josie maran

January 2013 :: Ipsy :: Super Stars

The January 2013 Ipsy My Glam Bag, Super Stars, was packed with some pretty amazing products. In fact, there isn’t a product in this bag that I do not use and love. This month’s bag included:

Big Sexy Hair – Spray & Play Volumizing Hairspray ($17.50/10.6 oz)
Your everyday spray for BIG volume! Spray & Play is a humidity resistant, flexible hold hairspray that provides fullness, lift and incredible shine!

Nailtini – Straight Up Color Nail Lacquer in Bloody Mary ($13.00/0.5 oz)
You can’t go wrong with a classic, all the way to your fingertips. These two are the all-time best selling Nailtini nail lacquers. Whether the glossy true-red of bloody mary or the hint-of-pink of frappe, your tips and toes are classic perfection anytime.

Josie Maran – 100% Pure Argan Oil ($48/1.7 oz)
This 100% Pure Argan Oil is a legendary oil that’s rich in vitamin E and essential fatty acids, and grown organically in Morocco. With its multitasking benefits, Argan Oil can be used for many areas including hydrating and nourishing skin as a daily moisturizer, skin treatment, treating slit ends, and softening cuticles.

SOHO – Crease Brush ($7.99/each)
Brushes featuring a tri-grip handle that fits perfectly in the hand.

Pacifica – Tuscan Blood Orange Body Butter ($7.00/2.5 oz)
Tuscan Blood Orange Body Butter is not only a highly effective antioxidant rich moisturizer that nourishes the driest of skin and helps fight off the signs of aging; it nourishes your other senses as well. The infusion of sparkling, juicy blood oranges that are highlighted with notes of red raspberry and spicy sweet Italian Mandarins take you to the beaches of the Mediterranean.

My two favorites this month are the Body Butter by Pacifica (smells amazing and feels even better.) and the crease brush by SOHO. Over the last year or so I’ve been using brushes and this one and is a great addition to my growing collection.

I’ll say it again, I’m sick of receiving nail polish even though I do love nailtini polishes and a classic red mani is nearly as amazing a classic red lip.

If you’d like to BECOME AN IPSY GLAM BAG SUBSCRIBER please use my referral link. (Ipsy is, in my opinion, the best subscription cosmetics service for the best value!)

Thanks so much for reading.

Love, GK

Sephora :: Glitz and Glam Set

SEPHORA GLITZ & GLAM PARTY SAMPLER

Ahhh… Look at all those sparkly goods. Don’t you just love the holidays (and GLITTER!)? And for $45, this set is a STEAL!! A steal, I tell you!! I’m certainly happy that I ordered it when I did because it is no longer available on Sephora.com. Usually they will still feature items and just say “out of stock”, this is no longer on the website anywhere.

Sephora fans know that the Sephora team can put together quite the set. I’ve purchased a couple of their sets (sampler or not) in the past and I am never disappointed. I spotted the Glitz and Glam sampler and purchased it immediately. It is packed full of fabulous finds to rock it this holiday season.

I made this purchase before Halloween and I’ve had plenty of time to play with the goods; I am in love with everything in this set. (There’s so much! and so much SPARKLE!) If you read my post from back when I ordered this originally, you know that I had to send back my entire set and have it replaced because the Lorac product was cracked open during delivery. It was well worth it though because that Lorac product just might be my absolute favorite product in this sampler. (I’ll get to the Lorac specifics soon enough)

Everything came inside a delightful gold makeup bag. It’s a metallic, “distressed” bag and it’s the perfect size for your daily picks. That’s exactly what I do; Whatever combo of products I’m using for the day, I pack into this bag and carry with me. But what is more important are the goodies inside; here goes!

Stila – Duo Shimmer Powder :: KITTEN :: As an eye shadow, this is a little too sheer for my tastes but as a highlighter and overall face powder, I love it!

Laura Mercier – Baked Eye Color Wet/Dry :: BLACK KARAT :: I love Laura Mercier products and this wet/dry shadow is amazing. This shadow takes your smokey eye and turns it into the perfect holiday smokey eye. glistening from the dark are gold sparkles; just enough for a glitzy pop of sparkle.

bareMinerals – Eyecolor :: GOOD FORTUNE :: This shimmery powder isn’t restricted to use on only your eye lids. It’s perfect for giving your cheek bones a nice shimmer too!

Sephora by OPI – Nail Color :: Looks Like Rain, Dear :: Crummy picture, I know, but this polish packs a powerful punch of holiday cheer. (And I think the name is kind of adorable.) Great color to bring you into the New Year!

Josie Maran – GOGO Instant Natural Volume Argan Mascara :: BLACK :: I like Josie Maran products and this mascara is no exception. It’s great to have on hand but it’s really no more special than any other black, volumizing mascara.

Nars – 1oz Body Glow :: This stuff is amazing! I don’t know what I’ve been doing my whole life without it. I like to rub some of this amazing body glow on my upper chest, collar bones and shoulders for a beautiful party shimmer. Makes me feel like a Bond girl every time I wear it! *One of my favorite products in the set!*

Lorac – 3D Liquid Lustre :: GOLD :: This product and the Nars Body Glow are my two favorite products in the set. This one is perfect for brightening up your face for party-mode. When I combine this Liquid Lustre with any of my eye shadows, it completely transforms the color and look! I will definitely buy a bottle of this baby again in the future! (This is the products that broke during shipping when I originally received my Glitz and Glam sampler set. I’m so glad I had it replaced!)

Bare Escentuals – Marvelous Moxie Lipgloss :: TRAIL BLAZER :: I love the marvelous moxie lip glosses from bare escentuals. I was so happy that this set came with a full size tube. The color is the perfect nude with a hint of rosie pink. High gloss shine. A win in my book!

Stila – Smudge Stick Waterproof Eye Liner :: STARFISH :: I’m a big fan of Stila’s smidge stick liners. I almost bought one of these when I was cashing in my Birchbox points before cancelling my subscription with them and I’m glad I didn’t because I got one in this marvelous sampler pack!

There you have it! The Sephora Favorites Glitz and Glam Party Sampler! I hope Sephora restocks this one for the future; it’s definitely a fantastic buy! 9 completely amazing, to-die-for products for $45… you can’t go wrong.

Thanks for reading! Love, GK

COMING SOON:

Sephora Favorites In The Glow Set

Sephora Lasting Impression ItKit

Too Faced Beauty Editor Darlings Set

Smashbox Complexion Kit

Smashbox Freebie Kit from Ulta

NYX BOGO 50% sale at Ulta Haul

Soured Sephora

fair warning :: iPhone post = crummy pics

It arrived! Right on time! My order from Sephora that is. The other day, I posted about this order that includes the Sephora Glitz and Glam Party Sampler, two Urban Decay Eyeshadows and several freebies.

Ill have a full breakdown and review of all the products in an upcoming post but I wanted to give you guys a preview of the loot.

There it is! If you noticed there’s an item missing, you’re incredibly observant and a girl who knows her Sephora packs! Ill get to the missing item in just a bit. Here’s what youre seeing pictured above:

– 0.09 oz Stila Duo Shimmer Powder in Kitten
– 0.018 oz Laura Mercier Baked Eye Color – Wet/Dry in Black Karat
– 0.02 oz bareMinerals Eyecolor in Good Fortune
– 0.125 oz SEPHORA by OPI Nail Colour in Looks Like Rain Dear
– 0.11 oz Josie Maran GOGO Instant Natural Volume Argan Mascara in Black
– 1 oz Nars Body Glow
– 0.15 oz Bare Escentuals Marvelous Moxie Lipgloss in Trail Blazer
– 0.01 oz Stila Smudge Stick Waterproof Eye Liner in Starfish
-Metallic zipper clutch

The Urban Decay Eyeshadows: Purple Haze and Haight. (Only $6 each on Sephora.com right now!!)

My freebies: Perfumes by Taylor Swift and Betsey Johnson, Philosophy 3 piece sample set and leave-in conditioner from Ouidad.

And now, the case of the missing party pack product. A great tragedy has occured:

My Lorac 3D Liquid Lustre Gold was broken! When Sephora packaged my iteams they wrapped the 3 glass bottles in a bubble-wrap pocket… the same bubble-wrap pocket. Obviously, what happened was the 3 glass bottles knocked together during shipping… duh. The whole point of bubble-wrapping glass items is to prevent them from knocking together. Ugh.

Although I’m disappointed that I can’t bust into my liquid lustre this week for Halloween, I’m happy with the way Sephora chose to handle this. When I called cutomer service about my broken product, they informed me that they would have to ship a whole new sample pack; they cant ship just the one product. I understand why. What sucks (for me) is that I have to ship them back my entire Glitz and Glam Party Sampler Pack as well. This, I also understand. The girl I spoke with talked to her supervisor and they were cool enough to process the reship today and I should receive my new and (hopefully) undamaged pack in 3 days. They will ship me my new one even before they receive my return which I thought was super awesome of them. I explained that I wont be able to ship mine out until Monday and they told me that would not be a problem either. Thanks for being awesome, Sephora even though I’m sad that I can’t play with my goodies yet.

Thanks for reading! Like I said, I’ll have a full review, report and breakdown of all the products once I have the chance to use them all. Love, GK

Mad for Makeup

Stila, Sephora and Urban Decay, oh my!

I did a little splurging today. (What else is new?) It started out innocently enough on Birchbox.com and quickly escalated into a full-on makeup buying frenzy. Nevertheless, I wanted to brag about the goodies I’ll be receiving soon enough and let you in on some of the awesome deals that you can also claim right now.

Since I’ll be canceling my Birchbox soon, I wanted to cash in the Birchbox points I had. The two items I traded my points for are below and I’m quite excited about receiving them.

First up, is the stila “It’s Go Time” Lip Glaze trio. It’s a “Birchbox Exclusive” except that you can get a similar trio on Sephora as well. ( Sephora.com: stila lip gloss trio also $12. Or for a little more than double, why not get 8 stila glosses? stila “All is Bright” lip glaze set for $25)

My only gripe with stila glosses are how sticky they are. The shine and pretty pout they offer is what keeps me coming back but the stickiness is less than pleasing.

Next, on Birchbox.com, I picked up one of the nail colours from Zoya’s Intimate Nail Polish Collection. I chose “Caitlin”. It’s the lighter purple color featured below under “available options”. (2nd polish from the left in pic).

I’ve never used Zoya nail polishes but I’ve read some good reviews and I really loved the colour of Caitlin.

So that’s that. I traded in my Birchbox points. No sense in missing out on redeeming them for some products before canceling my subscription, right? But my cosmetics shopping didn’t stop there. No, I moved on to Sephora.com where I spent more than I planned to today. I did nab some sweet deals though!

I love the sample boxes put together by Sephora! It’s a great way to expand your makeup arsenal without paying for the full sizes at full price. This set is the Sephora Favorites Glitz and Glam Party Sampler and is perfect for the upcoming holidays ($45)! The set includes:

– 0.09 oz Stila Duo Shimmer Powder in Kitten
– 0.018 oz Laura Mercier Baked Eye Color – Wet/Dry in Black Karat
– 0.02 oz bareMinerals Eyecolor in Good Fortune
– 0.125 oz SEPHORA by OPI Nail Colour in Looks Like Rain Dear
– 0.11 oz Josie Maran GOGO Instant Natural Volume Argan Mascara in Black
– 1 oz Nars Body Glow
– 0.17 oz Lorac 3D Liquid Lustre Gold
– 0.15 oz Bare Escentuals Marvelous Moxie Lipgloss in Trail Blazer
– 0.01 oz Stila Smudge Stick Waterproof Eye Liner in Starfish
-Metallic zipper clutch

I almost bought the Stila Smudge Stick on Birchbox for $20 before venturing over to Sephora and I’m sure glad I didn’t!

Here’s what Sephora has to say about the Glitz and Glam Party Sampler:

What it is:
A dazzling makeup collection featuring nine of Sephora’s most glittering products—plus a chic metallic clutch.
What it does:
Perfect for the holidays, this kit has a gorgeous assortment of festive products to create any party-ready look, including three full-size products. Take it all anywhere you go in the included distressed metallic zippered clutch.

I can’t wait and I wont have to for very long because on Sephora, any order over $50 includes free three day shipping! However, my Glitz and Glam box is only $45, I had to find at least one more item to make my order more than $50. I found two.

Urban Decay Eyeshadow in Haight. $6. YES! $6. They are having a sale on Urban Decay Eyeshadows right now. I would suggest you hop over to Sephora right now and buy them all at this price! I took everything in my power to not buy all 13 colours. If this sale is still going on next week, I will be back for the rest! Today, I only picked up two. The other colour I bought is:

Purple Haze. Just like the Jimi song. Normally, I’m a neutral colour kind of girl but since I was splurging anyway, I figured I’d get some fun colours! (I want to get Half Baked and Kiddie Pool as well.)

That’s where my buck stops but those aren’t the only things coming at me from Sephora. I was able to select 3 samples from a [pretty slim] list. Here’s what I selected:

I’ve never tried either of these perfumes and I’m excited about giving this leave-in conditioner a try as well. That’s still not it. By using the promo code philo3 at check out, I secured a 3 piece Philosophy sample set as well.

If you head over to Sephora.com, make sure you sign up to be a Beauty Insider. It’s Sephora’s customer reward program that allows you to accrue points as you buy that can be redeemed for sweet stuff. It also keeps you in the loop about specials, promotions, new product launches and earns you invites to special events. Sephora also send their Beauty Insiders a birthday gift each year! It’s a great program and if you’re spending anyway, why not collect points to be used later?

I may have spent more money on makeup than I expected to when I woke up this morning but the deals I got are incredible. Money well spent, I say! I know I’ve been slacking on my Daily Threads posts; this weekend I was just having way too much fun and didn’t have time to take any pics and post the descriptions and yesterday I had to do some Halloween shopping after work followed by a movie with friends. (We saw Argo. I loved it. One of my friends hated it. I would suggest seeing it.)

No word back from Birchbox yet. If you read, they contacted me on Friday about my dissatisfaction with the October Goop Birchbox. I was temporarily impressed with their customer service so instead of sending them the nasty email I had drawn up to send them originally, I decided to be a bit nicer and tone down the anger. However, since I haven’t heard back from them, I’m now figuring that their whole “reach-out” to me was BS and they really just don’t care about their loyal subscribers or the quality of their service. If you’re pissed at Birchbox too, contact them and tell them Ginger-Kate sent you! If i ever hear back from them, I’ll be sure to let you know how they plan to resolve this extreme upset over their craptastic box.

Thanks for reading! I’ll be posting full reviews on each of these products once I’ve received them and had a chance to play with them.