Mary Kay Makeup Review

*Disclosure- I received Mary Kay Products via Influenster for testing purposes. All opinions stated are 100% my own.

I was SO excited when I learned that I was one of the lucky Influenster members that would get to try several Mary Kay products through their Vox Box program! When my box arrived the first thing I thought was "Wow, what a cute box!!" It was so girlie! When I got past how cute it was an opened it up, I was excited to see some of my favorite types of makeup products included. The box had a cream eye shadow in the shade violet storm, a eye cream/concealer makeup brush, True Dimensions lipstick in the shade pink cherie, eyelash primer and lash lengthening mascara.

My first thought on the products was that I LOVED the lipstick. It was a great shade of pink, just enough color for daytime wear. It took me a second to figure out how to open the tube because the top kind of clicks off instead of just automatically opening, but when I finally figured it out I thought it was so cool. The innovation in the clicking tube is that it is impossible to break your lipstick by it rolling up into the lid on accident! I don't know if I explained that well, but believe me, this is an awesome thing! After I tried on the lipstick, I tried the eyelash primer and mascara. I think the primer teamed with the lengthening mascara truly makes a difference. I mean, really? Look at how long my lashes look in the above picture! No clumps either. This is fantastic mascara and the primer just give in an extra kick! To finish off my look, it was time to try violet storm. I was excited because purple is my favorite color, but nervous because it's such a bold color. I have tried cream eye colors in the past, but they always only lasted a few hours before smudging or disappearing all together. I LOVED the way violet storm looked against my skin (that doesn't happen often with anything outside of the neutral color realm) and couldn't wait to go out and show off my new look. I got compliments from several different people. And it stayed put. All day. I mean ALL DAY. I really do plan to buy this eye cream in several more colors. It will be my go to eye makeup from now on! The makeup brush included in the box is a great brush that makes application a breeze, even for a novice.

Overall, I was impressed. Not a product in the box I didn't like. These products could stand up to much more expensive beauty products. I would highly recommend any of these, but if you can only splurge on one thing definitely go for the eye cream!

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Loreal BB Cream Review

I was so excited when I found out I would have the opportunity to review L'Oreal's BB Cream. I am always hesitant to try new moisturizers or foundations because my skin is so sensitive that just about everything makes my face burn and sometimes makes it break out, so I was beyond excited to have the opportunity to try it through SheSpeaks before buying it myself. L'Oreal's Magic Skin Beautifier BB Cream comes in a 10 oz container. There are several different shades to choose from. Since I am pretty light, I picked the fair shade. When I opened the package and squeezed some out, I was concerned about exactly how it would match my shade since the actual cream is almost white. It truly is a magic cream. It blends in very well and provides great coverage. This BB cream is a 4 in 1 product. It's says on the package that it "primes, perfects, hydrates, corrects." I must say that I originally was thinking that I would use this as a primer under my foundation, but when I put it on, I noticed that it really did give some coverage. I also noticed right away it didn't give that make up look where you can tell someone has foundation on. I also felt the hydration it offers right away, which is a HUGE bonus for someone like me who has very dry skin. I definitely have noticed the longer I use this product, that my skin is improving. This BB cream is definitely worth the minimal price you pay for it. I think L'Oreal has really stepped up their game with this BB cream. The added benefit of the hydration alone makes this product a winner in my book. 

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*Disclosure- I received one ore more of the above mentioned products for free via SheSpeaks. All opinions stated are 100% my own.

Covergirl Blastflipstick Review and Giveaway

I have been using Covergirl makeup for as long as I have been wearing makeup and I appreciate that they are always trying to come out with innovative products that will minimize the time I need to spend on my makeup routine. Last year (I think, or maybe the year before) when they came out with the "Blast" line of products I was completely on board. I especially am a huge fan of the LashBlastLuxe mascara. I like that it adds volume to my lashes and the extra depth the touch of glitter in the formula adds to the overall look. I also was all over the Blastflpsticks the second they came out. I love lip color and I don't think you can ever have too many colors. Changing up your lip color can change up the entire look you have created. What I LOVE about the blastflipsticks is that it comes with a color on both ends. These colors compliment each other, but can also stand alone. One end has a smooth, matte like color and the other will have a sort of shimmery color. There are endless looks you can create with your blastflipsticks. Below, I will show you four simple ways I used my blastflipstick in Vixen. There are so many other things you could do with this lip color though!


Here I have the shimmer side on the top lip
and the flat berry color on the bottom lip
 

This is the flat berry color on both top
and bottom lips

Here we have both colors. The dark berry on both
lips with the light shimmery color on top for a
nice layered look.

This is just the lighter, shimmery color on  top
and bottom lips.

 

 

 



 



 

As you can see, you can really play with your lip look with blastflipsticks. This is only one of several colors you have to choose from!

I was lucky enough to be sent a few of these from Covergirl via Bzzagent and I want to give one lucky reader the opportunity to win a blastflipstick of their very own. Enter via the rafflecopter below!! Winner will receive their choice between Minx or Stunner!

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*Disclosure- I received one or more of the above mentioned products free of charge from Bzzagent in exchange for my opinion. I was not required to write a blog post and all opinions stated are 100% my own.

Kiss Ever Pro Lashes Starter Kit Review

About once or twice a week for the last few weeks, I have been writing reviews about individual products I got from Influenster in the Beauty Bloggers Vox Box. There were some many wonderful products, they all deserved their own dedicated blog post! I saved one of my favorites for last! The Kiss Ever Pro Lashes were my first experience with false lashes. I have been wanting to try them for a while, but have found them to be a tiny bit intimidating. For the majority of my life, I have been a mascara and lip gloss kind of girl, but lately I have been playing more with makeup and my look and false lashes seemed like a fun (and dramatic!) leap! So I was pretty excited to see them included in my voxbox to try out.

I wasn't sure if I would be able to apply them by myself since it was my first tango with falsies. It took me a few tries, but I did manage to eventually get them on without any help! I was super proud of myself for that! Of course, it didn't have anything to do with my makeup skills, but everything to do with the adhesive and lash applicator included in the starter kit. False lashes just add such a new dynamic to your overall look. If you have been wanting to try them or just curious, but intimidated like I was, this starter set is just right for you! Give it a try! And for those of you that already love your falsies, well this set will make the application process simple and quick! I would recommend these to any make up lover or girlie girl!

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*Disclosure- I received one or more of the above mentioned products from Influenster. All opionions stated are 100% my own.

NYC Individual Eyes Custom Compact Review

I have always been a minimalist when it came to make up. I just didn't have the time to mess with anything other than mascara, foundation and lip gloss. As I get older and really since my kids were born, I have been dabbling a little more in other things like eye liner and eye shadow. I love playing with  my look, but I need my makeup routine to be quick.

I was super excited to see the NYC New York Color Individual Eyes Custom Compact included in my most recent VoxBox from Influenster. The palette included was filled with beautiful greys and I enjoyed playing around and seeing what worked for me. I came up with a very subtle day time look using the two lighter greys and a full on smoky look using all of the colors and the handy instructions included in the package. The coolest thing about this compact is that it also includes primer and illumination and it costs less than most compacts of the same sort. It also has staying power. I didn't notice it rubbing off at all.

The Individual Eyes Custom Compact also offers palettes for specific eyes colors as well as smokey shadows for your specific eye color as well. I know I will without a doubt be getting the central park palette the next time I feel the need for more eye shadow, I may even treat myself to it the next time I go to the store since it's only 5 bucks!

I highly recommend this line of eye shadow to makeup lovers and even to makeup newbies. It would also make a great stocking stuffer this Christmas season!

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*Disclosure- I received one or more of the above mentioned products fro, NYC via the Influenster Beauty Bloggers Vox Box. I was not required to write a review and all opinions stated are 100% my own. 

Little Black Bag Review- Update

Hi everyone! I just wanted to take the time to post an update about my missing item from Little Black Bag. You can see my original Little Black Bag review here. Anyway, yesterday when I had a pizza delivered, I noticed a box from Little Black Bag and hadn't ordered anything, so I was hoping that maybe they found the necklace I didn't receive. I was thrilled to open the box and find that necklace there! Yay! Now I do have 3 perfect Christmas gifts. :)

Thank you to Little Black Bag for making this great effort to make sure I got my missing item!

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Little Black Bag is a whole new way to shop. You get to pick one item from many upscale brands. Once you purchase that item, LBB will add 2-3 more items that are guaranteed to be worth at least $100 total. If you don't like the items you received, you have a week to trade with other members until you get the box you want. The box is $49.95 or a one time box or gift box for $59.95.

Little Black Bag Review

Little Black Bag is a subscription box that offers Designer brands at a deeply discounted rate. This includes everything from makeup to handbags and such designers as Marc New York, Betsey Johnson, Kenneth Cole and Steve Madden. For $49.95 you are guaranteed to get 2-4 products worth at least $100 total. You can chose to subscribe monthly or purchase a one time box or gift a box for $59.95

Since I am a member of Klout, I was offered a "perk" for Little Black Bag. The perk was that I would get one extra item in my bag, so I thought I would think ahead and get some gifts early for Christmas for my 19 year old sister and two of my cousins.

The way LBB works is you get to pick one item and then when you pay for it, the other items are added to your bag. You can leave it as is or you have 7 days in which you can offer other LBB members trades or you can accept trade offers you receive.

I chose a pair of Betsey Johnson sunglasses as my main item. The 3 items that were added to my bag were a handbag, though I forget the brand name, an eye shadow pallette and a Minerologie Waterproof Mascara. I traded both makeup items for a Betsey Johnson Heart Bangle and the handbag for a Sterling Silver Horseshoe Necklace. I was so excited, I created the perfect bag and even though it only contained 3 items, it had the perfect gift for each of the ladies I mentioned previously I was shopping for









That was until I got my bag, and it was missing the horseshoe necklace.

My missing necklace

I contacted LBB who said that they would check to see if there was an extra necklace in the warehouse they could send me. Customer service was very nice, but I didn't hear back in the next few days (it was a holiday weekend though) so I emailed them to check on my bag. They informed me there was no extra necklace in the warehouse and that my option was either to add an extra item to my next box or get a refund for $17.40 for the necklace. I was disappointed I was not offered the option to exchange the item for something else immediately and that I would not have the perfect gift for my little cousin come Christmas. Luckily, I have plenty of time to shop before then, but I thought I had already taken care of it.

Overall, I think Little Black Bag is a great concept, but I hope they work really hard at making sure everyone gets ALL of their items in their boxes and that if something like that were to happen, that they would also offer an immediate product exchange.

Betsey Johnson Heart bangle

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