ELF Haul January 2015

(Note: I realize that it is already the end of February, but like I said earlier, I am WAY behind on posts right now.  I wanted to make sure to get this out there because I found some really interesting stuff this time.  Enjoy!)

I only recently determined my proper coloring for foundation, and it's somewhat unusual (fair to light with yellow undertones and pink features). Because of this, I have several foundations and BB creams sitting around that are either too dark or too pink for me. After some research on YouTube, I found a suggestion for a yellow ELF Mineral Booster powder can help correct a foundation that is too pink. I looked for it in several stores but was unable to find it, so I decided to place an order on the ELF website.

In order to reach the order minimum for free shipping, I picked up some brushes I needed to help round out my collection.

Kabuki Face Brush

Powder Brush

I never really used a lot of powdered face products, particularly since I have very dry skin. So in order to properly use the Mineral Booster I picked up in this haul, as well as some other powders recently purchased, I needed some true powder brushes large enough to use on the whole face.

Makeup Remover Pen

This came recommended by a YouTuber as a quick and easy way to make small fixes to your makeup. I used it for the first time to fix my eye makeup, and it seemed to work well, although the pen does remain stained. Also, the second time I opened it to use it, the inner core part of the pen (the part that actually writes) went flying. Luckily I was able to recover it and it still works fine.

 

Eye Transformer

This was also a YouTube suggestion, and it really is an interesting product. These are pale, pastel eyeshadow powders that can be worn on their own, but truly show their magic when they are layered over darker colors. Then they transform the dark shadow into entirely new colors. You can also mix them to create unique eye looks. I haven't had much of a chance to play with this yet, but I have tried it over a black cream shadow base, and the results were amazing!

Mineral Booster in Corrective Yellow

This was my whole reason for the order. I haven't had the time to play with this loose yellow powder yet, but I hope to soon sit down and work with a foundation that has been traditionally too pink to see if this helps.

ELF has some really great things, some of which I can only find on the website. I really kind of wish the minimum order for free shipping was smaller, since ELF products are VERY reasonable priced.

What are your favorite ELF products?  What do you think I should try out next?

Birchbox February 2015

The theme of this month's Birchbox is Friendship, which is a nice twist on the standard love theme. The box itself this month is really cute, and I also like the products I received.

• Eyeko Skinny Liquid Eyeliner in Black – As the name implies, this is a black liquid eyeliner. It has a felt tip applicator, and in swatching slides on with barely a touch. The kiddo asked that I actually keep this one rather than give it away like usual. I've been experimenting again, so this is the perfect opportunity.

• Harvey Prince Hello Shampoo and Harvey Prince Hello Conditioner – You know, I really like Harvey Prince. I think I have liked just about everything I have tried from them, except for maybe a fragrance or two. So far, these don't disappoint either. These are lightly citrus fragranced, and I look forward to using them soon to help wake up in the shower.

• Gilchrist & Soames Spa Therapy Body Lotion – A little goes a very long way with this lotion. I like the rich yet light feel of this moisturizer. It does blend in completely, but you can definitely tell that you put something on. It does smell like a spa, referenced in the name, very fresh and almost a little salty. I would say just be careful not to use too much of this at once, or it might feel sticky.

• Clean Skin Eau de Parfum – So far, I have been fairly impressed with Clean fragrances. I have some other samples, and they have been some of the few that have not overwhelmed the hubby's senses. The company names these fragrances very appropriately; this one really does smell like clean skin, another I have smells like the clean linen it is named after.

At this point, I don't see any real losers in the box this month, and I shoul be able to use just about everything soon. What did you think of your box this month?

Ipsy February 2015

The theme of this month's Ipsy bag is Love, very appropriate (but stereotypical) for February. The bag has a 2 color diamond pattern on a white background on one side, while the other side is a solid hot pink. The bag is more material-like and less plastic-y this month, which I think is a nice change.

I'm not overwhelmed by the products this month. Here's why:

• Eva NYC Up All Night Volumizing Spray – This is one product that, considering it is a hair product, I could probably get a lot of use out of. Unfortunately, when I received it, my bottle was empty. I will say that the Ipsy customer service was great when I told them about this. About 2 hours after e-mailing them about my issue, they replied telling me that they would send out a replacement. From what I can tell so far, this smells great. I look forward to trying it out once I receive my replacement.      Update: I received the (full) replacement on Monday 2/23/15, exactly 1 week after contacting Ipsy about the empty item.

• City Color Creamy Lip Stain in Flirtini – I'm always a fan of new lip products, so this was nice to see. This has a thin texture like several other creamy matte lip stains I own, and the swatch is opaque on first swipe. This seems to be a dusty rose when applied, and the color of the tube is not representative of the product after application. It does not appear to be transfer-proof, but I need to test that out more. This seems to dry to a satin to semi-matte finish. I'm hoping this will be something I will wear, but I need to try it out more first.

• Mitchell and Peach Flora No.1 Fine Radiance Face Oil – This face oil is meant to be used as a moisturizing agent either on its own or under moisturizer. It has a slightly fruity scent that I can't place (almost reminds me of suntan lotion), and the ingredient list is full of various good-for-you oils. The one time I have tried it so far, it seems to rub in very well, leaving no oily residue behind.

• Model Co Blush Cheek Powder in Cosmopolitan – This is a matte pink powder blush that seems to be a true pink. This powder has a smooth texture that seems to allow for easy application. I think I may have tried a lipstick from this brand before with OK results, so I'll add this into the blush rotation. I do like the compact size of the packaging, which will make for easy traveling, although it would have been nice if it had a mirror.

• Emite Makeup Professional Eye Lash Curler – It may come as a surprise, but I have never actually curled my lashes before. I don't know if this will cause me to start, but I'm going to hang on to it for now.  I did get an e-mail stating that there were issues with this item in several bags with its alignment, so they reached out to everyone that received it.  I haven't noticed anything so far...

What did you think about your box this month? Did you have the same problems with the Volumizing Spray? Have you ever had a problem with a sample from Ipsy? How was your experience?

If you don't already receive Ipsy, you can use my referral link here.

Review: Cailyn Just Mineral Eye Polish in Orchid

I had never heard Cailyn Just Mineral Eye Polish, either the brand or the product, prior to receiving it in Ipsy. It is a powder mineral eyeshadow that is self-contained in what looks kind of like a plastic nail polish bottle. When you unscrew it, it has its own sponge applicator where the brush would be in nail polish. (I was really surprised the first time I tried this to find out that the sponge applicator is black.)

I found that this applies really well for a loose powder eyeshadow, and I think the packaging is a major help with that. If you start the application process by patting it onto the lids, I find I can follow by sweeping, all with minimal fallout. To get the coverage I prefer for an all-over-the-lid look, I usually need two dips of the applicator per eye. I have found that, when I re-dip the applicator into the container, I have the best results when I fully screw it back in and gently shake it.

This is a shimmery, light pinky violet color that I find easy to wear as a single color with some eyeliner and mascara. I haven't had the chance yet to try it in too many combinations, but the little I did, it seemed to blend fairly well. I think this could also make an interesting accent shade to add some shine to a look.

Overall, I'm pretty pleased with this product. I do need to work with it more, but I find it easier to work with than most loose eyeshadows. The applicator is a little awkward, though, since I find I have to dip multiple times.

Review: Too Faced Melted Liquid Lipstick in Melted Fig

By now, you've probably seen or heard about about the Too Faced Melted Liquid Lipstick. The kiddo and I first ran across them in Ulta, where she swatched every color on my hand. We then checked them out more closely at Sephora.

Having come from manufacturing and the chemical industry, the hubby and I are both packaging junkies. What can I say, I am such a sucker for interesting packaging. :) Needless to say, that's what first drew me in to these. I love the idea of a sponge tip on a squeeze tube. They looked like they would deliver the exact amount of product you wanted in a very precise manner. And based on the testers in the stores, the applicators seemed to hold up well, withstand a good deal of abuse, and could maintain their precision over the long haul.

The product itself also fascinated me. It is very thin and feels almost weightless on the lips, but I can tell it is there if I press my lips together. It also lasts for a decent amount of time, but I have found that it is NOT transfer-proof. It dries down to an almost-matte finish, so it is best to make sure your lips are exfoliated before you wear this. Also, because of the finish, I find my lips feeling a little dry after a few hours, but not excessively so.

After checking out swatches both in store and online, I picked up Melted Fig. Right now, due to cost, that's the only one I have, but I do have several others on my wish list. This is a gorgeous color on me and really seems to go with just about anything I'm wearing. This doesn't have a permanent home in my makeup bag yet, but it may soon, and mostly so I make sure to wear other colors too.

So overall, I really like this lipstick. I think it is one of the better liquid lipsticks I own, but I have been restricted by the price. I love the color I picked up, and am looking forward to splurging on more.

The Body Shop Haul - January 2015

Since the hubby's lengthy hospital stay late last year, he has used up several of the mini sizes of The Body Shop body butters trying to combat his extremely dry skin. Since he's still liking them and using them on a daily basis, he asked me to puck up some full sizes of the ones he had been using. Rather than get them through Ulta, I decided to go to the store where I could use my rewards card.

Full Size:

Strawberry Body Butter

Shea Body Butter

Coconut Body Butter

These body butters are actually all for the hubby. They are some of the few moisturizers that help get rid of his lizard-like scaliness that he can also stand the scent of right now.

Glazed Apple Tin of Treasures: (no longer available)

• Body Poof
• Glazed Apple Shimmer Lotion
• Glazed Apple Body Polish
• Glazed Apple Shower Gel
• Glazed Apple Body Butter

Last year, I had smelled the Glazed Apple body butter and loved it, but didn't pick any up at the time. Now that the holiday scents were seriously discounted, I jumped on the opportunity to correct my mistake. The store I was at didn't have any body butter alone, but they did have this collection that contained it. I liked this one better than the bigger set they had because I figured I'd use more of the products in it.

Candy Kisses

• Strawberry Lip Butter
• Honeymania Lip Butter
• Coconut Lip Butter
• Shea Lip Butter
• Mango Lip Butter

After picking up the other items, I was just a few dollars shy of reaching the next reward level. Rather than let all that money go to waste, I had the sales associates help me find one more product to push me over. After rejecting a good many items, I finally agreed on this, and I'm so glad I did. I've split up the lip butters (with the kiddo's help) and put one in each car, gave one to the kiddo, and have the other two in reserve. I have used the shea one a lot so far in my car and I really like it. This wound up being a great purchase!

What are your favorite products from The Body Shop? Are there any other relative mild scents you think the hubby should try?

Bath and Body Works Haul

During the Semi-Annual Sale in January, the kiddo and I picked up a pile of new products, as well as some long-time favorites. It took us trips to 2 stores and an online order to pick everything up, but we finally got everything we were looking for.

Full size:

Dark Kiss Fragrance Mist x 2

Dark Kiss Body Cream

Dark Kiss Body Lotion

Dark Kiss Shower Gel

I love Dark Kiss, and have for years. I was so upset when I found out they had discontinued it, and every time it came back in limited release, they didn't have the fragrance mist (which I greatly preferred over all other items). During the sale, a sales associate told me that Dark Kiss was available online, so I went home and placed an order that night, using a coupon she gave me. I grabbed each item they had in the scent, and double of the fragrance mist. Now I can finally use the one I've been hoarding!

Full size:

Coconut Lime Breeze Shower Gel x 2

We had been looking to duplicate a specific shampoo scent for years without any luck. Then we found this. My hubby recently rediscovered this on a trip and used almost all of our mini. This was also available online only, so I picked some up to stock up. I figure we can refill the mini and use it for traveling, hospital stays, etc.

Minis: (cannot find on BBW website)

Wish Vanilla and Apple Fizz Shower Gel

Kiss Pink Jasmine and Blackberry Shower Gel

Love Champagne and Iced Plum Shower Gel

The kiddo found these new scents and really wanted to try them. We both figured she would get the most use out of the shower gels, and mini sizes meant we didn't break the bank while trying three.

Full size:

Air Pear Blossom Body Lotion

Sun Golden Magnolia Shower Gel

Sky Violet Lily Shower Gel

Air Pear Blossom Shower Gel

These were also new scents to us, but we unfortunately couldn't find them in mini sizes. Again, the kiddo and I decided that shower gel was the best way to go. Her favorite scent was Air, so we grabbed a lotion in that one as well.

Everyone seems to have a favorite scent from Bath and Body Works. What's yours? Did you take advantage of the Semi-Annual Sale?