Ipsy Review - May

What time is it? Ipsy time!

I love getting this bag in the mail! As I’ve always said, this is the best bag out there, especially for such a low price.  If you are looking to start a beauty subscription, I would definitely try Ipsy first.

As you know this box is $10 a month….how can you not go for it? 

The theme of this month’s bag is “Fresh Picks.”  It came in a cute little canvas type bag with little leaves on it. Very “green.” Oddly enough, it smells really good, unlike last month. I wonder if they got a lot of comments on last months and decided to make sure this month was different? It smells like a soft vanilla, but nothing in my bag smells like that!

So here it is….the May Ipsy bag!  

           1)     Hang Ten Classic Sport Sunscreen SPF 50 - 1 oz.

Sunscreen?  I mean, they are all pretty much the same.  I will welcome the small size of it though, perfect to throw in my purse! The packaging is cute though, definitely screams summer!

Full Size: $12.99 for 6 oz. My Value: $2.17

           2)    Eva NYC Therapy Session Hair Mask  – 2.03 oz. (FULL SIZE)

            I am really excited to try this. The last time I got my hair trimmed she mentioned it was really 

            dry….this will be perfect! I love the packaging on this too. Very bright and fun.  It smells 

            really good too. I do find it odd that this is considered “full size” though.  I mean, how many 

            uses can you really get out of this??

Full Size: $12.00 My Value: $12.00

           3)    Precision Beauty Eyelash Curler – (FULL SIZE)

            Well this isn’t anything new to me, but it’s been years since I got a new one so I’m not 

            gonna complain!  I like the color too.

Full Size: $5.00 My Value: $5.00

4)  Boo-Boo Cover- up Body Concealer – .34 oz.

This is a body concealer for bruises and cuts, which I think is pretty cool.  There have definitely been times that I put makeup on my leg to cover a bruise!  I may need to get a bit of a tan for it to not look ridiculous though haha.

Full Size: $19.99 My Value: $19.99

       5)  Pacifica Eyeshadow Duo in “Natural Beauty” – .07 oz. (FULL SIZE)

Man, Ipsy really loves Pacifica.  There isn’t anything incredibly exciting about this either.  It’s a shadow and the colors are pretty, but I doubt I’ll get much use out of it!

Full Size: $3.00 My Value: $3.00

 Final Cost: $10.00

Final Value: $42.16

Well in numbers, the value looks pretty good, but for me personally I just don’t feel it.  The whole bag just seems kind of blah. I don’t hate it, but I don’t love it either.

What are your thoughts?

If you’d like to give it a try you can sign up here!

(As always, I swear I’m not a review blog….I just like sharing these things in hopes that other people will get to have the same fun that I do!  I am not compensated in any way.)

Pretty Little Beauty Swap Matches!

Thanks so much to everyone who signed up! I know that Chelsee, Ange and I all love seeing how much this swap is growing! We all love beauty products and love that we are able to host such a great swap event where we all can share our love of beauty. 

Now onto the matches! Just remember that you Must contact your partner by May 15th and you will have a month to get to know your partner and then packages must be sent by June 16th. For any questions you may have just email me!

Hosted by Justine from Sleepy Single Girl , Chelsee from Southern Beauty Guide and Ange from Hairspray and Highheels. The Pretty Little Beauty Swap is a bi-monthly swap between ladies who love makeup and meeting new friends!

 

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Please see all of the detailed rules below.

Rules:
1) We would love for you to follow the hosts: Southern Beauty Guide, Sleepy Single Girl and Hairspray & Highheels!
2) Email your partner within 72 hours of receiving your match. If you haven’t heard from your partner after
3 days are up, please let us know and we will pair you up with someone else!
3) Spend the month getting to know your partner. Learn her makeup likes and dislikes and colors she tends to use or steer clear of.
4) Each box should be a minimum of $15. If you’d like to spend more, great! I am sure your partner will love you for it. You can include items you’ve received in past beauty boxes or even go out and purchase things you know your partner will love.
5) Please include at least 2 full size items. No one wants to receive a bunch of itty bitty lotion samples!
6) Items must be new, unless you’ve discussed with your partner beforehand and she is comfortable accepting gently used items that you have tried and didn’t like.
7) Ship your packages by June 16th. Make sure to get a tracking number so we can confirm you sent a package if it gets lost.
8) Once you receive your package, create a reveal post and link up with us on June 20th.

(RESIDENTS OF THE US ONLY)

The most important rule of them all…..Have fun!


To find who you are sending a box to: There is instructions are located on the form where matches are displayed. Please click the link below to see instructions and matches. 

Click here to see the list of matches!

$320 Big Ones!

While I'm out of town, I thought I'd post a giveaway for you all! You could win $320 smackaroos! It starts at midnight tonight (Monday night), so make sure to check back and enter!

Good luck and happy blogiversary to He Calls me Grace!

He Calls Me Grace // Sew Crafty Angel // My Safe Havens // The Stitchin Mommy // Oh The Things I Think 

Buttons and Birdcages // Kory Woodard // Sleepy Single Girl // Notes from the Nelsens // Macdonald's Playland

My Life Remixing // Hey Hollywood // Busy Sweet Life // Anointed Heels // The Life of the Party

Chasing Extraordinary // Boho Bunnie // Look by Liz Lewis // Crafts a la Mode 

One winner takes full $320 in cash. Must have a PayPal account in order to receive cash.

Contact Katie with any questions at callsmegrace@gmail.com

Enter with the Rafflecopter link below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Off to Portland!

Well guys, at this time I should officially be in Portland, Oregon!

Since my brother is stationed in Seattle, my mom and I thought it would be fun to go to one of C’s away games in Portland so we could all meet up.  A lot of people ask me if I go to all of his games and that would be a resounding no.  Do you know how expensive that would be?  In fact, not including the two Arena Bowl games I’ve attended, this will be my first away game.  It will be my brothers first time at one of C’s games too, which I am really excited about.

Originally, we had planned to fly in on Thursday, do a little exploring until C’s game on Saturday and then head up to Seattle on Sunday to explore there.  We booked our flight out from Seattle so we didn’t have to drive back.

But……the good ole’ Portland Trailblazers had to screw everything up.

Apparently they are quite good this season and advanced in the finals, meaning they needed the arena the team was supposed to play in on Saturday.  So C’s game got moved to Sunday, which is Mother’s Day. Womp womp.   Thankfully, my mother loves going to C’s game (she’s been to almost every single one) so it won’t be a problem for her!  I guess we will just have to spend the entire trip exploring Portland instead.

I know I’ll be standing in line for those Voo Doo Donuts I keep hearing about…..anything else I should check out?

Image from here

I’m sure there will be lots to tell when I return home, hope you all have a great weekend!

Lip Factory Review - April

Lip Factory review time! 

Lip Factory is a monthly beauty box that is $22 a month (S&H included) and comes with 5-7 products each time.  The box aims to give you a “full face” of makeup, but its main focus is on…lips of course!  This is one of my favorites, and though more expensive than ipsy, they always send full sized products which is great!

This month’s theme was “Welcome Spring!” and I can see how this box fits the theme!

Here it is….the March Lip Factory box!  

 

          1)     Jesse’s Girl Kohl Eyeliner in “Grape Expectations” – 0.4 oz.  (FULL SIZE)

Yeah, I’m not excited by this.  In all honesty it seems like a very cheap liner and there is no way I would put that thing near my eyes!

Full Size: $1.99 My Value: $1.99

          2)    Be a Bombshell Eye Shadow in “Divine” – .05 oz. (FULL SIZE)

Well this is pretty!  I love the color….but I am not sure I could actually get away with it on my eyes.  I don’t think it is like anything I own though, which is great.

Full Size: $14.00 My Value: $14.00

           3)    Be a Bombshell Eye Crayon in “Black Jack”– .09 oz. (FULL SIZE)

I am not sure if I would be able to successfully use this liner or not…..it seems way too thick for me!  Plus, I have no clue how to smudge my eyeliner.  I would be better off wearing black shadow than this!

Full Size: $14.00 My Value: $14.00

4)   NYX Butter Gloss in “Peaches & Cream” – .27 oz. (FULL SIZE)

I love this!  The color is a tad bright, but I love the texture of it.  It’s sooooo soft and buttery. It smells really great too. I will definitely be looking for more of these in the store!

Full Size: $5.00 My Value: $5.00

            5)    NYX Butter Gloss in “Crème Brulee” – .27 oz. (FULL SIZE)

             I have to say, I am really excited about getting another one of these.  I noticed in the 

             printed materials that everyone else got a nail polish, but Lip Factory actually read 

             my profile stating that I don’t like nail polish so they didn’t send me one.  I think that 

             is seriously fantastic!  Plus, I love that I got a second color of something that I liked.   

             This one is much more suitable to my taste too. 

Full Size: $5.00 My Value: $5.00

6)   OFRA Lipstick in “#109 Toffee” – 4 g. (FULL SIZE)

I really like the color of this lipstick too!  I have had a few glosses from Ofra that I didn’t really like (they were too thick and matte looking on my lips) so I am hoping this one is better!

Full Size: $13.00 My Value: $13.00

 

Final Cost: $22.00

Final Value: $52.99

I can’t stress enough how much I appreciate the fact that the folks over at Lip Factory paid attention to my likes and dislikes in my profile.  It’s pretty darn amazing!  I will definitely keep getting this box!

What do you think?

If you’d like to sign up…..use my referral number? Pretty please?  It’s 385223.

(Also, I swear I’m not a review blog….I just like sharing these fun things! I have not been compensated for this review.)

Football Talk

Well guys, C’s team is already over 1/3 of the way through their season.  I honestly can’t believe it.  I swear, it’s gone by really fast, though that’s probably because all but one of the games has been at home.  Now the tough part of the season is here, where he is gone all weekend, every weekend.  Boo.  He just got home from Jacksonville, Florida yesterday and he left on Friday at 5:30am!

My baby is Superman!

 

Just kidding, he just likes knocking people over!

The team has played 7 games so far.  Guess how many they have won?

A full size page ad in the paper? Say what?!? That's my man!

If you answered 7, because they are awesome, you would be correct!

In US Airways Center...he's the guy in the middle :)

I am not going to lie, I wasn’t very confident in the team when the season started.  I didn’t expect them to win several of the games, but they have really kicked some butt! Many of the games have been close, but a win is a win!  I am a little tired of the slight heart attack feeling I get when the score is too close or the team is down with not much time to go.

After the first game of the season

He has stayed pretty injury free so far, which I love.  Yes, he’s got some bumps and bruises (ew and these nasty raspberry type scrapes on his arms that are just patches of missing skin), but nothing major which I am so thankful for.  The entire team has actually stayed relatively healthy which is fantastic!

This is seriously how his hair looks after games....eek!

Something really exciting happened this season…..they finally started selling C’s jersey!  Of course, I snatched it up the first day it was available.  Thank goodness I did, because they sold out that night! So cool.  I love seeing fans walking around wearing his jersey and supporting him. It makes me proud!  My mom and I are working on making it more wearable (the sleeves are humongous) but I love it.

On Thursday I am actually traveling for the first time to watch him play in a road game (besides the Arena Bowl).  My mom and I will be heading to Portland, Oregon to watch them play.  I am really excited because my brother is stationed near Seattle (about 3 hours away) so he will be able to join us.  This will be his first time at one of C’s games as well!  I can’t wait to explore both Portland and Seattle since I have never been to either place! Any suggestions on where we should and what we should see? 

Pretty Little Beauty Swap Sign Ups!

It's that time again! After seeing all the wonderful posts last round I was so excited to start the next one. It seems that everyone is love the Pretty Little Beauty Swap! I know that it is like Christmas all over again when I get my box each month, and I love how I am constantly introduced to new products through this swap! 

Do you love getting beauty boxes?  Or maybe just trying new beauty products in general?

What about making new friends or receiving packages in the mail full of goodies? Want to meet another Beauty Loving Blogger?

If any of these things sounds awesome to you, then the Pretty Little Beauty Swap is for you!

 

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Hosted by Justine from Sleepy Single Girl , Chelsee from Southern Beauty Guide and  Ange from Hairspray and Highheels. The Pretty Little Beauty Swap is a bi-monthly swap between ladies who love makeup and meeting new friends!

Every other month, ladies will be paired up with another woman that they will have a chance to get to know and then get to send each other a gift of beauty products.

Swap boxes can be filled with beauty samples from past boxes that just weren’t your thing or purchased items you just know your partner will love!

Signups for this swap will be May 1st- May 10th. Partners will be announced by May 12th. You will have a month to get to know your partner and then packages must be sent by June 16th.

At the end of the month (June 20th) we will all link up to share what we’ve received!! Who’s in for some new pretty little beauty products and some even better new friends?

*All of the rules listed below are mandatory. If you can’t complete them, 

you won’t be able to participate in future swaps.*

Rules:

1) We would love for you to follow the hosts: Southern Beauty Guide , Sleepy Single Girl & Hairspray & Highheels!

2) Email your partner within 72 hours of receiving your match. If you haven’t heard from your partner after 3 days are up, please let us know and we will pair you up with someone else!

3) Spend the month getting to know your partner. Learn her makeup likes and dislikes and colors she tends to use or steer clear of.

4) Each box should be a minimum of $15. If you’d like to spend more, great! I am sure your partner will love you for it. You can include items you’ve received in past beauty boxes or even go out and purchase things you know your partner will love.

5) Please include at least 2 full size items. No one wants to receive a bunch of itty bitty lotion samples!

6) Items must be new, unless you’ve discussed with your partner beforehand and she is comfortable accepting gently used items that you have tried and didn’t like.

7) Ship your packages by June 16th. Make sure to get a tracking number so we can confirm you sent a package if it gets lost.

8) Once you receive your package, create a reveal post and link up with us on June 20th

The most important rule of them all…..Have fun!

Click here to sign up!