Cailyn Cosmetics | A Tech Girl's Favorite Things and Musings…

September Ipsy “Classic Beauty” GlamBag Review

Posted on November 29, 2013 by Tech Girl's Favorite Things

I loved September’s “Classic Beauty” Glam Bag (and the contents weren’t too shabby either)!

Skyn Iceland Hydro Cool Firming Eye Gels

I wish these eye gels were reusable. I bought some eye gel refresher spray for my Frownie’s, and recently threw those eye gels away. I’ve had a set of these gels on my counter in the bathroom to try for a few weeks now. Maybe I’ll get around to using over the long weekend? Update to come…

$30/8 pairs

Starlooks Kohl Eye Pencil in “Obsidian”

I’m not excited to try a Starlooks product, and I’m not quite sure why. Starlooks has it’s own subscription box service, so I was a little confused when I saw this product in my Ipsy bag. The color looks a little too harsh for my complexion, but I’ll give it a try, just not sure when. Update to come…

$12

Elizabeth Mott’s It’s So Big Volumizing Mascara

I’m actually a fan of this mascara. I’ve been using as my November mascara of the month selection, and it really does a good job of separating your lashes while adding a little volume to them – all with minimal clumping. I think this is the closest rival I’ve tried this year in comparison of my all time favorite mascara, Benefit Cosmetic’s They’re Real!

$19.99

NYX Single Eye Shadow in “Hollywood”

I haven’t tried this “glittering silver” eye shadow yet, but am thinking it will be tried out for holiday parties as my base eye shadow color. Update to come…

$4.50

Cailyn Cosmetics Tinted Lip Balm in “Big Apple”

While I’ve been told that red lipstick is flattering on me, I’m a little on the conservative side sometimes with lip color. I need to try this lip balm to see how sheer it is because I could be scared for no reason!

$19

Want to check it out?

http://www.ipsy.com/?refer=u-hfqxro7yx4uosi8

August “Finishing School” Birchbox Review

Posted on September 8, 2013 by Tech Girl's Favorite Things

August’s Birchbox theme was “Finishing School” – extra touches that make you look more polished.

The goodies:

Whish Exfoliating Body Wash

As someone who has recently become more consistent in incorporating exfoliating into my beauty routine, I was happy to see this exfoliating body wash in the box. It uses sugar cane and bamboo powder to leave your skin soft. Yet another product that will fit nicely in my Fall travel kit! Update to come…

$21/6 oz

Whish Deodorant Swipe w/Hair Inhibitor

I’m not sure when this will get tried out, but it will more than likely end up in my purse emergency kit. The reviews seem to be pretty good overall, I’m just a little weary since I tend to sweat easily. This item was considered a “beauty extra” and supposedly helps slow hair growth as an added bonus. Update to come…

$17/20 count

Cailyn Cosmetics Line Fix Gel Eyeliner in “Black”

I ended up giving this eyeliner to my mom since I typically don’t wear straight up black eyeliner – I prefer more of a charcoal color (which I actually have from another sub box). While I have yet to try this gel eyeliner, I have a feeling it will be incorporated into my Fall/Winter makeup with the weather cooling down soon. I am terrified of using a liquid liner, but gel promises to be a little more forgiving and allows you to move where you place it before setting. I love how they incorporate the brush into the packaging!

$20.65

Dr. Jart ++ Premium BB Cream SPF 45+

I learned my lesson after using this for the first time on Friday – it does NOT wash out of a beauty blender easily! I’ll be applying this with my hands from now on…Otherwise, the coverage is good and it survived a meltdown I had (literally, it was soooo hot – that’s what I get for trying to go shopping after work when wearing a knit jacket!).

$37.40/1.4 oz

Miss Jessie’s Rapid Recovery Treatment

Birchbox included 2 Miss Jessie’s deep conditioning treatments this month, and I am stoked about trying them out! Being a girl with curls, this product line is on my list of hair products to try out. This deep conditioner is meant to help repair damaged locks. Update to come…

$26/8 oz

Miss Jessie’s Super Sweetback Treatment

I was able to get 2 uses out of this deep conditioner that promotes hair growth. I’m not sure if it’s the biotin that I recently started taking or the treatment, but my hair did have quite the growth spurt!

$26/8 oz

Birchbox also included an info booklet containing Ann Taylor’s latest collections, along with coupons for 20% off 1 item and 30% off 2 or more items!

Want to check it out?

http://birch.ly/1aFSfSl

UPDATED: June Ipsy “On the Wild Side” Glam Bag Review

Posted on June 19, 2013 by Tech Girl's Favorite Things

First off – I LOVE the makeup bag that Ipsy sent this month! It fits the “On the Wild Side” theme perfectly 🙂

Starlooks Lip Pencil in “Bare”

I usually use a clear lip liner to keep my lipstick in line, so I swapped this out a couple of days this week. I knew the second I started to apply it, that this shade is NOT for me!

$12

Chella Ivory Lace Highlighter Pencil

I’ve been using this in the inner corners of my eyes to make me look more awake in the mornings (I end up rubbing it off in a couple of hours since I have dry eyes), and it looks way more natural than white since it’s closer to my skin tone. I plan on keeping this in my daily routine for the time being.

$18

J.cat Beauty Sparkling Cream Palette in “Volta”

<sigh> Glitter eyeshadow? Really? I’ll give it a try one weekend, but I don’t have high hopes for this. At all.

Update: I always try to post my reviews on a company’s Facebook page, and Ipsy left a comment regarding my comments on this product: “It is meant to be used as body glitter not eye shadow. Use it for body art, body glitter, or a little added shine to your lipgloss! Hope that helps!” That kinda makes it worse…

$4.49

NYX Blush in “Sand”

As with a few other face products I’ve received in recent sub boxes, this may be OK once I get more sun, or could be used at a bronzer.

Update: I added this to my daily makeup routine yesterday to start using as a bronzer. The color blended well and didn’t look un-natural with my skin tone like I expected. I’m pleasantly surprised for a $5 blush turned bronzer 🙂

Cailyn Cosmetics Line-Fix Gel Eyeliner in “Charcoal”

I received one of these from Glossybox (in black), and have yet to try it out since I don’t wear black eyeliner. However, I do wear gray or brown (and sometimes purple), so this will probably get tried out relatively soon. Update to come…

$21

The verdict: For $10, this is a great subscription service. I’ve been somewhat happy with what I’ve received in my 1st 2 bags, and will probably continue to try this out for quite some time since it’s such a good value. I retook the beauty quiz, and am anxious to see if this will improve my chances of really liking what I get 🙂

Want to check it out?

http://www.ipsy.com/?refer=u-hfqxro7yx4uosi8

UPDATED: April Wantable.co Makeup Box Review

Posted on May 15, 2013 by Tech Girl's Favorite Things

I thought I’d give the wantable.co makeup box another try when the “last chance” email came the last week of April (like the jewelry box). This box was very similar in content to the March box brand wise and product type wise. $40 down the drain – meh.

Frownies Eye Gels

As you can see in the photo, these were right inside the box – not wrapped up with the other goodies. I was excited to try these since wrinkles around the eyes and dark circles are something I think every girl wants to prevent or lessen the look of! Plus, these are reusable…in conjunction with FROWNIES Rose Water Toner Hydrator (not included :() I’m not sure if I’m going to just go ahead and try, or wait and order the toner.

Update: I used my Birchbox reward points to order the Rose Water Toner, so I should hopefully have a real review next weekend.

The other goodies:

Color Club Back to Boho Polish in “Earthy Angel”

While I’m always needing more neutral nail colors, this one didn’t quite look right with my skin tone (fair). I ended up giving it to a girl at work who I thought could make use of it 🙂

Darla Makeup Peepers in “Betty Jane”

Last month I received a teal-ish blue color of this eyeshadow, so I now have a seafoam green color to add to my collection. If I ever decide to do “peacock” eyes, I’m set! I’m not sure if I’ll use this as an all-over eyelid color, or just as liner.

Cailyn Cosmetics Duo Shadow Pencil #3

I was happy to see a more neutral eyeshadow product in the box, but haven’t had a chance to use it yet. One end is more of a bronze shade, and the other end a darker brown. Both have a hint of shimmer to them. Update to come…

Update: I used this one weekend as eyeliner, and was satisfied with the results. I used the lighter color to line my top lid and smudged it in with a q-tip to soften the line.

Cailyn Cosmetics Gel Eyeliner in “Black”

I think by now, you all know my phobia of liquid liners (and STILL haven’t tried one), but I’ve heard gel is more forgiving. I don’t wear black eyeliner that often, so I’m not sure when I’ll get around to actually trying this out.

Cailyn Cosmetics Tinted Lip Balm in “Sunburst”

Update: I finally got up the nerve to try this color out since it matched my toes (Julep “Natalie”) and scarf (Gorjana and Griffin Zuma scarf from my June PSMH box), lol. Wow was it bright! I wasn’t too sure about it, but figured WTH since we were going somewhere to eat, which meant it would just be rubbed off on a napkin soon enough. When we got to the restaurant, my husband spotted another girl wearing a bright shade – “I guess it is in, cause there’s another girl wearing bright lipstick.” Thanks, honey.

Be a Bombshell Lipgloss in “Sugar Lips”

Both of these lip colors make me super nervous since bright colors typically look a little (ok, a lot) crazy on me. I have a feeling the Cailyn color will be more do-able, and I will end up trying these out in the Summer.