Thursday, June 20, 2013

Birchbox vs. Ipsy Round 1 (May Review)

So, I finally broke down and subscribed to two beauty boxes: Birchbox and Ipsy. Now, to be fair, they are two different types of boxes. Birchbox tends to focus on body care and lifestyle items such as lotions, face scrubs, creams, sunscreen etc etc. Ipsy tends to be mostly make-up with the occasional lotion or hair care product. So, take this head to head match-up with a grain of salt.

May Ipsy Bag:
In my May Ipsy bag I got: Zoya nail polish in Piaf, Nume Hair Serum, Juice Beauty gloss in Fig, Yaby concealer in buff, and St. Tropez self tanner. Plus the Ipsy bag- a cute bright chevron number. I traded my Nume serum (I have short, straight, spiky hair....not a whole lot of need for it) for a Mirabella lipstick in Posy that was an either or item. Good trade!



The Good:
Zoya Nail Polish- I was really worried I would get Piaf as I'm not a fan of yellow....and then I did. But I tried it out anyway because that's what these boxes/bags are all about. Turns out it is WAY more gold than anything else. *insert big sigh of relief here* Ended up loving it and buying a few more polishes from Zoya including a green sparkly one that reminds me of Poison Ivy and will probably end up making me sew up a Poison Ivy outfit just so I can wear the polish for it.

Juice Beauty Gloss: Unlike virtually everyone else, I WANTED this in Fig. I love me some dark lip glosses because goth is my first love. Anyway, the gloss is nice (although not as dark as I wanted *sigh* nothing ever is) and is very hydrating.

Yaby Concealer: Ok, was super worried this was the wrong color for me but ended up being ok (not perfect but oh well) for cut/pimple cover up. It is too dark/yellow for my under eye circles. But all in all, not a bad find.

Mirabella Lipstick: Also a good find. Not sticky. Doesn't transfer. Still too light for me (I really need to find a deep plum/burgundy colored one...the search continues). But overall good.

The bag: Cute pattern! Loved it. Ended up using it to hold all my nail stamping plates.

The Bad: Self tanner. I hate tanner. I really love and embrace my paleness. I even marked this on my profile but such is life. I ended up giving it to a girlfriend who liked it.

May Bichbox:
In my May Birchbox I got: a twistband hairtie,  Beauty Protector Protect and Detangle, Folle de Joie perfume sample, COOLA moisturizer, and Cargo Hybrid touch-up powder.


The Good:
COOLA moisturizer: It is really nice. Smells good. Probably wouldn't buy full size as I have a good moisturizer already.

Folle de Joie: This perfume was ok. Smelled nice and didn't make me break out which means it's good. But, the fragrance didn't blow me away enough to move away from Clinique's Heart.

Cargo: I'm not usually a fan of finishing duos with bronzer (again, pale and ok with it) but this one is actually too light to really notice the bronzer which works out well for me. Light and not cakey. Comes with a brush and a compact mirror built into the case.

Beauty Protector: I will never use this. However, my husband has long curly hair that always tangles and he said it helps out. (Not fix by any means, but helps) The fact that my husband can use it makes it a win.

The Bad:
Hairtie: I do not have long hair. I marked in my beauty profile that I have hair that is too short for a ponytail. And still I get sent a hairband. I will never understand why. So I gave it to a girlfriend of mine who does have long hair. She says it's a hairtie. Nothing spectacular.

The Final Countdown: TIE
Both ipsy and Birchbox gave me something I had distinctly marked as a NO on in my profile. Everything else worked out in one way or another. I'm hoping June is a little more tailored to me in both of the boxes.

If you want to join ipsy here's a link: Join IPSY
If you want to join Birchbox go here: Join BIRCHBOX

Monday, June 3, 2013

A 50's Circle Skirts + a Shorter Version




Custom Retro Skirt- Basic

It's time once again for me to get my ass active on my own blog (instead of lurking on other peoples'). Here are three skirts drafted from the same pattern. Two (the longer ones) were made for my sister. The other (shorter) one was made for me.
This one has birds all over it for the main fabric. My sister loved it.



This one has little tiny bees on it. I had made this exact same skirt for her years ago and it got ruined so I SCOURED the internet (for YEARS) looking for the since discontinued fabric as no other would do (I showed her probably 10 different bee fabrics trying to find a replacement). I finally found enough of it to make the skirt and she's never been happier.
Custom Retro Skirt- Trimmed

This one is mine. A shorter version I made for a concert. It has silver metallic spiders on it and is trimmed with lace!

I've done enough of these skirts that by now I can do them in my sleep. Very simple and basic.

There you go! My latest skirts. I recently finished a swimsuit too but stupidly did not take pictures before I sent it to my sister. It needs more alteration (she recently lost a lot of weight and I didn't have her new measurements....whoops!) so she has to send it back to me. I'll get pictures then. I'm also working on a pettiskirt and a vintage dress so stay tuned!