Sunday, July 28, 2019

Ipsy Glam Bag July 2019



I have been debating whether or not to cancel ipsy. It’s my only subscription with the small size products. And truth be told I haven’t been loving the items they been sending. Maybe 2 to 3 are winners a month. I just love those bags and collecting them. I think it’s a obsession?

Red Earth Brighten Concentrate Oil - of the few face oils that have been sent this season, red earth has the most alluring scents. It may be the Kakadu Plum that helps this elixir leave your skin rejuvenated and baby 👶 soft. Retails for $45

Trust Fund Beauty in Where’s My Money - is an opaque pink lilac shade that makes your skin look tanner. Approved! A full NOTD post will be featured later. Retails for $15

Wet n Wild Megaglo Highlighting Powder in Crown of My Canopy
- at first when I open the bag and saw there was a wet and wild product my stomach dropped. What was this doing in my ipsy? But I gave it a chance; I swatched it and the color pay off wasn't great. I'd call it a baked bronzer cause this is so not a highlighter. Retails for $5.50

Smashbox Always On Liquid Lipstick in Babe Alert - I’m definitely happy to not get another lipgloss although the shade is like so many others that I get in these subscription boxes. Smashbox's wand is pretty fantastic at making it easy to apply like you had a lip liner. The color dries quickly into matte and doesn’t dry out your lips badly. I would definitely check out this product in other shades. Retails for $24

South Seas 🌊 Skincare Mother of Pearl Illuminator - this illuminator dries fast and moisturizes without making you feel greasy, which is a hard feat. Honestly, I’m quite impressed and want a giant bottle. This product is the surprise of the glam bag; I really thought it was going to be another crappy primer that caused me to break out. But what a great summer product! Retails for $24






Monday, July 22, 2019

Ipsy Glam Bag Plus June 2019 Review/Photos



111Skin Vitamin C Brightening Booster - One of the perks of using ipsy‘s app and is around 1 to 2 weeks after you’ve been charged for payment you can see what products are being shipped to you. And getting another 111 Skin I was stoked, as I’ve said before - this brand is high quality, but equally expensive. The vitamin C brightening booster targets your hyperpigmentation, age spots, and uneven skin tone. 1-2 drops mixed with your moisturizer or apply directly to skin will do the trick. When the box arrived I dropped it on my bed and went out for the night, not knowing there was a leaking issue. When I got home late that night half the bottle had a leak through the box and onto my bed. Yuck! From just using it for a few days I can tell my skin was brighter and smoother. While the retail value of this product is definitely out of my price range, that is the only negative thing I have to say. Retails for $180

Tetris X Ipsy Brushes - The Tetris brushes were an add-on that sold out before I could grab them. I needed those brushes! A Facebook group that I am on which is basically just a makeup addiction subscription group that does a lot of searching and selling of items from your boxes was selling the brush set. Retails for $15


Tetris X Ipsy Game On Eyeshadow Palette - I loved Tetris as a kid and to bring in a retro game theme...approved. The color payoff was quite impressive. Retails for $15





Suva Beauty Hydra Liner in Grease & Six Twenty Brush Set
- this free-range brush/liner has me impressed. It’s black as night and glides on with ease. Being truly smudge-proof, it’ll last all day/night. It’s rare for me not to use pencils but this product has been intrigued. Retails for $14

Apto Skincare Healing Tumeric Mask - I'm always trying to find ways to use turmeric to help with my rosacea. In this Tumeric Mask, the azelaic acid works to remove dead skin cells, treat rosacea and prevent breakouts without compromising even the most sensitive skin types. Using the mask 1x I can tell you that it didn't clear the redness - its an ongoing struggle. It cleaned out my pores and wiped out any oil on my face. Retails for $16


Tresique Matte Color + Shiny Balm Lip Crayon in Belize Bordeaux - I've received many Tresique products over the last few years but this is my first full size lip product. As always the vibrant color quality is on point with last power. This duo comes with the matte crayon and BB balm. The BB balm has such a faint tint I would categorize it "clear." This berry shade is gorgeous and is vertsaile; night or day to take this baby out for work or dinner - it all looks fire! The upgraded case is more unique than the basic lip crayon...it's magnetic. Literally, magnetic. It almost put itself away. This isn't common in any product I've bought, so its a first for me; how freakin' convenient? Yas. Retails for $25





Sugar Kitten Hydrating Holographic Peel Off Mask in I Dew Care
- This is the prettiest effen mask I've ever seen in my life. I could stare at it all day, really. I wanted to get the full size ($12) add on's but then I had to choose just one shade and will the mini's I could get both colors. Sadly they didn't offer the silver, alien one. But I saw it on my mom for Mother's Day and it's awesome-sauce. Retails for $12

Space Kitten Exfoliating Galactiac Black Peel Off Mask in I Dew Care
- This charcoal, sapphire, and diamond powder was used to make this mask. It's black as night with lots of silver sparkles. It's very galaxy as its theme. It will brighten and exfoliate your skin while volcano ash helps clear out the pores. Retails for $12


Tuesday, July 16, 2019

NOTD: Zoya in Stevie


Nails of the Day (NOTD) are making a comeback after a few years in the dark!

It's been ages since I've had a NOTD post, but I have plenty of polishes to show you guys. At least this year I was able to take advantage of Zoya's Earth Day sale. 

Brand: Zoya
Name: Stevie
Collection: Pixie Dust
Color: Violet
Texture: matte, texturized glitter
Coats: 1
Retail $: $10
Rating: A

RetroUrbanRainbow says.... My favorite collection from Zoya! It's great quality, where you only need 1 coat. The texturized glitter is unike any other formula. Plus it literally dries in 10 seconds...



Monday, July 8, 2019

BoxyLuxe June 2019 - Review/Photos



I now have a few months of BoxyCharm under my belt. This is the first month of the upgraded, Boxyluxe. There was a little confusion (partly my fault for missreading) I feel the description is a little misleading as well. But every three months you get higher end products worth over $250 for your box. My confusion was I thought you get your BoxyCharm and the BoxyLuxe for about $60. But the upgraded version is you get 8 to 9 products of the higher end value. After the confusion was over and the fog lifted I was fine with the value and understood that this really became like a quarterly subscription box. With all the issues that I’ve had with how long it’s taken to get shipped to me and gotten lost in the mail, this box shipped and delivered in two days. I was floored! Overall out of the nine products there are a few that I love but most I wouldn’t go out and buy for myself. But I’m going to keep the upgraded quarterly version and see how it progresses. How do you like your BoxyLuxe?

Living Proof Full Dry Volume Blast - The description on the front of this bottle throws me off. I assumed it was dry shampoo but after spraying it in my hair it became stiff and crunchy. Then I realized it was hairspray and not a dry shampoo. This is a new brand for me but I have heard some favorable things about their products. But somebody that thought this was not hairspray and applied it before leaving for work it was quite an unpleasant surprise. Retails for $29

Dominique Cosmetics Lemonade Lip Gloss - at first glance I am annoyed that this lipgloss comes in that bulky rectangle square shape but that’s really the only negative thing I have to say. Strawberry Lemonade is a medium-sheer, lightweight lipgloss that gives your lips the allure of being a little bit fuller. The color is a light pink but you do need a few coats because it is so sheer. Retails for $17


PYT Turbo On The Go Hair Dryer - this season is about the mini hairdryers and they are freaking adorable! The mini turbo dryers came in either pink, purple, blue or coral. I was disappointed to get coral, but I did notice a handful of people that also have BoxyLuxe in the Illinois area all got coral. Whether it was the most shipped out color or it was delivered by region, who knows? But I tested it out last week and I am floored by its strength. My current hairdryer is a pink Revlon that I’ve had for 10 years. I would say use my hairdryer an average of 1 to 2 times a week and it is perfect for what I need. I have very thick hair and it takes a long time for it to dry. mostly, I like to let it air dry. In 10 minutes this little hair dryer did the job! Retails for $85


No PoreBlem Prime Essence - This product is a bit of enigma. I really had to do some digging to find any information on this product. If you look at the packaging majority of the information besides the name is in Korean. I couldn’t decipher what was the purpose of this product? Is it a primer? This primer is supposed to be applied as the last step of your skin care. It’s supposed to absorb into your skin to give a smoother texture and shrink the look of your pores. It absolutely did nothing for my pores and it would absorb into my skin just sat on top of it. While I am BoxyCharm‘s website they had a lot of great reviews this product was a total waste and something on I’ll never use.   Retails for $23



Tarteist PRO Glow Palette V3 - The first spoiler the BoxyCharm sent about BoxyLuxe was for this pallet. I was thrilled! I am a fan of Tart, they're a very excellent company. This palette consists of 6 shades of blush, bronzer, and highlighter. If you're not aware they formulate with Amazonian Clay. To be honest I will only use 2 to 3 shades of this pallet due to the fact that I have rosacea and don’t use blush. But the shades are pigmented and come in matte and shimmer as well. The blush can also double as eye shadow. Headliner and A-Lister my favorite shades. Retails for $45




Dr. Brandt Clean Biotic Cleanser - it always makes me happy when I open one of my subscription boxes and there’s a Dr. Brandt item. And to boot, it’s a new one I haven’t tried. The clean biotic is the pH balance yogurt cleanser with chlorophyll. Isn’t that a mouthful? LOL, The chlorophyll is there to reduce redness and irritation. And that’s the part that really interests. So I will give it time and see but based on previous products I’ve used from this company I have high hopes. Retails for $35

Honeymoon Farmacy Glow Serum - first let’s talk about the scent of this product. HONEY 🍯! When I opened the serum bottle my sense wafted with the smell of honey. This product is said to promote cell renewable targets hyperpigmentation and also helps reduce fine lines and wrinkles. That’s a lot of work for this yellow serum. It definitely hydrates the heck out of my skin delivering a smooth and retexturize appearance. I’m sold so far! Retails for $58

Skin & Co Roma Truffle Therapy Radiant Dew Mist - My first feelings when I saw this product was a disappointment. Another setting spray? This is the third in the last few weeks that I’ve received. And that is more in the last couple of years. When sprayed on my hands I didn’t notice anything in the sent doesn’t smell like truffles. Although it’s difficult to tell in the photos below I spritzed it a few times over my make up end it does give a sort of dewy complexion. It’s there to help rebalance your skin’s pH level and tighten your pores as well. Retails for $35

Tresique Good Vibes Mascara - When I first looked at this crazy big tube I do not think this was mascara. The good vibes mascara is an all-in-one lash enhancing mascara that help affect. The wand is an interesting shape and I found when I was coding my lashes it would hit my lid. Retails for $25