A Place For These: May 2014

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

May 2014 Starlooks Starbox

I don't know if it'd just me or if everyone's box came late this month. I didn't get mine until the end of week 3/beginning of week 4. I usually get it midweek 3. Weird. But anyway, it's finally here and I'm super excited! Because this was my 6th month in a row getting my Starbox, I got an email saying I got my Loyalty Reward for the second time! I just placed the order for that and it should be here in 3-10 business days. So let's get into this month's Starlooks Starbox!

Starting with the packaging, this month's actual box was different than any other box I've ever gotten or even seen before. Instead of being the typical short, more squarish rectangle box, this time we got one that was the size of a newborn shoe box, if that even makes sense. But you'll see why in just a second.

It still came with the usual card detailing what is inside the box. This month's theme was Wander. I'm not sure what that is supposed to mean and how it translates to the products, but the Looksbook for May is just as gorgeous as always.

The very first item I pulled out was the Eye Pencil in the color Exit to Eden. I love love love the color. You can see how this item is used in the Looksbook this month. I will definitely be using this the exact same way. I love colored eye liner, so this will make a great addition to my makeup collection.

Next up is the reason for the different box. I got the Iridescent Loose Powder. It comes with a good sized powder puff, that I may actually use. There is a TON of product in the container. It would make a gorgeous addition to a tinted moisturizer or foundation for a subtle glow, as a highlighter, or as a body shimmer. I'll be trying out all of those ideas.

The last product for the month was a huge surprise. Last time I was on their website, this was not on there. I'm quite excited to be testing out a fairly new product, which is the Gentle Clearaway Makeup Remover. This is the only item I've actually tried out so far, and to be honest, I really like it. It takes off everything I have on, including mascara, and it doesn't irritate my eyes at all. When I run out of this, I will definitely repurchase.

Starlooks teamed up with Spa Towells this month, so as a bonus item, one Spa Towell was included in the box. This is a brand I've never heard of, but I will give it a go and see how I like it. There is also a coupon code on their site right now for 20% off right now.

Thanks so much for reading. If you want more information and reviews on Starbox, check out my April, March, and my first Loyalty Rewards posts (part 1 & part 2). If you've already made up your mind and want to subscribe, I would truly appreciate it if you used my referral link. Until next time...

Kiss, Kiss.
-A

Monday, May 26, 2014

May 2014 Ipsy Glam Bag

So here we are again with another Ipsy Unboxing! I was incredibly excited for this month's bag! The spoilers were so good. There are a ton of brands featured this month, some familiar and some not. I already knew this month's bag wouldn't disappoint. There was no one product I wouldn't have been happy to get.

I absolutely love this month's theme for the month, which is "Fresh Picks." I think everything that we got this month has natural ingredients or is really great for the skin. I'll detail the good stuff in what I received as I go through my bag with you guys.

To go along with the theme, the bag for the month is made of a burlap kind of material and has a really organic leaf pattern on the front. I've heard a lot of people were not fans of the bag this month, but I absolutely love it! I think it's super cute and is perfect for going into the hot summer months.

The Goods:

Pacifica Eyeshadow Duo 1
I was a little sad at first that I didn't get the other color duo, but I do really love the one that I got. My mom ended up getting the darker blue duo, and I got the lighter one. The colors don't swatch the way they show up in the pan. I thought it would be a shimmery white and a light shimmery brown. They actually show up as a gorgeous purple shimmer and a light white gold color. I cannot get over how pretty these colors are!

Pacifica as a brand is cruelty free, vegan, and uses natural mineral coloring.

Hey Honey Take it Off mask
I was pretty excited to get another mask in my bag this month. This mask is a peel off mask. I have none of those, lol. It has a slightly sweet smell to it, but isn't overpowering when you put it on your face. It's easy to apply and easy to take off. It wasn't the best mask I've ever tried, but it does the trick. I like for my masks to be really refreshing or really deep cleansing. This didn't give me either feeling.

This mask is paraben and SLS free.

Pur~lisse Pur~moist hydra-balance moisturizer
Dead. I'm dead. I never thought in a million years a brand like Pur~lisse would be in my Ipsy bag. Dead. I love trying new skincare, as you guys know. This is a great size sample for such an expensive product. It feels almost like a gel when it goes on. You don't need a lot, either. Just a pea sized amount covered my entire face, so this sample is going to last me a while.

This moisturizer has Lotus Lupine 5, Vitamin E, and a blend of French Marine plants.

Derma-e Microdermabrasion Scrub
This is a product I've used before, so I already know that I really love it. I traded with a friend when it was last featured in an Ipsy bag. Since then, I've used up the sample and then bought a full size of it. The half size lasted me about 6 months. I've barely dented the full size, so I have plenty of microdermabrasion in my future!

Derma-e boasts vegan, cruelty free, paraben, sulfate, mineral oil, gluten, lanolin, and GMO free products.

Hang Ten Classic Sport SPF 50 Sunscreen
This isn't the most exciting product ever, but it is definitely a summer necessity. The packaging on this is absolutely adorable! I love the bright colors. As for the product inside, it is most definitely sunscreen. There isn't much else to say about it.

Hang Ten is oxybenzone, paraben, retinyl palmitate, and synthetic fragrance free, as well as non greasy and non nano.

*BONUS* bareMinerals Marvelous Moxie Lipstick
I finally got enough points to get another bonus item! This is the second bonus item I've gotten in the year that I've been subscribed. The last time it was a Lime Crime nail polish. This time I got a lipstick in the shade Light It Up. It's a gorgeous red-orange color.

Price Summary:
Pacifica Duo - 4$
Hey Honey Mask - 7$
Pur~lisse Moisturizer - 16.50$
Derma-e Scrub - 16.25$
Hang Ten Sunscreen - 2.16$
bareMinerals Lipstick - 18$
Total: 45.91$USD

Kiss, Kiss.
-A

Thursday, May 22, 2014

Meijer/CVS Haul feat. NYC, Black Radiance, Maybelline, & More!

I'm finally getting around to hauling this stuff. I've had it since around the time I showed you guys my last haul, but I didn't want to post them quite back to back. But here I am doing this again. I really hope you guys like when I do posts like these, because as long as there are things I can buy, I'll be doing haul posts, lol.

The first things I want to show you are the Black Radiance Artisan Color Baked Blushes I got. I have the colors 8312 Raspberry and 8305 Warm Berry . These are crazy pigmented! That's really great if you're a darker skinned girl, like me. You can still have a really great blush color without using half the pan to get the color payoff that you want.

I also picked up 3 of the new Wet N Wild 5-pan palettes. I got 395A The Naked Truth, 391A Art in the Streets, & 393A Floral Values. The blue one and the black & white one didn't really appeal to me as colors I would use regularly.

From Revlon, I got 2 things: the nail polish in 161 Teak Rose, and the ColorBurst Lacquer Balm in 110 Coquette. The polish I got because the color is just so pretty. I'm almost positive I don't have a color like this in my collection, and I also don't own any other Revlon polishes. Check out a swatch of it here. I'm super excited for the Lacquer Balm. I like the original Balm Stains and thought I should try some of the new formulas.

NYC came out with a new lipstick line called Expert Last Lipcolor. I already love the formula of their other lippies, and after seeing swatches from We Love Swatches, I had to pick up some. The 2 that I bought are 404 Air Kiss and 445 Coralista. I love me a good berry and a good orange lip, so there you go, haha!

Finally, I got another BB Cream. This one is the Maybelline Dream Fresh 8-in-1. I will soon run out of my Proactiv BB Cream and I really needed another for summer time. I've heard mixed reviews on this product, but I thought I'd give it a try. I love that it has SPF 30.

That's it for now! Stay tuned for another installment of the Rainbow Tag in the near future!

Kiss, Kiss.
-A

Monday, May 19, 2014

Sweet & Sugary Pink Nail Art

I have been trying for like a week and a half to do a nail art tutorial, but work and home are killing me. So here I am finally with something I really like to show you guys how to recreate. This pictorial is very special to me. That's because it features my daughter. She wanted to have nails just like mommy!

What you'll need:
-Base Coat
-Mauvy-pink Polish
-White Polish
-Gold Glitter Polish
-White Striper
-Dotting Tool
-Nail Glue
-Square Metal Studs
-Multicolored Rhinestones
-Top Coat

Step 1: As always, apply you favorite base coat.

Step 2: Apply 2 even coats of your mauvy-pink polish to all of your nails. You'll also see this polish featured in my next post. Just as a heads up, it's a haul, lol.

Step 3: Using your white striper, put one even stripe down your ring finger. On your middle finger, do a series of stripes down the length of the nail.

Step 4: Apply one coat of the glitter polish to your pinkie nail.

Step 5: Sticking with the glitter top coat, make a gradient on both your pointer and middle fingers starting at the base of the nail.

Step 6: With a dotting tool, bobby pin, or toothpick, make a polka dot pattern over the glitter on your pinkie nail using your white nail polish.

Step 7: On your first finger, apply a dot of nail glue. Then add one of the square studs so that it looks like a diamond. Do the same to your middle finger, but place the stud off to one side of the stripe. On the other side of the line, add 3 colored rhinestones.

Step 8: Apply your favorite top coat, and clean up around your nails.

After Riley saw my nails she wanted me to do her nails.

I hope you enjoyed this nail art pictorial and this special moment with my little one. Come back in a few days to see my beauty haul!

Kiss, Kiss.

-A

Monday, May 12, 2014

30 Days of Beauty Tag - Day 1: Fave Brand(s)

Because I can't think of anything original lately (and also because these tags are so much fun!), I'm doing another tag I found on Instagram. This one, as you might have guessed from the title, is called the 30 Days of Beauty Tag. I will definitely NOT have this tag done in 30 days, but I thought it would be a great way to keep my blog content fresh and flowing.

As you guys know, I love drugstore makeup. With that being said, my favorite brands are, you guessed it, from the drugstore! This is what I own the most of. This is what I like to buy, because you get sooo many more items for the same amount of money as you would spend at MAC or Sephora.

My favorite brands are Wet N Wild, elf, and Maybelline. All three of these brands have fantastic products, but I like them for different reasons. elf has great shadows and cheek products.

Beach Beauty day palette