May Ipsy Sneak Peek #1

Gah, beyond excited for May Ipsy! 

If you look in the upper left hand corner, you can see a ZO, which has led many to believe that these are ZOYA nail polishes!

http://www.zoya.com/content/38/category/Lovely_Spring_2013_Nail_Polish_Collection.html

That is a link to the collection.  I would love any of them but I really really want the blue.  I've heard nothing but good things about Zoya.  Also, as many bad things as I thought about the Sation from April, it has lasted forever on my nails.  The no chip power alone makes me love it.  So I am beyond excited for Zoya.  

Also, a possible theme of may flowers for the may bag? 

Update:

You told us you wanted more makeup and better brands, and we listened. We think it's time you give the Glam Bag another try. May's bag is gonna be an AMAZING value. It includes a full-size nail polish from Zoya, plus 4 additional beauty products personalized for YOU. Act fast to reserve your spot. We currently do NOT have a Waitlist (but that won't last for long). RE-SUBSCRIBE NOW!

This was emailed out to get people to resubscribe.  So full size and five items this month? I am soooo excited. Gah.  And the colors for zoya look so pretty!

Update:

This picture was posted on Pinterest.  It has swatches of all the colors.  I still love the Blu though.

April Birchbox Review

I have a lot to say about this box!  This was my first birchbox ever and I decided to subscribe when they did that whole "subscribe before april 14th to get April's box."  People were having rave reviews about this month between the revitalizing eye roller and color changing nail polish. 

First things first.  Shipping.  Birchbox got some brownie points for their shipping and organization skills.  When I subscribed, Birchbox said my box would ship april 25th.  Low and behold, I got an email saying it had shipped probably about a week before April 25th.  THEN, it had and expected delivery date of April 25th and got here at least two days early.  Definitely earned some points in my book!

So because of finals, I ripped open my box, before taking any pictures, and am posting late.  It's been a long month.  This was the first thing I found, a "year" subscription to Women's Health magazine.  I put year in quotations because it is only ten months worth, last time I checked a year was twelve.  However, I am very very happy with this.  This alone is ten dollars and I don't already subscribe so why not!  All I had to do was fill out the card and then mail it.

This is my information card.  After reading and comparing, I realized that I had received the simple revitalizing eye roller as well.  Bonus! I'm glad because it is probably my most useable item.  Plus it is full size.

This is the eye roller.  I was so lucky to receive this during finals week... I really needed it.  You are supposed to use it in little circular motions but that picture on the package looks like it is supposed to go back and forth, so I've tried both. Either way, the eye roller feels really cold and refreshing.  I think it does wake your eyes up.  However, I am not sure if it visually does anything.  Would I buy it? probably not.  I would prefer a combo of this cool and one that helps puffiness.  However, since I have a full size bottle, I will probably use that thing every day until I run out.

The next thing I got was this Caudaile Divine Oil.  I have never used an oil before, so I am not sure what they are supposed to do.  I am guessing moisturize since the packaging says it is good for your hands, cuticles, and face.  I put some on my hands last night after my shower.  I was scared to put too much and be all oily but I also didn't feel moisturized with the amount I used.  I personally love the smell.  It smells like a vase of flowers.  However, I don't think I would want that strong of a smell on my face.  I can understand why some people were put off by the smell.  If you don't like a strong flower smell, this is not for you.

I received two foil packets of this Elizabeth Arden visible difference optimizing skin serum.  It is supposed to renew skin clarity and texturize skin as it evens skin tone.  With the name being visible difference, I was hoping for a, well, visible difference.  I put it on after the shower as well.  It feels as though it is tightening my skin, like an anti wrinkle type thing.  I think it may have evened my skin tone, and I don't even know what skin clarity means so I can't comment on that part.  I think for my last packet of this I will take before and after pictures to make sure.  I don't think I will buy this, since I have never thought I needed optimizing skin serum, however, the I really like the product, just not an "I have to have it."

I feel like a slacker writing this review.  I haven't tried any of these because every time I remember I have them, I have just brushed my teeth.  I am excited to try them though!

I haven't tried this yet either.  With finals, I never really had a reason to style my hair.  I am interested to see why this is a styling spray along with thermal spray.  I kind of think it my be like a thermal hair spray.  I shall see!

Last was this Cargo Hybrid Touch-Up Powder.  I had just been gifted a Cargo bronzer so I was worried I would have doubles when my birchbox came.  I was surprised to receive this.  What is even more confusing is on the birchbox website they are only selling bronze, not the Hybrid.  Honestly, I don't know how to use this, is it a powder, is it a bronzer, why is there a brush? Do I use one side at a time or both together? I am beyond confused.  I need to do some research.

Verdict: I feel like I received a lot for my ten dollars.  That makes me so happy! However, I don't know what half of this is or how to use it.  So I really do feel like this is an adventure discovery service, more so than Ipsy.  I love both Ipsy and birchbox for different reasons.  I am very happy I have a year to both!

April 2013 Ipsy Review

My bag traveled up and down Florida to get to me.  I don't have other months to compare it too, since this was my first month, but I feel like it took way too long to get here.  At one point it was in Orlando, where I live, and then next time I checked it was in West Palm Beach, only to get sent back to Orlando.  It was a bit frustrating, but it is finally here!  Even if you check out all the spoiler and know what you will be getting, being able to see the colors on your own skin and having them to use is just as exciting as leaving it as a surprise.  Well, I think so anyways.

The bag is so cute.  However, white is not the best color.  As you will see, my blush broke, and it spilled some on my bag when I took it out.  So, the bag is already dirty  No fun.

Here is my broken blush and a swatch of it.  I emailed ipsy a picture of the broken blush and, within two hours, they sent me a very nice email back saying they will replace it.  That swatch is from me swiping the extra that has spilled out the sides from it breaking.  I actually really love this color.  I tested it on my cheek after the gym before I showered and it is actually the exact color my cheeks turn after they gym, just in shimmer form.  Therefore, I am very very happy with it.  I may attempt to use it even though it's broken, but it may be too hard to not get too much product.  I'll post pictures if I can get it to work!

I received the healthy sexy hair soy renewal as opposed to the big sexy hair volumizing powder.  At first I wanted the powder, but then I was accepted into the bzzagent got2b volumizing powder campaign and figured I would use the soy renewal more.  Funny thing is both ipsy and my bzzagent package got here on the same day.  I put this on my hair after my shower and it is supposed to make your hair dry faster when blow drying.  I think it even made it dry faster through air drying, seeing as I hate blow dryers.  The only thing I'm bummed about is that it takes out all of the wave of my hair, so it's straight right now.  No frizz though, and super soft.  Side note, it is near impossible to squeeze the product out of this stiff sample bottle.

This is my favorite product this month.  It is the mica beauty shimmer powder in "earth."  I die for anything pink and sparkley, and that is exactly what this is.  Pictures do not do it justice.  It is all shimmer.  I'll have to wear it when I post my blush picture!

Now on to my least favorite product of the month.  I have a nail polish addiction, especially to pink nail polish.  This let me down a ton.  In the bottle, it looks so pretty in the bottle but then is just blah on.  My  pointer finger has one coat, my middle finger two, and no nail polish on my ring finger.  Maybe with white underneath, it'll show up like it does in the bottle.  Besides that, it takes forever to dry.  This is the one product I would not recommend to a friend.

Verdict: I'm still really happy with the bag even though I really only have two usable products from it right now.  The mica powder alone is worth at least ten dollars, when I eventually get the blush that'll be another sixteen dollars.  That alone is more than the ten dollars I paid.  I'm glad I bought a year subscription!

I gave in to Birchbox!

So I just ordered a year subscription of birchbox.  Ipsy is making me wait forever for my bag and in the meantime I've been looking at other subscription reviews.  Glossybox looks great but I didn't want to pay 21 dollars a month on top of ipsy.  So, I've been slightly following what's going on with april Birchbox and I saw an eye depuffer.  I was like I need that! So I was birchbox sold.  I ordered a year and hope that I'm happy each month, and I really really hope I get the depuffer this month!

Olia Dark Intense Auburn Review

One word comes to mind for this experience... regret.  Let me give you a bit of my hair history.  I used to home dye my hair brown every 4 to 6 weeks using natural instincts.  Then my stupid butt decided I wanted to go blonde.  So, I started getting highlights and fell in love with being blonde.  Well, when college rolled around, I was broke and tried to go back to brunette for my wallets sake.  I got it dyed at a salon then continued at home.  It would always fade back to a weird blonde color and my friends convinced me to go back to blonde.  So I did.  I tried to find ways around paying over 100 dollars at a salon by doing it at home, but I always ended up back in a salon.  Recently, I dyed my hair an auburn color, at a salon.  Only 3 weeks later, all of my red was gone, my blonde was back and I decided to do an at home job.  I decided on olia, hoping it wouldn't fade as fast, and I had heard mostly good things about it.  I pick up 4.60 dark intense auburn, since the majority of my hair was light brown.  Here are my before pictures:

I followed all the directions.  I found that the applicator bottle, which is tear drop shaped, is impossible to shake with gloved hands.  I had to use both hands on the bottle and awkward shake it.  Now the consistency is very awkward.  It tends to dry into a hardened shell type thing.  As you will see with my after results, apparently I missed a bunch of my hair.  I also think that it didn't grab onto my hair that well.  I still managed to drip it literally everywhere, the worse I've ever dripped it.  It took me forever to apply and I had to wait the thirty minutes.  I now know what is so enticing about foam hair dyes.  So I washed it out and people don't lie.  The water will literally never run clear.  So I did my best, applied the conditioner and got out.  At first I was happy... until I looked at my after pictures.  I basically want to cry:

From the front, it looks great, from any other angle I look like a crazy person.  I'm for sure going to try and wash out as much as I can, using lots of sulfate shampoo and conditioner.  My hair feels dry and damaged.  I will have to wear my hair up for the next month.  And you know what I'm doing next month? Natural instincts semi permanent.  If only I could afford to go the the salon once a month... sigh.  Another bad hair job to put in the books.

Verdict:

I will never ever recommend olia or buy it again.  Going back to what I know, the salon and natural instincts.

Thumbs down for the new Jergens formula

I used the Jergens natural tanner for prom my junior and senior year.  I used it everyday and found that I was extremely too tan.  It looked almost unnatural for me, it really is more of a glow than a tan.  The best way I can put it is that I was more orange than brown.  Don't get me wrong, I didn't look like an oompa loompa, I just know that a natural tan is more brown on me.  This past November, I decided I wanted to be tan but refused to get in a tanning booth so I opted for Jergens once again.  I grabbed some face Jergens and some body Jergens.  Now, I'm guessing that I grabbed one of the few "old formula" bottles of Jergens.  I've seen ads that they changed the formula to make the smell better.  The smell never bothered me.  My fiance would tell me that I smelled like a baby but hey, at least I was tan. Also, this time around I do it about every other day.  Right now, I do it every few days when I can muster up the energy to try and reach every spot on my back.

So once I ran out of the old formula, I picked up another bottle of the body lotion but in the new formula.  At first, I was like mmmm this smells like the beach.  This is great!  However, I'm starting to hate it, to the point of not using it anymore.  The smell sticks on you more.  With the old formula, I would go to sleep smelling like a "baby" and wake up with relatively no smell.  Now, this new formula just turns into the old formula smell and does not go away.  It has gotten on my sheets and pillow and has made my blankets smell weird.  It still does a great job gradual tanning, I actually think it works faster.  I am literally too scared to use it everyday.  I get a great tan after just two uses with the new formula.  However, as much as I love the color, I'm debating whether or not I'll be replacing this bottle.  I might start looking into a self tanner instead of a gradual tanner.  I just can't stand trying to strain to reach all of my back every day and this smell is really getting to me.

Official April Ipsy Sneak Peek #4

Ipsy just released sneak peek #4 on Facebook for the April glam bag with the hint:

Your spring style isn't complete without one of these fabulous colors on your fingers.

They are Sation nail polish by Miss, retailing at $5 each.  The colors look to be "Love at First Byte" and "Of Corset I'll Call You" from the new Miss Antoinette collection.  They appear to be the same nail polishes that are pictured in Jessica Harlow's instagram picture (can be found under full april spoiler on my blog).  I love nail polish, and have to refrain from buying more every time I go to Walgreens.  I don't have a coral color yet but that bright pink would look great with my skin color.  I'll be so happy with either one!  It also appears that this will be the last hint, with only four items in the back this month.  I'm beyond excited that this will be my first bag and am already curious about May!

Official April Ipsy Spoiler #3

Ipsy posted their third spoiler picture on Facebook today along with the clue:

This spring, get tamed or get volumized with one of these fabulous products in your Glam Bag!

The blue bottle is healthy sexy hair soy renewal treatment. This is the "tamed" part of the clue.  I think it may be the renewal treatment just based on that it is supposed to tame.  "SOY RENEWAL is a nourishing styling treatment made with Moroccan Argan Oil that addresses moisture, frizz, smoothness, elasticity and shine concerns." - soy renewal web site.  

The red bottle is big sexy hair powder play. "POWDER PLAY is the perfect product to add volume to any hair type no matter the style or texture. Instantly liquefies itself when applied allowing hair to absorb the product and provide full, voluminous textured hair. It is weightless, odorless and colorless on hair!" -  from the big sexy hair website.

I would prefer the soy renewal treatment just because I am getting powder from a bzzagent campaign sometime this month.  The soy renewal treatment sounds like a great product.  I have not tried anything with Moroccan Argan Oil.  However, I currently love the Garnier Fructis Triple Nutrition Spray, which I think is supposed to do essentially the same thing.  

Official Ipsy April Sneak Peek #2

Eyeshadow Due:

So thanks to instagram, it is known for sure that the duo will be two cosmetics "heartache" eyeshadow duo.  It retails at $6.99.  I'm hoping I will receive the mineral eye shadow from MICA just because I don't own any loose powder and it retails for me.  I do want the most value from my bag (personal use and monetary value).  Maybe ipsy will be nice and give us both! Guess we will wait to find out.

Loose Powder:

This is MICA beauty cosmetics mineral eye shadow in "Earth." It retails at at $15.  I'm not sure if the swatch from the instagram picture (ipsy complete spoiler) is this powder.  If it is, I would die to have this.  The swatch didn't look as pink though, more of a pearly white.  Either way, I'm praying to the ipsy gods for the mineral powder, not the duo.

Ulta Red Hair Glaze Review

I recently had my hair dyed from bleach blonde to a reddish brown color.  I guess it could be considered auburn.  I loved it so so so much that I immediately went to Ulta to stock up on hair care products.  I couldn't keep using my purple shampoo (keeps blonde hair from brassing).  I looked up reviews previously to going and of course my ulta had known of the things I went there to buy.  I purchased the Loreal everpure system (which I will also do a review on) and this Ulta Ultimate Red Hair Glaze.  It says it is supposed to deposit red color into your hair.  One of the things I did see while researching hair care products was that red is almost harder than blonde to upkeep.  I ended up asking one of the Ulta workers about the product.  She told me that she had used the John Frieda Blonde Glaze and that it worked but it turned her hair an orange color.  From being blonde, I knew that she tried to go to blonde from brown, which turns orange.  My main concern was that it would turn my hair fire red.  She told me that it is a gradual process and to just stop using it if I thought I was going too red.  

The first time I washed my hair I used the everpure shampoo and conditioner but was horrified as I washed my red hair dye go down the drain.  The next time around washing my hair I used this glaze.  Of course when I got home I looked up reviews on the product.  They were awful! The only review I could find with pictures was a girl with very bright red hair, which was not what I wanted.  Also, I ended up dropping it, breaking the cap and it began to leak everywhere.  I transferred it to an old shampoo bottle, which I guess is what many people recommend anyways.  Now, when looking up reviews, I did learn that when you read the directions carefully, you are supposed to essentially put the glaze in your hair with your shampoo and let it sit for five minutes.  I had never heard this before but the people said this method worked the best.  I thought about mixing the shampoo and glaze in my hand but decided to follow the directions exactly.  The glaze is runny and you must be careful to not splash it all over your walls.  I tried to work in sections but it seemed impossible so I put it, what I thought, was all over my hair.  I waited the five minutes, rinsed it out, and used my conditioner.

Before Picture:

This was right before I got in the shower.  I have very weird lightning in my bathroom.  I took this on my iphone and "color balanced" it in an app.  In person I swear my hair looks more brown than red.  Also, because I went from blonde to brown, it is fading back into blonde.

After Pictures:

I took these the next day (I keep forgetting to buy a hair dryer, so I had to wait for it to air dry).  Also, excuse my closet mess, I can't really reach that top shelf.  Anyways, I tried to get the exact same lightning but couldn't (next time I will take more than one before picture).  I also "color balanced" these pictures.  I asked people if they thought my hair looked more red than the day before and they said yes.  

Verdict:

I am not sure why it made my hair more brown along with red due to the fact that the glaze is bright red.  However, this is exactly what I wanted.  I was scared it was going to make my hair a fiery red and it did not.  People could see the difference and I no longer freak out when I see my red going down the drain.  I am not sure whether it dries out your hair.  I used to have bleached hair, which is the worst damage ever.  Compared to getting highlights, this product does not seem to dry my hair out.  As my hair fades back to blonde, I will either get the brown glaze and use that along with the red glaze, or I will semi permanent my hair until my next salon visit.  So much uncertainty in the diy hair world!  As for the red glaze, as long as my hair doesn't turn bright red, I will continue to use it!

Full April Ipsy Spoiler!

So apparently Jessica Harlow, an ipsy guru, posted this picture on her instagram and removed it shortly after.  But of course, the picture was screen shotted and is now floating around instagram and makeuptalk.com.  The bag and blush were officially revealed by ipsy on their facebook page last Thursday but they have not mentioned the picture or another spoiler yet.  From the picture, the girls on makeuptalk.com have gathered this product list:

• Be A Bombshell Blush in "Beach Please" or "Sweet Cheeks"-$16
• Satin Nail Polish - $5 (from Amazon)
• MICA Beauty Shimmer Powder in "Earth"-$15
• Sexy Hair Healthy Sexy Hair Soy Renewal Nourishing Styling Cream- around $6

This brings the total to $42.  I am beyond excited.  I was thinking about buying new blush anyways.  The MICA Beauty Shimmer Powder will make a gorgeous highlighter, which I am obsessed with right now.  I have a nail polish obsession.  And I am ALWAYS up for new hair products.  The bag is super cute too.  People are complaining that it will get dirty but, I mean, you get another one next month.  So suck it up! This will be my first bag and I can't wait!