Birchbox vs. Ipsy August 2014

Hey guys!! I just got back from vacation (well, I was down the cape for the week so you decide haha) and I came home to a cute box and a pink bubble wrap package AKA my Birchbox and my Ipsy came in!!! So here I am to compare them for you. 

Let's start with Birchbox:

I received..

 High Performance Hair Care's Super Comb Prep & Protect (conditioning spray) deluxe sample: I enjoy getting leave-in conditioners or masks from sub boxes and the fact that this is a spray is even more convenient. This softens my hair nicely. This is definitely the format of product I would like to receive if I were to get a haircare product.

 Whish Shave Crave Shaving Cream in Acai Grapefruit deluxe sample: I mean.. yeah I will use this but I'm not super amped to shave my legs anyways. A nice basic toiletry.

 Vasanti Detox Nutrient-Rich Purifying Facial Cleanser deluxe sample: Yay!! I love trying new cleansers. I always need these kind that are "purifying" because I am oily/acne prone. I would like to find one without the harsh chemicals associated with most acne cleansers (like salicylic acid, etc.) and this does not have those.

 Catherine Malandrino Style de Paris Fragrance sample: It smells nice, not super stoked. But, what makes this a decent perfume sample is that it is in a spray bottle!! So much more convenient than those vials they give out. This is the kind of thing I can keep in my schoolbag/locker or in my purse!

TheBalm Cosmetics's Staniac (lip/cheek stain) in "Beauty Queen" deluxe sample: This month Birchbox had a promotion where you were able to choose a makeup sample to be in your box and this is what I picked! I was so happy to get this. 

Here's a closer look at the products:

My thoughts on the box as a whole: I enjoy a lot of this box. However, if I were not able to pick the Staniac sample I don't think I really would have liked this box much.

And our next opponent.. Ipsy!

I received..

Urban Decay Perversion mascara deluxe sample: Excited to try this, but I do not open more than 2 mascaras at a time! This will be in my arsenal to try.

Lord & Berry mini kajal-kohl liner in "Black SILK" deluxe sample: I have been receiving too many black liners from my subs lately..

MANNA sheer glo shimmer lotion deluxe sample: I usually don't do a glowy look. Thinking of using this on my cheeks.

GLAMGLOW YOUTHMUD TINGLEXFOLIANT TREATMENT deluxe sample: Yay, you guys know I love exfoliants!!!

Jersey Shore Sun MONGONGO Nutrient Dense Anti-aging Lip Conditioner in Mandarin Green Orange Ginger: I'm a lip balm junkie so this will be fabulous to try.

A closer look..

My thoughts on this bag: While the mascara, exfoliant, and balm are awesome I am underwhelmed by the liner and lotion. I receive liner too much! Based on my Ipsy profile, saying I have oily skin I don't see why I received a shimmery lotion.

Who wins?

Birchbox.. because I have so much of the things I received in Ipsy where as Birchbox sent an interesting variety in my box this month. The "pick your sample" type promotion is a great idea as well.

What'd you guys get in your subscriptions this month?? Comment, comment link to your blogs, or tell me on Instagram (@makeupbyemilyy)!

My blog has reached 1800+ views! At 2k I am doing an international giveaway! :)

If you'd like to subscribe I have referral links to Birchbox and Ipsy that earn me points. :)

What would you like to see next? 

- Em

My Makeup Inventory

Hey guys I have a different post for today, the inventory on all of my makeup!

I got this idea from PrettyPistol86's video on YouTube, "My Makeup Inventory". She is a true inspiration for Project Pan and shopping your stash! :)

Like her, I am counting even my deluxe samples in this as one. In my counting I am clumping products based on how I use them; say I have an eyeshadow that I use in my brows..I will count that as a brow product. 

Sorry for the lack  of pictures because that would just be a collection post which I already have done in the past, here. Keeping in mind I did toss a lot of makeup that I would never use as a de-clutter around when summer started (personal issues lead me to extreme cleaning haha).

Alright here we go..

1. Face primers: 10, I would like to have 2.

2. Foundations: 5, I would like to have 2.

3. BB creams: 5, I'd like to have 1 (my Dr. Jart Black Label Detox).

4. Concealers:  12, I want 4.

5. Powders (Pressed and loose): 10, 1 (my NYX Stay Matte..)

6. Bronzers: 5, I only need 1 matte bronzer.

7. Highlighters: 9, those damn Benefit samples got the best of me; I only need 2.

8. Blush: 20, I like variety here; I'd like to have 10.

9. Cream shadows/bases: 10, I'd like 2.

10. Single shadows: 18, I'd like to have 9.

11. Duos: 5, I don't use these as much as I should. I could do without them but don't mind them.. maybe 2.

12. Trios/quads: 7, WetNWild's trios get so much love from me!! I love trios in general (lid, crease, and a wildcard shade all in one). I am content with 7 but would like to get rid of one so 6.

13. Palettes: 6, I'm okay with this number but 3 would be ideal.

14. Pencil liners: 15, subscription boxes need to stop with the black pencil liners!!!! I'd like to have 4; a nude, brown, plum, and black.

15. Liquid liners: 8, I love having colors so 4!

16. Cream/gel liners: 3, my favorite format of liner yet I have the last of them.. go figure? 3 is okay with me but it'd be satisfying to finish one to get a white one (I've been one for forever!!)

17. Mascaras: 6, I only keep 2 or 3 open at a time so 3 would be ideal.

18. Brow items: 6, I have my HG brow routine down pat with just 3 products.

19. Lip liners: 3, I'd rather have 0.. I just don't use them.

20. Lipstick: 38; I don't even wanna talk about that number OMG!! Love me some lipsticks. Would like to keep that at 20 though.

21. Lipgloss: 35; ugh these can take so long to finish. I'd like 5.

22. Chubby lip pencils: 16; this number is so high because of my 8 Tarte lipsurgence minis but hey I love them. Would like to finish off some others and get down to 10. 

23. Lip stains: 3, only want 1.

24. Setting sprays: 1, I'd like more!! I need to get either Fix+ or the UD All Nighter!

25. Finishing powders: 3, I really only need the MUFE HD powder.

25. Lashes: 3, lashes frustrate me to no end. I like having them to practice (and they are pricey).

Hope this was as interesting to you as it was to me! I have over 260 makeup products.. yikes. This is so eye-opening and interesting to me; if you have a blog and do this leave a link below!

What do you want to see next?

-Em

My Fave Liquid, Gel, and Pencil Eyeliners!

Hi guys! Recently I had a request from @lovinq_makeup on my Instagram to do a top eyeliner post. I usually stick to my favorite liners and don't stray so I thought I'd share my fave liner for each format (liquid, gel, jumbo/regular size pencils). 

My favorite liquid liner I actually don't own at the moment (due to my no-buy and Project Pan), but it is elf's liquid eyeliner. I had it in the shade "Black" and it retails for $1. It was my first liquid liner and boy did it make the transition to other liquid liners so much easier!! A little FYI that this is not a tough guy when it comes to moisture so if you have watery eyes this might not be your best bet (I also enjoy Essence's liquid eyeliner as a more water resistant option that is also liquid). Here's a pic courtesy of beautydosage.com:

And for gel liners..

My favorite gel eyeliner is also very affordable... Essence's Gel Eyeliner. I own it in the black shade, "Midnight in Paris". Smooth, creamy, and a pigmented black. There is no having to build up your line to get the deep black definition you bought it for. This is very longwearing, as are most liners in this gel form. This retails at Ulta for $3.99. The only con about this product is the fact that you will need a liner brush to use with it. An affordable liner brush is Real Techniques's Fine Liner Brush which retails for $6.

Here's a pic of my Essence Gel Eyeliner:

Can you see the love I've given this?! I hit the bottom of the pot in a little heart-like shape (aww)! 

Pencil time! 

I chose two favorite liners in the pencil category; one is a jumbo-sized pencil and the other a regular.

The regular-sized pencil is Smashbox's Limitless Eyeliner in "Onyx"; their black shade which retails for $19 at Sephora. The reason I love this is that it is a pigmented liner that has enough creaminess to it that it glides on but is easy to control!! It doesn't skip as well, it is the only pencil I use on my upper lashline (I'm faithful to my gel) because it is so easy to control than most pencils.

Here's what it looks like:

The jumbo-sized pencil liner I love is the Jordana 12 HR Made to Last Eyeshadow Pencil in "Stay-On Black". I like using this as a base (like I did in this post) or as smoky liner on my upper lashline. Because this is a jumbo pencil it is less precise, so it forgiving and great for smudged out liner. Like today, I used this and smudged it on my upper lashline and then I'll use my gel liner and do a wing and it gives a nice soft look. It stays very well and is super affordable; retailing for $3.99. The other shades in this line are gorgeous as bases or liners too!
Here's the pencil:

What would you like to see next??

- Em :)

Weekly Makeup Rotation August 23rd-30th

Hi guys! I've been doing a weekly makeup rotation to sort of "shop my stash" and get use out of everything in my collection. What I do is I pick items from my collection, I personally pick shadows, blushes, and lip products (colored cosmetics), and set them aside in my acrylic organizer. I make myself use each product throughout the week and as I use them I put them back in my collection. I do not let myself put them back or change the rotation until I use each product. I featured this tip in my post, Tips for When You're on a No-Buy.

Here's what I picked for this week:

Lips..

Buxom Dolly Lip Polish, Cargo Essential Lip Color in "Santa Fe", Lorac Lips With Benefits in "Chuck", Revlon lip butter in "Juicy Papaya", Buxom Lip Cream in "Kir Royale", Rimmel "Airy Fairy", elf Matte Lip Color in "Tea Rose", Buxom "Amsterdam"

Eyes..

WetnWild "Silent Treatment" and "Knock on Wood", NYX Love in Rio "Cabana Boy", a sample of Bare Minerals BB cream shadow in "Divine Wine", MICA Beauty Shimmer Powder in "Bronze"

 Blush..

Bobbi Brown "Desert Rose", Laura Geller "Maui", WetnWild MegaGlo "Spotlight Peach"

I thought I would start posting these rotations maybe twice a month to show you what I'm using and shopping for in my stash. ;)

I recently posted my first Project Pan Update!  :)

What would you like to see next?

- Em :)

Project 20 Pan Update! (After Empties, Project 16 Pan)

Hi guys!

If you've been keeping up with my posts lately or on my IG (@makeupbyemilyy), I've been talking about how I'm doing a Project Pan. It's usually Project 10 Pan but I decided to do 20 products; leading me into my post.. my Project 20 Pan update! As a little FYI the Project Pan "rules" are that you cannot buy any makeup until you've completed the products; which I have been successful in. :)

Here's my PP list and notable progress:

- Maybelline Baby Skin

- CoverGirl Clean Whipped Creme foundation: finished on August 15th

- NYX Stay Matte but Not Flat liquid foundation

- CoverGirl+Olay concealer balm

- CoverGirl+Olay yellow eye corrector: I've made a noticeable dent!! Look:

- CoverGirl+Olay 2-in-1 Eye Rehab serum+concealer: I honestly cannot work with this. It is straight up orange. It is designed to be an eye cream and concealer but is far too thin for an eye cream.. I just.. hate this in all honesty. I might just toss it. Here's a pic of it so if you see it; avoid it:

- Benefit Erase Paste

- Essence Match2Cover! concealer duo

- Maybelline Mineral Power natural perfecting concealer

- NYX Dark Circle concealer

- CoverGirl TruMagic The Sunkisser (used as cream bronzer): finished on August 14th

- NYX Matte Bronzer: I can see the circle indentations from the pan of the bronzer so I hope to hit pan soon even if it is just a little!

- WetnWild's ColorIcon Bronzer in "Reserve Your Cabana" (used as highlight): If you own this you know what I mean by the fact that it is seriously never-ending. I've used this almost daily since I bought this several months ago and in effort to hit pan I've been focusing my brush in the little sun embossed in the bottom right area and can feel a slight dent:

This actually shattered because it fell on pavement the other day :/ This will be replaced with Benefit's High Beam.

- Cargo Texas Lash mascara

- Bare Minerals Flawless Definition Volumizing mascara: finished on August 13th

- Urban Decay Primer Potion in "Original": finished on August 3rd

- NYX Wonder Pencil in "Light" (used in waterline)

- Sephora Nano eyeliner in "Plum"

- e.l.f Eyelid Primer in "Sheer": There definitely is not much in here and it is a little dry; should be done before September.

- TheBalm's lipstick in "Mai Billsbepaid": This is my perfect nude color and I love it! It's my most-worn lipstick.. take a look:

I'm so proud of my progress!! Are any of you guys doing a PP, low/no-buy, or decluttering of your collection? Comment below; even links to your blogs, or tell me on IG!

What would you like to see next?

- Em

Tips for When You're on a No-Buy

Hi guys!!

This is sort of a different type of post because I'm going to talk about makeup from a different perspective; the shopping aspect.

I am currently doing a Project 20 Pan, and my rules are I cannot buy any makeup (unless it's my elf brow kit or NYX Stay Matte powder). It's quite rejuvenating to focus on finishing products instead of always buying a new color, finish, format, etc. of the same product you have ten of.

So, I am on a no-buy and it can be hard but I have been successful and would like to share some of the good habits I have. :)

1. Doing a weekly makeup rotation.

Every week I pick lip, eye, and blushes (in my case.. I am trying to cut down on my lippies and other colored cosmetics but adjust this to your needs obviously) and put it in the acrylic organizer on top of my makeup collection. I make myself use each product I picked out during the week until I can put it back in its place in my collection. Basically, I'm forcing myself to use my makeup. This has me rediscovering products and creating different looks/combos using products I already have.

2. Think need vs. want.

When shopping, and in my case, you see that nude lipstick you think you need think about these questions:

a. Do I already have something like this?

b. Do I like products like this?

c. Is it worth the money to have sitting around and collecting dust in my collection?

Chances are, you'll put the product you wanted down. 

3. Shopping Your Stash.

Maybe you'd like to buy a new bronzer, go through what you already have and pick one to use.. shop your stash; the items you already have.

If you're thinking of trying to do  Project Pan, low-buy,or no-buy; it is hard but you can do it! It is all about self-control. 

I will be doing a Project pan update soon; stay tuned lovelies. :)

-Em.

Makeup Empties :)

As you may know, I am on a Project Pan, so in the spirit of using up makeup I thought I would share my empties. I go through hair, bath/body, and skin products left and right so if you'd like me to include those next time tell me in a comment or on IG. :)

Here's the empty makeup containers that have been sitting in my room:

LtoR..

Benefit Porefessional: I like the product, but not the price..

Repurchase? No, but if it came in a set I was going to purchase I would use it all up.

Rimmel Stay Matte Primer: I love this stuff!! It's not a super smoothing type primer it's more of a lotion consistency but this seriously keeps me matte!!

Repurchase? Yes, once I finish other primer samples I have.

Maybelline Dream Lumi ("Radiant"): This is okay.. I bought this shade because it is marketed as the corrector shade but it has no depth to it. It has too much white in its coloring to correct, it merely highlights.

Repurchase? No.

Lorac Touch-Up To Go Foundation and Concealer Pen: I really loved this to touch up my concealer under my eyes or around my face if it had faded during the day!! It blended beautifully over my makeup and did not cake up even when I dusted powder over it. I bought this 50% off when Sephora was discontinuing Lorac in their stores so it was $14. 

Repurchase? I'm on the fence for this one.. the product I received was amazing but it was such a small amount and I ran out so quickly even when only using this for touch-ups. Also, $28 would be ridiculous.

LtoR..

Revlon ColorStay Liquid Foundation (Normal/Dry): I bough this formula because everyone said it looked more natural than the Combo./Oily formula but I find them to be the same. 

Repurchase? I enjoy this foundation and would repurchase in the future. The shade 150 "Buff" has a very neutral tone that I like.

NYX Stay Matte but Not Flat Powder foundation: I use this to set my foundation. It adds a slight bit of coverage and perfects the finish on my skin.

Repurchase? Yes I have 2 already. :)

MUFE HD Finishing Powder: I like this stuff anywhere except my under eye area because I find that it can accentuate texture there. It gives a very velvety soft finish to the skin.

Repurchase? No, it is pricey and it flies into the air during application so a lot of product is wasted.

Benefit Eye Bright: I used this in my waterline to brighten it up but it was not longwearing at all.

Repurchase? No, it did not last long in my waterline and it has titanium dioxide in it (I hear that is a bad ingredient in cosmetics and I've been a little crazy lately about that).

MICA Beauty Gel Eyeliner: I think this was my very first gel liner and I received it from Ipsy in February 2013. I loved this stuff it was incredible. It started to dry out and I had gotten my Essence gel liner in "Midnight in Paris" to replace this. 

Repurchase? I loved this until I found it that it costs $35... my Essence one is just as good for under $5.

Bare Minerals Lash Domination mascara: I loved this. I liked the rubber bristle brush and the volume it built. 

Repurchase? Yes in the future. I like to use mascaras up before buying more. I am not one to stash them.

e.l.f Eyebrow Kit: I only use the tinted wax in this kit to shape my brows, I do not use the powder to set the wax because I find that it is warmer in tone than the wax (I have this kit in "Medium"). I use the applicator given and the wax to shape my brows and then I set it with a taupe shadow with an angled brush. Then I use brow gel. This kit makes filling in brows SO easy, It is HG status for me.

Repurchase?? YES.

I used up a lip balm!!! This never happens!! I finished an eos in "Sweetmint". This is definitely the most moisturizing out of their line. I find the others to not penetrate my lips with moisture as well. This is awesome because it soaks into my lips, is minty, and was my lip prep step before makeup.

Repurchase?? I have so many lip balms but this one was so fabulous I would repurchase it after using up more of my balm stash.

I love finishing makeup, don't you!? I feel so accomplished. 

What would you like to see next? 

-Em :)