Ipsy Subscription - April 2014

I've been getting worst and worst at expecting the surprise from my monthly Ipsy subscription. Instead of waiting for my bag to come in the mail in the middle of the month, I go on my Ipsy account and read up on what I WILL be getting... Did I tell you how I hate surprises??

April's bag looks cheap and definitely something I would give away or throw out... 

Any takers?

Coastal Scents Medium Shadow Brush

The first thing I got out of my bag. It was too big to fit in my actual cosmetic bag. You can never have too many brushes. 

Starlooks 

Color: LW100 Naked

Size: 0.06oz / 1.8g

The color is a little light for me but I can definitely use this! 

Urban Decay 24/7 Velvet Glide-on Eye Pencil

Color: Black Velvet

Size: 0.8g / 0.03oz

Looking forward to trying this but I need to get a good makeup remover otherwise I will be walking around for weeks with Panda Eyes!

Dr. Brandt Microdermabrasion Skin Exfoliant

Size: 0.25oz / 7.5g

Love trying new face cleaners! Let's hope it's not too rough on my skin :-P

Pop! Goes the Shadow

Color: Champagne

Size: 0.07oz / 2g

If you decide to subscribe to Ipsy, please use my referral link -> http://www.ipsy.com/r/5f4w

Ipsy Subscription- March 2014

Earlier this month, I peeked on Ipsy and discovered what my March's bag was going to look like. I didn't really like this month's cosmetic bag-- not really my style.. but I can use it to hold some things and keep them organized. Not a bag I would take out of the house though..

bareMinerals Marvelous Moxie Lipstick
Color: Get Ready
Size: 15g / 0.05oz

I really liked this lipstick. The shade was just right for me (between being natural and slightly tinted). It is also very creamy so it looked great on my usual dry lips. I have a bad habit of not using lip balm as often as I should.

Nicole by OPI
Color: On What Grounds?
Size: 15mL / 0.5fl oz.

This color is beautiful and the texture is interesting. It is very fast dry and gives off both a glossy and matte finish.

Be A Bombshell Eyeshadow
Color: Bora Bora

Size: 4.8g / 0.17oz

I didn't like the colors on the palette. Probably will give this away.

Pixi Beauty Flawless Beauty Primer
Size: 12mL / 0.4fl oz

Looking forward to trying this out. 

If you decide to subscribe to Ipsy, please use my referral link -> http://www.ipsy.com/r/5f4w

Ipsy Subscription - Feb 2014

I've been wanting to try a box subscription for the longest time and did my research on which one would be the best bang-for-my-buck and decided on trying IPSY. It took a little longer to get my box in the mail though. I sent my link to Facebook to spend up my wait time. Here it is in case you would like to join! http://www.ipsy.com/r/5f4w

After I got my email confirmation that my bag was ready, it took a week to come in the mail.  I love the pink bubble mailer it came in. You know right away it is a surprise for the lovely lady.

The items in my bag were:

This month's ipsy bag is a cute pink bag with a white zipper. The inner lining is an animal print (cheetah/leopard).

Plump Pout Mini by POP Beauty
Color: Fuchsia Freesia
Size: 4g /0.14 oz

Thoughts: The color is a little too pink for me but it is a nice sample size to keep for a special occasion. I may give this away...

 

 Nail Polish by Zoya
Color:Dot
Size: 0.5 fl oz/ 15mL
Formaldehyde, Toluene, Dibutyl Phthalate and Camphor Free Formula

Thoughts: I love ZOYA Nail Polish! I thought I have this color but I don't. It is a nice pastel pink that is very sheer. I wear this color (or similar color) a lot. This is a full size bottle, worth $8, so I am glad this was in my bag!

Eyetini Cordial Cream Shadow + Base In One by Tini Beauty
Color: Violette
Size: 4g /0.14 oz

Thoughts: I'll probably try this on a night out. I think it is super easy to use and its an all-in-one! Definitely will try this! I am not sure if the shimmery violet is for me but I am excited to try it!

Fresh Start Mask with Ice Age Mud by Skyn ICELAND
Blue Clay and Activating Gel
Size: (2) 8g/ 0.28 oz

Thoughts: I can't wait to try this mask. I have never heard of Skyn Iceland but I have wanted to try a clay mask for a while. Will let you know more after I try the product! The sample is more than enough for one time.

Eyelashes + Eyelash Glue by J.Cat Beauty
Model: EL 43
100% Human Hair

Thoughts: I cannot wait to try these! I have wanted to try fake lashes for soooooo long!! People that know me, know that I cannot for the life of me try to curl my own eyelashes and I've been wanting to try fake lashes to open up my eyes more.

Conair Curl Secret

After watching one of my friend's Youtube video review of the Conair Curl Secret, I had to try it. She made it look super easy and it always takes me hours to curl my thick, coarse, and straight black hair. I searched online and found out that Macy's sells this curler. After going to pick up my DNA kit for a school project, I stopped by the Macy's on 34th St. You would think they had everything with 8+ floors! BIG MISTAKE! I spent over two hours walking around, asking staff where this curler was. Turns out no one knew what I was talking about except for one guy working in the bath department! God bless you! Before I even told him what I was looking for, he guessed I was here for "the new Conair curler." It is so popular, it was out of stock

and he told me within a week or two of getting a new shipment, it gets sold out. You would think the executives would learn to stock the shelves with more quantities but I guess not. He offered to order it online for me and when I asked him "What's the difference between you ordering it for me versus me going online and ordering it myself?", he replied "There is a sale going on right now. I can get it for you for $60." I didn't believe him so he had to turn the screen to prove it to me. Normally, it cost anywhere from $99-$125! He also gave me a discount for wearing red and my grand total after tax was only $52! SCORE!

The curler took almost two weeks to get shipped to me. I got bored one day and decided to try this out. Normally it takes me about 45 mins to an hour to curl all of my hair and that is if I do an "okay" job on the back of my head. It's kinda hard to curl the hair on the back of your head by yourself. I haven't mastered that yet. But using the Conair Curl Secret, it only took 20 mins (including time I put the curler down to partition my hair) and the curls came out great! I wanted to see if the curls would hold on thick hair. Without hair spray my temporary curls usually stay for a 2-3 hours and by the end of the night are crossed between messy waves and straight hair. Using the Curl Secret, my curls stayed in til the next day and it wasn't until a FULL day later (just before I got into the shower) until it started to loosen up into waves. Just like any other machine, they will be errors and malfunctions. My hair got caught three times in the curler and all three times I opened the chamber and my hair just slide out. No mess, no pain, no scars. If you don't read the instructions prior to use, or ignore the indicator beeps, I'm sorry you're asking to ruin your hair.

(The pictures aren't of the best quality; taken on my cell phone)

Added a floral hair pin to spruce up the curls!

Voluminous curls just as promised

 

Knicks!

A late night at the office took a turn for the better when I overheard a co-worker talking about free tickets to the NY Knicks vs Denver Nuggets that night. I asked both the boo and little brother if they were interested. Winner was the lil bro. Steven met me at Madison Square Garden, where I discovered our seats were in the Madison Suite! I also discovered that when you get to games early, the gift shop tends to have promotional deals too good to pass up on. I got myself an Amar'e Stoudemire jersey for $28! I used to get my stuff after the game.. The Knicks played really well and beat the Nuggets 117-90. The game went surprisingly fast and was an enjoyable experience.

Our tickets (really big tickets)

Our seats/view

Enjoying the game

Guppies Fry Batch #1

My pregnant guppy had fish fry! It was about time... she was pregnant for over a month! I started feeding them crushed fish flakes and instant brine shrimp. I counted over 28 fry and hope many of them survive into adulthood. Will be looking to re-home some of these when they are ready to leave the nest.

Day 1: Discovered that the pregnant guppy was not-so-pregnant after all. I was in denial of her supposed "miscarriage" and inspected the tank. I notices tiny small dots (eyes) staring back at me at the bottom of the tank. The poor babies were hiding in between the gravel and underneath my structures (maze cube and treasure chest). I don't know how many were eaten by the mother fish or the other ones in the tank. I spent two hours scooping up all of the guppy fry and placed them in a mesh breeder. I counted so many of them and they swim so fast.

Day 2: I noticed every time I fed the fry, I would find one more free swimming fry in the community tank. I was worried that they would not get the food they need to grow or worst, get eaten by other hungry fish. So I moved all the fry to a separate 1 gallon tank to raise them until they are old (big) enough to join the other fish in the community tank. They're still so tiny but growing everyday!

Hockey!

My co-worker gave out free tickets to the NY Rangers vs Calgary Flames game at Madison Square Garden on December 15th. What we didn't know what that our seats were in the Elite Level Suites and directly behind the announcers and penalty box! While I never watched hockey, I quickly became a fan of the game. 

GO RANGERS!