January 2013 ipsy

Hey party people!

Today I'll be sharing and reviewing the January 2013 ipsy/my glam bag! This month's theme is "Super Stars".

The official January my glam bag photo courtesy of ipsy.com

I received my glam bag mid-month, as I always do. I saw the sneak previews and was super excited about all of the products (minus the nailtini polish), and was absolutely thrilled to see there wasn't another eyeliner or lipgloss thrown in. Don't get me wrong, a girl loves her liners and glosses, but one too many and it just seems plain wasteful!

 The goodies from January's my glam bag, still in package

Out of package

The product list (from left-to-right):

1. Josie Maran 100% Pure Argan Oil
2. Nailtini Straight Up Color Nail Lacquer in Frappe
3. Pacifica Tuscan Blood Orange Mini Body Butter
4. Big Sexy Hair Spray & Play Volumizing Hairspray
5. SOHO London Eyeliner Brush

This month's bag was a navy blue nylon bag, reminiscent of Longchamp le pliage bags but thinner and more lightweight. Though it feels and looks a bit cheap, the bag will hold loads of makeup and product without adding bulk. It's a great makeup bag for ladies who lug their whole vanity around (don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with that!).

Now what do I think about the products?

The Josie Maran Argan oil is very well known skincare essential that I've always wanted to try, but just couldn't shell out the money for. The sample is pretty tiny -- a little over a week and I'm already halfway through the bottle. The oil itself is pretty much fragrance free and feels like.. well, an oil. I diligently used it on my cuticles and face, and though it works wonders on my cuticles, it make me break out on my face (T-zone area, specifically). This is really unfortunate as I have combination skin with severe dry spots that thirst for this stuff. As a result, I give the oil a fair 4/5.

The Nailtini polish is the one product I wasn't too hyped about, as a previous bag had one and I found the scent way too toxic and unpleasant. The color I received was "Frappe", a neutral sheer pink with creme finish. I love neutrals and cremes, but I DO NOT LOVE NAILTINI. My last sliver of hope was shattered once I opened the polish and the chemical toxicity creeped out of the bottle and stabbed at my olfactory receptors. I just.. can't. Sorry Nailtini, all your polishes get a 1/5 in my books, no matter how stunning the color.

The Pacifica body butter was as great smelling as some fellow glammies said -- citrusy, bitter-sour (like grapefruit), and fantabulously fresh! I used it in place of my regular hand cream throughout the past week, and I must say I simply don't get along with body butters. I've had a similar experience with The Body Shop's body butters, in that this stuff dries me out like crazy! Aren't butters supposed to be hydrating instead? Well my theory is that since butters don't absorb into skin but sit on top as a layer of protection, once it washes off, it rips you of your natural oils too. Unfortunately, I'm going back to my regular Johnson&Johnson hand lotion. This body butter gets a 3/5 (high points for smelling great!).

The Big Sexy Hair spray sounds like a great product (my thin, limp hair craves volume), but I haven't used it yet out of fear that it might stiffen my hair. I'll let you know how it is once I actually use it.

Last but not least, the SOHO eyeliner brush. First of all, I've seen this brand around in drugstores so it has a degree of familiarity. Though not high end, it seemed promising with its "ergonomic" grip handle and synthetic brush fibers. The eyeliner brush is full and semi-soft. One downfall is that it's not as thin as I'd like my eyeliner brushes to be. I think I would've been happier with the concealer brush.. oh well. This brush gets a 4/5.


Would I repurchase any of these? Yes, possibly the Argan oil as it works wonders for my cuticles!

I hope this review helped, whether you're contemplating about opening a glam bag or purchasing individual pieces!

Stay warm & beautiful (especially my East Coast sisters!),
xo Karries

January 2013 birchbox

Hey guys and gals!

So I figured I'd post every Sunday in the year 2013, though it wasn't a part of my initial list of resolutions. On a whim, I decided to make weekly posts for two reasons: (1) as a discipline to myself, being that I'm still fairly new to the blogging scene and (2) as a commitment to my lovely readers!

Today I wanted to share my January birchbox. Unfortunately, my excitement for birchbox ceases more and more as the months pass by.

As you can see, they're back to the regular good ol' cardboard boxes (though I never received their special December one...*sad face*).

The box had quite some weight to it and looked pretty full at first sight.

Here are the products unpacked. For reference, I received box #2 this month (from left-to-right):

1. Harvey Prince Skinny Chic
2. theBalm® cosmetics Hot Mama Shadow & Blush All-in-One
3. Fresh Lotus Moisturizer
4. Lashem Measurable Difference Lash Gel Serum
5. Number 4 Clarifying Shampoo

Now, I'm ambivalent about this box... I'm not entirely happy with the samples, but at the same time I do feel I received one of the better boxes of this month.

I must admit, this month's box was the last straw for me. Unfortunately, birchbox has deeply disappointed the past two months with tiny sample sizes and inequitable product distribution. I'll be unsubscribing after next month's box (I'm trying to collect and redeem 200 points -- I'd have to get my money back some how!).

The clarifying shampoo and lash gel serum are the first two products I tried.

The shampoo didn't smell great (almost reminded me of tawdry men's cologne), but did it's job in clarifying my scalp and softening my hair. I won't be repurchasing, however, as I already have a favorite clarifying shampoo (which I will share in a future post, hopefully).

I was actually excited for the lash gel serum, until I saw how utterly TINY the sample was. I used it 3 nights in a row, but didn't see any particular changes in my lash length/fullness. Now, I know these products don't work overnight and that's where my complaint comes in: how do they figure I use this serum for maximum x10 and decide whether or not I like it or not?! Smart move, birchbox and Lashem, real smart. You just lost a potential customer due to your stingy sampling ways.

The Harvey Prince fragrance was light, floral with high sour notes. Not my cup of tea, as I enjoy richer, sweeter floral scents. In all honesty, it smelled a bit cheap to me (sorry, Harvey Prince!).

The theBalm's Hot Mama shadow and blush came in an extremely cute magnetic package. I'd say the salmon-peach shade with gold shimmer flatters a large range of skintones. Can't really complain with this one.

The Fresh Lotus face cream smells.. well, fresh. It smells mildly of cucumbers at first, but smells like rubber after it's patted and absorbed into the skin. How odd is that? Perhaps the product and my body's chemical makeup don't complement each other.

Again, I have no particular feelings toward this box. I will be cancelling after February's bb.

Stay beautiful,

xo Karries

Drugstore Concealer & Foundation Review

Hey ladies!

Though quite (no, very) late.. I'm saying it anyways: Happy New Year!!! It's already been 13 days into the new year.. did anyone break their New Years resolutions yet?! Haha -- if you did, don't be too disheartened. Keep in mind that when we set resolutions, we strive for perfection.. which is humanly impossible! Just don't totally fall off the wagon, if you know what I mean ;)

In any case.. I just wanted to quickly share my daily concealer/foundation routine.

FYI, I'm very low maintenance when it comes to makeup.. especially because I don't have much time to spare in the mornings.

I only wear minimal concealer/powder/foundation, eyeliner, and mascara.. but in no way does this imply that I don't need full makeup! I would love to do a more completed look, but I just don't have time, you know? (I lie.. I do have time, but I'd rather spend it sleeping in a bit more haha!)

But for now, I'm content with my current concealer/foundation routine. It's enough to conceal my stubborn dark circles (thanks, mom!) and mute the shine on my oily skin.

Oh, by the way, these are all drugstore products. WOOT WOOT for affordable makeup!

 Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Treatment Concealer in Brightener (60) and Neutralizer (50)

It's really quite simple. I use these two shades to effectively conceal my dark purple under eye circles (thanks to 8 am calculus class and, of course, genetics). I begin with a light-handed dab of the brightener, which I blend with either my ring finger or a concealer brush. This is followed by the neutralizer, which blends into my light/medium yellow-toned skin quite well. If I put an excess of the neutralizer I'd just pull it down my cheeks, which is fine when blended out evenly. In fact, I'd recommend you do this as it is quite effective in covering enlarged pores!

 

Here, I'm showing you the relative size of the concealer bottle. It contains 6.0 mL of product, which is quite typical for drugstore concealers. I paid $6.00+ for each on Amazon Prime (while it's close to $10.00 in my local drugstore). Online shopping RULES!

The Age Rewind concealers are great as they don't settle into fine lines! This is very important for the under eye area. There have been complaints about the "non-sanitary" sponge-tip applicator, but in all honesty I don't have a problem with it since I know I'm using the product only with clean hands and/or face.

 CoverGirl Clean Pressed Powder Compact in Buff Beige (525) and Aquasmooth in Buff Beige (725)

I don't know what's up with the numbering.. but either way I'm in the shade Buff Beige for both products during the winter, while I'm a shade or two darker during the summer. Unlike the concealers, I had to purchase the powder/foundations in store just in case I bought them in the wrong shade (most drugstores have wonderfully lenient policies for cosmetic returns, but I found RiteAid to be the easiest to return to and/or exchange).

When open, the shade of the pressed powder vs. the aquasmooth is ALARMINGLY different. As is, the pressed powder looks a little too light for my skin while the aquasmooth looks way way wayyy too dark! But don't be fooled as the powder does oxidize to a certain extent.. and the aquasmooth is just deceivingly dark in the pan. When applied, they indeed are the same shade (the aquasmooth Buff Beige does have a slight gray overcast.. but I don't mind it too much since I set it with the powder).

I do have sensitive, oily skin and both products work beautifully on me! There's not much to say about the aquasmooth foundation as many beauty gurus and amateurs alike have already raved about the product! The pressed powder works great in the oil-control department.

Like I said, I'm very low maintenance.. so I don't like doing touch ups.

I wear a primer underneath it all (refer back to my skincare routine post to see which primer I use!) so I don't really need to do touch ups. When my t-zone gets a bit oily throughout the day, I just blot with oil sheets.


And there you have it -- my easy breezy concealer/foundation routine! Take note, I don't wear the aquasmooth everyday (and especially not for nights out since it contains titanium dioxide, which gives the white "moonface" cast for flash photography). All in all, this routine takes me 3 minutes TOPS. I use the next 2 minutes or less to sweep on eyeliner and mascara. How easy is that?!

Hope you enjoyed the post and found it informative. Good luck to you and all your beauty endeavors!

Stay warm and beautiful <3
xoxo Karries