June Ipsy Glam Bag Review

 

 

Hello Everybody! It's been awhile since I blogged, I've been so busy with summer activities (no excuse, I know!). Anyways, here's my review of the June Ipsy Glam Bag! This month I received:

• Marc Anthony Dream Waves Beach Spray
• Seraphine Botanicals Blush in Happy Hibiscus
• Liptini in Pink-Tini
• Urban Decay eyeshadow in Fireball
• Doucce Bombastic Lash Volumizer Mascara

 

Marc Anthony Dream Waves Beach Spray:

This hair product is to make beachy waves in a spray form. I love this stuff! I recently bought another beach wave product and I prefer this Marc Anthony one. The application is easy, just add to damp hair and scrunch your hair every once in awhile until it dries. It has an amazing coconut smell that lasts all day.

 The first picture is without combing the hair, the others are after a light combing with a wide set comb. I should note that my hair has a bit of natural curl to it.

Seraphine Botanicals Blush in Happy Hibiscus:

I am not a person who uses blush so I was disappointed to receive this, even though I have stated that I don't want blush. This color looks more like a bronzer to me anyways and I have tried it as such but it is pretty dark on my skin right now. Maybe once my face gets a little more tan it will look better. It looks like a great product, just not for me.

Liptini in Pink-Tini:

This color is nice, but I feel like this is the same color of lip product I get every month from Ipsy. Im not a fan of lip products that I have to use my finger to apply. The formula is sticky but the color is nice.

Urban Decay eyeshadow in Fireball:

I was really excited to receive an Urban Decay product since I am a huge fan of the brand. The color is a peachy bright pink mixture. The color transforms as you look at it from different angles. I wont be using this color alone but I think it will look great with another color underneath.

Doucce Bombastic Lash Volumizer Mascara:

I was pleasantly surprised with this mascara! I find it similar to my beloved NARS mascara. This could have to do with the brush type being very similar. The brush is made up of tiny little prongs which get into all the lashes to separate them and leave them clump free.

 

Comparing the two mascaras, you can see that the NARS mascara separates a bit better, it is not as thick either. Price wise, the NARS comes at $34 while the Doucce one is $24 plus a 30% discount through Ipsy so it is a better choice if you are watching your pennies. 

 

 

 



Overall, this months bag was not too bad. I love the Marc Anthony spray and will definitely be buying that in the future. The other products were meh for me and I will not be purchasing them. If you are interested in receiving the Ipsy Glam Bag, use this link to subscribe!

Thanks for reading!
xoxo,
Katrina

May Ipsy Glam Bag Review!

Hello Everyone!
This months Ipsy Glam Bag is in and it is cute! I love the bag and how it is shaped like an envelope. This month I received:

• Aurora Gel Effect Nail Lacquer in Safety Orange
• em Michele Phan Makeup Mood Enhancer
• epice Hydrating Mask
• Pacifica Natural Mineral Coconut Eye Shadow Trio
• Glamor Dolls Blending Brush
• it Cosmetics No Tug Waterproof Eyeliner

Aurora Gel Effect Nail Lacquer in Safety Orange

First off, im not sure why im receiving nail polish since I don't have it as a product I want to receive. Anyways, the nail polish is nice for the summer, it will look good with a tan I think. Formula wise, I find it chips really easily, no where near as good as a gel mani.

em Michele Phan Makeup Mood Enhancer

I was really excited to receive this product as Michele is the founder of Ipsy. The formula is great but im not a fan of the color. It is like a metallic purple kind of highlight. I think I will try mixing it in with my foundation to see what that looks like. Otherwise, I don't see myself using this on my face much. I have been playing around with different highlighters lately, trying to find my perfect shade. While I like the Pixi by Petra one I received a couple of months ago, I don't think a golden glow is right for my skin. I am really liking the Sephora Collection Radiant Luminizing Drops in Morning Light - champagne. So I guess my skin looks best with a peachy highlighter. I really like liquid highlight because it melds into the foundation. I would also like to try to find a powder to put on top since any other powder applied on top that isn't a highlighting powder cancels the highlight right out.

epice Hydrating Mask

This mask goes on easy, smells nice and leaves your skin soft and smooth. Is it the best mask I ever tried? No, but not the worst either.

Pacifica Natural Mineral Coconut Eye Shadow Trio

This is the second Pacifica product I have received and I love it. The colors are great for summer, they give a really nice natural look. I like that it is made with coconut and is cruelty free.

Glamor Dolls Blending Brush

I haven't tried this brush out yet, just because when I received it I felt it was so immature looking. I don't want my brushes to have whales all over them. A friend has told me that it works really well and is super soft so I guess ill give it a whirl.

it Cosmetics No Tug Waterproof Eyeliner

This eyeliner glides on smoothly to avoid tugging of the gentle eye area. The only thing I don't like about it is that it is not continuously sharp. This product would have been better with a smaller tip.

Overall, this months bag was more misses than hits for me but its always fun to try new products out! Hoping that next month will have a bunch of winners in it for me.

New Purchase: Beauty Treats Strobing Highlighter

I have been searching for a new contour kit and found this one today, Beauty Treats Strobing Highlighter. I purchased it at my local Pharmasave store. If you haven't heard of strobing, its a new technique where you add "strobes" of highlight to your cheekbones. It is much like the usual contouring except that the highlight is much lighter. I am not really a fan of the look, I prefer contouring, but the colors in this kit are more for contouring in my opinion. The top three colors are cream and the bottom three are powder.

The colors are all really nice and shimmery, I used the fourth color from the right as a contour and it is the perfect shade for pale skin. The highlight that is best, depends on whether you like a white highlight or a or a more peachy one. My skin looks best with the peachy shade (first color on the right). I will have to play around with application a bit more but overall, this is a great kit for brightening your face. It also comes in light colors (it seems I picked up the dark without knowing it because it doesn't say light or dark anywhere on the package). The dark is fine since it is summer and my skin will be getting darker, not to mention I have enough light highlights and was more looking for contour colors.

Remember to let your inner beauty shine!
xo,
Katrina

High End Mascara: Is It Really Worth The Price?

Hello Everybody! Today I am going to talk to you about my fave beauty product, mascara! If I had to use only one makeup item for the rest of my life, it would be mascara. Can't live without it. I forgot to put it on one day at work and it was like "are you ok?" "are you sick?" "you look different today". Not to mention how naked I felt without it! Ah, mascara...thank you for always being there for me and opening up my peepers.

I have always been a drug store makeup kind of gal because lets face it, I am not rich and it's more convenient! In the past few years having ordered from Sephora, I have received mini mascaras of the high end variety. Recently, I have been loving the Nars Audacious mascara in Black Moon. When I first received it, I did not like it because of the applicator. It is very spiky and hurts your waterline if you're not careful with application. After I got the hang of it, I started loving the effect it had on my lashes. It separates, it volumizes, it gives length, girl it does it all! I have been going back and forth with myself on whether I should splurge on the full size version ($34). Mascara tends to last me a good amount of time so I think its worth the price for this one. I have read reviews saying that it clumps after awhile, but I have nothing negative to say about this mascara at all. Please keep in mind that I am blessed with long lashes so you may not get the same length but I am sure it will give you great results regardless.

While debating on whether I should purchase the full size Nars mascara, I figured I would put on my old mascara Maybelline The Falsies Volum' Express Flared in Blackest Black. The difference is crazy. The Maybelline mascara doesn't give the same length, separation or volume as the Nars. The Nars black is also a richer black, it looks more like false lashes than the Maybelline does.

For me its a no-brainer, I will be sticking with my new found love Nars Audacious Mascara and saying goodbye to drugstore brands!

Thanks for reading, remember to let your inner beauty shine!
xo,
Katrina

Beauty Spree

I went to a few stores the other day in search of some beauty products I had been researching. Although I couldn't find everything I was looking for, I did purchase these:

• Real Techniques Retractable Kabuki Brush (cheaper on Amazon than what I paid!)
• Pro Factor Dual Blade Makeup Pencil Sharpener
• Loreal Infallible Eyeshadow in Amber Rush
• e.l.f. Tone Adjusting Face Primer in green
• Maybelline Brow Drama Pro Palette

Real Techniques Retractable Kabuki Brush:

I was looking for a brush to apply powder with and this one is perfect! It is light and fluffy, while providing good blending power. I love everything pink so that was an added bonus. I also like that it is retractable and comes with a lid. I have also been using it to apply highlight along my cheekbones and nose.

Pro Factor Dual Blade Makeup Pencil Sharpener:
Not much to say about this except I needed a new sharpener and I love that this one has a built in shavings holder.

Loreal Infallible Eyeshadow in Amber Rush:

One of my favorite Youtube makeup artists Jaclyn Hill talked about this shadow in a couple of videos. The color is beautiful, its a beautiful shimmery rose gold like color. It looks great alone or on top of another color. Look at that shimmer!

e.l.f. Tone Adjusting Face Primer in green:

I tried this product out awhile ago and just bought my second bottle. Having fair skin, my face gets red very easily. Any sort of irritation makes it turn red, so annoying. This primer gets my face ready for makeup and also cancels out any redness because of the green color. They make primers in different colors depending on your issue: green for redness, lavender for tone adjustment (brightening), and salmon for a glow. Other brands may offer other benefits as well. I have tried the Make Up Forever primer and while it worked and smelt great, you cant beat the price of the e.l.f. one. It also has a really weird texture that I like, it comes out liquid but goes almost like a powder on your face.

Maybelline Brow Drama Pro Palette:

Although my brows were looking great using the pencil I have mentioned in previous posts, I decided to try something different. When I saw Maybelline had come out with a brow line, I was excited as I am a Maybelline lover. It took me a couple of tries to get it right but I am liking the results. Make sure to not put too much powder on your brush, just start small and build up from there. I like that powder offers more precision compared to a pencil. The wax doesn't do much for me but maybe that's because my eyebrows pretty much stay in one spot all the time and don't need to be tamed. The highlight is just meh for me. I prefer a white highlight because my skin is so fair. Would I choose powder over pencil? Jury is still out on that one.

I am currently obsessed with my Chella Ivory Lace Highlighter which I received in my glam bag March 2015. Over a year later and I just started using it, isn't that terrible? When I received it, I didn't really know what I was going to use it for. Now, I use it under and above my brows to help create a sharp, clean line. It blends in perfectly with my skin. I wouldn't consider it a highlighter for me however since it is the same color as my skin, more of a concealer in a stick. I highly recommend it!

Hope you enjoyed this beauty spree review, thanks for reading!

Remember to let your inner beauty shine! xoxo,

Katrina

April Ipsy Glam Bag!

Finally received my April Ipsy Glam bag this week after waiting for what felt like forever! I received the following products:

• Pur-lisse Blue Lotus + Seaweed Treatment Sheet Mask
• Ren Global Protection Day Cream
• Buxom Liquid Lipstick in Centerfold
• NudeStix Lip + Cheek Pencil in Mystic
• L.A.B. Just Blending in Brush

Pur-lisse Blue Lotus + Seaweed Treatment Sheet Mask:

This mask felt AMAZING on my face! It was cooling, comfortable and smelt great! It smells a lot like my Philosophy cream actually, which I love. I like that you can just put it on and forget about it. Minimal mess or cleanup. My skin felt soft and renewed afterwards and the packaging is beautiful (I love all things lotus).

Ren Global Protection Day Cream:

This product is hydrating and anti-aging; not to mention that it is 100% natural.

Buxom Liquid Lipstick in Centerfold

The Buxom lipstick swatch is on the right in the above picture. It goes on liquid then turns into more of a lipstick consistency. I love the color and it has lasting power. The packaging is also totally cute.

Nude Stix Lip + Cheek Pencil in Mystic:

Out of the two lip products I received this month, I like this one more (swatch is on the left in the above picture). I like this one because it has a bit of a glossy look to it. The color is great and I like that its a pencil so it ensures precise application. I haven't used it as a cheek pencil and I doubt I will because that's not something I am into.

L.A.B. Just Blending in Brush:

Personally, I can never have too many brushes! Each one gives a different affect to my makeup. This one came at a good time because the blending brush I was currently using wasn't fluffy enough. This brush is great for getting in the crease of the eye and blending it out for a flawless smoky eye.

Overall, I am happy with the products in my glam bag this month. Want an Ipsy Glam Bag of your own? Use this link to get one: https://www.ipsy.com/new?cid=p_share_ref&sid=link&refer=286ms

Remember to let your inner beauty shine! xoxo,

Katrina

Look of the Day: A Bit Badass ;)

 

Happy Sunday everyone! Hope everyone is having a great weekend, I know I am! Even though its Sunday, I felt like getting a little dolled up (why not?). This look is pretty basic but still makes a big impact.

 

On my face I used the Maybelline BB Cream in the color light and applied it with my kabuki brush. When using this brush I like to stipple the makeup on at first to get it into the pores, then I blend it in a sweeping motion. I skipped the contour and powder today, I felt like keeping it simple and fresh. I did add a little bit of highlight in the form of Sephora Radiant Luminous Drops in the shade Champagne to my cheekbones only. The BB cream gives me enough of an allover glow that I don't need it elsewhere.

 

 

I concealed my eyes with Covergirl + Olay CC Eye Rehab with the kabuki brush again. The eyeliner is Maybelline Eye Studio gel liner in black. I have tried applying eyeliner in many different forms (stick, liquid etc.) but gel is my favorite! Gel liner goes on smoothly, you have more control and this little pot lasts a long time. My eyelashes are done with Smashbox Full Exposure mascara.

 

 

 

Now for the pop of color, the lips! I got around to trying my new liquid lipstick a couple of weeks ago but didn't have the chance to post about it. Its NYX Liquid Suede Cream Lipstick in the shade Kitten Heels. As I have written before, I do not wear a lot of bright lipstick because I think it looks funny on me but this is an exception! I love the color and overall product. It goes on smoothly, you only need a little bit to cover your lips and it has major staying power. Lip liner is not needed with this full coverage product. This will be my go to red lip from now on.

 

 

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial/makeup review! Feel free to let me know if there is a product you would like reviewed or any sort of beauty tips.

 

Remember to let your inner beauty shine! xoxo,

Katrina

 

Back to Basics

Lately I have been feeling as though my face has been weighed down by makeup. I have always been a relatively natural woman and that has always felt best to me. After experimenting with different foundations I am back to using my staple Maybelline Dream Fresh BB.



I have tried a few other BB creams and none compare to this one! It offers 8 benefits plus light coverage. My face never feels like its caked on with makeup and it goes on easily. The benefits are:

1. SPF 30
2. Blurs imperfections
3. Gives a natural glow
4. Smooths skin
5. Compliments skin tone
6. Hydrates
7. Fresh feeling
8. Oil-free

For my under eye area, I started using a product I had used previously, Covergirl + Olay CC Eye Rehab in 310 fair. It conceals dark circles while brightening the eye area, evens skin tone, reduces the color of discolorations, fine lines and wrinkles. The serum hydrates the skin over time. It has worked better at covering my dark circles than other products I have tried and it has that Olay scent I love.



For spot concealing I like to use Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser in light. I like that the applicator is a sponge, making it easy to dab a little on an imperfection while brightening the area. Sometimes I use this as a highlighter along my nose and middle of my forehead as well. Of course, the original purpose of this product is for dark circles and it works pretty well for that as well.



In this picture, I am using Sephora Radiant Luminizing Drops for a highlight along my cheekbones in the color Morning Light. I am enjoying this product so far, it gives a nice, luminous look to my face. The price was great($19) and will last a long time as you only need a little bit of product. I like to use my makeup sponge to apply it, ensuring there isn't too much product on my face.

On my eyes I used Rimmel Scandaleyes Eyeshadow Stick in 001 Witness White in the corners and under my brow. The brows are done in my usual Ofra eyebrow pencil and mascara is Smashbox Full Exposure.



 



The lipstick is Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipstick in 640 Summer Angel.

Some choose to wear no makeup, some a little, some a lot. It shouldn't matter to anyone what you choose to look like, it is your face after all. So keep doing what makes you happy and face the world with confidence!