ipsy (Myglam) - April 2012

With a revamped site and billing issues being reviewed, as well as truly great products in this bag, I think I can now say that Myglam has gotten its act together and is truly listening to its subscribers. This months bag was what I've been hoping for since I joined their monthly service.

{Here's what was in the bag}: 

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-on Eye Pencil, Ransom
Dermstore Lip Quench
All Belle Eyelashes
Myglam Brushes, All-over eyeshadow & Eyeliner brushes

Subscription purchased by me, affiliate links within post

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-on Eye Pencil, Ransom

I absolutely LOVE Urban Decay eyeliners! I was worried that I would get black or pink (which is great, but I doubt it would get much use), but I ended up with Ransom. As you can tell from previous posts, I've been a bit obsessed with purple eyeliner on my lower eyelid so I was pretty happy to receive this shade. No more layering purple eyeshadow on top of the liner to ensure it lasts. :)

Dermstore Lip Quench

This was a bit of a miss for me. The product is difficult to squeeze out and doesn't have the best taste to it; it's like a less sweetened mango. It's a bit odd. I don't feel a difference on my lips after use. To me, it just seems like a longer lasting lip gloss.

All Bell Eyelashes

I haven't had any events pop up to wear these for. Just looking at them, I can tell these won't have a realistic effect, but maybe that will change once they're actually applied and blending with my own lashes. While I love the added lashes effect, I haven't experimented with fake lashes before because I'm never sure which to buy.  So, I'm very happy to have received these in my bag because now I'll have some to play with.

Myglam Brushes, All-over Eyeshadow and Eyeliner Brushes

The brushes aren't that great quality, but they're fine for when other brushes are dirty. Also, I realize that I took a picture of the wrong brush haha

Do I expect Urban Decay every month? No. I'm sure a lot of subscribers are happy about that, but I don't expect for that to become the norm.

You can purchase an ipsy subscription {here}.

What did you think of this month's bag?

-Claudia

Birchbox - April 2012

It's been a while since I've posted! I've been working hard to finish up this school semester with all A's. I just have one more week to go, which is why I haven't been here in a few weeks.

Here's my review for April's Birchbox.

{What was in the box}:

Atelier Cologne - Orange Sanguine Cologne Absolue
Befine Skincare Sampler
Olle Biologique - 004 Huile Moderne
Revolution Organics Freedom Glow beauty balm
Le Palais des Thes - Tea bags

Orange Sanguine Cologne Absolue

I'm not a big fan of perfume. That's just something I'm very picky about, but I don't mind when that's included simply for that. If you're looking for a review on perfume, I'm probably not the one to ask. I'm just not a perfume person, haha. This particular one was a bit strong for me. It smells very citrusy (hey! orange!!) and a bit like Abercrombie and Fitch stores. Not a bad, but it's not really what I tend to go for.

Befine Skincare Sampler

I was pretty excited to try this out...until I tried it, had it leak out of the package almost entirely, and then realized the entire package was expired. From 2010!

Olle Biologique, Multitasker Oil

This oil can be used all over (hair, face, AND body). So far, I've only used it on my hair, as that seems the best place to gauge how well these products work...at least, in my opinion. I've been using this and last month's Kerastase Elixier Ultime every other day after showering, and it seems like the Olle Biologique product works best for my hair. Unfortunately, I have a LOT of hair, so I don't know that I see myself purchasing the full size product ($56) simply because it takes so much of the product to get it through my hair.

Revolution Organics Freedom Glow beauty balm

This was the product I was most excited about to receive in my box and it was such a let down! As you can see from the swatch, it is incredibly flakey which makes it a hassle to work with. It looks fine when blended into the skin, but I don't see myself sweeping this across my lips or cheeks while I'm on the run, which is what I was hoping for.

Le Palais des Thes, tea bags

This was an extra, which I still have yet to use but I appreciated because I love tea! Even if I dislike these, I love trying new teas!

I was initially excited to try out a few of the products, but overall, I was pretty disappointed with this month's box. The box actually had a few nice items (the beauty balm and multitasker oil), but the expired sampler was very disappointing. I'm torn between cutting the service and just keeping it. I don't think next month's box will be a dealbreaker, unless it's terrible. Until then! :)

What did you think about this month's box? What was in your box?

You can subscribe to Birchbox from my referral link {here} or on Birchbox.com

-Claudia

FOTD - Friend's Birthday

Happy birthday to one of my gal-pal's--Monica! We went out to Buca di beppo's up north to celebrate. I've been really digging this bright-colored-eyeliner-on-bottom-lash-line thing, so look out for that again!

Here's my look of the day:

Face

Laura Mercier foundation primer, hydrating

Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua in beige

MAC Studio Sculpt concealer in NW30

Sonia Kashuk Hidden Agenda concealer palette

Laura Mercier Golden Mosaic bronzer

MAC Sweet as Cocoa

Eyes

Urban Decay primer potion in Greed
MAC Expensive Pink
MAC Swiss Chocolate
MAC Mulch
MAC Ricepaper
MAC Woodwinked
Urban Decay Demolition
Urban Decay Ransom
MAC Brun (eyebrows)
Lancome Hypnose Drama mascara

Lips

Sonia Kashuk Sheer Bronzey Nude

Here's the look under different lighting:

-Claudia

FOTD - Hunger Games Premiere

I usually don't dress up or do anything too special for movie premieres, but I decided to go all out for the Hunger Games movie last month. I tried to get a good shot of the makeup before I left, but the pictures didn't turn out so great. Anywho, hope you enjoy.

Face

Laura Mercier Foundation primer - hydrating

Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua in Beige

MAC Coppertone blush

Eyes

Urban Decay Naked Palette:

-Half Baked

-Smog

-Creep

Wet n Wild eyeliner in Purple/Violet

Urban Decay 15th Anniversary Palette:

-Omen

Wet n Wild I (heart) Matte:

-"Crease"/Blue

Urban Decay eyeliner in Demolition

Avon eyeliner -glimmersticks diamonds in Sugar Plum

MAC Brun (eyebrows)

Lips

Sonia Kashuk lipstick in Sheer Bronzey Nude

If you're interested in recreating the look, I used the Haifa Wehbe tutorial from Pixiwoo.

-Claudia

Short Beauty Routine for Sick Days

I've been sick for just over a week now and I haven't felt up to writing a blog till now. I thought this might be as good a time as any to write about my beauty routine during sick or "bleh" days.























Step 1:

Always, always, always wash your face.

Even when I feel awful, when I am lying on the floor defeated by illness, this is a step that can't be skipped. No one wants to go through a long beauty routine when they're sick. If you put makeup on before washing your face, your face is going to feel dirty and you are going to feel worse. Plain and simple. This step just never gets skipped, even on my worse days.


Step 2:

Laura Mercier hydrating primer + tinted moisturizer

I can't skip primer. I know a lot of people skip this step, especially while sick, but primer is useful for a lot of reasons (**) and if I'm going to be applying any makeup, I won't be skipping this step.

(** I am planning a big primer post on all the amazing primerific facts, which will be coming your way soon)


I absolutely love this tinted moisturizer, because it's somewhat low maintenance. All you have to do to apply is slap it on using your own hands. No brushes, no buffing, just hands.

It's definitely not full coverage, which of course doesn't help cover everything when you are sick. But, honestly, I've found that doing more to cover up (full foundation, concealer, correctors) actually looks worse for me when I'm sick. So while I'm not 100% back to looking healthy, the tinted moisturizer still makes me look a lot better.

Step 3:

Blush

This step varies, but I tend to throw some blush on to help liven up my face. I'll usually use some kind of natural looking pink or peachy blush, like NARS Orgasm.



That's really all there is to my sick-day beauty routine. I try to keep it as simple as possible. Now I'm off to write some papers and, hopefully, finally get better!

Myglam - March 2012

A day after I received my first Birchbox, I got my March Myglam box/bag? in the mail! I didn't think I'd be receiving it till Monday, so that was a nice surprise.

Although I was scouring makeup sites for hints on the March Birchbox, I tried to stay away from the Myglam facebook page. There's just been so much negativity from members, non-members of the service that I just don't want to watch all that drama unfold. I have been irked a few times enough to reply to some girls (really? you still don't know why they haven't opened up subscriptions or are trying to resolve issues through a fan site?) I really feel for the Myglam team when they are faced with the same questions they've recently responded to.

Sorry, didn't mean to get into a bit of a rant back there!

What I was trying to say was that I've been avoiding their facebook fan page, because I didn't want to get sucked into negativity before even getting the box/bag.

And I'm glad I did. I actually really like this month's bag!

Here's what was included:

Keracolor Color Enhancing Leave-in Treatment

Pur-lisse Pur-Lip Comfort Daily Lip Nourisher

Pur-lisse Pur-Protect SPF 30 Essential Daily Moisturizer

Murad Eye Lift Perfector

DermStore $25 Gift card

AND a Myglam Classic Crease Brush & Case

This will be my first time trying out any of these brands, which is what Myglam is all about.

There are a few big differences between this bag and the last:

1. I will actually be able to use ALL of the products included in this bag!

2. I'm all for trying new products and usually don't mind where they come from, but I tend to stay away from mall kiosk type brands (for various reasons, mostly they just haven't worked out for me in the past). I'm glad that this month, we did have brands that aren't necessarily 'well known,' but seem to have a good reputation.

3. Myglam commissioned a brush for subscribers and I thought that was pretty cool! The brush isn't professional quality and it's a bit big for my eyes, but I still really appreciate the thought and I'm sure I'll use it in the future.

All in all, I thought this bag was a huge improvement from the last. They had planned this one before the meetings they held on improvement, so I really can't wait to see what the next bags will bring!

Full review: April 5, 2012

Keracolor leave-in treatment

• I still have yet to use the Keracolor leave-in treatment, because I had recently self-dyed my hair at home and…it’s not so great. I am dying to try out this treatment, but really want to use it after I get rid of the bad dye job.

Pur-lisse lip nourisher

• I LOVED the Pur-lisse lip nourisher. I would apply my previous lip balm over and over throughout the day, and my lips would never feel completely moisturized. The first day I used the Pur-lisse product, I used it once and didn’t have to reapply—which was shocking. It has a strange…non-smell? It doesn’t smell enough to be bothersome, I suppose. I almost wish it did have some kind of smell, but I also find the nicer smelling lip balms to be more drying.

Moisturizer & Eye lift perfector

• I have yet to try out the moisturizer and eye lift perfector, because I’ve been finishing off a few other products. I’m not sure how well these small samples will work for testing, but I guess we’ll see!

Myglam brush

• As for the Myglam brush, I thought the commission of a brush was a very nice gesture on their part. I have used the brush a few times and it is a little too big for my eyes. I’m not sure what to use it for yet, but brushes are versatile and I’m sure I’ll find a use for it. Maybe to sweep some highlighter across my cheek bones or to quickly pack on eyeshadow for a soft look. 

A lot of people were complaining about the smell the brush and case had when they arrived in the mail. I was a little put off by the smell, as well, but neither product smelled after a few hours of being left to air out. I read some subscribers threw them out because they couldn’t stand the smell, but I think that’s a bit excessive. What glue do you think is used on any of the brushes or products we use? Do you think it doesn’t smell when it’s first applied? Perhaps Myglam made a mistake in sending out the brushes too soon after they’d been manufactured but, like I said, airing them out for a few hours got rid of the smell.

FOTD - Shopping with Sister

My pictures aren't consistent at all, haha. My skin is a bit lighter than usual due to Winter and lighting. My hair isn't black, though I did dye it--but the same color as before. I think I just need to figure out a good lighting setup to take better pictures. It doesn't help that I switch from camera to phone to computer haha. Oh well.

Here's a quick look I did today for going to the mall with my sister.

Face

Rimmel London Fix & Perfect Primer
Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua in Beige
MAC Studio Sculpt Concealer in NW30
MAC Cream Blush in Pleasureful
MAC Sunbasque
MAC Fix+
 
Eyes
MAC Fluidline in Blacktrack
MAC Brun (eyebrows)

Lips

Sonia Kashuk Sheer Bronzey Nude

-Claudia