Posts Tagged ‘nail lacquer’

Ipsy December 2013: Celebration!

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions,Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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The December days have just fallen away from me without me realizing! How did half the month creep by already?! So of course Ipsy was not even on my mind yet when I got the notification that it had been sent out. Since I hadn’t already checked my glam room, I decided to let it be a complete surprise this time. At first glance, I really like the bag – it’s a super fun texture and great for use in any situation. The black exterior isn’t too flashy and the red interior is a lovely touch.

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.

ipsy december 2013 bag items with card including nicka k new york nail color in classic taupe, demeter roll on perfume oil in snow, be a bombshell the one stick in flustered, pop beauty eye shadow trio in smokin' hot, and j.cat beauty big lip pencil in caramel mocha

The theme this month is Celebration! Each of these items is definitely something I can see people using when getting ready for a holiday party (in fact, I used the perfume oil and lip pencil for the one I went to last night). I think they could have gone a little more glittery or bold with red to really give me that celebratory feeling.

nicka k new york nail color in classic taupeNicka K New York Nail Color in Classic Taupe – While I’m always a fan of nail polish and this bottle is really cute, I’m not sure about the color. It’s a neutral shade that is quite mature for me and a bit too dark for my liking. I’ll give it another try though and see how I like it after wearing it for a few days. I might still try to trade it for one of the other options that were sent out this month, like the purple one that was another brand. I am intrigued by this brand and will definitely look out for them in the future. The nail polish applies really well and were it not for the shade, I’d totally keep it!

demeter snow roll on perfume oilDemeter Snow Perfume Oil Roll On – I’d heard of these roll on perfume oils from other subscription boxes. I forget which one it was that included the Salt scent, but I remember a ton of people were really excited about it. I was pretty surprised to find it in my bag and I’m more than happy to try it out. I don’t ever wear perfume, but this fun little roll on glides on effortlessly and has a light scent that I can totally handle.

be a bombshell the one stick in flusteredBe a Bombshell The One Stick in Flustered – When I first saw this, I figured it was an all-in-one type of solution, but I couldn’t quite figure out what exactly that entailed. Apparently it’s good for your tinting your cheeks, eyelids, or lips. I tried it on my cheeks and whoooa it’s bright! Panda even asked me if I was feeling flushed, lol. I might have to stick with using it for my lips then. I’ve been getting into red lips lately and have a lot of fun with that at night and occasionally on the weekends. I guess next time we have an event, I can put it on for kicks and experiment like I did with eyeliner/eye shadow yesterday.

pop beauty eye shadow trio in smokin' hotPOP Beauty Bright Up Your Life Eye Shadow Trio in Smokin’ Hot – Ok, this is the definite no product for me in this bag. I just am not into eye shadows. It’s a cool palette and I can totally see how it’d be great for the season, but I’m putting it up for trade. While I did enjoy putting a little bit of shine on my eyelids last night, it happens so infrequently that it would take many lifetimes to ever use these eye shadows. How do I make Ipsy stop sending me this type of product?! It’s super adorable though and I wish I could put it to good use.

j.cat big lip pencil in caramel mochaJ.Cat Beauty Big Lip Pencil in Caramel Mocha – Based on the color of the stick and what you can see, I definitely expected this color to be more bright. Instead, it’s a very creamy and rather nude shade against my lips. That actually works out quite well for when I want a little something without being super bold. I also love how smoothly it applies. I’ll be keeping this handy in my bag for touch-ups!

 

Would you keep all of these items? If not, what would you trade? If you’re interested in Ipsy, sign up for just $10/month!

[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!]

Ipsy November 2013: Glam It Up

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions,Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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I’m pretty pleased with the Ipsy bag this time around, partly because there’s an extra beyond the usual 5! I do think IpsyMatch could have matched me up with something I’d love a lot more, but I’m getting more open to trying some products I don’t usually use.

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.

ipsy november 2013 bag items with card including nailtini lacquer in champagne, pixi beauty bronzer in summertime, cailyn mineral eyeshadow in champagne, em michelle phan pillow plush lip balm in strawberry, be a bombshell lip crayon in hot da*n, and starlooks gem pencil in amethyst

collage of em michelle phan cosmetics info card front and back from ipsy november 2013 bag

The Nailtini Lacquer in Champagne looks kind of dark at first, but it applies in a lovely shade that is really subtle and nice. It’s perfect for work when I don’t want to draw attention to my nails but I want them to have some color. It goes well with my skin tone and blends in quite well yet offers a nice sheen to my nails. I like it a lot and I’ll definitely be using it a lot throughout the holiday season!

I’m still debating whether I should open the Pixi Beauty Bronzer in Summertime…I’ve never used bronzer and I don’t want to keep adding to my routine. At the same time, I’m kind of curious how it would look and if I’d like it. I guess since I already have it I might as well try it right? Not like I’d buy one for myself. But I don’t know about adding yet another thing to put on my face – wasn’t the point of BB cream supposed to be that I wouldn’t use all this? I’m still searching for the perfect all-in-one product for that.

I really like the presentation of the Cailyn Mineral Eyeshadow in Champagne, what with its cute sponge tip and loos powder consistency. I gave this a try and while I don’t like wearing eyeshadow, I do like having something like this to put on my skin for a bit of a golden sparkle. It’s really more of a novelty item for me and not something I’d put on the way it was meant to be. I’m enjoying playing around with this and just being silly with it.

Everyone got a bonus item from the em michelle phan line of cosmetics and I got the pillow plush cushiony lip balm in strawberry – perfect! Out of all the products, this would probably be the most fitting for me. I love the subtle strawberry scent and the nice rich texture. It applies well, has a bit of a red tint, and feels nice. The packaging is cute though I think it would have been cool if the lid had a mirror instead of the white background so you can get a glimpse of your lips with it.

The be a bombshell lip crayon in hot dang* is a fun bright red! I never go for something so vibrant and prefer much more neutral colors that blend in with my skin tone better, but I decided to have some fun with this. I don’t know if I’ll ever wear it out since red lips attract too much attention to that area for my liking, but hey now I have just the right thing to apply if I ever need to make a perfect red lip print on something! It’s really smooth and easy to glide on to your lips.

Finally, there’s the Starlooks Gem Eye Pencil in Amethyst. I’m tempted to open it since I love purple, but I really don’t see myself using it. Apparently it can be an eyeliner or eyeshadow. I can see myself trying it for kicks but not actually using it when I go out. Ah, dilemmas. So far I haven’t opened any of the Starlooks items that have come in Ipsy bags so maybe it’s time to try one. I mean, how could I resist amethyst??? One of my favorite gemstones and words…

This might be the second time that I won’t be trading anything from my bag! Would you keep all these items? What did you get in your bag? Sign up for Ipsy if you like what you see!

 

*Yes I changed this word because I don’t curse. I don’t care if it’s the name or not. 😛

[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!]

Yuzen Summer 2013 edition (May – July)

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions,Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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Ok, changing it up a bit this time. All my previous posts have been way after the fact so in an effort to be more timely, I will first post up what came in the box and then update as I try the items. The summer box had the most items yet and was just as fantastic as you could imagine.

Yuzen is $26 per quarter (with boxes sent Feb, May, Aug, and Nov) and comes with around 7 or 8 eco-friendly beauty, skincare, food/snacks, and home products. Boxes are sent quarterly with no option to skip, but you can get one-time gift boxes too. Sometimes there’s a waitlist to get the subscription. They do not offer a referral program.

*Disclosure: As a super fan, I was invited to be the Yuzen Ambassador to help them spread the word about their brand. Starting with the October box, I began to receive them for free. I was not compensated otherwise and all opinions are my own, irregardless of my relation to Yuzen. I just happen to think they’re awesome (as does everyone else I’ve heard from). :)

collage of unwrapping of summer 2013 may through july yuzen box

Click on the pictures for the full sizes so you can enjoy all the details of each product!  You can even zoom in to read all the messaging.

collage of sukicolor mineral cream makeup included in the summer 2013 yuzen boxSukiColorLuscious Lips Berry Cream Trio Fresh Finish Mineral Cream Makeup: What a cute little palette! I’ve never had this kind of cream that you brush on your lips and cheeks so I’m pretty excited to try it. Might I add that there’s a nice citrus sort of scent coming from at least one of them (I can’t tell if it’s just one or all). I kind of want to lick them! Is that weird? Well, I’ll probably end up doing that once they’re on my lips anyway. 😉

collage of cocomels sea salt caramels included in the summer 2013 yuzen boxJJ’s Sweets Cocomels – Sea Salt Coconut Milk Caramels: Yum! I love caramels and the concept of making them with coconut milk is pretty cool. I didn’t use to like coconut much but it’s definitely growing on me and these are quite the tasty treat. My taste buds didn’t know what to do with the sweet coconut flavor with a hint of saltiness. So unique!

image of phyt's lait hydro nettoyant included in the summer 2013 yuzen boxPHYT’S – Lait Hydro Nettoyant: Wow, this must have come straight from France – they didn’t even translate the product name into English. I actually took French in middle & high school and I know lait is milk and nettoyant is cleanser/washer. So I could tell this would be a face wash. It cleans off makeup too! It looks super soothing and gentle. I have a lot of face washes/cleansers at the moment so I don’t want to open it just yet. I imagine it to be creamy, maybe even silky and either clear or white-ish. We’ll see if I’m right!

collage of level shower bombs included in the summer 2013 yuzen boxLevel Naturals – Shower Bombs: I got these in a different box awhile back and I actually decided to sell them at that time, but this time around I’m going to try them out! The smell is so invigorating and clears up my sinuses in a snap so I’m sure it’ll be very refreshing in the shower. I might have to keep one intact just to sniff because it is super effective at invigorating and soothing me at the same time. When I get back into the workforce I could definitely use these to help wake me up in the mornings since I am not a morning person. In fact, I often doze off a little while showering and getting ready for work (oops).

collage of acure marula oil and argan oil included in the summer 2013 yuzen boxAcure – Marula Oil & Moroccan Argan Oil: I’ve never heard of marula oil, so I’m totally curious about it. It’s supposed to be good for scars, redness, fine lines, and dry skin and if it lives up to all that I will be very impressed. I scar easily so anything to help prevent that would be amazing. I’m familiar with argan oil for your hair but I’ve never tried it on my face or cuticles so I’m going to use this bottle towards that.

collage of sparitual nail polish and top coat included in the summer 2013 yuzen boxSpaRitual – Emerald City Lacquer & Multitasker Base & Topcoat: Love this brand! We got a bold red in the December Yuzen box and now it’s a beautiful green for the summer. I love that they rolled the base coat and top coat into one so you don’t have to get both separately. These are super cute and I like smaller sizes since I never use much nail polish and I’d rather have small ones of a ton of colors so I can change it up all the time. They also apply really well/easily!

image of pritte moisturizing body lotion included in the summer 2013 yuzen boxPritte – Moisturizing Body Lotion: I like the slender tube and push dispenser they use. It makes their brand seem classier than most and it reminds me of some high-end product lines. I tried a bit and it’s a wonderful citrus sort of scent that I enjoy. It absorbs well and hydrates very effectively. I’m going to have to use this on my feet since they tend to get the worst beating. Got a chance to check out more of their products online and I am really loving their packaging! Maybe it’s the use of gold on the labels? I just want to try more of their products, haha.

collage of action wipes large full body wet wipes included in the summer 2013 yuzen boxAction Wipes – Full-Body Wet Wipes: I can see myself using these after a workout or after being outside in the sun. They seem very refreshing and a great way to rejuvenate your body without having to take a shower. I mean, sometimes it’s just not convenient to have to wash up so I’d totally wipe down instead! I can’t wait to try these out. I’d use them on myself and my yoga mat after a class and I’m sure Panda could make good use of these after his workouts. I’ve been trying to get him to cut down on his water usage and if he can save a rinse with these I think that’d be pretty great.

image of juil discount code card included in the summer 2013 yuzen boxJuil – $40 off discount code: Ok, I have to admit I’m not a huge fan of their style of shoes but I love the concept! I had the same problem with Crocs until they started making more designs so I bet the same would happen with Juil. These shoes are pretty pricey so a $40 discount helps out a lot! (Most of the women’s shoes are $85 and the men’s are $95.) I’d be really curious to try these so I can see what grounding shoes feel like but at the moment this sort of thing is not within my budget.

What a fabulous box! Everything is very fitting for the summer months, helping you soothe, relax, refresh, cool down, calm down, and so much more. There is so much to try and I can’t wait to field test everything!

What do you think of the Summer Yuzen box? Did you receive it too? If this looks like something you (or someone you know) would love, but sure to sign up for the fall box! Currently there’s a waitlist so don’t delay any longer! Also, you can get in line for the summer favorites box, which will include items from previous boxes. Gift it to someone special or claim it for yourself, especially if you missed out on previous boxes.

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