Ipsy October 2013 Glam Bag "Unboxing" + Review (My first!)

Hi there!

I'm happy to say I'm now an Ipsy Glam Bag subscriber!

To change it up, I uploaded a YouTube video showing my "unboxing"! I figured this would be the most effective way truly get an idea of my initial reaction since I made sure to avoid spoilers about what was in my bag.

For anyone not too familiar with Ipsy, it's a monthly subscription beauty bag that you get in the mail for $10/month. You get several beauty products each month, which is a great way to try new things. Plus they come in a fun makeup bag! It was created by YouTube beauty guru Michelle Phan.

I signed up for the waiting list in late August. It took a little more than a month to get an email letting me know a spot opened up. So October was my first month -- and I'm already pumped for November!

Here's a breakdown of what I got in my Glam Bag:

• Coastal Scents Medium Shadow Brush ($2.49)
• I love trying new brushes, so more the merrier, I say. And this is my first Coastal Scents item!
• Zoya polish in Neve (full size $8)
• This is a sapphire blue/purple metallic with what appears to be multi-colored shimmer. Very, very subtle shimmer. Can't wait to swatch it!
• Style Sexy Hair Spray Clay (travel size $8)
• I didn't know what this really was when I opened it haha. But it's a texturizing spray with a dry, non-waxy hold, according to ULTA. I'm looking forward to playing with this on days my hair has too much slip.
• Nourish Organic Coconut & Argan Body Lotion (1 oz. -- full size of 8 oz. costs $9.99)
• Although it says coconut, this lotion doesn't have the traditional coconut scent. Bummer! But I'm still planning to keep this in my handbag or maybe on my nightstand to moisturize my always-dry hands. It wasn't too greasy and my hands felt nice. I honestly can't describe the scent... it's like a strange type of candy? No, I have no flippin' clue.
• Bella Terra Mineral Cosmetics Shimmers in Emotion (2g -- full size of 2.5g costs $14.99)
• Such a pretty purple! I initially thought this was just used for eyeshadow, but it's apparently an 8-in-1 product, including creamy eyeshadow, mascara (by dipping clear mascara into the shimmer) and body glitter, according to their website. I'm not familiar with loose pigments, so I'm excited to play!

Overall, the worth of my Glam Bag isn't too high, considering I've seen reviews from previous months saying bags were worth about $70! But I'm still thinking anything more than $10 is good for now. Plus this is my first bag, so I have nothing to compare it to. More than anything, I enjoyed the "surprise" factor :)

But that's about it! I hope the video was a nice change of pace. Thanks so much for reading/watching!

Did you get the October 2013 Ipsy Glam Bag? Let me know what you got in the comments! xo

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Review: Sally Hansen "Gold Roses" rose gold nail polish

Happy Sunday, lovelies!

I'm back with my Fall 2013 nail polish pick #5 -- a beautiful ROSE GOLD!

Rose gold has been my thing lately. I think it's the perfect fall staple, a great way to wear pink in the fall without going the pastel/spring route.

The Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Fall 2013 collection includes a beautiful polish called Gold Roses ($8 at CVS, I believe). I had a coupon and CVS Extra Bucks, so the polish was $2-ish!

I've been searching for the perfect rose gold polish for a while now, and this one nailed it!

It's a chrome polish, which gives it a slightly edgy look, yet it's still subtle and classy because of the nude/rose gold hue.

I only needed ONE coat for it to be opaque.

As for the brush, I do love big polish brushes, but Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure brushes may be TOO large for some. I had to tilt the brush a bit to get the edges of my nails. Just a heads up if you've never tried this line!

Otherwise, this polish is perfect. What do you think of the rose gold? Have you picked this up or any others from the fall collection? Let me know in the comments.

And if you're interested, I've linked my last 4 fall picks below.
Fall pick #1 | Fall pick #2 | Fall pick #3 | Fall pick #4

For more beauty and lifestyle posts, please subscribe or "follow by email" on the top right hand corner of the page. I'm also on Instagram @erisaxo. Thanks for reading! Have a great day!

Review + swatch: China Glaze First Mate - Fall 2013 nail polish pick #4

Hello lovelies! I finally have Round 4 of my Fall 2013 Nail Polish Picks on this beautiful Sunday. (I'll link my other picks at the bottom.)

First Mate from China Glaze is a gorgeous mid-toned navy with gray undertones. I've been looking for this kind of polish for a while, and I ended up getting it at Sally's Beauty Supply for $6.99 (slightly better deal than ULTA's $7.50).

This polish is actually from the China Glaze Anchors Away Collection, which I believe was for Spring 2011. But to me, navy is a great pick for the colder months. And none of the China Glaze Fall 2013 Collection stood out to me.

I think First Mate is a very sophisticated way to rock dark polish in the fall.

It also shot up toward the top of my list of favorite polishes because of the way it applied!

It's a cream, no sparkle and opaque in just ONE coat! Yes, just one. Not streaky at all -- just perfection.

I then topped it off with my newly restored Seche Vite. (I posted about using nail polish thinner in my Saturday blog, if you want to check that out.)

After giving it 5 out of 5 stars, I highly recommend First Mate!

What polish are you rocking right now? Let me know in the comments :) Hope you enjoy your day!

Fall pick #1 | Fall pick #2 | Fall pick #3

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How To: Beauty Secrets Nail Polish Thinner for Seche Vite + review

Hi there! For all you nail polish lovers, I wanted to post a quick tip.

Since my Seche Vite top coat was getting thick and unusable (happens every time halfway through), I decided to invest in a nail polish thinner.

Buying another Seche Vite for $10 is so lame when you have so much product left!

So I looked up some reviews online and saw a lot of love for Beauty Secrets' Nail Polish Thinner.

It was $4.29 for 4 fl. oz. at Sally's Beauty Supply, which I think is amazing. OPI's thinner costs $9 at ULTA.

The bottle cap is quite convenient. Some people complain about the packaging, but I thought it was really easy to put a few drops of the thinner right into the bottle of Seche Vite.

I put in about 8 drops and shook the bottle.

After moving the brush around, I could tell the consistency of Seche Vite was much like it was when I first purchased it.

I love this polish thinner! Can't believe I didn't get it sooner.

So if you're having the same problem with your polishes, I highly recommend this thinner from Beauty Secrets. I'm looking forward to reviving some of my older polishes next!

Sunday's post will be on Fall Nail Polish Pick #4. See you then!

For more beauty and lifestyle posts, please subscribe or "follow by email" on the top right hand corner of the page. I'm also on Instagram @erisaxo. Thanks for reading!

Review + swatches: Urban Decay Vice 2 eyeshadow palette

Happy weekend!! Hope you all had a great week.

To celebrate a weekend of relaxing (and playing with makeup apparently), I picked up the limited edition Urban Decay Vice 2 eyeshadow palette ($59) at ULTA.

After eyeing it for weeks, I just gave in.

Although this palette is a tad pricier than the Urban Decay Naked palettes ($52), I felt it was justified when I swatched the shadows in store! Wow. More on that in a bit.

Plus the Vice 2 comes with 20 shadows vs. 12 in the Naked palettes.

Anyway, can we just quickly mention... This. Packaging.

It's so pretty and STURDY. So basically, it's PURDY.

Purples have been screaming my name lately (must be a fall thing), so this packaging, of course, made it all the more appealing.

You push the button pictured (that says Urban Decay), and the palette slowly opens. It might as well have a light shining down on it. It's THAT beautiful.

Now onto the shadows themselves.

Ahhhhh... divine.

This palette comes with 20 exclusive shades. It does come with 8 more shadows than the Naked palettes, but they are 0.03 oz compared to the 0.05 oz of Naked.

But for now, I'm OK with that.

I swatched 10 shadows on my left arm at a time. They are buttery and some are EXTREMELY pigmented. Others not as much. But I'm LOVING them overall.

Out of all the shadows, I'd have to agree with other reviews about Lovesick NOT swatching well. As you can see in the photo below, it just doesn't look that great. Dry and patchy.

Everything else in the first 10 shadows are amazing, especially the metallics on the far right. That silver, though I don't know what to do with it yet, is SO pigmented.

As you see (or NOT see) in the 2nd half, Habit is invisible... or so it seems. It's a light nude matte, pretty much like Naked in the Naked Palette, so it just completely blended into my skin.

The shimmery shadows like Stash, Betrayal and Ambush are especially pigmented and gorgeous.

Here's a full description of each shadow based on the Urban Decay website:

First half
--Smokeout (dark taupey-black satin)
--Prank (deep navy matte with turquoise floating pearl)
--Radar (metallic brown shimmer with iridescent micro-glitter)
--Dope (warm champagne satin)
--Lovesick (black matte with iridescent micro-glitter)
--Madness (bright metallic blue shimmer with blue micro-glitter)
--Damaged (bright metallic emerald shimmer)
--Toxic (metallic copper-pink shimmer with tonal micro-glitter)
--Shellshock (bright metallic silver)
--Strike (antique gold shimmer with silver micro-glitter)

Second half
--Voodoo (metallic purple shimmer with iridescent purple micro-glitter)
--Habit (light nude matte)
--Coax (medium metallic pink with golden iridescent micro-sparkle)
--Stash (deep olive green shimmer with iridescent micro-sparkle)
--Betrayal (bright purple satin with blue shift)
--Ambush (metallic brown satin)
--X-Rated (baby pink satin)
--Poison (charcoal satin with iridescent micro-sparkle)
--Derailed (medium metallic taupey-brown shimmer)
--Rewind (medium brown matte)

The palette also comes with a dual-ended shadow brush and BIG mirror that takes up the whole top half of the case.

If you were on the fence about getting this palette, I hope this review was somewhat helpful! And if you didn't even consider it before, it may be a good investment to consider!

Seriously, I'm seeing this palette taking me far with so many different looks. Can't wait to play.

Thanks for reading!

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Review: Freeman Facial Clay Mask Mint & Lemon

Hi there! Happy Monday/almost Tuesday.

I'll be honest -- I felt quite tired today; anyone else?

Hate when that happens even after a weekend! And since I felt like doing nothing after work but put on a face mask and relax... I decided to do a little research.

I don't use masks often or a scrub, for that matter, like I used to. Just when I get facials every two months. (Boy, has this turned my skin around!)

At home, I use a Glycolic Acid moisturizer at night and figured that's more than my sensitive skin can handle.

BUT... today, I really wanted a pick-me-up.

On MakeupAlley.com, one mask that stood out for me was the Freeman Facial Clay Mask Mint & Lemon.

RAVE reviews!

I had purchased another Freeman mask earlier this year (Facial Revealing Peel-Off Mask Pomegranate), so I felt comfortable trying out the Mint & Lemon version.

Oh my goodness, more than the peel-off mask (which I liked but was hard to peel), I think this CLAY mask is what my skin has been needing!

It makes sense -- I should've known. I have extremely oily skin that's prone to breakouts. That's exactly what this mask targets.

I love the consistency of the mask. I applied an even layer (not too much) all over my face and left it on for 20 minutes. It smells nice and not overly minty.

It dried nicely (to the point I couldn't move my face whatsoever) and I rinsed it off with warm water. I then washed my face with my usual cleanser and followed that up with a toner and moisturizer.

My skin looked GREAT! No redness and very even. My face was clean, calm and soft. I don't know how much tighter my pores really look after one use, but hopefully this mask will help over time.

So I gotta say... if this mask continues to deliver without giving me problems (who knows? Breakouts or something), this could become my holy grail mask.

The only down side is the parabens, so this isn't a perfect mask. But it otherwise delivers!

Plus it was BOGO FREE at ULTA today. This is perfect because I have a feeling I'll be using it all.

They are BIG tubes, too -- 6 fl. oz. for $4 (actually, $2 each with the sale). $4 is already a great deal, but $2?! AMAZING.

In the reviews, I also read some people use this mask as a spot treatment. I will have to try that out.

Later on, I'll try to come back and add an update to this post to see if I still like it.

If you have oily skin like me, please check this out! And let me know in the comments what masks you recommend.

I may make this a Monday ritual, so Mondays don't seem so bad. Mask Mondays! Who's with me?

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RiRi Hearts MAC review: RiRi Woo lipstick + lip pencil photos

Hi there! Today was the first day the RiRi Hearts MAC fall collection became available at all counters, so I went straight to Nordstrom after work.

I had a feeling I only wanted RiRi Woo lipstick ($16.50) because I didn't get it the first time she had it.

Plus, I wish the line was more fall-themed. They re-promoted several items, based on what I've heard, read and seen.

The eyeshadow quads also seemed quite ordinary and not worth the $44!

So back to RiRi Woo... definitely in love right now.

I haven't worn it out, so I can't say how long it wears, but the product itself is gorgeous.

One of the MAC girls convinced me to also get the RiRi Woo Pro Longwear lip pencil ($21.50) at the last minute. Such a good saleswoman...

I first lined my lips and filled them in with the lip pencil. This felt very creamy and easy to apply.

Then I put on the lipstick, right from the bullet.

This is a Retro Matte finish, which I've never tried before, but it felt just fine! Not too dry. I applied lip balm beforehand like usual.

Since I wanted to get a red lipstick from MAC anyway, why not get one in the amazing rose gold packaging, right? Such a great decision.

I highly recommend this combo.

Have you purchased anything from the RiRi Hearts MAC fall collection? Let me know in the comments!

For more beauty and lifestyle posts, please subscribe or "follow by email" on the top right hand corner of the page. I'm also on Instagram @erisaxo. Thanks for reading!