Not Another LA Blonde

Tag: beauty

What’s in your Glam bag: Ipsy July 2016
oops…So we are well on our way with August and I am realizing that I wanted to post this quite a while ago so here I go now!

I subscribed to Ipsy in June and the July Glam Bag was the first bag I received. I’ve heard and read sooo many great things about the bag that I had to try it for myself! I got my bag around the second week of July, but when I opened it, I wasn’t that impressed by it. Don’t get me wrong-the stuff in the bag wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t all that great either. I thought that since they make you take a quiz before signing up about your likes/needs, that the bag would be a little more tailored.

The cost of the box every month is $10 + tax and free shipping. So for 5 products, 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.

Let’s get to the good stuff and I’ll share with you what I got in my pouch this month:

For starters, the theme of this month’s bag was Hot Summer Nights and if I’m being completely honest, I didn’t really see how the bag or the products fit with the theme. The bag was cute with the holographic material and umbrellas (I thought they were the mint candies at first). I don’t really need another makeup bag right now, so I will probably see how I can reuse it!

The Products:
1. theBalm Cosmetics Meet Matt(e) Trimony Eyeshadow in Matt Moskowitz: I couldn’t find a firm price on this. The pallet is about $42 and individuals are sold for $5.50, but i don’t know if you can buy this particular color individually. This color is a little darker than what I normally wear. Normally, I go with a nude color where this one is a purple/wine color. I’m not sure that I will use this color, so maybe I can gift it to someone who loves eyeshadow!
2. tre’StiQue Mini Highlight Stick in Maldives Luminescent: The full size retails for $34 and this was a mini version of it.I don’t use highlight and I don’t really have the patience to try and learn how to properly apply it lol For me, this product was a no-go!
3. ModelCo POWERLASH Black Mascara: The mini retails for $9, so this is basically paying for the bag if this is a product that you are going to use! I used this almost as soon as I got it! I love trying new mascara’s as I’m always trying to get mine to look bigger/fuller. This was also a mini size which I feel is perfect for trying something out.
4. Not Soap, Radio When life gives you too many lemons: The full size of this product retails for $18 and I’m not sure what size was in my bag. In all honesty I haven’t used this. This product is a hand/body lotion, but I’m really picky when it comes to lotions and their scents. I’m not sure if I will use this or not. The description states that it is perfect for travel and is incredibly light weight.
5. Luxie Beauty Luxie Rose Gold Small Angle Eye Brush 215: This particular brush retails for $10 ( the price of the bag), so this is a good deal! While I love makeup brushes, I don’t use an angled one all that much and still have a MAC one in my bag that I have maybe used once or twice. From what I have read, this is a great brand that is built to last! I’ll probably see if my bf’s sister wants it as she is a makeup artist!
While I could get an exact price of the whole bag, based on the 2 products that had prices for the sizes that I got, the bag is worth at least $19 (mascara & Luxie brush) which makes the bag worth seeing as the bag is clearly worth more than $10! I will continue to subscribe to Ipsy and hopefully my bags get better as I go!

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 I will try and get my August review out much sooner than this July glam bag review!
July 28, 2016
giving into subscription boxes…

AHHHH…so I gave into Celeb peer pressure and ordered myself a FabFitFun box! I’ve been seeing ads and posts about them all over Instagram and my curiosity ultimately got the better of me (I just had to know what all the hype was about). I received my first box back in June, but am just now getting a chance to write about it. My first thought about the box when I opened it was that there were a lot of good things about it, but there were also a few things that I wasn’t too ecstatic about.

I’m going to tell you about my box and my thoughts on it.
Let me just start by saying how much I love the fact that every item you get is full sized! To me, this really makes it feel like your getting your money’s worth. The box is sent out quarterly and you get billed $49.99 each time unless you do a yearly subscription which is $179.99 (saves you 20 bucks!).

One thing that I didn’t like was the fact that I also ordered my mom a box as well and hers was identical to mine; same exact color of everything that I got, so that was kind of a bummer.

Here is a list of what came in my Summer 2016 box:

1. FabFitFun Everyday Beach Waves Spray – Retails $18

The issue that I had with this spray is that it definitely doesn’t work well in my hair. I have very fine, straight, thin hair and after following the instructions on the bottle, my hair dried and looked like I had forgotten to wash it that day. So for me, this item was a definite bust.

2. Betches Ice Pop Molds – Retails $19

I honestly haven’t even taken these out of the box yet! I’m not sure if I have a need for them or not. I may just give these away to somebody that will get more use out of them than I will.

3. Summer & Rose Yoga Towel – Retails $36

To be honest, I haven’t taken this out of the package yet. I got the pink towel (perfect because that is my favorite color). I think that I could definitely take this to the gym with me, but not if it’s too big. I could also use it as a bath towel for my puppy!

4. Stemulations Daily Micro Derm Scrub – Retails $34

This might be my favorite item from the box! It’s a pretty big tube (8oz) so I feel that you are really getting your money from the box. I have used this a couple of times already and I ABSOLUTELY love it. I have to hide it though so that no one else in the house will use it!

The scrub is a super-fine exfoliant, and it foams as you rub it into your skin. It makes my face feel so clean and soft. I really feel like it is taking away all the dirt from my day. It says that you can use it on your face and body, but since it’s $34 a bottle I’ll stick to using it on my face. The book also included a discount code that is good until October 2016, so I think that I will be taking a look at the site and possibly ordering another bottle to have on hand!

5. Passport to Beauty Gypsetter Luminous Lips – Retails $18

I’m not a huge lipgloss gal, so this was a little bit of a bummer for me in this box. I won’t be using it so hopefully someone I know wants a new lipgloss!

6. OSEA Atmosphere Protection Cream – Retails $48

With this product alone, you’re pretty much covering the price of the box so you know you’re getting a lot out of your $50!

When I first used this product, I wasn’t sure about the scent/feel of the lotion on my face. It was very lightweight (which I liked) and it absorbed really easily into my skin. It is made with all natural and organic ingredients, plus the frosted bottle gave it a cool look.

I have only used it once, so I can’t 100% say if I love the product or not or if it is something that I would give my mom. With a price of $48, I know that I wouldn’t buy the product again because that is just too much for me to spend on moisturizer.

7. Tina Turk Canvas Tote – Retails $55

This was one of the spoiler items for the Summer box! It’s designed exclusively for FabFitFun subscribers, so you know that you are getting a unique tote that not many people will have access to! There were 3 color options that you could have received: orange (Vitamin Sea), yellow (Sunshine and Saltwater), and blue (Seas the Day). I received the blue one and am very pleased with it!

It’s a pretty big bag (22 inches across) and the canvas is a nice, thick material! I will most definitely use this bag, I just wish that I was going on a cruise or something this summer to take advantage of the cute slogan “Seas the Day” on my bag!

8. BONUS ITEMS Burt’s Bees BB Cream Sample & Compeed Blister Cushion Sample

These were also kind of a bust in my opinion, but they were an added bonus so I can’t complain too much.

The total value for this box is over $200 and I think that is a great deal! I am going to upgrade my subscription to the annual subscription since you are permitted to choose certain types of products and I’m excited to see what that may entail!

XOXO

July 25, 2016
WANDERLUST

wanderlust: (n) a strong desire to travel

I never knew the true meaning of this word until recently. I have such a strong desire to travel everywhere!! It all started when I went to New Jersey last September with my mom for my brother’s high school football game; I have that constant urge to drop everything and get on a plane to go somewhere!

A little back story- My brother just graduated from a high school where the football team was nationally ranked and won a national title in 2013 and came close the following 2 years, so naturally that kind of prestige came with teams all over wanting to play you. We went to Hawaii in 2014 and followed that up with a quick weekend to Las Vegas to play Bishop Gorman high school.

So anyway back to 2015, my brother had a game early in the season against a team from New Jersey so my mom and I flew out there and stayed at the same hotel as the team. The trip was great- I got to spend quality time with my mom, see both of her sisters and my cousins, and most importantly taking the train into the city (New York City) and I absolutely fell in love!

Me, my mom, my aunt, and my 2 little cousins

Me, my brother, and my 2 New Jersey cousins

The minute we got home I knew I HAD to go back to New York, so I started planning a trip for Robert and I for after the new year. I thought that I would make a whole big trip out of it and hit more than one state. So I got online and searched for weeks for the best deals on flights and hotels. I finally decided on stopping in Chicago before going to New York. I booked and planned everything to the “T” and then proceeded to watch the weather for weeks leading up to the trip. I knew that going back east in February would be risky weather but being from California, I just had to see winter (despite getting to both cities and having record breaking cold (-5 degrees in NYC) there was hardly any snow to be seen and I was bummed). We literally got to see everything that we had planned and wanted to see in Chicago plus we got to see Robert’s best friends mom who lives there now (we didn’t get to go to Wrigley Field, but that’s what another trip is for). When we got to New York, we got to see almost everything that we wanted to but I definitely think another day or so would have been perfect. Needless to say it was the best Valentine’s Day weekend I could have had. I mean who else gets to be on top of the Empire State Building in 10 degree weather after dinner on Valentine’s Day? This lucky girl, that’s who!

Here are a few of my favorite pictures from our Valentine’s trip!

Doing touristy things like finding the bean despite the single digit temps!

Standing, looking out above the city from Willis Tower in Chicago

Sitting on the glass platform at the Skydeck in Chicago!

One of the first things we did in New York: One World Trade Center

Braved the freezing temps to see the Statue of Liberty

Our last morning in Time’s Square

Anyway, there I went on a big ol’ tangent…back to my original thought WANDERLUST! I have this immense desire to travel everywhere! I am constantly planning trips that I know I won’t be taking anytime soon. I’ve planned trips to Hawaii, Nashville, Texas, Philadelphia, St. Louis, back to Chicago and of course back to New York for various times of the year. Luckily, one of Robert’s friends is in Missouri for 2 years with a grad assistant program, so there is definitely a trip in store for us, it’s just a matter of when we will go. I think that this desire to travel should be taken advantage of while you still can; it’s something that will only be around for a while. Once you get a full time job or you have kids that availability becomes less frequent. I have a bucket list of places all over the world that I would love to go to. I don’t mind starting small and staying within the good ol’ USA right now.

XOXO

June 20, 2016