Ipsy March Bag

Items Received: (left to right)

• Nyx Love in Rio Palette: Barefoot in the Sand
• Retail: $6 for 0.105oz (3g) 
• Size: Full size - 0.105oz (3g) 
• Verdict: Giveaway - Love the color and I do think Nyx is a pretty good product for the price. However, already have a lot of similar colors in brands that I like more.
• Chella Eyeliner Pen in Indigo Blue
• Retail: $24
• Size: Full size - 0.4 fl.oz
• Verdict: Keep - Been looking for a waterproof/smudge resistant blue liquid eyeliner so I'm looking forward to trying this one and seeing how it goes. And being free of NANO and parabens is a definite plus for me.
• Bareminerals Marvelous Moxie Lipgloss in Rebel
• Retail: $18 for 4.5mL (0.15 fl.oz.)
• Size: sample size 2.25mL (0.07 fl.oz.)
• Verdict: Toss-up - I love bareminerals but do I really need another lipgloss? I want to swatch the color at a store before deciding to keep it or not.
• Klorane Soothing and Relaxing Patches 
• Retail:  $18 for 7 patches
• Size: sample size - 2 patches
• Verdict: Keep - I am always up for trying eye patches.

Overall, Ipsy didn't do too bad this month. I am keeping most of the bag items just maybe not the bag itself. I have way too many minibags from Ipsy that I'm still trying to get rid of. The bag itself actually features artwork from http://www.klarireis.com. The Baremineral and the Chella Eyeliner definitely makes the bag worth the $10 even though I'm debating whether to keep the Baremineral lipgloss.

Favorite of the Month: February 2014 - Konjac Sponge

Favorites of the month items is something new that I want to try to do and that way I would regularly update my blog. There are times where I don't write anything for a month and then there are times where I post regularly twice a week. This favorite of the month type of post would hopefully keep me consistently posting at least once a month, though I really want to do more than just that. Anyways onto my favorite product of the month is the Muraqi Konjac Sponge.

The first time I have ever heard of a konjac sponge was when Boscia introduced their konjac sponge last year at Sephora. It was advertised as "pillow-soft" sponge that was made from 100% perservative-free konjac root originating from the Jeju Island in Korea, and that the konjac root was staple in Japanese beauty ritual for over a thousand years. "It is naturally alkaline and balances the acidity of the skin’s impurities and oils while being enriched with protein, carbohydrate, iron, phosphorus, copper, zinc, vitamin A, vitamin E, vitamin D, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, vitamin C, and folic acid. (Sephora)" And just recently Boscia released their Konjac Sponge with Bamboo Charcoal.  was very interested in trying the product if not for the $18 price tag. However I was determine to my it on my next Sephora Haul. Luckily I came across the Muraqi Konjac Sponge during my Sasa haul, which I will reveal at a later post. At only $4.50, how could I say no? There are 2 version of the Muraqi Konjac Sponge, the original and the green tea version. I regret at only buying the original and not both considering how much I love this product. It gently exfoliates without being too harsh and irritating. I feel like it really helps cleanse my skin.

Even though the instructions are in Japanese, the pictures indicate very clearly to first moisten the sponge before massaging the face in a circular motion, and to squeeze out the excess moisture prior to hanging the sponge up to let it air dry.

Product Links:

Boscia Konjac Cleansing Sponge: Sephora, Boscia

Boscia Konjac Cleansing Sponge with Bamboo Charcoal: Sephora, Boscia

Muraqi Konjac Sponge: Sasa

Muraqi Green Tea Konjac Sponge: Sasa

Ipsy February Bag

Items Received: (left to right)

• City Color: Be Matte Blush in Fresh Melon
• Retail: $2.99 for 0.314oz/8.9g
• Sample Size: full size - 0.314oz/8.9g
• Verdict: Giveaway - Even though it is a full size item and cruelty free, I am not a big fan of it's ingredients of talc, mica, mineral oil, methylparaben, propyleparaben, tocopherylt acetate, fragrance, tocopherol, red 6 lake, red 7 lake, yellow 5 lake.
• First Aid Beauty: Skin Rescue Deep Cleanser with Red Clay
• Retail: $24 for 4.7oz
• Sample Size: 1 oz
• Verdict: Keep - I'm always willing to try new cleansers especially if its a foamy gel cleanser that's ideal for oily/combo/problem-prone skin. And also on the plus side there's no parabens, harsh chemicals or colorants.
• Zoya in Odette
• Retail: $9 for 0.5fl.oz / 15mL
• Sample Size: full size - 0.5fl.oz / 15mL
• Verdict: Toss-up - Normally I would keep all Zoya polish but I already bought this during Zoya's annual three free sale. I have yet to try this color but if I really love it I just may keep both of them.
• 'Tinibeauty: Eyeshadow + Base in Ambrosia
• Retail:  $18 for 0.14oz
• Sample Size: full size - 0.14oz
• Verdict: Toss-up- I like the color and I'm curious but not really liking the smell.
• Popbeauty Plump Pout in Peony Petal
• Retail: $16 0.3oz/8.5g
• Sample Size: 0.14oz/4g
• Verdict: Toss-up - I'm usually not a fan of Popbeauty products and I do have a lot of lip products so I may just give it away. On the other hand, it apparently suppose to stay on very well and leaves a stain after. I probably would not ever buy it considering the size of the actually product is more than double the size of the sample, and I think that's just too big.

Overall, I think Ipsy did really well this month. The Zoya polish plus the FAB cleanser makes it worth it even though I already own the Zoya color.

Zoya "Naturel" Collection

My packaged from Zoya's annual three free polishes finally came. For those who missed it, every year Zoya gives out free nail polishes as long as you pay the shipping. So 3 polishes for $12 is a great steal considering Zoya polishes retail for $9 each. I ordered 2 polishes from the "Naturel" collection and a glitter top coat. And yes it is spelled with an "e" and not an "a". I really like the pinky nude colors so I ended up choosing Brigitte and Odette. I was debating between Maria Luisa gold glitter topcoat and the Normani that's also from the "Naturel" collection. I ended up getting the Maria Luisa considering I did not own a gold glitter nail polish.

A comparison between 3 from the "naturel" collection

A picture of Brigitte on my nails.

Lancome Bienfait Multi-Vital SPF 30 Sunscreen

Lancome Bienfait Multi-Vital Sunscreen
SPF 30

At last, a sunscreen from the Sephora Sun Kit that I really like. I like the feel of it and the smell of it. It feels hydrating without the greasiness, and also very lightweight. But of course, it's never this perfect. My main issue with it is that it is packaged as a tub, which is a slight deal breaker with me. I prefer creams and lotions to be packed in bottles, and a pump would also be nice for cleanliness and minimal contamination. Of course, your hands are clean whenever you dip your fingers into this product since you just washed your face but it's not contaminate-free. Spatulas can be used but those are just a pain. And another deal breaker for me is that it contains methylparaben, an ingredient that I would like to avoid. At $46 for 1.7oz, I'm glad that I'm not in total love with it. I must move on from this fine product to find my perfect sunscreen.

Product Link:
Lancome
Sephora

L'occitane Almond Shower Oil

This shower oil smells delicious all thanks to the almond oil. Even though it seems really strange at first to cleanse using an oil in the shower, this thing lather ups rather nicely. Using oil to cleanse is not a new thing. There are several popular companies that are coming out with oil cleansers, such as Josie Maran, Origins, and Murad, while other companies such as Shu Uemura that have been famously selling their cleansing oils for over decades. Most of these are marketed just for the face but this cleansing oil is made especially for the shower. And on the plus side this product is made without parabens, synthetic dyes, phthalates, and triclosan. Now my only problem is choosing this shower oil or the L'occitane Pivone Flora Shower Gel or the Korres Jasmine Showergel.

Product Links:

L'occitane Pivone Flora Shower Gel

L'occitane Almond Shower Oil

Korres Jasmine Shower Gel

Ipsy January Bag

I've been subscribed to Ipsy for a while now. It's a monthly subscription bag that's only $10 from several YouTube beauty gurus including Michelle Pham, Promise Phan, Andrea, Jessica, and Bethany.

For this month:
Tahitian Monoi anti-aging sugar scrub: sample size
Malin+goetz mojito lip balm: full size
Elizabeth Mott creamy eye pencil: sample size in penny
Biogeo deep conditioning hair mask: sample size
Proactiv+ mark fading pads: 4 pads

I'm pretty happy with this bag this month. This month was definitely worth it considering the Malin+goetz lip balm alone is a full size and retails at $12. I'm also curious about the proactiv+ pads, and I've been looking for scrubs and a hair mask. As for the eye pencil, thank goodness it wasn't in black. I received way too many black pencils from ipsy and I gave most of them away.