Hey, all!
Turns out nothing kills my creativity faster than grief. I had the worst summer. Thank goodness it's over. I'm starting to feel a bit better, just in time for Halloween. I whipped up these two wreaths in no time at all using things I got from the Dollar Tree. The only thing that didn't come from the Dollar Tree was the gold skull ribbon on the one below. That came from Michael's last year.

There's no real tutorial needed for this. It's all held together with chenille stems and the feathery wreath took two Halloween boas to cover it. The feathery wreath uses a styrofoam form. If you have any questions you can leave a comment or send me an email.

 Also, this crow is pretty judgmental. It's rating your costume, just so you know.

Have you created anything for Halloween? Please share! I'd love to see it.

Love,

Hot Summer Nights: July's ipsy glam bag

Hey, all!
How's your summer going so far? Mine, not so good. But let's not talk about sad things today. There's enough of that already. Let's talk about pretty things like this month's ipsy bag. I was happy with everything I received, so in no particular order here's what I got and what I thought.

1. BelláPierre Cosmetics Banana Setting Powder - I have no idea how ipsy knows the contents of my vanity drawers, but they must be spying on me. I was just about to run out of banana powder when, lo and behold, this came! I'm in love with BelláPierre Cosmetics at this point. They do fabulous liners and, apparently, fabulous banana powder.

It's so finely milled and the perfect shade for me. My skin is so fair that a lot of banana powders are too dark for me. I love using this to set the concealer under my eyes. This lady has some dark circles!
(Value $35.00)

2. Trust Fund Beauty Nail Polish in No Filter - This is the second polish from Trust Fund Beauty that I've received and I've been impressed both times.

The formula is thick (but not goopy), so you get full coverage in two coats. Really, if one and a half coats was a thing, then that would get it done. This shade is a fabulous greyed-out nude. Ignore the terrible application in the photo. It was late and I said to myself that I need to go to sleep. Instead I painted my nails poorly. Same thing, right?
(Value $15.00)

3. ModelLauncher Cosmetics Felt Tip Eyeliner in Emerald Isle - I've never heard of this company before, but they certainly got my attention with this awesome eyeliner.

It has a superfine felt tip and is so easy to use.

This shade is gorgeous and totally unlike anything I already own. It is smudge proof and water resistant. I have watery eyes and this stayed all. Day. Long! After taking the photo below I tried smudging it with my finger. I rubbed so hard I made my hand a little sore. It didn't budge. I want every color they make.
(Value $13.00)

4. MAKE UP FOR EVER Excessive Lash Mascara - This is a good mascara. It gives good volume. It builds easily. I like the brush. There was no flaking and no smudging. I like it.
(Full size value $25.00. Sample size value $7.27)

5. Nunzio Saviano Anti-Frizz Sheets - I really enjoyed this one. It looks so strange, but since I tend to frizz  I gave it a shot. This dealt with my fly-aways beautifully, has a very light clean scent, and didn't leave my hair oily at all. The others will be living in my purse this summer.
(Full size value $18.00. Sample size value $4.80)

The bag - 90's me would have been so into this. It's holographic and has a print of (what looks like to me) an aerial view of beach umbrellas. It's so cute.

Grand total - $75.07

 If you're interested in signing up, ipsy is a $10/month customizable beauty subscription service. Click here for my referral link (I get points) or just go to ipsy.com to check it out.

Did you get the same things I did? I'm always interested in what everyone else got.

Love,

Destination Chic: ipsy's May glam bag

Always Running Out Of Time - Motion City Soundtrack

Hey, all!

Play the song above if you haven't heard it before. I'll wait....okay, you're back? Awesome. That's the soundtrack of my life in Spring. I'm always running out of time. Things are starting to slow back down and I can finally take a breath and do my ipsy review.

In a previous post I mentioned how I subscribed to a couple of other beauty boxes. I did get my Play! by Sephora box, so that review will be coming up. My BeautyCon box...well...it mostly came. It was shipped on April 19th. As of May 26th (today) I still have not received my nail wraps. I'm thinking about cancelling that subscription. The customer service has been less than satisfactory. I emailed them twice. The second time I got a form letter saying that there was a manufacturing defect in the wraps and they're being remade. Does it really take more than a month to remake some wraps? Are they being painted by hand?!?! If you want a review on what I did get, let me know in the comments below. (Hehe! I rhymed!)

Anyway, rant over. Now on to this month's ipsy glam bag, which has a travel theme. I was very happy with this month's bag, so in no particular order here's what I got.

1. BelláPierre Cosmetics Gel Lip Liner Pencil in Nude - BelláPierre makes my favorite black eyeliner pencil, which I received in my May 2015 glam bag. It's amazing, so I was so excited to get a lip pencil in my bag.

It's a wonderful, flattering mauvey nude that lasts all day. I've worn it so many times since getting it, which is saying a lot. I don't do lip liner on a daily basis.
(Value $18.00)

2. Slmissglam Small Contour W07 Brush - This brush was created for contouring the nose. It does that exceptionally well. I've also used it to contour my cheeks, my temples, and to highlight the bridge of my nose, the tops of my cheekbones, and my cupid's bow.

The bristles are very soft and densely packed. The brush itself is just darling. It's a pearly wooden handle with a golden ferrule that has two rhinestones set into it. The bristles are white with a pink tip. I would love to have a full set, however that's probably never going to happen. They're a bit more costly than I tend to go for. (And that was a major understatement!) Unfortunately the only way to buy this brush right now is to buy the entire set.
(Full set $325. Sample value $15.00)

3. Smashbox X-Rated Mascara - When I found out that this mascara has fibers in it, I mentally screeched. I wear contacts and am so fearful of anything getting in my eyes. If you've ever had something stuck in your eye while you're wearing contacts, you know what I mean. I got brave and tried this out. You know what I discovered? It's totally fine. I didn't have a problem at all. No irritation. No itchiness. It was all good. I love the brush. I'm into the traditional brushes as opposed to the plastic spiky ones that never fail to poke my eyes out. I wasn't able to actually see individual fibers in the formula. It gave me volume and was buildable. This was a good one.
(Full size value $22.00. Sample size value $7.33)

4. Hanalei Lip Treatment - To be honest, the first time I tried the Hanalei Lip Treatment I wasn't blown away. It just seemed like a nicer version of Vaseline. However, the more I use it the more I like it. It definitely smells better than Vaseline.

There's antioxidants and moisturizers in there that improves the condition of my lips. I use this at night before bed and wake up with super soft lips in the morning.
(Full size value $25.00. Sample size value $8.33)

5. Épicé International Hydrating Mask - Confession time. I haven't tried this mask. My skin is going nuts and I'm afraid to try anything new until it calms back down. I'm pretty sure it's all stress (see above) and hormone related, but I don't want to risk it. I love the idea of it. It's a clay based mask that still hydrates. It sounds like a complete oxymoron, so naturally I'm intrigued.
(Value $12.50)

Bonus - ModelCo  LIP LACQUER Lip Gloss in Socialite - I had some rewards points, so I went for this teensy tube of lip gloss.

It smells like candy, is sheer but gives off a beautiful color, and is comfortable to wear. It's delightful.
(Full size value $24.00. Sample size value $3.55)

The bag - This is the first envelope bag I've received from ipsy, so that's a welcome change. The pattern is adorable with major landmarks. I see you, Easter Island heads!

The grand total this month is $61.16 (plus the bonus gloss plus the bag {FREE} is $64.71). It's hard to complain about that, isn't it?

 If you're interested in signing up, ipsy is a $10/month customizable beauty subscription service. Click here for my referral link (I get points) or just go to ipsy.com to check it out.

Love,

Lip Gloss for a Cause

Hey, all!

I have something a bit different for you today. It's a lip gloss that you can feel great about buying (many, many tubes). Half of the money made from these gorgeous glosses goes to Mountaineer Autism Project. This helps MAP to cover the costs of education and safety products to address elopement and safety. 

They are $6 (US) each or you can have two for $10 (or four for $20). 

If you're local, I'm happy to meet up somewhere to deliver your order. If you're not local, I can ship these but will have to charge shipping.

Notoriously Morbid Cosmetics from Beckley, WV is the creator of this Everyday Heroes Cosmic Gloss and according to Notoriously Morbid's website they're vegan.

Now for the fun bits...

Everyday Heroes is a pearly gloss with a rainbow micro shimmer that leans a bit toward a blue shift. It basically looks like you're applying an opal or mother of pearl to your lips. It's sheer, not sticky at all, and the scent is Sugared Strawberry. The scent is not overly strong and after applied I can't smell it at all. 

My favorite way to use Everyday Heroes is as a topper over other lip products. It changes the base color into something a bit magical. Above I have it swatched over NudeStix in Mystic, NARS in Cruella, Rituel De Fille in Against Nature, and Lipstick Queen in Frog Prince.

It's a full sized lip gloss at 10 mL and comes with a doe foot applicator.

Ingredients: Hydrogenated Polyisobutene (and) Ethylene/Propylene/Styrene Copolymer (and) Butylene/Ethylene/Styrene Copolymer, Prunus armeniaca (Apricot) Kernel Oil, Mica, Titanium Dioxide, Iron Oxide, Carmine, Calcium Aluminum Borosilicate, Silica, Tin Oxide, Synthetic Fluorophylogopite.

Above I have it applied over BelláPierre's lip liner in Nude and below I'm wearing Everyday Heroes by itself.

Let me know if you have any further questions. To order comment below or email me at tabbiecat77@gmail.com.

Love,

Star Wars Birthday Party

Come to the Dark Side. We have cake!

Hey, all!
May the fourth be with you! (Sorry, I couldn't resist!)

My daughter turned eight a couple of months ago and wanted a Star Wars party. (Yaaasssss!!! That's my girl!)

I had a lot of fun with this theme, but honestly there's only a few things I made myself. I did the photo backdrop, designed her invitations, and I made light sabers.

I bought a black plastic table cloth from the Dollar Tree, printed off about a million and a half yellow stars and the Star Wars logo. I just used tape to adhere the stars and logo. I bought the props from a party store.

My husband inserted a photo of Zara roller skating into this photo. I then tweaked it a bit and created the invitation using The Gimp using downloaded Star Wars fonts.

The lightsabers were easy to construct, but they took a bit of time to do. I finished them over two evenings and had twenty total. They're made from a pool noodle cut in half, some duct tape, and some electrical tape. The kids loved these. As a party game I blew up some balloons and had intended the children to try to keep the balloons up in the air as long as possible using the lightsabers and to have them pass the balloons back and forth. In reality, they pounded the balloons into the ground had burst all of them within thirty seconds. No exaggeration.

Zara has always wanted a pinata at her party, but we tend to rent places for her parties. This is the first one we've had at home since she was two. She really, really, REALLY loved destroying that pinata.

The cake and cupcakes were made by Traci's Cakery, the cookies were by Artistic Cookie Creations, and the entertainment was provided by Greg Goode.

We really enjoyed putting together this party. It's up there as one of my faves. What have been your favorite party themes over the years?

Love,

The Dreamers: April's ipsy glam bag

April's ipsy glam bag

Hey, all!

It's time for April's glam bag! Yay! If you're into beauty box/bag reviews, well I have some news for you. I got my first BeautyCon box last week. I'm still trying stuff out. I also got off the Play! by Sephora wait list. I'm still freaking out over that, although I'm pretty sure everyone made it off the list. Still, I like to feel like I'm a special snowflake.

Spoiler alert! I liked everything I got this month, so in no particular order...

1. Buxom Cosmetics Wildly Whipped Lightweight Liquid Lipstick in Centerfold - That's a name and a half, isn't it?!? I'm officially obsessed with this lipstick. The color is something I'd definitely pick for myself. I'm loving the '90s nudie lips lately.

Buxom's Liquid Lipstick

It has a comfortable mousse-like texture and dries to a soft matte finish. It reminds me so much of the formula of Hard Candy's Velvet Mousse Matte Lip Color and I love, love, love that stuff!

It's not transfer-proof but it does last a long time on me. It fades away gracefully without making my lips look scary-crazy by the end of the day. It has a faint bakery-sweet scent.
(Full size $21.00. Sample size $7.87)

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2. NUDESTIX Lip + Cheek Pencil in Mystic - I have really been enjoying the NUDESTIX products I've been getting. This is no exception. The color is so beautiful. I love product that do double duty and do them well.

Kind of hard to tell, but this is NUDESTIX's Lip & Cheek Pencil.

This is a very comfortable, wear everyday kind of lip pencil that has a bit of a shine to it. There's no scent at all.

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It also sheers out beautifully on the cheeks for a healthy flush. I didn't find it sticky at all. I wore it with setting powder and without and was happy with the results both ways.
(Full size $24.00. Sample size $18.00*)
*I really have no idea how to figure this one out. The pencil I received from ipsy is 0.088 oz. Sephora's website says theirs are 0.05 oz. but you also get a case with a mirror and a sharpener. So...? I'm just going to make my best guess at this point.

Sheered out.

3. REN Skincare Evercalm Global Protection Day Cream - This seems like a pretty nice cream. It's a day cream, but there's no SPF included. I don't believe it has broken out my skin. I'm blaming other things on that. It's a bit thick, so I have to give it time to sink in before I apply my makeup. That being said, makeup applies well over it. This cream has a light fresh scent.
(Full size $45.00. Sample size $27.00)

4. L.A.B.² - Live and Breathe Beauty Just Blending In Brush - Honestly I was telling myself right before I got this glam bag that I needed another blending brush. I like having a couple of the same sort of brushes on hand just in case one is dirty or is still wet from being washed. I can't be the only one, right?!?

This brush is soft; it's not the softest, but it's still soft. It's smaller than the one I use constantly, so it's better at small areas. I haven't had any issues with shedding. All in all, I'm so glad I got this. It was excellent timing.
(Value $6.99)

5. pur~lisse Beauty Blue Lotus + White Tea Sheet Mask & Blue Lotus + Seaweed Sheet Mask - These super long names are wrecking my head! I'd never tried a sheet mask before. They're so much fun!

 pur~lisse sheet masks

I love that two were included, because that just added to the hilarity.

The couple that masks together stays together.

And, of course, we had to prank the little one. I sat next to her wearing my mask for ages before she noticed I was there. I feel loved.

This was a lovely mask. Not literally. I'm not going out in it. It just felt wonderful. It was very hydrating. I tried the one with white tea and my husband got the seaweed one. The white tea mask really smelled of white tea, which I love. The seaweed mask had a very fresh scent.
(Value $16.00)


The bag - It's cute. It has an abstract watercolor thing going on that I like. It's sort of tie-dyed. Maybe. I dunno. I like the colors.

The bonus - em cosmetics by michelle phan the life palette trial size sampler in night life - city glitz - I had some ipsy points to burn, so I thought I'd try this. I guess I was expecting something much, much cheaper since it was only 250 points. I was surprised that there were actual pans of shadow and a pan of lip gloss. I think I was expecting swatches on paper kind of like what you'd find in a magazine. I dunno. Anyway I was very happy with this.

em by michelle phan's palette sampler

The packaging is cardboard and I'm not too sure how sturdy it's going to be. I'll probably de-pot these and put them in a magnetic palette.

Four to try out.

Everything was good, but I was soooooooo impressed with the silver. It was so bright and metallic (duh!) and stayed that way on my eyes all day long. I was sad to wash it off that night. The lip color is a sheer gloss. There are six different samplers to try out. A few of the other ones are calling my name.

Taaaaabithaaaaaa....Taaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaabithaaaaaaaaaaaaa...buy us! 

Shut up, palettes! I don't need to hear that.
(Value $10.00)

Dat silver doe!

The grand total for April's ipsy glam bag is $75.86*(contents) + $10.00 (bonus palette) + bag = $85.86. That's all for $10. If you're interested in signing up, ipsy is a $10/month customizable beauty subscription service. Click here for my referral link (I get points) or just go to ipsy.com to check it out.

Love,