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,