to put some items up for trade, like the lip balm and nail polish, since I really don’t need two of those. Hopefully I can find the second bag a home as well, since I’m fond of collecting the variety of bags and have no need for a dupe.

Lovely experience at the Kia dealership.

d. ~Panda and I checked out a Kia dealer last weekend and today I headed to a different one just to see if they had better rates or something. They ended up offering me a price that is close to what I’m looking for, so it’s looking very promising. I can’t wait to share the car I end up getting, which will almost definitely be an Optima with the EX premium package. There are so many cool features in it that it really feels like a luxury car. In fact, it can rival the Lexus that my parents have (though that one is nearly 10 years old now so it’s probably a bit outdated by now). Still, for the price point, I’m getting a lot of nice stuff. I have a few more questions I need answered and a bit more negotiating to do, but I love that it ended up being easier than it might have been. The original price they quoted was so far from my desired price that I wasn’t sure I could come to a good compromise. I’ve had my heart set on getting a Kia for a long time now, so I would have been disappointed if it didn’t work out. Fingers crossed there are no unexpected surprises!

e. ~I’m slated to start work next month since I had a vacation planned already, so in the mean time I get to go home for a bit! For some reason I feel like I’ve been out east for a long time when it’s only been a month and a half. I think it might be because this is the first time I came intending to stay long term; every other time was just a 2-3 month visit. When you relocate, it feels different from just staying awhile. I do have training to attend next week for the first two days, but then I’ll be flying back to SoCal for a few precious days at home. I’m looking forward to going back since there’s a lot of loose ends that I didn’t really get to tie up yet. I hope I can get some nice rest in as well. For some reason I’m always tired here even though I’m not really exerting myself. Maybe home will be the recharge I need.

f. ~YAY our second annual summer vacation is coming up in less than two weeks! We’ve had this trip planned for months now and I’m so excited that it’s nearly here. Panda and I agreed that we would alternate choosing destinations each year. Last year was our first major trip and he chose Hawaii; this year I chose the UK (which works out nicely since the Uni of York where I studied abroad is celebrating their 50th anniversary this year). It’ll be so nice to go back and share some of my life out there with him. This vacation had to be later in the year (our Hawaii trip was June/July) due to ticket prices and trying to catch a holiday weekend – in this case, Labor Day. It’s the first time he’s leaving the country, which should be quite the adventure.

g. ~Since I have to use my debit card 5 times a month until I get direct deposit again, I went out to Target for some shopping today. I was hoping to get the fuzzy nail polish that Sally Hansen has, but the sale was gone and I wanted to wait for a deal again. Instead I found some ointment for my burns, which aren’t healing as well as I’d want. I also got some food items that I had coupons for, which I’m pretty excited about. Finally, I purchased office supplies – these clear reusable double-sided sticky pads that you can mount pictures or hold things in place with. When I was visiting Brandy (check her out at MommySplurge) a few days ago, she showed me how she used them to ensure things didn’t roll away when she was trying to take pictures. Brilliant! Now I don’t have to waste tape. 🙂

What’s going on in your life?

Ipsy August 2013: Glamour Academy

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions，Tags: bags, bb cream, boxes, facial scrub, ipsy, jojoba charcoal, lash booster, lip balms, makeup, mascara, michael todd, nail polish, nailtini, noya, pacifica, pictures, pixi, products, reviews, subscriptions, vanilla

14 August 2013

Lookie at what arrived yesterday! I checked my mail late in the day and I wish I had gone earlier so I could play around with my new stuff but hey it’s all good. Soon after this great surprise, I received the offer letter for the job I really wanted, making it an awesome day. 🙂

Ipsy is $10 per glam bag and comes with 5 or so beauty/skincare products. Bags are sent monthly with no option to skip. There’s usually a waitlist to get the subscription. They offer a referral program that earns you points towards free products.

Noya Lip Balm in Vanilla – keep. It was either Noya lip balm or Urban Decay lipstick and since I don’t wear lipstick, this works perfectly. I have plenty of lip products at the moment so I won’t start using it just yet but it smells yummy! I’ve never heard of this brand before but I like what I’ve seen so far, since it appears they have natural products. That’s a company I can get behind for sure.

Pixi Lash Booster Mascara – keep. This comes at a good time, since I’ve been thinking about using some mascara here and there and I only have one with me. I can’t quite remember where that one is most of the time so it’s always nice to have a backup! I’ve never tried Pixi before so I’m also curious about this brand and how its products work. I’ve seen them at Target and considered purchasing but haven’t yet.

Pacifica BB Cream – keep. I keep hearing great things about Pacifica and they seem to have a really loyal following. I want to try their body butter when I get a chance, but I’m happy to get their BB cream in the mean time. I’ve been on a BB binge as of late, trying sooo many brands to see what works best for me.

Michael Todd Jojoba Charcoal Facial Scrub – keep. YES!! I was really hoping I’d get this rather than the pumpkin face mask. I’m not a huge fan of pumpkin and I looove anything with charcoal. I’m also a major sucker for scrubs of any kind and jojoba beads feel really good.

Nailtini Nail Polish in Mai Tai – keep. I didn’t get this in last month’s bag, so I’m happy to get it this time around. I’ve never tried Nailtini and I like how it applies. This color is fun, vibrant, and warm, which is great for summertime. I like it!

That’s right people, this is the first bag where I’m not trading a single item! IpsyMatch seems to have worked (or just by dumb luck I got exactly what I wanted) this time around and I’m very pleased. What do you think of these products? What did you receive in your Ipsy bag?

[This post contains affiliate links. Signing up through them helps support my subscription and I’d be ever so grateful. 🙂 All opinions are my own and I received no compensation for this review. I just purchased this bag and wanted to share what I got!]

365great Day 152: Ipsy

laelene Posted in 365great，Tags: 365great, boxes, brands, ipsy, pictures, products, subscriptions

13 August 2013

Learn more about 365great here.

I joined Ipsy back in May and I initially intended to just try it out for a month or two, but it soon became addicting. It’s funny because before I knew about them, I had thought how cool it’d be if a company made all kinds of fun makeup bags. Then I stumbled upon their subscription bags and found that my idea was already being executed. I’ve really enjoyed the different shapes, designs, and materials of the Ipsy bags, but even more than that what’s keeping me is their products. For just $10 I get to try out a variety of makeup, skincare, and nail care items each month. I like that the sizes are deluxe samples or full sizes so you have enough to try the product a few times to see if you like it. It’s always fun to watch the spoilers come out and see the different combination of products you might receive. This month was the first time that IpsyMatch did an excellent job and sent me all items that I’d use (and exactly what my ideal bag was!). I’ve been introduced to so many great products and have swapped whenever I didn’t get what I wanted, which is a fun experience in itself. This is such a great way to try out beauty products!

[This post contains affiliate links. Signing up through them helps support my subscription and I’d be ever so grateful. 🙂 All opinions are my own and I received no compensation for this review.]

In the mail: a prize, skincare, and a ton of trades

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: beauty, boxes, candles, cats, in the mail, ipsy, juice beauty, missy, origins, pictures, prize, products, samples, skincare, swaps, trades, winnings, yuzen

16 July 2013

Yesterday was an excellent day for my mailbox. I received my July Ipsy bag, a reimbursement check, and two trades I set up last week! Before I started sending and receiving packages, I never knew how good a Monday could feel. Let me recap the items I’ve gotten in the past few weeks:

Even Missy wanted in on the box!

This box I won from Leigh of Whimsical Adventures of a Magical Mom. It was originally supposed to be a CraveBox, but then they shut down! Leigh was kind enough to put together a nice box for me anyway, one that is similar to what I might have gotten from CraveBox. Thanks lady! I absolutely LOVE that card – it is so beautiful. As you can see, the box is filled with some great items in the bath, body, and beauty departments. It’s so nicely packaged too!

I think I saw an ad for the Origins Top 10 Skincare Sample Pack, or maybe I came across when I was just browsing their site. I’ve always been interested in the Origins brand and got to try their A Perfect World face wash for an Earth Day trade a few years back. I also purchased a face moisturizer and used that all up. When I came across this sample pack, I decided it was a good deal because I get to try a bunch of their products to see which I might want full sizes of AND I get a code to use for $10 towards my next purchase, so I basically get to test these for the $0.50 in tax that I paid. That’s a pretty awesome deal! I’d share a link with you, but apparently they are no longer offering it. Sad times.

Another brand I’m super interested in is Juice Beauty. I learned of them sometime in the past year, from all the bloggers sharing their subscription boxes. When I got a chance, I did a trade for the Juice Beauty lip gloss and hydrating mist. Still, I coveted the Green Apple Blemish Clearing Peel so when I found the 30-day skin clearing kit I sprang for it. Major bonus that the kit includes a super soft bamboo washcloth – face towels are awesome! I didn’t realize at first that this signs you up for a subscription to get it sent monthly, so I’m going to have to cancel that until I’ve tried out this set and seen what it does for me.

collage of various trades including zoya polish, earth therapeutics foot scrub and lotion, butter london lacquer, lash food, cailyn eye liner, julep dd creme, lip gloss, nail polish, bliss and korres samples

What I got from the trades.

Finally, trades 5 through 9 that I haven’t shown before. A Zoya polish in Neely (from a previous trade) for the one in Julie (purple) that I really wanted. The Cailyn gel eyeliner in Iron for the one in Purple (from Ipsy June). Jane Iredale lippies (from Yuzen spring box) and the J.cat glitter palette (from Ipsy June) for Butter London nail polish and Lash Food. A Bath & Body Works lotion and Nivea lip balm for the Earth Therapeutics foot scrub and lotion. L’Occitane Hand Cream, Island Girl Hawaii cuticle oil, Pangea Face Mask, Bath & Body Works medium candle, and three Bath & Body Works small candles for Julep DD Creme, lip gloss, nail polish, and samples of bliss incredi-peel & Korres yoghurt facial.

collage of items traded for swaps including island girl hawaii cuticle oil, bath & body works candles in small and medium, pangea face mask, jane iredale lippies, bath & body works lotion, and l'occitane hand cream

Some of the items I traded out.

I’m about to set up trades 10 & 11 now so I have even more to look forward to! So now that you’ve seen what I’m getting, tell me: what have you been getting in the mail?

Ipsy July 2013: Beach Beauty

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions，Tags: bags, beach beauty, beach spray, benefit, benetint, bh cosmetics, boxes, california collection, cheek stain, coola, eye shadows, face sunscreens, fuchsia flirt, healthysexyhair, ipsy, lip stain, makeup, mineral sunscreen, palette, pictures, pop beauty, pouty pop crayon, products, reviews, rose essence, sexyhair, soy renewal, subscriptions, tinted moisturizer

15 July 2013

My July Ipsy bag arrived in the mail today! Even though I didn’t get the scrub I really wanted, I was still excited to have a package to open up. It’s been awhile since I’ve received something.

Just like last month, my first impression of the bag itself was meh, but then I grew to like it. I mean, I am really not into pink, but I do like that this bag is a fun tube shape and waterproof, so I can put items I’m afraid might leak in it and not have to worry as much. For the items I got, I’m mostly planning on trading. Does IpsyMatch ever work? It seems to completely ignore my preferences. Oh well, thank goodness for trading!

Pop Beauty Pouty Pop Crayon in Fuchsia Flirt – trade/keep. I was kind of hoping for the coral since I don’t really have lip products in that shade and I might have tried it. I’m going to try trading this and if someone happens to offer the coral one I might give it a try. If I don’t manage to trade it after awhile, I’ll probably just give it a go. I’m trying to use more lip products and this is not too makeup-y so I’d definitely use it.

COOLA Face Mineral Sunscreen Tinted Moisturizer in Rose Essence – trade. I’ve got two tubes of the cucumber sunscreen (not tinted) so I really don’t need more mineral sunscreen from COOLA. At first I was considering trying it for the rose scent, but now that I know it’s tinted I’m not interested. Not really sure why since I have been going crazy trying BB creams, powders, and even a DD creme, which seem to be similar. Plus the size is tiny which I was kind of sad about.

Benefit Benetint Lip & Cheek Stain – trade/keep. This one I was also disappointed was much smaller than I envisioned. I also didn’t realize it was so liquidy and I’m not sure I’d ever use it. If I can’t trade it out though, I think I could give it a whirl. However, there seem to be a ton of people interested in it so I think I can manage a swap.

HealthySexyHair Soy Renewal Beach Spray – keep. This is the only item I got that I’m keeping for sure! Not only is it a fun product I’ve never tried before, I just love the bottle. I’m kind of excited for this beach look since I am no longer close to a beach and creating that look would be fun. I love that it contains argan oil, so I know my hair will be well-conditioned.

BH Cosmetics California Collection Eye Shadow Palette – trade. I don’t wear eye shadows, so cute as this palette is and as pretty as the colors are, I just wouldn’t use it. I left it sealed for trading but I did check out pictures online of the colors inside – there’s a purple, gold, and bronze I think. They all look great and if I was a makeup person I’d totally love this. Alas, I do no more than put on lip balm and maybe BB cream so eye shadows are far too much effort for me!

What do you think of these products? What did you get? If you’re interested in a trade, let me know and don’t forget to see what else I have up on my FSOT list. 🙂

Ipsy June 2013: On The Wild Side

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions，Tags: bags, boxes, bronze goddess, cailyn, chella, cream blush, cream palette, gel eyeliner, glitter palette, highlighter pencil, ipsy, j.cat, lip pencil, makeup, nyx, pictures, products, reviews, starlooks, subscriptions

16 June 2013

I was deciding whether I wanted to get Ipsy again when I inadvertently missed the deadline to unsubscribe, so I figured why not keep going with it for another month? I mean, for $10 I’m getting a bunch of products and if I don’t like them I can always trade. I was eager to find spoilers but as each one was revealed I got more and more concerned, since none were products that I use. However, I’m actually enjoying discovering this new stuff and maybe even starting to use some makeup?

I liked the texture of the bag a lot more than the previous one, though I don’t like the pattern as much. Still, I didn’t think I’d like it at all when I first saw the spoilers, so I’m glad it impressed me more than expected. As for the products, here are my thoughts:

Cailyn Line-Fix Gel Eyeliner in Iron – trade. I’ve never tried applying gel eyeliner before, so I might as well go all out and get it in my favorite color (purple). I’m definitely putting this up for trade so I can get all wild with purple eyeliner.

Chella Ivory Lace Highlighter – keep. I’ve been noticing how my eyebrows look more recently, so I’m totally ready to experiment with this highlighter and see what it can do for me. At the least it should be able to help calm down some of my redness.

NYX Rouge Cream Blush in Bronze Goddess – trade. While I like the shade of this blush and I’m super curious about cream blushes, I just don’t use blush so it’d be such a waste. I’m sure there’s someone else who can make good use of this and trade me for something I’d actually use more than once.

J.cat Sparkling Cream Palette in Volta – trade/keep. I’m going to list this up for trading but if nobody wants it (and it seems most people don’t really care for glitter), next time I go out at night I’ll use some of this to add playfulness. I don’t mind being silly with some glitter!

Starlooks Lip Pencil in Bare – trade. I don’t think I will ever want or need a lip pencil. It’s just not my thing. Definitely going to swap for something else with this one!

What would you have done if you got these products? What are you planning on doing with the ones you did get? Let me know and definitely reach out if you’re interested in a trade. Don’t forget to see what else I have up on my FSOT list.

In the mail: a trade, a Kickstarter backing, a bonus gift, and more!

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: at&t, beauty, free stuff, in the mail, ipsy, kate funk, kickstarter, nexus 7, packages, products, swap, swaps, tablet, trades, water bottle

05 June 2013

You know, I love mail (mostly when it’s packages, but free samples are good too) and I think there are a lot of people who love getting mail too, right? And I don’t know if you’d care to see what I’ve been receiving, but that seems like a fun way to share some of the random things that don’t make it into blog posts. I’ll skip some things I’ve already mentioned so it’s not too repetitive. Everything here arrived within the past month or so!

I got some items in my May Ipsy bag that I mentioned I wanted to trade and I was able to complete my very first successful trade recently! I sent the Pacifica perfume roller that I had not intended on trading, but since the girl wanted it and she had other things I wanted, I happily parted ways with it. The other item I sent her was the Mirabella lipstick that I knew I would get out of my hands one way or another! Lipstick is just not my thing. In exchange, I got the Juice Beauty lip gloss in Fig, Juice Beauty Hydrating Mist, and Zoya nail polish in Neely (mint greenish). She even added a few bonus samples! There was a La Fresh Oil-Free Face Cleanser wipe, a small sample of Benefit’s “the POREfessional” balm, and an Urban Decay Moondust Eyeshadow sample. Oh, and a cute little plastic Sephora baggie. 🙂 I’ve already got trade #2 underway with another girl! If you’re interested, maybe we can trade too.

I don’t quite remember how I stumbled across this Kickstarter for The World’s Most Super-Amazing 100% Awesome Cat Calendar, but I’m sure glad I did. As a major cat fan, I couldn’t help myself. The scenes and costumes created for the photo shoots are really amazing and I had to support Kate Funk as an artist and businesswoman and AC as a hard-working, ever-patient model. I mean, my cat would never sit so nicely! I chose to get the calendar and 5-card combo. I let my cousin choose a design she liked, which happened to be one I had chosen for myself so that’s why one of the designs is hidden here – it’s just a repeat. I love how much care everything was created, packaged, and sent in. This is quality stuff that I will really enjoy using!

Welch’s is offering these cute 12-oz Nalgene water bottles for free if you bought three of their Refrigerated Juice Cocktails (59 oz size in any flavor). You have to buy them between March 18-July 31 of this year and send in your receipts for the purchases to redeem. Then you just print and fill out this form and mail it in by August 30. A few weeks later, you’ll get a bottle like mine! Totally adorable, very high quality, and a great size for kids or those who want a smaller bottle to keep around. If you’re interested, hurry up before the offer ends! You’ve got less than two months now, which should be ample time to drink three cartons of juice, don’t you think?

When I decided to bundle our home internet and phone into one while adding on TV service for a total package from AT&T Uverse, they were offering a bonus product. I got to choose between a Nexus 7, an Xbox, and some other electronic product. As you can see, I opted for the Nexus 7. I figure it’d be perfect since my mom’s the only one who doesn’t have a tablet. It’ll be good for her to learn and have something portable to use on the go! I think it would be cool to use both it and my iPad, but that’s completely unnecessary. Besides, Panda has a Nexus 7 so whenever I move in with him I can just use his as I please. 😉

Have you gotten anything cool in the mail recently? Do share!

On My Mind, episode 6

laelene Posted in on my mind，Tags: beauty, bzzagent, conscious box, contact lens, contact lenses, contacts, dr scholl's, food, future, influenster, insoles, ipsy, marinated mushrooms, on my mind, owls, panda, pictures, products, skincare, subscriptions, treatsie, work

23 May 2013

Linking up with Ramblings of a Suburban Mom for “Thursday Thoughts” aka On My Mind.

a~ I can’t believe this is my 6th one already! Where did the time go? I’ve been bumming around lately because I’m hoping my first choice in future employment pans out and I’m not that motivated to apply for other jobs just yet, plus I haven’t watched my shows since early February so I’m catching up now that all the seasons seem to be ending. I’m slowly transitioning back to working more and resting less.

b~ On the box front, I have a lot going on! I got into the Influenster Spring Voxbox (yay!) and hopefully I qualify for the summer one as well. I sprang for the May Ipsy bag and while I liked the overall value and items in the bag, I’m looking to trade two items. I’m going to cancel the subscription and wait for June spoilers before deciding if I want to get it again. I got that free Bulu box that I mentioned and I’ve suspended my subscription for now. I liked the box but I didn’t love it, so I’m reluctant to spend money on it when they’re more on the healthy scale than I’m interested in. I also received my first Conscious Box and it was packed full of goodness! Gonna take me some time to get through everything. And finally, I got Panda to get me a Treatsie box subscription because I’m a sucker for treats. Call it a very early birthday present.

c~ Every now and then I get my contacts out of place in my eye and it hurts for a bit, but then I get it back in place. Awhile back, my contact kept creating discomfort in my eye so I took it out and put it back in after washing it down with solution. Still, it didn’t feel right and the next time I took it out I discovered this:

Torn contact lens. Ouch!

d~ It has been many long months since I heard from BzzAgent and I was pretty sad they weren’t including me in campaigns even though my BzzScore is pretty high. Then FINALLY I got an email from them and I am IN for the Dr. Scholl’s massaging gel insoles! Pretty excited about that since I’ve always wanted to try them but kind of never got around to figuring out which one I should get. I’m going to put them to the test on my next vacation, where I expect a whole lot of walking. My feet always hurt after standing all day and a massaging gel sounds amazing.

small brown stone owl sculpture and owl face watch

Some of the owl things I’ve gotten.

e~ Is it just me or are owls cute on/as almost any product? I mean, I love them as jewelry and decorations and sculptures and designs and even oil warmers. Something about their round, pudgy bodies and those giant eyes melt my heart. If I could find an owl bag, owl blanket, or gosh even an owl metronome, I’d probably get it. I was pretty tempted to get a felt iPad case made to look like an owl, but I don’t use cases for my iPad so I resisted. I’m that much more likely to get something if there’s an owl involved! I feel similarly about pandas and cats.

f~ I’ve made it a habit of keeping a lot of my skincare and beauty products upside-down lately. Everything from toners to shampoo to nail polish. A lot of these products tend to settle and I don’t like having to shake them up each time, so by keeping them on their heads, I don’t usually have to shake them. And for very thick things like lotion, I don’t have to struggle (as much) to get it to come out. I wonder if they have some sort of adjustable rack that I can use for this purpose?

g~ I’m obsessed with marinated mushrooms!! It was about 10 years ago that Costco stopped carrying the ones they had in their stores and I’ve been checking the pickled goods aisle ever since. In the years since, I managed to find them in the salad bar at Ralph’s a couple times, but it is very expensive to buy them by the salad bar’s weight pricing! Then I happened upon a new brand at Costco out east when I was visiting Panda a few months ago and I was joyous. I took home two jars that day and devoured them. We got some more jars and I happy ate them until I had to come back to SoCal. Unfortunately my local Costco does not carry it. I then had Panda bring me more when he came to visit. A few weeks ago he reported that there were only two more boxes of it left in the store, so I had him help me buy an entire box (8 jars). Gotta stock up in case Costco stops selling them! Yes, I am that in love with these suckers.

h~ When I got a bar of Mrs. Meyers soap in my Yuzen box many months ago, I was pretty excited to try this brand I’d been curious about. Once I started using the soap I found that the smell was too clean for my taste. I was sad and put it aside while trying to figure out what to do with it. Then I had to do some cleaning and I decided to use that soap since it was handy and seemed to cut through grease really well. I’m glad I did! For some reason, using it to clean with is perfectly fine, but using it to wash myself with feels weird. Maybe it’s a psychological thing? I associate that refreshing smell with cleaning but what I use on my body I want to feel more like I’m beautifying. Totally random, but just goes to show that you may not like something for certain reasons at first, but those very reasons can make it great for something else.

What are your random thoughts these days?

Ipsy May 2013: Spring Fling

laelene Posted in reviews，Tags: anastasia, beauty, boxes, brow gel, concealer, glam bag, honey shade, ipsy, lipstick, mirabella, nail polish, pacifica, perfume, pictures, products, reviews, roll-on, roller ball, subscriptions, yaby, zoya

19 May 2013

I got my very first Ipsy glam bag because I looked for spoilers and found that 1) there would be a full size Zoya polish, 2) there would be a lip gloss or lipstick (I was really hoping for the lip gloss since I indicated in my preferences that I never wear lipstick), 3) there would be concealer and not eye shadow (whew, I never use eye shadow and it’d be a total waste for me), 4) there would be 2 other products so the value of the bag would be pretty awesome, and 5) the bag design was appealing. So I took the plunge and this is what I got:

So my initial thoughts were that the bag is ok, but kind of cheap-feeling. Not a huge deal but I would have preferred better quality (then again for $10 a bag with those products I can’t complain). I don’t wear perfume, so I wasn’t excited about the Pacifica perfume roller, but it does smell nice in Island Vanilla so maybe I’ll use it. I wasn’t sure what the Anastasia brow gel was at first, but now that I think of it, I can get into that. I’m super sad I got the Mirabella lipstick and not the Juice Beauty lip gloss since I clearly stated I do not use lipstick but I like lip gloss. The Yaby concealer seems to be a good shade for my skin tone so I’m looking forward to trying it. And Zoya… oh, my polish. Of the 5 colors they offered this month, this was the only one I didn’t like. I’m just not into pink!

ipsy may 2013 bag items with boxes including zoya gie gie nail polish, yaby honey concealer, mirabella daydream lipstick, anastasia clear eyebrow gel, and pacifiica island vanilla perfume roller

Products with packaging.

My verdict for these items:
Pacifica Island Vanilla Perfume Roll-On – keep. I’m willing to dab it on here and there if only so I can smell it.
Anastasia Clear Brow Gel – keep. This could be something good for me to use on my brows.
Mirabella lipstick in Daydream – sell/trade. I would never use this so I’ll try to swap it for the Juice Beauty lip gloss with someone, or just sell it.
Yaby concealer in Honey – keep. My skin could use some concealer and I don’t have any I’m using now. Definitely worth trying!
Zoya nail polish in Gie Gie – trade. I would like to have one of the other shades (preferably purple) so I’m going to try finding someone to trade with me. Let me know if you’re interested!

First Prev 1 2

((little fat notebook))

Posts Tagged ‘ipsy’

August Favorites 2013

On My Mind, episode 9

Ipsy August 2013: Glamour Academy

365great Day 152: Ipsy

In the mail: a prize, skincare, and a ton of trades

Ipsy July 2013: Beach Beauty

Ipsy June 2013: On The Wild Side

In the mail: a trade, a Kickstarter backing, a bonus gift, and more!

On My Mind, episode 6

Ipsy May 2013: Spring Fling

Follow Me! :)

laelene

Categories

Top Posts & Pages

Recent Posts