Ipsy Glam Bag January 2014

It's my favorite time of the month!! It's time for my Ipsy Glam Bag to arrive.

I subscribe to three beauty subscriptions right now- Ipsy, Birchbox and beauty Box 5. Ipsy has been my favorite every single month without fail. As of right now, I have not received my January Birchbox but Ipsy is still my favorite right now.

First is the sample size of Elizabeth Mott Smooth Shadow in Penny. The color is amazing. It is super pigmented and would be great for a nighttime look. It is a gel based eye shadow pencil so applies to your skin really easily and is super soft. Finally it also has some great lasting power. I tend to rub my eyes a lot and it was able to withstand a day on my face. The shimmer in the pencil really helped to make my eyes pop and because it is gel based, I was able to easily blend it with my other shadows for more complex looks.

Since Ipsy is probably going through the crazy winter weather like the rest of us, their team was kind enough to include Malin + Goetz Mojito Lip Balm to soothe our dry, chapped lips. It is a lip gel that goes on super smooth, smells great and clings to your lips so you don't spend a ton of time having to reapply it. My lips feel so much softer and moisturized. The mojito is very subtle but quite lovely.

The next product I got was the Proactiv+ Mark Fading Pads. Basically all it consists of is a wipe that contains 2% Salicylic Acid. I used on of the pads but probably won't try anymore because it dried out my fave. I have some acne but I think my bigger problem is I have dry, sensitive skin and I don't think this product will be beneficial for me. I don't quite understand where the mark fading comes in because there are no other active ingredients besides the salicylic acid. I thought this was just for fighting pimples. Unfortunately this is not going to be a great review for the product because I don't really have the right skin type to truly try it out. I hope it worked for people who have used it but I just don't know.

For my hair, they sent me the Sexy Hair Healthy Sexy Hair Soy Tri-Wheat Leave in Conditioner. Try saying that three times fast. I have really think hair and in the wrong weather conditions it can also get really frizzy which is what this condition is made to fight. It has soy and cocoa in it and works best when applied to towel dried hair. It is a spray so when you use it, it has great, light coverage on your hair. After blow drying my hair, it feels super soft and light. I also like how natural it feels. I don't like feeling oily, heavy products in my hair and this product is fantastic. This spray is also formulated to protect color treated hair but since my hair is its natural color right now, I can't really speak to that aspect. This is a product that when I'm done with my sample, I'm going to go and buy myself a bottle to use at home.

My final product is one that I have used before so I was super happy to get a bigger sample. It is the Skiin Smoothing and Soothing Eye Cream. This is an eye cream that is made to reduce puffiness and combat wrinkles. I have been very lucky to not have a lot of wrinkles yet but as far as making the area under my eyes smoother and less puffy, I would say it works. The cream is very light weight and super easy to apply with your fingers. It is also very gentle and doesn't bother my eyes like some creams will do.

So there you have it. My review of my January 2014 Ipsy Box. I'm definitely another satisfied customer.

Influenster Jolly Vox Box

Good evening interwebs. Jennifer here to review her first VoxBox from Influenster.com. I am receiving this box complimentary so that I can try all of these products and share with you my opinion.

First off, I have to say I'm really impressed by this box. I figured it would be a few little sample products to give you a little overview of the product but it is actually sizes that I can use a few times and really form an opinion about them. First, lets go through the contents of the box-1 NYC New York HD Color in Long Beach Sands, 1 Rimmel Show Off Lip Lacquer in 101 Celestial, Duck Brand Mini Duct Tape in Blue Surf Flower, Puffs Travel Size Lotion Tissues, and finally Skinny Cow Divine Filled Chocolates in Peanut Butter Creme.

First off, the NYC HD Color in Long Beach Sands. One color is the highlighter, nexy is a color for all over your lid and the last color is for your crease. The colors are not super pigmented so you can have a more natural look. The eyeshadow itself will last for about half a day before you need to do a touch up. If you want it to last longer, use an eyeshadow primer or some concealer on your eyelid first. The color for the crease has a really nice shimmer to it, while the other two colors are more matte. It comes with a tiny sponge applicator. I honestly threw it away. It was rough and didn't feel good at all so I instead use an eyeshadow brush I bought from Eco-Tools. All in all, this is a good everyday color set for when I go out on errands or head to work.

Next is the Rimmel Show Off Lacquer in 101 Celestial. I was not super excited about this product. I did like the intensity of the color and how the lacquer feels on my lips. It doesn't rub off very easily so it has some good staying power. I hated the color. Celestial is this awful fuschia color that doesn't go with my skintone at all. I can't imagine where anywhere would even wear that color. Next, the lacquer itself has a weird taste to it that was not pleasant at all. I hate wearing lipstick that tastes like lipstick. It made me wonder if it was expired. If it wasn't for the taste, I would have probably bought it in a different color. Everything else is great but I just can't get past that.

Those were the only two beauty product I got in my box. They also sent me a Duck Brand Mini Duct Tape in Blue Surf Flower. I've always been a huge fan of this product. I used to work in theater a lot and this was a staple in every production so having a mini duct tape available is awesome. The prints are super cute for all of them but they do have solid colors available for when you need to make something look more professional. Since it is a smaller size it is going to be for smaller projects.  So far I have used it to secure small cords and a decorative edge on some photographs. I would love to have a little plastic carrying case to store it in so it doesn't absorb a lot of moisture or transfer goo on anything.

Currently I am using the Puffs Travel Size Lotion Tissues because I have a nasty cold. One of the worst parts about having a cold is when the skin on your nose dries out because the tissues suck out all of the moisture. All I have been doing is blowing my nose and while there is some dryness, it is a lot better than it normally is. The tissue is so soft on my nose. I was sent a purse size package so I can easily take it with me anywhere, like work tomorrow when I go back. Its a great product and a definite purchase in the future.

My last item in my box of goodies was the Skinny Cow Divine Filled Chocolates in Peanut Butter Creme. These are so delicious. One package is 130 calories and has three little peanut butter squares inside. There is a little saltiness to the peanut butter which is a great contract to the milk chocolate. Who doesn't love salty and sweet together. The serving is just enough to satisfy your sweet tooth without overindulgence. I don't eat anything that is considered "diet food" so I was really excited with how good these tasted.

Thanks for reading about my Influenster Vox Box. I had a great time trying out everything and look forward to the next one.