Sunday, October 18, 2015

Ipsy October 2015 Alter Ego

Hey beauty lovers!  I haven't reviewed the Ipsy bag for a while, so I'm resuming the reviews from this month's bag—the 2015 October bag!  The bag has a gold side, and a glossy black side to reflect the "Alter Ego" theme.  This month's items were slightly disappointing for me, mostly because 4 out 0f 5 of my products were small sample sizes, and because most of the products I felt didn't suit me.



Eva NYC  Therapy Session Hair mask
I first heard of this brand at generation beauty, and I think their products a fairly good!   They have good results, but I'm not a fan of some of the ingredients they use which are not so good for you in the long run.  I did try this, and it smells really good, it has a very sweet scent.  It definitely does make my hair feel soft!

Émite Makeup tweezer

These. Tweezer. Are. Amazing!  These are very precise, and have a great grip.  Stray eyebrow hairs don't stand a chance!  I also really like the color of these—they are bright pink so they will always be easy to spot in my vanity, or my bag.

Peter Lama pumpkin exfoliator scrub
I like the consistency of this—it is a gel like substance with bits of grains to exfoliate the skin.  This really made my face feel soft and even.

The Balm Cosmetics Meet Mat(the) Hughes
This is such a small sample! But it is cute, and easy to carry around.  I really like the color because I've been meaning to get something in a dust pink-nude color.  It is vanilla-mint scented, which I'm glad about because I can tell this would be chemically smelling if they didn't.  This has good lasting power, but I don't like the texture that much.  It feels almost liquidity—it is very wet feeling.

It Cosmetics
Since I'm and It Cosmetics fan, I'm pretty excited for this mascara.  This mascara has a grip, making it easier to control the wand when applying mascara.  This is a great volumizing mascara, it even has a round tip with bristles so you can swipe your lashes vertically to get that flutter-effect.

Saturday, October 17, 2015

October Boxycharm 2015 Palmetto Derma, Doucce, Cult Cosmetics, Lord & Berry, Bellapierre

I really liked this month's theme: Faces Of The Moon.  All the items in this box are full sized, and absolutely great!  If you don't know what Boxycharm is, it is a monthly subscription box that costs $21 a month (before tax), and it normally has only full-sized products!



Palmetto Derma Rejuvenating Antioxidant Mask $64.00

This mask has an earthy smell with notes of a floral-citrus scent.  The mask contains 99% natural ingredients, and 70% organic ingredients, like hibiscus petals, and organic aloe.  This is like magic in a bottle!  I applied an even layer to my face and waited 20 minutes before taking it off with a damp paper towel.  My skin was noticeabbly softer—it felt supple, and smooth.  I really love the creamy texture of this too, it felt really nice on my face!  This is definitely the best product in the box to me.  Not only is this magical and makes my skin feel baby smooth, this has organic and natural ingredients, which is always a selling point for me!

Doucce Punk Volumizer Mascara $24.00 and Lord & Berry Line/Shade Eyeliner  $18.00

Let me say that the eyeliner is super smooth, and smudge-able,which (in my opinion) is one of the main selling points of an eyeliner.  No one likes a hard eyeliner that tugs at their eyes!  This one is quite the opposite though—it's very soft, making it easy to apply.  I'm curious to see how long this lasts because I find that sometimes, even if a liner has great texture and pigmentation, it doesn't last very long unfortunately.  One time, I was wearing this beautiful deep teal liner, and after an hour, I looked in the mirror and it was all under my eyes!  I'll update with the longevity of this liner.

I actually like Doucce products a lot.  I have 2 lipsticks of theirs, one I received in a glossy box, and the other one I purchased from their website.  The packaging is very sleek and edgy, and who doesn't love a beautiful product?  The bristles are very volumizing; they remind me of Makeup Forever's smoky extravagant mascara.

Bellapierre Cheek and Lip Stain $19.99 and Cult Cosmetics Nail Polish $12.00
I've used the bellapierre cheek and lip stain before, except in the color pink.  I'm excited for this coral colored one!  The best part about this is that it is oil free, so all us combination skin, and oily girls can use this without worrying about clogging our pores.  This stuff is also long lasting, and creates such a natural looking flush.  

I haven't tried the Cult Cosmetics nail polish!  Sorry if you wanted a review, but I'm probably going to pass this on to someone else since since I already have a polish in this color.  The great thing about this brand is that they are 5-free, meaning they don't add 5 of the top harmful chemicals found in ordinary nail polish brands, like formaldehyde.  I'll definitely look at their site and checkout their other colors.

I hope my reviews help you guys decide if these products are suitable for you!  Let me know if you have tried any of these things! 

Saturday, October 10, 2015

Glossybox October 2015 — French Box

Hey guys!  This month, glossybox created a box inspired by France, with all products from the land of chic skincare, fragrances, and cosmetics.  When I heard this, I had to buy it!  The box itself is adorable with its illustrations inspired by everything France.  For all of you who don't know what glossy box is, it is monthly subscription box that costs $21.00 a month (before tax), and you receive 5 curated products that range from sample size to full size.



Maybe I've lost the thrill of "unboxings" because I've overdosed on so many (I am a subscription box, and makeup addict), but I wasn't very excited about these items. They are lovely products that are definitely worth more than what I paid for, but I guess I have too much makeup, and haircare products at this point that I don't need anymore!


Phyto phytokératine repairing thermal protectant spray

I was actually hoping I wouldn't receive this because I already have their smoothing cream version of this!  This is a $32.00 product, so no complaints there, but I would've rather have gotten something else.  This is supposed to be a pre-styling treatment that protects your hair from heat and breakage due to heat styling.

Maison Francis Kurkdjian Aqua Universalis

I'm not sure if I like this scent or not!  It is definitely different, not the typical American perfume.  This has such a unique scent, I'm not sure what I can compare it to, except that it smells floral, citrusy, and woody at the same time.  This was a sample size of .17floz, and I love the fact that this has a spritzer top, rather than one of those wands that many samples of perfume come with.

Nuxe Gentle Exfoliant Gel with Rose Petals

I'm probably the most eager to try this.  This has lychee, rose and walnut dust in it, which are all things that I love!  I have another exfoliator with walnut dust in it, and it works so well because all the walnut pieces are small, and homogenous, making the process very smooth and not too abrasive.  

Lollipops Make Up Paris nail Lacquer in Voyage à Paris

This is a classic and chic red color that will never go out of style.  I got this same color (except it was essie) from my September glossy box in 2014!  Now that I have two, I will have to give my other one away.

De Bruyère Paris Red Lipgloss

I got so many lip glosses from generation beauty last week, that I have no idea what to with them all! This will go to my overflowing collection of glosses in my vanity table. I have everything from mauve, to light pink at this point.  I have lipsticks in this bright red, but not a gloss, so I'm glad I at least got a new color to try for my lipgloss collection, and let me say, this formula is amazing!  This has a high-gloss finish and has some great staying power.  This isn't sticky like most glosses which I love, instead this is smooth, and refreshing.




Monday, October 5, 2015

Generation Beauty 2015 New York City — NYC, Jouer, Tarte, MakeUp ForEver, Mally, Skin Inc, Jesse's Girl, Gallany, Dermae, London Soho NewYork etc.


Generation Beauty is beauty convention put together by ipsy to allow people to explore, and get to know new brands, get makeovers, try products, meet and greet cosmetic brand founders, and youtube artists.  I bought the early bird tickets in June, with great expectations for this convention!  In this post, I will share my thoughts, and experiences, all while giving a run-down of everything.


1. How it works
Before you attend, you have to register, and I would suggest registering early (the day before), because on the first day, I was half an hour late, and there was a giant line for registration!  Thankfully I registered early thought.  When you register, you get a badge to wear around your neck, and a floor map with "coupons" that are redeemable at each brand's booth.  Usually the tickets are for a free product offered by the brand.  You do have to wait on lines though because there are so many people, and only so many brand representatives.

There are also meet and greets with youtuberes, and brand founders.  I wanted to see Michelle Phan, but I didn't get a chance to—and to be honest, I had no idea where she was supposed to be!  People did get to meet her though, I just had no clue where.

At the end, you redeem the daily coupon for a swag bag full of stuff from each brand!  There is one for each day, for a total of two bags.  The first day and half of the brands, and the second day had the other half of the brands! I posted a picture on this article of everything I received!

2. Brands
There were so many brands at this place!  Each brand had a booth (some bigger, or smaller than others) which was decorated according to the brand's image, and many booths offered free services like hair styling, makeovers, and even hand massages (Moroccan oil)! Here is a list of the brands that attended:
  1. It cosmetics √
  2. Make up For Ever  √
  3. Benefit Cosmetics
  4. Tarte √
  5. Crown Brush
  6. Formula X
  7. Essence
  8. Belif
  9. Skinn Dimitri James √
  10. Eva NYC √
  11. Marc Anthony
  12. Kloraine
  13. Jesse's Girl √
  14. Jouer √
  15. Moroccan Oil
  16. Skin Inc √
  17. London Soho New York √
  18. Cover FX
  19. Bliss
  20. Clear Start
  21. Temptu √
  22. Dermae √
  23. Gallany √
  24. EuroPerfumes
  25. Mally √
  26. Ofra √
  27. Pur Cosmetics √
  28. NYX √
  29. Trestique √
  30. Laura Geller √
  31. Elizabeth James Nirvanna
As you can see, there were so many brands!  Unfortunately, I couldn't hit them all, but I marked the ones that I did with √.
The most notable brands, which I liked so much were Jouer, It Cosmetics, Laura Geller, Makeup for ever, Tarte,  and Dermae.
I liked Jouer because the people working there were so amiable, and the care that they put into product presentation.   I received a microfiber pouch with two eyeliners (that came with an eye pencil sharpener), a portable eyelash curler, 4 necklaces, 2 rings, a pair of earrings, and a really cute, super mini lipgloss in rose glisten.  It felt like they really cared about their fans, and about making a good impression based on what they gave out.  I've tried their products since then, and I'm sold!  Their products are really high end—their made so well.
It cosmetics was a pretty crowded place, but the lines moved relatively fast.  They gave everyone a makeup brush, and then when the makeup artist applied cc cream, and under eye concealer, they gave you a little organza bag with deluxe size samples of the products!  There was even an interactive video booth, which you could send to yourself, and post on social media.  Their representatives were all very nice too!  I tried their products, and I'm sold.  I love the coverage their bye bye under eye concealer offers, and their mascara is phenomenal.  It has a thin applicator that really defines my lashes.  I'll be buying from them.
Make up forever had one of the longest lines, it took me about an hour, but it was okay!  All the make up artist were very amiable.  After they matched your skin tone to a foundation, you received a wrist band which meant you had to fill out a survey, and once you filled out a survey, you received their full size HD foundation in your skin tone!  The makeup artists were nice, but the people giving out the surveys were a little curt, but it is understandable.  The overwhelming number of people they were dealing with would make anyone a little crazy.  Besides that, the foundation is like magic in a tinted bottle!  I'm not a fan of chemicals in makeup (and I'm sure this stuff has tons of it), but I'll make an exception.  My skin looks flawless in this, and it last a long time.
Tarte has a really long line too.  You received a full size translucent setting powder of theirs, and you could buy their products at pretty much half off!  I bought this double ended foundation brush and their 12-hour poreless primer.  I'm such a tarte fan because they use more naturally derived ingredients, not so many chemicals.
Dermae had a small, and cute booth; their representatives were so nice, and kind.  They explained their brands goal, and that they use natural ingredients in their skincare.  I received a tote, and their toner when I redeemed their coupon.  Also, I got a skin analysis, and they recommend products based on your skin concerns.  They were so helpful, and knowledgable; I'm definitely going to be buying their skin care for now on!
Laura Geller had such a cute booth!  They had a makeup artist giving makeovers, but I just redeemed my ticket for times sake.  They gave you the option of a pink, or berry lipstick gloss, and I chose the pink one.  They also had a giveaway where you had to post a picture of their booth, tag them, follow them etc. and they would choose a winner the next day at 5pm.  I thought it was really cool of them to have such an amazing contest!  The prize was two gift bags full of their products!  I didn't win, but I did try some of their products, and they are amazing!
Some other brands I liked were trestique, and eva nyc, but I like the previous brands I mentioned more.
I did not receive any samples from tréstique, they did run out I think so instead they explained their products to me and gave me a lovely make over.
Eva NYC also ran out of samples, so I just got my hair done, and the stylist was so nice.  He was cordial, and explained every product he used in my hair.  He gave me a gorgeous snake braid!
At Nuxe, I had to take a "what parisian are you?" quiz, and then I had to take a picture and post it to instagram with their hashtags.  I received a full size body oil of theirs!  I really love it—it makes my skin so supple and smooth, I'll definitely be checking out their stuff.
Ofra made me follow some people, and then I could pick out one of their liquid lipsticks.  I picked Sunset beach, which is a bright orange-pink shade.  This stuff is long lasting, and very pigmented!
Gallany gave me a full size mascara of theirs, which I haven't tried yet, but it is packaged in this beautiful rectangular, silver tube.
NYX had a team of make up artists that were giving people make overs, but I didn't have time to get one, so instead I just redeemed my ticket and received a brown lipliner.  I'm not sure what I'll do with that color though!
I went to Pur, and I don't think they had anymore of their redeemable sample, because they didn't collect our ticket, but instead tried to sell us their product and gave us a very small little primer sample.  All the sample being given out were either deluxe size, or full size, but this was more of a tiny trial size sample.  That was disappointing because we waited in such a long line!
Jesse's Girl was offering free nail painting, and nail art, but I only redeemed my ticket.  They gave an organza bag with two nail polishes, an eyeshadow and a little eyelid primer.  They had such a nice little gift bag, but the colors were outrageous!  I got a bright orange, glitter nail polish, and a bright green eyeshadow.   I like the blue nail polish they gave me, and the primer is nice—it has the same texture as NARS' eyeshadow primer.
Skin Inc showed everyone how their peel works, and what their products are like.  They gave us a small, cute sample of one of their serums, and then gave us a tube to fill up with colored chocolates!
Mally had a super cute pink booth!  They were giving out travel size eyeliners and you got to choose the shade.  I took a silver one!  They also had a team of makeup artists, and I got my makeup done there.  There was also a cute Photo Booth where they printed out the pictures for you, and you could send them to yourself to upload on social media. I really like the eyeliner, it is so smooth and pigmented!  I'll check out some more of their products!!
London Soho NewYork was giving out a set of makeup bags!  They were even having an instagram contest where you had to take a picture with your bags, follow them, do the hash tags etc.  The prize was literally a wagon full of their stuff.  I didn't win, but I saw the girl who did!  She was walking around with the wagon all day!
Temptu was giving out small lip glosses.  They were also airbrushing everyone with their system.  I went with my mom on the first say, and she ended up buying one of their systems since it was slightly discounted!  It is a cool concept, it applies a layer of makeup with build-able coverage.
Skinn Dimitri James was taking photos of people, and printing them out, sort of like Mally's booth except not as 'professional'.  Theirs was more casual.  With the ticket, you were able to redeem one of their deluxe size lip glosses in a nude, pink, or red color—I chose nude because I don't have a nude gloss!  This convention has really allowed me to stock up on products I've been meaning to buy!

A lot of brands ran out of samples to give out; they should have brought a lot more because of the volume of people who attended the show.  I like the brands that gave me samples because it felt like they cared about the what I thought, and wanted me to try their products so that I could like it and become a potential customer!  And it worked—a lot of things I tried has made me fall in love with the brands, plus it just makes me think better about the company when they were happy enough to give me a product to try.

3. Organization & Staff
I watched videos about people saying that the earlier generation beauty conventions were very disorganized, but I guess they worked out the kinks and made this a smooth experience!  There was tape on the floors to create "lines" so people knew where to stand, there were tickets with the brands icon so that people could easily redeem stuff etc.  The major brands, with the big lines of course had to have actual dividers so no one would cut, and so the lines wouldn't become disorganized.
The only thing I have to say is that the generation beauty staff at times could be kind of rude, and curt.  The people in charge of organization, and security would get annoyed easily, and were condescending at times.  I get it though—they are dealing with an insane crowd of makeup lovers who are going crazy over free makeup and makeovers!
When I went to the makeup forever line, it was "closed", meaning that no one was allowed on line until it was open again.   So another line formed, made up of crazed people like me who were waiting on the "unofficial" line to get to the "official" line.  Eventually they let some of us in, and my boyfriend and I were the last ones allowed in for that time!  The generation beauty crew then scolded the line I was previously on (before I just made it to the official make up forever line), telling them that they all had to leave and couldn't be lined up there because it was a fire hazard.  She said that they all couldn't just wait around here, and that they had to leave until they opened up the line again.  She wasn't being nice either, but to play the devil's advocate, it must be overwhelming to have to deal with so many people.

4.  Other
There was an ipsy store at the front where they were selling merchandise like mugs, tumblers, tanks, etc.  They only took credit card.  I bought a cute tank, and received a free tote with my purchase!

There was also a create your own makeup bag station.  We were allowed to choose between a grey and tan one, and we could choose either Michelle Phan's design, or (I forget her name)'s design.  I chose Phan's because well, she is my favorite youtuber, and because I genuinely liked her design.  It is a cute little vanity with makeup dispersed around it, and it says "I came, I saw, I contoured".



The swag bags were amazing!  Some things were full sized, others were sample.  I posted pictures below with the stuff from the swag bag, and the stuff I got from redeeming my cards.  I'm in make up heaven!
Day 1
The far left is the stuff I got from the swag bag, and the far right is stuff that I redeemed!

Day 2
The stuff on the far left is from the swag bag, not including the makeup forever bag, and foundation.  Everything else to the right is stuff I got from redeeming my tickets!

I hope this helped you all decide if generation beauty is worth it for you!  I personally had a lot of fun, and enjoyed all the products.  I'm hoping to go back next year!




Sunday, September 13, 2015

Birchbox September 2015— Anastasia Beverly Hills, 100% Pure, Davines, Etat Libre d'Orange, Tocca

I wanted to try Birchbox because the September box sounded promising, so I subscribed just for the month to try it.  Every box included a 20% coupon for the birch box store (which I used!).  I might have to subscribe to birchbox instead of Ipsy, but we will see.  I was so pleased with most of my samples, so this is what I got:


  • 100% Pure Organic Coffee Bean Caffeine Eye Cream
  • Anastasia Beverly Hills Perfect Brow Pencil
  • Davines This is a Sea Salt Spray
  • Etat Libre d'Orange Remarkable People
  • Tocca Esfoliante da Corpo–Giulietta

Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Pencil
I was not a fan of this.  The sample size was cute, it's about a third of the size of the actual product.  This felt a little rough when I tried filling in my brows, and the color looked a little chalky.  I don't think I'd $23 for this product when it doesn't work very well and seems cheap.  I thought Anastasia Beverly Hills was supposed to be a high quality brand, but not based on this pencil.

100% Pure Eye Cream
I. Love. This! This product is very creamy, and I have high expectations for this.  It is supposed to brighten and banish dark circles by waking them up with caffeine.  Now the smell is amazing.  It smells like a fresh and very quality cup of coffee, I just can't get enough of it.  I ended up buying the full size one.  The best part is (aside from the delicious smell) is that it is made of organic and natural ingredients.  There are no chemicals, only wholesome stuff for your delicate eye area.

Davines Sea Salt Spray




I have to say I love this stuff.  It made my hair very languid, it even made it look like I styled my hair with just a few spritzes.  The smell is to die for!  If you're not into sweet smelling things, then this might not be for you, but I love it.  It smells like some delicious vanilla icing.  I ended up buying the full size version of this, but this was a pretty big sample; I'll put it in my travel case.

Etat Libre D'Orange Fragrance
This is a small sample.  Fragrances are hit or miss, it all depends on your preferences.  I wanted to love this because of the orange and champagne notes, but to me, it smelled like orange soap that is slightly effervescent.  
Touché Body Scrub
I liked the texture of this.  It is grainy like any other scrub, and it left my skin supple after my shower.  I'm not a fan of some of the chemicals in this, so I will not buy it, but it was a nice sample.  My scent was tulips and green apple so it smelled floral and fresh.

I hope you guys find my reviews helpful!  Maybe you're loving Birchbox or want to try one of these items! Let me know :)

Saturday, August 15, 2015

August 2015 Boxycharm Review: So Susan, Coastal scents, MICA Beauty, Nios Shiled etc.

Hello guys!  It's time for a Boxycharm review!  In case you don't know what Boxycharm is, it is a monthly beauty subscription box that costs $21 a month before tax and you get 5 products which are usually always full size.  This month I liked some of the products and others were okay.  It depends on what kind of makeup and brands you like.

In the box:

  • Coastal Scents Revealed 3 palette
  • Mica Beauty gel eyeliner in black
  • So Susan hi lighter stick
  • Nios Shield Leave in conditioner
  • Eyeliner brush




Revealed 3 Palette
I'm not a big coastal scents fan, so I'm probably going to pass this along to someone.  This palette is nice though if you're into warm toned eyeshadow. This is an affordable palette, I think it goes for about $20 because it is on sale.

Nios Shield Leave in conditioner
I was happy to see this in the box!  This is a hair and scalp treatment that has SPF 15 to protect your scalp from harmful UV rays.  I tried it and it also feels like a smoothing cream which is great for fly away hair.

This is such a pretty minty color!  The brush is soft and made of synthetic hair, it also has a very fine tip which will help for making precise lines.
August 24th 2015:  This brush is great!  It is soft and as I had suspected, it makes precise lines so you can go draw on a thin line if you'd like.  

Mica Beauty gel eyeliner
I haven't tried this yet, so hopefully I remember to update this with my experiences!  The formula looks smooth, so I can't wait to give it a shot.
August 24th 2015:  I love, love, love this gel liner!  This formula is very smooth and creamy, it glides on effortlessly.  What makes this liner so amazing is that once it dries, it does not budge.  I wore this on a hot NYC summer day and it didn't melt or smudge, which is absolutely amazing. This is definitely worth having! 

So Susan hi lighter stick
 Unfortunately this was broken when I took it out.  The product was not in the tube, but instead smushed into the cap.  That's too bad because I saw that this was supposed to have a chiseled tip to make it easier to apply to one's face.  I have two other So Susan products, a blush and a concealer palette.  I love the blush, it is slightly shimmery and a natural pink, but the concealer palette is horrible.  The concealer is sticky and hard, it doesn't blend well.  I contacted Boxycharm about my broken product, so hopefully they can help me replace this.  I'll update about my experience with their customer service soon!
August 24th 2015: The Boxycharm support group got back to me about the damaged item.  They were friendly and told me they'd send me a new So Susam highlighter stick in my next box.