Ipsy June 2015 Bag!

 Ipsy is a monthly subscription service that sends you 4-6 deluxe sample-sized products each month for the low cost of $10 including shipping. Ipsy is SO popular that in order to sign up for this subscription, you must first get yourself on their waitlist... I did just that weeks ago and completely forgot about it until I received an email that my June bag had shipped! It arrived a couple days ago so I thought I'd share my thoughts on these products and this service.

In this month's bag, I received 2 pairs of Altcheck Depuff Eye pads, a treStique eyeshadow pencil, a Smashbox photo finish face primer, an ItCosmetics brow pencil, and an Aurora Gel Effect nail polish. All of these goodies were housed in a black bag with 'ipsy' printed all over and bright orange zipper enclosure!

I was most excited by the ItCosmetics brow power pencil as this product claims to be a 'universal brow product.' Hmmmmm I'm hugely skeptical of that! I also thought the eyeshadow pencil was missing its cap at first but was relieved to find that the pencil-like pointed tip is really the cap housing the product inside! 

The eyeshadow color I got was 'Marimoto Pink Pearl' and it is really pretty! It is a light gold shimmery cream eyeshadow with peachy pink undertones. I wore this on my lids with a soft brown swept through the crease and it wore beautifully all day.  The brow pencil is in the color 'Universal Taupe' and it actually works pretty well for my brows. This product is meant to be lightly applied for blondes and then more heavily applied the darker your hair color. I could definitely see this color working for many people, though I recommend trying it out in store before purchasing this. The packaging is really nice as it is a weighty aluminum and there is a spoolie for eyebrow grooming on the opposite end of the pencil. 

The nail polish is a gel effect polish by the brand Aurora called '4 Alarm Fire.' I do really enjoy the color of this hot raspberry red, but I don't think the formula is all that great. I had chipping within 24 hours of application and the brush is huge making application a bit difficult on my tiny nails!

Overall I was impressed with the variety of samples in this bag. The value of each product is as follows:
Nail Polish $8
Smashbox Primer $8
Eyeshadow Stick $10
Eyebrow pencil $12
Eye pads $4

That puts the total value of this bag at $42! Not bad considering I only dropped $10 on it and these are all products I will get some use out of.

I really enjoyed my first experience with Ipsy but I don't think I will be continuing my subscription. I have a lot of makeup as is and I don't feel the need to have a ton of little samples lying around. I would definitely recommend Ipsy to people just starting to get into makeup though! It's an inexpensive monthly service that could introduce you to new makeup items and brands to expand your collection and its great for getting some travel sized products for weekend getaways ;)

Try out Ipsy for yourself Here!

xxSJ

Tutorial Try-It: Jaclyn Hill's 'Bombshell Makeup Tutorial'

It's time for a new series! Nearly all makeup lovers out there have discovered the value of watching Youtube tutorials for step by step instructions on how to do things as simple as a smoky eye or as seemingly unachievable of how to look like a Victoria's Secret model! These tutorials are such amazing tools for makeup lovers for tips, tricks, and inspiration. I find, though, that tutorials very rarely turn out as you expect them to, even when you follow them step by step with the greatest of concentration and skill. I'm starting this series called Tutorial Try-It where I will follow some top makeup tutorial videos and show you my results and grade the tutorial in a variety of categories. My first pick is Jaclyn Hill's 'Bombshell Makeup Tutorial' with 1.5 million views: 

Jaclyn Hill is seriously gorgeous and she has completely different coloring from me in every way which brings us to the first reason why tutorials can sometimes go a little wonky. She also has a super nice camera (which I don't have) and uses really blown out lighting in her videos adding to her flawless complexion. Nothing I create will ever quite look like what's on her face but lets give it a shot! Jaclyn describes this look as something you used to see Playboy Bunnies wear and something Pamela Anderson made famous.

Here are the products she used for this bombshell look and in parentheses I'll include the products I had to substitute: 

Brown now greasepaint stick (Mally eyeshadow stick in Rosey Taupe with Twinks MAC shadow over it)

creme brulee eyeshadow - makeup geek
Garnet eyeshadow- Lorac (MAC Antiqued eyeshadow -she mentions in the video this is a dupe)
Cocoa Bear e/s - Makeup geek
Coppering eyeshadow - (Naked3 Buzz and Dust)
Smolder eye kohl - (Urban Decay Perversion eyeliner)
Black eyeshadow
nude eyeshadow
Makeup Forever HD - 123- (Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation in Rose Ivory)
Anastasia Brow wiz - soft brown 
ProLong wear concealer NW20 (Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer in Vanilla)
Emphasize MAC pro highlighter (Rimmel setting powder)
Shroom e/s (Naked Basics Venus)
Bobbi Brown bronzer - golden light (Hoola Bronzer by Benefit)
Lancome hypnose (Tarte Lights Camera Lashes)
MAC peaches blush
Hard Candy - Tiki (Ambient Lighting Powder in Incandescent Light)
Costa Riche eye kohl (Stila Smudge proof eyeliner in Burgundy)
Kardashian Khroma Joystick - babydoll & Au Natural (MAC lipstick in Angel)

Jaclyn used false eyelashes in her look as well which I decided to go with out. Here is what I came up with following her instructions:

So a couple things to start: Right off the bat I didn't have the first product she uses which is the Brown Now Greasepaint stick from MAC. This rich color is what she blends all over the lid to give some richness to the eye look as well as that purple hint. I did my best with the substitutions, but I don't think I nailed it. Also, I do not own an eye kohl pencil. Jaclyn uses the eye kohl to smudge along her lash line then uses black eyeshadow to smudge it all over her entire lower half of her eyelid. I couldn't quite achieve that look with the eyeliner I had. 

Overall, I do like this makeup look. It's sexy and really smoldery with the smudged out liner effect rather than the sharp liquid liner I generally go for. I could see myself wearing this look out to date night or a night out on the town. 

Time: 20 minutes

Difficulty of tutorial: 5/10

Likelihood to wear this look: 8.5/10

Similarity to Tutorial Example: 5/10 

Availability of Products needed: 7/10

Clarity of Instructions in Video: 10/10

Overall grade: B 

I really enjoy the look I came up with from this tutorial. It is something different that I wouldn't normally have come up with on my own so for that, I think it serves a great purpose. I am bummed that it seems much of the overall look is dependent on that first product Jaclyn lays down in the video (the MAC greasepaint stick) followed by having the correct consistency of eye kohl to be able to smudge it out. 

If you want to try this look out on your own, check out Jaclyn Hill's tutorial! Screenshots used are from this video:

xxSJ

Sephora Favorites Superstars Collection

Once a year Sephora comes out with their famous Superstars kit--a box chalk full of everyone's favorite goodies for a discounted price. This year I was lucky enough to be gifted this by my sister so lets take a peek at what's inside! 

In this kit you get 12 products valued at $225 for the price of $75. That's a pretty phenomenal deal considering the products are all favorites. Some people have been grumbling about repeats from last year's favorites kit, and indeed there are a lot of repeats (Smashbox BB Cream, B&B Surf Spray, Josie Maran Argan Oil, NARS powder, UD eyeshadow, and Stila Eyeliner).  However, the reason there are repeats is because these products are STILL favorites!

Included are: 

NARS Orgasm blush: A cult classic, this peachy pink blush with golden reflects looks amazing on every skin tone out there. It was one of my first high-end blush purchases and I'm happy to own another.

Bumble and Bumble Surf Spray: I have yet to use this but I hear its perfect for creating textured waves.

Smashbox BB Cream: The main complaint I have of this kit is the same I had last year... how can you include a foundation in one shade? I'm lucky that this shade happens to work with my skin tone and its a fine product, but its not really fair for other girls out there.

Josie Maran Argan Oil: This stuff works wonders on dry skin and dry hair.

Benefit Porefressional: This sample size is kind of a joke... this product is tiny and looks deceivingly large in promo pictures for this kit! The product works fine but its a bit of a rip-off.

Anastasia Brow Whiz in Dark Brown: Ah Man! This eyebrow pencil is too dark for my brows but I'm making it work by using it with a light hand. 

Stila Liquid Eyeliner: This stuff is my miracle eyeliner. I have yet to find something that works as well.

Urban Decay Eyeshadow in 'Sin': This is a perfect all over lid shade that looks pretty on all skin tones!

Sugar Fresh Rose lippie: This stuff is such a pretty color and is so moisturizing!

Benefit They're Real Mascara: I personally don't understand the hype around this mascara but it's always nice to have a travel size of a mascara!

Chloe Perfume Rollerball: This perfume is unlike other perfumes I own so I'm happy to add this to my collection. It is a bit more musky and mature than scents I'm used to.

Here are some swatches of the colored items in this kit!

And the nail polish in this kit was my first experience with the Formula X brand polishes only found at Sephora. I really liked this polish's formula A LOT and would like to try some more from this brand!

Overall this kit is a great deal. There are some great products in here and the value is phenomenal (just the BB Cream and Blush is a couple dollars shy from paying for the whole thing!).
This kit would be a great gift for a makeup lover or you could even buy this kit and split up the items for a few girlfriends!

What do you think of Sephora's Superstars Kit?
xxSJ

My Face is My Costume!! Shattered Doll Makeup

Last minute halloween plans can be stressful...where are you supposed to pick up a costume you like in the 11th hour when you know everything worth wearing will already be sold out??? That's why I enjoy making my face be my costume by applying some clever makeup! Here is a shattered doll look I did in under an hour over makeup I already had on during the day. 

Here are the products I used:

 First I used a black eyeliner and created a bit of a dramatic winged liner look to round out my eyes a bit. Then I used my NYX Jumbo Eyeshadow Pencil in Milk and drew a thick line under my lower lash line and then lined under that with my eyeliner to make my eyes look bigger and more doll like. I then drew in a little white reflection mark with my Milk pencil on my lips and then colored my lips in with my Revlon Matte Balm in Unapologetic. I then used my black liner to make ventriloquist lines down the sides of my mouth and then filled in between my lips slightly for a plastic doll like effect.  I popped some super bright blush on my cheeks as well.  For the shattered glass, I pulled up a picture of broken glass on google and just went to town using black liner! It's as simple as that. To amp up this look, I would use some false eyelashes as well!

Happy haunting!
xxSJ