May 2017 Ipsy Bag

Happy Friday everyone!

Today I am going to be sharing what I received in my May 2017 Ipsy bag! If you don't know what ipsy is, it is a beauty subscription service that is $10 a month. Each month you get 5 products and it is a mix of full and sample sizes. I have been receiving Ipsy for almost FIVE years. That's a long time. Sometimes the bags are great, sometimes they aren't, but I always find myself discovering new products to love. This month's bag was actually really good and I love almost all of the items that I received.

First off, let's take a look at the bag design. One thing about Ipsy that I do enjoy is getting the cute little bag every month! They do add up but usually they are so cute and perfect for travel and storing all sorts of things! I recently moved back in with my parents for the summer before I move into my apartment for law school, and transporting my makeup in Ipsy bags made it super easy! I was able to keep items separated and still somewhat organized. This month's bag is a clear plastic with little ice cream cones and popsicles all around it! It's so cute and summery, perfect to take your things to the beach in to keep them out of the water!

Okay now onto the items...

1. Adesse New York Organic Infused Gel Effect Nail Lacquer in Surfer Girl ($18): This is the item I'm the least excited about. I really don't wear nail polish that often but I always seem to get nail polish in my ipsy bag. The color is a really pretty sky blue, but the formula is not that great. It took me about three coats just to make the color opaque, and it still didn't look very good. 

2. Jelly Pong Pong Supercharged Super Intense Eyeshadow Duo in Electric ($22.95): This is a full size duo shadow pan. They are both metallic shades, one is a coppery brown and the other is more of a gold/champagne color. They are super soft and buttery, but are not all that pigmented. I have not tried these on the eyes yet but I think they would probably be best if I foiled them on the lid, but they do seem to be quite blendable since they are so soft.

3. Deluxe Sample Size of the It Cosmetics Superhero Elastic Stretch Volumizing Mascara in Black ($13 value): I was so excited to try this!! I have heard a lot of people rave about this mascara, especially EmilyNoel83 on YouTube. It did not disappoint! I actually tried it out today for the first time and was very impressed. It elongates the lashes and adds a TON of volume. It is also very black, which I love in a mascara.

4. Mellow Cosmetics Creamy Matte Lipstick in Nude ($13): I love a good matte lipstick, so I am always excited to get them in ipsy bags! They call this shade nude, but it is actually quite pink. It is still a good everyday lip color and does have a creamy formula like they claim. It's staying power is pretty good, but nothing crazy. Overall, I'd say that this is a win because you can never have too many nudish matte lips, but it definitely isn't a stand out formula. (swatch below).

5. Sample Pan of the Urban Decay Afterglow 8 Hour Powder Highlight in Sin ($9 value): This is another product I was really excited to try! I have heard great things about these highlighters, and sin is a classic color. It's a very light highlight with a champagne undertone, perfect on most skin tones! It is a true highlight on me and looks very pretty on. It is not a wham bam highlighter, but not very natural looking either. It would still be fine for everyday wear though. 

Total Value: $75.95!! This is a great bag in terms of value, since I got three full size products and two pretty decent sample sizes. Such a great deal for only paying $10 for the whole thing!

Below is a picture of the lipstick, highlight and mascara on. (I have been playing with the new ELF Best Friend duos to do a review soon so I am not wearing the Jelly Pong Pong duo). You can see how the highlight is very pretty, but not over the top. I only have on one coat of the It Cosmetics mascara, but my eyelashes are naturally very blonde and super short (also don't mind my brows, they were not cooperating today :))

Overall, I would give this bag a solid 4/5. I am really really happy with the UD highlighter and It Cosmetics mascara, especially because they have been on my list to try for a while. I also really enjoy the mellow cosmetics lipstick, and will probably use it often this spring/summer. The Jelly Pong Pong duo is alright, I will definitely use them but I don't see myself reaching for it all the time. The nail polish is okay if I want that color specifically, but the formula really is not great. If you would like to sign up for Ipsy I have five free bags to give away!! Simply comment your e-mail on this post and I can send you the link, but hurry since I do only have five! 

Hope you all enjoyed this post and have an amazing weekend!

With love,

Ashley DeHaan

ULTA Haul!

Happy Monday!

I got in an Ulta haul last week and thought I would share with you all what I got! I bought ten items and spent $51.35.

1. I picked up this L'oreal Revitalift Bright Reveal Cleanser ($6.99 for 5 oz) because it has glycolic acid in it and I really want to see if it will help with the texture that I have on my face. I do not really get breakouts, but I do have textured spots that make makeup application not as pretty. I am excited to try this out and let you know if it works for me!

2. I picked up four, yes four, Freeman facemasks. I used to use the peel off one when I was in high school and have heard good things about these. They were also buy one get one half off and they already are pretty inexpensive so I decided to get a variety and see which ones I really like. I got the Dead Sea Minerals Anti-Stress Mask, the 4-in-1 Apple Cider Vinegar Foaming Clay Mask, The Charcoal and Black Sugar Mud Mask and the Banana-oat instant smoothing mask. They were all originally $4.29 and then I got two of them for $2.15 with the sale. I did try out the banana oat mask last night and did enjoy it, I can't wait to try out the others! I will definitely have a review coming soon.

3. I also picked up the L'oreal Sublime Glow Daily Moisturizer ($10.99 for 8 oz). I really want to try out several different self-tanners and see which one I like best. The gradual lotions like this one seem like the easiest, but we will see if it works well. I used to use the Jergens but I think I just got sick of that in high school. After getting my recent spray tan, I have really been wanting to try self tanners.

4. I stocked up on a few of my favorites: the Real Techniques Blending Sponge (2 pack for $10.99), the ELF Instant Lift Brow Pencil in Taupe ($2) and the Essence All about Matt! Fixing Compact Powder ($3.99). I previously spoke about the ELF brow pencil and the Essence powder, so I won't go into much detail here. But these are staples in my collection and I always have backups because I never want to run out! I also love the Real Techniques sponges and my current one is starting to break apart so I needed to stock up on those as well! They are great sponges though and do last quite a while and are easy to clean.

5. I picked up this Eco Tools Define and Highlight Brush Duo ($11.99). What I really wanted was the fan brush because I have wanted one for a while. However, I think this might actually be too big for highlighting unless I am doing a super light highlight that I don't mind it going basically all over. I have included a close up picture below so you can see how big it is. Both brushes are synthetic, which I prefer, and are super soft. Hopefully they apply product nicely!

6. Lastly, I grabbed the ELF tone correcting powder in cool ($4). Honestly, I am not sure why I got the cool one because my skin is definitely warm toned, but my favorite youtuber (livloveshermakeup) raves about this product and has gone through so many of them that I thought I needed to try it. I usually love her recommendations (the Essence powder is also one of her favorites). You can check out her channel here! I highly recommend her :)

I think I got some pretty good deals, I LOVE that Ulta carries ELF online now!! I can't wait to try out all of these products and give you guys a follow up haul in a week or two! I plan on doing a full review of the Freeman masks and also a review of several tanning products once I try them all out. 

Hope you guys are off to a great week!

With love always, 

Ashley DeHaan

Beauty Favorites: May 2017

Hey there!

Today I am going to be sharing my current beauty favorites! I have been going pretty simple with my makeup lately, but there are some products that I really have been enjoying. Some are rediscovered and some are newer to me. Hope you enjoy!

1. First is my Stila Perfect Me, Perfect Hue Eye & Cheek Palette ($39.50 at Ulta) in the shade medium/tan. Specifically I have been loving the blushes in this palette because they are so easy to wear! The one on the left is a beautiful peachy sheen that does have a lot of glow to it. The one on the right is more of a berry/mauve shade that isn't completely matte but only has a slight satin finish to it. These both pair with so many eye looks and I have been especially loving the peach shade for spring!

2. Second, I finally got my hands on the ELF Mad for Matte 2 ($10 on the ELF website) eyeshadow palette!! This palette is full of gorgeous, buttery mattes and I am obsessed. They blend incredibly easily and last all day. I have some swatches for you below of the darker colors in the palette to give you an idea of how pigmented these are! That black is insanely pigmented!! I also adore the dark plum shade. 

3. A couple of lippies I have been loving lately are the Alexis Ren X Colourpop ultra satin lip in Bare Necessities ($6 on Colourpop.com) and my Revlon Kiss Balm in Berry Burst ($4.99 at Ulta). I recently got in a Colourpop order with a ton of lippies of course and this was my first time trying out their ultra satin lip. I am not a huge fan of their ultra matte lips, but I LOVE their lippie stix so I figured I should try these out. I am really impressed actually. Bare Necessities is a beautiful peachy nude. The lasting power is great and it is very comfortable on the lips, I actually wore it for graduation pictures this past weekend! For something to swipe on on the go, the Revlon Kiss Balm in berry burst is perfect! It is super moisturizing and gives your lips the slightest berry color. I love sheer lip balms with a little bit of pigment because it gives you some color without really having to try. Swatches down below of these two!

4. I have been loving ELF products lately! My go to brow pencil has been their brow pencil in taupe ($2 at Ulta, Target or ELF.com. It matches my brows perfectly and is only $2! I am on my second pencil and I recently ordered another one from Ulta (Haul coming soon!!). It lasts all day and is so easy to apply. I am not big on brows so I like easy products that are quick and this is it! I also have been using their Matte Magic Mist and Set ($4 at Ulta, Target or ELF.com) for a couple weeks now and love it. I really love all of ELF's setting sprays. Again, so affordable and do the trick!

5. My Essence All About Matt! Fixing Compact Powder ($3.99 at Ulta) is a necessity for me! This is the best setting powder I have ever used. I love that it is translucent and it seriously mattifies SO WELL. As you can see, I have hit pan on this one so of course I have another one coming from Ulta. I cannot say enough good things about this product and it is so affordable!!

6. Lastly, I have been loving my Urban Decay Naked Skin Foundation ($40 at Ulta) in the shade 4.5. I bought this last summer and never really used it. I'm not exactly sure why I didn't like this foundation, but I think it was because it is more of a medium coverage foundation and I usually like full coverage, and it was too dark for me. I got a spray tan last week and now it matches me perfectly! I apply it with the ELF Ultimate Blending Brush ($6 at Ulta or ELF.com) which is my absolute FAVORITE foundation brush. I only need one pump to get pretty good coverage! I don't have any breakouts at the moment and I think the spray tan almost acts like a base foundation on my skin so the coverage from this has been all I've needed. 

Well, that's it! My May 2017 Beauty Favorites! Since I haven't really been wearing much makeup lately, most of these products are just the basics, but I have really been enjoying them. Let me know in the comments what your favorite beauty products of the moment are! I would love to hear and check them out if I haven't already. 

Happy Wednesday!

With love always, 

Ashley

Welcome!

Welcome to my blog! I have created this blog mainly for lifestyle expression. You will find many beauty reviews, fashion posts and of course some of my adventures as I begin law school. I am very excited to share this with you! I hope to post 1-2 times a week, I already have so many content ideas! Please enjoy!

With love always,

Ashley DeHaan