Good morning!
It's Saturday! (Finally)
I love Saturday mornings. Firstly, it feels SO good to be able to sleep in. (Yes, 8:00 is considered "sleeping in"...for me, anyway). And when I do decide to get up, I can make myself a cup of coffee, snuggle back up in bed, and drink it while I check up on my email, read my favorite blogs, and generally just have some quiet me-time before the craziness of the day has to begin.
I don't know what to say about this week. I think my lack of posts despite the fact that I have some awesome stuff to write about speaks for itself. Work has been extra stressful, and my free time post-work has basically been non existent. And even with all of my running around, and cleaning, and cooking I still have a very large basket of clean clothes that needs to be ironed, and a refrigerator that is looking sadly empty.
Ugh.
But, such is adulthood. Chores are never ending. That being said, I'm not going to keep postponing posting an update because I've got a million other things to attend to.
Monday I not only got in my recent Sephora online order, I FINALLY received my first-ever Ipsy Glam Bag. Ipsy is a company that was co-founded by Michelle Phan, a Beauty Guru who got her start vloging on youtube. Ipsy subscribers can create "looks" on their website, in which you share and describe a makeup, hair, or fashion style, link it to helpful video tutorials, and tag recommended products. For $10 subscribers also get a Glam Bag each month with products specially recommended for them. Ipsy also has special look"challenges", where you create a look that centers around a particular theme and product from the Glam Bag. Challenge winners get special prizes as well as have their look featured on the Ipsy home page.
Click here to check out ipsy for yourself!
Unfortunately subscriptions are limited, so it can take a while to get off their waiting list. When I finally got an email saying that I was finally an active subscriber for June I was so excited, and even moreso when I saw the previews about what we'd potentially be getting.
I don't know about you, but every time I get a package in the mail I feel like a kid on Christmas morning. I'm consumed with the anticipation of whatever is waiting for me to open it. Work on Monday went by painfully slow, and the drive home felt like the longest commute in existence.
But when I finally got there, this is what was waiting for me!
Click here to check out ipsy for yourself!
Unfortunately subscriptions are limited, so it can take a while to get off their waiting list. When I finally got an email saying that I was finally an active subscriber for June I was so excited, and even moreso when I saw the previews about what we'd potentially be getting.
I don't know about you, but every time I get a package in the mail I feel like a kid on Christmas morning. I'm consumed with the anticipation of whatever is waiting for me to open it. Work on Monday went by painfully slow, and the drive home felt like the longest commute in existence.
But when I finally got there, this is what was waiting for me!
I have to say, I was super impressed with what I got. All of my products were full-sized, high quality, beautiful, and versatile. I really can't say that I'm unhappy with anything at I got. In fact, I'm pretty much in love with everything. Best $10 spent this month, hands down. Speaking of which, I did the math in terms of the value of the products in my bag. If I was to buy all these products individually it would have cost me $61.49!
Amazing.
Although I did not receive May's bag, it was apparently amazing as well. I hope that this is the general trend that Ipsy is going to continue with!
I instantly had to start playing with everything. In a way it was a shame that my Sephora order came the same day, because I was so engrossed in my Glam Bag goodness. I attempted to film a video tutorial of this daytime-appropriate purple and pink look, but unfortunately ran into some technical difficulty. I've only had my new camera for about a month now, and I'm still learning how to achieve the look I'm going for with all of the different setting options.
Being graceful in front of a camera is also not as easy as it seems.
Even with that being said, I spent an hour and a half or so editing the video footage that I had only to find out that there's a weird bug with Quicktime on the particular OS I'm running on my Mac and there was no way to save all of the work I had done.
Needless to say, I was pretty frustrated.
At this point in the day it was already getting pretty late. I was very hungry, very tired, and very cranky. I decided to put my Glam Bag away for another day, and thought that I would try again later. Luckily I did snap this picture so you can still see what the products look like.
I really hate taking pictures of myself. I guess it's the same feeling I get when I hear my own voice recorded and played back to me.
Weird.
Anyway, here's how to achieve this look if you'd like to recreate it!
I started out by priming my face and eyes, and applying a BB cream to even out my skin tone and cover up any blemishes. Then, using a flat foundation brush, I applied the NYX cream blush to the apples of my cheeks. I really liked the texture of this product. It's very rich and creamy. You only need a little to add a nice natural wash of color, as it's very highly pigmented. It also blends beautifully. I would easily interchange this with my Stila Convertible color, which is around 3x the cost.
On to the eyes! I started out by using a medium shadow brush to apply a light matte pink shade all over my lid. In the crease I used a slightly shimmery gray-taupe shade. Then, using a thinner pencil brush I applied a matte eggplant color along my upper and lower lashlines, and in the outermost corner of my eye. I then smoothed out any harsh lines with a fluffy crease brush.
On the upper lashline I used my Cailyn Line Fix Gel Liner to accentuate the line I had already created with the purple shadow. I also chose to wing out the corners slightly for a more dramatic look. I was already a fan of gel liner before using this product. It's much easier to handle than liquid, but gives you much more control and precision than you'd have with a pencil. I didn't have a purple gel liner in my collection, but I had always wanted one. The formula for this is a little sheer, but you can easily build up opacity. The color is a beautiful, dark purple. It definitely is a refreshing change of pace from brown or black liner, but not so vibrant that it'd be unwearable to the office. The product also has a built in brush in the lid so that you can easily take it on the go. I finished the eyes by curling my lashes and applying my favorite black mascara to the top and bottom lashes.
Eyebrows often get glanced over, but giving them a little love can really brighten up your entire face. I used a brunette brow powder and a stiff angled brush to give my brows a little more definition. Then I applied the Chella Ivory Lace Highligher underneath my brows and gently blended to make them pop. I also applied a little to the inner corners of my eyes and my cupids bow. This highligher pencil might just be my new favorite. It's creamy and blendable, and adds highlight to your face without adding unnecessary shimmer. It has a slightly peachy undertone, which I found worked really well with my slightly tanned olive complexion.
Lastly, I applied my Starlooks Lip Pencil all over the lip to add a beautiful pop of pink. This is a full coverage lip pencil that applies very smoothly and easily. I don't wear a lot of lip liner, but this product might just convert me. I applied a sheer pink gloss on top to add a little shine and moisture.
So there you have it! I hope you find these directions helpful if you want to re-create this look yourself. I'm hoping that I'll be able to get this video tutorial thing down pat sooner rather than later, and then I can actually show you all of these steps instead of just telling you about them.
Now, I haven't forgotten about my Sephora goodies either. I'll be posting separately about what I ordered and all the fun freebies I received. Until then!
Stay gorgeous,
Lauren
