What's in my IPSY bag - October 2017

Fall is finally upon us! Nope...wait...spoke too soon... because it is still freaking 90+ degrees out in the middle of October!

But, I digress. Bring out the pumpkin spiced everything. I am SO ready for the colder weather months. The good news is, you don't have to wait for cooler weather to enjoy some moody fall makeup and new skin care products, which is why I am loving this month's IPSY glam bag.

This month's glam bag gives off a steampunk/dracula's bride vibe. The bat zipper detail adds that extra spooktackular dust on top. Adorable.

I am about to break out my happy dance because I feel like the IPSY fairies get me. I've been literally dying to try and/or have been needing every single product in this bag. Are they hiding out in my bathroom? Because, I seriously scored this month.

Here is what received:

1. Bye Bye Pores pressed translucent powder - IT cosmetics
2. Vitamin C All Day Eye Cream - Context
3. Water Luminous Jelly Cleanser - JM Solution
4. 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Perversion - Urban Decay
5. Gloss Couleur Intense in Kiss - Studio Makeup

Bye Bye Pores pressed translucent powder - IT cosmetics
I LOVE the Bye Bye Pores translucent powder by IT cosmetics. It is exactly what I was hoping that it would be and I will definitely be purchasing the full-sized version in the future. This powder blurs my fine lines and pores and truly gives an airbrushed finished to my makeup. Even with large pores and leftover texture from acne scarring (damn you adult acne!) adding this powder on top of foundation, makes my skin look incredibly smooth. It doesn't hurt that this powder has anti-aging peptides and collagen added in. Bonus! The powder is very lightweight. It will set your makeup without adding cake. Definite buy!

Vitamin C All Day Eye Cream - Context
My twenty-something former-self believed that a separate eye cream was not necessary and that regular night cream would suffice. My thirty-something current-self is now a believer. I was not prepared to one day look into the mirror and see bags and dark under eye circles (not hangover induced) that wouldn't go away even after drinking lots of water and a good night's rest. Let's be real though, I haven't had a good nights' rest in years thanks to a couple of mini humans. Still, my tired eyes are starting to reveal my true age and that just can't happen. I want to stay as fresh as Christie Brinkley, you know what I mean?

Now, while I did need eye cream, I cannot say that this one in particular changed my life. This is the first eye product I've used, so I really don't have anything to compare it to. So far, I like it. It has a cool gel-like texture that feels cold and tingly when applied to my under eye area. It is light enough to wear under makeup and it has Vitamin C, which I am hoping will work its magic. After this is finished, I think I may want to try a thicker formula just to compare. So I am still on the fence when it comes to this cream.

Water Luminous Jelly Cleanser - JM Solution
I wanted to add to a new cleanser to my routine and was very excited to find this little guy in my IPSY bag this month. My skin is typically normal-to-dry, so finding products that keep my skin feeling hydrated is very important to me. What immediately drew me to this cleanser was that it claims have hyaluronic acid, which - if you didn't already know - is making the rounds as the holy grail of anti-aging. Specifically, hyaluronic acid is naturally found in the skin and is crucial to maintaining collagen levels. Collagen is important to keep your skin nice and tight, so bring on the hyaluronic acid!

Overall, I liked this cleanser but was not prepared for the jelly texture. If you aren't careful, the gel will slide right off of your hand and into the sink before you have a chance to foam it up. I used this with my Clarisonic Mia and found that my skin felt clean and bouncy afterwards. Will I purchase the full-size? Mmm....maybe. I like it, but I'm not sure that I love it yet. Time will only tell.

24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Perversion - Urban Decay
I actually own the full-sized version of this eye pencil already but was very glad to receive another one because it is amazing. The color Perversion is a very dark black. It glides on like butter and definitely keeps it's color intensity throughout the day. This is a fantastic smoky eye pencil because it smudges like a dream. The flip side is that my lash and water line tend to be the oiliest part of my face - go figure. So, if I'm not trying for an intense smoky eye look, I need to set my eye area with powder to prevent turning into a panda. I highly recommend the urban decay 24/7 eye pencils in every color! I specifically love the green and purple which I use to bring out the different shades in my brown eyes and make them pop.

Gloss Couleur Intense in Kiss - Studio Makeup
Last, but not least, this lip gloss is the PERFECT fall shade! I have a terrible time matching my lip color to my skin tone. Nude lips tend to wash me out while the peachy and berry colors can sometimes leave me feeling a bit garish. But this color hit the mark for me. It gives off that moody burgundy berry fall look with that model perfect glossiness. My only wish is that the color would last longer! I found that the beautiful color disappears quickly leaving the glossiness behind. I suppose I could simply re-apply it to keep it fresh, but as a busy working mom, I just don't often have time to think about it. That said, this is the perfect fall date night lip gloss - just don't expect it to last through any make-out session.

***

AND, there you have it folks! My October IPSY bag reveal and product review. Thank you so much for taking the time to read this post. While you are here, I want to let you know that you are special and you deserve to look and feel your best. I hope that you remember to give yourself a pamper now and then and remember that you matter!

Please send me some love by leaving a comment to let me know what your go-to product is that makes you feel amazing! I love trying new things!

Best!
Emilia*w

Leave a Comment Beauty, Beauty & Fashion, IPSY, K-beauty, Korean skin care, Makeup, Review, Self-care, Skin care, Style

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My first IPSY bag - Review

After thinking about whether or not to check out a new subscription based service, I decided to try out the IPSY glam bag for several reasons:

First, I adore Michelle Phan (IPSY's founder). She is the first online beauty guru that I followed religiously from Xanga to YouTube. She seems genuine in her recommendations so - even though there are similar companies out there - I trusted that any company of hers would be something that I could get on board with.

Second, it is a relatively low risk way to treat yourself every month and get your beauty self-care on. Compared to other subscription based type sites, like Stitch Fix (see my Stitch Fix review here), $10 per month is not a huge commitment.

Third and lastly, I've been binge watching YouTube makeup tutorials lately and wanted to try out some new looks without spending a fortune....mmmmkay? Some people like to slay on a budget.

Let's get on with the review...

The IPSY subscription process

I signed up for the IPSY service in July 2017.

When you first sign up, IPSY makes you take a quiz to determine the types of products you are looking for and your general style. Much like Stitch Fix, they try to tailor your particular beauty style, skin type and coloring to the samples they send you each month. Easy peasy. The hardest part about signing up with IPSY was trying to get off the waitlist! And while two months - in retrospect- isn't a terribly long wait, it is eerily similar to waiting for Christmas as a child and watching other people open their gifts, except, you don't get a gift and you don't know when Christmas is going to be for YOU.

Another dreadful part of this process was that IPSY offers an opportunity to get off the waitlist, BUT ONLY IF you share that you signed up for IPSY on your social media accounts. It seemed a little too much like the contrived and spammy MLM blasts in my social feeds. You know the ones that I am talking about. I don't like spamming my friends, especially not for a service that I have not actually tried, so I decided to wait it out.

My very first IPSY glam bag!

My first IPSY bag was September 2017.

It came in a cute pink envelope mailer. I received a total of six products: A highlight/blusher from Pixi by Petra, Photofinish primer "Radiance" by Smashbox, Pop goes the shadow eye shadow in Toasted, an angled eye shadow shading brush by Luxie, and two Korean face masks from Manefit - which was provided in partnership with a company called Soko Glam (an online Korean skincare retailer). The glam bag itself was cute and edgy and came with a pamphlet on the month's theme "LIKE A BOSS". I can dig it. The bag was small but made of a good quality.

Final thoughts on the IPSY service.

Based on the first bag alone, I think signing up for the IPSY service was worth the wait. The products sent definitely matched the types of products that I was hoping to receive. I am still testing out the individual products and will give a full review in a separate post. Overall, the value of what I received from IPSY seems worth the $10 monthly subscription fee. All of the samples were of a decent size and from recognized brands. I definitely have been having fun experimenting with my look over the last few days. Having an IPSY subscription is a great way to encourage monthly self-care for a reasonable price.

What about you? Have you tried IPSY recently? If so, what are your thoughts on the service? Has it met your expectations? What was your favorite product so far? I can't wait to hear your thoughts. Let me know in the comments below!

Cheers!
Emilia

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My glowing review of the "Glowing Skin Smoothie"

Chronic sleep deprivation = aging skin 
Since becoming a new mom, I have been operating on a major sleep deficit. Between juggling a toddler with a sleep disorder, a second pregnancy and a demanding job, I was lucky to get in 4 hours of consecutive sleep a night over the last two years. Since sleep is critical to rebuild and renew your skin, my lack of a good night's rest caused my skin to age a lot quicker than I expected.

Now that Sister has arrived, I am determined to get my sexy back! While I may dream about long lazy days of sleeping in, I know that is simply not possible right now. I decided to research alternative methods to keep my skin nice and healthy without breaking the budget on fancy creams.

Thankfully, there are a ton of recipes online for healthy smoothies that claim to moisturize your skin and bring back your youthful glow.

Enter the "Glowing Skin Smoothie"! 

I found this aptly titled little gem, the Glowing Skin Smoothie (via Sally's Baking Addiction), through good ole' Pinterest. It promises that the smoothie is "delicious," "energy boosting," and that it can "dramatically improve my skin tone"! Seriously? SOLD!

Since the ingredients sounded like something that I could stomach, I ran to my local market, set up my fancy new NutriBullet and was good to go. The basic ingredients were surprisingly simple:

Ingredients
1/2 cup coconut water 
2 frozen ripe bananas 
1 cup chopped pineapple 
1 cup chopped mango 
2 cups of spinach or kale 
1/2 medium avocado 

It took less than 5 minutes to put together and blend away! For extra skin boosting benefits, I added a tablespoon of Healthy Chia Seeds and a tablespoon of Extra Virgin Organic Coconut Oil to the mix. I have to say that this smoothie was quite tasty!

I also tried to add a pinch of milled flax seed, but didn't really care for the texture. It turned a really great tasting smoothie into just *meh. It is amazing how much texture affects taste!

My Review
So far, I really like this smoothie. It is quick and easy to make and it tastes about as close to a tropical frozen cocktail as a green smoothie could. *Note - this recipe results in two servings, so it is quite a large portion in one sitting.

My skin looks firmer and better moisturized. As an unexpected benefit, my typically dry eyes were noticeably well-hydrated! There was an increase in my natural tear production, which made wearing contacts much more comfortable.
 

Based on my experience so far, I am totally down with the whole food smoothie movement. Since I don't expect to have a good night's rest in the near future, I am praying that this smoothie will continue to provide me with a buffer in the meantime. Anything to slow down the aging process is a win in my book!

Tips and Tricks

1. Go organic - using organic sources will boost the nutritional value of the fruits and vegetables giving you the best benefit per smoothie.
2. When freezing ripe bananas, peel and cut them first! A novice mistake that I learned the hard way. It is a pain to try to peel a frozen banana.
3. Save time by washing and cutting your kale or spinach ahead of time. You can store your pre-cut greens in a ziplock bag for an easy way to put your smoothie together quickly. To make them last longer: make sure the greens are dry and toss in a couple of paper towels into the ziplock bag to soak up any extra moisture while the greens are stored in the fridge.
4. Frozen pre-cut pineapples and mangoes are the way to go for an icy cold smoothie.

Enjoy!




Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

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