June Ipsy Glam Bag!

I’ve been an Ipsy subscriber now for 3 months and so far I’m loving it! I used to subscribe to Birchbox last year when my mom bought me a subscription for my 26th birthday. And since then, I’ve been an avid beauty product sample collector :). 

I wanted to give you guys a peek at what I received in my June Glam bag this month and give you a little insight on what it’s like to join Ipsy!

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Here’s a review of the products I received this month!

The Balm Eyeshadow from the Meet Matt(e) Trimony eyesahdow palette in Matt Kumar. $42.00

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First of all let’s talk about how adorable the name of this product is…

The palette is called “Meet Matt(e) Trimony” and it comes with 9 eyeshadow shades all named “Matt” (Matt Kumar, Matt Thomas, Matt Lin…)  and all 9 of these Matt’s are “Marriage Matt(e)rial”. (Too cute!)

I was excited to find a product from The Balm in my Glam Bag because I own a few of their eye shadow palettes and I absolutely love them!  Their packaging and names of products and shades are hilarious & full of puns (and I’m a sucker for anything punny).Not going to lie, I was incredibly tickled by these names! Hats off to The Balm for your creative names! Love your work!

 

 

The eyeshadow shade (Matt Kumar) that came in my Glam Bag is a nice dark burgundy shade in the package.

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When I swatched the shade on my arm, the shade turned into a beautiful dark brown shade with a hint of burgundy on my skin tone.  Overall, I love this eyeshadow!  It’s super pigmented and easy to blend. I used it on the crease of my eyes today and a little bit of product goes a long way. This is a makeup palette that I will definitely consider purchasing!0618160843b - Edited

 

Show me your Cheeks blush by Elizabeth Mott in Peach Pink, $23.00

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This was the first time I’ve heard of this makeup brand so I went to their website to do a little digging! This blush comes in 3 different shades: Peach Pink, Soft Pink, and Bright Coral. The shade I received was Peach Pink.

Check em out here: https://www.elizabethmott.com/collections/face/products/show-me-your-cheeks-blush

The shade is very pretty in the package and can’t be described any better than it’s name- peach pink. It has hints of glitter and shimmer mixed in with the pinky peachiness.

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Unfortunately, this shade applied very lightly on my skin tone, and I typically like a darker, more noticable blush. This swatch on my wrist was after I applied 5-6 layers with my fingers. It’s a gorgeous color so I will definitely get creative and use this shade as a eyeshadow or when I feel like wearing a super light, subtle blush.

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I’m super intrigued by this makeup brand! Please check out their website and let me know if you’ve tried their products! www.elizabethmott.com

Colour Pop Creme Gel Liner, $5.00

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Woo Colour Pop in my Glam Bag!!!  I was excited to receive this because I’ve only tried Colour Pop’s eye shadows and lip products! This liner comes in 22 matte shades and 5 metallic shades.

https://colourpop.com/product-category/creme-gel/creme-gel-liner/

Lately I’ve been using Gel Liner (Maybelline Eye Studio Gel Liner in Blackest Black) and I use the eyeliner brush that comes with the kit but I haven’t found a gel liner that comes in a pencil version yet.  Overall, this liner is a super impressive and excellent quality eyeliner! Especially for it’s price. Very creamy and easy to apply. Check em out!

Clarisea Sea Salt Solutions Deep Pore Detox Activated Charcoal Exfoliating Mask

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This product can be used as a clay mask as well as a cleansing clay. I was intrigued by this product because i’ve never owned an exfoliator that came in a powder form.

I tried this today as a clay mask and overall the process was super easy. I followed the instructions on the bottle: pour a quarter sized amount in the palm of my hand and add a little bit of water and started mixing it into a paste.

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I then applied it all over my face (except for my eyes or lips) and waited for the mask to dry. It was definitely an interesting experience. The clay was odor-less and applied on my skin as a blue/silver/gray mask which was hilarious and terrifying to see in the mirror.

The bottle advises you to rinse off the mask as soon as it dries out, which took about 2-3 minutes total.

Overall, I didn’t feel any significant change in my skin as far as clarity or softness, which shouldn’t be expected after one application so that wasn’t really a concern for me. Other masks that I’ve used that are meant to make your skin softer would immediately make me feel more refreshed and I would love the way my skin felt after using it, but in this case, this mask is meant to exfoliate and clean out your pores.  Would I use this again? Yes absolutely! I’m curious to see if I notice an affect on my skin after using it over a longer period of time. And overall, mixing the paste, applying the mask to my face, scaring my boyfriend with my blue/silver/gray face, and then rinsing it all off was overall a pretty good time and only took 3 minutes. I’ll keep you all posted 😉

Hey Honey’s 24Seven Honey Day and Night Moisturizing Cream.

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The packaging says that this moisturizer enriches and revitalizes face,neck, and eye contour for all skin types.

This moisturizer is super creamy and has a nice light scent. There was definitely a calming effect when I tried this moisturizer on my face and feels gentle enough to use on your eye area. I’ll be adding this to my night time skin care routine as an under eye cream.

Check out their website!

http://www.heyhoney.com/

Overall, my June Ipsy Glam Bag was a win!

I test and review the products I receive in my glam bags and Birch Box every month.. This is just the first time that I’ve written all my thoughts down!

I definitely suggest trying a service like Ipsy or Birchbox if you are a makeup lover like myself. I personally really enjoy receiving little samples of makeup, skin care and hair products every month because it let’s me try different brands and products that I normally wouldn’t seek out and buy on my own. A lot of the products they’ve sent to me have become favorites. Give it a shot!

https://www.ipsy.com/

Now I wanna hear from you!

What did you receive in your Ipsy Glam Bag?

Have you tried any of these products that I’ve mentioned?

Any suggestions on how I can better review these products?

What are you favorite products that you’ve received from Ipsy?

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Beyond the Swatch on Instagram!

Hello everyone and happy Saturday!!!!

It’s been about 2 weeks now since I’ve launched Beyond the Swatch and I wanted to take a step back and reflect on everything that’s happened so far!Beyond the Swatch (3)

First off, if you’re reading this right now, THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart for being here!!  I’ve received so many encouraging and kind words from friends, family and new bloggers that I’ve met!  Please know that I take every suggestion or request for a blog post to heart and will do my absolute best to incorporate all of your feedback! This blog is just as much about all of you fellow make up enthusiasts as it is about me! Thank you so much for all of your support <3

The last couple weeks have been extremely hectic for me between work and balancing some tough family situations, but I’ve been able to sneak in some makeup swatching in between it all. 

I will do my best to write blog posts on a more frequent basis-I promise! When I’m not posting, please know that ideas for new blog posts and ways to improve Beyond the Swatch for all of you is on my mind literally 24 hours a day!

So if you see me posting something on Instagram or Facebook or responding to any of your comments, chances are I’m utilizing the 2 minute walk from my car to my desk at work or while my coffee is brewing in the morning or while I’m pumping gas, or in line to buy food, or literally any little gap of time that I have to myself 😉 

If you would like daily updates of my makeup and blogging journey, please follow my Instagram account!  @Beyondtheswatch

You’ll find previews for upcoming posts, my new makeup finds, recommendations, swatches and re-posts from other bloggers and makeup artists!

I’ll leave you today with a little preview of my Instagram posts for far! Until next time…

Love,

Aly Mae

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Double Swatch Comparison: Nude/Pink Lip Glosses!

Baseball games… a great time to soak up some sun, enjoy an overpriced but totally worth it hot dog, an ice cold drink, catch a foul ball, and swatch makeup?

Who swatches makeup in the middle of a baseball game?? This girl!!! 🙂

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I have a double swatch comparison for you all today of 2 nude/pink lip glosses!

1) Swatch comparison of a drugstore lip gloss retailing at $1.99 vs a luxury lip gloss, originally retailing at $24.00

2) Swatch comparison of how these shades look on my skin tone versus on of my bestest friends, Angela!

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Gerard Cosmetics: Lighted Lip Gloss in Butter Cream

NYC: Liquid Lipshine in Prospect Pink

1- Swatch comparison: Drug store gloss vs Luxury gloss 

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Both of the lip gloss shades look very similar in the tube but the differences in the 2 lip glosses can be seen after I swatched them on my arm.

The NYC lip gloss (top) has a much lighter consistency. This gloss looked like a slightly lighter shade when swatched on my arm versus how it looks in the tube.  Overall, the shade looked like a beautiful flurry of glitter mixed with a pink tint.

The Gerard Cosmetics lip gloss (bottom) has a thicker consistency and more color pigmentation.  In the tube, this lip gloss looks like a lighter pink/nude shade versus the slightly darker pink shade when applied on my arm.

Overall, I think that both of these shades are gorgeous!

2-Swatch comparison of these two lip glosses on myself and Angela:

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Both Butter Cream and Pink Prospect looked like pink shades on my darker skin tone while the glosses looked more like a nude/coral shade on Angela’s skin tone. All the swatches were beautiful and looked especially glittery under the natural brightness of the sun.

Take-away’s from these swatch comparisons! 

If you want your lip gloss to show up as a specific color, I definitely recommend trying the Gerard Cosmetics Lighted Lip Glosses because they are super pigmented and they come in so many gorgeous shades. Each tube has a mirror on the side and lights up when you take the lid off! (I still get excited every time I use it).

If you want to add a little bit of shine to your lips with a hint of color,  then I would recommend using NYC Liquid Lipshine glosses. They’re cheap and pretty (and they smell good too by the way).

So depending on what look you are going for, both of these lip glosses may work!  My favorite is still Gerard Cosmetics Buttercream 🙂

Now I want to hear from you!

Do you prefer matte lipsticks or shiny glosses?

What are your favorite drug store lip glosses?

What are your favorite high end/luxury glosses?

UPDATE!!! I just checked the website and it looks like Gerard Cosmetics Lighted Lipglosses are going for $10 right now! BRB… gotta buy some new glosses!

https://www.gerardcosmetics.com/color-your-smile-lighted-lip-gloss.html

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