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IPSY – September 2017

Happy Tuesday! I hope y’all had a great weekend. Personally I felt like it was too short! I worked on Friday and then had to coach ALL day Saturday since the high school boys had their football game that day. So from about 9am – 6pm I was with the whole team out in Pasadena. And then Sunday came and the fiancé and I ran errands all day for the wedding.

But let’s get back to what I’m really talking about…my SEPTEMBER IPSY BAG. I review what comes in my bag every month and I never seem to get the brands that I’ve chosen in my preferences, but this month I was pleasantly surprised to find that I liked the brands that were chosen at random for me!

If I’m being completely honest, every month when my bag comes I go back and forth on whether or not I want to continue subscribing or not. This was one of those months that makes me want to keep receiving my bag every month.

With all that being said, I’ll share with you what I got in my pouch this month:

For starters, the theme of this month’s bag was LIKE. A. BOSS. The bag was super cute; it’s black and super chic looking. I will definitely be using this bag again!

The Products:

E Nature Birch Juice Hydro Sleeping Pack Value for 12 ml= $4.48

The full size (75 ml) bottle retails for $28.00. Hard work can happen after hours too. This formula takes the night shift, so you wake up with refreshed, hydrated skin. It’s made with 74% birch juice which helps quench your skin while you sleep. As y’all know, I’m not a huge fan of spending that much on a night cream, but with this one I just might have to give in and buy the full size when I run out of my sample size! I’ve never heard of this brand, but I really enjoyed this product.

Luxie Beauty Luxie Rose Gold Medium Angled Shading Eye Brush 207 Value = $12.00

FULL SIZE PRODUCT! Not only does the angled shape help you blend any eye look like a boss, but you can also use it for all your fave cream and powder shadows! Bonus…it’s rose gold and what gal doesn’t love a little rose gold in her life? I think I have more brushes than I know what to do with! As always, this is a good brush, but I just don’t need ANOTHER angled shadow brush. Maybe this time I’ll get rid of one of my older brushes and keep this one to use. Luxie brushes work really well and last a long time.

Feel Renewed Pumpkin Walnut Facial Cleanser Value for 1 oz = $7.00

The full size of this cleanser (4 oz) retails for $28.00. This exfoliating cleanser wakes up your complexion and has a spicy/sweet autumn-y scent. It’s like a PSL for your face! This exfoliator is packed with all-natural, ultra-healthy ingredients like walnut powder and pumpkin seed oil that leaves your complexion soft and soothed. No moisture stripping harshness here. This naturally-foaming scrub is sulfate free. OK, wait a second…can we just talk about how good this smells!? It’s seriously the perfect product for Fall so if you’re as BASIC as I am, you’ll love this cleanser.

Smashbox Cosmetics Photo Finish Radiance Primer Value for 0.25 oz = $9.75

The full size of this primer (1 oz) retails for $39.00. This brand new formula makes for insanely radiant skin. Makeup always looks better (and lasts longer) with primer. This next-level base hydrates, fills fine lines, and evens out your skin. Ehh, I’m not a huge fan of primers. I’ve used them before and they just always make my face breakout. I’m sure this one is great and I’ve read a ton of reviews on it.

Dirty Little Secret Cosmetics Lip Gloss in Nude Beach Value = $14.00

FULL SIZE PRODUCT! This is what we call a boss gloss: Seriously shiny. Super lightweight. Never sticky. Honestly, I was pleasantly surprised by this. I don’t normally use DLS cosmetics, but when I opened my bag and saw this I knew it would be color that I would wear and it looked really good on. It reminded me of a MAC lip gloss I used to have back in the day. Even though the gloss is $14, it’s actually a pretty good size so I would definitely buy this gloss again!

For the month of SEPTEMBER, the bag is worth about $47.23. With 2 full size products, the $10 you pay for the bag is such a steal! This bag is actually lower than other bags I’ve received, but I’d rather have product I like for a lower value than things I don’t like at a higher value.

The cost of the box every month is $10 + tax and free shipping. So for 5 products (one of which should be full size, the low price is a pretty good bargain. The bag is great if you’re looking to try out different products that you may not currently use.

Another perk to the bag is that every product that comes in your bag also has a discount code for that brand! So not only do you get a great product, you can also buy the full size at a cheaper price.

To subscribe to Ipsy use my referral link to discover new brands/products that you might come to love that you wouldn’t otherwise try!

XOXO

p.s Let me know if you got anything different that you absolutely loved!

September 19, 2017
A DAY TO REMEMBER

“Time is passing. Yet, for the United States of America, there will be no forgetting September the 11th. We will remember every rescuer who died in honor. We will remember every family that lives in grief. We will remember the fire and ash, the last phone calls, the funerals of the children.” —former President George W. Bush

It was a day just like any other; people boarding their flights to travel across the country while others entered buildings to go to work. People were going about their lives thinking about going home at the end of the day to eat dinner with their families, but 16 years ago today the world changed for SOO many people. People lost their family members, their friends, their neighbors; men and women risked their lives running straight into collapsing buildings to try to save as many people as they could and not all of them made it back out.

We are all affected in some way by the 9/11 attacks. I’ll never forget waking up that morning; I was 9 years old, my brother was 3 and my youngest brother was only a few months old. I was getting ready for school and my mom had the news on and she was crying. I didn’t know then what a huge impact this day would make on our lives. I was old enough to know that something bad had happened, but I couldn’t understand why someone would want to do that to us, not when the United States was so great. I remember hoping that my aunts and uncle and cousins were ok because I knew that they lived back east. I remember my mom calling her sisters to see if they were ok and THANKFULLY they weren’t in the city. In the midst of tragedy, we stood up as a Nation and rebuilt as a stronger more UNITED front. We showed the terrorists that attacked us that we could rebuild and that even though we suffered a great loss that day, the outcome would be bigger and stronger than what we were before.

16 Years later and this beauty stands proud as the One World Trade Center

Two years ago, my fiancé and I had the opportunity to visit the 9/11 Memorial and museum while we were in New York. The museum itself was one of the saddest things I have ever experienced in my life. To see the remnants of what used to be the twin towers; to see the steel beam standing there in the middle of the room with missing posters and prayers and firehouse numbers of all those that were lost; and to hear the stories of those who never made it home that day. Listening to the voices of those people who never made it off the plane who had left messages for their loved ones on the ground…Listening to the messages that were left by the families on the ground desperately hoping that it wasn’t their loved ones on that plane. It was soo heartbreaking. I cried even when I didn’t think I had any tears left in me. Every time I’m in New York, I have to stop by the 9/11 Ground Zero Memorial to take a moment and stand in silence and pay my respect to those who lost their lives.

This stands in the middle of the museum in the exact place the original building was

To this day when I think about the tragedy we faced, it still makes me angry to know that someone would do this to us. It makes me sad to think of all those innocent people who died and for all the first responders who didn’t make it out of the wreckage. Just writing this post makes me tear up thinking about it all. It’s weird to think that there are people alive who will never know what the New York skyline looked like with 2 towers standing tall or who weren’t even alive when all of this took place and have to learn about it from a history book. I am proud to be an AMERICAN, but on September 11, I am even more proud. I’m thankful that the United States has such a strong backbone to lean on and that we don’t let an attack like this define who we are as a Nation. This is truly a day that we will NEVER FORGET.

Here is just one of the reflecting pools that is inscribed with the names of every person who died in both the ’93 and ’01 attacks. The Memorial pools are a powerful reminder of the largest loss of life resulting from a foreign attack on American soil and the greatest single loss of rescue personnel in American history.

“If we learn nothing else from this tragedy, we learn that life is short and there is no time for hate.” —Sandy Dahl, wife of Flight 93 pilot Jason Dahl

The birthdays of the victims are remembered by placing roses on their names every year

If you ever get the chance, you HAVE to visit the Memorial and the Museum as each will affect you in some way. I think it’s a great opportunity to pay respects and to learn more about the day that we remember every year. If you’d like to learn more about OWTC then you can click here but if you’d like to visit the One World Observatory which the top of the World Trade Center and see the most breathtaking views check this out.

XOXO

September 11, 2017
Labor Day Weekend Sales

Happy Labor Day Weekend! I hope y’all are staying cool in this heat wave we’re currently experiencing in the LA area. I know that fall is fast approaching, but with this heat I can’t even think about Fall clothing which is why most of my picks are still in summer mode. There are so many great sales going on, so I wanted to share some of my favorite items from each!

Now is the perfect time to refresh your fall wardrobe and definitely take advantage of the LDW sales going on. You can easily shop the sales below by clicking on the store’s link or by clicking on the links under each picture.

The Loft – 40% off Full Price & Extra 60% off Sale

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Express – 40% off Entire Site

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Nordstrom – Up to 40% off

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Have a great weekend! Let me know if any of y’all hit any great sales today.

XOXO

September 4, 2017