Ginger Snap!

Can you hear that bzzing?

BzzAgent Brittany here reporting for duty! I’m so excited to join BzzAgent! Thanks to Jen for telling me about it! Never heard of BzzAgent? Check it out here. Basically, you fill out a profile and a lot of surveys and brands send you stuff to try and honestly review. As you know, I love trying new products and I’m definitely not afraid to voice my opinion : ) Here is an overview of my first campaign, Tigi’s Bed Head. 

In my package I received a full size On the Rebound curl cream and four foil sample packets of both the Recharge and Elasticate shampoo and conditioner sets. I saved one of each for myself and gave the rest to friends to try. 

My hair is naturally curly and unnaturally damaged. Lately, I’ve actually been blow drying to smooth and then curling my hair with a 1 1/2 inch curling iron. I know, ridiculous, but I like the way it comes out better than just letting it go natural. I used to straighten my hair all the time, but haven’t really done so recently. On it’s own, my hair is really frizzy so I was excited to try the curl cream. I was less excited after I found it made my hair really sticky, crunchy and weighed down. Unlike other curl creams I’ve tried (and I’ve tried a lot of them), this product did nothing to smooth or defrizz my hair. I should also mention my hair is incredibly thick. I tried using the product right after the shower when my hair was wet and again when my hair was dry. Both times I got the same result of really heavy, sticky hair. No bueno! I don’t think I’d purchase this for myself. 

The shampoo and conditioner worked fine, but the smell of both was really weird. It reminded me of chewable vitamins I took as a kid. And not the yummy gummy kind!

That’s all for now, but stay tuned for more posts on my BzzAgent adventures. Next, I’ll be trying Dr. Scholl’s Massaging Gel Insoles - really timely because I’ve been having a lot of problems with my feet, plus I do a ton of walking here in NYC. Hopefully this will help!

(First!) Ipsy Glam Bag: May

To say that I was excited to receive my first Ipsy Glam Bag would be an understatement. As most of you know I previously subscribed to Birchbox for a year (see final rant and other posts here) and was looking for a change. Well folks, I certainly got it with Ipsy. The cost is $10.89 (includes sales taxes in CA, NC & NY) per month with an option to buy twelve months for $110 (plus applicable taxes) - similar to Birchbox. The sample sizes were AMAZING. I received five samples, not including the adorable makeup bag they came in, and three out of the five were full size. I’m going to save the value of the total bag for last because it still blows my mind. Here is an overview of what I got and what the exact sizes I received retail for:

Yaby Concealer Refill in “Buff” ($4.85) - This concealer is really creamy and not drying at all. It comes as a single in a plastic holder. I have been meaning to get a Zpalette (a magnetic makeup palette that you can customize and put any de-potted or single makeup in) and this will only justify that purchase for me.

Lip Lustre Liner in “Hypnotic” ($18.00) - *Full Size* I have been dying to try lip liner and although this color is pretty bright, I like it! I will probably get a lighter, more closely related to my lip color, pencil at the drug store to wear everyday, but I think I’ll love this pencil for when I want my lips to really pop. It took some practice, but I carefully and lightly lined my lips and then filled them in before applying my lipstick. I’ve noticed a big difference in staying power and am excited to keep trying different looks with this and other pencils.

Juice Beauty Reflecting Gloss in “Fig” ($15.00) - *Full Size* If you like the smell of oranges, you will LOVE this lip gloss. It’s a pretty bronze color and not sticky at all. I don’t mind the smell, but I can see how it might not appeal to the masses. I think this gloss will be perfect over a chapstick or lip balm for those quickly out of the door days.

Zoya Nail Polish in “Julie - Spring 2013 Lovely Collection” ($8.00) - *Full Size* I’ve never tried a nail polish from Zoya, but I know they are crazy popular so I’m excited to use this one. I don’t love the color, but it’s definitely different and not something I have in my collection. Too bad I missed Easter to wear this color!

Pacifica Bronzing Body Butter ($7.00) - This lotion smells just like summer and the beach. It gives a subtle shimmer and definitely doesn’t look orange. Might have to break this out this week when I attempt to wear a skirt if it hits 80 degrees like it’s suppose to. My legs are whiter than rice. Photo is actual sample size - 2oz - great for trying lotion that you can reuse (isn’t in a foil packet)!!!!

Here is a little picture of the bag it comes in. It’s an adorable chevron print of orange, teal and blue. I’ve read that sometimes the makeup bags the products actually come in aren’t that great quality. I guess really what can you expect for $10 on TOP of the products, but this one seems to be really good! The zipper works just fine and the material seems fairly durable. I love organizing my purse with little pouches for makeup, coupons, gum, pens and other random things that I don’t like floating around in there, so these will definitely be put to good use. 

GRAND TOTAL VALUE FOR MAY IPSY GLAM BAG: $52.85!!!!!!!!!!!

That’s right people, the value of the size of the products I got (not including the makeup bag) is about FIVE times what I paid for the monthly subscription. I’m completely impressed by the sample sizes and range of products and brands. No foil packets, no perfume or hair oil samples and no tiny one use sample sizes! I am really looking forward to seeing that bright pink bubble wrap envelope on my desk that carries my future Glam Bags and can’t wait to keep using my new products! Here is a link to join the wait list if you’re interested in checking it out - hit me up with any other questions or comments!