May Ipsy!

I got my Ipsy Glam bag for May in the mail yesterday! Woohoo!  The theme is "Spring Fling".

I'm liking some of the stuff, and the others I will try out but can't guarantee if I will like them because one especially isn't something that I would have even thought about buying.

• yaby concealer refill in beige--haven't tried this yet! it looks a little dark for my skin....also, I have no place to put it! it's tiny and it's supposed to go in a magnetic palette, which i don't have, unfortunately.
• Pacifica Bronzing Body Butter--this is something I would never have bought myself.  I am really pale and I've never really gotten into tanning lotions because I felt like the upkeep would take just too much time.  It is also coconut scented, and I really dislike coconut everything.  So I'll try this one out, probably on my legs for the bachelorette festivities next weekend.
• Juice Beauty Reflecting Gloss in Pink--this is pretty and gives you a natural but a slightly wet-shiny MLBB look.  It also has a slightly lemonade-y scent, which is weird and nice at the same time.
• NuMe Finishing Serum--a lot of comments on this on the ipsy website had said that their bottle leaked and the dropper crumbled.  My box was a little banged up and the white dropper was slippery, but nothing looked like it had leaked out.  I haven't tried this yet, but it smells ok and I will probably use it tomorrow!
• Zoya nail polish in Jaqueline--I LOVE THIS.  It is a sort of French Vanilla color and is pretty much opaque in 2 coats.  It also dries pretty quickly.  I have never tried Zoya nail polishes before, but I think I would try more after my experience with this one!

Here's Jaqueline paired with ORLY Gumdrop on my ring finger! 

 The Juice Beauty Reflecting Gloss.  Before taking this picture I hadn't even realized just how sparkly this is! 

This is bad news guys...I am really liking the ipsy experience so far--getting to try things out before I go out and buy stuff all willy-nilly--but I don't know how much my wallet will agree with me!

Gumdrops and lemonade stands! I'm outskies.

Real Techniques and Stila Dare to Bare Palette!

I have been wanting some Real Techniques brushes since I first heard about them.  The closest Ulta is like an hour and fifteen minutes away from here, and in the opposite direction from the shopping area I usually go to.  So, on my way to do some bridesmaids duties across the state, I made an Ulta pit stop and picked up some brushes!

I really wanted the buffing brush, so in that first go I bought the Core Collection.  I knew I could use the buffing brush for foundation and I'd figure out a use for the others in the set.

I LOVE the buffing brush, as it turns out.  I haven't really used the others yet, but I plan on trying them out for a couple things.

I had also seen the base shadow brush from the Starter Set used as a tool to blend under eye concealer, and figured for the price, I could use a few good eye brushes as well.  Additionally, I had noticed the shading brush, and since I caught a buy one, get one 50% off and had a $3.50 off your purchase coupon, I got that one in my order as well!

I have to say, I really love the brushes.  Some of my favorites, and why I like them so much:

• I use the base shadow brush as an under eye blender (it would be wayyy too big for my eyes if used for it's intended purpose--I have very small eyes).  
• The deluxe crease brush is lovely--very soft and fluffy enough to blend all over my eye!  It's nice and lets me get the edges of my shadow looking soft.
• The accent brush is perfect for putting shadow on the outer v of my eyes.  Like I said, my eyes are small so this is great for getting just the outer corners of them!  It would probably also work well for the inner corners, but I haven't tried that yet.
• The shading brush.  Can I just say....omg, the shading brush.  I want another one already!  It is literally perfect for putting shadow all over my eyes, and even in my crease! It's probably my favorite eye brush ever.

I also got the Stila Dare to Bare palette!  I haven't tried this yet, but I did take some pictures of the colors!

I figured this would be a good palette to have while traveling, as it has six shadows, a highlight and a bronzer!  It also has a mirror and a how-to.  I think it will be good for the summer--nice and natural colors that will be flattering and wearable on an everyday basis. 

Vampires and werewolves (*coughwatchingVampDiariescough*)!  I'm outskies.

Ok, so in my first post I said I'd get back to that bunch of stuff I got from the big thebalm 50% off sale that they had to launch their new website!

Soo, I posted pics of what I got.....and then I went and ordered a few more things.  I felt like, at 50% off, I couldn't resist! I figured I'd be able to try some new stuff and after I had made that first order, I did some more research about some of the skincare products and decided to try some of them as well!

So, in my second order, I got this stuff!

Here's what I got:

• Time Balm Primer! (haven't tried this yet, but I will do a review once I do!)
• White Tea Spearmint Aloe Face Mask (again, haven't used this yet...hmmm, maybe tonight?)
• Juniper Oil-Free Face Moisturizer (I got this because I had read good reviews about it!  I plan on using it when my Neutrogena moisturizer runs out)
• Staniac in....Beauty Queen? I think?

Here are some pics of the Staniac:

Swatched on my hand!

This is the stain it left when I rubbed it off! And I really rubbed, so it sticks very well!

The Staniac is a staining gel.  I really like it, because it's not liquid so it stays where you put it, but it does dry after you put it on so you can layer other things on top if you want!  I really like the color--it's a fun, wearable fuschia color.  Me gusta mucho!



Aaaand a couple more pics of the Meet Matt(e) Nude Palette, as well as the Hot Mama blush (which I really like).

I am loving the colors in this palette.  I haven't been using it as much as I should be, but I got the Urban Decay Naked Basics palette around the same time and have been using that a little more often, just because the colors in that take less thought to throw together.  I did pair the new Maybelline Color Tattoo in Frosty Shores with Matt Johnson and Matt Hung, which resulted in a very pretty blue-grey smokey look.  I will definitely be recreating!

I also really like the Hot Mama blush! It is a shimmery coral that goes with pretty much everything.  I have to say though, I have found that with blushes from thebalm, a little goes a LONG way.  I have to use my fingers to apply this blush because when I was using a brush, it put WAY too much on my cheeks! I do want to try applying with a smaller brush maybe, because I think that might blend a little better.  

Anywho, I need to use the Nude 'Tude a little more as well, but I've been on a total matte eyeshadow kick lately so I haven't gotten to try all of the colors in that yet.

....I also may or may not have ordered the Down Boy blush when thebalm was on Hautelook....it was just so pretty and calling to meee!

Sunshine and snowballs! I'm outskies.

L'Oreal Magic Skin Beautifier BB Cream Review

Hello again old chaps!

Today I just HAD to share something with you.  I got some samples in an Ulta order a little while back, and the one I was most excited about was the L'Oreal Magic Skin Beautifier BB Cream.  I have been using the Maybelline Dream Fresh BB Cream and it's OK, but I also have kinda oily skin, and it doesn't really help that because it's supposed to leave a pretty fresh, dewy finish.
Anyway, I had heard that the L'Oreal cream has a matte, sort of drying finish that would be good for peeps with oily skin, so I was pumped that I would get to try it out without spending the $8 on something I may not like.

And boy was I glad for this sample.
The texture of this BB Cream feels very light and almost.....thin?  It's not creamy really and seems to have little bits of grit in it (I think those might be the color capsule things that make the cream colored).  It comes out white at first, then when you rub it into your skin, it changes.......

....to orange.  I got the color Light, which I'm fairly certain is the lightest color it comes in.  I am pale.  Not albino, but there is no tan whatsoever to be found on this skin 'o mine.  Scandinavian heritage and all that.  However, I could visibly see the difference between my skin and the color of the BB cream....like...not even a close match.  However, I did leave it on to see if it would change at all after being on my skin for a little bit.

However, a few hours later, upon looking into a mirror at work, I realized that I looked slightly like an Oompa-Loompa half-breed.  Not completely orange, but orange-tan enough to look very strange on my face.  I was able to wipe some of it off, which toned down the color.  To give you a better example of the color of this: I used one of those brown Kraft paper towels, and the orange color showed up on them from my face! On a brown towel!

Needless to say, I was pretty disappointed.  I really liked the finish and the feel of this cream--I did not mind the grittiness because it went away after actually rubbing it into the skin, and I really liked the lightness and the mattifying finish.  The color, for me, was the big letdown.

So, in the end, if you have non-pale skin on the oily side, I would give this a try!

Peaches and Cream!  I'm outskies.