One Year Z-Palette Update

Oh, the Z-Palette. I have to admit, I didn't realize how fun (and addicting) putting one of these together would be. Collectively its the most pricey makeup item I own, but it's also one of the things I reach for the most whenever I'm sitting down to create a fun new eye look. I had held off on starting a palette until last year, when I treated myself to this Extra Large Z-Palette ($28) for my birthday. A few weeks later I sat down and attempted to de-pot products for the first time with relative success, and have been adding to it ever since. Since we're about to hit the year mark, I thought it'd be fun to do a little update and share with you guys all the pans I've depotted and purchased, as well as a few makeup looks I've created with this palette. If you love eyeshadow swatches, get excited, because there's about to be a lot of them!

Not Quite Nude - Lipsticks for Spring

Good morning lovelies! I hope you all had wonderful weekends. Mine consisted of an epic Easter egg hunt, lots and lots of delicious food, and binge watching Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (hilarious). While I've been plenty busy with holiday festivities and work and whatnot, I've found a new appreciation for effortless, your-lips-but-better lipstick shades that I can apply and reapply with minimal effort. Personally I find true nudes a little difficult to wear, as they can often make me look washed out (and zombie is not a look that I tend to rock all that well). A hint of pink seems to make a world of difference. Here are five of my favorite not entirely nude lipsticks that perfectly embody that light and carefree feeling of springtime.

February 2015 Glambag

It's February and this month Ipsy is showing us the love with pretty makeup and pampering treats tucked inside of this adorable geometrically patterned bag. Did I end up being smitten with any of the products I received? Read more to find out.

Empties: Starting Fresh for a New Year

2015! I'm not always this invigorated by the prospect of a new year, but this one has got me rearing and ready to go. There is so much I want to accomplish, both on the blog and off, and I can't wait to get started. One of the things I'm hoping to do in the coming months is to make a huge dent in my beauty stash by using up half finished and neglected products, while writing up reviews and tutorials about them along the way. Some time last year I realized that I've never written an empties post (despite the fact that I love reading and watching that kind of stuff from other bloggers) and decided it was about time that I start hoarding away my unused products. In the spirit of the new year (and also hoping to make this a more regular thing) I'm emptying out the bag and starting fresh for 2015! So join me as I say adieu to the products of 2014 with a few final thoughts on my end of the year empties.

October 2014 Ipsy Glambag

I am THE WORST when it comes to posting my Glambag reviews in any kind of timely manner. Or, at least, it certainly feels that way. I tend to get my Glambags toward the end of the month, which always makes it harder to properly try things and get my post up before the month it's for is over. And this month in particular I had an extra hang up that delayed things even further. One of my products (the Nicole by OPI nail polish) was mysteriously missing from my pink bubble wrap package, and I had to be shipped a replacement (which Ipsy was actually pretty prompt about).

Moreso, I confess I just don't find myself as excited to get my Glambags as I used to, which probably also contributes to my writing apathy. I feel so guilty saying that, because a year ago I was totally smitten with all things Ipsy. But now I feel like it's that friend I've grown apart from and see once in a while out of a weird sense of obligation.

Why the change of heart? I suppose there are a few things that, in over a year of being a subscriber, have slowly started to disappoint me. First off, there is a TON of brand repetition. Starlooks, Be a Bombshell, Cailyn Cosmetics, Zoya, J.Cat Beauty - if you've been a subscriber for 6 months, I'd be hard pressed to see you haven't received at least one product from these brands. Now, don't get me wrong, if I love a brand I'm all for trying more than one product from the line. But part of what makes a beauty subscription so fun is the element of discovery, and when I've gotten many products from the same 5 or 6 brands in a year, I start to get a little bored. And when I get 3 or 4 products from a brand I don't care from, I start to get irritated.

Speaking of brands, I'm generally less impressed with the brands frequented in my Glambags than I've been with other subscriptions. I understand that with a $10 price tag it's reasonable to see a lot more drugstore quality cosmetics (which don't get me wrong, I also am a fan of), but I think the specific products I've been receiving lately just haven't brought the wow factor the way they have in the past.

Needless to say, I have a lot of thoughts on being an Ipsy subscriber, and for the sake of getting on with my actual review, I will cut myself off here. However, I am considering cancelling my subscription by the end of the year, and should that be the case, I'm sure there will be more ranting to be had.

MOVING ON!

Everyday Autumn Makeup and a Few Thoughts on the Season

I had a bit of a revelation the other day. It's been a good 5 years since I've graduated from college, and all this time I've spent in the real world has made me realize how much of my life previously revolved around the school schedule. The passing of seasons was always about semesters, exams, vacations and the like. But now time flows on from January to October with very little changing in my day to day routine. Without my normal academic calendar to anchor my life to I think the first couple of years post college were a bit of a blur. It's a bit weird to think about, but in that time I think I stopped noticing the seasons. Or well, perhaps notice isn't the right word. Appreciating might be more fitting. In the past two years, though, since I've bought my condo and started blogging, I've finally started to redefine the special nuances of each season that comes and goes.

Now that fall is well underway I find myself appreciating all sorts of little things - wearing my boots at every opportunity, going apple picking, sipping pumpkin coffee in the morning, watching the leaves turn and change from week to week. It's not that any of these things are new to me, but I guess, with everything else in life moving along in a constant, predictable way, I look forward to things like putting out my Halloween decorations.

It should be no surprise then, to hear that I've totally revamped my makeup routine for autumn. The BB and CC creams of summertime are back in storage, along with an assortment of coral lipsticks and blushes to make room for berries, neutrals, and all things matte.

Birchbox August 2013

It's that time again!

I got my Birchbox last week and I finally have a chance to sit down and tell you all about it.  I have to say up front that I was a bit underwhelmed by this month's box. I didn't dislike any of the products in it, but I also wasn't super excited by any of them. Such is the luck of the draw with subscription boxes. Not every month is going to be amazing. Still, I do enjoy my subscription to Birchbox overall, and I think that have THE best rewards system to their subscribers out there. I also do appreciate the variety of products that they sample every month. And even with their sneak peeks the contents of your particular box are always a surprise (which I enjoy).

As always, if you'd like to try out Birchbox for yourself, a subscription is only $10 a month. If you use this link you will give me credit for referring you (and I will love you forever, not that I don't already :-p).