April Ipsy Unboxing

I recently received my April 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). Here is what I got in my April Ipsy bag.

This month's theme is Beautifully Bohemian. Also, I'm not a huge fan of this bag.

Essence Lash Princess Mascara

This mascara gives dramatic volume. The brush on this mascara is curved to give your lashes the maximum amount of volume possible. This mascara is a new product for Essence Cosmetics. I tried this mascara when and I have to say I don't really like it.

Jor'el Parker Femina Fragrance

This fragrance has a very light feminine scent, which I am enjoying. I have no idea what notes it has in it but it smells a bit like another perfume. This product comes in roller ball form which makes it easy to apply and travel with.





Starlooks Lip Gloss in Cuddle

In the tube the lip gloss looks like a bronze shade with glitter in it. When swatched this lip gloss colour completely disappears and all that is left is glitter. This gloss is also very sticky. This lip gloss has a nice vanilla scent to it.




Theorie Argan Oil Hair Treatment

This is a hair treatment made with Argan oil. Hair treatments are not my thing so I passed this along to my mother.







The Balm Nude Dude eye shadow in Fit

This is a nude shadow that has sheen finish to it. This shadow is very pigmented and it is a bronze shade. This is my first The Balm product and I am very happy with it.




That is everything that came in my Ipsy bag. Overall, I am rating this bag two and a half stars out of five because I am excited about the Balm eye shadow and the perfume. I gave half a star because although I like to try mascaras, this mascara just wasn't for me. The hair treatment and the lip gloss were complete duds in my books. Are you a subscriber to Ipsy? What did you get in your April bag? Let me know in the comments below

If you would like to sign up for Ipsy, please 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*

Makeup Shakeup; Spring

With it being officially spring and it is actually starting to feel like it here in Canada, I thought this would be the perfect time share how I where my makeup differently in the Spring time.

During the warmer months, I tend to wearing lighter foundations and ones that are dewy and give me  some glow. My favorite foundation for this is the L'Oreal True Match Lumi foundation.

I also tend to shy away from winged liner in the spring. I do still wear it but not as often as I do in the winter.  I really like to focus on shadows that a shimmery and I like to have long lashes.

Some great shimmery shadows are the Too Faced Shadow Insurance in Candlelight and Champagne. Since these are actually an eye shadow primer, they are long lasting and they won't crease. I also like the Maybelline Color Tattoos in Barely Branded and Inked in Pink.

For my lashes, I have been really in love with the Tarte Gifted mascara. But any lengthening mascara will work.

On my lips, I tend to go for sheer balm type lip products. I also like to wear brighter colors. My favorite right now are the Revlon Lip Butters.

Also for the lip, you could use the jumbo crayons. These crayons are great for quick application and they give a good amount of color. My favorite crayon lip products are the Revlon Colourburst Balm Stain and the Tarte LipSurgence

Finally on my nails I like to use pastel nail polishes. My current favorite pastel polishes come from the CoverGirl Outlast Stay Brilliant line.

How do you switch up your makeup for the spring?

Stay beautiful
Sarah

Wish List Wednesday; NARS Edition

Time for another wish list Wednesday. I decided to do another one because the Sephora Sale is coming up and I thought this would be a great way to show you all some items that I am interested in and maybe you will be as well. So here is all the NARS items I am interested in

Radiant Creamy Concealer

This concealer is literally all the rage around the beauty community and I have yet to try it. This product is supposed to be hydrating and have skin care benefits that creates a smoother and softer complexion. The formula of this concealer is supposed to blur imperfections and fine lines or wrinkles.

The Multiple in Orgasm

This product seems interesting to me. This product is in a stick form and it is a multipurpose, cream to powder product. This product can be used to highlight, sculpt and on the eyes, lips, cheek and body. This product comes in multiple colors ranging from sheer to bronze. The shade Orgasm is a peachy pink shimmer.

Satin Lip Pencil

I have one of this lip pencils in a mini size and I have fallen in love with it and I want more. These lip pencils come in many shades and they are pigmented. These lip pencils are creamy and have a nice satin finish. This product also claims to last all day.

All Day Luminous Weightless Foundation

This is a brand new foundation out by NARS. This is an oil free foundation that claims to be lightweight and last 16 hours. This foundation is also supposed to give full, natural looking coverage with just one drop! This foundation is a bit pricey but it might be worth it, if you only need one drop this product may last a very long time.

Light Reflecting Pressed Setting Powder

This is a weightless translucent powder. This product is supposed to create a light matte finish that still looks luminous in the light. This powder is also supposed to enhance the look of foundation while extending the makeup wear time. The formula of this powder is supposed to make it apply evenly and blend easily.

That is everything on my wish list. What NARS products do you love?

Stay beautiful
Sarah

Sephora Sheet Masks

I did say I was going to do a full post on the Sephora Collection Sheet Masks. I have personally used these masks, in the a couple different types and I fell in love with them.

These masks are one use only and I do find these masks to be cut a little big for the face. However, the positives outweigh the negatives. I can actually feel a different in my skin after the mask comes off.

I also think these masks would be great to travel with as they are one use and they are contained in a little foil packet (inside the outer circle package)

There is 8 different "kinds" of these masks. They all contain different skin benefits.

Green Tea; This mask mattifies and purifies the skin. The green tea helps soothe the skin and reduces the look of breakouts. I have tried this mask and was supper impressed with the results. My skin was not red where I was breaking out and this mask made my breakout smaller.





Lotus; This mask is moisturizing and soothing. It is designed to refresh tired looking skin and reduce the signs of fatigue and strain. I have also used this mask and it does exactly what it claims. My skin looked brighter and it felt softer after using this.




Lingzhi; This mask makes the skin look smoother and it has anti-aging properties. This mask is supposed to make the skin look plumper and more young looking. I have yet to try this mask.







Ginseng; This mask tones the skin. This mask is also supposed to energize the skin while tightening it to create plumper more youthful skin. I haven't tried this mask yet.


Pomegranate; Anti-fatigue and energizing is what this mask is supposed to give to your skin. This mask is also designed to protect the skin while making it look refreshed and awake. I have tried this mask and I did notice my skin looked brighter and not as tired looking.





Rose; The benefits that this mask has for your skin is moisturizing and brightening. Your skin is supposed to be provided with deep moisture. It is also supposed to brighten dull looking skin. I have used this mask and this really helped my dry skin. My skin actually felt moisturized. I didn't notice any brightening.


Pearl; This mask is supposed to be brightening and perfecting. This mask is supposed to brighten the skin with natural-origin pearl. I have yet to try this mask.







Honey; The benefits of this mask is nourishing and balancing. This mask nourishes dry or sensitive skin. It balances the skin to help sooth and refresh the skin. I have used this mask and my dry and sensitive skin did feel better. It felt smoother and this mask did help soothe my angry skin that day.

These masks provide great skin benefits for all different types of skin issues. I highly recommend these masks. Have you tried these masks? What is your favorite type of mask?

Stay beautiful
Sarah

ELF Mineral Booster Review

I bought this product a little bit ago. I talked about it in my ELF Haul (here). I have used this product several times and decided to share my thoughts with you all.

This product is can be used to set foundation and concealer or by its self. I bought this product specifically to set me make up with. This powder is also supposed to feel soft and smooth on the skin.




I really like to use my Sephora Setting Powder brush with this product. This is because the brush is flat and it is easier to set my concealer under my eyes.

This product has never made my face look cakey and it has always helped my make up last a bit longer. I like that this powder makes my skin look smooth and my skin does feel softer when I am wearing this.

Close up so you can see the pink color

However, there is some downsides to this product.

Although the color is sheer, the powder has a pink color to it. This pink color does transfer on to the skin. This product does oxidize quickly and a the light dusting of pink powder because orange. I found this out when I had only used this powder under my eyes and they ended up looking orange.

I also am not a huge fan of loose powder and this product is no exception to that. I personally find it very hard to travel with loose powders and sometimes just plain hard to get the right amount of the brush.

Overall, I probably would have not bought this powder if I knew that it oxidize as fast as it does. I also feel like ELF needs to change the color on this product from sheer to pink. I wouldn't recommend this product unless there is some trick to make it work. I need to try this powder by itself and see if that makes a difference.

What is your favorite ELF product? Do you know a way to deal with fast oxidizing powders?

Stay beautiful
Sarah

Wish List Wednesday; Smashbox Edition

I haven't done a wish list in what feels like years. So today I decided today list all the items I wish I could have from Smashbox. Here is what is on my wish list.

Liquid Halo HD Foundation

This foundation has an SPF of 15 and it contains a "light responsive technology" so you skin will always have a luminous finish. This HD formula creates an even finish that is supposed to be undetectable to the eye. This foundation is a sheer to medium coverage. I am always willing to try new foundations and this one looks promising.

Full Exposure Palette

This eye shadow palette has 14 neutral colors; 7 are matte shade and the other 7 are shimmer. These shadows are supposed to be very pigmented and are created to work with every skin tone and eye shape. This palette comes with a duo ended brush, a 24 hour eye primer and a eye shape chart (this is designed to show you how to use eye shadows to enhance your natural eye shape.

Telephoto 3 in 1 Face Brush

This is a duo fiber brush that can achieve full, medium or light coverage. This brush can be used with powder or liquid foundations. Simply twist and click the brush to the level of coverage you want. I. really like the idea behind this brush and would love to try it and see if it really lives up to the claims.

Photo Finish Primer Water

This primer water is suppose to hydrate and color correct the skin. This product gives the benefits or priming, hydration and sheer radiance. This primer is free of silicone, alcohol and oil. This primer water is also supposed to awaken the skin while keeping it hydrated and ultra soft. This product is all the rage on YouTube right now and a ton of Beauty Gurus are raving that is works. I would love to try it and see if it lives up to its claims. Since I have dry skin, I am always looking for a product to give my skin a boost of hydration.

Fusion Soft Lights in Baked Starburst
This disc contains 5 shimmery colors that can be used to add a glow to the skin. Baked Starburst contains golden tan, soft peach, tan, champagne and bronze shimmer colors. These soft shades can be layered together and dusted onto cheeks, temples, the nose, or on the lids for a glowing look.

That is everything on my wish list. What products from Smashbox do you want to try?

Stay beautiful
Sarah