HELLO, SPRING! March 2016 ipsy glam bag (plus extras)

Hello, spring, indeed!!!
I don't know about you, but winter was rough. I stayed sick, so was really, really, REALLY not into blogging. I'm trying to get back into the groove. (Anyone else now have Madonna stuck in your head? No? Just me? Well, alrighty, then.) At the end I'll do a quickie review of the bags I missed due to illness (and other things).

Let's get to the goodies. That's why you're here, right?

1. Me me me Loose Powder Brush - This brush is super soft and is shaped perfectly for blush and contour. It's described as a loose powder brush, but I like a much bigger brush for that.

It has an oval shape that works so well for blush and contour. I like a soft contour. I don't tend to do sharp lines, so this is perfect for me. This brush hasn't shed a bit. I'm really loving it.
(Value $20.00 /£14.00)

2. Vera Mona Lotus Eyeshadow in Clover - I thought I had never heard of this company before until I was poking around their website. Vera Mona is the company that makes the Color Switch tool. It knocks dry powders (such as eyeshadow) off of brushes so that you can continue to use that brush without having to wash it. Confused yet? Go check it out. It looks pretty cool. I might get one. I'll let you know how that goes if I do.

Anyway, apparently they've branched out into actual makeup. One eyeshadow palette. More like a twig than an whole branch, but it's a start. It's an excellent start. I was so impressed with this sample.

The pigmentation was impressive. I loved the pinky-peachy-golden shade. (My color descriptions are so good makeup companies should totally hire me.)
(Full palette value $32.99. Sample value $2.00*)
*I deducted the price of the brush and the Color Switch included in the palette, and then divided by 8.

3. Pixi by Petra Beauty Blush Duo in Rose Gold -  I've really enjoyed everything I've received from Pixi. This blush/highlighter is no exception.

The blush is a subtle, perfect for everyday, go with anything pink. I think that if your skin tone is much deeper than mine, it might not show up very well. That highlighter kicks things up a notch (or twenty). That highlighter is no joke. It's not here to play. It means serious business. I'm in love! I mean, come on! Look at that gold!
(Full set value $18.00. Sample value $13.00)

4. NYX Cosmetics Liquid Suede Cream Lipstick in Pink Lust - Now you know I love me some NYX! I was so excited to get this liquid lipstick in my bag. NYX rarely ever lets me down. I've tried many of their other lip products but hadn't had a chance to get this one yet.

It's a liquid lipstick that is super-saturated, as you would expect. It feels very comfortable on the lips. One of the few things I didn't expect is that it doesn't dry down very matte. In order for me to achieve a matte finish I had to blot it. No big deal. It didn't affect the color or the pigmentation at all.

Another thing I didn't expect is that it's not transfer-proof. Seven minutes (weird, I know) after swatching it on my hand, it still smudged. That being said, it lasted forever on me. I didn't really need to touch-up after dinner. All I had to do was smoosh (yes, that's the technical term) my lips together to redistribute the product. Again, no big deal. To be completely fair, NYX never claimed that it was long-lasting or transfer-proof. Just saying. Also, if you're affected by scents, this doesn't smell like anything, really. I'll definitely pick up more the next time I'm at Ulta.
(Value $7.00)

5. Marc Anthony Nourishing Argan Oil of Morocco 3 Day Smooth Perfect Blow Dry Cream - Marc Anthony is another brand that doesn't let me down. This was a pretty good smoothing cream. I have thick, wavy hair that can resemble Mufasa's majestic mane in humid weather, so I go through a lot of smoothing cream. I'd buy a full size of this one. Enough said?
(Full size value $8.99. Sample value $2.25)

The bag - I really like this bag. The color combo is unexpected. I like the stylized rose print.

Total value - $44.25

As I said before, I haven't blogged in ages because I spent the entire winter sick. Also, I then got busy...and then I got out of the habit. Yeah...anywho. I thought I'd let you get a peek at the bags I never got to review along with some quick reviews.

February's Bag

February's bag 

1. Paula Dorf Baby Eyes Enhancer - Too creamy. Doesn't stay in waterline.
2. Luxie Beauty Flat Definer Brush 221 - Love it! Great for lining eyes and filling in brows.
3. Smashbox Cosmetics Photo Finish Primer Oil - Pretty good. Doesn't make makeup stick around longer or fill in pores, but it's hydrating.
4. Jersey Shore Cosmetics Vanilla Bean Anti-aging Lip & Hand Polish - Smells like cookies. Oil tends to separate, so you need to massage the tube (that sounds bad) before opening. I enjoy using this one.
5. Jor'el Parker Eau so Divine - Sophisticated. It's what I wear when I want to pretend to be an adult for the day. 
6. The bag - Sooooo adorable that it's still on my dresser as decoration.

January's Bag

January's bag

1. theBalm Cosmetics Mr. Write (Now) in Jack B. Bronze - Great pigmentation. Beautiful color.
2. Mitchell and Peach English Leaf Body Cream - Smells so good! Absorbs quickly.
3. Jelly Pong Pong Fairy Lashes CURL - This is pretty good. Can be built up. Left my lashes fluttery like a fairy's. I suppose. Not sure I've ever met a fairy besides Tinkerbell at Disney World. She had some really good lashes. I have naturally curly lashes, so I can't attest to the CURL claim.
4. Hey Honey Skincare Open Your Eyes Eye Contour Lifting Fluid - Very hydrating. Impressed.
5. City Color Cosmetics Eyeshadow Trio in Falling Leaves - Great pigmentation. Loved it.
6. The bag - Cute. I like the Pop Art look.

December's Bag

 December's bag

1. Peony Cosmetics Shadow Trio - I was pretty pleased with this. Good color payoff.
2. AVEENO Daily Moisturizing Lotion - Absorbed quickly. No greasy feeling.
3. Pacifica Power Of Love Natural Lipstick in Nudie Red - Beautiful color. Not at all red, actually. Comfortable on lips. Satin finish. Smells like vanilla Play-Doh. The packaging is so cute!
4. Elizabeth Mott Thank Me Later Eye Shadow Primer - It did it's job. It's pale pink and covers the discoloration on my eyelids. Eyeshadow lasted all day without creasing.
5. Marc Anthony Hair Care Coconut Oil & Shea Butter Deep Conditioning Treatment - This smells so good and left my hair so soft. I need to pick up some the next time I'm at Ulta.
6. The bag - Loved this one! The pull is lip-shaped!!! 

Wow that was a lot! Did you make it this far?!? Bless your heart!

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,

Beauty Blast: November ipsy Glam Bag

Hey, all!
How was your Halloween? Mine was a bit nuts. We did a lot of activities and had a party. I went as Mavis from Hotel Transylvania. I didn't get a good picture, of course.  It just gave me a really good excuse to get stripy tights and canvas high tops. #winning

Since then, I got my November ipsy bag! Woot! Woot! This bag is so daggon cute! Seriously. Look how cute it is! November's theme is Beauty Blast. I like pretty much everything I got, so in no particular order here we go.

1. tre'StiQue Mini Matte Lip Crayon in Florence Fig - I really, really like these Mini Crayons. I got the Shadow Crayon in June and enjoyed that, as well.

It's creamy, comfortable, long lasting, and doesn't really smell like anything. The shade that I received is very much what I'm into right now. It's one of those nude-ish shades that goes with any eye look.
(Mini Trios $32. Sample Value $10.67)

2. Mai Couture Blush Papier in Sicily - How cool is this?!?! I'll be the first to admit that it's a bit gimmicky, but it's just sooooo cool!

It's thin sheets of paper with blush on them. Think blotting sheets infused with powder. Super travel-friendly.

I was able to get three uses out of one sheet. I did use a big, fluffy brush to blend it out on my cheeks, but you could use your fingers in a pinch. This shade is a warm shimmery bronze.
(Full Size $17.50. Sample Size 3.50)

3. Coolway Stronghold Spray - I think ipsy believes I use hairspray a lot more often than I actually do. Fun fact: I still have every hairspray ipsy has sent me. Really, the only time I need hairspray is when it's time for my daughter's dance recitals. And then I go for something that sets like cement. That being said, this one's a bit different. It can be used with wet or dry hair. And it smells like Froot Loops. It seems to work well. And I really like Froot Loops. So #winning. Again. If it matters to you, this has a pump instead of aerosol. Some people care about stuff like that.
(Full Size $19.95. Sample Size $3.02)

4. Beaute Basics Gel Eyeliner in Navy with Gel Eyeliner Brush - This one is a bit mixed for me. The color is gorgeous.

I'll give you a minute to appreciate that blue. Dat blue doe!

This liner sets to a matte finish, however it is not smudge-proof. It was very easy to work with and is super creamy with a great color payoff.

However, this brush...that's after one use. I used it to swatch the liner, tried to wipe it off, and that happened. As you can tell from the swatch, the lines are thick and uneven. The brush is a total throwaway. When I tried the liner on my eyes, I just used a brush that I already owned.
(Value $9.99)

5. Smashbox Cosmetics Full Exposure Mascara in Jet Black - I'm too lazy for this mascara. I really am. It takes forever to build it up to look like anything at all. It didn't flake or smudge on me, but that's about all I can say for this. I'm hoping it'll get better when it dries out a bit. Some do that, you know.
(Full Size $20.00. Sample Size $5.34)

The bag - It's a pink and purple galaxy!!! I'm in love!

The grand total for this bag is $32.52. I'm happy with 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,

Crocheted Bangles

Hey, all!

I suppose I could save this post for Monday and revive my old "Makeover Monday" series, but meh. Yesterday I saw a video that showed how to cover bangles with old sweaters. It's prettier than that sounds, I promise. I was inspired to try to cover a couple of old bangles with crochet. And guess what? It worked!

I picked these beauties up for about 25¢ each at a yard sale. And then I may have worn them once. Turns out I'm not an 80's plastic bracelet kind of girl. Who knew? I should have known, to be honest. If you're not a yard sale shopper, craft shops have blanks in many different sizes.

I had bits of yarn left over from previous projects, so this didn't cost me anything. Yay for free(ish) projects!  I did the blue one using a Double Stitch. The rainbow one was done using a Half Double Stitch. When beginning the bangle, leave a tail of a few inches. When you've filled up the whole bracelet with as many stitches as you can fit in, tie the last stitch off and then connect it to the beginning by tying the tails together. Both bracelets took me about 20 minutes total, which qualifies this project as Super Simple. Here's a tip for you: yarn is bulky, so make sure your bracelet will still fit over your hand with the added mass. I didn't think of that until after, but they still fit. Yay, again!

I love how the yarn isn't really attached to the bracelet. The pattern is constantly changing as the yarn slips around the bangle, which makes it a bit more fun.

Love,

Poet Dog Sweater

Hi, all!

My last post on how I'm hooked on crochet right now hinted about this post. I felt this little guy deserved his very own post. I mean, look at that face, amiright? Chauncey is starting to feel the chill in the air and spends so much of his time cuddled up under blankets. He makes a nest. Seriously. I keep trying to film him, but he gets camera shy. I had a lot of yarn left over after making my husband's hat, so I thought I'd try a sweater.

This pattern is The Poet Dog Sweater from Lion Brand Yarns. I always thought Chauncey seems very philosophical, so I figured this pattern was made just for him. The pattern is free, but you need to sign in (also free) to get to it. I made one major mistake on this sweater and a few little ones. First, I assumed my little guy is a small, so I didn't bother measuring. Yeah...he's a medium/large. What?!?! I had the pieces finished when I figured that out. Instead of starting over, I added panels to the underside's rib area and the neck area.

Secondly, the alternating BPDC (back post double crochet) and FPDC (front post double crochet) on the neck tripped me up. How am I supposed to remember what I just did? I can't. It's a problem. I got the hang of it on the third row of the neck trim. I didn't care enough to go back and re-do the first two rows. For the leg trim, I picked FPDC and just stuck with it.

Berkeley kept photobombing the photo shoot. And then she let me know exactly what she thought about the sweater.

Berkeley is always honest about her feelings.

I'm thinking about adding a Superman emblem to the back because the sweater looks like a cape. If I do, I'll share the pics. This sweater was so easy to throw together (once I figured out my mistakes) that Chauncey might end up with a whole wardrobe of them.

Love,

Hooked on Crochet

Patterns Used - Hat :: Mittens

Hi, all!
Sorry about the title. I couldn't resist!

I've been crocheting up a storm lately. My daughter, Zara, is a very busy girl, so I spend a ton of time in waiting rooms. There's usually too much going on for me to read, I get bored with games after a while, so I started crocheting.

For Zara's hat above, I stuck to the pattern. I did tweak the mittens quite a bit. I left off the cuffs, started with a chain ring, and didn't decrease the thumbs. Instead I just sewed the tops of the thumbs. Zara wanted a Z on her hat. I tried to crochet one, but as you can see below, it ended up being larger than the hat itself. That was my first lesson on scale. I ended up chaining 24 or so stitches and then tacking them down in a Z shape.

Z Pattern (video)

You may recognize the yarn below from the first scarf I ever made Zara. To be honest, she hated it, but she was very polite about it. She just said, "I prefer long scarves." So, I disassembled the old scarf and made her a new one. She's much happier now.

My husband didn't want to be left out. He requested a couple of hats and a scarf. I plan on adding more to the scarf to make it longer. I'm still learning to figure out how much yarn a project will need. (Hint: Always buy more than you think you'll need.)

Hat Pattern

 I stuck to the hat pattern with a few additional increases just for comfort.

Hat Pattern

And now we're down to something I made for myself. I posted previously about how I wanted a slouchy beanie to match my scarf I made last spring. The first attempt was horrible. Well, sort of horrible. It turned into a cute doll purse. The second attempt worked out fine. I didn't use a pattern. I made the headband using ten double stitches per row and kept going until it fit my head. I then sewed the edges together and single stitched in a spiral until it got as big as I wanted. I sewed the hole together to finish.

I have one more project that I've finished, but that's getting a post all to itself. It's adorable. No hints, though.

If you have any handy tips or tricks, leave them in the comments below. I definitely have a lot to learn.

Love,

alter ego: ipsy's October glam bag

Hey, all!

This post is late, late, late! There's been a ton going on lately and on top of that I've developed a crochet obsession. I had to force my self to put down the project I'm working on to type this post. Seriously. (Also, that's a major hint for the next blog post.) 

This month's ipsy glam bag theme is "alter ego". Cute. I love anything remotely Halloween-y. This bag came with some great stuff and some no-so-great stuff. In order of faves to not so much, here's what I got and what I thought.

1. theBalm Cosmetics Mary-Lou Manizer - I was sooooo hoping to get this in my bag. I've been wanting to try it out for ages. Being so pale, I have a hard time finding a good highlighter. They're usually too dark, too glittery, or just look like normal face powder on me. Bummer! This one, however, is ahhhh-mazing!

Can we take a moment for the packaging? the Balm does such cute packaging.

Mary-Lou Manizer is a fab champagne gold. It's shimmery but not at all glittery. It blends well and stays all day on me. I also tried this as an eyeshadow and loved it. I'm definitely picking up the full size when this little one runs out.
(Full size value $24.00. Sample size value $1.60)

2. tarte deluxe LipSurgence™ skintuitive lip gloss in energy - This is one of those fun products that changes color. I've loved "mood" lipsticks since the 80's and for my birthday this year I picked up Lipstick Queen's Frog Prince. So, I'm sure you can guess how tickled pink (geddit?) I was to get this in my glam bag.

This gloss smells like cotton candy, but it's subtle. Once it's on, I can't smell it at all. (Another bummer. I love cotton candy and wouldn't mind smelling it all day!) It goes on clear and develops into a pretty, sheer pink. It's slightly sticky, which helps it stay on longer. It's not as sticky as MAC's Lip Glass, but if you hate sticky altogether, be warned.
(Full size value $19.00. Sample size value $3.56)

3. AYRES Pampas Sunrise Hand Cream -  This is a really nice hand cream. I love lemongrass anything. The patchouli warms it up a bit. It absorbs quickly and is non-greasy. All good things.
(Full size value $12.50. Sample size value $6.25)

4. Nourish Organic Pure Hydrating Argan Face Serum - There were two products in my glam bag that I'm just not feeling. This is one of them. It made my skin warm. It didn't burn, per se. However, it felt warm. And thick. And it hated my foundation. This would probably work better at night, but with the warming (not quite burning), I'm kind of afraid to try it again. Also (this is stupid), since it was in a tube I thought it would be thick. Long story short, I spilled a bunch on my carpet. It's serum. Don't let the tube fool you. If you're interested, the full size comes in a bottle with a pump, which is a great idea. I do like the scent. It's apricot and rose hip. I mostly smell earthy citrus.
(Full size value $23.99. Sample size value $16.79)

5. Coastal Scents Xpress Line Cosmetic Pencil in Black - This is the other product in my bag that I did not enjoy. At all. It's going into the trash when I'm finished with this post because there's no one I dislike enough to pass this along to. There are so many excellent, inexpensive eyeliners out there that there's no need to waste time with something that is so hard and patchy. It literally hurt to apply this.

I tried this as a tight liner, on my waterline, on my upper eyelid, and on my lower eyelid. It didn't stick around. By lunchtime it was gone from my waterline and by dinnertime it was faded and smudged everywhere else. I've heard good things about the company, so I'd like to try other things from Coastal Scents, but not this. Never, ever, ever again.

*edit 10/29/15 - Oops! I had totally forgotten that I had a couple of blushes from them from my August 2014 glam bag. They're good blushes and I'm wearing them right now. Together. That's just how I roll.
(Value $2.95)

Rewards Bonus - Pixi by Petra Brow Powder Trio - I had some points burning a hole in my pocket, so I picked out this brow trio.

I really like this. The idea is that you can mix your perfect brow shade. I found myself using different shades depending on what part of my brow that I'm working on. I tended to go lighter on the inner and outer portions and darker near my arch. It's fun having options.

These are matte and also work well as eyeshadows. (Yes, I always try to find multiple uses for products.) I'd recommend using a primer if you're trying these on your lids. I forgot the first time and had some creasing by the evening. I really do enjoy this product. I'd consider buying the full palette when this one runs out.
(Full size value $12.00. Sample size value $3.00)

The bag - We need to discuss this bag. It's pretty cute. I'm getting a definite 80's vibe.

It's a very metallic yellow gold on one side and a black patent leather-like vinyl on the other.

The grand total for this bag is $31.15 ($34.15 with the bonus plus the bag). I'm a pretty happy camper. If you haven't heard, ipsy is a $10/month customizable beauty subscription service. If you use my referral link I get points. Points get me free things. I like free things. If you're not comfortable with that (I totally understand), then check out ipsy.com.

If you already subscribe, what did you get? If it was the same as me, what did you think of the serum and eyeliner? Any helpful tips on using them?

Love,