We are half way through November, so I feel like I’m late coming to the party with this. I’m going to do it anyway though. I haven’t been using any of the eye makeup. I got pink eye and then caught a bit of a cold from my son. I’m feeling better, so hopefully I can dabble more into the makeup that I have set aside for the month. Before I get into this month’s picks, I’m going to recap on what happened in October.
I used this blush 5 days a week all month long and I barely scratched the surface of it. I thought for sure that I could pan it or at the very least wear down the imprint. I will bring it back for my December bag, because I really love this blush. It is very pigmented and a little goes a long way. I hit pan on my eye gloss and I found out that it wore better without eye primer. I love how this looked on my eyes. It was a nice and easy eye look that was very pretty. It paired great with bold lips. I used up my Cover FX drops. I didn’t make a noticeable dent on the Nars concealer or the Tarte lip paint. I made a bit of progress on the perfume, but I don’t mind because I love the scent on it.
I have used all of these products a few times. I have dabbled in the Hourglass 2016 Holiday Palette and used the finishing powder and blush a few times. I’m trying to use up the Caitlyn lip gloss, because I don’t like lip glosses that are pigmented in dark colors. It smears around like crazy. I only use this at home. I want to use up some perfume samples and work on my Vampire perfume that I love. I’m kinda getting sick of it though. I’ve used the eye shadow once and then got pink eye. I threw out my Benefit Gimmie Brow, because they have been on the news as having TOXIC ingredients. Could be the reason why I got pink eye. I also got rid of my mascara since I got pink eye and I had used that on my eyes that day. I’ve used the foundation once and liked it. It did flake up my moisturizer though. I’m going to try it with primer this week.
Above is what my daily makeup cabinet looks like. I have a few of my other daily supplies in there like primer, lip treatments, and a purple corrector. I like that it’s not too busy and I can easily reach in for things without knocking anything over.
Another month has come and gone and this one is almost over. I received my Sephora Play late this month. Maybe it had to do with customized foundation color? I’m not sure if it’s my color, but I’m going to try it out. If it doesn’t work out, I can get a new sample in store with my Sephora Play! card, which is fantastic of Sephora. Everyone is guaranteed a good foundation color, even if it isn’t your perfect foundation formula. Well, as long as that brand in that foundation has a color to match you to. Have you guessed the theme yet for this month’s Play box? It is Complexion Companions.
I really love this month’s box contents, but I don’t care for the bag to be honest. I thought that all of the products went with the theme. Sephora seems to be getting better at doing these themed bags. I got two items from the same brand in this box, but they are completely different products, so I don’t mind it that much. But come on Sephora! You have tons of brands and I get two from the same brand? Must have had too much samples from that brand. That’s really the only disappointing thing in this box: that I got two samples from the same brand. I absolutely LOVE everything though.
Chanel Gabrielle
I read Stella’s blog and she wrote about buying this perfume. I can say that this is a beautiful and sweet adult fragrance. It is floral, but sweet. It isn’t musky. It is the perfect day time scent and very office friendly. I wear perfume everyday and I can see this one being a go to staple. When I need to buy a Spring scent, I would consider this one. I need to get myself down to four bottles of perfume: one for every season. This would be a perfect Spring scent. It is fresh and light. I really love it.
MUFE Ultra HD Skin Booster Serum, 0.15 fl for $15.38
I am very surprised at the value of this sample. The full size is a little more than double this amount. That seems like such a small amount for a full size worth $41. I would never send that much for less than 0.5 fl oz of serum. I spent $40 on the Sunday Riley UFO that was 0.5 fl oz of oil and I considered that expensive but worth it. I am already using a hydrating serum right now, but as soon as that one is done (which will be pretty soon), I will be testing this one out. I feel like hydrating serums are very basic. I will probably just repurchase the one that lasted me several months and was very cheap.
Becca First Light Priming Filter, 0.2 fl oz for $7.60
Another expensive brand that I have been dying to try. I say Lizloveshermakeup on Youtube rave about this product and the fact that it is purple has me hooked. I’m so shook to be able to try this out. I haven’t found a primer that I am in love with yet, so maybe this one will be the one? It’s hard for me to find makeup products to be my holy grails. Preferences change all the time and my skin changes as well. Things I used to love, no longer it the bill. Plus, I’ve gone cruelty free, which really restricts my options. I’m pretty sure Becca is cruelty free, so if I love it, I’ll purchase it. Once I’ve gone through my other full size primer. Samples, I can go through, but I need to get my full size out of the way in order to buy another.
Cover FX Custom Enhancer Drops in Moonlight, 2.8 ml for $7.98
Another product that I am super stoked to try. I’ve tried other things from Cover FX, but what I really wanted to try was this highlighter. It is a nice bronzy pink shade and I am so excited to wear it. I want to get the little volt set of all of these mini ones. It blends out like a dream and you can make it look subtle or beam in your face. I like to go a little more subtle for work, but glowing on the weekends. It will be a great versatile liquid highlighter in my collection. If I really love it, I’m going to buy their unicorn shade. Although, I do hear that the full sizes tend to dry out. I’ll stick to buying the smaller size if I really am impressed by this one.
MUFE Ultra HD Invisible Cover Foundation in R230, 5 ml or $6.45
I feel like this will be a good match, even though it is lighter than my Sephora match which is R250. This was the featured product of the month that everyone should have gotten in their bags. I am happy with the shade. In the bottle it looks more on the pink side. I have a yellow undertone, but I like more rosy to neutral foundation colors on me to tone down the yellow in my skin. I like to look healthy and have a good glow. Yellow is very sallow and I don’t need a yellow foundation to emphasis that. I am using a sample of a cushion foundation right now. I will use this to see the color match, but I probably wont break it out until December to use on a consistent basis.
Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder, 0.12 oz for $4.56
Another product that I was excited to see in my bag due to all the Youtube hype. Basically, I was excited with everything in my bag this month. I have run out of all my loose powders, so I am going to be putting back my ELF color correcting finishing powder in cool and putting this bad boy in my cabinet. I am a huge fan of loose powder, even though it is very messy at times. I still love a pressed powder, but loose powder seems to suit my preferences better at the moment.
$41.97 is the grand total of my bag. While I don’t think it was the most expensive bag, I believe one of my bags hit over $50 in the past, I am the most excited about the products in this bag than any other I have received before. It is quadruple the value that I paid for and the fact that I can use every single product on the daily makes this a 5 out of 5 for me hands down. I look forward to what the next two bags have to bring for me in 2017.
I have a full, bursting bag of empties this month, so I feel very proud of myself. Also, like I accomplished something. I feel so good with cleansing all of these products out of my home and life. I love using stuff up, because it makes room for the stuff that I really love and for new items, too. I want to be more of a minimalist and try to have not as much stuff as I am cutting down and using up stuff. I’m sure I’ll need to do this again someday, but for now, I want to only have things that I love stick around and not being afraid to use up those things as well. I just have a whole new outlook on life. I don’t want to waste what I have, but I don’t want to deny myself fun girly stuff. I don’t spend on myself very often, usually just around Christmas and on my Birthday. I even have NO beauty subscriptions in an effort to use up the stuff that I have and focus on that.
I’ve been purging my clothes and Dean’s as well. I’ve been consigning everything he out grows (right now, it’s fall and winter stuff from last year and earlier this year) and clothes that I just don’t love or will never fit into again. Goodbye size 6 pants. I’ll be happy to be an eight again. I’m currently a happy size 10 to 12. My body is clinging onto those last 10 lbs until I stop breastfeeding. I’ll be using my consignment money to buy clothes for Dean and maybe a few pieces for myself IF I love any of them. I really hate shopping for clothes. I’m hard on myself and my body.
Well, let’s get to those empties!
1. Dove Original Clean 24H Invisible Solid Antiperspirant Deodorant
2. M&M’s ChiliNut
3. & 4. International Delight Peppermint Mocha Coffee Creamer
5. Garnier SkinActive Micellar Cleansing Water All-In-1
6. & 7. Parent’s Choice Wipes in No Scent
8. Vaseline Intensive Care Spray Moisturizer in Aloe Soothe
9. Victoria’s Secret 2-In-1 Wash & Scrub in PINK Total Flirt
10. Tree Hut Shea Moisturizing Body Lotion in Coconut Lime
11. Gerber Graduates lil’ Crunchies in Mild Cheddar
12. Gerber Breakfast Buddies in Apple Cinnamon
13. Snickers Ice Cream Bars 6 ct
14. & 15. & 16. Parent’s Choice Baby Bottles
17. Simple Micellar Make-Up Remover Wipes
18. Beauty Protector Protect & Detangle Leave In Conditioner
19. Lush Razzle Dazzle Solid Bath Oil
20. New England Coffee in Blueberry Cobbler
21. Lansinoh Breastmilk Storage Bags 25 ct
22. Swisspers 100% Cotton Rounds
23. Lush Big Blue Bath Bomb
24. Valentia Clear Lift Revitalizing Serum
25. Tarte Drink of H2O Hydrating Boost Moisturizer
26. OPI Nail Lacquer in Red Texture Polish
27. Chock Full O’Nuts in Midtown Manhattan Single Serve
28. Briogeo Don’t Despair, Repair! Deep Conditioning Mask
29. Rite Aid Acetaminophen
30. OZ Naturals Super Youth Eye Gel
31. Neutrogena Oil-Free Eye Makeup Remover
32. Replenix Neckletage
33. Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer in Nude
34. Boo-Boo Cover Up Concealer in Medium
35. Origins High Potency Night-A-Mins Mineral Enriched Renewal Cream
I managed to finish two books in October and I was SO CLOSE to finishing a third. Oh well! I’ll probably have three for next month then. One is a paperback and the other was a kindle freebie. I love getting free books on my kindle, even if they aren’t very good. I’ve made a sizable hit on my personal to-read library at home. Any books that I finish and I don’t love (or weren’t presents), I will consign for 2 dollars. It’s worth getting a little bit of money out of books that you’ve only read once and I have a small apartment. I need to downsize EVERYTHING. The good news is that I’m moving next year! I’ll def show what the apartment looks like empty. Once I complete a room the way I want it to look (styled and furnished and everything), I will show it on my blog. Good things coming next year!
I feel so-so about this book. All of the character development from the last book was all gone. Honestly, it felt like the first book never happened. The ending was satisfying, but she was shopping again. Honestly, I’ll read the third book, but if the plot line is the same: gets in debt and miraculously gets out of debt in the end; I will not read another book. It’s like the same story told over and over again, just slightly different the second time around. I might try a different book from this author if they just keep rehashing the Shopaholic story. But honestly, her mom’s a bit of a shopaholic herself. 🙂
I really liked this book in the beginning, but it was almost too long to keep my attention. Add to the fact that the book was all over the place and just really confusing. You don’t know what’s real and what’s not. You don’t really have an idea of what’s going on at all and if you do, the plot totally changes and you are lost again. This book wouldn’t be so bad if you gave the reader just a little bit of information about where the book is leading you to. You think it’s one thing, but it’s another and another. It’s just too all over the place for me to really enjoy it. It was a break from my usual fantasy novels, but I won’t buy the next one in the series. It wasn’t a great start that would make me want to read another unfortunately. View all my reviews
It has been a hot minute since I have written an entertainment post. I have been mostly watching episodes of tv shows and I only review those at the end of every season. I haven’t been watching a ton of movies, but I have rented from Redbox and watched a couple on Netflix recently. I hope you enjoy this and I hope to be writing at least one more this month. I enjoy writing these posts. Also, this week, you can look forward to more product reviews, an unboxing, and a breakdown of the box I unboxed.
Descendants
I loved this movie, so sue me! I loved the catchy songs and I thought that it was a unique plot. I was surprised that Disney never thought to do this before. Is music overdone on Disney? Yes, but I wasn’t feeling well and this just made my whole day in bed a lot better. There is going to be a sequel and I will be watching it for sure. I like Dove Cameron’s singing voice a lot better than the other girl’s voice in the movie, but that is just personal preference. I don’t think the singing talent was amazing or anything. I just enjoyed the catchy tones to songs new and old from Disney. 5 stars out of 5
Juniper Ascending
This was an interesting concept for a movie, but not executed in the way that it should have been. There were two great lead roles and I felt the chemistry between them. However, there were things that didn’t make any sense in the plot and it was boring at times. I didn’t really understand fully what was going on and when I thought I did, there was an event or something said that would contradict it. This movie had the potential to be great, but it fell short. Now, it was just interesting. Nothing more, nothing less. 3 stars out of 5
The Longest Ride
Oh, I loved this movie, even if I didn’t read the book! Now, I really want to read the book. Let me know when you are done with it, Danielle. This movie was everything I needed it to be: perfectly romantic and tragic. It was bittersweet, but filled with humorous moments. I recommend this to anyone who wants to watch a good romance and possibly cry a little. I’m not going to lie, I did tear up with this one. Stupid pregnancy hormones. This is not your typical Nicholas Sparks movie. He has truly broken his own predictable mold. 5 stars out of 5
The Age of Adaline
I really enjoyed this movie, even though it was a bit boring at times. I just love Blake Lively and I think that she is a terrific actress. She played her role very well and I cried a bit during this movie as well. It was so touching. I have been really loving romantic movies lately, especially ones that go from the present backwards. There were other great actors in this movie as well. It was a great cast and a unique plot. There is something refreshing about seeing something you have never seen before instead of an imitation or copy of other movies. 4 stars out of 5
The Duff
I watched this with Danielle when she came over my house in September. This was hilarious and reminded me a bit of Mean Girls or another iconic movie like that. I enjoyed all of the talent in this movie and I liked that it was way more than just about making a girl over. It reached a deeper level, which is unique to the young adult/teen movies that you usually see. It was superficial, while cutting deeper into what kind of bullying girls do to girls. I was fully engrossed in this movie. 5 stars out of 5
How it feels/smells/looks: It smells like a mixture of sunblock and fruit. It is a shiny, dark purple shampoo that feels very stripping in the hair as it makes a ton of lather.
Why I like it: This does a good job at toning the brassiness in my hair. I have bleached pieces and my hair itself is a dark blonde. Purple shampoo calms down the golden tones in my hair. My hair grows out blonde, turns dark, and then goes like two shades lighter. It’s wierd like that. I am not buying this again, because I like the purple shampoo treatments from John Frieda. There is nothing wrong with this one at all. I just like a different brand better.
How it feels/smells/looks: The foundation smells sickly and not pleasant at all (granted, it is two years old, but it smelled the same way when I bought it). Thankfully, the smell goes away after an hour of wear. It feels nice going on the skin and is very blendable. It looks great at first, then you start to look a bit orange from oxidization.
Why I like it: It was nice last summer, when I bought it and afterward it never worked for me. Maybe, it is because I am not as tan as last year. Now, I find it orange and patchy. Now that I see all the parabens, I am going to chuck it and not worry about it not actually being empty. I tried making it work by cutting it down with lotion, but the combo was making me greasy as heck. I want to purchase a different type of foundation next time. Maybe a mousse formula?
I have the results of how I feel about my October Ipsy bag for you! What did you all think about your October Ipsy? Overall, I really enjoyed mine, but I have yet to actually purchase something that I received in my bag, so there is that. I think that it is a great sampling program. I also feel like it is time to move on from this. I am thinking about joining Birchbox, because the point system seems to be much better than Ipsy and you can choose anything you want. The shop is not limited to a handful of choices that sellout faster than you can purchase them. So, in the New Year I will say Hello to Birchbox and Goodbye to Ipsy. Do you guys think that this is a sound decision? Thanks guys!
The Theme:
[I totally forgot to take a picture of the card and it utterly got destroyed by the dogs!]
Look at how guilty they are!
I really didn’t see how the theme again relates to the actual products. I get that the bag is eye candy, because it is nice to look at. Everything else? Not so much. The only item that remotely relates is the eye shadow, because again, the pun on “Eye” Candy or Beauty Candy. Maybe, the bags are just too customize-able that some people’s don’t fit under the theme? They really should make sure that all of the products under the theme should relate to it and not just a few that doesn’t make it into most people’s bag. I just think that they could have taken this theme in a really great direction and it fell short. That being said, most of the actual items, I really liked.
The Bag:
I love this teal bag. It is definitely more green than blue, which is a very pretty color. The color of the Caribbean ocean really is what it is. I usually have this style of bag from Ipsy, so I kind of which they did more of a variety of bag shapes. I still really like it though. This is a very unique bag and I think that I am going to use this to hold my Filofax accessories. Speaking of my Filofax, I really need to decorate it a bit more for the holidays. Does anyone have any ideas for that? Thanks in advance!
City Color Be Matte Lipstick in Cappuccino, 0.105 oz for 5 USD
Lol. I just realized that my lips look huge in this picture! I guess, it really does help to over-line your lips to give them a bit of volume.This is a full sized matte lipstick that I quite enjoy using. This is going to get a ton of use out of it, but I am hesitant about buying it. It is not a moisturizing formula whatsoever, but I also feel like if it was, the formula wouldn’t be matte. This is literally the perfect neutral color and I just love it. Getting a full sized product is a major score! Did I get more full-sized? Wait and see and read more to find out.
ECRU New York Acacia Protein BB Cream Beauty Balm For Hair, 1 fl oz for 12 USD
This is the travel sized version of their full sized product. I think that this product is really expensive for such a small amount and the product itself is really light. The product is so light that I do not think that this is very moisturizing at all. I add some beauty oil to it to make it more moisturizing, while still keeping the formula very light. I will use this product up, because it is a luxury and I don’t like to waste anything. Unless you have baby fine hair, I could not see this being very moisturizing on its own. The redeeming quality in this product is that it doesn’t contain a lot of nasty chemicals, which is always a good thing.
Epice International Purifying Exfoliant, 1 fl oz for 9.70 USD
I have used this product a few times and I don’t think there is anything special about it. It is a decent exfoliant, but it will not replace my Lush Ocean Salt scrub, which I absolutely love to death and I have even gotten my dad into using it as well. I still have half a tub of it and I bought it in May. So, I think that I will buy it as a birthday present again to myself. Anyways, back to this product, I feel like my St. Ives gives a more satisfying scrub and this has micro-beads that are killing the coral reefs. So, it is safe to say that I will not be purchasing this at all. If it was fantastic, maybe, but as it is, no.
Figs & Rouge Hand Cream in Mango Mandarin, 0.67 oz for 6.37 USD
I cannot believe that this hand cream is full sized. The price is super expensive for two thirds of an ounce. That is crazy! That being said, I would buy this as a gift for a hand cream obsessed friend. It smells incredible and absorbs quickly without all the grease. It is a light hand cream, so do not expect miracles. It is great at maintaining great skin, though. I feel like this would be the perfect summer hand cream. I keep this small tube with my laptop, so I can keep my hands soft as I type. I notice my dry hands, when typing and hand cream stops me from picking at the dead skin.
Mica Beauty Cosmetics Mineral Eye Shadow in 34 Harlequin, 0.1 oz for 14.95 USD
Another full sized product! Wow, that is three full sized product in this past month’s Ipsy bag, which definitely makes up for the bad theme. I love this eye shadow. It is very bold, but it blends out beautifully into a wisp of color, which I quite enjoy. I was able to blend this out in my crease to just a hint of green. It was so beautiful paired with another light green color that I used as a base, which I will be sharing in this post as well. Mineral shadows blend out beautifully, so do not be afraid of it if you are not a fan of bold color. It can be as bold or understated as you want it to be. The key is to blend, blend, blend, if you want an understated look. It took me 5 minutes or so of blending on each eye for the color I wanted to achieve.
Bonus Extra 1,000 Point Perk: BareMinerals 5-in-1 BB Advanced Performance Cream Eyeshadow Broad Spectrum SPF 15 in Delicate Moss, 0.1 fl oz for 18 USD
Blended
I spent my Ipsy points on this full sized product and I couldn’t be happier. It is the best everyday base for my eyes that bring out my unique eye color. I hate how limiting the options are on Ipsy though. It is the reason that I have decided that I will be cancelling my subscription and picking up Birchbox and Fortune Cookie Soap Box as well. I love Ipsy, but I have enough makeup now. I think Birchbox is more body care oriented, so I’m gonna give that one a try and so is FCSB. So, these posts are the last ones you will see from me. Who knows? Maybe, I will pick it up again in the future.
Home Sweet Phoenix Cove 