HAPPY NEW YEAR! Welcome, 2014!

I know I'm a week late, but I've been on a mini vacation. I take time off every year for my birthday (which is January-2) and I make the week all about me, so that's where I have been. Also, the holidays were so much more hectic for me this year than ever before! I feel this extra chaos comes from me now living on the other side of the country, apart from my friends and family. I hope everyone out there had a great holiday and that includes the New Year! 

I'd like to share with you my New Year's look. Real quick on the dress- The dress is from Frederick's of Hollywood and I bought it at an actual store out here in California (not online) and I actually bought it in October specifically for New Year's. I believe this one was around $79. I tend to plan outfits far in advance for big occasions.

So, now onto my makeup! I realize my hair is a little frizzy, but it was the end of the night and my hair is naturally frizzy....... Anyway! My look was inspired by Holiday Glam and my dress! I like when make-up coordinates with my outfits and my man loves it.

The way the light reflected it looks like there is something on my eyelash, but I promise you there was nothing. It's not in the other photos either. But moving onto the products-

• I started out with Too Faced Shadow Insurance to prime my eyes.
• I used the silver color called "Ice Bunny" from the Ice Bunny palette from EM Michelle Phan all over the base of the lid for a good base color.
• Next I put "Shellshock" from the Urban Decay Vice 2 palette all over the lids.
• I used "Black Pumps" from the Ice Bunny palette to line the lids and softly define the crease.
• I then took my MAC Cosmetics liner in Smolder to line the bottom lash line.
• I used the "Ice Bunny" color again under my eyes and very sparingly for my highlight color.
• Lastly, I took NYX Loose Pearl Eyeshadow in "Shimmering Silver" all over the lids to give it that extra silver shine!
• On my lips I used "RiRi Woo" from the Rihanna Holiday Collection released by MAC.

For my face I used Tarte's Amazonian Clay Foundation and Too Faced bronzer & blush from their "A Few of my Favorite Things" palette.

That's my look! Hope you liked! Leave comments, questions, and links to your New Years look! 

September 2013 IPSY Bag

I just received my October IPSY bag Tuesday, which tells you how late I am at showing everyone what came in my September bag......heh. Well, I loved my September bag, but I received it late. I wasn't able to change my address in time before moving for IPSY to send it to my new address. So, I had to wait for my family to send the bag to me and I didn't get it until a couple of weeks ago. By then I thought it was too late to do a review or showcase what I received, but I see that I'm not the only one who is late on this so I'm going to share anyway!

I wasn't too crazy about the actual bag. The pattern just isn't my style, but I will say this is probably my favorite bag, in terms of contents, this whole year and this is why I keep this subscription!

Products

1. Jessie's Girl Waterproof Eyeliner ($6.99 on website) -This is the product that you see all the way to the left in a plastic cover and it's a silver tube. Not much for me to say about this, because I am not going to use it. Instead I will be sending it to Budget Splurge Beauty and she'll probably do a review of it, so check that blog out!
2. NYX Single Eye Shadow in the color "Cryptonite" ($4.50 on website) -I may be the only person in the whole world who doesn't have much experience with NYX products, but they were never easily available where I lived (until now, since I just moved). I did wear this product one day and it was okay. It's a typical charcoal color that leans towards the black side with some sparkles. I did experience a little bit of fallout at the end of the day, but other than that it was okay. 
3. Butter London Nail Lacquer in "LA Moss" ($15.00 on website) -I had never used a Butter London polish until now. While the color is not really something I'd normally go for, it's nice for fall & Halloween. It is a deep blood color and with 2 coats I had the opaque look I wanted. It lasts fairly well and is a real nice formula. I believe I will be trying more from this company!
4. Cailyn Tinted Lip Balm in "Big Apple" -I received one of the Cailyn's gel eyeliners earlier this year and loved it! So, I was super happy to receive another one of their products. Most people will feel this balm is more like a lipstick, but if you read what the company says about then you will know that they made this to be "ultra matte", kind of like MAC's Retro Matte lipsticks. This stuff goes on and stays on! Also, the term "tinted" is a huge understatement! The color is very vibrant and pigmented. It is moisturizing, but not a lip saver. If you're having severe dry lips, I'd suggest going with an actual balm or something with more oil. This comes with a great brush that gives you great precision though and I have found that it works great under lipstick to help keep it in place and last longer (almost like a lip liner).
5. Elizabeth Mott It's So Big Volumizing Mascara (full size is $19.99; the IPSY trial size is a little under half the size of a full one and is equivalent to about $7.96) -Again, not much for me to say about this product. I have no plans to open or use it.

Total value: $53.45 -All products were full size, except the mascara. I paid $10 for everything and no extra for tax or shipping. I saved $43.45 by being an IPSY member, not to mention if I decide to use any of the codes to get discounts on the sites from the products I received, I'll be saving even more.

Let me know what you all received in your bags and if you were as happy with yours as I was with mine! Stay tuned to see my October bag post coming soon!