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Happy New Ipsy!

January ipsyIt’s a new year….and a new set of goodies!!!

 

theBalm Cosmetics – Mr. Write (Now) eye liner (0.01 oz.) fell right into my ready and waiting hands. After this Christmas, my digits were primed for opening little treats. Mr. Write (Now) was definitely Mr. Right! I’m already a fan of theBalm Cosmetics and it’s not a bad price for a handle little eye liner. It can be found on thebalm.com for $17.

The J.Cat Beauty – Blinkle Shimmer Eyeshadow in shade Tangerine Light (0.09 oz.) has to be one of the funkiest colors I’ve seen not only out of Ipsy but ever – it has definitely put the groove back in my step. It can be purchased at Jcatbeauty.com for $4.99.

I’ve been getting a number of brushes recently and have been having an interesting time figuring out how to use all of them. Who knew you could have a brush for shaping, smudging, gliding, tweeking, glitterizing, etc. etc. …well, some of those I may have made up, but you get the idea. Before this Beau Gâchis Paris brush I always used my finger to smudge my eyeshadow but now I’m fancy! It is regularly $12 on Beaugachis.com, but there’s currently a Christmas/End of the Year Blowout sale for $9 so get a deal while you can!!!

Anything that has serum in the title usually reels me in instantly. That word just sounds so soothing. That’s exactly what pur~lisse – BLUE LOTUS 4-in-1 Eye Adore Serum (0.24 oz.)is – soothing. As much as I love it, I am not loving the dollar signs that go with it – on shope.purlisse.com it is a whopping $65 (0.5 oz./15 mL). While this half-size bottle would be $31.20, it’s going to make a slight dent in my wallet. I think for now I’ll stick with my to-go-unnamed brand.

Mitchell and Peach – English Leaf Body Cream (30 mL/1.01 fl.oz.)…all I can say is wow.Words cannot describe how in love I am with this body cream. Truly. In. Love. I wish the price tag was more in my range. On Mitchellandpeach.com it rings in at 36£ (180 mL), which equates to $52.62, making this much smaller size equal $8.77. #sadface

My total would have been $70.96. Even though some of these little (expensive) beauties won’t be rebought by me anytime soon, I plan keeping my New Year’s Resolution to enjoy my GlamBag…well, and maybe try to be healthier and shit. Haha…Happy New Year! Here’s to 2016!

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Hello Central Bark

BarkBox boxOh, it is so a puppy life.

Our pup, Sasha, is a spoiled rotten rottweiler Labrador. She’s crazy and sweet and naughty and lazy and hyper – sometimes all at the same time.

But she’s our baby so we continue to spoil her.

Enter the BarkBox.

Now Sasha’s got a brand new bag…o’ treats! Plus so much more and she couldn’t be happier. This sweet pup signed up for BarkBox and her first box didn’t disappoint.

For those of you who have never heard of BarkBox, go check out their website – barkbox.com – where they create monthly boxes of doggie goodies for your furry friend.Dec barkbox postcard

When the December box arrived early this month, we were more than pleased. I figured since we ordered in late December, our first box would be January’s – we were happily proven wrong.

Sasha knew instantly that the mail package was for her…of course, her puppy nose helped determine that.

After patiently waiting for me to open the box, Sasha was delighted to see all the tasty treats and fun toys waiting for her.December barkbox

She grabbed the Lady Liberty Ball (Bark & Co) right away. In love, this pup was. The ball made to look like the top of the Statue of Liberty had the perfect squeaker and Sasha went crazy. So crazy, in fact, she didn’t hardly notice the good smelling Pepperoni Treats (Nootie No Grainers) but that didn’t last long.

She was so patient waiting for me to open up the box she definitely deserved a tasty treat.

She didn’t seem quite as enthused about the Pretzel (Bark & Co) until my husband showed her she could use it as a tug o’ war toy. Unfortunately, that caused the twisted pretzel shape to only last about one week before it turned into a pretzel stick. But she still wants to play with it, especially since she figured out there is a small squeaker at one end.

The Pawstrami and Rye (Feel Good Treat Company) were not her favorite but if it meant she got a t-r-e-a-t then she was happy. (I, personally, thought the name was a winner, but I guess pups don’t care about that sort of thing.)

The Bully Stick (Butcher’s Block LLC) is one of those treats we try to keep away from Sasha as much as possible. It isn’t for the lack of being a good product, it is more for the fact that our dog likes to scarf down food & treats as quickly as possible creating a choking hazard. This is a personal problem – not a product problem.

Overall, our December box was a tail-wagging hit.

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Merry Christmas to Me – From Ipsy

Ipsy outdid themselves this month. The December Glam Bag is the perfect gift for me…from me! The name was the perfect way to celebrate the holiday – “For You With Love From Ipsy” and boy, was I in love.

First, I fell for the Pin Up Girl from Julie G. This limited edition nail color is fantastic. I hope it continues to live up to its no chip formula it boasts. You can find this size (0.35 fl. oz.) on jessesgirlcosmetics.com for $3.99.

 

I’m not really one for lip stuff. I usually stick to lip balm and don’t really venture further than that but Ipsy has had me jumping outside of my comfort zones. I was pleasantly surprised to open this present – ModelCo’s Lip Enhancer Illusion Lip Liner (0.05 oz.). ModelCo has impressed me so far, I hope this product continues to live up to their standards I’m used to. This exact size can be found on their website – modelcocosmetics.com – for $20.

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Although I just said I wasn’t much for lip “stuff” I was hoping I would get this product – Pacifica’s Power of Love Natural Lipstick. Two words: in love. This 0.07 oz. stick is available at target.com for $9.49.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – anything that will moisturize my face I’m willing to try and it only helps that I’ve always wanted to try LATHER’s products. Their honey moisture mask has been a facial relief. This 0.5 oz size will ring in at $2.75 compared to the full-size on lather.com at $22.

 

Jersey Shore Cosmetics has quickly become a favorite brand of mine thanks to Ipsy. The Vanilla Bean Anti-aging Lip & Hand Polish (1 oz.) has been … different … but I’m willing to try anything when it comes to anti-aging. On jerseyshoresun.com, the 1 oz. jar rings in at $25.

 

My Christmas present was getting $61.23-worth of product for $10.

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November Glam Bag – Beauty Blast

I loved the April Beautifully Bohemian bag but I think a new favorite has rocketed into my world this month! This colorful little bag is just too much fun.

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The first shining star I pulled out of the bag was the Deluxe Pointed Crease Brush by Crown. First impression – it is so soft – and I mean soft. I absolutely love it! Good brushes can be hard to find but I think the Crown brush is out of this world! It retails at $12.38 but I found it for 60% off on crownbrush.us for $4.95.

The Luxie Beauty – Matte Eyeshadow Pan No. 290 (0.05 oz.) is 100% cruelty-free. They hooked me right there, but then there’s the color – Aubergine (eggplant) I cannot get enough of this color. When I saw it my eyes lit up like shooting stars and once on, it did not disappoint. This size retails on luxiebeauty.com for $6.

Previously, Smashbox has impressed me – I  loved the Smashbox face primer so I had a feeling their Full Exposure Mascara (3 mL) would be out of this world. I’ve been using it every day since i received my little pink bag and it’s amazing! Keeps my lashes looking full and the application is stellar. The 11.4 mL retails for $20 on smashbox.com so this size blasts in at $5.26.

Model Co is another brand that has continued to impress me. Their Highlighting Trio (3 x 0.04 oz. = 0.12 oz.) in colors – Champagne, Peach Bellini, Bronze Shimmer – not only sound delightfully delicious, they are gorgeous on the eyes too. Modelcocosmetics.com retails this size at $22.

I truly enjoyed the Coolway sea salt spray I received a few Glam Bags back, so it does not surprise me that I love their holding spray as well. The Coolway Stronghold Spray (0.5 oz.) keeps my hair from orbiting outside of the Earth’s atmosphere. The 3.3 oz. size retails for $19.95 on coolwayhair.com. This smaller size is an astronomical deal at $3.02.

Not only did I get a couple of full-sized items but I only had to pay $10. I feel like I’m rocketing into some great deals. My total this November would have been $41.23 had I bought these at full-price. Keep up the heavenly work ipsy – you’ve outshined yourself this month.

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Fashion Face by Ipsy

edited new sept ipsyHello September Glam Bag! What treats you had in store for me.

With its cute little bow on the front clasp the NYX Cosmetics – Ipsy Eye Shadow Trio (0.03 oz.) had me instantly. Plus it didn’t hurt that the colors are perfect for Fall. Little sparkly gold and bronze and, of course a deep black for that perfect smoky eye. On nyxcosmetics.com, this baby sold regularly for $6, but was on sale for $3 most recently – either way, I’m getting a good deal. I love these colors.

The tre’Sti Que Mini Matte Lip Crayon (0.02 oz.) was a product I was truly looking forward to in this month’s bag. I’m usually more of a lip balm or lip gloss person but this Matte color intrigues me. I’m going to give it a whirl. On trestique.com, you can get a mini trio for $32 so one of these sweeties would be roughly $10.67.

Once again, this glam gal was excited for another product to help me fall into Fall. The Formula X Nail Color in Ignite (0.13 oz.) was on my nails almost before I had the bag unzipped. Ignite is almost a deep merlot color which makes it even more perfect for me, a wine lover! On Sephora.com, one 0.4 fl.oz. bottle is $10.50 so this smaller size would be about $3.41.

Finding a good cosmetic brush can be hard. So many times, I’ve bought one only to be disappointed with the roughness or the bristles falling out. So far, the Crown Brush – Infinity Shadow/Crease Duet Brush (Wt.: 1 oz.) has been amazing. I hope it continues to live up to what I’ve come to expect in these last few weeks. Retail on crownbrush.us is$17.50 but their current sale price is $6.99, saving potential buyers 60%.

This last product – Eau Thermale Avène – Soothing Moisture Mask (0.16 fl. oz.) – is something I’m very much looking forward to trying out. These past few weeks have been particularly busy for me so I am hoping to get that soothing sensation this weekend.  I’ve always had dry skin and am hoping this moisture mask will help out the desert that is my face. On lovelyskin.com, the 1.7 fl. oz. tube retailed for $26. So this smaller size would be about $2.44.

This month has been one of the lower priced Glam Bags if you take into consideration only the five products I received in this adorably lux bag. They totaled $26.51. But I also received the Formula X hand crème after cashing in some of my Ipsy points. This rich crème with Kpangnan Butter retails at $16 on Sephora.com for the 3.4 fl. oz. bottle so my $10 bag is now worth around $42.51. Go Ipsy!

Can’t wait to see what you have in store for me next month!