REVIEW | BITE BEAUTY MATTE CREME LIP CRAYONS

Hey guys! I hope you're having a lovely month of November so far. It's been a long time. Life is CRAZINESS. I miss just being able to sit down and type about what I love. But, when I do get the chance nowadays, it's a huge release for me, which is awesome. How have you guys been?

Today's post is all about a recent Influenster voxbox I received. I've talked about Influenster a few times on the blog before. I'll link it here in case you guys want more info, since many of you have probably read my info on it before. They were kind enough to enter me into the Bite Beauty voxbox, so I got to try three of the new shades of Bite Beauty's Matte Creme Lip Crayon's for FREE! I was floored. Influenster asks that in return for sending out free products, we post 100% honest reviews via blogs and other social media, so here I am.

In this box, I received three shades of the Bite Beauty Matte Creme Lip Crayons - Cava (lilac beige), Glace (dusty mauve), and Red Velvet (rich, deep red). These are described as "lip crayons in timeless matte shades that provide superior hydration".

SPOILER ALERT: I FREAKING LOVE THEM.

The packaging on the lip crayons is beautiful, it's a matte charcoal grey that is super sleek. I will say, opening them for the first time was a big of a struggle, but they were a breeze after that. The packaging reminded me a lot of the classic NARS packaging, the matte black rubberized compacts and tubes.

Inside the packaging, the lip crayon is very pointed for precise application, but will round down slightly with continued use. You can twist the product up automatically to release more product. Since Bite Beauty's products are made with all natural products, their lip crayons smell very naturally fruity, I love it! 

As far as the formula goes, I totally fell in love with these. They give the whole "matte lip trend", but without the discomfort and lack of flattery to dry lips. They are creamy and opaque, which means you don't need to use a lot upon application. They aren't fully matte, they are more of a demi-matte finish, which I personally like. They are extremely creamy and comfortable - they don't hold the dryness factor that many matte lip products do, and they hold their staying power really well. The crayons absolutely aren't transfer proof, but they don't transfer so much that application is necessary extremely often. Glace is hands-down my favorite shade! I think these might be my new favorite matte lip product just because of the comfort alone, not including their other awesome qualities!

Which shade is your favorite? Have you tried Bite Beauty's matte creme lip crayons? I just handed Cava and Glace off to my mom to try because I think she is going to love them, I will let you guys know what she thinks! But she has to give them back, because I don't think I could give these guys up ;)

What is your FAVORITE matte lip product?

October Ipsy WITH MY MOM!

Hey guys! I hope you had a lovely weekend, happy Monday (that's an oxymoron I'm pretty sure). Today I am extra excited about this post because not only am I sharing with you guys my October Ipsy bag, but I also have a video sharing my mom's Ipsy bag of this month with me! We had so much fun filming our first ever video together, so thanks to my momma for being such a great sport :) I know how awkward it can be at first to sit there and talk to a lens, but it means the world to me that you were willing to give it a try. We were both super excited to open up our bags this month, and Ipsy, as always, didn't disappoint! Make sure to check out our video and leave some love for my mom in the comments section <3

This month's bag was a collaboration with Valfre, an amazing artist who says that a "valfre girl is a girl who is not afraid of self expression", and what better way to express yourself than through makeup?

The bag has a bunch of cute Halloween themed items on the front, and an adorable little ghost zipper (that my mom and I didn't even notice until halfway through the video, hehe).

The theme of this month was Black Magic. Ipsy said that October is all about magic, so they wanted to give us the ingredients for bewitching looks! Such a cute theme.

TheBalm Hot Mama! // One of the products I received was an itty bitty sample size of Hot Mama blush from the Balm. I absolutely love the Balm products, but this blush in particular isn't really my style. It seems very springy to me; it's a peachy pink with a lot of gold shimmer to it, it honestly looks like a NARS Orgasm dupe! The blush itself is really pretty and the Balm makes one of my top five blush formulas, but I probably won't be reaching for this sample much to be honest. The pan is so small that it's almost hard to get the brush into. But, I think it's great that Ipsy has the Balm in their bags, and I know it's a good product, just not really my personal jam, and that's ok!

Pur-Lisse Daily Lip Nourish // I was super excited to give this daily lip nourisher a sniff because it has mango and shea butter in it! It smells like a natural mango and gives the lips tons of lasting hydration. A little bit goes a long way, which will make my sample last awhile too. I'm already loving this one! And if you're sensitive to products like this, I wouldn't worry about it because my lips are very reactive to new lip products (curse them) and they loved this one.

INSPR Brow Powder Duo // This was by far my favorite of this month's bag. Never have I ever tried a brow powder before and man I don't know where I've been! The information on Ipsy's website suggests using the light shade to feather in the start of your brows, mixing the shades for the center, and using the deep shade for the tail. I love that it's so easy to do, looks extremely natural, and you can really get an intense brow if you want, or you can keep it nice and natural too. I am totally in love with this product!

Noyah Natural Lipstick 'Currant News' // First off, this is the tiniest and cutest little lipstick I've ever seen. And the shade? Absolutely stunning. It's the most beautiful deep berry shade with a creamy finish and super comfortable wear. It's definitely not transfer proof, but it doesn't feather outside the lip lines or onto the teeth, and it's lasting power is truly impressive for a creamy formula. Loving this!

Ciate Fierce Flicks Eyeliner // You guys know I love me some liquid liner. I've been stuck on my Kat Von D Tattoo Liner for ages (I really don't know how I haven't run out yet), so I was feeling a little stubborn about trying this one. But, I am definitely impressed! I didn't think I would enjoy the felt marker tip applicator but it is a very fine tip that makes getting a wing really easy, and it is extremely pigmented. I love that it dries truly matte, and there is no smearing or smudging with this guy. My only complaint? Once dry, I feel like it isn't truly BLACK, it has that charcoal gray feel to it like many eyeliners, it's hard to find a liquid one that is extremely black believe it or not. But for staying power and pigmentation, this one is still a win in my book.

What did you get in your October Ipsy bag?

IS THE INTERNET BEING RUINED?

This post is my reaction to Freakonomics podcast, “Is the Internet Being Ruined?”, linked here. The podcast covered a large amount of background on the internet from the 1960’s and the creation of the idea of a computer itself, to today and how the internet is changing. This podcast made me think about how the internet has changed in my lifetime. The last part of the podcast focused heavily on how the internet is changing to be more advertiser-friendly. Since platforms don’t charge a fee for use, advertisements are necessary. And their goal is to keep us on the site just a few minutes longer, because then we, as users, will see more advertisements. My original thought was when Facebook first came out, I don’t remember it being very advertisement heavy. And now? All I see is advertisements for items that I’ve recently browsed the internet about, trying to get to me to purchase things that I am trying so hard not to purchase! Advertisements are all over social platforms, more than ever. Platforms that we created are becoming more regulated, in a world that we intended to not be. The internet was meant to be a world with a stupid network and smart devices, so that the network was ignorant of the user purpose. Now, does that mean the internet is being ruined? I don’t think so, but it is definitely changing. As history shows, especially with technology, there is no way to truly predict where technology will go next. I wouldn’t say this podcast changed my view of technology, but I do think it made me want to know more about the information world, and pay more attention to the algorithms and way platforms work, instead of just scrolling through and reading the feeds mindlessly. I do completely agree with what Tufekci was saying about the fact that those who are behind the internet have amazing brains, and it is a waste to use them to figure out how to keep users on Facebook for another ten minutes. In relation to MIS 320, I think this podcast heavily emphasizes what we’ve been talking about in class where the power lies not in the technology itself, but how we use it. And there is so much more we could be doing. It also relates heavily to our recent discussions about data, data collection, and algorithms (i.e. Netflix like we discussed last week). Tufekci discussed algorithms on Facebook and how they gear posts towards positivity and likes, versus information that is challenging or important to read (i.e. Ferguson). I think my biggest takeaway from the podcast is that we, as a first step, need to care. We need to care about the information environment as we do our physical environment, as Benkler stresses. The biggest way the podcast influenced me was a larger desire to understand the information environment and where it is headed. What are your thoughts on the Freakonomics podcast? Do you think the internet is being ruined?

REVIEW: HELLOFRESH

Hey guys! Long time no chat. Life has been crazy lately, so me finally sitting down to write this post is really exciting for me! I'm also super pumped to share today's review with you all. A few weeks ago, Jason's lovely mama shared a coupon code with me to try my first HelloFresh box for free. If you guys don't know what HelloFresh is, don't worry, I'll give you all the information you need to know in a bit :) Of course I jumped on the opportunity because hey, IT'S FREE. I'm a college student, I love free! Honestly, I thought it was going to be kind of eh or gimmicky, but now I completely understand why they can get away with giving a box for free, because it totally sucks you in! If I could afford to do this box every week, I would in a heartbeat. So there's my review spoiler, but I wanted to share with you guys exactly what the box looks like, share with you a couple meals I experienced, and some in depth thoughts. I also still have a few coupon codes that expire soon, so if you guys are interested in trying a box for free, shoot me and email (cupofthoughtsandabagoftea@gmail.com) and if they are still good by the time you do, I'll send you my code!

What is HelloFresh?

HelloFresh is an online subscription meal service that delivers fresh ingredients directly to your doorstep. You can choose which kind of box you'd like, whether it be for a family, a vegetarian, or just a classic plan (which is what I chose). There are different recipes each week, six to choose from, and you get to choose which three you'd like to receive. You can input allergies or food specifications if need be as well. You get to choose the day you'd like your box delivered, and if you aren't home, no worries because everything in the box is well insulated, so if it sits at your doorstep for a few hours it will still be 100% okay.

All of the recipes come with exact ingredient measurements (unless it's like 1/2 cucumber, then you get to save the other half for later, but that's really the only exception). They also come with difficulty levels, instructions for the meals, and all nutrition facts all in a little booklet. I found all of the recipes to be extremely easy, straightforward, but still unique! They are very user-friendly, especially the way the booklet is set up, so the recipes would be really easy to follow even for those who don't spend time in the kitchen usually.

Why HelloFresh?

I of course tried this one because it offered a free box, but now there are lots of services like this that I plan on trying and comparing. Blue Apron, Home Chef, Munchery, these are all services I want to try out. For my lifestyle, I found this to be such a convenient, yet healthy option. Sometimes, as a college student in a rush, you can be pressured to cook up a little Top Ramen or just not eat if you're in a hurry or don't feel like making a huge meal because of sheer exhaustion. But, with this, everything was measured out, and it took 30 minutes or less for every meal. It pushed me to try different foods, like steak (which I would never buy, #broke), and encouraged a little bit from each food group.

I can see this box being ideal for those with a busy lifestyle, people who hate grocery shopping, who hate cooking, or who are indecisive on meal choices. This would also be a great option for families with busy lifestyles.

How does the box come?

On the HelloFresh website once you've subscribed, you get to choose which day of the week (and the exact date, ie. Monday October 31st) you'd like to receive your box so that it works best for your personal schedule. You leave specific instructions such as "leave at front door" or "leave behind bench on front porch", whatever you need to keep your delivery secure. Your box is given a delivery time window of 8am to 8pm, which I personally found to be extremely inaccurate. My first box was delivered around 10:30pm. And, one of Julie's boxes that was supposed to arrive on Monday arrived on Tuesday, so that is definitely something to keep in mind.

On your doorstep you will find a very hefty, secure, chilled box full of your meals for the week. The box itself has really cute facts and HelloFresh goodies on it. Opening your box, you'll find insulation to secure all of your food, which I think is totally awesome! On the top is your three meal ingredient packs, each boxed and labelled for the exact meal they are for. All your ingredients are in one place, which is great. Once you've tossed those into your fridge, you'll find a large gel ice pack that conceals your meats. I love that the meat is kept in between two of these ice packs, as well as the fact that the raw meats are kept separate from the produce and fresh ingredients.

How do I find the meals?

Every week HelloFresh will change their meals. You just head over to their website, hover over "Our Meals" and click on whichever tab is applicable to you - "this week", "next week", upcoming, etc. You have a deadline to select which 3 you'd like to receive or it is generated for you. But you can always see what recipes are coming to you! 

If I'm ready to make my first meal?

All you need for each meal is what HelloFresh sent you, some salt and pepper, and a cooking oil of your choice. They send you everything you need down to the 1tsp of spices!

Just pull out the package labelled for whichever meal you're craving, along with the separate raw meat. If you receive any fish, they recommend consuming that meal first, so that everything stays fresh. One thing I did find about this box is that everything was truly fresh. The meat was all pasture-raised, and I'd never tried fancy meat before, it really did make a difference in the taste of the meat (then again, maybe that's all in my head).

The recipes are contained in a small booklet, with a photo of the meal, nutrition facts, prep time, cook time, and all the steps one by one for you! P.S. I'm posting the photo below of this recipe because you guys have got to screenshot it, it was INCREDIBLE!

Follow the instructions one by one and your meal will be all ready to go before you know it! The first meal I made was Italian Sausage and Baby Broccolini Pasta. Another thing I loved about these meals is that they really are the perfect amount for 2 (if that is the family size you choose) nice and filling, without being too much food, and no leftovers to worry about.

Is it worth it?

If you have the luxury to spend on receiving these meals, I definitely highly recommend the service. It's $69.95 for 3 meals a week for 2 people. If you are out on the town eating, you'd spend roughly the same if not more, so it really isn't that outrageous. As a college student, spending that much every week is not practical at all for me, so I won't be continuing my subscription, but I loved the luxury of trying it for a week!

And the biggest plus? You can pause deliveries anytime you wish and unsubscribe at any time, so if you don't like your first box, you can cancel right away, or if you're on vacation or just bought groceries, you can skip a week. And, HelloFresh and their awesome customer service will likely check in on you and ask how everything is going too. 

My favorite meal of all? Vietnamese Marinated Steak with Quick-Pickled Veggies, pictured below, with the recipe above. Which is another great plus, even if you make an account and don't use the service, you can download the HelloFresh recipes and go get the groceries yourself!

What do you guys think? Have you tried / are you going to try any food subscription service boxes like HelloFresh?

SEPTEMBER 2016 IPSY BAG

Hey guys! I hope you're having a super weekend. Today I wanted to share my September Ipsy bag with you guys. This is my second month trying Ipsy and they hit it out of the park AGAIN! And, even better? My mom tried it this month! Next month her and I are going to share ours together on my youtube channel and on my blog (I AM SO EXCITED). Let's get into this month's bag!

Want to try Ipsy? Sign up here!

This month's theme was #IpsyGlamazon - "too glam to give a damn". I loved the idea of putting the extra time in every day on one part of your routine to pamper yourself and feel good! Also loving how artsy the bag is this month.

Be a Bombshell Cosmetics Nail Polish 'Holy Fuchsia!' // As I shared with you guys last month, I actually don't own any nail polish, so I love that Ipsy sent me another one this month to start a collection for myself! This color is such a gorgeous deep berry, so perfect for the fall months coming up. I was a little surprised to see how large the brush wand is on this one, which could either be great and quick for coating my nails, or a disaster because I'll get it all over the place - we'll have to wait and see on that one.

Briogeo Don't Despair, Repair! Deep Condition Mask // I love that Ipsy is sending a variety of nail, tools, hair, and makeup items just like I was hoping. I am a huge fan of hair masks ever since I got my hair colored, since it's been suffering of dryness and frizziness, so I was very excited to see this guy in my bag. I have to say, I truly love this product already. It's a post-shampoo treatment that you leave in for 5-10 minutes, so I just shave my legs or wash my face while I wait, and it leaves my hair incredibly soft without feeling like there is residue, and makes my hair incredibly easy to brush through. And my favorite part? It doesn't have an overwhelming scent.

Tarte Tarteist Lash Paint Mascara // I was so excited to see this in my bag because all the beauty guru's out there have been ranting and raving about this mascara for months. I do like it, especially since it's a one-coat-wonder. One coat and it gives your lashes the look that most mascaras would take several coats to do. But, it's no my favorite! It smeared on me a couple times now at work, and it is not fun to take off at the end of the night since it's formula is so thick and goopy. But, I am glad I got to try it - to each his own!

Dr.G Sensitive++ Daily Safe BB // This is my favorite product of this month's bag. It is a BB cream tinted for fair skin that is safe for ultra sensitive skin. It gives amazing coverage for a BB cream, but it still looks super natural on the skin, wears so comfortably, and lasts all day like a foundation would. I am so wildly impressed with this product. This will be my go-to for mornings I'm rushing to campus when I don't want to deal with the hassle, but I want a little something to make me look decent.

Crown Brushes Ombre Angle Brush // This is the first time I've ever received a beauty tool in a beauty bag before. For me, that makes the bag totally worth $10 not even including the other samples! I've heard rave reviews about Crown Brushes, and been dying to try their products. I love that this brush seems so multi-purpose. It would be great for contouring, blush, highlight, powder, and even bronzing. It is super soft, and has a lot of give to it, which would make it amazing for sweeping blush across the cheekbones. A+ Ipsy!

Just like last month, I was beyond impressed with my September Ipsy bag! I can't wait to see October's bag. What did you guys get in your Ipsy bag? What subscription services do you subscribe to?

INFLUENSTER ENDLESS SUMMER VOXBOX

Hey guys! I hope you're having a lovely week, happy hump day! Today I wanted to share with you guys another Influenster Unboxing. Influenster is a free program that anyone can sign up to try and review products for free. Even if you aren't interested in receiving or reviewing products, it's a great platform for asking questions about products or writing reviews on things you've tried whether it be anything from movies to makeup to home decor. I qualified this month for the Endless Summer Voxbox which includes a medley of items that I wanted to share with you guys! So, let's unbox together! P.S. If you guys want to sign up, here is the link to do so.

Starting out with the makeup inside the box, I received two new products from Max Factor, their High Precision Liquid Eyeliner in the shade Velvet Black and their High Definition and Volume Mascara. Included was a small pamphlet describing the products along with a $2 off purchase coupon. Both products included retail for $9.99 each.

I tried these out so I could give you guys my first impressions on the blog. The liquid liner is really interesting - the concept is a paddle shape applicator. The idea is to dot the shape you want on your eyes and connect the dots, then fill in with the wider part of the paddle. I think the formula and opacity of this liner is really great, it is a very intense matte black. While in theory this idea is very cool and innovative, I don't think the execution was quite 100%, the applicator was quite difficult to work with, and there are many liquid liners I like better.

As far as the mascara goes, it's wear was fantastic! There was no smudging or smearing, even when I rubbed my eyes, and even through a nap (that's the real test right there). However, it didn't really give me the intense volume I was looking for. It did a decent job at separating and adding thickness to my lashes, but it just didn't give me that WOW factor - or max factor - if you will. ;)

The next collection of products in my box were 3 different types of Numi Tea - Jasmine Green, Ginger Pu-erh, and Turmeric. Each came with one bag of tea to try, along with a $1 off next purchase of a box of Numi Organic Teas. All teas provided were organic and I received a variety of high and medium caffeine, as well as decaf. I tried all three and loved them all! Although the Jasmine Green was my favorite. These retail from $7.99-$8.49 for 12-18 count boxes.

Next in the box was a hair-care product and two nail-care products. From Seche I received a full size nail polish in the shade Intrepid. I haven't tried this out yet, but in the tube it almost looked like a duo-chrome magenta that has blue reflects in it (it seriously looks like nail polish version of UD Firebird lipstick). The full-size polish (0.5oz) from Seche Vite retails for $9.99. This is a pretty bold color for me, so I'm not sure if I'll be trying it out or handing it off to someone else. 

Also from Seche is a mini-size clear top coat polish, which I was super excited about! I didn't own any nail polish prior to last month's Ipsy bag, so I was super excited to have a top coat to keep that one lasting longer next time I wear it. The mini size retails for $1.99 for 0.125oz.

The haircare item is from Not Your Mother's, which is a brand I've been dying to try because I've heard great things about their dry shampoo. I received the Way to Grow Leave-In-Conditioner. This 2oz travel size retails for $2.99. It claims to moisturize, detangle, smooth, and grow hair faster and longer. I am hesitant to give this a try because it is such a strong perfume-like scent that I feel like it will drive me CRAZY.

Last in my box was a single serving sample of Iron Tek Essential Protein in the flavor Vanilla. I love the pamphlet that was included with this sample because it describes when to use the powder (everyday, as opposed to those for pre or post-workout) and what constitutes shorter versus endurance workouts. The pamphlet was extremely educational. A full-size (30 servings) is $44.99. I am excited to give this a try once my workout routine starts with school again next week! However, I find it very difficult to find protein powders that I can stomach without getting over the taste, especially for how much money they cost.

Alrighty guys, that's it for my Influenster Endless Summer Voxbox unboxing! I hope you guys enjoyed seeing what came in this voxbox. Do you receive boxes from Influenster? If not, what's your favorite subscription service?

Make sure to enter into my makeup giveaway if you haven't already (ends September 24th at 11:59PM)! The link is here, best of luck!

*FTC - These products were sent to me complimentary by Influenster to try and review. The Influenster link above is a referral link. All opinions shared are honest and my own*

EASY ENCHILADAS

Hey guys! I hope you've had a lovely weekend and are having a great start to this week. Today I thought I would post one of my new favorite meals! Jason and I have been absolutely loving this for dinner lately, so much that we're probably going to get sick of it. It's so incredibly easy (which makes my life easier), they're cheap, quick, and not too unhealthy. And my favorite thing about them? There's really no "recipe", it's just something I throw together every time, so you can adjust the ingredients and amounts to your personal liking!

What you'll need: *serves 2*

4 large burrito-size flour tortillas (or corn if you prefer)
1 can refried beans
1 can black beans (drained and rinsed)
1/2 white onion chopped
1 bunch cilantro chopped
1 can enchilada sauce
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
Taco seasoning
1 bag shredded mexican blend cheese

Making the enchiladas:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Prep your chicken breasts by putting a little olive or vegetable oil into a square pan. Coat both sides of chicken completely in taco seasoning. Once the oven is preheated, place them in for 30-35 minutes, until cooked through.

2. While your chicken is cooking, prep your enchiladas! Chop 1/2 of a white onion, open your can of refried beans, drain and rinse your can of black beans, and chop cilantro.

3. Lay down a tortilla, spread refried beans down the center as your base. Add a layer of black beans. Add a layer of chopped onion, a light layer of cheese blend, and cilantro. I add hot sauce (tapatio) to mine as well for a little kick. Do this with all 4 of your tortillas.

4. Once your chicken is cooked, shred both breasts and add the desired amount of shredded chicken into each enchilada. Roll up the tortillas to secure their inner goodies.

5. Place all four enchiladas tightly side by side in a square pan. Top with LOTS of enchilada sauce and the rest of the mexican blend cheese (I like cheese okay?)

6. Put your enchiladas back into the 350 degree oven for 10-20 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the ends of the enchiladas look brown and crispy.

7. Pull out of the oven, top with chopped cilantro, and enjoy!

*Some of my favorite additions to the enchiladas when I start to get sick of the routine are adding fresh multicolor bell peppers and green chiles to the inside, or adding sour cream and fresh avocado on top after they are cooked*

P.S. I would post a photo of the finished product, but while these enchiladas taste delicious, they don't LOOK picture perfect by any means, they're pretty dang ugly. I repeat, TASTY though ;)

I hope you guys enjoyed this super easy dinner! What is your go-to comfort food dinner?

MY FIRST IPSY BAG! | IPSY AUGUST 2016 UNBAGGING

Hey guys! Long time to talk. I haven't really had the time or the creativity to sit down and blog lately, and I'm sorry for that. BUT, last night my first ever Ipsy bag arrived in the mail and my first thought was that I couldn't wait to have something to share with you guys!

If you're a long-time reader of my blog (*ehem* mom), you know that I used to receive Birchbox, and it left a really sour taste in my mouth as far as subscription boxes go. I never felt like the products were "personalized" like they claimed to be, and I just ended up with a lot of mini items that went unused and just took up space. Finally I got fed up and quit my subscription, and I haven't turned back since or had any desire to try other boxes. Since I've become a youtube beauty fanatic in the past year or so, I've seen tons of unboxings and subscription boxes on people's channels. The last few months, everyone has been putting Ipsy up on a pedestal. They seem to give out full-size products often, promote high-end brands, give great deals on items you want to purchase, and have great youtubers backing them up. And, you get a cute little makeup bag with all your products in it each month. For $10, I decided to give it a try, honestly not expecting anything great to come of it. And man oh man did I underestimate!

Just like Birchbox, Ipsy has you take a quiz when you first subscribe about your skin type, skin tone, hair color, preferences, style, etc. to learn what you like and what products to send you. In my profile, I stressed that I prefer makeup, haircare, nailcare, and accessories over skincare products since my skin is so dang sensitive. I described my style and mostly simple and natural, but sometimes bold, very experienced with makeup and always willing to try new things. Let's go ahead and get into what I got!

Everyone's bags are sent in this bright pink bubble wrapped envelope. This month's bag was designed by Ipsy's founder, Michelle Phan, and it's so gorgeous! To me it looks like a sea mermaid being pampered by hands of everyone around her, I love it. Inside the pouch and outside the beauty bag you find a card giving a description of the theme of the month, with the curator of the bag on the front as well. This month is Christen Dominique, and the card says "Pop the champagne cans. Deck yourself in ring pops. Get gorgeously glammed up and dip into everyday decadence gone wildly galore."

The first item I pulled out of my bag was the Mongongo Nutrient Dense Anti-aging Lip Conditioner from the brand Jersey Shore Sun in vanilla coconut creme scent. This is a full-sized product retailing at $10, which already covers my price of the bag, crazy! This stuff smells amazing, and it feels very balmy and hydrating. I have a hard time finding chapsticks that my lips approve of, so I really hope this one works out for me!

Next in the bag is a deluxe sample size (0.43oz) of the NYX Born To Glow Liquid Illuminator in the shade Gleam. This is a very bronzey shade, one that I'll definitely need to use under foundations or mixed in with my foundations for a bronzed glow. This isn't something that would work as a liquid highlighter on my fair skin. Regardless, it's a beautiful product! The consistency was nice and easy to blend out, didn't set too quickly, and gave a gorgeous sparkle highlight. I can't wait to try it out! Something to note is that there was a pretty strong sunscreen scent to this product. A full-size of this product weighs in at 0.60oz for $7.50.

Next in my bag was a matte lip crayon from Lord & Berry in the shade Intimacy. This shade is a really beautiful everyday mauve-toned nude. Swatched, it looks extremely matte, but feels very creamy and comfortable, and doesn't settle in lines. This looks like the perfect lip crayon formula! A full-size retails at $20 for 0.11oz, this sample size is 0.06oz.

The next item I received was a Formula X nail polish in the shade Dollface. I couldn't have been more excited to see this in my bag! Formula X is such a raved about polish brand, and this shade is a perfect pinky beige. I don't own any nail polish, so I am very anxious to give this a try and give my sad nails some love! The full size of their polishes are $10.50 for 0.40oz and the size I received was 0.13oz. 

The last item in my bag was a haircare product from IT Haircare - the 12-in-one Amazing Serum. It claims to reduce frizziness and increase shine by 200%. This was wrapped in bubble wrap, which I heavily appreciate! This is a full-size item at 1.7oz, retailing for $9.99. This stuff smells freaking incredible! I couldn't begin to explain it, but it truly smells lovely. It has a dropper, which is really nice for it's oily serum texture. You are supposed to run it through dry hair for extra shine and taming the frizzies. I watched videos on this product to learn how to use it, and while it honestly looks pretty gimmicky (hard to find information on it, cheesy videos trying to sell it to an audience, etc.), I'll give my 100% Argan Oil a break and give this little guy a go. If it really does what it says - increase shine without weighing down hair - I will be really impressed! 

So, what are my thoughts?

I LOVE IPSY! So far, I am truly excited and my mind has really been changed about subscription boxes, clearly they aren't all the same. I feel like they really followed my personalization quiz, I love every single product that I got, and I am so excited to try them all! The one thing I wish was that there was a card describing the products you receive and their full-size prices. I honestly looked frantically through my bag thinking mine went missing when I first got it, but they don't include one at all, however I feel that it would be extremely helpful! And, this is totally worth the value - I received well over twice the amount of money's worth that I spent on this bag, which I think is so awesome.

What did you guys get in your Ipsy bag this month? What subscriptions are you signed up for?

BOHO CHIC

Hey guys! I hope you've had a wonderful weekend. Happy first day of August! Today I wanted to share another fashion post with you guys. I've been wanting to do more of these but my inspiration just hasn't been flowing, but I am in love with today's look. Side note: I'm gung-ho ready for fall fashion, counting down already!

The outfit

I really wanted to revolve this whole look around my Aldo OTK boots. Jason may hate these more than tomatoes, but I freaking LOVE these boots. I think they are so flattering on tall gals because they make your legs look even longer and slimmer! And, I love that they are flat because it makes them way more practical for everyday wear. My favorite way to pair them is with jeans, so I put on some Madewell skinnies for this look.

I knew that I wanted the whole look to be pretty neutral (I really haven't been into color lately), so I slipped on a simple cream chiffon double layered tank. I added an army green (my all-time favorite color) knit cocoon cardigan for a little extra warmth and color; it also pairs beautifully with the tan suede of the boots. I took a long satin black ribbon that I had lying around in my craft bin and tied it in a bow around the back of my neck (underneath my hair) to create a DIY choker necklace. I've been really attracted to the choker trend, but the ones that are actually tight just stress me out, so I like to tie my own so that I have control over it's taught-ness. I grabbed my plum Sole Society clutch that you guys have seen a million times because I love plum and army green together, and this clutch is so handy! And, of course, I couldn't forget my DW watch, with a couple gold bangles for some extra snazzyyyy.

       

Chiffon tank: No longer available // Similar

Jeans: Madewell

OTK Boots: Aldo //

Cocoon Cardigan: Mossimo Supply Co.

Watch: Daniel Wellington

Bangles: No longer available // Similar

The hair and makeup

For my hair, I braided a 2-inch section on the left side of the head, then wrapped it around to my right side, securing bobby pins in an x formation on both sides to make sure that it stayed in place. I combed down fly-aways at my part with hairspray, and I super-straightened all the hair that wasn't braided.

My makeup was extremely warm in tone because I was playing around with my new ABH Modern Renaissance palette. My eyeshadow was burnt orange, with winged liner and some Ardell lashes. I kept a nude blush and nude lip to really let my eye makeup steal the show, and I love how it turned out!

I hope you guys enjoyed this fashion post. Help me out with some fashion inspiration with some ideas in the comments down below!