my [last] january ipsy review

bag | Once again, I am feeling "meh" about the bag. It isn't as awful as last month's, but surely didn't blow my socks off. One side is white, one side is a royal blue, which are two colors I like, however the size and the fabric make this something that I won't use often.

Liquid eyeliner by Coastal Scents | Aside from the fact that I can't do a winged liner look to save my life, this product seems it be a good one. It has a sturdy felt tip brush and is jet black [two things I would probably look for if I could maneuver liquid liner]. Plus, the full size is very affordable at a mere $2.95!

Take it off! exfoliating honey peel off mask by Hey Honey | Is it just me, or is there something weirdly satisfying about a peel off mask? I'm not exactly sure where the "exfoliating" part of this product comes in, due to it's gooey texture, but I know that it removed the grime from my skin. This may be TMI, but I could actually see the dirt on the mask pieces I pulled off.

Be Good. Good Day. Day Moisturizer. by La Fresh Eco-Beauty | First of all, the name of this product is questionable. "Be good. Good day. Day Moisturizer." They could have stopped at day moisturizer and gotten the point across. Anyway, I digress. I'm starting to love this day time moisturizer. It is definitely not heavy enough to use at night, but it sits well under makeup during the day due to its lightweight formula and fresh cucumber scent.

Natural mineral coconut eye shadow by Pacifica in Ethereal | I need another nude eye shadow like I need another pair of shoes [I don't], but this product is lovely! The formula is very buttery and smooth, and it doesn't hurt that it's 100% vegan. This brand is available at Target, and I've also heard wonderful things about their blood orange lotion.

Velvet rose lipgloss by Velvet 59 in noisette | I was pleasantly surprised when I tried this gloss and loved it, seeing as I'm not a huge lip gloss gal. Lately I am super into rosy mauve colors, and this product has just the right amount of tint to it. Did I mention that I adore the chic clear packaging, silver handle, and faint rose scent? I've been layering this gloss over Revlon's Sassy Mauve, and it works like a dream.

I'm sure you've noticed a trend of me not being super excited with my Ipsy bags the past few months, which is why I have decided to cancel my subscription and receive the Sample Society box by Allure [only $15 a month!]. For only $10 a month, I still think Ipsy is a good deal for beauty lovers, but, I felt like a lot of the products weren't useful to me. I think Ipsy tries to avoid this by making subscribers take a beauty quiz, allowing you to choose the items and brands that you use most, but I still wasn't receiving the type of items I requested.

After spending far too much time researching past Sample Society boxes with my best friend via phone, I concluded that the $5 extra a month is worth it to receive samples of higher end brands that I might not normally buy. According to the site, the Allure beauty editor's choose their favorite beauty products for the month, and each subscriber gets the same box [although the colors of items may differ]. Keep a look out for my February Sample Society review next month! I can't wait to share it with you.

xoxo,
G

yes way rosé

Weekends are the perfect time to try something new with old friends. I knew I was going to meet a few friends for drinks on Friday night with no real destination in mind. After a recommendation from my best friend, I suggested Casbah, simply because I heard they have wine flights.

Casbah is a Mediterranean restaurant and wine bar located on S. Highland Ave, right in between Shadyside and East Liberty in Pittsburgh. A couple friends and I sat in the downstairs dining room, complete with a view of the wine cellar. We decided to only order a few flights of wine and one appetizer after realizing that the menu was prettyyy pricey. My friend and I split the bruschetta - a lovely combination of butternut squash ricotta, pomegranate, currents, and hazelnuts on grilled sourdough. It certainly wasn't your typical bruschetta but I thought the flavor combination was delicious. [Sorry, I forgot to take a picture of it!]

Okay, now on to the important part - the wine.

After feeling slightly disappointed that they were out of the "Bouquet of Rosé" flight [as advertised on their website], I chose to order the "Sparkler" flight - a medley of brut champagne, rosé and prosecco [$12]. This combo did not disappoint and also made me feel super fancy [insert girl-with-hand-out emoji here]. I liked the rosé so much that I decided to order the full glass once we were done with our flights.

If you're going out for a special occasion, or you're just in the mood to feel fancy, I would recommend going to Casbah to try a wine flight or two. I think next time I'll try lunch... That menu's prices seem a bit more reasonable.

Oh, did I mention that Yes Way Rosé liked my Insta from Friday night?! Day. Made.

Cheers,
G

recent [style] resolutions

In full disclosure, New Year's resolutions just aren't my thing. I think a year should only measure finances & the length of friendships - not the number of times you plan to go to the gym or the start of a "new you." If you want to do something - do it. You don't need a calendar date to determine the start of personal goals.

That being said, I am always looking for new ways to improve upon my personal style and love the pieces again that I become sick of. Far from New Year's resolutions, these are style resolutions that I have been working on recently, in an effort to refresh my personal style and appreciate the items I have.

Mix & match the crrrrap out of my wardrobe | In an effort to be more Glitter & Gingham-esque, I am challenging myself to mix and match patterns and colors that aren't my usual go-to. Of course it's great to have a classic "go-to" look, but I also love discovering new and exciting style combos. Plaid & leopard? Black & navy? All of the above, please.

Wear more lipstick | I alluded to this in my last blog post, but I am making a serious attempt at incorporating a colorful lip into my looks. I must admit, wearing lipstick makes me feel polished, put-together, and feminine. Plus, it's easy and inexpensive to change up your makeup look with lipstick.

Use what I have | Instead of always going out to buy the latest item of makeup or a new dress for an occasion, I am making a conscious effort to take a new perspective on items that I already own, whether it be in home accessories, makeup, or clothing. It's amazing what a quick search on Pinterest, a new pairing, and some rearranging can do. And remember: inspiration is often free [a trip to Nordstrom rarely comes with a small pricetag]. As far as makeup goes, I'm realizing I need to first use up what I have, because having less stuff just makes me feel lighter and good.

Of course these non-New Year resolutions aren't as serious as someone who wants change the world or hit the gym five days a week, they're just a few fun fashion goals I've been working on. So expect to see lots of pattern play, lipstick, and new takes on old items in upcoming style posts.

Do you have any recent style resolutions? Let me know by commenting below.

xoxo,
G

little luxuries under $20

We all know by now that "#treatyourself" is a phrase that just rolls off the tongue for me. However, I believe that treating yourself should should not mean going broke. To me, treating yourself doesn't mean buying a $300 purse if you really can't afford it. Treating yourself can be easy, affordable, and gratifying. I've compiled a list of items that I don't buy too frequently, but I know these little luxuries make me feel pretty darn great when I do purchase them.

Harney & Sons Winter White Earl Grey Tea | $7.99 | This tea literally might have pieces of heaven in it. The flavor is unlike any earl grey tea I've had before. It has an almost Fruit Loop-like scent to it. Plus, the vintage-looking tin packaging can totally be re-purposed once you've used all the tea bags (which might be pretty quickly, they are that good). I use my tin as a pencil holder!

Anthropologie mugs | $10-20 | You know what's better than luxury tea? A beautiful mug to drink it out of. If you want to take things to the next level, I encourage drinking luxury tea (or coffee) out of a beautiful mug, in bed. Glorious.

MAC lipstick | $16 | There is just something about buying a good lipstick. MAC's lipsticks are truly a beauty staple and they feel so luxurious. I love the sleek packaging and variety of colors. The shade I'm eyeing up right now is called "syrup," a your-lips-but-better mauve color.

Klorane dry shampoo | $19.79 | I received this dry shampoo in a Birchbox a long time ago, but to this day I still think it is the best dry shampoo out there. It actually gets rid of oily roots rather than just making them look less oily, which leaves you time to do things you want to do -- like brunch on a Saturday morning (sans oily hair).

What do you do to treat yourself? Let me know in the comments below!

xoxo,
G

Click here to read my "3 little luxuries under $3" post!

anatomy of a bedside table

I'm going to go so far as to say that styling my new apartment is almost as important as styling my outfits each day. I find that a cozy, styled home is a happy home, but it's the tiniest details that really count. With that, I give you the anatomy of a bedside table.

lamp | I think this item needs little explanation. For those times when you can't put down your favorite book (or catalogue) or when you just want to find your chapstick in the middle of the night. Plus, I believe you can never have too much light in a room.

hand cream | Is it just me, or is it a great feeling to slather on the hand cream right before bedtime? Dream Cream is from Lush, and it is super moisturizing and natural smelling. Did you think I could go one blog post without mentioning Lush?!

techy stuff | I love a quick bout on Pinterest before bedtime, hence why my iPad has a prime spot on my bedside table.

most used scents | Some may prefer to have their perfumes on display on a dresser or in their bathroom, but I prefer to have them right next to my bed. The bottles provide a nice visual appeal and the scent seems to linger around my bed after I do a few sprays. Maybe it's weird, but I love when my comforter smells like my signature scent!

trinket tray | One of the most underrated home accessories of all time, the catch-all trinket tray. I love having one of these at my bedside for bobby pins, earrings, and small perfume bottles. I also don't mind the pop of color this one gives.

candles | I am a total candle lover. I find that they provide a sense of relaxation and warmth in any home. I like to light my bedside candle on a lazy Saturday morning or a half hour before I fall asleep.

light reading | At any given moment, you will find a small stack of catalogues on my bedside table. When I'm sick of the internet and need some fashion inspo, I turn to some favorites - J.Crew, Land's End, Anthropologie. The list goes on and on.

any other goodies that make you smile | I decided to accessorize a bit further with the metal "G" from Restoration Hardware, which is so heavy it doubles as a paper weight. I also added a macaron trinket case, a gift from my friend Courtney (below the word "used" in the photo).

I think bedside styling is pretty important for everyday convenience and visual appeal. So choose the items that you use regularly, or that just make you happy.

xoxo,
G

december ipsy review

Hi all! I hope you all had a wonderful and restful holiday. It's that time again... December Ipsy glam bag review!

bag | When I signed up for Ipsy, I thought I would love getting a small little makeup bag every month. Now, I am 4 months in and haven't really loved any of the actual bags! The only word to describe this bag is chintzy. Into the trash it will go soon! Sorry Ipsy.

Beauty Without Cruelty alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) facial cleanser | At first I thought this product would be a mediocre, run of the mill facial cleanser. I was wrong. Beauty Without Cruelty is a very misleading brand name -- because this facial cleanser did a cruel little number on my face. I'm not exactly sure if it was the AHAs in this wash that made my skin red, tight, and broken out for a solid 4 days, but I know it was not pleasant. This product will be going in the trash soon. I would not recommend it to anyone! (I swear, some of the products were actually good this month.)

Crown shadow/crease duet brush | This brush is just okay. It does the job, but I wasn't blown away by it. It is weird that it's double-ended, which doesn't allow you to stand it upright in a brush holder.

NYX Butter lip balm in red velvet | I've been wanting to try any NYX product, so I was pleased to see this in my Ipsy bag. It truly has a buttery formula, and the color tint is beautiful and easy to apply. It's lighter than a lipstick but still provides noticeable color. Did I mention that it smells like strawberry candy? I am a huge fan of it and will likely try other colors.

Pixi Fairy Dust in brightening bare | I've seen the Pixi line in Target before, but never tried any of their products. This loose powder eye shadow is a pretty nude color with a light shimmer. Would I repurchase it for $10? Probably not. But, it's a nice neutral shadow that can be used for a low-key look.

Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes mascara | This product made this month's bag worth it! I've heard great things about Tarte mascaras... and let me tell you, the hype is real. I love the length this gives to my lashes. I would definitely consider purchasing a full-sized version of this product. My one qualm is that the mascara adds so much length to the lashes that they touch my eyelids and therefore the product sometimes transfers onto my lids. Because of this, I think I would probably purchase the waterproof version called Lights, Camera, Splashes. Side note: How cute are the names of their mascaras?!

Bare Minerals Flawless Definition Volumizing mascara | I know what you're thinking. Each bag usually only contains five items, why six this month?! Well, Ipsy forgot to send the Pixi Fairy Dust in my bag, so I emailed IpsyCare to make them aware. This was the second time in 4 months that they had forgotten to put an item in my bag. So, they sent me an extra item to make up for it. It was a nice gesture... But the mascara was dried out. I gave it a try anyway, and found that the brush/formula provides more volume than length. If volume is your thing, this product might be the one for you.

Overall, I only really liked the NYX balm and the Tarte mascara from December. I'm going to see how January's bag pans out, then re-evaluate my Ipsy subscription.

Do you have any other subscription services that you love? Let me know in the comments!

xoxo,
G