Week 28 layout + Swap!

Hello my lovelies! Last week, I participated in my first “filofax goodies” swap with Kristine from KJoyCreations so I thought I’d share all the fun stuff she sent me… and she sent a lot more than I expected!

A variety of clips, stickers, pens, washi tape, a tube of Baby Lips (yes!), and my favorite of all the two handmade pieces she made for me. The first is the watercolor piece on the left that she created for me to use in my Martha Stewart binder and the second is the heart piece on the right. It is one of her KJoy Hearts– she created it using my husband’s, daughter’s, and my names! She is so creative and her penmanship is beautiful! The KJoy Heart is currently posted on my refrigerator but as soon as I get my family room walls straighten out, it will be framed and hung as well. If you’re interested in purchasing a KJoy Heart of your own or you want to see all her other fun work, be sure to visit her on Instagram!

I am still working on collecting stuff to use in my organizer, slowly but surely. A few reasons why: 1) there is a lot of cute stuff out there that I can’t pick, 2) sometimes I can be TOO picky that I end up not buying, and 3) let’s face it, I’ve got bills to pay. BUT I did purchase a few rolls of washi tape from an Etsy seller that I should be getting in a week of two. I also purchased a few more colorful pens that I’ll write about a little later.

For now, here is my simple (a.k.a. plain a.k.a. boring) layout for this week that is still half empty

Here’s what I used:

– Washi tape: from swap with Kristine

– Journaling Cards – Target

– Flower Stickers – Michaels

 

DIY – Easy mini folders with tabs

I had a few comments and messages on my Instagram when I posted my first peak into my Martha Stewart organizer, specifically with the mini folders that I made. They’re super easy to make and I love sharing when people ask nicely so here you go!

First, I created this template that you will want to print out. Click on the image and it will take you to a PDF that you can print.

If you are using printed paper you will want to print on the wrong side of the paper. Here, I am using pretty floral patterned medium weight paper from the Best of Maggie Holmes paper pack that I got at Michaels. This template will produce a finished envelope of 4 3/8″ x 2 1/4″ (plus the height of the tab at the top). You can easily alter the template to make the envelope smaller or larger.

After you have printed out the template on your paper, cut along the solid lines then fold along the dashed lines. The bottom half of the template has tabs on either side of it– these you will glue to the outside back of the envelope.

The tab at the very top folds left to right, glue this down as well. The next step is optional: If you want both sides of the top tab to have the angle, you will just need to snip the left side of the tab at a 45 degree angle.

And you’re done! You can make tons of these in lots of fun patterns or colors and use them any way you’d like– glue them onto another sheet of paper like I did to create a divider with pockets or include them in your letters or gifts to loved ones to hold a little surprise!

I probably should have posted photos doing this step by step or at least a video… but my printer ran out of ink so I can’t print one now myself even if I wanted to. If you have any questions on assembling the envelope, please let me know!

First Birchbox! June Birchbox – Away We Go

For the first time ever, I am sharing a Birchbox unboxing with you! After having been subscribed to Ipsy, I finally decided to also subscribe to Birchbox. For those who are unfamiliar with Birchbox, for $10 USD you get box filled with samples of beauty and lifestyle products. To subscribe or just to read more about Birchbox, you can click here. This month’s theme is, “Away We Go.”

So last week on Instagram I eluded that the reason why I finally decided to subscribe was, well, dumb. It kind of is. Next month I’ll be taking a short trip for work and for my birthday. I’ve never waxed my legs so I shave (yes, we are heading into TMI territory). My leg grows crazy fast! It’s also dark and fairly thick so I find myself having to shave every day I go out especially during the summertime. Well, Birchbox sent out an email that if I subscribed for June I could choose an extra sample, it was between a Cynthia Rowley lip gloss and… a shaving cream. The shaving cream got me. And THAT is why I subscribed this month. See, I told you, dumb right?!?

I got my box a lot later than other people since I’m a new subscriber so I could not wait to dig into it.

1. Davines Love Smoothing Shampoo, Conditioner, and OI All in One Milk (full size $24-$28)

With the other subscription box I get, most often time the hair products that I receive are useless, but this was right up my alley. It is described as a “strand smoothing trio [that] softens, detangles, and tames frizz for remarkably sleek locks.” I used the shampoo the first day, the shampoo and conditioner the second day, and all three the third day I washed. The shampoo and conditioner have a nice smell, slightly perfumey that lasted quite a while after washing. The scent of the all in one milk however was a little bit overpowering. I didn’t notice much of a difference with my hair after using the shampoo but the conditioner in the other hand is a whole different story– my hair felt like silk! And mind you that “silk” is not a word that I used to describe my hair. It didn’t weigh my hair down either. Overall, I would probably purchase the full size of the conditioner but pass on the shampoo and milk.

2. Suki Exfoliate Foaming Cleaner (full size $32.95)

I get somewhat hesitant to use face products mainly because many tend to break me out, I don’t know what it is. This is a foaming and exfoliating cleanser that smells “deliciously lemony” as the Birchbox description box calls it. I would describe it as a freakin’ Lemonhead candy… and I love Lemonheads. The exfoliation particles in the cleanser are gentle and the cleanser foams up nicely. You only need a small amount, about the size of a Lemonhead should do. I used a bit too much on my face the first time I tried it and I looked really… frothy.

I did end up with a couple small pimples the next day but I can’t for sure attribute it to using this cleanser. I will try it again though because of the scent. Despite the sample being small in terms of size, it’s perfect for travel since you need so little of the product to do the job.

3. Egyptian Magic All-Purpose skin cream (full size $26-38)

I’ve been hearing the name Egyptian Magic often lately but to be honest I never really looked into it in depth. It’s supposed to moisturize, fight wrinkles, treat burns and bruises, and more. I did read a review briefly that mentioned it broke the user out so I will likely not be using this on my face.

4. LAQA & Co. sheer lip lube pencil (full size $18)

This product was both surprising and pleasing. Surprising because of the bright color. To me it is a radiant orchid color (Color of the Year, wooo!) and it typically isn’t a color I would buy when it comes to lip products. It is described as a semi-sheer product that packs a whole LOT of color. There was nothing sheer about this for me. The color is rather gorgeous though and despite my reluctance to ever purchase this color for my lips, it looks really pretty on my skintone. It’s really glossy just as the description says.

This product did not dry out my lips at all and the color lasted a good amount of time. It does have a slightly minty scent which I appreciate. The packaging is also really pretty– metallic and white? I’m all over it.

Here’s a swatch of the color. Pretty right?

5. Joie Folle de Joie Eau de Parfum (full size $98)

This perfume sample came in a standard size spray vial that you would typically get with perfume samples. The scent was nice, but to be honest it’s nothing to write home about. I didn’t find anything unique in the scent that would persuade me to buy it. But then again, $98 for a bottle of perfume? I don’t think anything could persuade me to buy the full size.

6. Whish shave cream (full size $20)

Last but not least is my bonus sample that I picked as my welcome to Birchbox. I chose the Whish shave cream which is in the scent acai grapefruit. I have not yet tried this sample (I’m using it for my trip hahaha). The reviews I have read have been mixed, more positive than negative though.

And that, my friends, is my first Birchbox. Overall, I’m very pleased with it. Out of the entire box, there isn’t a single item that I did not like, maybe some that I liked less than others, but nothing that I would not use. I’m happy I decided to subscribe and I’m already looking forward to July!

 

 

Getting Organized – let’s get started!

Every now and then I will browse the #mahalmade tag on Instagram to check out photos posted by people that are using my charms and how they use them. Quite a few of the lovely ladies seem to have been clipping them onto journals and personal organizers and their captions included the tag #filofax. I didn’t know what “filofax” was so I took a browse through the tag and did my research and I found myself in personal organizer world filled with washi tape, fun post-its and other decorative elements… AND. I. FELL. IN. LOVE! By nature, I am into all kinds of things that allow me to express myself creatively. I scrapbooked for a bit then found myself getting too lazy printing photos to use and I eventually stopped, but my stash of fun papers lingered around.

The filofax/personal organizer world was calling my name! An actual Filofax was not– they cost a bit more than I wanted to spend on something that I wasn’t sure I’d stick with, so after doing some research I opted to go a less expensive route. I found myself at Staples and I purchased the light, minty blue Martha Stewart binder ($9.99) as well as a few inserts, and I wanted to share with you what I have so far! This is just a couple days in– nowhere NEAR a lot of other peoples’ organizers but it’s a process :).

Here is my binder. It’s a 1″ binder and inserts that are 8.5″ x 5.5″. It did not have a closure but I found something online where the girl used the MS nameplates and a piece of elastic to go around the binder. I have lots of decorative elastic from when I made headbands for my daughter, and I had this perfect sparkly minty blue ribbon that was PERFECT. The binder itself is nice. It is a three ring binder with a single pocket on both the front and back pockets. The inside of the binder is cloth while the outside is a faux leather type of material. From the going store-to-store that I did before I finally purchased this binder, the light blue gets dirty pretty easily so just something to be aware of if you decide to purchase one. It does feel sturdy though unlike some of the other small binders that are currently available.

Here’s what my binder looks like when you first open it. I bought the clear vinyl zipper pouch from the MS line. Inside I have a couple of black pens and four Sakura Soufflé pens which are pastel and dry matte. They’re amazing. I bought my Sakura pens at Michaels. They came in a set of 10 for $24.99 but I used a 40% off coupon for them.

On the inside cover I have a heart chalkboard sticker that I’m using as a color key, each color represents a different family member.

I used some of the decorative paper I also got at Michaels a couples months ago to make little folder pockets to store things such as sticker sheets and other cards in. And those little bunnies! Sticky tabs I bought at Daiso… for $1.50! Aren’t they adorable?

Uhhhh yeah, have I mentioned how ADORABLE these bunnies are????!!!! And they even have backs on them haha.

For the calendar inserts I searched for printables online. I found these month calendars on Etsy from the shop Organize With Katie so I printed them out then pasted them onto more decorative paper. Next, I needed weekly pages. Initially, I bought the MS 2014 inserts but considering half the year is already gone it just didn’t make much sense so I returned them. I thought of designing my own bit dating them all seemed more of a pain in the butt than it was worth so I ordered a set off of the same Etsy seller. I would have preferred a different font but I can always worry about that next year. Here is what the pages look like blank:

They are one week on two pages. Here is my layout for this week (week 27):

Really simple, mainly because I don’t have a whole lot to decorate with haha. With it being the week of Independence Day, I decided to go with patriotic red, white, & blue stars, bunting, and a strip of glitter tape.

From the Martha Stewart Home Office line I also purchased a pack of these four slot clear inserts. They have flaps that go over each row so that the contents don’t spill it. One pack came with five sheets. Right now, I just have my daughter’s school photo. They’re the perfect size for wallet photos, business cards, journal cards, etc.

I also made mini calendar cards that I can slip in between my weekly pages so I don’t have to flip back and forth to check dates. These are also printables that I found online and pasted onto paper. The calendar is actually a one year calendar but I cut out the individual months to fit my needs. You can get it here.

Lastly is my current “today” marker. I saw something like this on Pinterest but I can’t find where it’s from so I made my own for personal use. I don’t have a laminator but that’s fine since I’ll likely be changing this out for different paper patterns anyway.

And that about sums up the beginning of my organizer. I’m hoping to make this a weekly post to share my layouts, crossing my fingers that I do (eek!). I’m super excited to work on my organizer more! Right now I’m looking for washi tape. I’ve found tons of stores online that sell them but I have a hard time finding designs that I like that I would see myself using often. Do you keep a personal organizer/filofax? Please share your favorite shops to purchase supplies!

June Ipsy Glambag – Pretty in Paradise

It’s Ipsy time! For $10 USD (plus tax in some states), you get a makeup bag filled with on average 4-5 deluxe sized samples and some full-size beauty products. You take a short quiz and based on your answers, you are “matched” up with products that are “personally” chosen for you. The accuracy of IpsyMatch is iffy to some subscribers. To subscribe or just to read more about Ipsy, you can click here. This month’s bag theme is “Pretty in Paradise,” fitting for the start of summer.

The surprise is the makeup bag itself. It is a deep blue with red zipper and has a fun pineapple and bird of paradise print… and it was designed by Rebecca Minkoff. Take a look at her video here!

Here is what I received in my glambag this month:

1. NYX butter gloss in apple strudel (nyxcosmetics.com, full size $5)

I’ve said this time and time again– I love NYX. They are affordable and great quality. I’ve been hearing a lot about the NYX butter glosses but have holding off on purchasing any until I saw what color I got in my Ipsy bag. I received it in the shade apple strudel which is a pretty peach color. It has a typical sponge applicator. The formula is slightly tacky but not anymore than I would expect from any other lipgloss. The color swatched pretty on my arm but unfortunately the color didn’t show so much on my lips. An additional plus is that it smells delicious– I felt like the entire time I was applying this, I was smothering a birthday cake flavored cupcake all over me! Nice product that doesn’t disappoint, I’ll just need to try out different colors, I’m thinking maple blondie or red velvet.

2. Nicka K New York shimmer liner in green (nicka.com, full-size $4.99)

I remember getting a Nicka K nail polish in a past Ipsy bag, it was a gorgeous red color that was the red of all reds for me. Sadly, I can’t find the polish =(. I was happy to be able to try another product from the line. Nowadays, I typically don’t reach for colored eyeliner (I tend to reach for black or brown almost every day) but a new colorful liner is always a welcome change. (I actually recently purchased the NYX liquid crystal liner in gold which I love.) Anyway, this month I received the Nicka K shimmer eyeliner in green. The colors is very pretty, it’s more of like a peacock green than a green-green if that makes any sense HAH. It watched beautifully on my arm but unfortunately I felt at odds when I applied, or rather tried to apply, it to my eyelid. The applicator HURTS. The website describes it as a foam tip applicator. When I think of “foam” words like soft and gentle come to mind. Instead it was hard and stiff. Haha hard and stiff *devilish grin*… A bit of a disappointment considering the color is nice and the formula so far seems to stay put pretty well (I can still see my swatch on my arm a day later after having washed over it). I suppose I could use a different brush that is much more gentle on the eye area but having to remove the applicator that came with it, dip in a different brush and wasting some product, then having to recap it? Too much hastle.

3. Laneige BB Cushion (target.com, full size $34)

I’ve seen a lot of Laneige posts lately and now I’ve seen the line carried at Target so of course I’ve been really curious about it. I received the Laneige BB cushion sample in my Ipsy bag. At first, I thought this was just a small foil sample since all I saw when I first pulled it out of my pink bubble mailer was the cardboard display. The sample actually has four little compartments– one for the applicator puff and one each of the light, medium, and dark shades. When I first saw that I was receiving the BB cushion, I thought it was going to be a single sample of one shade and the color that each person received was going to be a toss up, so the sample that was actually sent out is a pleasant surprise.

I have been searching for a new BB cream and also something in a compact form that would make applying it much easier on the go especially since I’ll be doing some traveling this summer. I have not yet tried this product but I have high hopes for it.

4. Marc Anthony dream waves beach spray (walgreens.com, full size $8.79)

I’m not a fan of hair products unless it’s a conditioner or mask so styling products in my Ipsy bag are usually pretty bleh to me, so things like spray clays or gels are not the types of things I want to see waiting for me in my bag. Most days my hair has been flat ironed but lately I’ve been leaving the house with my hair in its natural state– airy, curly, and slightly frizzy. I’ve gotten to the point where I don’t mind going out with my hair in all its glory from time to time so anything that will enhance my natural texture is fine.

Let me say first that this beach spray from Marc Anthony smells divine! It makes me want to grab a pina colada and sit it a lounge chair while I’m basking in the sun at the bask. It smells like a freakin’ pina colada! I’ll get back to you on how this performs a little later– my hair is currently ironed out and I don’t want to waste a perfectly good hair day.

// Edit // I’ve had a chance to now try out the Marc Anthony beach spray and while it smells delicious, it didn’t perform how I was hoping. It left me hair feeling sticky =(.

5. Be a Bombshell lash out mascara (beabombshellcosmetics.com, full size $15)

Last but not least and unfortunately the most disappointing product I received this month is this Be a Bombshell mascara. It is a repeat brand that we seem to receive every other month. I haven’t had any issues with the quality of products but the colors usually haven’t been ideal for me and I’ve had to work them with other color products for them to be wearable. With that said, this month is the first time I’ve received a product by this company that I cannot use. Why? I’ll get to that shortly.

The packaging of the mascara follows the look of the packaging of all the other products I’ve received– matte, black, and simple with just their logo on it. The brush is a spiral brush that applied the product well. The formula didn’t clump even after the first application.

So, everything I’ve said about the mascara has been pretty positive, right? Why is this a product that I cannot use? To begin with, I was hesitant to apply this because the SMELL that came out of that tube when I first opened it was awful. Like, worse than the smell that came out of the POP Beauty lip gloss a few months back because this time around, the smell enveloped by senses right when I opened it. At least with the POP gloss I couldn’t smell it until it got closer to my nose. That is how bad the smell was and I can’t even begin to describe it. My eyes also started getting irritated after applying that I had to take it off immediately. I took to the company’s Facebook page and sure enough there were the posts of BaB addressing with the many people posting issues with it. Here is the first post made on June 11th:

We understand that several IPSY customers have received our Lash Out Mascara with a strong smell. We would like to assure you that all of our ingredients are 100% safe.

Three of the ingredients included in our Lash Out mascara are included in the FDA’s list of Generally Recognized As Safe ingredients list. Those ingredients are Cera Alba (Bees Wax), Propylene Glycol, and Stearic Acid. All other ingredients are ingredients that are commonly used in other cosmetic products.

Although the mascara has a strong smell, we as a company chose to not cover the smell with a fragrance in the formulation. Fragrance is often an irritant to sensitive consumers.

We value our customers and all Ipsters. We take all complaints seriously and take them into consideration. Please e-mail Be A Bombshell cosmetics at customerservice@beabombshellcosmetics.com with any questions or concerns.

And here is the second post made yesterday:

Dear Ipsters and Bombshells,

We would like to address the continuing concern over our Lash Out mascara included in many of Ipsy’s June bags. Batch 0310 was produced in April of 2014 specifically for the Ipsy June bag. At the time of production this batch underwent our standard testing and all tests came back normal.

We recognize the continued concern over the safety of this product. We urge anyone who experiences any irritation or other reaction to discontinue use of this product. In light of the continuing concern over our Lash Out mascara batch 0310 we will be engaging a new independent laboratory to conduct additional safety testing on this batch of mascara.

The safety of our customers is of paramount importance to us. We take all complaints seriously and are investigating these concerns. If anyone has any additional concerns, please continue to reach out to us at customerservice@beabombshellcosmetics.com. We will reply to each email as soon as possible.

Thank you,
The Bombshell Team

While I appreciate the fact that the company is addressing the issue at hand but, come on, to say that they chose to not cover the smell with a fragrance? No fragrance in the world can cover up the smell of the mascara and it is nothing like any other mascara I have ever used. I surely hope that the company intends to keep its users updated especially considering many people other than myself experienced eye irritation from its use.

And back to my bag… Here are the swatches of the NYX butter gloss and Nicka K shimmer eyeliner:

 

Overall, this month’s bag was OK. The fact that Ipsy collaborated with Rebecca Minkoff to bring us a fun tropical bag for summer is a major plus but a couple products did not perform as I hoped they would that they bring down the entire bag this month. Did you receive your June Ipsy glambag? What did you get?

NEW! Coastal Scents Revealed 2 Palette

I am BEYOND excited to be sharing this post with you today! While I was watching one of CoffeeBreakWithDani‘s YouTube videos, I browsed through the comments and someone had mentioned a palette called Revealed 2. Curious me got to researching and I found the Revealed 2 palette by Coastal Scents. I’ve heard of Coastal Scents before but never purchased anything. I think I’d received them in an Ipsy bag before but without having to research I honestly can’t remember, so whatever I received must have been forgettable (most likely due to color). After watching reviews and looking at swatches, I gave in. Mind you this was all early in the morning last Friday and there was a promotion going on to get this palette for less than $10 — regular price is $19.95.

Tuesday came and there in a pretty yellow box were my palettes, yes, I bought two of them. Imagine my excitement when I got home! It came very well packaged, the palettes were wrapped in large bubble wrap then wrapped in paper all in a good sized box.

The palette is made of cardboard. One of the things it is lacking is a mirror on the cover. For some people, that is a deal breaker. For me, the presence of a mirror is just an added bonus so I didn’t feel like I was missing out on anything. The palette contains 20 matte and shimmer eyeshadows in rectangular pans the same size as those in the Urban Decay Naked palettes that the Revealed palettes are getting compared to. Most of the reviews that I’ve read and claimed that most of these shadows are dupes of colors in Naked 2 and 3. Unfortunately, I never could bring myself to purchase those (I only have the first Naked palette) so I can’t confirm those claims but based on everyone else’s pictures, many of them definitely do look like dupes. So, if you’re like me and the UD palettes are out of your budget, then Revealed 2 is a great alternative.

Quite a few of the shadows are pink toned similar to Naked 3 along with a couple more bronze and taupe shades. Here is my first set of swatches. No primer was used and these are dry swatched and a single swipe. I tend to be lighthanded when swatching so mine may not look at “vibrant” as others you see but, rest assured, pigmentation of these eyeshadows is amazing.

And let’s take a look at each section since the colors are not named.

Top left:

The color second from the right from this set seemed a bit more chalky when swatching.

Top right:

Bottom left:

Bottom right:

The shade second to the left in this set was a bit harder to swatch.

Overall, I think this a great palette. Only a small handful gave me issues when I did my swatches. The colors are absolutely beautiful. I haven’t yet used them on an eye look but I will definitely keep you all updated and let you know how they are in the long run. At under $10 each plus shipping there was no hesitation for me to purchase this palette at all, but even at the regular price of $19.95, you’re still getting a great deal– you’re basically paying $1 per eyeshadow. The colors are beautiful and the quality overall is really good for a discount makeup brand. For the most part, the eyeshadows are very silky with little fallout. If you choose to purchase this palette, you will NOT be disappointed. You can purchase the palette here!

Have you purchased Revealed2? What do you think about it?

May Ipsy Glambag – “Fresh Picks”

Sorry I’ve been lagging so much with unboxings! It’s been really hectic around here but for now, it’s Ipsy time! For $10 USD (plus tax in some states), you get a makeup bag filled with on average 4-5 deluxe sized samples and some full-size beauty products. You take a short quiz and based on your answers, you are “matched” up with products that are “personally” chosen for you. The accuracy of IpsyMatch is iffy to some subscribers. To subscribe or just to read more about Ipsy, you can click here. This month’s bag theme is “Fresh Picks.”

The bag is a canvas, burlap-like fabric which is different than any other glambag I’ve received. It has a pretty green leaf print on the front of the bag with a matching zipper. Very pretty actually.

Here is what I received in my glambag this month:

1. Pacifica mineral eyeshadow duo #2 (Moonbeam & Unicorn) (pacificaperfume.com, $14 for 4-shadow palette)

I’m a huge fan of Pacifica body products, they’re scents are amazing! I’ve never tried their makeup though. Lately, I’ve found myself not using a whole lot of eyeshadow so to find that the only makeup item I received this month was this eyeshadow I was a little disappointed. With that being said, The size of this sample is perfect for travel– two shadow colors in one simple, small compact. I received duo #2 which consists of the shades Moonbeam and Unicorn. The colors are ok– the darker shade which I am assuming is Moonbeam is an almost matte with a slight shimmer muted purple color. Unicorn has a few teeny tiny specks of glimmer and is what I would describe as a vanilla color. Of the two shades, the lighter shade is much prettier in my opinion.

Would I purchase these with my own money? Probably not.

2. Eva NYC therapy session hair mask (eva-nyc.com, full-size $40)

I’m not a fan of hair styling products in my Ipsy bags but please give me conditioners, masks, and treatments! This mask by Eva NYC has a nice scent, sort of perfumey but not the old lady type of perfumey. The scent, however, did not last long after rinsing and drying. Unfortunately, I did not see much of a difference in my hair after using or at least not enough to justify the $40 price tag for the full-size product.

3. Jersey Shore Sun anti-aging sunscreen (jerseyshoresun.com, full size $40)

Holy sh*t! Forty bucks for a sunscreen?! Way to rich for my blood. Yes, I am basing on whether I like this product on the price tag.

4. Calvin Klein Endless Euphoria (macys.com, full size 4 oz $89)

Perfumes are one of my favorite items to receive in subscription boxes because they’re compact and fit perfect in my purse and are excellent for traveling. I haven’t yet found a scent that I have not liked but I have found some that were… underwhelming? This may be just one of them. I appreciate the size and ease of use of this sample but Endless Euphoria didn’t stand out to me.

5. Avene thermal spring water (drugstore.com, full size $18)

When I first saw this I thought, “I got water **insert straight, emotionless face here**.” IT’S A CAN OF WATER. Literally, a can of water. Now the application of this was great, it is an aerosal can with a nice even mist so I didn’t get droplets all around my face. It left me face feeling nice and refreshed, kind of like those misters that you run into everywhere during the summertime. A+ for the packaging but if I’m going to pay $18, I’ll be more than happy to get a $1 spray bottle and fill it up with water myself.

 

Did you receive your May Ipsy glambag? What did you get?

Hiking to Sturtevant Falls

A couple of weekends ago, I spent a few hours ago with my brothers, nephew, and niece and went hiking. It was the first time I’d gone hiking in… 5 years? So, I was pretty excited to go. We hiked in the Big Santa Anita Canyon and took a trail to Sturtevant Falls then took another trail up to the top. We arrived around 6:30am and the parking lot at the top was PACKED! We parked a little big down the hill on the side of the road, the trek up to the beginning of the hiking trail wasn’t too bad from where we were parked.

I figured this blog could use some different pictures aside from all the beauty products, so enjoy! Note: These were all taken with the iPhone5s.

This was one of the first views we got when we started the hike down the paved road.

Much of the trail was canopied by beautiful trees so it didn’t get hot at all.

This is one of my favorite pictures. I love the reflection in the water.

And the main reason why we came– the waterfall!

This next photo was from the second trail that we took that went up along one of the hills– literally, on the edge of the hill, the path was so narrow and pretty rocky. It went up higher than the waterfall. We made it about half way through the trail before I started to die and we made out way back down.

And back down we go, back to civilization.

Hope you enjoyed the photos! I’m excited to go hiking again and explore different trails and when I do, you know I’ll be posting pictures again ;).

 

Nail decals + a little more!

I’ve been meaning to try to blog more often but unfortunately I’ve failed at that. I’m trying, I really am but life just gets in the way sometimes. I started working out of my home office back in October and it feels like ever since then people at work seem to think I have more time on my hands to work. Sorry, but 8 hours a day is 8 hours a day.

Anyway, I was browsing Instagram one day and I saw that Winnie of LeSassafras posted this photo teasing of a haul she did and I fell in love with the gold decal on her nail. I HAD to know where she got it from so I basically stalked her YouTube channel until the video posted. Enter this awesome website called shopmissa.com where practically everything is a dollar. Yes, ONE DOLLAR. Accessories, nail supplies, cosmetics, even underwear. I made a small purchase from the site the same day of a few things for me to try out and I also let my daughter pick something. Our order came in yesterday so shipping time wasn’t bad at all. The best thing is shipping is a flatrate $3.95 so whether you buy one item or fifty shipping will be the same price.

Here’s what I ordered. I ordered a few of the nail decals which was the main reason I wanted to purchase from the site, a necklace, and a headband.

I’ll start with the headband– this is what my daughter picked out. The band itself feels plastic and it’s covered in a satiny ribbon. The bunny part of it is what actually impressed me. It’s a plush filled bunny, the bunny is soft to the touch and it has a decorative ribbon and lace detail on it. When I think of other stores that sell headbands for only a dollar, I tend to think of plain plastic headbands with a cheap fake flower or a ribbon but not a plush bunny like this. Definitely worth $1 and my daughter absolutely loves it.

Isn’t it cute?!

The next thing I bought was a gold tone necklace with rhinestone drops. I have a thing for dainty necklace now. While the website had tons of necklaces both bold and dainty, I opted to just purchase this one.

The quality feels OK, about typical of what you would find in any costume jewelry or something you would get from Forever21. It came on a thin rolo link chain and five dangles from a curved bar. The rhinestones don’t perfectly fit into the little cups on the drops (you can see the dark spaces around the rhinestones) but you can’t really expect much for a bargain piece. I’ll see how long this lasts me before a stone comes off or the jumprings give away.

Last but not least are these pretty 3D nail decals that I purchased. I’m surprised that they had quite a few, some of the pretty dangles I wanted were out of stock so I just bought multiples of one style. In order to attach them to your nails you do have to use glue (I purchased a bottle of nail glue as well). I bought three of the gold swirl design decals, each has one large rhinestone and two small rhinestones. They’re really pretty. .. hence the reason why I bought three.

Excuse my chipping nail polish– I’ve had this white mani on for almost a week and couldn’t hold my excitement to see how the nail decal looks (it isn’t glued on). The gold scroll is slightly larger than my middle finger mail bed but it would still work. I have narrow nail beds, it’s funny because whenever I go to a salon to have my nails done, the nail techs always end up going to the very end of their nail tip cases trying to fit me because they’re so narrow.

I also purchased two other styles of 3D decals. One has a small pink resin rose, pink rhinestone, clear rhinestone cluster, and a white pearl.The backing on it is silver. The other one I bought has pink and aurora borealis finish rhinestones with a silver setting as well. These two, while pretty, I think I’ll have a hard time wearing. The backings on them don’t lay flat or curve with the nail bed– they actually seem more on the convex side. That means more than likely they would snag on something and I’d either get stuck to a sweater or the piece would come off my nail completely.

So that’s all I got for my first purchase from ShopMissA. Yes, I said first because I just placed my SECOND order from the website yesterday! They also carry the lockets and charms to make Origami Owl style necklaces. They carry silver, gold, rose gold, and I think black (?) lockets, most are necklaces but I saw a couple of bracelet styles as well, unfortunately no gold locket bracelet but I may be able to work one of the necklace lockets into a bracelet. The lockets are $5 each and the charms $1 each. REEEEEEEEEALLY great deal when you compare the price to the actual Origami Owl pieces. I’m excited to see the quality on them when my order comes in. As a side note, I also saw supplies to make these style of necklaces at my local Michaels recently so if you can’t find charms that fit you on the ShopMissA website, you can also check at Michaels. I don’t recall the prices though.

In case you couldn’t tell, overall I am very pleased with my shopping experience at shopmissa.com. If you’re into nail art or fashion accessories at a great price or if you are looking to make a beautiful locket for Mother’s Day, be sure to check it out!

 

 

 

April Ipsy Glambag – “Beauty Rocks”

Guess what time it is. It’s Ipsy time! It feels like it’s been so long since I’ve done an Ipsy unbagging. For $10 USD (plus tax in some states), you get a makeup bag filled with on average 4-5 deluxe sized samples and some full-size beauty products. You take a short quiz and based on your answers, you are “matched” up with products that are “personally” chosen for you. The accuracy of IpsyMatch is iffy to some subscribers. To subscribe or just to read more about Ipsy, you can click here. This month’s bag theme is “Beauty Rocks,” which I am assuming is inspired by the beginning of music festival season.

Let’s start with the bag itself. The bag is square shaped which is a nice change from the regular rectangular shaped bags and featured a record design on the front. I like it.

Along with the theme card that we get each month, subscribers also received a flyer for Ipsy’s Generation Beauty event that includes a code to purchase a ticket at a discounted price.

And here is what I received in my glambag this month:

1. Urban Decay 24/7 Velvet Glide-on eye pencil (urbandecay.com, full size $20)

This month every subscriber received the travel size Urban Decay 24/7 velvet eye liner in black. A lot of times when Ipsy has the more well-known/more desired brands or products, only a handful of subscribers receives the item. This time every got the same pencil as one of the items in the bag. I love Urban Decay eyeshadows and when I purchased the first Naked palette I also received a dual ended eyeliner pencil. I had a few issues with smudging and when I read lots of people recommending it for the lower lash line or waterline I just couldn’t do it. I basically stopped using it.

BUT, if Ipsy wants to give out an Urban Decay eyeliner then I will gladly accept it. It applied smoothly to my upper lash line without any tug on my skin or skips in the color. I did apply just a tiny bit to the outer corner of my lower lash line then smudge it out towards the center. It blended nicely. I tend to create a thick line on my upper lashes and it didn’t transfer onto my eyelid. I posted this photo on my Instagram so I figured I might as well post here, too:

Yup, that’s me.

I love the rich black color when it comes to eyeliners and it blends nicely. Best of all, it stayed put.

2. Rainbow Honey nail polish in Midnight Fountain (rainbowhoney.com, full-size $10)

I’ve never heard of Rainbow Honey so yay for trying new brands… finally. Their website indicates that their polishes are made in the US and are big 3 free (no formaldehyde, toluene, or dibutyl phthalate), 100% vegan, and cruelty free. I know that those attributes alone will make some poeple go gaga over them. The color I received is called Midnight Fountain, which is a blue jelly based polish with what looks like various blue, aqua, and silver glitter.

We received a 5ml mini size. In the bottle it is GORGEEEOUS! I applied 3 thin coats on my nails (without any other base color) and the color was beautiful on my fingers though these types of blues isn’t something I would typically wear on my nails anymore. The unfortunate thing is that this started to chip the very next day.

Though this isn’t a wearable shade for me, there are lots of other glitter bomb polishes that I do like. I just can’t get over the fact that I couldn’t go one day with it looking good on my nails. On the bright side, can we say helloooooo beautiful packaging! Sure, it’s a little wasteful (the UD also came with the large paper… thing? I don’t know what to call it) but the photograph is absolutely breathtaking.

3. Demeter perfume oil roll on in jasmine (demeterfragrance.com, full size $10)

I have been DYING to get a Demeter perfume in an Ipsy bag– I always hear tons of amazing things about the brand and their scents. Just my luck that I would receive it this month in Jasmine. I love floral scents! The size of the product is spot-on for carrying in your purse for on-the-go refreshing. I love roll-ons, too, because I can control just how much I am using.

The scent is exactly is you would get as if you were to sniff a fresh jasmine flower. This was a definite hit for me and I look forward to trying out more of Demeter’s fragrances.

4. Mary Kay jelly lip gloss in berry me (marykay.com, full size $10)

This next product I would have not expected to see in an Ipsy bag… ever. Mary Kay? I think of it like Avon and, again, something I wouldn’t expect to receive from Ipsy. I’ve never tried Mary Kay products, I’ve only seen people driving around in their cars with Mary Kay decals plastered on them.

The color gloss I received is called Berry Me. It’s a pretty pink berry color swatched but on my lips the color is very, very sheer with a little hint of pink but very shiny. (I’m wearing it in the photo above with the UD eyeliner.) It’s also very sticky which is NOT something I am a fan of on my mouth. The last thing I need is to be out on a day with a nice breeze and I can’t see because my hair is in my face because it’s stuck to my lips.

5. dr. brandt microdermabrasion (drbrandtskincare.com, full size $78)

And we’re back to five items this month! Lastly, I received a sample tube of the dr. brandt microdermabrasion. I’ve heard of this brand and have always wanted to try it but could never bring myself to spend the money on it. The value of this sample is $9.75 so this alone almost makes up the entirepurcahse cost of the bag. I am always on the lookout to try different exfoliating products (I received the Epice  purifying exfoliant in my January bag as well which I liked). I haven’t yet tried the product since I’m trying to finish up the Epice but I’m looking forward to giving it a go.

 

For this month, despite the fail of the Mary Kay lip gloss and the Rainbow Honey polish, I do have to say that April’s Ipsy glambag is still one of my favorites that I’ve received in the 18 months that I’ve been a subscriber.

Did you receive your April Ipsy glambag? What did you get?