Pink and Green Birthday FOTD!

Happy Birthday to me! Even though I have a week worth of finals ahead of me, I never let it get me down.  

I was planning on reviewing my Sephora birthday gift for today but because I left it at home, I won't be able to use it until the semester is over...I'm so good at life....sigh.

So instead, in honor of my birthday I wanted to share with all of you one of my favorite looks!

I feel so insanely fabulous every time I wear this.  The colors can also easily be changed up to match whatever outfit you are wearing.

To do this I first put Ever in Your Favor by Shiro Cosmetics all over my eye lid.  Then I take Blackheart from Naked 3 and put it in my crease.  I add a bit of depth to the outer part of my eye using Blackout by Urban Decay.  Next I draw a wing with my (brand new just opened!!!!) Jesse's Girl liquid liner.  I finish it up with a sweep of Fringe from the Electric Palette under my eye.

On my lips is NYX lip liner in Plum with Starlooks Odetta on top. 

With a green cardigan and my dark pink Turkish scarf I feel awesome today!

Starlooks Gem Eye Pencil in Ultra Olive

My Ipsy post was getting kinda long so I decided to review this item separately.  I didn't get this in my Ipsy bag but my mom did.  She already has a few olive eyeliners so she told me to take it, and since I love Starlooks there was no way I was going to say no! 

I'm not usually an olive kind of person but I do rather like this color.  I think it helps bring out the green in my eyes.  Starlooks liners are very buttery and glide on easily, which is very important for me as I hate anything that tugs at my eye.  Full pigmentation can be acquired with only one sweep and they sharpen well.  My only complaint would be the glitter falls out a bit throughout the day because if I wear it under my eyes I get super glam upper cheekbones.  This doesn't bother me too much as I just wipe it away whenever I notice it happening but for someone who can't touch up throughout the day, this may be an issue.

I entered this photo into Ipsy's Starlooks liner contest.  Alas it did not win.  It always seems to be a really crappy low quality pic that wins, maybe I should stop trying so hard....

Where to buy: Starlooks.com

Price: $17

Starlooks Guilty Pleasure Lip Trio with Charm, Odetta, and Guilty Pleasure

Look what finally came in the mail! Eeh!! Starlooks offered a special Guilty Pleasure lip trio set through Ipsy and for only $24 with free shipping how could I pass up a lip liner, lipstick, and lip gloss!?

The products came in a super cute white bag with a 10% off my next order coupon code.

The lip set included the Guilty Pleasure lip gloss which I received the sample size of in my October glam bag, Odetta a soft pink matte lipstick, and charm a dark lavender lip pencil.

Let's check out some swatches!

I had gotten a nude pink Starlooks liner in a previous Ipsy bag and absolutely loved the formula so I was very excited about getting this.  I think out of the three this is definitely my favorite.  It is such a beautiful matte lavender that I think looks freaking great on me. The formula is very creamy, easy to apply, and can easily be worn alone without appearing dried out and gross like most lip liners tend to look upon solo application. Also obligatory wink to show off my awesome wing.

Next is Odetta, the matte lipstick.  As far as being matte I don't think it really is...the lip liner definitely but the lipstick has a bit of a sheen to it, which overall isn't' a big deal.  I had never tried a Starlooks lipstick so I was quite anxious to give this a try. I wore it out on a walk with my boyfriend and it lasted perfectly throughout our hour walk and my cappuccino. The formula is very impressive, creamy, yet still has enough stick to it that it doesn't just slide right off as soon as I try and drink a coffee.

Because I'm lazy I'm reusing the picture from my glam bag review.  It's the same product so I didn't see a point in taking an all new set of images. Anyway, this lip gloss drove me to buy the lip trio so obviously I like it.  It has decent pigmentation and staying power for a lip gloss and the soft pink can be worn alone or over top of most lip colors so it's very versatile.

Finally the moment you've all been waiting for....all three together! The purple undertones of the lip liner show through even when having a pink lip stick and lip gloss over top, which is awesome because I love purple.  It is a bit darker and less purpleythan the lip swatch they posted to their Instagram, but I still like the color so I'm not going to complain.  These three together definitely create a very nice, sophisticated, natural lip color.  Honestly I can see myself skipping the lip gloss over this and just wearing the lip liner and lipstick together and saving the lip gloss for solo lazy day use. This is mostly just personal preference as when I wear a full face I tend to prefer my lips being as matte as possible.  

Here is a side by side of Odetta alone, Charm alone, and then all three together.   I think this helps show how much of Charm shows through in the final look.

And finally here are the swatches after rubbing away at them, as you can see all three even the lip gloss left a stain, yay!   Also this is the lip trio after a few hours and two very delicious spinach lasagna roll ups (excuse the sauce on the corners of my mouth).  It evenly fades to a lighter pink, its nice knowing I can wear this through a meal without getting that dreaded lipstick outline.

The lip trio set is sold out, as per usual with the Ipsy special offers but the individual products can still be purchased.

Where to buy: Starlooks.com

Price:

Lip liner- $13

Lipstick- $14

Lip gloss- $13

I've loved every Starlooks product I've tried so far....I may just have a new top brand! :)

Ipsy Glam Bag October 2014

Get ready for Ipsy's October glam bag! YAY! I was actually not looking forward to this bag at all but after trying everything out my mind was definitely changed.  

Why was I not looking forward to this bag you ask? Well hair products tend to not work with my short hair, I prefer lipstick to lip glosses, cleansers can smell really annoying, hand lotion can give me a rash, and the eye shadow looked like it might be lame.  I was proven wrong with EVERY SINGLE PRODUCT.

As far as the bag itself, so cute! Such an adorable teal color, I love it! I could see using this as a clutch with either of my two teal dresses :)

1. ECRU New York Acacia Protein BB Cream for Hair

"A first in haircare. Finally, an ultra-light, incredibly versatile, all-in-one multifunctional beauty balm that harnesses the moisturizing and protective power of the patented Acacia Collagen™ for ultimate repair, conditioning, manageability, smoothness, body and shine. Perfect for all hair types. Color safe. Paraben free."

4/5

I was a little bit nervous about this product as over 50% of the time hair products don't work very well with my pixie cut however I am definitely a fan of this product! When used in damp hair I can style it without using my hair fiber and when I put it in dry hair it gives it a boost of softness and body.  I've used this every day since getting it in my bag! Only issue would be it has a slightly weird smell.

Here is the best attempt I could get at a before and after for this product.  It adds more shine and makes it easier to achieve volume.  What you can't see is how soft it makes my hair. <3

Where to buy: Ecrunewyorkcom

Price: $12

2. Indie Lee Brightening Cleanser

"Indie Lee’s bestselling Brightening Cleanser naturally washes away impurities to leave skin soft, refreshed, and luminous."

3/5

I usually hate clear cleansers because they tend to be super runny and hard to use but this formula has some viscosity to it making it not run everywhere when squeezed from the tube.  When rubbing it  into the skin it foams up a little bit and seems to throughly clean my face.  I have not broken out from this which is always a good sign.  My only issue with it is that it has too strong of a smell.  If the smell of my cleanser is going to be strong it had better be a freaking amazing scent, but unfortunately this is not the case for this product.  The smell isn't bad...just not wonderful.

\

Where to buy: Indielee.com

Price: $32 ($4)

3. Figs & Rouge Hand Cream in Rose Berry

"Figs & Rouge Shea Butter Enriched Limited Edition Hand Creams are deliciously fragrant & indulgent. These delectable creams soften, nourish & thoroughly pamper hands throughout the day, quickly absorbing to provide super-soft skin. Apply Figs & Rouge Hand Cream onto your hands and massage into skin throughout the day as needed."

5/5

Hand creams always make me nervous because the scent can either suck or I can sometimes get a rash on the back of my hands.  This lotion did not suffer from either issue.  I've used it a few times and have had no rash or burning.  The smell is also WONDERFUL.  While in Istanbul, Turkey my mom and I drank a lot of what they called Love Tea.  This lotion smells just like that tea so it brings back many fond memories every time I use it. :)

This may be a new product, I had trouble finding it for sale.

Where to buy: feelunique.com

Price: $6.50

4. Jesse's Girl Mneralized Baked Shadow Powder in Plum Frost

"Get out-of-this-world eyes with Jesse’s Girl Mineralized Baked Powder Eyeshadows. "

4/5

At first this eye shadow was a huge let down.  I wasn't able to get any pigmentation from it at all, it swatched as a very slight wine shimmer.  However after I kept using it and using it I noticed that as I got past that first initial layer the color went from barely there to a very nice deep shimmery wine.  I am now  very happy with this shadow and so glad I got this color over some of the alternatives. Use over primer or wet for maximum pigmentation.

Where to buy: Jessesgirlcosmetics.com

Price: $3.99

5. Starlooks Lip Gloss in Guilty Pleasure

"Starlooks Lip Glosses are created with a truly moisturizing, luxury, non-sticky formula. This neutral-rose, yet glamorous shade provides the perfect glisten for any lip look and complements any skin tone! Can be worn alone or in combination with other Starlooks lip products for a truly customizable finish"

4/5

I was worried this lip gloss was going to be a repeat of last month's Caylin gloss.  I should have put more trust in Starlooks because it definitely is not! The color is very flattering and it does not settle into lip lines. It lasts a good 2 hours, gradually fading evenly during that time. Would have liked to potentially see a longer lasting potential

  It reminded me of Urban Decay's Naked lip gloss in Lovechild so I swatched them next to each other.  Guilty Pleasure is a bit darker and has a bit more pigmentation with an equally good performance. Perhaps this lip gloss could be a good dupe for Urban Decay's Naked line.

Where to buy: Starlooks.com

Price: $12 (Website does not list size so this mini I'm guessing is about $4 worth)

In total I really liked this bag much more than I was expecting.  I even bought the Guilty Pleasure lip set that Starlooks had as a special so look forward to a review of that!

All in all this bag came out to be about $30 which is extremely low for what it usually is.  However I like the products so much that I don't even really care if its not in the normal $40 range.  As long as I like the products and they work I'm not too concerned that they don't cost a fortune.  If anything there is a much higher chance I'll buy them because of affordability.

Click here to sign up for Ipsy for only $10 a month!

April 2014 Ipsy Glam Bag Product Reviews

Alright! So I've spent some time trying out and wearing these products so now I'm going to let you know what I think of them! Before I begin I want to make it clear that I did like every single one of these products but unfortunately most of them just do not work for me so they will probably be going to my mom.

First up is Sexy Hair Root Plump Volumizing Spray Mousse.  I'm not quite sure how I feel about this.  In all honesty I don't feel like it does very much for my hair.  Then again this may be for two reason, first my hair is really short so it may be tailored more towards those with long hair.  Second the instructions say to apply it to damp hair and unfortunately I almost always get a shower at night to save time in the morning so I've been applying it to dry hair.  Final verdict, I'm probably going to give this to my mom and continue using my molding creme.

Next is Elizabeth Mott's Pop! Goes the Shadow.  I really like this formula.  It is easy to apply and feels very soft and velvety.  However I'm not a huge fan of the color because it has a very warm undertone to it.  It also doesn't show up very well on my eyes. It is too dark to be a highlight but too light to add any noticeable pigmentation.

Here it is swatched next to Urban Decay's Sin.  As you can see Sin has a more pinky tone to it which is why it suits my skin tone so well.  Unfortunately  I just don't see myself reaching for this before Sin so it will probably also go to my mom.

Next, Dr. Brandt Microdermabrasion! I was really excited to try this against my Mary Kay Microdermabrasion to see if I liked it better.  Alas, I did not.  It is not because it performs any worse however, it is entirely because of the smell.  I prefer my skincare products to not have strong odors and unfortunately this smells very very strong of citrus.  I don't hate citrus but I'd definitely prefer it to be scent free. Another one for my mom!

I was pretty excited to get this and I definitely love everything about it.  It is super super black which is awesome, I definitely prefer it to my UD 24/7 liner in zero.  However as you can see when I rubbed my wrist it was the one that came up the most.  I also then continued to wear these swatches on my wrist for 24 hours and it was the one that faded fastest.  This doesn't bother me too much however as I love how dark it is and how easily it applies.  I think I'll be keeping this one and will throw UD zero into my travel bag and give the Cynthia Rowley eyeliner from Birchbox to my mother.

And last but definitely not least the Starlooks Lip Pencil in Naked.  This was by far my favorite product from my bag and I will be keeping this.  Prior to this bag I only owned lip liners in clear, beige, red, and plum.  Therefore this nice pink was a much needed addition to my collection.  Not only does it work well under my neutral pink lipsticks it also looks very nice on its own.  It applies very creamy and easily and has wonderful pigmentation! 

Want to sign up for your own Ipsy bag subscription for only $10? 

Click here!

<3__)~

April 2014 Ipsy Bag Unboxing Video!

Yay! So this is my very first unboxing video! I know it is a big rough around the edges but I hope you enjoy it. I'm still learning how to video, haha!

What I got:

Dr. Brandt Microdermabrasion

Starlooks Luscious Longwear Lip Pencil in Naked

Big Sexy Hair Volumizing Spray Mousse

Elizabeth Mott Pop! Goes the Shadow in Champagne

Urban Decay 24/7 Velvet Glide on Eye Pencil in Black Velvet

What did you get in your Ipsy bag?

<3__)~