December Ipsy Glam Bag!

I have recently made a switch from Birchbox to ipsy! I decided to do my December ipsy glam bag post just before the January glam bag ships out, there will be a January review as soon as it comes to my mailbox :) 

Must I say this is one of the best decisions I have made thus far! I didn't hate Birchbox but I feel that the December glam bag helped me realize that ipsy is the way to go, it is simply more my style. I think my fellow blogger/ monogram magnolia, Merisa would definitely agree with me there! 

First things first, the glam bag that my products came in is absolutely fabulous in itself. The sleek black look is very cute and the size of the bag is pretty good too. 

I really cannot pick a favorite from this months bag because everything was so perfect. I feel as if my bag came to me at the best time because I was in need of a new eyeshadow brush, wanted to try a new set of fake lashes, needed a new black eyeshadow and I am obsessed with red lipstick and all of those things came in my bag! 

The ipsy bags are specifically created for your personal look and your features which is the coolest thing about it! 

If you're looking for a new set of lashes to try, definitely pick up a pair of salon perfect lashes in your beauty isle. You can get them at Walmart or any type of Walgreens,Rite aid or CVS!

This picture shows me wearing the salon perfect lashes :) 

xoxo

dSl

                 

Birchbox vs. Ipsy

Ahh! The beauty girl version of The Great Debate is finally upon us!

I have been ranting and raving about Ipsy ever since I heard about it, and to be perfectly honest I don't remember how that happened, but anyway I checked out the site and fell in love. I just had to subscribe that instance but some yet to be explained reason I was wait-listed! Ugh! 

So in the meantime, and by the recommendation of the lovely Danielle, I tried out Birchbox. Which I had heard about, of course, but was never really too apt to try. However, Danielle seemed to really like it so I gave it a try. 

I managed to get on board the Birchbox bandwagon right before the October Box came out and while it was totally exciting to find the pretty pink box sitting on my doorstep, that excitement wore off quick.

I will say, however, that out of the Birchbox shipments I have received this has been my favorite.I loved the Ruffian Nail Polish (Danielle did too, she even did a review!) and adored the Dr. Brandt microdermabrasion (it's killer, but at $78 I'll stick to my sample and pray it lasts!) but the rest of the box was a bit of a bummer.Don't get me started on the crappy lip/cheek stain or the crazy, ridiculous half up sock bun thingy. Overall it was bland experience. 

As November rolled around a brighter future laid ahead as I received the email that my Ipsy Glam Bag was on it's merry way! Yay! 

However, that high came crashing down when I received the next installment of my Birchbox subscription.

An even bigger fail than last time, literally the only thing usable was the mascara (which Danielle liked so much she wrote about it twice! Check out her Mascara Monday and What We Love Wednesday posts!) the rest was complete crap...even the chocolate bar was horrible. By this time my hopes for the Ipsy bag were dwindling simply by association. That idea was nixed within a week as I found this lovely little item in my mailbox.

After opening this gem, I came to the realization that Ipsy Glam Bags are the holy grail of beauty subscriptions! I had an "Ahhhh!" moment and everything! Seriously AMAZING!

That's right, those are full size products you are seeing there people! That's more than Birchbox could promise in their wildest dreams. I'm am seriously obsessed with these products.
The eyeliner is a really fun inner eye highlighter, there's a perfect creamy nude lipstick, a full size bottle of rose gold nail polish (that's bigger than a nail polish I bought the other day!), a super shimmery brick colored eyeshadow, the perfect winter bronzer, and my favorite, a lip crayon in the shade Hot Damn!
Let's not forget the fun bonus of a gold and hot pink catch-all makeup bag! Also, as an added bonus, nearly all of the products come with a coupon code for their brands. Absolutely perfect to the point that I cannot wait until December's bag!
Oh, by the way, both Danielle and I cancelled our Birchbox subscriptions in time for the holiday sparkle of Ipsy! Out with the old in with the new!
If you want to check out the debate for yourself click the links below for your very own invites!
Birchbox Invite
Ipsy Glam Bag Invite

xo
aFm

Manicure Monday: Ruffian Nail Lacquer - Delirium

There is no doubt about it that this Ruffian nail polish is anything but runway ready, but why not let the people off the runway experience this wonderful polish too?

That is exactly what Birchbox and Ruffian, a New York-based fashion label, did with this fabulous nail lacquer. 

I was extremely excited to find this polish in my September Birchbox. I am a nail polish fanatic anyway so it was kind of like a mini bonus when I received the polish in MY box! 

Here is a picture of the polish they call Delirium, excuse the glare.

If you're not familiar with Birchbox, it's a subscription based company that sends a different set of 4-5 high-end products to your doorstep for a low price of $10 a month. 

When watching a surprise video on YouTube about the September box, the first thing I had my eye on was the nail polish. I am one of those girls that every time I go to Walmart to pick up something like school supplies or groceries for my dorm room, I come back with beauty "must-haves" and usually one of those "must-haves" is a bottle of nail polish I've just gotta try. 

It's a fun surprise every time I open a new bottle just to see how the quality of the polish is, how the color looks on my nails, and how long it last! 

Well, after trying the Ruffian nail polish from my box, I immediately saw a difference in the way that the polish went on my nails compared to the Essie or OPI products I have tried (don't get me wrong, I love those brands though). The bold purple color was from the fashion label's first lacquer collection. I thought this was kind of cool because I am all about originality! After I opened my box and tried the polish for the first time I was in love! 

This is one of the first nail polishes I've tried that didn't chip in the first 24 hours of applying the polish! I was extremely impressed by that in itself. The color was perfect because I really think purple is going to be a big hit this fall. I definitely recommend their polishes and will be purchasing some more from them very soon!

-dSl-

PS: Head over to Birchbox brands to purchase your own Ruffian nail lacquer or check out any of the brands offered in Birchbox's monthly subscriptions.

 Oh, and this is Danielle's first post to the blog as our new contributor so snaps to her! :)