August 2016 Ipsy Bag!

My ipsy bag came the same day my Boxycharm did, and I couldn't wait to see what bag I had gotten! In case you don't know, ipsy is a monthly makeup subscription service. For $10 a month you get 4-5 deluxe sized samples. It's a great value, because sometimes they send full size items! 

Like I mentioned above, sometimes you get full size items, like this Ciate Paint Pot in Spinning Teacup. This is a beautiful dusky lavender color, that is more appropriate for spring than fall, I think. Regardless, Ciate makes great nail polishes, so this will definitely be used! 

The Organic Pharmacy line is quickly becoming a favorite. In a previous bag, I received a lip balm from them and I love it!! I haven't had a chance to use this Rose Facial Cleansing Gel face wash, because I like to use up my products before trying new ones, but I may make an exception since my current face wash will last me AWHILE. (Erno Laszlo Firmarine Bar is HUGE, and I think may last the rest of my life!) Anyway, there is a foil seal for freshness, and it smells like roses!! I am hoping my skin will like it too!

Moving on, we have Winky Lux Diamond Complexion Powder in Medium. This powder.... I'm just not sure what to think of it. It claims to have actual diamond powder in it (ooooh sparkly!) and says to use all over the face for a glowing complexion. The swatch picture isn't the greatest, but this powder is very yellow, and pretty... Glow-y? I'm not sure I would use this all over my face, but it makes a beautiful, very natural looking highlight. 

It Cosmetics has great products! I haven't had a chance to use this eyeline yet, other than to swatch it, but it really does glide on smoothly and is very pigmented. I am not a fan of pencil/gel liners, but I will try this one. After it sets, it barely budges! I'm pretty impressed by that, so we will see how it performs!

Okay, so... I don't want to be one of THOSE people who complain about always getting something they don't need or use in their bag, but...... My hair is a VERY fickle creature. It will go from super healthy and soft and shiny to dry as a bone and brittle in the blink of an eye if I use the wrong thing, so I tend to stick to my hair care routine. Having said that, I am NOT a fan of the Marc Anthony Argan Oil hair are line. It is one that dries my hair out badly, but it works great on my daughter's hair, so I usually pass these things on to her. 

As a bonus, I used my ipsy points to get these two samples: pixie beauty Glow Tonic Exfoliating Toner and the NKD SKN Self Tan Tanning Mousse. I've heard great things about the pixi glow tonic, soil look forward to trying it out, and I'm a bit nervous to try the self tanner. Have you tried NKD SKN before? Did you like it? Let me know in the comments!

August 2016 Boxycharm!!!

 

My August Boxycharm came in the mail not too long ago, so I wanted to share with you what came in the box!! 

If you're not familiar with Boxycharm, it is a monthly subscription box that sends you 4-6 full sized samples with an occasional deluxe size, all for $21 a month. It's really the best value I've come across for monthly beauty subs! 

August's Box included some amazing products, and some that I wasn't a fan of. So, let's jump right in! 

This month we received five full sized products (and a bonus mini blush brush for the blush and bronzer palette.) 

Starting off with the Coastal Scents Blush  and Bronzer palette, there are a total of five shades in the palette. Two blushes, two bronzes and a highlight. 

The packaging is nothing special, just heavy duty cardboard, and the brush is a nice bonus, perfect for an on-the-go tool. 

Of the two blushes, one is matte and the other is a shimmer blush. The highlight is a standard light champagne-y color, and the two bronzers feature one matte and one shimmer as well. The consistency is dry, not chalky or overly powdery, and pigmented, though they swatch a bit patchy. The matte bronzer would make a very nice contour, and the shimmer one would be a nice color to warm up the face. The shimmer is barely detectable, and definitely not chunky. 

Just to the right of the palette is the Aloepure Skincare Time Repair Serum from Aloette. This serum claims to smooth lines and wrinkles with green tea extract and alpha and beta hydroxy acids. There is a light, fresh scent, and the serum feels nice and refreshing on the back of my hand. It appears to impart a healthy glow to my skin, without being sticky. If you would like to see a full review of this product after I've used it for 30 days, let me know in the comments below!

This Doucce Mascara is probably my favorite discovery in this box! The brush is pretty big and spiky, but it really does define the lashes and gives quite a bit of volume. (Please ignore the patchy eyebrows and dark circles. I tried the mascara out with no other makeup, and a massive headache!)

Next we have this Beauty For Real Shadow STX in the color All Day Latte, a kind of muted plummy brown. I used this the other day as a base for a plum smokey eye look, and it wore beautifully, without creasing, for several hours. I'm not usually a fan of cream eyeshadows because of their tendency to crease on me, but this is definitely a win, and will be put to regular use, especially for Fall! 

The last thing in the box was the Dirty Little Secret Liquid Lipstick in Phantom, a bright orange based tomato red. Orange based reds are not flattering to my skin tone, but beyond that, I found this liquid lipstick to be very uncomfortable to wear. It was very drying, and as it dried down, I could almost feel it pulling the edges of my lips tighter. Since this particular shade isn't flattering on me, I gave it to my daughter, who it looks great on, and she doesn't mind that it is drying. 

All in all, this box was a win for me, as always. Boxycharm never disappoints!! 

On Taking Breaks and Long Absences

Hi again everyone! As you may have noticed, I took a very long, but very needed break. My health was not the best, so I took some time to focus on that and to make some important decisions about my healthcare! 

I'm happy to report that I am BACK, and ready to bring you some new items, some old favorites, and some subscription unbox(bag)ings! 

I have a couple of things coming up in the next few weeks that I'm excited to share with you, and hope you love everything! 

I've also decided to expand my horizons a little, and dabble in perfume reviews as well. I have so many samples and full size favorites I would like to share with you! (And some blind buy horror stories as well!) 

So, here's to a new and improved Daily Dash of Glitter! 

See you all very soon!! 

XOXOXO❤️❤️