Ipsy: April 2016

Hello, everyone!  Now that I don't have two of my classes anymore, I have 7 more hours of free time in my life. It's hard to use it properly!  However, I think I've sufficiently occupied myself by picking up a new hobby: bullet journaling! Totally side tracking right now.  This week we are reviewing a few different beauty boxes/bags that I got.  Today, it's Ipsy!

This month's Ipsy bag is so pretty, and unique!  I think everyone's bag is a little different because they're all kind of separately tie dyed? I could be making this up but I don't think I am. Either way, gorgeous!  I love the colors together; they're very Spring time.  A little psychedelic too, which fits the theme of "Dream on".

Here's my lovely collection of products for the month! With that, let's get right into this bag!

Tarte Cosmetics LipSurgence Lip Creme "Wonder"

The first product in my bag is this Tarte Lip Creme!  It's a super pretty dark pink color that would be pretty good for someone who isn't comfortable with wearing bright colors but still wants a spring-like shade.  Tarte is a really popular brand too, so that makes it extra exciting!  I'll get back to you guys on how this product works.  As per usual, the swatch is below.  Do you guys like that? Or would you rather me put the swatches right below each item?  I'm curious.


Adesse New York Organic Infused Gel Effect Nail Lacquer "Irina"

Honestly, when I saw this in my bag I felt kinda eh about it.  It's super pretty, but to me it's not really a spring color.  If it were lighter and more lilac, I'd be all over it. As it stands it looks really grey and I'm just not feeling those colors. I want pastels, darn it!  That being said, the quality of the polish is great!  I also think the "organic" part of it is really interesting, if that's something you're super interested in.

Here's the color on my nail!  Like I said, it's a little bit too grey for me personally. Doesn't make it any less beautiful though.

Briogeo Don't Despair, Repair! Gel to Oil Overnight Repair Treatment

I have to say, this is the most disappointing product I got in my bag this month!  It's not that it's a bad product at all.  However, this is an overnight treatment that you're supposed to rinse out in your morning shower. The problem is that I don't take showers in the morning, I take them at night.  It's kind of funny, too, that I got a different Briogeo product in my Birchbox.  We'll see what happens with this, but I'll likely gift it to someone else.

 Starlooks Cream Eye Shadow "Rose Gold"

This was super pretty swatched! I've never used a cream shadow before, so I was super excited to test it out, too!  However, when I put it on my lids I must have done something wrong; it looked really bad really fast.  It broke down on my lid and was just a mess.  I wasn't wearing primer and just slapped it on quick, so that's probably what happened with this. Either way, I'll reupdate with more information as I try this out more!  The swatch is at the bottom of the post!

Crown Brush C427 Duo Fiber Blush Brush

Funny, I didn't even realize that this was supposed to be a blush brush!  I'm not exactly sure if the duo fiber does anything special for me, but I love this brush to apply my highlight.  I think this would be great for a beginner makeup person because there are some grooves for where your fingers should go to hold the brush.

Here's the lip product and cream shadow swatched! They are both so freaking pretty.  The shadow looks less like a rose gold and more like a regular gold in this swatch and applied.  I'm so excited to start using these!

Well, that's it for my Ipsy bag!  I wasn't as hugely impressed with it as I usually am, but there's always bound to be bad months and good months.  I'm not thinking about ending my subscription any time soon because I am still in love with every other bag thus far!

What do you think? What do you think of as a spring color?  Should I put swatches under each product instead of at the end? Let me know!

xoxo,
The Cornfed Princess

Beauty Box 5: April 2016

Hello, everyone!  The weather has gone immediately from winter to summer; 78 degrees today! I'm not ready to move straight into summer weather yet. Give me back my spring! Okay, rant over.

So, you know how last week was Glam Voxbox week? I think this week it's going to be every-other-beauty-box week.  I have lots of goodies from my mailbox to show you. I promise it's going to be exciting!

For today, I'll be reviewing the Beauty Box 5 for April!  The theme for this month is "Take a Hydration Vacation".  I really like the BB5 themes; and they tend to be pretty good at sticking to them!  Better than any other box I've seen so far!

As always I seem to forget to take a picture of the box (read that as I get too excited and open it before I have a camera handy).  I can definitely see the theme in all the products, which is exciting to me!  It makes me feel like the people at BB5 are really thinking about what they're putting in the box.

Let's jump into it now!

Soapbox Sea Minerals Body Wash

The first item I pulled out is this body wash from Soapbox.  I've gotten their shampoo and conditioner from a Target Beauty Box, but I have yet to start in on them. The same goes for this body wash!  I'm sure it'll be just lovely; there's not really anything super special about it as far as I can tell. The best thing about this product is that if you buy one, the company donates one as well!

Jelly Pong Pong Paradise Pigments "Fig Jam"

I believe that the colors you could get are this one, which is a purpley color (swatch below), or a coral color.  I have wanted to try out Jelly Pong Pong since I've heard of it, so I'm excited to see this in the box!  Since it's in a pot, you have to use either your finger or a lip brush.  The product itself smells amazing. I've never smelled fig jam before, but I'm assuming that's what this scent is.  The color was also sent out just in time for spring!  It's just beautiful. They say you can use this as either a lip color or cheek color, but I'd probably stick to lips for this one; it's really bright!

Maskeraide All Eyes On Me Hydrating Eye Gels

I've said this before and I'll say it again: I love eye gels.  They feel amazing on my eyes, and since my under eye is personally my biggest trouble spot, anything that helps with it is my favorite.  I haven't tried this particular pair out yet, but I'm beyond excited to do it.  They're supposed to brighten, hydrate, and firm the skin under your eye, as seen on the little package it came in.

Chella Moisturizing Lip Pencil "Passionate Pink"

I've heard of Chella's highlighter for your eyebrow, but never their lip pencils. This is beautiful!  The swatch, as always, is below.  I find this to be a very hydrating lip product and a lovely shade.  It's another great spring color, and the product itself is supposed to be very hydrating.  The shape also makes it easy to apply, so yay for that!

Global Beauty Care Green Tea Makeup Remover Wipes

I got this brand last month in my Ipsy bag, but it was a mask.  I'm never one to turn down makeup remover wipes!  I like them so much more than traditional makeup remover that may be liquid. I find the wipes to be a wonderful lazy girl alternative to washing your face off.  As you can see on the packaging, it comes with 30 wipes and is infused with a few different vitamins that are good for your skin.  I haven't opened it up yet, but I'll get a review once I find out how it is for sure!

Here's the swatches.  The top one is the Chella lip pencil, and the bottom one is the Jelly Pong Pong pigment.  They are such beautiful spring colors!  I'm so excited to start going out and wearing them now that it finally feels like spring.

Well, that's a wrap this month!  I don't put the values of products or whether they're full sized on here anymore, but just to give you guys an idea of value: the two lip products alone are almost $40.  Since this box is $12 a month, you are getting such a good value with it.  I recommend it for sure if you're looking to expand your collection and have an open mind. Since there is no quiz or box personalization, I would avoid this if you're pretty set on what you like getting or if you have any major sensitivies/allergies.

What do you guys think?  Would you wear a purple lip color?  Do you prefer when boxes keep up with a theme? Let me know!

xoxo,
The Cornfed Princess

Shea Moisture Anti-Aging Trio Review

Hello, everyone! Today I'm going to finish off Glam Voxbox week (or two weeks at this point) with my Shea Moisture Anti-Aging Trio review!

The trio includes a face scrub/wash, a mask, and a moisturizer.  They all have similar properties and are made with two ingredients listed on the front: Frankincense and Myrrh.  They also contain raw Shea butter (as you would assume by the brand name).

Left is before using all three products, and right is after. There isn't a huge difference in the two, aside from my skin looking slightly less red (forehead) and shiny.  Could also have been the lighting so I wouldn't take these pictures too seriously as an indicator of quality.

I started off by using the scrub.  It says you can apply it with either a wet face or dry face. Since I was feeling lazy I left my face dry and slathered this on.  It was a nice scrub to use, but I felt like there weren't enough scrubby particles to feel like much got done.  I prefer physical scrubs that really almost hurt.  I know that's weird to say but it just makes me feel like something's really happening.

The face mask was next. They recommend leaving this on for 5-10 minutes, so I left it on for about 7 minutes. It didn't do a whole lot for me except made my face feel super tight and dry, so it'll probably be better if you have oily skin and not dry skin like me.

Finally, I put on the moisturizer, and my face felt a little better after the mask.  It was just like any other moisturizer I've tried, so good but not crazy amazing.

Overall, these were pretty average products. Nothing super wonderful but they weren't necessarily bad.  I probably won't go out to buy these as soon as I'm out, but I would use them if I got them again.

One thing to note is that the products all smell very strong. It's a pleasant scent for me but if you don't like overly floral smells I'd pass on these.  It even lingered for a few hours after they were washed off.

As with other Glam Voxbox products, these were sent to me free for review. However, that hasn't changed my opinion in the slightest!

What do you think?  Would you buy them? Do you like the smell of Frankincense?  Let me know!

xoxo,
The Cornfed Princess

The Beauty Lover Tag

Hello, everyone!  Today I'm coming at you with a different post than usual; the ever so lovely Lauren from Little Blushing Birdie tagged me to do it.  After reading this, I highly suggest checking her post out here; she has such wonderful answers as well!

I can't help but love reading tag posts.  It's always so much fun seeing how different people can have such different ideas about the same questions. It's equally as fun seeing how your own thoughts compare to other people.  Enough chit chat, let's get into the fun stuff!

If you could have anyone in the world do your makeup, who would it be?
Oh, man. I have so many different people I absolutely love, but if I have to pick one, it would have to be Jaclyn Hill.  She is so stunningly gorgeous all the time and I would die for a chance to meet her.  I feel like she's so creative and fun and would be just a blast to be around.

What's your top makeup tip?
If you are like me and have dark or pigmented lips, use your foundation or concealer on them.  Obviously you'll need to put some sort of lip color on them, but if you constantly struggle with colors not looking right or being opaque enough this is a great tip for you.  I love corals and light pinks, but because my lips are so dark they are never opaque enough for me and just look weird.

What one makeup item could you not live without?
Liquid lipstick.  I am beyond in love with matte lips and the application of liquid lipstick and the fact that I don't really have to touch up throughout the day is just pure heaven.  Guys, I seriously can't even begin to describe to you how much I love them. Just look at the picture. Look at it.

What one skincare item could you not live without?
Lotion and/or moisturizer.  I have really dry skin on top of spots of eczema so anything that helps my parched skin is a necessity.  I just love the way that my skin feels after using a nice lotion, and the fact that there are so many different scents to choose from is just awesome.

What are you worst at when it comes to applying makeup?
Hands down, eyeliner. I have shaky hands, so the idea of keeping my hand still enough to draw a straight line is kind of a joke. Still, I should practice more so I can maybe learn to make a straight line and even wings.

What's your biggest pet peeve when it comes to beauty?
The fact that people are judged for wearing what they love.  Makeup is meant to be fun and something anyone can use, no matter their skill.  It's easy to look at the quality of someone's makeup and judge them, but for goodness sake leave people alone about it.  The only thing you're doing by telling someone their makeup looks bad is make them feel bad and make yourself look like a jerk.  Let other people do what they want. If you don't like their blue lipstick, keep it to yourself. On the flip side, if you like it, be sure to tell them!  It's a major confidence boost to hear a compliment about your makeup; we all know how much time we spend on making it look just right.

What's your favorite makeup era?
Is it bad of me to say I don't really have one?  I'm super open minded when it comes to all sorts of makeup styles.  I love bright colors, so maybe the 80's.  The fact that you could wear whatever you'd like and have it be bright and colorful just appeals to my creative side.  Plus, less judgement, yay! (Honestly I'm just thinking of Jem and the Holograms...)

What's your guilty pleasure product?
Eyeshadow palettes. I don't wear eyeshadow very often at all but for some reason I insist on owning waaay too many palettes for one person.  I have an entire drawer full of them, plus a ton of quads and trios.  I just like looking at the pretty colors and dreaming that sometime in my life I'll be able to put them on my eyelids and feel good about doing it.

What's your underdog product?
ELF lipsticks.  When you think of cheaply priced lipsticks ($3 for one), it's easy to think that the quality will go in line with price. Not true of the ELF lipsticks I have tried. They go on easily, do not smudge, and stay on for hours.  They also look beautiful and have a great range of wearable shades.  I own a bunch of pinks, nudes, and reds, and I'm more than happy with them. The lipsticks I'm talking about should not be confused with the ELF matte lip colors, however.  I haven't tried those out yet!

What was your favorite makeup product of 2015?
Benefit's Roller Lash. Unfortunately I lost the sample I had of it, but really you guys; that mascara is holy grail status.   It made my lashes longer and curled them without making them look clumpy or spidery.  It was kind of a "my lashes but better" look?  Either way, loved it.  I'd totally buy a full size tube of it if I didn't already have a drawer full of mascaras waiting to be tested.

Well, that's it!  I had so much fun thinking about my answers; it really is harder than it seems!  Then again, I've never been good at making such tough decisions like picking favorites.


I don't have any specific people to tag, but please, if you're interested at all in doing this, do it!  It's tons of fun and you'll never know how you relate to someone until you do it!  Feel free to leave it in the comments if you don't have a blog, or leaving me a link in the comments or on any social media so I can check your answers out!

xoxo,
The Cornfed Princess

Cutex Advanced Revival Nail Polish Remover Pads Review

Hello, everyone! I'd like to apologize for the gap in posts last week to this week; I had a lot of things happen to me at once and I just wanted to take some time to myself.  Good news though, I'm back on track!

Today I'll be reviewing the Cutex Nail Polish Remover Pads.  The idea is that instead of using a cotton ball with some acetone to remove nail polish, you use these individual pads soaked in acetone and various oils to take it off.

I got a small box with three individually wrapped pads.  A box of these comes with 10 instead of 3 and costs $3.99 on Drugstore.com.

Here is a list of all the ingredients that are in it. As you can see, acetone and water are the top two, with a few different oils to help "strengthen and condition" your nails.

This is what they look like out of the package.  Let me tell you guys, the smell is still pretty darn strong. I feel like it almost smells stronger than just plain acetone on a cotton ball.

I went ahead and took a before and after picture (the before picture looks terrible, but you guys get the idea).  I'm not sure if because I took the pad out and let it sit for a bit, but I could only get eight of my nails done before the pad completely dried out and I could not get any more polish to come off.  I had to go back with a cotton ball and get the rest of the polish off.

It was kind of difficult to get my nail polish off with the pad. I really had to scrub to get it started. That being said, I had a base coat, nail polish, and top coat on. I think if you just had nail polish without anything else (like I normally do), these would work just fine.

As for it doing any strengthening and conditioning, it's impossible for me to tell after one use.  I personally don't think it did much, but if you own a larger pack and paint your nails more often than I do you will likely see better results.

One thing I also have to recommend is to be sure you use the pad as soon as you open the packaging.  I think it would be able to do all 10 nails if you start right away and work quickly.  Honestly though, I feel like this is not a necessary product to have. It's not way better than a regular cotton ball and nail polish remover, but it's kind of convenient if you're an on-the-go person.

I got this product for free from Influenster, but that in no way changed my opinion of the product!

What do you guys think?  Are these better than a regular cotton balls? Let me know!

xoxo,

The Cornfed Princess

Not Your Mother's Clean Freak Dry Shampoo Review

Hello everyone!  Today I'm bringing you a review on a product I'm sure a lot of you have heard of; the Not Your Mother's Clean Freak Dry Shampoo. Woo, what a mouthful.

I have a bit of a history with this product, to be honest.  Way back when, when I'd first heard of dry shampoo and how great it was, this is the first stuff I ever bought.  I went to my local ShopKo and picked up the big bottle of this.  Perhaps I'm a little bit biased because of that? Probably not.

I find myself impressed with the quality of this product, especially for the price. The full size bottle is 7oz and costs $4.79 at Target.  Influenster sent out the travel sized bottle. Unfortunately I put it in my gym bag and promptly lost it.

There isn't a scent that I can pick up other than a standard "dry shampoo" smell. You guys know the one.

I don't get a white cast that is left in my hair when I spritz it in.  With some dry shampoos, the "spray" leaves a white color in the roots of your hair.  This can usually be solved anyway by rubbing the product into your roots or perhaps not spraying as much product as you are.

The NYM dry shampoo leaves my hair feeling very soft and fresh, which is wonderful for those of us with thick hair that gets greasy quickly. Especially if you are someone who does not like to wash your hair every day (and you aren't supposed to anyway!).

Overall I really enjoy this product. There's a lot of high price tag dry shampoo's I've tried and in my opinion this has stood up to them just as well.  I highly recommend going out and buying this if you don't have a dry shampoo you love in your arsenal already, or even if you're just looking to change things up.

As stated before, this product was sent to me for free to test. That does not mean it changed my opinion in any way!

What do you guys think? Do you use dry shampoo? What's your favorite brand? Let me know!

xoxo,
The Cornfed Princess