Velvet noir mascara by Marc Jacobs

Marc Jacobs velvet noir mascara

So, every now and then I, luckily, get chosen, by influenster, to test out some pretty neat products. This is one of those times and in this voxbox I recieved the brand new Marc Jacobs velvet noir mascara. I was super stoked when I found out I was picked. But I always have my doubts about mascara. They all claim to be amazing but a lot of the time fall short. I am very proud to say that was not the case with this mascara. No fake lashes needed here! This stuff gave me length and volume, which is usually hard to find. I normally get one or the other. It didn't flake and it looked just as good at 10 pm as it did at 8 am! So no need for touch up. With a price tag of $26, i do think this is a bit on the expensive side. But if you are in the market for a great high end mascara, you won't go wrong with this one. Right now I'm pretty sure it's exclusive to Sephora so run in down to your local Sephora and try it out! You will not be disappointed! 

I recieved this mascara complementary from influenster for testing and reviewing purposes. This is my complete honest opinion of this product. If you haven't signed up for influenster, what are you waiting for?! It's completely free. So follow the link below to sign up and start reviewing! 

www.influenster.com/r/1062248

Lorac Pro Contour Palette

Lorac Pro Contour Palette

I have been contemplating, for months now, about getting a contour palette. Just when I was about to make my decision on which one to get, I received an email from Ulta telling me I have early access to this baby! So naturally, I forgot about all the other ones I was considering and jumped on the chance for this one. I really love Lorac products and the fact that this comes with a brush was a fantastic selling point for me. This palette retails for $45. Which is a bit of a higher price point then other contour palettes out there but it does come with a full size brush, unlike it's competitors. Now keep in mind when reading this, that this is the only contour palette I have ever owned or used. So, I can't compare it to the others on the market. 

As you can see, in the picture below, it comes with three highlight shades, three contour shades, and a brush. It also comes with a little how to guide, which is not pictured. 

First, lets talk about the highlight shades you get. It has two matte highlights and a shimmer. The first, in the row, is a beige highlight. I have actually been using this one the most. The next is a yellow highlight. When I ordered this palette, I thought I would be using this one the most. But after trying both the beige and the yellow, I feel that the yellow just doesn't show up on my skin as well as the beige. When I swatch them, they seem extremely pigmented. At first, I was almost afraid to use them, thinking they would be a bit too much.  But, I went for it anyway and was actually surprised to see that I really had to build it up to get it to highlight my under eye area. I did play around a bit and found it's much easier to use over a light concealer. I use it with IT cosmetics Bye Bye Undereye, which I LOVE.  On to the shimmer highlight, which is the largest of the three. I have a few powder highlights. Is this my favorite? No. Is it a bad highlight? Not at all. It's very finely milled and goes on nice and smooth. It blends very well. There is no glittery chunks in it. (I have come across a few highlighters that were more glittery then shimmery) So overall it's a good highlighter, it's just not my number one. I do wish they would have made the matte highlights larger and the shimmer smaller, since I use matte on more parts of my face then shimmer. 

(With Flash)

(Without Flash)

On to the Contour shades. From left to right, we have a light contour, a deep contour and the largest of the three, a medium contour. First of all, I like that they made the medium contour the largest, as I get the most use out of this one. These are all cool toned with a grey like undertone. which is great because when contouring, you are creating a shadow effect and who's shadow is warm toned? lol  The light contour in this gets the least use out of all the contour shades for me. This is because it doesn't show up all that well on my face but is perfect for my nose. I'm not a fan of over contouring my nose, the less attention to it, the better. Maybe when my summer tan fades I will get more use out of the light contour.  It also seems like this one is more powdery then the other colors in this palette. Next is the deep contour. I was so afraid to put this on my face at first and yes I completely botched using it the first time. But, after playing with it and figuring out the best way to blend it out, I find this shade is perfect for a more intense contour. The medium contour is my favorite. I feel this is perfect for a every day contour. I really like to soft contour for every day and this is the perfect shade for that. Since this is a medium, I'm able to place it on more parts of my face, so, I like that it is the largest of the contour shades. So overall I like the range of shades they offer in this palette and after playing with it for a couple weeks, I feel it blends out nicely. 

(With Flash)

(Without Flash)

So one more thing I wanted to touch on, the brush. When I saw that this palette came with a brush, I was sold. I even thought that the shape of it, would make contouring so much easier. I was wrong. The brush itself is nice. It's soft and dense and I glad this came with it. Now, because of it's density, it picks up a lot of product very easily. To be honest, the brush is what caused me to botch the use of the deep contour the first time I used it. It is NOT good for blending. So though I like that this palette comes with a brush, I don't use it often. Learning through trial and error, I find that this contour palette is much easier to use with a soft fluffy brush. At least for me that is the case. I have had pretty decent success using the brush with the shimmer highlight.

Overall, I do like this palette a lot. All the powders have that same creamy texture that the Lorac eye shadows have and after practice and the right brushes, they blend out nicely. The brush is a nice bonus, though not necessary. Is this palette better then others? I wish I could tell you. As a first timer, I'd say it's probably comparable to some of the more popular contour palettes out there. Price wise, at $45, this is one of the more expensive palettes, but, it does come with the brush. The other ones, that Ulta offers, range from $38 - $40 (high end brand) but don't come with a brush. That is with the exception of the Too Faced Cocoa Contour, which comes with a small angled brush but only comes with 4 shades. Two highlights and two contours. So I think, for $5 more, the Lorac is a good deal. If I already owned a contour palette, would I rush out and get this? Probably not. But for someone who didn't own a contour palette, I'm glad I got the chance to pick this up! 

Thanks for reading! More reviews to come!   

Birchbox May 2015 cupcakes and cashmere

Birchbox May 2015

Curated by Cupcakes and Cashmere 

I'll come out and say that this months box was far from my favorite. I wasn't impressed with the sample choices, so I took a chance and let Birchbox do the picking for me. Which was first time I've done that since they started doing sample choice. So lets dig in and see how BB did. First off the box itself is so cute! I love it!

Pixi Beauty's Fairy Dust. This came as a full sized item (YAY!) When I saw I was getting this I was super stoked, it was about the only thing I automatically was glad I was getting. I do love getting new make up items. So, anywho, the color of this is beautiful! At first when i saw it was silver, I almost gave it away instantly. But, then I decided to try it out anyway. I'm glad I did! This is a keeper for sure. The only thing I really dislike about it is the applicator.  I feel it can make this a messy shadow. I have other shadows, I've gotten through subscriptions, that have this same sort of applicator and they hardly get used because of it.  So I'm really still on the fence about this item because of the applicator. 

On to the Marcelle Hydra-C 24H Energizing Hydrating Gel. I've only used this a few times, so I can't give my opinion on it's long term effect, but it is quite hydrating. It makes my skin feel soft and smooth. The smell isn't over powering. In fact I can hardly smell anything. It's light weight and doesn't feel greasy at all. Supposedly, it has a cooling effect but I haven't felt anything. This was one of those things I wasn't over of the moon about getting. I feel like samples, with claims like this one,  take use over a longer amount of time to know if it truly lives up to it's claims. 

Next is Prescriptives Super Line Preventor Xtreme. I love they way this sample is packaged. It has a little dropper for easy application.  I don't know if this is actually minimizing my lines but I do know it feel fantastic on my face. It only take a few drops to cover my whole face, so I think this sample will be enough to know if it actually lives up to it's claims. And to be honest I sure hope it does with a price tag of $84 for the full size!

Tocca Perfume in the scent Isabel

Tocca has impressed me over and over again. This stuff smells so good! "Notes of rose, orange and amber." I will defiantly be buying this in the full size next time I'm in the market for a new scent. 

Lastly, Harvey Prince Sea Salt Texturizing Mist. This sample has to be a joke. I have some long hair and this was more then half way gone after one use. Not that it really matter since the "sea salt wavey" look never works on me. I actually used a waver and then sprayed my hair with this to create a piecey textured look. I think, if you are going to do a hair product sample, it should be at least 1 oz. This is about as good as getting a foil packet. Now I do like the scent. It has that beachy summer day scent that most people love. Harvey Prince never lets me down in the quality department. I've only received one scent in the past that I disliked from them. It's really just the size of this sample that really let me down. 

So to sum this up, it was defiantly not my all time favorite box. It had it's ups and downs but we can't win them all.  It might be because I've been getting birchbox for over a year now and I'm a bit harder to impress. I've got my fingers crossed for next month though. 

Thank you for reading! 

Get your own BB? Let me know what you thought of yours in the comments below!

Don't get Birchbox and want to try it out for yourself? follow the link below!

$10 a month, 5 (sometimes more) beauty related samples plus 10 points for each sample you review 100 = $10 to spend in the Birchbox shop! 

https://www.birchbox.com/invite/gettingintomommysmakeup

Boxycharm Bold & Beautiful May 2015

BoxyCharm May 2015

Theme is Bold & Beautiful

Boxycharm is becoming one of my favorite subscription and this box is just one example of why. So lets dig in and see what they had to offer this month! :)

First item I want to get into is the full size Modelco Bronze Shimmer. At $22, for this item this alone, it pays for the box and it is beautiful! I have yet to be dissapointed by Modelco. This bronzer had a nice shimmer to it that actually does not look too glittery. It's very pigmented, and because of the shimmer, I like it on my cheeks and not as a contour. I have mostly matte bronzers, so, this is a great addition on my collection of bronzers.

OMG, The Lip Bar Lipstick! This lipstick is beautiful! The packaging is gorgeous and the color is stunning. The minute I swatched it I thought of the Laqa&Co Lip Lube I received from Birchbox, which is one of my favorite summer colors! This lipstick totally made the box for me! It's vibrant, creamy, hydrating and the color seams to be lasting. This retails for $20! I still don't know how Boxycharm does it!  

Below we have the Lauren B. Beauty Nail Polish and my, sloppy, swatch of the shade Sunset BLVD.  LOL I love new nail polishes and I've been wanting to try different brands. I don't know about actually paying $18 for one nail polish though. The color is beautiful and it's pigmented (below is one quick thin coat). I feel like you could get away with just one coat of this polish but two would look amazing. 

Lastly is, the Bodyography Essential Brow Trio and the Brow Brush. Ok so, I may be a little harsh in this review. I'll start by saying it's an okay set up, BUT, I don't think this is worth $38, which is what it costs if you were to buy both items. The brow trio comes with 3 shades (sorry red heads you lost out on this one).  When applied with the brush, it goes on very pigmented but can get a little messy looking. I think using this with a brow gel or a brow wax might make it look better. The brush itself is only ok. The spoolie is a bit on the large side, so I don't think it's great for use on the brows, maybe just eyelashes. The angled brush, at the other end, is kind of thin and flimsy feeling. Now, FYI, I am comparing to my ABH brow brush, which retails for the same price as this one, it's daintier, the angled brush is dense, and the spoolie is smaller. The bodyography brush is longer and the spoilie is larger. I personally think when it comes to brows, it's easier to work with a smaller brush.  Included in the box, I'm happy I got it, but, I wouldn't go out of my way for a product like this.  

So, to sum this up, I think this box was fantastic, at a $98 value! Yes I wasn't a fan of the brow products but I loved everything else! 

Do you get Boxycharm? Let me know what did you think of the box in the comments below!

Don't know about Boxycharm? It's a $21 a month beauty subscription that sends out 4 to 5 FULL SIZE beauty items a month. The boxes always seem to be worth around $100. Totally worth the $21 you pay! 

Want to try it out for yourself? Follow the link below or use my referral code:

https://old.boxycharm.com/rewardsref/index/refer/id/16995/

Referral Code:

dFJUcUIvMFkvK2dSTm1GWjFEU0lRd0tEdWViZWFYbmI=

Thank you for taking the time to read! More reviews coming soon!

Ipsy Jetsetter May Glam Bag 2015

Ipsy's theme this month is Jetsetter and I have to say I'm pretty pleased with the products I recieved! So lets start with this adorable bag, that is a perfect travel bag. It's taller then the previous bags I've received but not as wide. I love that they did three different sayings on the bags, so not everyone got the same one.  

First item on my list is a Bellapierre gel eyeliner in Ebony. A year ago, I would have been over the moon to receive this. But, my make up habits have changed and I have more eyeliners then I know what to do with. All that aside, it is a great eyeliner. The swatch in the picture is just lightly done in one swipe. So, as you can see, it goes on smoothly and has some serious staying power. After I swatched this, it did not just wipe right off. Which is awesome but also tells me, do not mess up using this liner! lol

I was ecstatic to see that I would be receiving Urban Decay's lip liner and samples of their new lip gloss. The glosses came in the colors Failbait and Bittersweet. They actually feel creamy and not sticky. Although using it with the lip liner does cause them to have a tacky texture. Failbait is a kind of neutral pink and Bittersweet is a more bright purple. I've tried Failbait and could see using that on a daily basis but Bittersweet is a more daring color for me. I have every intention of  stepping out of my box to try this color! 

The lip liner itself is in Ozone and is completely clear. I would call it more on a lip primer then a liner. It leaves a tacky like texture on your lips which causes whatever lip color you choose to last longer. It does work very well! I may be a bit bias though. I've been a fan of UD lip liners for sometime now.  

On to Pixi by Petra bronzer. This is a beautiful soft shimmery bronzer. I wouldn't recommend using this as a contour or even all over the face, since it does have shimmer to it. But, this does look fantastic on the cheeks. Gives a gorgeous beachy sunkissed glow without a orange look. The only thing I've ever tried from Pixi is a primer which I was impressed with but I was very happy to see that I was getting a bronzer! 

Next is the Bare Republic face sunscreen. I'm usually not excited about getting sunscreen in my subscriptions, but, this one actually feel very nice and has that summery beachy scent. It's VERY smooth, maybe a silicone based moisturizer. Not something I really needed but happy to try it out. 

Lastly, Nuxe face cleaning and make up removing gel. This stuff stinks. I'm not sure how well it works, since I can't get past the smell to actually use it. This is two months in a row that ipsy has sent me something that smelled so bad I couldn't even use it. Last month was the Mullian and Sparrow Lip and cheek tint, which smelled like mold. Anyway, Maybe someone I know will like the scent and want it. It's went straight into my share the love box, a box of things I don't use or want. 

Thanks for reading! Do you receive ipsy? tell  me what you got and your thought in the comment section below! Don't already receive it and want to try it out? Click or copy and paste the link below! It's $10 a month and you receive a bag filled with 4 or 5 beauty related samples every month. 

https://www.ipsy.com/new?refer=23y5

Influenster Bella Vox Box!

So, I signed up for influenster without knowing the awesomeness I was signing up for. My first Vox Box from them was actually kind of lame. I got pads. Okay, yay, free stuff but I could have thought of a million other things I'd much rather review. Well they completely redeemed themselves with this Bella Vox Box! So lets get into it!

First item to be used and had the shortest life span, was the dove with real fruit. These things are addicting! I thought the bag would last longer then 10 minutes. I was wrong. LOL I would defiantly get these again for a treat. 

Next on the list is the Sally Hansen Airbrush Legs. This stuff impressed me. Not only did it look get on my legs but it also lasted all day long. In fact it didn't come off till the shower the next day! I even dripped water down my legs and it didn't budge, no streaking or anything. I will be buying a big bottle of this!

Makeup! My favorite subject! I received two item from Rimmel by Kate. First, I got a mascara, which I was more then happy to try out. My final thoughts on it, it's an average mascara. I have many more that give me more length and volume then this one did. This also has a funky brush which they call the "Broken Heart Brush". It's cool looking but I don't think it's anything more then a neat looking "S" shaped brush. It does make getting the lower lashes kind of difficult. Although this isn't one I would disregard completely, I don't see myself going out of my way to purchase it. 

It took about 3 to 4 coats of this mascara to get the end results.

                    No Mascara (to the left)                                       With Mascara (to the right)

The other item I received, from this line, was a lipstick. I had bought one of these lipsticks a few months ago in the shade number 30, which is a wine kind of shade. The shade I got this time was number 32, a kind of nude peach. Although I really do like that shade, I cannot get over the smell. It's not bad, it's just strong. Too strong for something that is going on my lips right under my nose. I do like Rimmel products but I'm just not that impressed with this line of their products, sorry Kate. LOL 

The Not Your Mothers Deja Vu Do actually surprised me! I didn't think I would like it as much as I do! It makes my hair easier to style with just a blow dryer and my hair looks nice all day! Was impressed with how it works and to top it off, it smells AMAZING! Love the fruity berry scent!

Now to my most favorite item out of the box, the eco tools brush! I'm always happy to receive makeup brushes! I also had been wanting to try out eco tools. I LOVE this brush! It's so soft and I haven't had any issues with shedding. It claims to make your makeup matte. Not so sure about that since I use matte powders and matte finishing sprays anyway. But that wasn't what appealed to me in the first place. I had heard many good things about this brands brushes and was very happy to learn they live up to their great reviews. 

Last but defiantly not least is the Club W wine offer! I haven't redeemed this yet but do have plans to do so, as a great glass of wine is my ideal way to end a long day. I will have to come back to do a separate blog for this one. So stay tuned for a follow up on this one. 

Thanks for reading! Do you receive Influenster? Want to? Go to www.influenster.com/r/1062248

If you already receive it, let me know your opinions in the comments below! What other cool things have you received in past Vox boxes?? 

I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes.

February Birchbox Rent the Runway

"It's all in the details"

I completely agree!

This month when sample choice came around and I saw this box I waited by my email impatiently! lol So many appealing products crammed into a beautifully decorated box! So let jump into this!

First off is the Fekkai Bowlout Hair Refresher Dry Shampoo. I. Love. This. Stuff. I might get hated on for this but I think I like this better then the Amika! I took this on my little weekend get away and it was AWESOME! I love the smell of it and it leaves my hair refreshed and with volume! So glad I got to try this product! I will be buying the full size once this runs out!

theBalm in Read My Lips

I have a confession to make. I have never tried any products from theBalm. So when I saw this in the box I knew I had to have it! I'm not usually a fan of lip gloss but this is so creamy and the color is gorgeous! This was also another item that came with me on my little getaway.It was perfect to throw in my wristlet and go. The color went well with all the looks I created. I have received a few complements on the color! Two thumbs up! 

Sumita Color contrast eyeliner in the color Raina. At first I wasn't so sure about this because I wasn't sure how a dark blue would look. But I was surprisingly pleased! This a a very pigmented and smooth liner! I would be interested in trying it in a different shade. This shade is beautiful, just not an every day type color for me. But I do still really like the formula and the color! 

Derma e Anti-Wrinkle Vitamin A Glycolic Scrub

This was another item that sold me on the box! I was actually thinking of purchasing it from ulta anyway, so seeing it offered in the box was a very nice surprise! I have been a fan of Derma e for a while now and this does not disappoint! I use this maybe twice a week and I feel it does help my skin look healthier. I will defiantly be purchasing the full size when this runs out!

Not Soap Radio 

The Stuff that Cupid dips his arrows in! This also came with me. It's smells so delightful! I loved the last sample I received from this brand! Thinking I just need to order the variety box of these because I don't think they make one that doesn't smell amazing! 

Overall I think birchbox won the battle of the subcription boxes this month! I love all my subscription but birchbox knocked it out of the park this month! Double Hi5's Birchbox!

Want your own Birchbox subscription? It's $10 a month and you get 5 (sometimes more) beauty samples a month. What I think sets Birchbox apart from other subscription services is their point system. You can rack up 60+ points each month and for every 100 you get, you get $10 to spend on anything on their website and they offer A LOT of stuff! On top of their epic point system they also offer sample choice, where you get to choice a sample (from the options they offer) or a curated box from a guest editor. 

Go to the link below to start your own subscription!

https://www.birchbox.com/invite/gettingintomommysmakeup

Thanks for reading!!

February Ipsy Love

Ipsy Love

February 2015 Ipsy Glambag!

I will start with the product I was most pleased to be receiving this month! The Modelco Blush Cheek Powder. I received this in the color Peach Bellini. This is a peachy pink color which I think will be lovely this spring and summer! I have been wanting to try Modelco blush for sometime now and was very excited to see ipsy was sending these out to everyone this month! This blush is so pigmented I actually have to use it very light handed. After trying this I'm interested in the other colors Modelco has to offer! Two thumbs up to this item!

Next is the Luxie Large Angled Face Brush. This brush is so soft, cute and cruelty free! This and the blush were the items I was hoping for in  my bag this month and for once I actually got what I wanted! So yay to that! Good job ipsy! This makes a nice addition to my brush collection and we all know a girl can never have enough makeup brushes!  

The Cargo Cosmetics Mini Lip Gloss. Although I thought I was going to love this, I'm actually not so impressed with it. It's very sheer and not pigmented at all. I'm not a huge fan of lip glosses. I have a ton and hardly ever use them. This will probably sit in my collection or go to a friend. 

Joya Composition No. 1  Parfum oil. This was a two thumbs down for me. Although I think the little sample is very cute looking and more perfume brands should do packaging like this, I do not like the smell at all. I am very picky about the scents I wear, so I'm a tough critic when it comes to perfumes. My 4 year old thinks it smells delightful, so when she wants to "get pretty" she can use this. LOL

Last but not least is Rob Scheppy for 'Tini Beauty eye shadow in the color Pearl Fizz. I did not think I would, but I actually really like this eyeshadow! The shimmer in it is beautiful and there is no fall out! I love this for a highlight shade!

With the exception of the perfume and the lip gloss I think this bag was a win! Defiantly worth the $10!

Want to try out ipsy? It's $10 a month and you get 4 to 5 sample size or deluxe sample size products a month and every now and then you get a full size product. 

Follow the link below to start your own glambag subscription!

http://www.ipsy.com/r/23y5?sid=ipsypoints&cid=general

Ipsy subscriber already?  What were your thought on this months bag? Share in the comments below!

Thanks for reading!