ipsy Glam Bag | Make-Up Review

I know; my poor blog has been neglected this month. Between catching a cold and keeping up with all of my commitments (some of which entered into my weekly blog time) I have yet to get a post up. However, this has given me time to truly give my ipsy subscription a chance before writing this post.

What is ipsy? 

As you may have gathered from my photos, ipsy is a make-up subscription.  Once a month they send you five make-up products (and a cutsey bag) based on your own preferences.  This is my fourth month, and I have been so pleased with my experience I thought I would share it with you!

When you first sign up for your ipsy "Glam Bag" they have you take a quick but thorough quiz to get a feel for your beauty preferences.  This little questionnaire gives them a feel for your favorite types of make-up, skin type and color, sensitivities, brands you are partial too, hair type, and products you love! With all of this in mind, the people at ipsy assemble your Glam Bag based on your personal style.

Once a month, they send you the Glam Bag, which consists of one make-up bag and 5 beauty products based on your prestated preferences.  This could include mascara, lipstick, foundation, nail polish, hair products, face masks, and the list goes on.  

Once your Glam Bag comes in, and you have time to test out and enjoy your products, you get the option to review the items.  The brand, the product, and how it personally works for you are all included in your review, which then goes to help them decide how to better choose your next bag.  Let me say, I decided to actually follow up with reviews this time (something I am usually quite forgetful about) and I am so glad I did! My bags are improving every month and I am loving my make-up products.

Also, I cannot forget one of my favorite parts of this subscription: it is only $10 per month! And yes, the shipping is free! On top of that, every review you post works towards your points system.  Enough points earned equals a bonus gift in your Glam Bag for the month you decide to redeem them.  Along with reviews, you can also earn points by telling your friends, which is exactly what I am doing here! So I will leave you with my own personal referral link, in case you decide you would like to join ipsy yourself (which I highly recommend if you are interested in trying out new make-up products in a fun and affordable fashion!) 

https://www.ipsy.com/new?cid=ppage_ref&sid=link&refer=19gau

** this is not sponsored, I merely reviewed this for my enjoyment, and yours! **

Christmas Make-Up Inspiration

I'm a bit late to the holiday blog posting. Some of you may be wondering why I've missed my Tuesday blogging. Most of you didn't even know I usually blog on Tuesdays, seeing as how I am far from a consistent blogger. ;) This Christmas has kept me pretty busy with various outings, giving me a little bit of - albeit late - Christmas post inspiration.

Whatever style of pre-Christmas activities you may prefer, there are usually at least a few gatherings that encourage a bit of dressing up for the holiday fun. Between parties, performances, social gatherings, present shopping, and Christmas day being on Sunday, there are a myriad of opportunities to brighten up your basic make-up routine.  Here are a few of my favorite Christmas Inspired make-up pieces this year.

* First, I am so in love with eyeliner. I think it is my favorite make-up piece, as you put a little of that on and it manages to brighten up your eyes and draw the focus away from flyaway hair and dark circles. Getting a soft liner gives you the precision, while keeping you from pressing too hard on your eyes. A good eyeliner gives a lovely definition to your face, pulling the focus where you want it.

* Second, a shimmering gold eyeshadow gives and extra sparkle for a special occasion.  I don't wear eyeshadow very much, both due to lack of time and talent, but a nice gold shade is easy enough to put on and compliments most Christmas outfits. This time of year, a little extra shine is just so nice.

* Finally, we come to my friend and nemesis the red lipstick. Festive and vintage, bold and classic, this look is one of my favorites - especially during the holidays! Of course, I'm still learning the application process, but between all of the lip-liners, sticks, glosses, and stains, there is surely a way to keep this on all through a party. I'm still struggling a little bit with the exact products to use (if you know how to make this work, let me know! <3 ) but nonetheless, I so definitely love this look. It makes a statement while remaining classy, and the red gives off such a lovely Christmas vibe. 

And there you have it! My simple, basic, but effective Christmas make-up inspiration pieces. I have a lot more to learn about make-up, but I'm hoping to try some new products soon.  Maybe we'll see more of that around the blog in the coming New Year! 

Do you have any make-up tips specifically for the holidays? Any favorite looks this time of year?

Of Changing One's Hair

A woman who cuts her hair is about to change her life - Coco Chanel 

My sister Aly just got her hair cut!  She's been planning for weeks to get her done in the style of  Claudia Donovan from the TV series Warehouse 13.  The hair dresser got the style dead on and she looks fabulous! 

Aly's personality makes her practically destined for short trendy edgy hair.  She totally makes this work.  In her own words, I love my new hair. The world has been waiting thirteen years for this.  I'm not sure what exactly her intentions are.  Today the hair, tomorrow the world?  Seriously though, so. cute. 

Wintry Randomness

I hate winter. And I meant hate, hate it with a passion.  After December 25th, I'm ready for all the snow to be gone and to be replaced with summer. But, as I do so love spring and fall, winter is just a season that must be endured.  Instead of sitting inside pouting about the temperature (although, really, -10 degrees, who enjoys that?) I try to focus on the positives of winter.  Forget the ugly brown slush of the roads, the icey cold wind that creeps down your neck, the wet hems on your pants, freezing legs on Sunday mornings, life postponed, dark days, staticy hair.  Bring on the hot chocolate, warm not itchy sweaters, cozy socks, dump-in-half-the-sugar-bowl-tea, little clementines packed with vitamin C, fuzzy blankets, fireplace reading, movie marathons, awesome tights, infinity scarves, those never-before-used oh so hopeful ice skates, and glistening white snow.

There are some things I love in the winter that just aren't there in the summer!  Just got to let go of the miserableness and be happy in those little things!  Like the way Rory gets his winter coat and his hair is all fuzzy and snuggly. Listening to my Frozen soundtrack on repeat, sitting in front of the fire with a good book or my new aweseomeful computer. Rereading good books with a cup of tea, and exploring new stories.

Winter dress! Black boots and red lipstick, old hoodies that make you feel just so happy. Glittery eyeshadow and red sweaters and ice blue nailpolish. Of course my kitty cat ears hat I received on my birthday from my friend Elizabeth. Totally pegged my quirky style, and Squirt loves it too!

And yes, that is a Dalek Snowman.  My cool and trendy sister knows how to participate in the fandoms properly.  I come home from work to find a Dalek in our backyard.  I didn't think we had enough snow to do more than complain about, but her optimism proved me wrong and she took advantage of the icey mixture and made this marvelous creation. The only concern, I didn't even know we had that plunger, who knows where she found it...