December Ipsy Bag (2012)

Better late than never right?  Well I've been playing with the products from my glam bag and thought I would do a little review!

 December 2012 Glam Bag!

The bag this month was a rectangular shape in a gunmetal grey color.  Out of all of the bags that I've received I like the structure of this one the best.  The bag seems to be well made and the zipper is really nice and feels like it's good quality.

The inside of the bag.

Mirabella Face and Eye Primer:  I was needing a new eye primer so I was happy to get this...until I used it.  The primer has a weird gel type consistency and felt slick on my lids.  I really wanted to like this, but my eyeshadow still creased pretty bad when I wore this alone.  I would suggest using a cream eyeshadow like a Maybelline color tattoo over the primer to keep your eyeshadow from creasing.

Be a Bombshell lip gloss in Hot Mess:  First off, let me just say that I LOVE the name of this lip gloss!  I really think they should make a lip gloss named Ratchet and have a lip gloss duo with Hot Mess and Ratchet!!!  Haha okay back to the gloss, the color is a bit sheer and gives a nice tint of color to your lips.  The only thing I don't like is that the lip gloss is a little sticky.

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Zero:  I LOVE this eyeliner!!!  It's very black and glides on very smooth!  The only thing that I don't like is that you have to sharpen it.  I'm not sure if I would buy a full size liner since it's $19, but it's probably one of the best eyeliners that I've ever tried.

NYX Ultra Pearl Mania Pigment in Mink Pearl:  This is a bit too light for me to use as an eyeshadow, but I have used it as a highlight and it works fine.  I want to try and do some type of nail art with this so be on the lookout for that in the future.

Mai Couture Highlighter Paper:  This is an interesting product... The highlight is a peachy champagne color and comes in sheets.  The product is easy to apply and gives a nice glow to your skin, but I don't think it's anything special.

Urban Decay Naked Skin Beauty Balm:  This product was an extra that Ipsy gave to members that are active on the Ipsy site.  I was excited to try this product but...lets just take a look at the pictures below.

As you can see, the color is no where close to the color of my skin.  I thought that they would've sent us a sample that matched our skin tone, but apparently this is the only shade that the BB cream comes in.  : (

 It rubs in well, but as you can see the product doesn't match my skin and it leaves my skin looking kind of "ashy".

Overall, I liked this month's bag even though I wasn't too thrilled about everything I got.

Do you like beauty subscriptions?  If you do then I would highly recommend Ipsy!  It's only $10 a month and you are guaranteed at least two full-sized items and deluxe sized samples.  Find out more information about Ipsy HERE.

Are there any other beauty/nail subscriptions that you all like?  Let me know in the comments.

Thanks for reading; follow and share if you like,
Crystal <3

November Ipsy Bag

Wait so you're telling me that it's the end of December?!  Good golly does time fly during the holidays!

Ok I don't have a good excuse as to why I haven't done this sooner, like in November...lol

Today I'm going to share what I got in my November Ipsy bag and also do a little review of the products.  For those of you that don't know, Ipsy is a beauty subscription service where you get a bag full of beauty items (2 full size and 3 deluxe size samples) for $10 month.  You can watch my unboxing video HERE and learn more about Ipsy HERE.

November Ipsy Glam Bag

 

Click "Read More" to see close-ups of these goodies!

MyWholesaleFashion.com + Kleancolor Swatches (Pic Heavy)

Hey y'all!  I hope everyone had a great holiday with their loved ones.  Today I have some Kleancolor polishes to share with you all that I got from MyWholesaleFashion.com

MyWholesaleFashion.com is a wholesale distributor based out of Los Angelas, California.  MyWholesaleFashion.com sells all types of fashion accessories (jewelry, makeup, nail polish, etc.) in bulk at reasonable prices.  They were kind enough to send me some polishes to share with you all.

From L to R:  Golden Nightmare, Plum, 24 Karat, City Never Sleeps, Take A Hint, and Holo Pink.

 

Click "Read More" to see swatches!

October Birchbox (2012)

Hey guys!  Today I'm going to share what I got in my October Birchbox!

This month Birchbox partnered with Goop, a lifestyle website by Gwyneth Paltrow, to make a special Goop box.  We got an email asking us whether we wanted the Goop box or the regular box and I opted for the regular box.

You can watch my unboxing video HERE.

 

Click "Read more" to see the what I got in my box.

October Ipsy (MyGlam) Bag

Hey guys, tonight I'm going to show y'all what I got in my first Glam bag!!!  I've wanted to try a beauty subscription for a while and decided to try out BirchBox and Ipsy, formerly known as MyGlam, for a few months.  I'll share what I got in my October BirchBox in a future post.

Let's get on to the goodness, that is my Ipsy Glam bag!!!

October Glam Bag

You can check out my video HERE.

Click "Read More" for pictures and a mini review of the products that I got.

September 2012 Birchbox Review

Hey guys!!!  Long time no talk!  I know that I'm probably the worse with keeping up with my blog, but life and I have been playing a huge game of dodge ball and life had the upper hand for a while.  I have so many things in store for you guys and hopefully it will make up for my absence!

Today I'm going to review my first Birchbox!!!!

September 2012 Birchbox

(you can watch me open my box HERE)

 

I've been wanting to try a beauty subscription for a while now and decided to try out Birchbox and Ipsy (formally known as MyGlam) for a few months.  I got my Birchbox first and I was excited to see what I would get, but once I got my box I was less than impressed...

 

Let's get a close up of the things that I got in my box:

 

 21 Drops Focus Aromatherapy Blend:  This was an interesting product to say the least.  It claims that the oils in the product are suppose to help you focus.  The only thing that I think it did for me was alert my senses.  It has a nice minty smell that isn't too overwhelming and it comes with a roller ball applicator.  I wouldn't repurchase this, but I think it was something fun to try out.

 

 Mighty Leaf Tea:  I got three tea samples, Chamomile Citrus, Vanilla Bean, and Green Tea Tropical.  I'm not a big hot tea drinker so I wasn't too happy about this product.  I did try the Chamomile Citrus and almost got sick.  I'll try the other two eventually, but I'll stick to my southern sweet tea for now.

 





Vasanti Brighten Up!  Enzymatic Face Rejuvenator:  This exfoliate was the product that I was most excited to try and it did not disappoint.  The exfoliate is fairly gentle on the skin and does give it a nice glow.  This is probably the only product that I would possibly repurchase, but the $34 price tag makes me cling to my $3 St.Ives Apricot scrub.  Maybe I'll repurchase this when I have some extra money. Lol

 

 Nexxus Pro-Mend Split End Treatment System:  Okay this is where Birchbox lost me.  Birchbox is a program that gives you DELUXE size samples to try out every month.  Since when were one time use packets that you can get for free a deluxe sample?  There isn't even enough product for me to use one time.  I'm not too keen on trying hair products, my head is very "special" lol, so I won't be trying this product.

 

 Twistband hair tie:  At first I wasn't too excited about this product, but I have to say it ended up being of my favorite things that I got in my box.  The band did get a bit stretched out but it still holds my hair very well without slipping off.

 

Madewell gift certificate:  I've never heard of this company before and I never got a chance to check it out before the certificate expired.  From the card it looks like your average clothing store and the certificate was for $25 off your purchase of $75 or more. It would've been a great deal for someone that loves to shop there, but not for me.

 

 Color Club Nail Polish:  Of course I was the most excited about this product, but I got the one color that I didn't want.

 

 The name of this color is "Status Update."  As you can see Birchbox did have a typo on the label, but as long as the product is good then I'm good. : )

 

Status Update is a dark charcoal grey with a slight green under tone to it.  This polish surprised me with the formula.  All you need is one to to get full opacity but I used two coats for the swatch above out of habit.

 

So that is all that I got in my September Birchbox!  I wasn't too happy with it at first, but I definitely grew to like some of the products after using them a few times.  What products did you get in your Birchbox?  Are you happy with the program?  Tell me in the comments below!

 

I haven't gotten October Birchbox yet but I'll be sure share what I got with you guys when I do get it! : )

 

Thanks for reading.  Follow and share if you like!

Crystal <3



Sally Hansen Salon Effects Nail Strips Review

Today I'm going to do a review on the Sally Hansen Salon Effects Nail Polish Strips.  I bought two of them on a whim when I saw a $2 dollar off coupon for Sally Hansen products.  I've used them before when they first came out and didn't like them at all.  They peeled off within a day and were kind of difficult to apply.  I decided to buy a couple more to see if they've made any changes to the strips to help them last longer.  Well let's get to the review shall we...

I decided to try "Tri-bal It On", which is one that I've wanted to try for a long time!

 

 Top View

 

 Directions

 

Here's what comes in the kit:  two sets of strips (one for each hand) and a packet with a file, cuticle stick, and instructions.

 

First, I applied a base coat

 



Then I had to find the strips to fit each of my nails for both hands. 

 

 Here is the finished product!

 

 I did have a bit of trouble applying the strips to my nails, mainly because I got them on everything else but my nails!

 

I think that the strips that I picked out didn't really fit my nails and because of that you can see that some of my nails weren't completely covered by the strips.

 

Now for the wear of the strips.  I didn't like these at all!!!  They lasted a little longer than the first set that I tried a couple years ago, but they still peeled right off after 4 days.  I think that applying a base coat might have caused the strips to peel off quicker, but I don't think that should of made any difference.  Another thing that I didn't like about the strips is the overall look of them.  You could definitely tell that they were stickers, and the look just wasn't as amazing as I thought it would've been.

 

Nail polish strips are a good alternative for people that don't have time to change their nail polish, but I wouldn't recommend these to anyone.  You can try these at your own risk, but I wouldn't waste my money on these.  If you don't have much time to do your nails, I would suggest a fast drying polish like Sally Hansen Ista-dri.  If you want designs on your nails, I would suggest getting small nail stickers or stamping plates for easy and quick nail art.  What do y'all think of the Sally Hansen Salon Effects Nail Polish strips?  Are there any other nail polish strips that I should try?  Tell me in the comments section!

 

Thanks for reading!  Follow and share if you like!

Crystal <3

Revlon Colorstay Nail polish review! (Wordy and Picture Heavy post)

Hello my fellow nail polish addicts!!!  Today I'm going to share my thoughts on Revlon's new Colorstay nail polish!  I've heard some mixed things about this polish, some people hate it and some people love it.  I was curious about this new line of polish because it claims to be like gel nails and are suppose to last 7 to 10 days without chipping.  I'll be completely honest, I didn't believe that claim one bit, but since I'm a sucker for polish I thought I would give it a chance and pick up a few colors.

From L to R:  Cayenne, Rich Raspberry, Bare Bones

You can watch my review of these polishes HERE!

Click the "Read More" button to see if this polish lives up to its claims!

Nabi Magnetic Nail Polish Review

Last month I purchased this magnetic polish from Walgreens just to try it out and see how it compared to China Glaze's Magnetix polishes.  I didn't really think that these Nabi polishes were going to be that great since they were only $3 but I was pleasantly surprised at the results that I got when I used this polish.
You can find these polishes at your local Walgreens and they run for about $3.99 per bottle.  They come in a variety of colors, 30 to be exact, and each bottle comes with a different magnetic pattern (horizontal, diagonal, or chevron).  I decided to pick up this burgandy shade because I thought that I should at least get a color that I liked on its own just in case I didn't like the magnet design.

BOTTLE DESIGN
You can see my video review of this polish HERE.  The first thing that I found out about the polish is that it didn't have a name on the bottom of the bottle, which is kind of irritating to me.  Next, I realized that the magnet was attached to the cap with the brush, which means that when you paint your nails you'll have to immediately flip over your cap and place the magnet above your nail.  Now that might not be a problem for some people but for me, I didn't like the fact that if you had a lot of polish on your brush then you flipped it over all the polish will go towards the top of the lid.  If the polish does this it can cause the polish to get on neck of the bottle, where the cap and bottle lock, and dry which will make it difficult to reopen the bottle.

One last thing that I didn't like about the bottle is the magnet.  It did work okay but I would've liked to have a "cuticle rest", that piece of plastic that you can place on your cuticle while the magnet is doing it magnetic thang to your nails without touching them,  on the bottle.  It's not that big of a deal, but I did occasionally touch my nail with the magnet which was kind of annoying.

On a positive note, I do like that you get 0.5 fl.oz of polish, the amount that you would get in most  polishes.  Something that I've seen with other brands is that their magnetic polishes are usually smaller than their regular polishes, which wouldn't be a problem if the price wasn't 5x more than the regualr polish.

The bottle.

China Glaze Magnetix Polish Review

I've wanted to try this new type of nail polish that everyone and their mom have been talking, which is magnetic nail polish. The only thing that had stopped me from purchasing them in the beginning was the price of them. Most of the companies that were selling them had them for around $15-$16! To me, that's just way too much to spend on a trendy polish that I might not like; so when I heard that China Glaze was coming out with a line of magnetic polishes I was extremely excited! The CG ones were less than half the price of the higher end magnetic nail polishes and had more variety of colors and magnet designs. I purchased my polishes at Sally's Beauty Supply while they had the buy 2 get the magnet free sell. These are the colors I purchased: