LuxeBudgetnistas

Livin' luxe on a budget

Beauty

Private Label Extensions: 3D Mink ThinLine Lash Review

Hi, beauties!  We are back today with a review on Private Label Extensions new ThinLine 3D Mink lashes.  I’ve tested a few of their lashes in the past and have thoroughly enjoyed them.  When I saw that they had come out with a thin lash band I jumped on the opportunity to test them out.  Keep reading to find out more!

Private Label Extensions

Private Label Extensions is a wholesale company who specializes in hair extensions, mink lashes, and branding.  They are based out of Atlanta, Georgia, so the items ship direct and they are also the #1 USA based wholesale hair vendor.  Private label has a passion for what they do and it definitely shows through their website.  Check it out here.  Now onto the products!

Lash Applicator

Rose Gold- $3.00

The lash applicator is exactly like the name states.  It’s a tool that assists with quick and easy placement of the false lashes.  It usually takes me about 20 minutes to put on lashes, but the applicator assisted with placement and getting them to hold on my lash-line better.

 

I also had a lash pro test out the applicator.  My daughter, Jaylynn, wears falsies on a daily basis, so I wanted to see if the applicator aided her application.  She loves the lash applicator.  Which assisted with putting on the lashes precisely.

ThinLine 3D Lashes

The new ThinLine collection from the Private label is 100% mink and handcrafted with a thinner lash band for a comfortable feel and luxurious look.  The ThinLine collection is created with double and triple layers.

Toronto

  • Hair: 3D Mink
  • Style: Toronto
  • Color: Natural Color
  • Strip Lash
  • Reusable (Suggested use 20-25 wears)

Milan

  • Hair: 3D Mink
  • Style: Milan
  • Color: Natural Color
  • Strip Lash
  • Reusable (Suggested use 20-25 wears)

Final Thoughts…

The quality of the lashes is great!  I love that they come labeled and in a reusable case for easy storage and travel.  I love the styles that are provided within the ThinLine collection.  There are great everyday styles that also make an easy transition into the night time.  They’re affordable at $8.75 a pop or buy them in bulk for yourself or easy resale.  If you are looking to resale, the lashes are brandless!  Private label has yet to disappoint and doubt they will! Alright, beauties that is it for this review.  Which style was your favorite?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ipsy-Third Times a Charm?

Whoa!  Long time no chat, friends?  Well, after a long break unexpected break from blogging, I am finally back.  Let me start by saying that it was never our intent to be gone from the blogging world for so long.  Let’s get on with what we are really here for.  I decided to give Ipsy another shot because I love makeup and it’s only $10 a month.  I did resubscribe for the third time, hence third times a charm?

IPSY

In case you have never heard of IPSY, it’s a $10 dollar a month beauty subscription service that sends anywhere from 4-5 beauty samples a month.  These samples consist of a sample, deluxe sample size, and full-size products.  The good this about makeup subscriptions is that it assists with building a makeup collection, introduces you to new brands that you would not have heard of otherwise, and it’s affordable.  You can find out more here.

My Experience

I started my subscription to  Ipsy glam bag in 2014 for about a year.  After a while, I started to realize that I was receiving items that I personally would not use due to color or interest no matter how many times I changed up my profile and followed up on the reviews.  After almost a year of being subscribed, I canceled my subscription.  About a year later I decided to give Ipsy a chance again, stayed for two months and canceled, again.

Third Subscription

Through all this, I tested out a bunch of other makeup subscriptions like Birchbox, Beauty test tube, Lip Monthly, Sephora Play, and BoxyCharm.  Which brings me to my third try- I was able to get a free month through one of the members of my beauty group, My beauty addictions swap/trade group.

At first, I was super excited to be receiving Ipsy again, especially with all the pictures from other Ipsy subscribers and their bags.  Unfortunately, this was not the case when I received my bag.  Instead of the excitement of receiving some goodies in the mail, I felt an instant need to cancel, because I was that unhappy with the bag I received.

July Ipsy Glam Bag

  • MANNA KADAR Cosmetics Flawless Finish in C3- I have a heard a lot of great things about this brand, but as you can see from the pictures above, how dark the powder was.  I honestly thought it was a bronzer.
  • POP Peak Performance brow- I’ve tried numerous items from POP beauty.  It’s a good brand with a good price point.  It’s a full-size item and the correct color, plus I love brow products.
  • NATURELAB TOKYO Perfect Shine Oil Mist- Awesome brand.  I was fortunate enough to meet the PR team at Gen beauty LA back in March.

  • SMASHBOX COSMETICS Always On Liquid Lipstick in Stepping Out- Loved the brand.  The lipstick is a decent size and the color was perfect, but it is a color I have gotten before.

  • ELLA EDEN Pressed Eye shadow in Harmony- I’ve never heard of the brand, but the eye shadow is super pretty and was worth giving a try.

Conclusion

I think I was hoping to have been wowed by all the other bags I’ve seen.  Don’t get me wrong, it was an okay bag.  I received some brands that I loved, products that I would use and some that were meh at best.  Overall, it wasn’t worth the third look in my opinion and something I will not be going back to.  Although, I have heard they are coming out with an Ipsy glam bag plus, you’ll get five full size products instead of the deluxe samples.  I have to admit, I am intrigued and it’s going to give Boxy Charm a run for their money.

 

Dermalogica Review

We are back with a Dermalogica review on their new Ultra Calming Water Gel and Barrier Defense Booster.  If you have dry sensitive skin then definitely read on because these products might be right up your alley.

Dermalogica Brand

Created in 1986 by Jane Wurward because she wanted a skincare line that aligned with her teachings.  Since there wasn’t one that met her standards she created a product line that has good ingredients to promote healthy skin.  Another great thing about Dermalogica is that every product is made here in the US.

Ultra Calming Water Gel

The Ultra calming water gel is lightweight gel moisturizer that helps with dry skin.  Upon application, you can instantly feel the hydration due to the gel consistency.  It doesn’t take long for the water gel to sink into the skin.

This formula is great for someone with sensitive skin, like myself, and/or dry skin.  I say this because I live in Oregon, where our weather is forever changing.  One day we can be in the 70’s and the next day instantly drop down to 30’s/40’s- these drastic changes always take a toll on my skin.

Barrier Defense Booster

The Barrier Defense booster it’s a face oil that is used for sensitive skin to bring back moisture into the extremely dry skin while reinforcing the barrier for future irritations.

I’ve been able to keep my dry skin at bay with my usual skincare routine but living where I live- the weather is very bipolar, which I mentioned above- this actually happened this year.

I replace my normal face oil and moisturizer with these two items, but I do not use them separately.  I take the ultra calming gel and throw a few drops of the barrier defense booster on top in the morning and at night.

Final Thoughts

My final conclusion is that the Ultra calming water is a great moisturizer with a decent price point.  However, the Barrier defense booster is a great product and it definitely does work, but with the price point of $75 dollars, I don’t know if it is necessarily worth it- because I love using face oils and Ido think some of my normal favorites are comparable on my skin.

What are some of your favorite face oils?  Do you have a dry skin regime that works out well for you?  I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.

 

 

** These products were provided for complimentary for review purposes.  All opinions are 100% my own.**

Generation Beauty LA 2018 Add-On Experience

Hi, beauties!  We are back again with another Generation Beauty experience post, but this time we are talking about my event experience.  I’ve done posts like this before, but for the most part, my experience has always been pretty positive.  If you read my previous post about early registration, you know that I touched a bit on some of the changes that happened this year.  If not, you can check out that post here. Read on to see Generation Beauty LA 2018 Add-On Experience.

Past Experience

The first year I attended Gen beauty, I will say it was a bit unorganized.  I say this because the lines at the booths went whichever way possible and ran out of free samples.  Through the years, the lines became more controlled and brands planned for the event better.

ADD-ONS

Early Admission

Let’s talk admission- Ipsy started doing add-ons for early admission and one called lightening pass (we will touch on this later). What is the early admission you ask?  Well, it’s where you gain an extra event hour on both Saturday and Sunday.  This means the event starts at 10 AM instead of 11 AM.  The additional cost for the early entry is $39.95-  early admission is well worth price because this is when I had the opportunity to hit a majority of the booths.

My advice is to hit the bigger brands during this time period because these are the booths that will have extremely long waits when general admission gets let in.  I would also suggest that if you see any empty booths, get them during this time as well, just so you can knock them off your list.

Lightning Pass

Alright, lightning pass, this add-on is kind of like the fast-pass at Disneyland.  For another additional cost, you could pay for the lightning pass on its own or bundle it with the early admission.  I, personally, did not purchase the lightning pass, so this opinion is coming from the other end of the spectrum.

How Lightning Pass Works- My perspective…

The lightning pass is a separate line that allows you to move up faster within the line.  From my observation, they would let a certain amount of lightning pass holders go through- the average amount was 5 lightning pass holders to every one general admission holder unless you were in a group.  As you can imagine, this caused the general admission lines to become extremely long.  Shoot, there were even times when the lightning pass lines were longer than the GA lines. I heard numerous complaints from lightning pass holders, but this was due to the lack of organization that some booths had or the activities at the booths itself.

Final Thoughts…

I felt the lightning pass was a horrible idea because it provided a negative experience for so many.  Ipsy makes most of their money from makeup lovers who are on a budget and can’t really afford to go and splurge on numerous makeup items and brands.  C’mon, their makeup subscription is only $10 a month.  I say this because many go for the general admission ticket because that is what they can afford.  We all paid for the same experience, but just because most couldn’t splurge on the add-ons doesn’t mean they should not get what they paid for.  In previous years attendance, I have been able to make it to all the booths- this includes waiting through the long lines and doing all the activities.

I will say that they have managed to keep the ticket pricing the same throughout the five years that I have attended- good job!  So in all, I still had a good time and met some amazing people.  Afterall that is what this experience is all about- networking!

Gen Beauty LA 2018 | Early Registration Experience

Happy Tuesday beauties!  I told you to be on the lookout for upcoming Generation Beauty posts, so here we go!  I’ve been going to Generation beauty for the last five years, so I would say I have a lot of experience with the event.  I have also attended different locations.  With that being said, the event has changed through the years, some good and some bad.

Early Entry

Every year Ipsy has an early registration day on the Friday before the weekend festivities at the event location.  What’s early registration you ask?   Early registration gets you the passes for entry.  In previous years it was a lanyard, map, punch cards for each brand, and tote bag.  This year we were provided with two locations, one at the LA convention center where the event was being held and the other at the NYX Professional Makeup store, Westfield Century City Mall.  If you registered at the NYX store you were provided with an NYX swag bag.

Early registration is something I highly recommend doing if you have the opportunity to do so.  It saves you a lot of time the morning of the event.

My 2018 Experience

Now, in the five years I have attended Generation Beauty and have done early registration, I have never had to wait.  I have literally walked up with my ticket and have been out within a minute or two.  Not this time around!  This year I had to wait for 50 minutes.  I know it was due to the demand for the free swag…heck that’s why I was there. I will say that if this event was better organized and Ipsy had a more efficient process, then everything would have gone a lot smoother and faster.

Once inside the NYX store, you had to wait in another line for someone to scan your ticket, from there you waited in another line to get an add-on bracelet if you paid for it- this could be the early admission, lightening pass, or both.  Once you received that, you would then have to go to another station to obtain your Ipsy bracelet.  This bracelet is the important one because this bracelet provides you access to the event and gets you your freebies.

Once you have gone through all those stations, you have finally been presented with the goodie bag and a chance to look around the store.

My Two Cents

I get that we are in the age of technology, but we can keep things efficient, as stated above.  It really should be as easy as scanning the ticket and providing one bracelet.  My suggestion would be making different colored bracelets, kind of like what they did for GA and content creators.  They could make one for GA, one for early admission, early admission with lightening pass, etc.  This keeps things simple with unnecessary stations.

Was it worth it?  It was a new experience, definitely not m favorite but new.  I will continue to do the early admission, but early admission to a store location, ehh maybe!  They would have to provide better swag next time around!

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Boxycharm March 2018

This post also contains affiliate links and referral codes.  I may be compensated for clicks or purchases that you make.

Hi friends!  I hope you had a great weekend!  Be on the lookout for some travel and Generation beauty posts.  Now that we have that out of the way, let’s get started with my unboxing, mini review, and swatches of the March Boxy Charm.

What’s Boxycharm?

For those of you who do not know what Boxycharm is, it’s a makeup subscription box.  For $21 dollars a month, you get 4-5 full-size products.  If you would like to sign up, right now would be the best time, as Boxycharm has lifted their waitlist.  This is the perfect subscription box for someone looking to grow their collection and try out new brands.  You can sign up here.

March 2018- Bae Cation

  1. PRETTY VULGAR-Make Them Blush Powder Blush $26.00:  The packaging this brand has come up with is different and absolutely gorgeous.  The blush itself is great for every day, works with a lot of skin tones, and pigmented.

  2. BUTTER LONDON-Double Decker Lashes Mascara $20.00:  I haven’t had the opportunity to try out this mascara, but when I do, I will make sure this post.

    3.  South Mane– Revitalizing Under Eye Gels $9.00 ( 3 pack):  You can also purchase the eye gels individually for $3.00, but the instructions do say to use for three consecutive days to see a difference.  I am working on my second day with the patches.  I love the cooling sensation.  My under eye area feel really hydrated after the first use.  The only gripe I have is that these eye gels do slide down the face.

    What it is: Cooling, revitalizing, under eye gels. This product comes in individual packs or 3-pack of eye gels.

    What it does: refreshes and cools under eyes, giving a refreshed appearance to the skin

    How to use: Place one gel under each eye following the contour of your cheekbone, let sit for 15-20 minutes and then remove.

    4.  The Vintage Cosmetics Smokey Eye Makeup Brush Set $23.50:  Who doesn’t love makeup brushes? This set by the Vintage Cosmetics co is pretty great.  This set comes with a shadow brush, angled shadow brush, and smudger brush.

    5. PUR x BOXYCHARM Eyeshadow Palette $38.00:  This is a 12 piece eyeshadow palette that was created in collaboration with Boxycharm and Pur Cosmetics.  It’s a great everyday palette with some nice neutrals, but also has some great pops of color. Perfect for spring and summer.  The colors are pigmented and work together.  See below for a look I created using the brushes and palette together.

    Final Thoughts

    I am relatively happy with the box.  I was able to use 4 out of the five items in this months.  Altogether the box has a total value of $116.50- the blush itself pays for the blush.  My favorite products are the brushes and the palette.  If you received this month Boxycharm, which item was your favorite?

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