Swim Into Beauty Ipsy June 2015 Review

I’m still catching up! I received June’s Ipsy bag and have had the pictures waiting to be published.

The bag wasn’t horrible, but it wasn’t the best bag I’ve had from them.

There were about three things I really loved. To begin, the bag was an interesting material. It has “ipsy” all over it with a top orangish colored zipper closure. I personally thought it was ugly so I’ll be passing it on to someone else. The most recognizable branded item was the Smashbox Cosmetics Photo Finish Foundation Primer. As you can see, it isn’t pictured because I used it up! The other brand I recognized was Lavanilla. I was happy to get this sample because I’ve wanted to try their lotions.

Here’s a breakdown of what I received and their values!

Smashbox Cosmetics Photo Finish Foundation Primer, $8

This was an exciting sample for me. I love Smashbox Cosmetics and this primer helps your makeup stay on forever. It feels really slippery and fills in all your pores. It basically perfects your skin before putting on other layers. It’s also good for oil-prone skin like mine!

Pure Vanilla The Healthy Body Butter Instant Hydration by Lavanila Laboratories, $4

This sample was wonderful. The warm scent of the vanilla was really strong and it stayed on my skin. Unfortunately I didn’t find it as moisturizing as I’d hoped. It didn’t seem to make my hands softer in the long run. What I do love about this brand is that it’s 100% all natural. I wouldn’t buy a full sized item, but I’d welcome more samples of other scents.

tre’StiQue Mini Shadow Crayon in Kona Coffee, $10

This is a brand that Ipsy has been including lately. I think this is the first item I received from them. It was OK. Nothing too spectacular. I liked the shape of the crayon and the pigmentation was alright. It’s one of those products that isn’t worth the crazy high price tag for the quality. A full size is $26. I’d rather buy shadow crayons from more established brands for that price. I haven’t used it once since June.

Liptitude Hydrating Lip Stain by J.Cat Beauty, $5.99

When I first saw this lip color, I thought it was a throw-in and nothing special. The color looked OK, but the name, Liptitude, seemed juvenile. When I opened it, I decided to try it. The color was fantastic! My husband even said it looked great on. I think the shade I received was called Blow Your Mind. My mum saw it on me and also wanted one. Eventually I noticed it did move around on my lips. The color stayed, since it’s a stain, but I had trouble keeping it in place. The formula was thick and a little messy. Since I liked the shade so much, I think I’ll try it with a clear lip liner. Overall, I liked the sample, but won’t buy it since it was a little messy and had a strange smell.

BioRepublic Soothing Fiber Masks (3), $14.95

Three masks! Woohoo! That’s a great “one item.” A set of three masks is valued at $14.95. In the picture there is one missing because I tried it the night I opened the bag. Overall these masks worked well. They seemed to help with my irritated skin and smelled really great. I don’t think they work as well as Karuna masks or GlamGlow, but they were the perfect addition for the June bag. BioRepublic is a really interesting brand. It was developed by Americans who traveled in Asia. The website says,

“Not being ones to accept the status quo, Justin and Paolo immediately set out to create their own line of sheet masks, inspired by Korean products but formulated with American tastes and values. Now they’re bringing their masks to you, without parabens, sulfates, pthalates, or triclosan. 100% cruelty-free. Dermatologist tested and totally transparent.”

If you haven’t tried a sheet mask yet, you should! They work really well and are inexpensive.

Overall I liked my bag. I don’t have a lot of complaints because I feel as if I got my $10 worth of products. I loved the masks and the primer. Did you get this bag? What have you been using since June? If you give it some time, then you learn what you really use on a regular basis and prefer!

Love & Laughter,

Tiffany

Disclosure: I pay for my own Ipsy subscription. There are referral links in this post and also Amazon referrals. I receive points if you sign up using my link. Thanks!

September Birchbox

9 / 15 / 157 / 15 / 16

I worked so hard to get good pictures in September that I forgot to write the post and post this! This was by far one of my favorite Birchboxes! I love Pop Beauty and also loved the brow product from Benefit. (Strange I got another like it the month of June 2016).

Anyway, I still decided to share this pictures with you.

Love & Laughter,

June 2015 Birchbox: The Tig

9 / 9 / 15

Hello darlings! Believe it or not, I have actually taken pictures of my past Birchboxes (you know, the ones I planned on writing about) and never got around to writing about them. I had a strange feeling that this may happen when I began writing on here, but no worries because I’m getting all caught up! So, as most of you know, I’m a subscriber to Birchbox and I heart it to death. For only $10 a month you get some fabulous samples and I really love their different collaborations.

For June, the guest box collaborator was The Tig. I hadn’t heard of The Tig before, but after receiving this fabulous box and loving the style, I researched who it was. I found out that The Tig is actually a blog that’s designed for those “with a discerning palate.” You’ll find travel posts, recipes, and style on this fun blog. How fun! So, here is what was curated in the June box.

Marcelle BB Cream in Golden Glow (not pictured)

Oribe Cote d’Azur Fragrance

Davines SU Hair & Body Wash

Harvey Prince Hello Body Cream

Real Chemistry Luminous 3-Minute Peel

Oribe Cote d’Azur Fragrance

The first thing I noticed was this little fragrance sample. I’ll be honest, I usually hate little fragrance vials. I feel like I can pick them up for free at Sephora…BUT this one seemed a little bit different. The brand is called Oribe and seems super faannccyyy. I guess less than two ounces is $85. Yikes! Well, I liked the perfume a lot. It’s based off their hair products. Other reviewers said it was fresh, clean, and energizing. I’d have to agree. I won’t be purchasing this because I feel like it should smell stronger for $85, but I won’t complain about the sample since it is a more high-end brand.

Marcelle BB Cream in Golden Glow (not pictured)

This BB cream looked great but I don’t use it on a regular basis. I gave it to my mom.

Davines SU Hair & Body Wash

I’m a sucker for luxurious bath products. When I saw this cute little bottle, I was determined to fall in love with it. Unfortunately, it just didn’t work like I would’ve liked. The smell was OK, kind of like a beach. The liquid didn’t lather well and it didn’t seem to work well in my hair at all. Instead of cleaning my locks, it felt as if it was just adding stuff in my hair. Since I didn’t really like it, I tried to use it as bubble bath. I should’ve known it wouldn’t have created bubbles. Overall this product kind of sucked. Points for cute packaging though!

Harvey Prince Hello Body Cream

This body cream is infused with the popular Harvey Prince Hello perfume. The little sample was super cute and I loved the bright yellow theme. The cream itself was nice. I left it by my nightstand and used it for my dry hands. The scent reminded me of citrus. According to the description, the cream has Sicilian lemon, shea butter, and Spanish mandarin botanicals. The product absorbed well. I have other scents I like better, but this was a really great addition to the box.

Real Chemistry Luminous 3-Minute Peel

One of the main reasons I subscribe to Birchbox (and other beauty boxes) is because of products like Real Chemistry! I would never in a million years drop money on a chemical peel on my own. BUT after trying this sample in my box, I was hooked. I even requested another one in my next box! (I hardly ever want two samples of the same thing!) The Real Chemistry Luminous 3-Minute Peel worked great with my acne-prone skin and helped take away all the yucky dead skin cells. It doesn’t hurt and is very gentle. Once I was done using it in the bath, I added some moisturizer. I received compliments on my skin the next day! What? I hardly ever do! This stuff is good. Buy some.

Overall

I liked this box. It wasn’t love-at-first-sight, but it was good. I felt for $10 I got some great products and it was worth it to try the great Real Chemistry Peel. If you want to try Birchbox, feel free to sign up using my link!

Disclosure: I pay for my own Birchbox subscription. There are referral links in this post and also Amazon referrals. I receive points if you sign up using my link. Thanks!