Ipsy Bag | April 2013

I finally got off the waitlist for the Ipsy Glam Bag subscription and received my first bag this month! What is Ipsy you ask? Well, it's a great subscription service where you pay $10 a month to receive a stylish bag full of deluxe and full sized samples! Below is what I received this month.

• Two Cosmetics Duo Eye Shadow in "Heartache" (Full Size - $5.75)
• Be a Bombshell Blush in "Sweet Cheeks" (Full Size - $16)
• Sation Nail Lacquer in "Of Corset I'll Call You" (Full Size - $5)
• Sexy Hair Soy Renewal Nourishing Styling Treatment (.85 fl. oz sample)

Below is what the Sation Nail Lacquer looks like applied with two coats. When I first saw the color all I could think was, "Oh great, another pink"...but I actually like the color on. It's a very faint, almost neutral pink. Not too bright or overwhelming. I actually went back and added a third coat and liked how it was bit more of a sophisticated baby pink. The only downside is I noticed it would get weird smudges even after I let it dry for a long time....nothing too noticeable though. It also takes a lot to make it appear very pigmented.

Below are the eyeshadows and blush swatches (sorry for the not so great photo :/) From left to right: the lighter half of the Two Cosmetics duo eyeshadow, the darker half of the Two Cosmetics duo eyeshadow, and the Be a Bombshell blush. You have to apply quite a lot for the eyeshadows to pop, but they are overall pretty good. The blush is a bit bright/pigmented, so I have to apply it sparingly, but I love the bright pink shade a lot and find it refreshing!

I haven't had a chance to try the Sexy Hair Soy Renewal Treatment, but it smells really good and I already have some Sexy Hair Leave in Conditioner, so I have high hopes :) Overall, I am very satisfied with my Ipsy Glam Bag!

Beautify Through Etsy

I recently had a little bit of extra money to spend, so I decided to buy some handmade things on Etsy. I mostly went with beauty products (makeup, lip balm, perfumes). Here is an overview of my purchases and the fantastic sellers I bought from.

The first shop I purchased from was Soothing Naturals.
























They offer all natural lip balms in all kinds of scents for only $1.49! I couldn't pass up that price, so I purchased the All Natural Lip Balm Strawberry Splash. I love the way strawberry smells so I figured this would be a good choice to go with. The item arrived really fast and smells fantastic! Not only does it smell delicious it feels wonderful. I usually have issues with lip products but I think this is one of the best lip balms I've used in a while. It's really smooth and lasts a lot longer than some I've used in the past. The transaction was smooth and I'd definitely recommend this shop if you'd like to try a new and nicely priced lip balm.


The second shop I purchased from was The All Natural Face.






















I mostly came across this shop when I searched for eye shadow. I couldn't believe the prices and variety that was offered, so I decided to try out some of the eye shadow they offered. I found a sweet deal of 3 Five Gram Jars of Vegan Eyeshadow For $6. I thought this was an excellent price and also a really nice way of testing out colors. I went with Pink Ice Storm, OliveU, and Oh So Metal Antiqued Copper. I tried them out and they all work perfectly! I especially love the Pink Ice Storm because it's a very feminine and chic pink that anyone can pull off. Plus, they gave me samples of a ton of other colors with my order and two little applicator brushes free! I'll probably order some more in the future because the colors are awesome. I definitely recommend this seller if you are looking for reasonably priced eyeshadow or makeup.


The third shop I purchased from was Scented Luxuries.


















I actually saw this shop featured on someone else's blog. I can't remember the exact blog but they mentioned the perfume oil that was sold in this shop and I was interested in checking it out. They have a ton of scents to choose from and offer 1/6 oz or 1/3 oz bottles of the roll on perfume and 2 oz bottles of the body mist. The prices are really good and there is a lot to offer - perfume oils, soap, lotions, candles, etc. I bought the Choose Your Fragrance - Concentrated Roll On Perfume Oil - Mini 1/6 oz Bottle and went with Very Vanilla as my scent. It smells really good...almost like a vanilla cake hehe. I'd definitely recommend this seller if you're looking for some really nice smelling perfume oil.

That's a wrap up of my experience buying beauty products on etsy. I'd never thought about buying them handmade before but after comparing the prices to what you'd pay at a department store or even somewhere like Wal-Mart or Target, these are a steal and probably a lot better for you to wear than the typical name brands. I'll probably buy handmade from now on and hope you look into it too :)