Showing posts with label Big Sexy Hair. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Big Sexy Hair. Show all posts

April 18, 2014

Ipsy Bag - April 2014! Pics, Swatches, Mini Reviews & Value Breakdown

Hello, Beautiful!

This is my April 2014 Ipsy bag! Check out below to see what I received, a little about each product and my thoughts, as well as a break-down of the value of this month's bag!

Ipsy is just $10 a month! Each month you'll receive 4 to 6 deluxe or even full-sized products. If you want to sign-up for your own Ipsy bag, CLICK HERE (it's my referral link - you don't have to use my referral link; it only gives me points that I can save up to redeem for prizes in the future).


April 2014 Ipsy Bag


Shipment Quick Stats:
  • Value of this month's Ipsy Bag: $52.78 (value is approximate & does not include value of actual bag)
  • Total # of Items Received: 5
  • # of FULL SIZED items: 2
  • # of makeup items: 3
  • # of nail items: 0
  • # of hair care items: 1
  • # of skin care items: 1
  • # of body care items: 0
  • # of fragrance items: 0

Now I'll talk about each product...

Cailyn Cosmetics - Tinted Lip Balm
Shade: Apple Pink



  • MY THOUGHTS: I've tried Cailyn Cosmetics in the past and have enjoyed their products, and I've seen their Tinted Lip Balm popping up in other Ipsy bags over the past few months (maybe even seen them in Birchbox) so I thought it was only a matter of time before it showed up in one of mine. I definitely love lip balms, especially tinted lip balms, but I'll be honest and say I hate the packaging on this. Sure, you could remove the brush that's in the top but it's still a bulky lip balm to throw in your purse or to store in my makeup drawers. Well maybe bulky isn't the right word -- more like odd shaped. The shade I received, Apple Pink, looked like it would be a great nudey pink shade - but on my lips it just looked terrible. It looked very dry and matte, nothing that I look for in a lip balm. I wouldn't even call this tinted - this is a very pigmented lip balm and I'd even call it a lipstick. I also didn't find it to be all that moisturizing. Maybe this shade is bad or maybe I got a bad one, but I wasn't a fan of the formula or shade on me. It's not a product I would go out and buy more shades of, nor would I recommend.
  • FULL SIZE: 0.14 oz @ $19.00
  • SIZE I RECEIVED: Full Size
  • VALUE: $19.00


City Color - Shadow & Highlight Mousse
Shade: White Gold


  • MY THOUGHTS: I wanted to love this, because City Color Cosmetics are affordable and this shade - which looks more gold than white - is pretty. However, the formula wasn't great. Although it does feels creamy, once you try to use it it doesn't blend out well and applies a bit uneven/patchy. It almost becomes a bit stiff. Once it sets, however, it is hard to remove so that is a plus. It's something you could definitely work with but I don't know how much it would be worth the hassle. I also feel like this is going to dry out really quickly, so I'm going to keep the inner lid/stopper to help prolong its life.
  • FULL SIZE: 0.092 oz/2.6 g @ $2.99
  • SIZE I RECEIVED: Full Size
  • VALUE: $2.99


Urban Decay - 24/7 Velvet Glide-On Eye Pencil
Shade: Black Velvet
 




  • MY THOUGHTS: I love Urban Decay's original 24/7 Glide-On Pencils, but I have yet to try one of their "velvet" versions - which I believe only come in this one Black Velvet shade (at least at this time). Even though this is not a full sized pencil, it practically is and I'll get a lot of use from it. It certainly isn't the most intense black - instead it's more of a smoky, sultry black shade. I like it a lot!
  • FULL SIZE: 0.04 oz @ $20.00
  • SIZE I RECEIVED: 0.03 oz/0.8 g
  • VALUE: $15.04


Dr. Brandt - Microdermabrasion Skin Exfoliant


  • MY THOUGHTS: I actually already received this same sample (same size) in a different subscription service in the past. I can't remember if I ever got around to using it, but I know I will use this. I love exfoliators, and Dr. Brandt is a good brand for my skin.
  • FULL SIZE: 2 oz @ $78.00
  • SIZE I RECEIVED: 0.25 oz/7.5 g
  • VALUE: $9.75


Big Sexy Hair - Root Pump Volumizing Spray Mousse
  • MY THOUGHTS: I already own this product (same size too) and I enjoy it. I don't use it often because it can sometimes make my hair feel sticky, yet the Big Sexy Hair line is one of the only lines that actually works to volumize my hair. This will get used, as soon as I'm out of my other one.
  • FULL SIZE: 1.6 oz @ $6.00 --- this isn't a "full size" but you can buy this size at Ulta
  • SIZE I RECEIVED: 1.6 oz/50 ml
  • VALUE: $6.00


The actual bag everything comes in...
my thoughts:


  • This month's bag was a purple/navy blue with a gray design on it, saying "Beauty Rocks!" and Ipsy. A take on a record player... the bag is even more square, as if the bag is the record player. I think it's a just an okay bag; I like it better than last month's bag but it's certainly not my favorite bag to date. 



My Thoughts On Entire Bag...
  • FULL SIZE/DELUXE SIZE: This bag contained 2 full sized items and three deluxe sized items.
  • VALUE: The value was approximately $52.78
  • USAGE: The item I'll use the most is probably the Urban Decay eyeliner. I can always use a black eyeliner and I like that it's a bit more sultry look on the eyes; it's also a great size sample (as it is almost full size). I'll also use the Big Sexy Hair Root Pump as soon as I'm finished with my other can that I currently have. The Dr. Bradnt Microdermabrasion will be used for sure, as I always can use an exfoliator. I highly doubt I'll use the Cailyn Tinted Lip Balm; the packaging isn't my favorite but I could get over that if I had liked the formula or the color but I unfortantely did not. The City Color White Gold mousse isn't something I will likely use, as I have other products (similar in color too) that are easier to use. But I do think it's pretty and I wish it had worked out a bit better for me.
  • FINAL THOUGHTS: I don't think I will ever be able to complain about an Ipsy bag because they always give you a really great value for just $10 a month, and you almost always get at least one full sized product - usually more (there were 2, almost 3, full sized products in this months bag for me). Although this hasn't been my favorite Ipsy bag, I still got three products I will absolutely get great use out of!

Let me know what you think...
What are your thoughts on this month's Ipsy bag? Did you receive an Ipsy bag this month? If so, what did you get in your bag? Discuss in the comments below.

June 30, 2013

GIVEAWAY: Win 2 Travel-Sized Sexy Hair Products - USA Only - Ends 07.07.13 - Two Winners!

Hello, Beautiful!

I will have several giveaways in the month of July! Most of these will be smaller ones and some will only be for those in the USA. Some giveaways will only run for one week, while others will be the standard 2 weeks I usually run them for.

I recently picked up a few travel-sized bottles of some Sexy Hair products from Ulta during their sale and picked up some extras to giveaway. I have two sets to giveaway, and right now I can only open this giveaway to USA readers (sorry international ladies). This will be a quick giveaway, so enter now because it only runs for a week. Another quick giveaway coming up when this one ends!

One of the products is the Healthy Sexy Hair Soy Tri-Wheat Leave In Conditioner - which I've been loving to use to help detangle my hair. The other product is the Big Sexy Hair Spray & Play Volumizing Hairspray - which has been a favorite of mine.

Two lucky winner will each receive:


Giveaway Rules & Details:
  • Open to my blog readers in the United States (sorry international ladies)
  • If you're under 18 you must have your parent's permission to enter.
  • Must be a follower of my blog. New followers are always welcome!
  • Bonus entries available!
  • Giveaway ends July 7, 2013
  • Two winners will be selected via Random.org within a few days of the giveaway end date, and notified via email.
  • If the winners do not respond within 72 hours of notification a new winner will be selected.

To Enter:
Simply fill in the Rafflecopter form below. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway