Tag Archive | mousse

Ipsy Glam Bag April 2014 Review

Ipsy Glam Bag April 2014 Review

It’s Ipsy time!

I thought this month’s bag (valued at approx. $2.00) was pretty cute!  It’s a dark blue light weight square bag with a record/record player on it.  I think it’s kinda groovy, so I’ll be putting it to use!

** Ipsy is a monthly beauty subscription that sends you a combination of delux-sized samples and full-size products that are personalized for you based on the results of your beauty quiz. Along with the beauty products, you also receive a monthly (super cute) make-up bag! The cost of an Ipsy subscription is $10/month. **

Goodies received:

 

Sexy Hair Root Pump Volumizing Spray Mousse

Full size = $17.95, Sample value = $2.87

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I saw this product.  Sexy Hair products have not been my favorite products of all time, but I’m always willing to try new things.  I don’t use a root lifter in my normal hair routine, although, when I get a haircut, my stylist always insists on using one on me.

I’ve been trying to wear my hair down a little more lately.  I feel like I’ve been extra rough on my hair lately, and pulling it back into a wet bun every day is not good for my hair.  So I’m trying to give it some freedom.

Anyway, I sprayed the mousse onto my roots and massaged it in.  It’s not like a regular mousse that expands like a huge cloud in your hand, it’s much thinner, but does foam up just a little.  Then I flipped my head upside down and diffused my hair.

I think a used just a tiny bit too much product, as my hair felt heavy and slightly crunchy at the roots, and that’s not what you want.  But I think my hair was a little more lifted at the roots than normal, so I guess it ultimately did it’s job.

April Beauty 013

 

Elizabeth Mott Pop! Goes the Shadow in Champagne

Full size = $12.99 (received full size)

I’m not sure how I feel about this eye shadow.  As a general rule, I don’t think shimmery eye shadow looks good on me.  However, once applied, this shade didn’t really look too shimmery.  It looked more brightening than anything else, which is nice.

I wasn’t terribly impressed with the texture of the shadow.  It seemed a little dry.  On the other hand, had it been more buttery and velvety, it might have looked more shimmery, which probably would have made me like it less.  Apparently, I just can’t be pleased!  😉

I didn’t really have any problems with the shadow creasing, but fading was definitely an issue.  I would use a primer in the future.

All this too say, I don’t hate it.  And I’ll probably continue to wear it, particularly on days when I’m feeling and looking tired and need my eye area brightened up.

April Beauty 019   April Beauty 020

 

Urban Decay 24/7 Velvet Glide-On Eye Pencil in Black Velvet

Full size = $20.00, Sample value = $13.33

I love black eye liner.  I love it almost as much as I love mascara (which is A LOT).  I’ve heard a lot of hype about various Urban Decay eye liners, so I was curious to see how this one performed.

First, I loved the texture of the pencil.  Not too soft (so many eye liners are getting ridiculously soft) and not too dry.  Just how I like it.  And really, really dark black.  Check, check!

However, while it claims to be waterproof, I had no problems washing it off with just soap and water.  If a product is water proof, I would expect to have to use makeup remover to get it off.

Also, I had a problem with it flaking.  I noticed lots of black flecks along my under eye area.  And I don’t believe it was my mascara as I was using the same Almay mascara I’ve been using for years.

Flaking aside, I liked this eye liner a lot.

April Beauty 080   April Beauty 055

 

Mary Kay at Play Jelly Lip Gloss in Teddy Bare

Full size = $10.00 (received full size)

You know, I thought with all the advances we’ve had in makeup technology, I thought we were past the days of super sticky lip gloss.  Even drug store brands like Rimmel, Maybelline, and Revlon have super smooth and balmy textures.

But I have to say that this is probably the STICKIEST lip gloss I have ever used.  I know some people say stickiness in lip gloss is what allows it to last longer, but this is unreasonably bad.

I can’t tell you how long this lip gloss lasted, as I wiped it off shortly after taking my photos.  I expect so much more from a $10.00 lip gloss.

The color that I was sent is another corpse-y nude color.  I thought Ipsy was finally starting to regularly send out lovely rosy lip colors, but I am disappointed once more.

April Beauty 039   April Beauty 047

 

Dr. Brandt Microdermabrasion

Full size = $78.00, Sample value = $9.75

Whew – this stuff was intense!  But very awesome.  And it should be.  Did you see the full price?  And that’s just for two ounces, by the way.

When I hear the term “microdermabrasion”, I expect serious results.  And I think I got it with this product.

It was slightly painful to use, by my skin was mighty, might smooth after using it.  Much more so than just using your average facial scrub.  I actually told my boyfriend he needs to use this as well.

I can’t afford to repurchase this product, but if you have the available funds, you might want to check it out!

April 2014 013

 

This is me wearing the Elizabeth Mott eye shadow, Urban Decay eye liner, and Mary Kay lip gloss.  I also applied some cream blush to my cheeks because without it, I was completely washed out.  And I am actually wearing the Sexy Hair spray mousse as well, but I, obviously, have my hair pulled back so it’s hard to tell.

April Beauty 079

 

Overall, this was a good bag, but not a great bag.  And it certainly had a great value.  I paid $10, and the total box value was $50.94!

I think the microdermabrasion was my favorite item in the bag, followed by the Urban Decay eye liner.

Did you receive an Ipsy bag this month?  How was it?

If you’re interested in signing up with Ipsy, please consider using my referral link here.

 

Beauty Box 5 March 2014 Review

Beauty Box 5 March 2014 Review

I don’t know why, but it took me FOREVER to review all the boxes I received in March – my apologies!  And I think this is my last one for March – Beauty Box 5!

**Beauty Box 5 is a monthly beauty subscription box that sends you 4-5 beauty samples ranging from luxury brands to commonly-known brands. Samples include makeup, hair care, skin care, nail care, fragrances and beauty accessories. The cost of a Beauty Box 5 subscription is $12/month.**

Goodies received:

 

Design Essentials Natural Curl Enhancing Mousse

Full size = $15.99, Sample value = $3.90

March Beauty 155   March Beauty 148

I had really high hopes for this mousse.  However, those high hopes fell flat.

The first thing I noticed was the texture of the mousse itself.  Normally, when you squeeze mousse into your hand, it will expand and grow once it hits the air.  And it has a very smooth and airy texture.  With this particular mousse, it didn’t expand at all.  And instead of looking like a normal mousse, it looked more like foaming soap.

And that’s exactly what it felt like as I raked it through my hair –  like soap.  My hair became super sticky and started matting together.  Even after I dried my hair with a diffuser, my hair felt sticky and the curls weren’t defined at all.  It looked a little ratty, in fact.  And it looked wet all day.

It had an interesting scent though.  All day, while I had the mousse in my hair, I kept smelling a peach scent.  I’m pretty sure it was the mousse.

 

Bellapierre Cosmetics Makeup Base

Full size = $18.99 (received full size)

March Beauty 195   March Beauty 013

I thought this ivory colored makeup base was a pretty good match for my skin.  Slightly yellow, but still good.

I patted it gently around my entire eye area – inner corners, under eyes, outer corner, and a little bit on my lids – then blended it out with a foundation brush.  It gave light coverage, but did great as a brightener.

It is definitely waterproof.  As I went to wash off my hand swatch, the water just rolled right off the swatch.

Bellapierre says this makeup base will turn a shimmery face powder matte, but I’m not sure how it would do that.  And I don’t own a shimmery powder to test the theory.

I liked this product, however, they don’t seem to offer it in any other shades, which is really unfair for ladies with darker skin.

 

Swissco Dual-Sided Facial Pad

Full size = $2.00 (received full size)

March Beauty 127   March Beauty 130

I wasn’t really a fan of this facial pad.  For me, the scrubby loofah side to be too rough on my skin.  And the softer, terry cloth side just felt like washcloth material.

Usually if I’m going to exfoliate, I use a scrub and my hands.  And that is just what works best for me.

 

Jane’s Pick All Natural Soap in Purity

Full size = $8.00, Sample value = $1.60

March Beauty 170

I know a lot of women who really enjoy handmade soaps.  And even collect them.  But that’s just not me.  I prefer a bottle of liquid soap that I can just pump, lather, and rinse.

This bar of soap did smell nice.  I received Purity, which has lavender and peppermint.  The lavender was very prominent, but I couldn’t really detect the peppermint.

 

Tree Hut Moisturizing Hand Cream in Coconut Lime

Full size = $5.29 (received full size)

March Beauty 030

I’m a fan of Tree Hut products.  Heck, if you recall, Tree Hut products were a prize in one of my previous giveaways!

However, I wasn’t a fan of this hand cream.  It felt fine when I first massaged it into my hands, but overall, I just didn’t feel like it really moisturized my hands the way that my other good hand creams do.

And as much as I love the Coconut Lime scent in the other products (their body scrubs, body butters, etc) it was a slightly too intense scent for a hand cream.

 

Overall, Beauty Box 5 pulled together a nice box, however, most of the products just didn’t work for me.  Bummer.  The box did have a good value – I paid $12 and the total box value was $31.78!

I’m still a fan of Beauty Box 5.  They send really practical items for the most part.  And I’m still looking forward to next month!