FOTD: April 4th

 I was trying to go for a really soft, natural look. A lot of people don't like the nude lip look, but I do. So does the bf and I think it actually looks good on me(bf editing: yes it does). I might be wrong, but oh well. Maybe I'm just walking around looking like a clown, haha!

Foundation Primer: Sephora Anti Shine Foundation Primer. I love love love this, it definitely helps me look less shiny! I have two deluxe sized samples, but I'm sure I will repurchase once I run out. I apply this with clean hands.

Foundation: Yves Saint Laurent Le Teint Touch Eclat in B30 Beige. This was a foil sample that I got from Sephora. I really like how well it matches me, although it will be better once I get a bit darker. I didn't like that it's a bit too liquidy for my taste. I touched my nose by mistake and removed a bit of it, that was way too easy! I need my foundation to be a bit more "bullet proof"! I applied the foundation with my beloved Beauty Blender!

Concealer: Yves Saint Laurent Touch Eclat in N2. I used this as a highlighter. I applied it on top of my foundation, on the bridge of the nose, under my eyes and a bit on my forehead and chin. I think that it did work well and those areas do look slightly highlighted, which is clearly what I was going for. Applied with my fingers and blended with my Beauty Blender.

Bronzer: Too Faced Chocolate Soleil. I got this from a mystery bag from Sephora. It's a deluxe sized sample and I love it so much, it already has a dent in it! I love how well it works as a contour! I applied this on my cheeks, around the hair line, on the jaw line and on the temples. Applied with Sigma's F40 Large Angled Contour Brush.

Blush: elf HD Blush in Superstar, applied with elf's Large Stipple Brush. Careful with this one, because a little goes a long long way and you can end up looking like a clown! We all hate clownface!

Highlighters: Smashbox Soft Lights in Illuminate(don't think they sell it anymore since I can't find a link for it ) on the bridge of the nose, forehead, chin and below the eyes. I applied this with Soho's Powder Brush. Benefit Sunbeam on the cheek bones. I usually apply this with my ring finger(clean hands of course) and blend it in, by lightly tapping the fingers across the cheek bones.

Eye Primer:  Urban Decay Primer Potion(Original). I can't choose between Lorac's Behind the Scenes Eye Primer, Too Faced's Shadow Insurance and UD's Primer Potion, since they all work great, at least for me. I can't spot a difference on the wear or pigmentation. The only difference is the brand, prices and maybe texture of the product. Applied primer all over my eyelids with my ring finger.

Eyeliner: elf Cream Eyeliner in Black all across the lash line, applied with Coastal Scent's Angled Brush. I don't really love this eyeliner from elf,it gets the job done and wears well, but I think it's not as pigmented as I want it to be! I want my black liner to be the blackest black ever! Essence Kajal Pencil in White applied to my waterline. This is not pigmented at all and I had to warm it up a bit (holding it in front of a light bulb) for it to give me some pigmentation, I definitely need a more skin colored liner for the waterline, white can look a bit creepy.

Mascara: Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes. When I first got this mascara I didn't "love it", but after a few tries I definitely fell in love!

Eyeshadow: Urban Decay Scratch on the brow bone and lid, Shag on the lid, Underground blended onto the crease. All from the Deluxe Shadow Box palette.
 
Lips: Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Pur Couture in 24.

Brows: Jane Iredale PurePressed Eyeshadow in Dark Suede, this is my go-to eyebrow color, it's not too dramatic and not too boring, best of all, it stays in place all day! I applied it with Soho's Eyeliner Brush.

That eye looks SO creepy! And I forgot to apply mascara to my lower lash line! I should be punished for this! I promise, it's not a daily thing!

Disclaimer: I purchased this with my own money, and this is my own personal opinion :)

February Ipsy Glam Bag Review+Swatches

 This month's Ipsy bag was kind of a "meh" month when I saw the spoilers. But to be honest I didn't hate it that much after I got it and tried some of the things I got.

 I know this post is way late, but I didn't get my box as fast as some of the others did, which is totally fine, because Valentine's day was last week, so a lot of shipments were delayed.

 I got my box on Friday and got to try all of the products during the weekend. 

 I really liked this month's baggie! It's cute :) I hope they start sending baggies with patterns though.

Red Carpet Ready was this month's "theme".

Doesn't look too exciting, right?

Pixi – Flawless & Poreless Primer(15ml/0.5 floz): $14.50, full size is 30ml/1.01floz and goes for $29. This went on smooth on my face, it felt nice on the skin. I didn't see any difference regarding the size of my pores, it just worked like any other primer. Nothing bad, but nothing special either. It dries really quick and makes my skin feel really smooth and soft.

Mica Beauty Cosmetics – Gel Eyeliner: Full size $30. This liner is really pigmented and it just glides on my lid. I love applying liner with an angled liner brush(this one), it gives me so much precision and I can apply it so close to my lash line! This wore amazing even through tears, didn't move an inch, not even on the waterline! It's amazing, for upper lash line, bottom lash line and waterline.

Swatch:

Sorry about how messy it looks, did it in a hurry!

Lash Card(4):  $5.72, full size has 10 Lash Cards and goes for $6.99. Meh! That's all I can say, I didn't even use the ones I got from Ipsy, because I had an old pack from Beauty Army. As you can see on the package it says it prevents smudging and clumping, well clumping is not prevented at all and well about the smudging, it may prevent it, but I think it's way easier to just be careful while applying mascara.  A good use, instead of an aid to apply mascara, is to use it to prevent eye shadow falling all over your face! Also, you can use one as a template and use a thicker paper, like business cards and make a bunch of them. Not worth the money in my opinion.

Pop Beauty – Smokey Lash Kapow!!!(0.17oz/4.8g): $12.58, full size is 0.25oz and goes for $18.50. This mascara promises to give volume and length without clumping or flaking. It didn't add a lot of volume or length to my lashes. By this I don't mean it didn't add any at all, I'm just saying that I've had better. I saw a lot of people over on MakeupTalk complaining about getting raccoon eyes from this mascara, but I didn't. This wore great throughout the day for me, no raccoon eyes and no flaking at all. Again, I cried while wearing this and it behaved amazingly! I don't love this mascara, to be honest. It does have it's pros though, you can definitely build it up and it won't clump too much or not at all. I would recommend this if you are not looking for a lot of volume, but still want a bit of drama. I love volume for my lashes, so this is not for me.

I'm wearing about 3 coats of POP Beauty Lash Kapow!!! In this picture. I didn't apply more, because I didn't want a super dramatic look.

Coastal Scents – Eye Shadow Sample Set in Glitz & Glamour(2g/0.07oz for the quad): $3.06, full size of each eye shadow is 1.3g and goes for $1.99(All four would be $7.96 for 5.2g). The shadows in this quad are(From left to right, top to bottom): Ashen, Incognito, Gunmetal and Candlelight (I was holding the quad upside down when I took the picture LOL). All of these shades have a bit of fall out, but nothing that makes it impossible to work with. The lighter shades (Ashen and Candlelight) are really creamy and shimmery, really pretty shades. The dark ones(Incognito and Gunmetal) are not as creamy, but still really pretty. They all are really pigmented and it's super easy to create a look with. I love this quad, but I think I would have loved either one of the quads being sent out.

Swatches(with no primer): 

Look- wearing the liner, shadows and mascara:

I applied Candlelight to the brow bone and inner corner, Ashen to my lid and blended Gunmetal on top of Incognito on my crease. The liner is not super black and dramatic, because I didn't want a super dramatic look. The waterline is not the Mica Beauty one, but the upper lash one is.

Value and review:

 The value of my box this month is: $65.86. Pretty gewd for me! Considering the bag is $10/month.

  Things I liked: I loved the Coastal Scents quad, I have an 88 palette and this might be before they change the formulation of their eye shadows, but most of the shades are not pigmented at all. I liked the Mica Beauty liner a lot, it's really easy to work with it, it's really pigmented and wears great throughout the day. I liked the Pixi primer. It's nothing special, but it does make my skin feel super soft.

  Things I didn't like or didn't "love": I hate Lash Cards. I think it's way overpriced for what it is at the end of the day, it's a piece of carton or paper, what ever. I wasn't surprised by the mascara, it's OK, but nothing different or special, there are better mascaras out there.

 I still love my Ipsy subscription, I think it's worth it and really fun to get it every month.

If you want to subscribe to Ipsy, you can click here. Or copy and paste this link onto your navigation bar: http://www.ipsy.com/

What was your favorite product in this month's Ipsy bag?
 

 Disclaimer: I purchased this with my own money, and this is my own personal opinion :)