June Ipsy Glam Bag Review

I have been waiting for this bag to arrive from the very first day the Glam Room was opened with the sneak preview because, yes, I like to ruin my experience like a hyperactive 5 year old who rips into their Christmas presents early.

Can we just take a moment to awe in the fact that Rebecca Minkoff designed this month's bag? Yes, you heard right, that Rebecca Minkoff! I die. I just die.

While I would have LOVED for the bag to resemble something like the Rebecca Minkoff Mini Macs but this design is just darling and perfect for summer, totally clutch worthy.

Let's start with the first product I pulled out of the bag, the OFRA Eyebrow Pencil in Universal. I have crazy, crazy eyebrows that, even though I have naturally dark blonde hair, are completely black and thick and just all around horrible so I am obsessed with any product that might be able to help me tame them. I really like how smooth this pencil is and the color is really universal because as a rule you never want to put product on your brows that is the same color as your brow hairs. Sounds crazy I know but using a lighter color will actually prevent your brows from looking to heavy and drawn on. I'm usually more of a powder girl when it comes to my brows but I'm definitely looking forward to trying this out in my full time brow-routine. 

If you're anything like me you might be thinking something along the lines of this about the next product, "RealTree? Come on,  Ipsy, who do you think I am?"

That may have been a little judgmental, especially since I half expected it to smell like deer you-know-what. I was pleasantly surprised by this little perfume sample as it's actually very nice scent that's way more fruity (more my style) than floral. Overall, I probably wouldn't purchase a full size but I do like that the sample if big enough to get some good use out of. 

Be a Bombshell Mascara...

I don't even know where to begin with this stuff. 

OH EM GEE, this is HORRIBLE! Hands down the...worst. mascara. ever.

Like ever! 

And here's the thing, I never even put this stuff on my lashes, that's how horrible it is. I was so excited about trying out a new mascara and I've liked the Be a Bombshell products from previous Glam Bags so far but as soon as I opened the tube I was assaulted by the stink of a combination of paint thinner and lighter fluid. Two things that should not only be mixed together but should definitely not be anywhere near your eyes. Oh gosh, I was just far too afraid to even put this stuff on. I mean it burned my nostrils I can only imagine what it would do to my eyes. No. No. No. No. No. Into the trash it goes.

By far the most anticipated product in this month's Glam Bag was the NYX Butter Gloss. I am already a huge fan of NYX and their Butter Gloss might just be my favorite lip gloss ever so I was totally on board from the moment I go the email saying that every Ipsy Glam Bag for June would come with its own Butter Gloss. All I had to do was hope and pray that I didn't get a shade that I already had in my own little NYX collection. Lucky me because I received the color Creme Brulee and it is the perfect nude! I just love how smooth and, well, buttery the Butter Glosses are and I will always love them. Thanks, Ipsy!

Last but not least is the Marc Anthony Dream Waves Beach Spray which I love so much I have actually mentioned on this blog on two separate occasions which you can read about here: June Favorites 2014 and Beach Bag Essentials
I love the way it smells and feels in the hair and it works so well with my naturally wavy hair, giving me the Dream Waves it promises.

Overall, I loved this month's bag even with the absolute bust that was the mascara. Looking forward to July's bag already!
Click the link below if you'd like to check out the Ipsy Glam Bags for yourself.
Ipsy Invite

until next time, darlings.
xo
Merisa 

Beach Bag Essentials

In honor of all you beach babes heading out on vacay this month I've put together a little list of my favorite beach bag essentials. Just so you know, all of these products work just as well just chilling by the pool as that's what I'll be using them for! (I don't do oceans, just watch Shark Week to understand why.)

I love bright, colorful beach bags and while I usually like using waterproof ones I've decided to pack all of my goodies into my Lilly Pulitzer for Estee Lauder bag that I got earlier this summer but you can use whatever bag you choose.

So let's work clockwise from the top, shall we? 

One of my number one Beach Bag essentials is a great pair of sunglasses. I am obsessed with the tortoise shell print this summer so these (fake) Ray Bans are perfect for me but Forever 21 has some really great, super cheap and super chic shades like these Tortoise Frame Square Sunglasses that run a cool $5.80.

Next up, I have one of my everyday essentials which is the Pinch Provisions Minimergency Kit in Pink Candy Striper. I wrote about this little sucker in my May Favorites and it has come in handy so many times since then and you never know what kind of mini-emergency you could find your self in at the beach. 

You can't expect to spend a day in the sun without some SPF and I love the quick ease of a spray on sunscreen so I love to throw Neutrogena's Wet Skin Sunscreen Spray with SPF 30 in my bag. I love that I don't have to worry about my sunscreen melting and spilling all over my beach bag, it's also super great to be able to spray this over your body even if you've hopped in the ocean for a bit first.

Next up, I have my Goody Tanglefix which I believe to be a fairly decent dupe for the Tangle Teezer. I always pack this with me because it is great with wet hair and we all love great beach waves but not that seaweed tendrils knotted mess that can happen when caught in the waves. This will definitely prevent that. 

You can't go to the beach without a towel so that is a must, I also like to take a beach blanket with me just because nothing is more annoying than hot sand all over your wet skin when you're trying to dry off. 

This next item is probably no surprise to most of you Magnolias because we all know I love a great body moisturizer and am obsessed with anything coconut. That's why one of my top beach bag essentials is my Coconut Lime Breeze Body Cream from Bath & Body Works. This is my favorite classic scent from B&BW and I just think it screams beach getaway so it is absolutely perfect to moisturize my body after a day in the sun and surf. 

I've also thrown in a fun Coconut Passion Body Spray from Victoria's Secret to compliment the body cream but also because you never know when you might have to spray away that sweaty, ocean mist beach scent.

I've also thrown in my Secret Scent Expressions Deodorant in Pasion de Tango for obvious reasons. You can read more about my odd love of this stuff in my June Favorites. 

No Beach Day is complete for me without some beach reads so of course you've gotta pack the bible according to Elle Woods, aka Cosmo. Side Note: How hot is Megan Fox's hair in this month's issue? As if I didn't envy her enough already. Ugh!

I can't imagine laying out in the sun all day without my little monogrammed Lilly Pulitzer Lulu clad iPad Mini. Aside from a host of games, Pinterest, and Tumblr my main love affair with my iPad is because of my collection of ebooks. My top beach read at the moment is the fabulously hilarious book Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by the fabulously hilarious Mindy Kaling.  

I hate having little bits and bobs just floating in the bottom of my bag so I love grabbing a cute little makeup bag (the Ipsy Glam Bags are perfect for this!) and throwing all my little stuff inside.

What's a Beach Day without some Beach Spray? I love this Marc Anthony Dream Waves Beach Spray from the June 2014 Ipsy Glam Bag and my June Favorites!

I don't go anywhere without some hand sanitizer so it should be no surprise that I've included some in my beach bag essentials. I've also thrown some simple hair ties and some money in for safe measure but also because I don't like leaving my wallet alone on the beach so hiding away some money for emergencies is no big deal.
Last but not least, you've gotta have some lip balm with some SPF and a good concealer just in case.

I hope you've enjoyed this look into my summer essentials, leave a comment below letting me know what you've packed in your beach bag!

until next time, darlings.
xo
Merisa

(A Very Belated) May Ipsy Glam Bag Review

Soooo, I've had this sucker written out and saved to my drafts for over a month! Yes, that's right people...I have been keeping this post hidden away (by accident) to the point that it is almost irrelevant. But guess what? I'm posting it anyway because way back when I said I would do just that. So here it is people, a review of my Ipsy Glam Bag from 2 months ago! Enjoy.

May Ipsy Glam Bag

I was really excited for May's glam bag because of the theme "Beauty's Fresh Picks" which seemed to be very springy and natural, even down the super cute canvas bag which I loved.

My family put in a new pool in the backyard so I was super excited about the high SPF sunscreen, however, there's really nothing special about this particular one.

From the packaging I saw that it was a natural sport sunscreen, but I have a hard time believing either of those. Seeing as it claimed to be natural I expected a completely different experience than the sticky, runny mess that was this sunscreen. Deserving of a thumbs down from me. 

On the upside of things I have thoroughly enjoyed the Pur-lisse moisturizer as it is so light that it is the perfect summer moisturizer that helps me make it through those hot nights that just provoke the oily side of my combo skin. 

Unfortunately, I have yet to come to a complete verdict on the Hey, Honey peel off mask aside from the fact that it is not what I expected on the formulation. A mask called Hey, Honey should probably smell like honey, don't ya think? Well, not this one. Which was a huge disappointment, so much so that I have yet to want to even use the mask again. 

This Pacifica eye shadow duo is out of this world. The palest color turns out to be a iridescent pink when swatched making it the perfect highlight or top color. It should come as no surprise that I love the gold color too because I am obsessed with gold eye shadow. Great for blue eyes. Love it. (Side Note: this little buddy actually shattered just a few days ago which made me extremely sad. I might have to look into picking up a new one.) 

I love microdermabrasions! I just love them! 

This one is no different...well, actually it's a lot different because this one is amazing! I love that it's a thicker formula, it smells amazing, it's all natural, and it is a seriously amazing scrub. I suffer from some serious combo skin that leaves my t-zone oily and tons of dry spots all over that just sprout up randomly so that the battle against rough skin is a tough one...which is made a heck of a lot easier with this gentle but hard working scrub.

All in all I think this was a pretty decent glam bag. If you want to check out Ipsy for yourself or even to subscribe to next month's bag click the link below!

Ipsy Invite!

Until next time, darlings.

xo

Merisa

PS: I cannot say again how sorry I am for withholding this post from you guys, I promise it was a complete accident and next month's review will be coming out shortly, I swear.

I love you guys and hope you are all having an amazing summer so far! xoxo

February 2014 Ipsy Glam Bag

Let me first start by saying that I'm sorry there wasn't a review for the January Ipsy glam bag posted but, at the risk of sounding cheesy and above all lazy, I just wasn't feeling it. I know, I know that's horrible but the bag was really sub-par last month and it took me forever to even try all of the products. Hey, we all have our bad days you're forgiven, Ipsy.

Ahhh!

Whew, that is literally the only way I can express how much I adore this month's glam bag! If you read through this review and like what you see then wait till the end and click the link to check out Ipsy for yourself.
Not only am I so excited to tell you about each product but I'm even more excited to bring back my partner-in-crime, Danielle!
That's right, ladies, Danielle is back and she had this to say:
Let me start off by saying I apologize for my lack of posting in the last few months. I have been super busy with sorority stuff,  & my junior year of bowling coming to an end this season! 

On a lighter note, this Friday I am going to begin my journey as a brand new Mary Kay consultant! I am so very excited to sell some amazing products that every woman needs in her possession! I will be writing some post about those products here soon! 

Now real point of this post, the AMAZING February Ipsy glam bag! I was beyond excited to open this bag and I was even more excited when I found all of the goodies I received this month! 

As, you can probably tell Danielle and I felt very similarly about this month's bag now let's get to it!

- Merisa's Bag -

- Danielle's Bag -

With the theme of the Look of Love, Danielle and I both loved the bag this month's products came in, a hot pink makeup back with leopard print lining!

Both of us got a few different products but let's start with the one's we had in common...

The first product I opened up and tested out was the Mally Evercolor Starlight Waterproof Liner in the silver shimmery color, Starshine! I love this eyeliner, it goes on extremely smooth, and adds a great sense of color and pop to the normal bronze shadow I wear. 

-dSl-

The Mally eyeliner is definitely a standout for me and is probably the first Ipsy product that made me want to try other items from the brand featured outside of that specific product. Seriously, I need more Mally in my life. I love the color, which is a metallic silver that just blends so smoothly and glides on. I've used this product as an inner corner highlight and even as a substitute for my usual black liner on my no makeup makeup days. 

-aFm-

I am obsessed with this lip gloss...actually I wouldn't even call it a traditional lip gloss. This product from POPBeauty in Peony Petal has been on my lips ever since I got my bag in the mail! I love everything about it from the sleek matte black packaging to the stain like application. I think the color is a really great pick for me which is something I was a little worried about upon first impression. I say a stain like application because it really does look like a gloss at first until you actually put it on, it's not sticky at all and almost feels like a melted down lipstick but stays super moisturized.

-aFm-

 This gloss is a good pop of color. It gives you just enough to add something to your everyday look. I really loved the container that it came in. The tube has a handle on it that is really smooth and glides on easily! 

-dSl-

As you might have noticed in the picture of my bag above, I got a few extra products...that's not because I'm particularly special even though I totally am, it's because I traded in my Ipsy points from reviewing my products in my Glam Room online to receive a BeautyBlender and BlenderCleanser! I LOVE the BeautyBlender and must say that it's totally worth the hype but not worth the price...I'm sure you can find an off brand that would get the job done just as well. I really liked the Zoya polish in Odette and thought that it almost looked gel-like on my nails after a 2nd coat even though it didn't act gel-like in the chip department.

I'm still on the fence about the Rituoil for my hair but hair products are always testy for me.

-aFm-

The J.Cat Beauty Eyelashes & Eyelash Glue were some of the best lashes I've tried. It added so much to my natural lashes and made them appear fuller. I love them so very much and even wore them for my Valentine's Day dinner last Friday night!

 I love the City Color Be Matte Blush, I have never tried any of their products and I am not sure why because this is the best blush I have ever used thus far! It blends well, has a great color, called Fresh Melon, and simply warms up your face to create a "sun kissed" look! It is definitely a product worth purchasing especially because it runs for only $2.99 regular price! Can't wait to continue using this product.

-dSl-

I hope you've enjoyed this review of the February Ipsy Glam Bag, to get your own Glam Bag next month click the link below!

Ipsy Glam Bag

until next time, darlings.

xo

The Monogrammed Magnolias

PS: 

December Ipsy Glam Bag!!!

Finals are over!!!

I am happy to report that Danielle and I both survived, even though it was a close call at some points.

I'm even happier to report that today marked another highlight - the December Ipsy Glam Bag arrived!!!

Yayyyyyy!

Just like last time, I am obsessed!!!

This month's theme is Celebration and they have hit the nail on the head because as soon as I opened that shiny pink package I wanted to go out on the town. 

These products are perfect for a fun night out. They're so versatile and will help you create the perfect look for a night of dancing or your best friend's holiday party!

Let's start with this bag though, how cute is this?

I just want to use this as a clutch for a night out and to be perfectly honest, I don't go out so thanks Ipsy for bringing that side of me out! :)

The wonders don't stop there, these products are seriously top notch and had me ripping open their packaging before even leaving the post office!

Lately, I have been on a serious blush and lipstick kick and apparently they lovely behind-the-scene peeps at Ipsy are mind readers because I got just that.

These shades are amazing and work really great with my skintone, however, I think the lipstick is a little on the cooler toned side so I'm going to need to be careful with that because I tend to lean more toward the warm tones. I think these shades also go really well together, they're practically the same color after all, but I think that goes to show that Ipsy really does put the effort in to create a bag that's going to offer the essentials for a really great look together as well as separate. My only struggle is that the blush is a heavy product and probably won't be very well suited for oily-skin types so be careful.
My favorite part about these two are definitely their names though. The lipstick from NYX is called Iced Honey while the Be a Bombshell... cream blush is called Girl Crush! LOVE!

The product I was least excited about when I opened my bag were the eyelashes (which I just realized aren't actually in this picture, that's because I had already tried them out!). \
I don't wear false eyelashes, mostly because of a tragic eyelash experience from like 3 Halloweens ago, but sticking true to my beauty girl ways I gave 'em a shot! And I loved it! 

OMG! I finally understand what all the fuss is about, false lashes are a wonder of the world! 

Check out those lashes! Overlook the new bangs, I was feeling frisky this past week and decided to DIY them.

Overall, the only product I wasn't completely satisfied with was the Nicka K nail polish. I don't what it is but Ipsy loves to put me in really neutral, brownish nail polish shades. Well, I'm just not feeling it.

I cannot even begin to describe how much I love these bags though! 

I highly recommend them!

So, if you're interested, I suggest clicking THIS LINK and heading over to Ipsy and grabbing your own Glam Bag for next month!

till next time, lovelies

xo

aFm

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