As you know its this time of month to review my Ipsy bags. If you wanted to sign up, you can do so here. Every month they have a theme and since we are in summer the theme for this month was Pretty in Paradise. One of the best things this month was the actual bad. They partnered with Rebecca Minkoff. I was really excited to see what was in my bag this month. The bag is black with a red zipper and it has pineapple designs on it. Its in a satin material which makes it pop and with red liner its a really nice bag to have in your purse when you go out.
In no particular order, I am just going to go down the list of what I received. First item that opened was the Be A Bombshell Lash Out mascara. I am always happy to get a mascara. I opened it immediately and saw that the wand didn't seem to be something so out there so I was a little skeptical with the "Lash Out" in the name. I did use it and yes, it does work well but have to say that I am a little disappointed especially since other items that I've tried from this brand, I've loved. This one wasn't something I was expecting from this brand. This retails for $15 and you can get it on the +Be A Bombshell Cosmetics website.
The next item I got was DERMAdoctor DD Cream Dermatologically Defining BB Cream with Broad Spectrum SPF 30 and this is something I always love receiving. Its a BB cream and this DERMAdoctor brand is amazing. It's really good to have a makeup brand that is also good for your skin and this is just one of those brands that combines both makeup and skincare perfectly. This BB cream has 30 SPF and I've worn this already. I think its a bit oily for me but if I use a mattifying primer, this is perfect. This was a deluxe sample but a regular size retails for $38 so I was happy that I was able to get a sample. Not sure if I would buy this on my own since it was a bit oily for me but I do enjoy that I was able to try it out.
Third product that was in the bag was a hair product. Sometimes I am not too into having hair products but this one was something I was excited to try since its summer. Its Marc Anthony Dream Waves Beach spray. This is a spray that you put in your hair so that you can get those nice beachy waves especially for the summer. Its easy to just wash your hair, put the spray in your hair and let it air dry. If you are pressed for time, you can definitely opt for a diffuser which is that big attachment that no one knows what to do with. This retails for around $9 and it's a drugstore brand which I love. I am not a fan of the smell but its doable for the price. It's like the beach but I feel it could be a little bit more of a coconut sweet smell.
The fourth product I received was an eyeliner. It is the Nicka K New York Shimmer Eyeliner. I received it in the green color. I am not for one with liquid eyeliner meaning at all. I don't like the way it applies, I am impatient with the drying but I do have to say that I love the color of this one. I would have loved for this to be more of a pencil liner than a liquid none the less, this had more of a felt tip and it was long lasting. This liner retails for $4.99 and its a great deal for a liner that lasts this long. I swatched it on my hand and realized that I really needed to scrub for it to come off.
The last product that I received was the NYX Butter Gloss and this lipgloss is great. Surprisingly, I've never tried this gloss because I don't think I've ever seen a color that I found appealing but when I get it in a bag then I am more than willing to try it out. I was really happy to have gotten the pinkish color. Its a pale pink which goes on very nude color but has a hint of color to it. Its a great color to add on top of a pink or nude color to add a glossy top. It claims to not be sticky but I have to say it is a bit thick and my hair gets stuck on my lips because of the lipgloss so thats a bit of a turn off. I do like that I got to try this but I am happy that I didn't spend money on this. It retails for $6 and you can get them in most drugstores and Target/Walmarts.
All in all this was a great bag. I was happy for the actual bag that the makeup came in so its always good to have that since I use them on a daily basis to put my cosmetics in my purse. I still recommend Ipsy bags and think if you haven't tried it yet, you should still try at least one month. Its only $10 and you can cancel at any time.
Eventually I will go hard on reviewing makeup but since its Summer, I realize that I don't wear as much makeup as I did before. I like to make sure my face looks great and sometimes it has its ups and downs. I always need to make sure that I use a good cleanser to take off the makeup that I do put on and also make sure that my skin is cleaned from all the sut of New York City. I like to try different things so even if I find one that I like, I would probably change it up and try something different and then maybe go back to it after. I am a part of different groups on Facebook so that I can see what other people are doing and what they are trying out and one of the posts put me in contact with +Mario Badescu Skin Care Inc. and I was really happy that their website offers you free samples after filling out a skin profile.
One of the products that they did sent me was the cleanser which was the Enzyme Cleansing gel. This is a non-foaming, gel cleanser thoroughly removed the day's makeup, dirt and oil without drying the skin. This cleanser has Papaya and grapefruit extracts which even though it doesn't have scrubby components it has those extracts that are exfoliating alpha hydroxy acids that help prevent dulling build-up that can cause blackheads and pimples. I tried it and immediately thought it wasn't really cleansing since it doesn't really lather. In a cleanser, I like to have something that foams up and maybe have something like scrubs in it since I feel that really cleans my skin that way. There are something that feels clean when a cleanser foams and scrubs your skin. After using this product for about 2 months now, I have to say it works. I use it with my +Clarisonic so the scrubbing is done with that and I do have to say that it works. It clears my skin and removed my makeup when I don't use a face wipe to remove it.
This cleanser retails for about $20 and its a huge bottle that you get. I got the travel size and it was about $6 and I've been using it for about 2 months already so I don't think its an expensive cleanser. I know you can buy this in +ULTA Beauty and +Urban Outfitters.
Nail care!! I've been trying to let my nails breathe for a while. I took the nail polish off
and also cut them down to really short lengths. I was finding that my nails were breaking and they were just a mess so instead of trying to fix them, I decided to just revamp them and cut them down to nothing and let them grow "from scratch". I noticed that I had really yellow nails. I know its probably because I color my nails all the time but honestly. I've been whitening my nails for a while now and haven't painted them in 2 whole weeks and they are still yellow. I am thinking that I still need some time to get them grow a bit more and let them breath a little more without nail polish but I figured I'd give it a try. I will update you a little more later on the update on my "no nail polish month".
In trying to get my nails whiter, I was in +Urban Outfitters and I went straight to the beauty products section and I saw that they had the different sheet masks and one of the sheet masks I saw was for your nails. It is call The Face Shop Face it Nail Pack I automatically wanted it. It basically is a nail brightener for your nails. It has the whitening agents like lemon and baking soda and I was in love. I went home and wanted to try it since I'd been letting my nails breath for a while I figured I can go ahead and try it. I took a shower made sure my nails were clean and I went and applied the sheet masks glove thingies to my nails. Its just like a nail cover not a full on glove. It only covers your fingers and left it on for 30 minutes. I don't know if I saw permanent results after using this. I feel like, yes it did make my nails whiter when I was using it but in the morning they still had that yellow hue. I am starting to think that my nails naturally have a yellow hue. I am not sure if it is possible to get my nails white so if you have any other suggestions I would love to hear it from you.
As you know I live in the Beauty Section of Urban Outfitters now that its so close to the
office. I recently got a huge haul of sheet masks and just different little things. When I made my purchase the nice cashier gave me about 10 samples of this Skinfood Rice Mask. I feel in love with this brand a while back when I tried their snail sheet masks. The product description for this is that its a wash-off mask that transforms skin into a pure and soft texture. This contains rice bran water so I think this is what makes it work. The directions are to use after cleansing and gently massage with ample amount over dry face avoiding eyes and mouth area. It tells you to concentrate around nose area and repeat so that the little grains are scrubbing into your skin. It tells you to rinse with lukewarm water after 10-15 minutes of scrubbing. The consistency of this product is really nice. It is somewhat light, watery but not runny. It stays on the skin really well and doesn't drip off if you keep it on which I love. It also feel cooling when you apply it on your skin. Not sure if it has something like menthol. It contains tiny particles which scrubs your skin and exfoliates. I have very oily skin as you know but I think this product is really good for people with dry skin as well. It leaves my skin really moisturizing and the scrub isn't so much but just enough to remove the dead skin cells.
This mask is all good. I love it and would definitely recommend it. It does however, have a smell to it. It kind of smells like rice. I don't mind the smell but I've always seen different reviews and know that a lot of people hate things that smell. But all in all I love this mask and I've been using it ever since I got the samples for about once a week. My skin is always left soft and fresh and its a nice clean feeling. This mask retails for $18 and depending on how much you use it, it can last you at least 2 months. Its not that bad giving that this leaves your skin feeling amazing. You can buy this mask at +Urban Outfitters online or in-store. You can also get it Amazon or The Face Shop.
Hello hello! I've been on vacation for the last week and decided to take time off from
blogging. So I am back and better than ever. I've been able to collect more beauty products so I already have a lot of different topics to talk about. After a vacation, I like to get my skin back in check and make sure that everything look back to normal. I have a little bit more color so I have to make sure I'm using different skincare products that are not as harsh to my skin. One of the things that I've noticed is my blackheads. I've been wanting to see what Korean brands have to treat these. There was a new Urban Outfitters that opened up in Herald Square here in NYC. I resisted the urge to go the first 2 weeks of opening but definitely went there the third. I walked in and its a huge space and they have a whole separate beauty section in the back. Its got everything known to man. A great selection of International Beauty products. I fell in love with Tony Moly products a while back so I was excited to try this product.
I decided to pick up the Tony Moly Egg Pore Blackhead Out Oil Gel. This products is a wash off type of gel mask that will melt away the blackheads. Just as the name states, this product helps out in removing blackheads. Once you put this gel on your face it turns white because the micro beads and the gel mixes together and it emulsifies on your skin. It says that you should massage into your skin for 2-5 minutes. After using this for a couple of days now, you notice how the appearance of your blackheads actually disappear. Its a great product and I definitely recommend this product to everyone. It retails for $16 and its definitely worth it. You can buy in +Urban Outfitters in-store or online.
Hey Guys!! Thanks for always following my blog! I am on vacation from 6/19-26th! I will be posting after that date!!!
If you have any requests please comment below!!
The last product I received was the Skinn Olive & Enzyme Cleanser which is a duel working cleanser. It is a makeup remover and a face mask. It removes makeup and also leaves your skin really smooth. It has some sort of orange extract because it has a strong citrus smell to it. I like to use this as my makeup remover then I wash it off and cleanse my skin with something else. I do not like how this leaves my skin a bit oily. This would probably work amazing for someone with more dry skin. It retails for $24 and you can buy it online. I don't think this would have been something I would have tried but don't think I would have bought it on my own. 
