Strange & Charmed

As you may remember, last month I signed up for the Ipsy My Glam Bag after deciding that I wanted to sign up for one of the many beauty subscription box services. My May bag was filled with awesome stuff, but I did know what to expect, so my June bag was a surprise! I have an unboxing video going up on my YouTube channel, but I mentioned in that video that I would put up swatches on my blog and I have also decided to take some pictures and do a little review.

So, as you can see from the overview, the bag was a wonderful cheetah print, highlighted with a chartreuse zipper across the top of the bag. Inside were five full sized items as far as I could tell from doing a little research. The first was the JCats Sparkling Cream Palette as seen above. It appears to be a glitter eyeshadow palette. The colors are definitely not something I would have chosen or really would wear on my eyes as I usually avoid gold and I didn’t get a good impression of them from the way they looked inside the palette. They retail for about $5 online.

The next item in my bag was a NYX Rouge Cream Blush in the color Boho Chic, a deep nude pink tone. The consistency of the blush was very nice and smooth and it applied easily and evenly to the skin when I tested it. This item retails for $6 on the NYX site and is something I have never tried before. In fact, I have no cream blushes whatsoever and this color is also unlike anything I have. I think it will be a lovely natural summer blush so I am excited to try it out with a full face of makeup. {Color swatch below with the others).

The next items were a lipliner and an eye highlight. The lipliner pencil from Starlooks came in the color Tipsy, which as you can see below appears to be a pinkish nude in the pencil but swatches much brighter. The pencils retail for $12 and definely had a nice consistency that you would expect from a more expensive liner. The Chella eye highlight came in the color ivory lace and I am still not exactly sure how to use it. It is either an eyeshadow highlight that I can use under my brow and perhaps in the corners of my eye to brighten my eye area, or perhaps I can also use it to line my lower water line to get that enlarged eye look. I don’t see why I couldn’t use it that way and I think I would get more use out of it that way. It retails for $18 so thats another higher end brand, however, I have never heard of them or the Starlooks brand before, but that’s is the point of these beauty box subscriptions- to find new products!

This next product was a Cailyn Line Fix Gel Eyeliner. It came in the most interesting packaging that I refuse to throw away because its so pretty!

The eyeliner came in the color Iron, which was basically a dark grey which is perfect for me! I have never used gel eyeliner before, but this packaging was so clever. The top stick actually pops off and reveals the liner brush, so its like an all in one product and it retails for $21! I will definitely get use out of that for sure!

As you can see in this image above, the blush and the lipliner look like they are part of a similar color family, although, as you can tell from the swatches below, they are actually quite different!

The color in the pencil is a bit deceiving as it is much brighter when you apply it to the skin! I still think its a pretty good neutral however, and I tried it with my Mirabella Pixie Lipstick from May’s Ipsy bag and they go together well. I also have a feeling it will work nicely with my Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Lip Balm Stain in the color Rendezvous as it is a similar orange hued coral. I also think this liner may work well with a nude lip color  if I fill in the lips with the liner a little bit first.

Here is a “swatch” of one of the sparkling cream eyeshadows. As you can see, this product is very chunky and basically just straight glitter. I am definitely not going to put this on my eyelids as it is very difficult to apply and its so thick, I worry I may get the glitter in my eyes! The colors were very pretty and perhaps they can be used as some sort of body glitter, but overall the product is not very good in my opinion. The word cream in the name is quite deceiving as there is no cream base to this product as far as I can tell.

Here are the color swatches for the products. I apologize that I swatched these on my arm with my birthmark! Also, my arms are quite hairy since I am Mediterranean descent and I have never been one to bother with shaving or waxing them. Anywhoo, from top to bottom we have the cream blusher, the lipliner which is actually quite a bright coral color, the eyeliner, and finally the eye highlight.

I hope this post was enjoyable for anyone who was wondering about the product in this months Ipsy My Glam Bag! I may continue to do posts like this in the future if the products need swatching and a review! Head over to my YouTube channel http://www.youtube.com/misstrenchcoat to see the unboxing video if you haven’t already!

Nothing says summer like enjoying a nice fruity drink! Although I am over 21, I am not a big drinker, but I do always enjoy the fun flavors and the delightful look of a summer cocktail so I like to make non-alcoholic versions of these summer drinks, aka mocktails! I am sure many of you have heard of the term “mocktail” but for those of you new to the concept, it is basically a drink made to copy the look and taste of a cocktail but without alcohol. Mocktails are great for the under 21 and sober crowd as they embody all the fun of fancy fruity drinks but without the negative affects of alcohol.

So, on to the drinks! Last summer I fell in love with the Mocktail drink mixes from Crystal Light. Not only did they come in fun flavors and bright summery colors, but they were also 0 calories! I have tried most of the flavors at this point, but I especially love the margarita and mojito flavors. They are just like your standard Crystal Light mixes, just add water and stir and you have an instant drink, but you can take it one step further and dress up your drink to make it a true mocktail.

Frozen Mocktail Margarita

In your blender, mix equal parts of your premade Crystal Light Margarita with ice and blend until smooth. Add salt and lime juice to taste. Taking your margarita glass, rub a slice of lime around the rim of the glass transferring the juice to the rim and then dip the rim of the glass on a plate dusted with margarita salt (if you don’t have margarita salt, you can use a coarse sea salt). Garnish the glass with a slice or twist of lime!

Classic Mocktail Mojito

To a glass, add a few sprigs of fresh mint, sliced limes and a teaspoon of stevia in the raw (you can use sugar in the raw if you prefer, but I am trying to keep this as low calorie as possible). Using a spoon or mixing stick, crush the mint, lime slices and stevia together. Fill the glass with ice and add your premade Crystal Light Mojito. Garnish the glass with some more sprigs of mint and/or a slice or twist of lime!

I hope you enjoyed my quick and easy mocktail recipes! There are many ways you can make mocktails, but I love the instant Crystal Light mixes because they are easy and calorie free. You could add alcohol to these recipes and make them real cocktails but remember, alcohol can make you very dehydrated and so its better to quench your thirst in the summer heat with the alcohol free versions!

I recently just discovered a drugstore gem for instant relief of dry skin! The e.l.f. Daily Moisture Stick is an inexpensive miracle worker that, like its name suggests, is a stick of clear gel formulated with anti-aging components to moisturize the skin. When applied to the skin, either by direct application from the stick itself or by applying it with the fingers, a cooling burst of moisture instantly plumps dry skin, leaving the skin refreshed and soft. Some of the anti-aging ingredients include grape, shea, avocado, macadamia and aloe, however, instead of this product feeling oily and heavy as one might expect from the ingredients, it actually is quite light and refreshing and leaves no sticky residue whatsoever. What I love about this product is that it can be used on the face or the body and I have been using it for both. I have been applying the product via my fingers to my under eye area and directly to any dry patches on my face or body. The product has helped me greatly with a recent facial sunburn I was suffering from as the aloe helped cool my skin, keeping the burn area moist and refreshed.

I really have just been loving using this product and sort of feel like its a miracle worker of sorts! It feels so soothing and light on the skin and the moisture lasts a good while, although I have been using it repeatedly throughout the day because I love the way it makes my skin feel. Its one of those products that you can keep in your bag and use throughout the day at bathroom breaks to keep yourself looking and feeling refreshed. When applied under my eyes it sort of plumps up my under eye area which can sometimes look sallow a few hours after I apply my makeup. I am loving it for summer because it really helps to refresh the look of makeup that may begin to melt off in the heat. Just pat on the product with your fingertips to any areas where your makeup is beginning to look saggy and it peps it back up! It also works wonders on hands where you get that dry and dehydrated look. It really just fills dry skin with instant moisture that sticks and feels incredibly natural. For $6 there is really no reason not to try this Daily Moisture Stick from e.l.f. I picked mine up at Target, but you can buy it online from e.l.f directly.

Summer is here and one trend that seems to recycle itself year after year is the Maxi Dress! Although we have certainly seen these dresses before in all their iconic glory, from summer to summer the trends seem to change ever so slightly. Today, I want to talk to you about the maxi dress style, elements of it that stay the same year over year and the new elements that make Summer 2013 maxi dresses unique.

First of all, there are three main silhouettes that make up the basis of the maxi dress look. The kimono top, the bandeau, and the tank top. From season to season, these styles don’t change for the most part. The kimono top, as illustrated on the first dress, is a universally flattering top comprised of a short, wide sleeve and a v-neck. The bandeau, as seen on the second dress, is a strapless style that is often a little more casual because it lacks sleeves. Finally, the tank top style, seen in the last dress, is a versatile look that can include a variety of strap widths and a V or U style neckline. Depending on your personal preference you may gravitate to one or all of these maxi dress styles.

Now, let’s talk about the summer 2013 trends that make this years dresses stand out from previous seasons. I see three major trends happening in maxi dresses this year. First, as seen in the first dress is the ombre look where a solid color is used and fades from light to dark or dark to light. The ombre trend has been popular for a while now, so its no surprise to me that its now a prevalent style in dresses as well. The next trend I see for this summer is a mix of patterns, as illustrated in the second dress. Whether its a mix of a floral and a stripe, or a pattern and a solid, mixed and contrasting patterns are a big trend this summer season. The final trend I see this season in maxi dresses is geometry as seen in the third dress above. Whether its color blocking or asymmetry, geometry is playing a big role in fashion this summer and it has many faces that make it edgy and on trend.

So, have you picked up any new maxi dresses for this summer? If so, are they part of the summer 2013 trends? Please share in the comments!

I have been on again, off again with beauty subscription services. There are loads of them out there that offer a variety of products from beauty product samples to full sized makeup products to clothing and shoes! You may already be familiar with Birchbox or Glossybox, two of the more popular sites, but others include Beauty Army, JustFab, and ShoeDazzle. Since I was interested in setting myself up with a subscription, I did a lot of research on the types of products you get from each company and the price associated with it. Last year, for a short period I had subscribed to ShoeDazzle but canceled my membership realizing that I wasn’t so interested in getting a new handbag or pair of shoes each month for the hefty $50+ dollars I was being charged for the service. I did like the items, don’t get me wrong, they were very stylish and the quality was decent, but did I really need a new handbag every month, or a new pair of shoes EVERY month? I did not! So, I jumped off the subscription service band wagon for a bit.

Of course, Spring hit again this year and I suddenly felt the need for new accessories and makeup! So, I began researching the popular beauty subscriptions, deciding that $10 a month for some beauty items was more feasible. However, I didn’t want to pay $10 a month for foil samples of hand lotion and mini bottles of perfume that I could get for free at any department store counter. So, I ended up choosing Ipsy and the My Glam Bag service. What drew me to Ipsy was the number of quality large sized samples or full sized products I saw their customers receive month after month. With Ipsy, each month you get a trendy little makeup bag filled with 3-5 products that have been customized to your beauty needs, preferences and colors. They offer a range of beauty products, from makeup, perfume, skincare, lotions, and hair products! You tell Ipsy your style and what types of items you want and they try to stay within your parameters. So far I have received one bag and it was filled with items that I actually LOVED! And the value of the bag was close to $60 and filled with multiple full sized items and large samples. You can see what I got in my bag in the video above! Overall, you can say I am very happy so far with my Ipsy subscription and I can’t wait to see what I get in June’s bag!

If you are interested in the Ipsy service, visit them online here.

For the record, this is not a sponsored post, I paid for my Ipsy subscription myself and have not been contacted by the company at this point in time. All opinions are my own and I hope you appreciate my honesty!