Monday, January 25, 2016

January Ipsy Unboxing

I received my January Ipsy bag. For those who do not know, Ipsy is a monthly beauty subscription service that is completely customized to you. Each month, they send you a themed cosmetic bag filled with  four to five make up items, tools, shampoo, conditioner etc. It is ten dollars American (For Canadians add 4.95 for shipping).


This month's theme was all eyes on you.


Here is what I received

Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Lotion

I was not excited to see this in my bag as it is a product you can pick up in the travel items section at Walmart. This lotion is supposed to relive dry skin and moisturize the skin for 24 hours. I will be passing this product along to my mom who seemed more excited about it than me.



OFRA Universal Eye Brow Pencil

Swatch of eye brow pencil
I have been dying to try OFRA cosmetics  ever since I read about their liquid lipsticks. This eye brow pencil looks to be a shade that would match me. I personally think it might be too dark for people with light coloured hair. When swatched, it felt creamy and it looked very pigmented. To be honest, I was a little sad it wasn't a liquid lipstick but I think this eye brow pencil will be nice!


Swatch of Mink
Hikari Cream Pigment in Mink

I am super excited about this product! I love love love the colour. When I first saw it I thought it was going to be more grey but I was pleasantly surprised when I swatched it and it was more of a champagne/bronze colour. This product is very pigmented and very creamy.


Beau Gachis Smudge brush

I really like that Ipsy included a eye brush with my eye shadow. This smudge brush feels very soft. What I personally like is it is not super dense so it could be used as a blending brush or even a crease brush.





The Balm Mr. Write (Now) in Jac

Swatch of Jac
I haven't tried much from The Balm so when I saw I was getting an eyeliner I was excited. This liner is very pigmented and it did smudge easily. The colour is more bronze than gold. The bottom of the pencil pulls off and becomes a sharpener, which is very handy.



Swatch of Nammos Pink
I also redeemed some of my points for the treStique Mini Matte Lip Crayon in Nammos Pink. This product is very pigmented and it is a very bright pink.





Overall, I am rating this bag 4 stars out of 5. I'm very excited about the OFRA eyebrow pencil, The Balm eyeliner, the Hikari pigment and the eye shadow brush. This bag lost a star because of the Aveeno lotion. However, I'm glad to pass it along to someone who will use it. I didn't include the matte lip crayon as that was an extra product I picked myself.

Are you a subscriber to Ipsy? What did you get in your January bag? Let me know in the comments below.

 If you would like to sign up for Ipsy, you can use my link: http://www.ipsy.com/r/1ik8u?sid=ipsypoints&cid=general

Stay beautiful
Sarah

*NOTE: The Ipsy link is an affiliated link. It gets me points that I can redeem for an extra product. Thank you*

Monday, January 18, 2016

ChopSaver Review

I am super excited to be writing about this product as I am obsessed with it. This is the ChopSaver Lip Balm in Natural.

The ChopSaver was created by Dan Gosling, who is a professional trumpet player. He found that his lips were always super chapped and realized that all wind instrument players experience this issue.

The ChopSaver comes in two versions, Natural and one with SPF. The Natural version has a slight citrus scent which is not overpowering. The ingredients of this product claim to be all natural and certified organic. This lip balm is also gluten free and not tested on animals.

I've been experience super dry lips as I am dealing with a cold. This cold is giving me a stuffy nose, so when I go to bed at night, I become a mouth breather, thus my lips are dryer than normal.

When I wake up I apply this lip balm. No joke, 20 minutes later you would have never have guessed how chapped my lips were because this lip balm made them super smooth and there is no dry skin in sight. I have only needed to apply this once a day as it is that moisturizing. I don't find this lip balm to be overly thick or greasy.

I have used this lip balm under a liquid lipstick and it worked really good. This lip balm didn't make it hard for me to apply the liquid lipstick over top of it either.

Overall, I am in love with this lip balm! It works well, doesn't affect any liquid lipsticks and its not overly thick or greasy.

This lip balm is currently only available at CVS in the USA. To my Canadian readers, you can order these online here (The shipping is kind of expensive).

What lip balms do you all like?

Stay Beautiful
Sarah

*Note: This product was sent to me in exchange for a review. All opinions expressed above are my own and are 100% honest. Please see my disclaimer for more information.*

Monday, January 11, 2016

Enhancing Natural Beauty

I came across the brand Glossier and I was inspired by their idea about enhancing natural beauty. I decided to write a post about the product I use to enhance my natural beauty.

First thing first, I believe taking great care of your skin is the first step in enhancing natural beauty.

About 4 to 5 months ago I purchased the Foreo LUNA mini ( I wrote about it in this favorites post). This cleansing brush has completely changed my skin. It removes make up and dirt that has settled in to pores but it super gentle.


Another skin product that has completely changed my skin is the Clinique Smart Serum. This serum targets the need of your skin making this serum ideal for almost everyone. I find that this serum makes my skin softer, not as dry and it tones down the redness in my skin. The only down side to this serum is it is pretty pricey.




I also always make sure to keep my skin hydrated. I use the GlamGlow Thirstymud when my skin feels super dry and needs a boost of hydration.




During my night time skin care routine, I either use the Origins Night-A-Mins or the Josie Maran Argan Milk with her Argan Oil.








Onto makeup.

If I'm not going anywhere for the day, I usually go makeup free. But if I do have to go somewhere, like to run an errand, I usually wear the Bourjois Paris Healthy Serum Foundation. This foundation is a light to medium coverage foundation but what I like about the foundation is it has a serum built in so I feel like it is taking care of my skin at the same time.




Usually when I just wear foundation to run an errand, I always fill in my brows. I love using the Benefit Gimme Brow as it gives a very natural look to the brow. Brows always make an the face looks put together. I also love my eyes so filling my brows in draws eyes to my eyes.



I finish this easy and light makeup look with whatever mascara I am using at the moment and the Bare Minerals Pop of Passion Lip Oil Balm. This lip product is super hydrating. I have this product in Plumberry Pop. This product can be applied sheer or built up. The colour Plumberry Pop is not a neutral/ natural colour at all, but I personally feel the most confident in a bright lip.
Swatch of Plumberry Pop



Glossier is an American beauty company that specializes in skin care and enhancing women's natural beauty. You can check out Glossier beauty products here. Unfortunately they do not ship to Canada.

What products do you use to highlight your natural beauty? Let me know in the comments below.

Stay beautiful
Sarah

Friday, January 8, 2016

Empties - Skin Care Edition

I have accumulated so many empties it isn't even funny. So I've broken them down into categories to help make these posts a little shorter! First up skin care.


Sephora Sheet Masks - Pearl and Green Tea

I did a whole post dedicated to these masks (here). The pearl mask is supposed to perfect and brighten the skin and it really did make my dull skin brighter. The Green tea mask is mattifying and anti-blemish and it lives up to its claims. I also find the green tea one helps with redness as well.

Nivea Gentle Toner

This toner is formulated for dry and sensitive skin (they do have ones formulated for oily skin as well!) I find that this toner really hydrates and soothes my skin. I have found that this really helps to calm my skin down as well.





Origins High Potency Night-A-Mins

I received this in a 500 point perk from Sephora. First off, I was super happy with the size of this sample as it was 1 oz. - almost full size considering the full size is 1.7 oz. This moisturizer describes it self as a mineral rich renewal cream and I have to agree! it is super thick so a little goes a long way and it smells like citrus fruit! I found that this really helps to soothe my skin and get rid of any dry patches I have.

Clinique Custom Repair Serum

This is a completely new discover and I am super happy I found it. This serum responds to what your skin needs so anyone can use this. it is also 100% fragrance free. I have noticed that this product has completely changed my skin - it makes it feel softer, evens out my skin tone while also toning down the redness. A little goes a long way with this product, which is really good because this product is expensive!

First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream

When I saw this product, I was stoked to try it out as a face moisturizer hoping it would help my dry skin. I hated this on my face as it felt super heavy to me BUT using this as a body moisturizer is the best thing ever! This product is formulated as intense hydration for dry parched skin. I have repurchased the smaller size of this product as this tub was a little too much for me.

Garnier Makeup Removing Lotion Cleanser

I loved this product! This cleanser is made for sensitive skin (they do have ones for oily and combo skin!) This cleanser gently removes makeup while calming and comforting the skin. It also apparently removes waterproof mascara but I haven't tried this on my eyes. This cleanser is formulated to be applied to dry skin and then rinsed clean. I did repurchase this product in the gel cleanser form and I don't like it as much as the lotion version.

Caudalie Beauty Elixir

This product really helps to soothe my skin. I spray this product before my moisturizer at night and I also use it whenever my skin feels tight or uncomfortable under makeup. I will say this product has a really strong smell (it's not terrible but it is not great), I only smell it when I am spraying it on.

GlamGlow ThristyMud Hydrating Treatment

This was a little sample I got in a Sephora skin care pack. I LOVE this product. I typically use this product when my skin is feeling extra dry (aka Canadian winters) or if I wore a matte foundation. I apply a even layer and let it stay on my skin for awhile (usually 15-30 minutes). A Sephora employee told me you can also wear this mask overnight. This mask also smells like coconut to me. I don't think I'll ever purchase the full size because of how expensive it is, but I will purchase the travel sizes.



Garnier Eye Roller

I don't have much to  say about this product except for it felt really cooling on the eyes and that the ball worked great. I'm not sure it really de-puffed my under eyes like it claims to do.


First Aid Beauty Eye Duty

This product is supposed to brighten, depuff and smooth the under eyes. This product did brighten as the product is a salmon pink color. I don't think it de-puffed but the metal applicator did feel great and I'm not sure about smoothing. My biggest issues with this product is that it was very hard to control how much product you got. Where the product came out is right near the metal applicator so sometimes I would be smoothing the product out and accidentally squeeze more product out.

ELF Makeup Removing Cleansing Cloths

This makeup wipes are a great value and they do an incredible job. I didn't use these cloths on my eyes but they did remove face makeup wonderfully. These cloths also didn't dry my skin out which was great.


Boscia Makeup- Breakup Cool Cleansing Oil

This product has to be one of my favorite cleanser ever. This product is very gentle but it deep cleans literally dissolving makeup. I also love that this product doesn't leave an oily residue.




ELF Mineral Mist

When I ran out of the Caudalie Beauty Elixir, I decided to use this. This mist is supposed to replenish and revitalize skin.  This product did none of that. This mist actually made my skin drier and because of this I barely finished this product.

That is all my skincare empties! What product have you finished up recently?

Stay Beautiful,
Sarah

Monday, January 4, 2016

Beauty Resolutions

Hello my lovely readers! Long time no write. I apologize for my absence, the last month was super busy for me - final projects, exams, mock interviews, holidays etc. Also, I'm thoroughly convinced that I can't remember anything unless I write it down - I forgot my camera when packing to go home for the holidays, can't blog without decent pictures.

All that aside, I hope each and every one of you had an amazing and safe holiday and New Years. I personally did and I also celebrated my 21st birthday (I'm a New Year's Eve baby).

Let's jump into today's post, which is my 10 resolutions for 2016. 10 does seem like a lot but I think its a pretty manageable list.  * these are in no particular order! *

1) Keep posting on my Monday and Friday schedule - stick to it.

2) Be more active on twitter (@beautyjunkiexo) and Instagam (@beautyjunkiesarah)

3) Write things down - Lists are your friend, Sarah

4)  Buy more liquid lipsticks - I really love Kat Von D Everlasting Lipstick in Bauhau5

5) Use the samples you receive or give them away

6) Try to find my perfect nude - I've tried in the past but I need to commit to this

7) USE my eyeshadows

8) Drink more water!

9) Write more reviews

10) Try new beauty trends - baking etc.

What are your resolutions for 2016? Beauty related or not, let me know in the comments!

Stay beautiful,
Sarah