Lip Monthly April 2015

April 23, 2015April 23, 2015 / Kayla Hutchison / 3 Comments

Hey beauties!

Today I’m back with another unbagging and review! Anyone else have a really odd love for beauty subscriptions? Or just monthly subscriptions in general? I really want to add a coffee service and possibly petit vour (they send only cruelty free and vegan beauty products every month) but we shall see. My boyfriend might oppose 😉

Anyway, if you’re new here *waves frantically* Lip Monthly is a beauty subscription that is $10 a month and sends out 4-5 (lately 4) products that are mostly lipsticks or glosses. So, a lipstick addict’s dream! I’ve been subscribed to them for about 5 months now, and for the most part I like it. Some things that I receive don’t exactly make sense or flatter my skin tone at all, and that’s one of my biggest beefs with this subscription. Everyone receives the same bag. Same products and colors…I don’t understand that, but it is what it is I guess.

This month I got 4 full sized products! The bag is valued at $37.99 which is pretty good considering I only paid $10 for it.

1. Cargo Gloss in “Anguilla” $16 This is in a travel sized tube, but it says there’s the same amount of product as a full sized product. This is a really pretty nude-pink gloss for those that like nude pink glosses. They’re not really my style, but I will try it because it may surprise me. I said the same thing about the butter glosses and now I can’t get enough of those…

2. City Colour Be Matte Lipstick “cammi” $4.99 I’ve actually been wanting to try the lipsticks from this line for awhile now! This color is one that I like as well, so win! It’s a very pretty dark purple shade. We all know how much I love my dark vampy colors…all year round.

3. LA Girl Lipstick “Last Night” $4 I own 3 shades from this line already, and I really like the formula! Very pigmented and creamy. With any creamy lipstick, they kinda get on my teeth, but I’m super expressive and I’m aware of it. This color is a bright ass pink, but it’s dark so it’s not as intimidating to me. I may try to pair it with the pink gloss to tone the shade down a bit. Yes, I’m odd, I don’t think twice about wearing green and blue lip colors, but pink scares me.

4. Ofra Eyebrow Pencil “Universal” $13 Okay, so don’t ask me how an eyebrow pencil is supposed to be a universal shade because I actually have no idea, but here we are. I’ve been reaching for this pencil everyday since I got it though! I do have to go over it with a black tinted brow mascara, but my hair is black and I like my brows to be dark as well. I’ve never used brow pencils regularly, so this is new territory. I’m more of a wax/pomade kind of gal. However, this pencil is really creamy and easy to work with. So far, I’m highly impressed with it.

Overall, I’m happy with this month’s bag. I go back and forth with this subscription constantly, I know. I quite possibly have a problem.

If anyone’s interested, I do have a code to get your first bag for $5 + 100 free shop points and it’s 1ST5

This is my affiliate link (you don’t have to use it, only if you want to!)
https://lipmonthly.com//referral/VOTA7OjQCCz1

If there’s anything you would want to see separate reviews or lip swatches of, let me know!

As always, thanks for stopping by and reading, and if you’re new here I hope you decide to stay a bit!

Swatch Sunday: Random Lippies

December 7, 2014December 11, 2014 / Kayla Hutchison / Leave a comment

I have quite a few lipsticks that I have bought over the past few weeks that are beautiful and blogworthy, but I didn’t buy enough of each line to really justify doing a whole post about each. So, I’m doing a lipstick swatch “dump” of sorts.

First up, I bought 3 LA Girl Creme lip colors to try them out. These retail for $4 each on average.
As you can tell, the packaging is a bit cheap and can get pretty messy. However, for the messy packaging the product itself is very creamy and applies smoothly. The colors are opaque. I normally don’t like many creamier formulas, but these are nice.

Left to Right: Promise, Amour, Kiss & Tell
I’ve been reaching for Kiss & Tell a lot over the past week. It’s such a beautiful brown with red tint to it. It looks superb paired with a dark red lip liner.

This is a photo taken the other day of me wearing “kiss & tell” with a deep red underneath. Love this combo.

Next, these teeny Kat Von D lippies were my second Black Friday snag while shopping online on Sephora. I didn’t need them, but I have a weakness for MINI things I couldn’t help it.
There’s not much to say about these because I already own two of the studded lipsticks and an everlasting liquid lipstick. I love the formulas of both of these lines. Both of these were $10 and for Kat Von D anything, that’s a steal. Even though I didn’t need these, no regrets. No regrets

Berlin is a matte darker rosy shade. I will probably be reaching for this come Spring and Summer. Lolita is a matte brownish nude shade. I own Lolita in the liquid form as well and it’s my favorite color of life.

Last, I have a couple Nyx lippies. I have “Whipped Caviar” from the Matte line (Kylie Jenner dupe, supposedly) and “Pops” from the butter line. I love the formulas of basically any Nyx line of lipstick. Super affordable, super opaque, super super.

Bottom swatch is Whipped Caviar (matte) and top is Pops (butter)

I will say that the matte one wears very comfortably on the lips as well as the butter one. The butter lipsticks seriously apply like…butter. Can you tell I am all about the brown/mauve nudes right now? I am stocking up while there are so many out because this is my go-to shade all of the time. If you’re very fair, I would suggest trying out the mauve/darker nude trend because I find it to be such a flattering way to wear a nude without it washing me out. That’s a totally personal opinion though and I can understand why some are tired of hearing about the “Kylie Jenner” lip.

I’m honestly ready to start finding some Marsala shades in my collection right about now. I’m not ever one for trends, but the last few color trends have been shades that I love already and work with often on an everyday basis.

I hope you all enjoyed my quick swatch sunday post with all of my random lippies. Have a gorgeous day!

Let’s Talk about Amazing and Affordable Face Products

November 3, 2014 / Kayla Hutchison / 1 Comment

Personally, when I watch videos and read blogs by my favorite beauty bloggers I catch myself day dreaming about high end products. I can’t be the only one. The products that I want to try out, but sadly can’t afford right now thanks to life and kids. Not that it upsets me at all. I love my life and kids with all of my being.
I do know that I am not the only one that is constantly looking for amazing and affordable makeup products though. Too many times I catch myself thinking that if I had more higher end products my makeup would look flawless, but then I remember that it’s truly about finding what’s right for you and how you apply it.
So, I want to do a few blogs about amazing and totally affordable makeup products, starting with some of my favorite everyday face products. Of course, these are just what works for me and my face, but I hope that everyone that reads this either finds a new awesome product to try out or that they take away a few tips on finding these products for even cheaper than they already are.
I will also include a separate picture of swatches for the blush, highlighter, and bronzer at the end of the post.

Wet n Wild blush in “Pearlescent Pink” – Holy grail blush. I use this blush almost everyday. That’s why the packaging looks kind of dirty. It’s the perfect shade of pink for me and has the slightest hint of shimmer. It’s so beautiful, and a shade that would work on many skin tones. These retail alone at around $3 most retail stores, which is incredible by itself, but I find these on sale so often at CVS and Walgreens. Wet n Wild also releases coupons in the newspaper often, so if you’re a coupon clipper (raises hand!) keep an eye out for them. I have scored so many free Wet n Wild products stacking sales with coupons.

LA Girl Pro Concealer– if you follow many youtubers and bloggers, chances are you have heard others raving about this very product. It’s so amazing and I just got it myself a few months back. I have horrible dark circles due to being extremely pale and having allergies, and this concealer covers my under eye circles and doesn’t look caked on. I use the lightest shade, obviously. This concealer retails for $5 on the la girls website, but I found mine for way cheaper on ebay. I got 3 tubes for $7.
Quick Ebay tip– when buying makeup always make sure you’re buying from a well known buyer with great feedback. Sometimes people are awful and sell fake products. There are a lot of great sellers on there that do sell the real deal for real cheap.

Nyx Matte Bronzer– This is a newer addition to my collection. I have searching for what seems like forever for a flattering contour shade for my skin tone. I typically use Nyx blush in “Taupe” which is amazing as well, but I wanted to switch it up a bit. This line has different shades for different skin tones, so naturally I picked out the shade called “light” that is supposed to be for lighter skin tones. It is a nice bronzer for light skin, maybe a bit on the warmer side for my liking, but a light hand while applying can easily fix that. The packaging is also very sleek and pretty.

Nyx Matte Finishing Spray– This has been in my possession for awhile (can you tell by the makeup all over the bottle?) and I love it! It’s perfect for everyday matte makeup looks for me when I want to set my makeup, but I don’t want to use up any of my Urban Decay spray.

Wet n Wild Highlighter– This is from the Fergie line in the color ‘Rose Champagne.” It’s so beautiful and affordable. It’s a champagne color with a hint of pink. Super flattering on fair skin. There is so much product in this for the price. I would recommend anyone try this if they are as obsessed with highlighters as I am. I hope the dewy skin look is here to stay.

Nyx Eyebrow Gel– I know this is technically not a “face” product, but eyebrows are a must for a complete face look. I’ve been using the black shade from this line for awhile now, and I love it. I still tend to reach for my dipbrow pomade most days, but if I am wanting a very bold brow I reach for this one. It takes the smallest amount of product to do both eyebrows, and it applies so easily. I use an angled brush to apply it. This product does set quickly, but it also stays ALL DAY. It’s an awesome and ridiculously affordable product that I would recommend to anyone to at least try.

Nyx HD concealer in “Lavender”– I use this concealer probably everyday. Usually I put this on under my foundation to cancel out the darkness under my eyes. I also use it to lighten up concealer if it’s a bit too dark. It serves multiple purposes, and costs $5. Amazing. Highly recommend for anyone with intense dark circles or is extremely fair and has trouble finding a light enough concealer.

BH Cosmetics Studio Pro Powder– If you follow my blog you have probably seen my first impressions post about this powder, if not I will link my review post of it at the end. I haven’t had this powder long enough to say it’s a staple yet, but it is a great powder for the price. BH Cosmetics has sales constantly on their site, and this powder tends to be about $7 on their site most days. My tips for using this powder are to use the elf powder brush (the studio one with the flat top) and just pat it into the skin if you’re using it to set your foundation or concealer. It works for me. I find that when I sweep powder across my face in a typical swirly motion it can kind of stick to dry spots easier. But do whatever works for you 🙂

Elf Acne Fighting Foundation– This foundation is something that is on my face often. I LOVE this foundation, and I mention it often in my “face of the day” posts. It’s supposed to be blemished skin friendly, but besides that it is also very full coverage and extremely affordable at $6 on the eyeslipsface website. I will say that if you have very fair skin and you don’t have a white mixing agent like the manic panic white dream tone foundation that you may want to hold out on buying it until you have both. The lightest shade on me is a few shades too dark, and I have a to use 2-3 pumps of white to get it to my exact shade, but it’s still an amazing foundation if you’re looking for a less expensive full coverage foundation to add to your life.

Elf Mineral Face Primer– The one in the picture is the green toned one, but I also have the plain clear toned mineral face primer. I use the green one on an almost daily basis because it’s supposed to correct red skin. I naturally have a bit of red in my skin on my cheeks, and this helps to correct it a little. Aside from that, it’s $5 (I think) and can be found on elf’s website or in many Target stores. This primer feels amazing on the skin, and the ingredients do not break my skin out whatsoever.

Swatches from bottom to top: Wet n Wild “pearlescent pink,” Wet n Wild “rose champagne glow,” and Nyx Matte Bronzer in “light.”

Last tip for saving money, especially with all of the holiday things coming out- use ebates. I love this site. You get cash back for online shopping through their site. Example: I recently got 4% cash back on a Sephora purchase online, and 7.5% back on BH cosmetics. If you do a lot of online shopping please create an account through them. I think you get a check or paypal credit every 3 months for what you’ve earned…don’t quote me on that though.
Anyway, I hope this blog has been somewhat enjoyable or helpful. If you’re interested in any other affordable products I have in my arsenal, please feel free to make requests on what you may want to see me focus on.

BH Cosmetics Powder review: https://kaylahutchison.wordpress.com/2014/10/26/first-impression-too-faced-cocoa-powder-and-bh-cosmetics-studio-pro-powder/

Face of the Day/Quick Halloween Idea

October 28, 2014 / Kayla Hutchison / Leave a comment

I know that not everyone procrastinates, but some people do. I am doing a “face of the day” post today that will double as a quick Halloween idea for anyone in a rush this Friday. It’s not exactly a “Halloween” look for me since I love pin up and rockabilly makeup and fashion. I will include products used, a quick hairstyle (hair is not exactly my forte) and a few outfit ideas. I hope you all enjoy ❤

I am doing a more Rockabilly type of styling today, but this look can easily be a vintage pin up look if you curl your hair and wear a vintage fitting (think cinched waist, flowers etc) dress or pencil skirt. I chose this look to do as a "last minute" look because typically many people have the items and makeup needed on hand or can find very quickly and for very cheap last minute.

Rockabilly makeup is typically very matte. The eyes, the face, and the lips…matte. So, you're going to want to possibly exfoliate and moisturize very well before starting this look. I also put on lip balm before starting on anything because matte lips can be super drying.
Products used to create my look today:
Anastasia Dip Brow in “Ebony”
Nyx Jumbo eye pencil in white- used as an eyeshadow base
Too Faced Natural Eyes Palette- Heaven all over the lid and Cashmere Bunny in the crease
Physicians Formula eye booster pen (holy grail product) in ultra black
Red Cherry Lashes in #605
Wet n Wild Mega Length Mascara on bottom lashes and to blend false lashes
Body Shop tea tree face primer
Elf acne fighting foundation in “porcelain” with 2 pumps white manic panic mixed in
La Girl HD pro concealer under the eyes
BH Cosmetics Studio Pro powder to set and further mattify look
Kat Von D blush in “Essex”
A little bit of Nyx matte blush in “light” to contour a little, but not too much
I wanted to give a little bit of dimension on my face, so I used the Mary Lou-Manizer highlight on the very tops of my cheeks
Nyx Matte finishing spray to set everything and make the look last
Nyx soft matte lip cream in “Monte Carlo”

There are so many different ways to style this look, which is why I love it so much.
If you’re in a hurry, you can do the “poof” thing with your hair and place a bandana in it. You could pull it back into flowers, curl it, do victory rolls if you’re daring. It’s honestly up to you and your preferences. Personally, if I am in a hurry I love how a cute bandana and earrings pulls the look together instantly.

Here are some more ideas. These are all things I already own. As you can tell, the possibilities are almost endless. If this is a look you want to recreate one day, or even for Halloween, be creative. Interpret it as you wish.

Subscription Fever: Lip Monthly

October 24, 2014 / Kayla Hutchison / Leave a comment

Last month I decided to cancel both my beauty box and ipsy subscriptions because the samples I was receiving from both were merely piling up and ending up in a tiny sample landfill. I stumbled upon a relatively new subscription service called Lip Monthly, and decided to give it a try since I am a lip product addict. Lip products of any sort are probably the few things I get ridiculously excited for when it comes to subscription services.

It’s $10 per month and they say they will send 3-4 full sized products and 1-2 sample sized products. I was automatically intrigued just from reading that. So, I used a coupon code (will link at the end) and got my first box for $5 and started the subscription. The reviews I had watched seem mixed. Most seem to either love Lip Monthly or hate it. However, it seems that’s how the cookie crumbles with most subscription services. You can’t please everyone.

I received my tracking info last Friday and received my bag on Monday. So, shipping time seems to be about average.

These were the products that came in my bag. From what I have seen on instagram and youtube, this was the standard bag for everyone with a few differences like maybe their eyeliner pencil was a different color. The bag came with a card, but the prices were not beside the products so I can’t tell if I got more than my money’s worth in terms of product value. It looked like there were 4 full sized products and 1 sample sized, the sample being the lip scrub.
The J Cat lipstick in my bag is actually defective. I opened it and can’t even swatch the product because the lipstick is broken in half on the inside. I will have to email them about that, so next month I will update about their customer service. However, I can tell the color isn’t going to be for me. The one thing that does upset me a bit about this subsciption already is that they sent out the same color lipstick to everyone. When it comes to nudes, one color does not fit all. This color probably looks stunning on people with darker skin tones…it just makes me look dead. It looks like, well, my skin.

There was a purple shimmery lip tiny (balm?) that came in the bag and it smells pretty nice. Much like grapes if you’re into grape flavored things. There was also another chapstick that I have actually tried before (and like) from another subscription that smells like cherries. I’m not too sure what the point of sending two balm/chap stick type products is? The shimmery one doesn’t exactly compliment the weird nude tone lipstick, and I am not one to put on balm on top of more balm.

The last full sized product was a LA Girl eyeliner, which I like. LA Girl is a product I have talked about before and I have been wanting to try a few more of their products. The color I got was a very pretty blue color. I’ve been digging the blues lately since I have been playing around with black lipstick, and I have a few blue lipsticks so the eyeliner will double as a lip liner for me since blue lip liners are hard to come by.
The sample product was a lip scrub. It seems like your typical lip scrub. The smell is…okay. It smells natural, and the ingredients seems to be all natural as well, so that’s a plus.

Overall, I am neither over the moon or extremely disapppointed in this subscription for the first month in. I will give it a few more months, because I know they are newer and I can’t base it on the first bag I get. I would like to see a bit more of a theme with this subscription. It seemed like they tried to make a theme, but it just didn’t come together well. An option for individual profiles to ensure great product selection for each person would be nice as well. Not everyone is the same skin tone, and not every lip color is going to be suitable for everyone. I’m sure there are people that love the lipstick in the bag, but I can tell despite the defect in the product that it will make me look like my lips have disappeared, and that’s not what I am going for when I wear a nude lip color.

Trendy Thursday: Purple

September 25, 2014September 25, 2014 / Kayla Hutchison / Leave a comment

Fall is a time of renewal for me, and also a time when I feel the most creative. So, I want to test out a new idea which is Trendy Thursday. A blog every Thursday dedicated to either a color or fashion trend, sometimes both. Please feel free to read this and let me know if you enjoy the post and this idea. Also, I need suggestions on what color or trend to do next.

Okay, I have been feeling this purple trend lately. The violet and lavender thing started in the spring and summer, and now that fall is rolling in I have seen more of the berry and vampy purples popping up in places and in new makeup lines. I love it! Purple used to be a color that intimidated me, but now that I have tried it out I like it. What I love about purple in general is that it is so flattering on all skin tones. I feel that everyone can pull purple clothing and lipstick off no problem.

On my lips is LA Girl’s glazed lip paint in “Seduce.” I love this color. I feel that it is the perfect berry shade for early fall. I have mentioned these lip paints in a prior post, and I still love them! The application can be a bit messy for the darker colors, but my Eco Tools lip brush helps me out with that. I paired this lipstick off with a matte neutral eye using my Too Faced Natural Eyes palette (review to come) and Red Cherry lashes in #605. Because I wanted more focus on my lips, I lightly contoured my cheeks with Nyx blush in Taupe and lightly dusted Nyx’s blush in Dusty Rose on my cheeks.

My purple cat cardigan is actually from Target, and it is from their fall 2014 line! I love this cardigan. I got it on sale for $14 a few weeks ago and it is form fitting and so so comfortable.

I also wanted to include in the post a few more swatches, including a swatch on the skin of the color I am wearing on my lips.

Swatches going from bottom swatch to top (all of these are budget friendly):

Nyx soft matte lip cream in Transylvania- I absolutely adore this shade. It is a deep vampy matte purple, and it is so affordable. These lip creams also smell like vanilla cupcakes, so that’s a plus! I will say that the formula is a bit drying, so I typically put lip balm on beforehand and use a lip primer.

Nyx Devil’s Food Cake- I know, this is not really purple. It is a bit of a berry shade, and I wanted to include it because it will darken up lighter purple lipsticks if you’re wanting a glossy berry finish. I had bought so many of the butter glosses from Nyx before they sold out to Loreal. I really love them, and I am sad that I will not be repurchasing them after I use them all up. So, if you’re wondering why I am including Nyx in my posts again, that’s why. I’m currently trying to use up all of my lip products by them.

Nyx butter gloss in Raspberry Tart- if you’re wanting a kind of sheer purple to just test the waters, try this shade. Butter glosses go on very smooth in general, and though they are not long lasting, they do not feel sticky on the lips at all. They also have a very pleasant scent to them.

LA Girl’s glazed lip paint in Seduce- this was the color I am wearing in my photos this post. I love this color. The application is flawless as well as the color. I now have 8 of these lip paints and I plan on getting a few more. They are only about $4 each and now come in 18 different colors! Obsessed.

LA Girl’s glazed lip paint in Tempt- This is another berry color, but it’s super deep. I love this color. Due to the formula of the lip paints though, the application of this color can be messy and patchy. I’m not a huge fan of the applicators themselves of this product, so I typically put a little product on the back of my hand and apply it with a lip brush.

Just to add a bit of myself and my everyday life into the post, here’s a picture of me and both my daughters, Piper (3 months) and Harmony (2 years). This picture captures them both pretty well. Harmony is the light hearted goofy one and Piper seems to be the more serious child, though she’s still a very happy baby. We played outside for a bit today and enjoyed the nice weather. I can’t wait until the local corn mazes start to open up. What are some of your favorite family fall activities?

all of these opinions are my own, and this is not a sponsored post.
Posts to come:
How to Save Money on Makeup
First Impression: BH Cosmetics Foundation and Wet n Wild Mascaras
Fall Elf Haul: 50% Sale
On Kids and Makeup
For more pictures of my kids and makeup: Instagram- @mommawolf__

If any of the above posts interest you, please subscribe to my blog! I am really hoping to have enough followers soon to have a giveaway on my instagram! Thank you for stopping by!