Lip Factory Review - September

It’s time for a Lip Factory review!

To me, this box is like Ispy, but with more full sized products. 5-7 full sized products to be exact! If you have the money ($22), this is a good one to spring for! They aim for a “full face” of makeup, but their main focus is…lips of course!   This box comes a little later in the month too which I like because it really spaces out the awesome mail that I get!

Sometimes this box has a theme and sometimes it doesn’t. This month the theme is “Autumn Arrives.” I have to say maybe only one of the products feels Autumn-like to me.

So here it is….the September Lip Factory box!  

           1)     girlactik Pout shine in “Pretty” – .42 oz. (FULL SIZE)

I am really bummed about the color of this.  Its just way too light pink for me, I think I would look really weird wearing it.  The price is kinda crazy too, I rather purchase something similar from a well known brand like MAC!

Full Size: $19.00  My Value: $19.00

           2)    J.Cat Jar Eye Liner in “Jet Black” – .09 oz. (FULL SIZE)

J. Cat seems to be lagging behind everyone on its various products. I’ve seen this type of liner before, now a year later J. Cat comes out with the cheap version of it. The brush included is thoughtful if its your first time purchasing it, but if you buy it multiple times it seems like a waste of money.

Full Size: $5.99 My Value: $5.99

           3)    OFRA Lip Gloss in “Orchid” – 8 g. (FULL SIZE)

I feel like I have gotten this exact gloss before, but looking back I guess I was wrong.  Either way its too shiny for me.  I love the underlying color, but I just don’t look good with that much sparkle on my lips!

Full Size: $12.95 My Value: $12.95

            4)    Model Co. Eyeshadow Trio in “Naturally Neutral” – .08 oz. (FULL SIZE)

             I don’t really find anything too exciting about this, but I don’t hate it either.  I guess 

             it is because the colors are nothing new.  I have way too many “neutral” brown 

             shadows. Either way, this would probably be a nice travel set.

Full Size: $26.00 My Value: $26.00

5)  None? Angle Eyeliner Brush – (FULL SIZE)

I find it very odd that there isn’t a brand listed on this brush or even on the insert that provides more detail about each of the products included.  I highly doubt that this brandless brush is worth $9.50!  I already have a favorite angle brush for my liners though so I won’t be using this. Plus, the liner that came in the box already comes with a brush, why would I need two?!

Full Size: $9.50 My Value: $9.50

Final Cost: $22.00

Final Value: $73.44

I’m pretty neutral on this box, maybe leaning towards a little let down.  First of all, I feel like “autumn” means browns and corals and such….not pinks. I’m hoping I can get use out of the gloss (maybe over another color) as well as the shadow and liner.   I know I won’t be using the Pout shine or the brush!

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.)

Bon's Book Club - Eleanor and Park

This month’s book for Bon’s Book Club was Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell. I was kind of excited to read this book because I have heard so many great things about it.  It seems to be one of the “it” books of the year!  Here is the description from Amazon:

“Bono met his wife in high school, Park says.
So did Jerry Lee Lewis, Eleanor answers.
I’m not kidding, he says.
You should be, she says, we’re 16.
What about Romeo and Juliet?
Shallow, confused, then dead.
I love you, Park says.
Wherefore art thou, Eleanor answers.
I’m not kidding, he says.
You should be.

Set over the course of one school year in 1986, this is the story of two star-crossed misfits—smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try. When Eleanor meets Park, you’ll remember your own first love—and just how hard it pulled you under.”

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TiThis

Well, this book fell pretty flat to me.  I read it, but I didn’t love it.  In fact, about 25% into it I decided to put it down and read a more interesting book.  Only once I was done with that book did I pick this back up and plow through it.  Thankfully I was on my honeymoon and had lots of porch time overlooking the beach to read.

I think the main reason I didn’t like this book was that it almost seemed to be going nowhere.  It was the same old thing for almost its entire 335 pages.  His point of view, her point of view, his point of view, gasp they held hands, how he felt, how she felt, blah blah. Over and over again.  A teenage relationship can only build so much and this one wasn’t any different.

The couple themselves seemed so very awkward to me and I spent a good part of the book cringing. I guess I never had an awkward teenage romance….or at least that I remember!

Also, I hated the ending. So there’s that.

I’m honestly not sure what people see in this book.  It wasn’t terrible by any means, I guess I just need more excitement in my books??

Next up for Bon’s Book Club is Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald by Therese Anne Fowler.  I’m honestly not sure what to think about this book.  I hope its good!  I mean, she was friends with Gatsby in real life, its got to be interesting right?

Have you read Eleanor and Park? What are your thoughts?

Ipsy Review - September

Ipsy time!  

It was lovely to come back from my Honeymoon with all sorts of awesome beauty goodies waiting for me!

I really think this is the best bag out there, especially for the price…just $10 a month!  If you are looking to start a beauty subscription, I would definitely try Ipsy first.

The theme of this month’s bag is “Street Style.” Again, the theme is a bit odd to me.  At most, 2 of the items match it!

Anyways…. Here is the September Ipsy bag!  

           1)     Nourish Organic Face Cleanser – 1 oz.

            I am curious to try this. I have seen this brand at Target, so I know it’s not too difficult to 

            find.  I like that its actual a tube with multiple uses too and not just a single packet, that 

            makes it a lot easier to get a point of view on the product!

Full Size: $13.99 6 oz. My Value: $2.33

           2)    Mitchell and Peach Luxury Hand Cream – 1.1 oz.

            Eh, not a fan. For some reason, I have never been a lotion person. I just don’t use it. 

            Especially if it smells like grandma’s like this one does! 

            Full Size: $27.83 for 2.1 oz. My Value: $14.57

            3)    Pacifica Eyeliner in “Gun Metal” – .026 oz.

             I really dislike Pacifica brand for some reason.  I have gotten two of their other products in 

             my monthly beauty subscriptions and they were terrible.  Just so….cheap feeling.  No more 

             pacifica!

 Full Size: $11.00 My Value: $11.00

4)  Crown Brush Crease/Shadow Brush – FULL SIZE

This looks just like a brush that has come in several of my eyeshadow palettes.  I never use them because its really difficult to keep a dual ended brush looking decent! I will be giving this one a try though, maybe the “crease” end of it will benefit me!

Full Size: $6.99 My Value: $6.99

      5)  Cailyn Tinted Lip Gloss in “Love Affair” – .14 oz. (FULL SIZE)

I hate this!  It is sooo far from my color it isn’t even funny. I wish I had gotten the other color, which was more of a coral.  Bummer.

Full Size: $19.00 My Value: $19.00

Final Cost: $10.00

Final Value: $53.89

Well I guess since I was overly excited about the last bag and loved everything in it, I should have expected to be bummed by this bag? I really only think I’ll get use out of the face wash and maybe the brush. 

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.)

So.....

This happened while I was away :)

I am still trying to get caught up on life and work and everything in between, but I will be back soon with lots of details.  I can't wait to get the pictures back from our photographer!

Our wedding day was amazing, and even though there were a few minor snafus (and even one I would call major) it was perfect to me.

Our honeymoon was awesome too, though it also included a snafu :)  By the end of our 11 days in Maui we were definitely ready to come home!

Be back soon!

Netflix For Clothes?

(I am away for my wedding and Honeymoon so I am re-posting some of my favorites)

It's been a little since I have talked about one of my favorite things in life right now....Le Tote.  I have been getting this subscription since July 2013 and I am still as in love with it as I was on the first day!  No, I don't get compensated for this post, I just love it so much I want you all to know about it!

What it is:  For $49 a month Le Tote sends you a box that includes 3 clothing items and 2 pieces of jewelry.  You wear these as much as you want and then send them back using a prepaid envelope and then they send you another box. You can keep the items as long as you want or you can send them back as soon as you wear them all.  You get unlimited boxes each month, they just send you a new box once they receive yours back.

Makes an appearance here (seriously, check out this post too, its hilarious!)

Its like Netflix for clothes!!!  It's so awesome!  Once you receive your first box, you can go on to the site and pick out items from their inventory that you love and they will be placed into your "closet." Once it's time to send you a new box, they pick from these items so you will get something you love! If you really love it once it arrives, you can keep it!  They just charge your card the price of the item.

Also, you don't even have to wash the clothes before you send them back.  How great is that?  I had way less laundry this week than normal.

Makes an appearance here

I really love this because it gives me the opportunity to try items of clothing I probably wouldn't buy.  Same with jewelry.  I am not a huge fan of statement necklaces, but I can get one every once in a while through this service to wear.  That way I don't have to fork over a bunch of money for a necklace I would rarely wear.

I also get at least 3 new outfits to wear a week.  How can you not love that?

I did a few posts on it here and here.  Both of these actually include an outfit picture too....which is not the norm for around here!


Here are a bunch of my other favorites that I have worn! 

 

If their prices to keep items weren't so high, I would probably keep several of the items.  I just don't like spending that much on one item though.  Yes, I am cheap and I don't care who knows it!

I have seen lots of things about Stitch Fix and honestly it sounds really cool but I hate that their clothes are so expensive! I like this because instead of 3-5 high priced items a month that I can buy, I can wear 15-20 different pieces and then ship them back for more!

Have you tried Le Tote yet?

How to Transfer a Single MAC Eyeshadow to a Palette

(I am away for my wedding and Honeymoon so I am re-posting some of my favorites)

When I was in high school I became addicted to buying MAC makeup.  Actually, it was their eye shadow to be exact.  I loved going into the store and picking out a new color from their lineup. I would stand there for what seemed like forever testing all of the colors on my hand before deciding which one was going to come home with me.

When I started to dabble in some modeling in college, I noticed that a lot of the makeup artists had palettes of MAC eye shadow.  They seriously looked awesome.  I wished I could put all of the single shadows that I had into one of their palettes, but I was told you have to buy them that way.  

I found out you can buy the eye shadows as refills which don’t have the outside plastic casing and then buy an empty palette that holds 15 refills to put them all in. Each refill has a magnet at the bottom as does the case, so that’s how they stick in there.

The problem was, by that time, I had over 45 single shadows in their big ole plastic cases!

Then one day, I met the greatest makeup artist ever.  She told me she had started with a bunch of singles too and had figured out a way to get them all into palettes. Que the Hallelujahs! I was so excited.

She taught me how to do it and after perfecting it….I thought I would teach you all how to go from this:

To this:

You will need:
MAC Eyeshadow
Lighter
Safety Pin
Magnet Tape
Scissors

(I did this to two different shadows and chose the best pic from each. C helped.....how nice of him)

Step 1: Slide a safety pin in the tiny crack along the front of the top part of the shadow case (once its open). Sometimes it takes a little work, but you should be able to jimmy it in there.

Step 2:  Once you get the safety pin in, you should be able to pop the two pieces apart and separate them. 

Step 3: Take a lighter and hold it under the bottom of the shadow plate to warm it up. I do think for a good 15-25 seconds. It slightly singes the bottom of the plastic, but you don't need to worry about that. What you are really doing here is loosening the glue that is keeping the two pieces together.

Step 4: Once it is good and warm, take a safety pin  and gently slide it along the outside of the metal part to loosen it. Gently try to stick the pin under the metal piece and pry it up.  Be careful with this, is you are too harsh, the shadow will crack and you will have a mess!

Step 5:  Pop out the metal piece with shadow in tact!

Step 6: Cut a piece of magnet tape the size of the metal piece and stick it on the bottom. 

Step 7: Place into palette!

Voila! Now you have your very own MAC palette :)

I took the time to label the lids of my palettes so I would know what the names of the shadows were in case I wanted to purchase refills (which clearly I need to do). Now, obviously, when I go into MAC I don’t purchase the single plastic containers, I purchase the refills.  They are actually $5 cheaper.  Can you imagine how much I could have saved had I known this a long time ago?!?

Hope I at least help a few of you out! 

My Top Three Makeup Must-Haves!

(I am away for my wedding and Honeymoon so I am re-posting some of my favorites)

I know I talk about beauty boxes all the time but today I thought I’d make it a little more personal.

I wanted to share with you guys my top three makeup must-haves!

I have been using two of these since high school and I see no sign of stopping :)

1

First up……MAC Cosmetics Fluidline in Black Track ($16)

I adore this gel eyeliner!  It wasn’t too long after I started wearing makeup that I learned that I can’t use a regular eye pencil. I tried and tried but I was just terrible at it.  It wouldn’t really draw on my eyelid and pressing too hard caused a problem with my contacts. So I moved on to liquid eye liner. But then….I found this little pot of amazingness!  It glides on so smooth and I can control the width of the line so easily.  I highly suggest it.  I use it every single day. They also have other fun colors too, if you are adventurous.  At one time I was….but I haven’t used my purple, gold, or bronze colors in a very long time. I’d say it lasts me maybe 8-12 months and I wear it every day. Totally worth the price.  By the way, I still can’t use an eye liner pencil!

You can find Fluidline here.

A good brush to use with this can be found here.

Next up……MAC Cosmetics Paint Pot in Bare Study ($20)

I love this product as well and have been using it for many many years.  It is supposed to be a creamy long wear eyeshadow but I actually use it as a primer.  It gives me such a great base and my eyeshadow sticks to it great. I never have any creases.  It makes eyeshadow colors really pop too. Another great thing is it looks fantastic by itself!  If I am in a hurry or going with a more natural look, I just wear it alone.  This product also lasts for quite a while with every day use, I’d say 6-10 months.

You can find Paint Pots here.

A good brush to use with this can be found here.

Finally……Coastal Scents Prism Palette ($10.00)

Ok you all know my love for eyeshadow….so this one should be no surprise!  It has 88 gorgeous colors for only $10!  I have been using this palette for about 2 years now and I’ve barely made a dent. Yes, it’s not a fancy expensive brand, but the pigmentation is great and I get to play around a lot with colors I never would use. In fact, on weekends I ask C to just pick a color and I force myself to create a look with whatever color he chooses, which isn’t always easy! I seriously love this and cannot recommend it enough…especially for the price!

You can find the Prism Palette here.

A good brush to use with this can be found here.

Ok those are my top three favs that I use almost every day….what are some of your favorite beauty products?