Scentbird! - Why I subscribed (and a review!)

Hello, My Beautiful Bloggy Friends!

Yup... I've done it! I've decided to take the plunge and pamper myself with another monthly subscription service. It's called Scentbird ...and so far, I'm loving it! Want to know why?

There are a few reasons that I decided to give this monthly subscription program a try. But, before we get into that, I want to state up front that I do NOT have a contractual agreement of any kind with Scentbird or any of their affiliates. I pay for this subscription service with my own money and I do NOT receive any monetary compensation for posting about, or reviewing their products.

***There is one little perk, similar to the type that you get with quite a few of these services, but I'll touch on that a little further down in the post.

OK. So, now that we have that out of the way - let's get to the "why" part of this, shall we?

1. I've always loved wearing perfume and enjoyed it when someone around me has noticed and said something along the lines of "You smell great!"

2. I've never been the kind of gal who enjoys wearing the same perfume all of the time. Not that there's anything wrong with it, but I've never had a "signature scent". (Who knows... Now that I've subscribed, that might just change!)

3. That being said, spending (what could easily add up to) hundreds of dollars a year on a new bottle of perfume every few months, just to keep my interest piqued, is simply not in this girl's budget.

4. I finally got tired of spending our hard earned money on perfumes that smelled great in the store - or on those little fold out cards in all of the fashion magazines - only to find out that the wonderful seventy dollar (or more) fragrance, smelled completely different when I actually spritzed some on and wore it all day. (and not in a good way!)

So, needless to say, when I heard about Scentbird I was intrigued! The process is pretty simple, really. I'll do my best to briefly explain how it works and I'll add a couple of short little videos from Scentbird at the bottom of the post to give you a more 3D perspective. (I promise... they're really quick)

Step 1. You start by going to the Scentbird website. (I'll tell you in just a bit, how you can get a free month of perfume by using my referral link!) When you sign up for the program, you have just a few simple things to do to get started.

Step 2. You fill out your email address, name and all of the usual information and you choose a password, just like pretty much anything you sign up for on the internet. You'll have the choice of a month-by-month subscription at the cost of $14.95/month, or you can choose a 3 month, a 6 month or a 12 month/full year subscription. I chose to go month by month, but you can cancel any of their plans at any time and for any reason.

(You'll have to forgive me, but I can't remember the exact costs associated with the other plans at the moment. I do know that each one will save you a bit more money overall, depending on which choice you make - The costs for each plan are clearly stated on the website and just so you know from the get-go, if you do decide to go with one of these, they will ask for full payment for that plan, up front)

Next, you'll be asked to take a quick profile "quiz". This gives Scentbird a better idea about which types of scents you tend to like best, so that they'll be able to recommend new fragrances for you. But, never fear! You don't have to choose the perfumes that they suggest. As a matter of fact, you can choose exactly which perfume you'd like to receive each month in advance, by setting up your personal queue for (at least) 12 months in advance.

Now, keep in mind that neither the quiz, nor setting up a queue will lock you into those choices. You can go into your Scentbird account and change the fragrances themselves, or the order in which you want to receive them, at any time. The only exception to this, pertains to the following month's fragrance. You always have up to the 5th of each month to change that month's choice. But after that date, you're locked into the perfume that was next in your queue. However, the next month and months that follow can still be changed.

Scentbird carries literally hundreds of top shelf, designer fragrances and it can be a bit daunting at first, trying to decide just which scents you want to try, but you can narrow your search by using the chart at the top of the page that shows you many of the different "notes" used in creating a perfume. You can also search by designer, or by the actual perfume name, if you already have an idea of what you want.

Your first month's shipment (which comes in a glossy black bubble mailer) will contain one sturdy black plastic case/holder that contains a glass pump spray bottle of what Scentbird considers to be a 30 day supply of the perfume that you selected. I'd say that for me at least, it's really enough for a couple of months use. The only time that you might run out before your 30 days are up, is if you fell so madly in love with the scent that you went a little crazy and sprayed it all over everything in your house! LOL You'll also receive a little black "crushed velvet" style drawstring pouch to keep your perfume in, if you so desire.

The glass atomizer or spray bottle just pops in and out of the case and once it's in there, a quick twist of the case will raise and then lower the insert so that it is flush to the top of the case. That way, you won't ever have to worry about the little bugger "going off" in your purse accidentally!

After the first month, you'll receive your selection in the same little black bubble mailer with the shredded paper packing fluff, but without a case. (unless you've ordered an extra case or two) Extra cases come in black, or in a few other fashion colors most of the time, but Scentbird also offers limited edition cases and even pretty patterned ones now and then for special occasions. The last time that I
checked, the cost of each extra case was $12.95. (US) They also offer boxed gift sets throughout the year that from what I've seen so far, consist of three different fragrances.

This is one of the current gift sets that's available for men.

***So, I'm sure that you've probably been waiting to hear about the *free perfume that I mentioned above, right?!

This is how it works: Just head on over to the right side of this page and click HERE on my "referral link" (the Scentbird logo) and you'll be whisked away to the Scentbird site. Since you've used my link, if you should decide to sign up for one of their subscription plans, you and I will both receive a **free perfume! You can then pass your own referral link on to friends and get the same little perk! I call that a win/win situation!

**This free month is available to new Scentbird subscribers only. Once you have paid for your first month, you will receive your second month's selection FREE of charge!

Another benefit to signing up for Scentbird, is having the ability to purchase full sizes of the designer fragrances you love, at awesome discounts! How does that happen? Well... a few days after you've received your selection for the month, you'll receive an email from Scentbird, asking you to do a little review of that fragrance on their website. You are never obligated to do a review, but when you love a particular fragrance and your review reflects that, they take notice and they'll usually send you an email, offering you the option to purchase the full sized version of that perfume at a pretty decent discount! There are also other special offers that Scentbird will send you emails about throughout the month.

Looking for a unique holiday/birthday/just because gift for the guy (or guys) in your life? Well then you're in luck, because there's also a Scentbird subscription option for men! (The link is on their website)

So.... Now you know how Scentbird works and just a few of the reasons that I decided to sign up! Are you thinking about checking it out? If the answer is "yes!", I'd love to know what you think of the idea and why you feel it would work for you, so please give me a shout in the comments below!

Check out these very short videos to see a bit more about Scentbird!






Thanks so much for stopping by! Mary
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May 2015 Ipsy Unbagging!

Howdy Ladies!

Running late again posting my May Ipsy Glam Bag, but as the saying goes, better late than never, right?

If you'd like to learn more about Ipsy, you can see my April unbagging post where I wrote out a pretty detailed explanation, by clicking HERE!

If you'd like to go right to Ipsy and subscribe to get your own monthly Glam Bag, just click HERE!

Let's get to it, shall we? This month's theme was "Hey Jetsetter". The bag itself, is a cute canvas style bag and I believe it was made by the same company that recently made a line of limited edition makeup bags for Sephora. They sold for $24 each and had different sayings and screen prints of makeup items on them.

They were all sold out the last time I was on the site. but you never know... a bag that was as popular as this series seemed to be, might just show up again... so it couldn't hurt to stop by Sephora and check it out!

This was the first item that I saw because it was outside of the makeup bag. Why? Well, because it's a full sized can of this Oscar Blandi Dry Shampoo! I've received sample sizes of hair sprays and other similar products in previous Ipsy bags, but this was a real treat!

It's a nice product and it does what it's supposed to, but for a brand that retails for about $25 a can, I expected this to be THE best dry shampoo in the world! Don't get me wrong I'm glad that I got a chance to try it, but I think I'll just stick to my Herbal Essences Dry Shampoo. It costs (at the least) $20 less and it really does an amazing job!

Next, I pulled out this Luxie Beauty Tapered Blending Brush! I'm always happy to receive makeup brushes in my Ipsy bags and lately, they've been doing a nice job of including some type of brush in 3/4ths of each month's lineup of available products that are sent out.

That doesn't mean that you'll definitely get one of them in your bag, but even if you don't get a particular item that you wanted in any given month's bag, you can always go to Ipsy and purchase it for a decent discount over retail, or in some cases if you've accumulated enough points, you can get it that way. I've also noticed that I've received certain popular items later on, in a following month's bag.

I've never had a brush of any kind from this brand before and I couldn't find the retail price for it online, but it's a nice brush with what appears to be synthetic bristles that are soft and so far, they haven't done any shedding. I do wish that it was a little more domed in shape, but as blending brushes go, it works just fine and it's washed up nicely.

The item that everyone received in the May bag, was this (I'd say half-sized) Urban Decay Glide On Lip Liner Pencil in Ozone (invisible/clear) and 2 little sample pots of their new Revolution High-Color Lip Gloss. The 2 shades that everyone received were "Failbait" - a very pretty hot pink and "Bittersweet" - a surprisingly pigmented, but not over the top purple shade, that seems to look pretty nice on most every skin tone.

I honestly haven't had a chance to try any of these products yet, but I've seen several unbaggings where fellow Ipsy subscribers have been very happy with both the Lip Pencil and the Lip Gloss. The full size lip pencil retails for $20 and comes in 17 shades. The full size lip gloss retails for $22 & comes in 14 shades.

My favorite (by a landslide) product in this month's bag, was this bellapierre Gel Eyeliner Pencil in Ebony! LOVE this liner! I am a liquid and gel liner gal from way back and this one is just gorgeous! It's full size and it retails for between $11 and $13.

It goes on so smoothly, with no tugging or pulling and it stays put ALL day! I totally forgot to swatch this for you, but I assure you that it's a nice, opaque black and it doesn't irritate my very sensitive eyes one bit! This is a definite repurchase for me!

This final item (now that I think about it) was a tie for my favorite items from this month's bag. The Organic Pharmacy Double Rose Rejuvenating Face Cream is from a brand that I trust. (Read about them HERE) It retails for $88 for 50ml. This sample is 10ml.

With the skin issues that I have as a symptom of my Lupus, I have to be VERY careful about what I put on my face. If I use a product that is irritating or toxic to me in any way, I don't even want to tell you how bad it can get. Even the most pigmented liquid, cream or powder makeup will not cover the ugly, angry rash and/or welts that will show up almost immediately. Um... let's just say that it ain't purty!

This is a lovely, mild, seriously moisturizing face cream that has a light, natural scent and doesn't leave my face feeling greasy or in any way irritated. Here's the site's description:

"For all skin types. A light but nourishing cream with purifying Rose and nourishing Rose Hip blended with Ginger, Gotu Kola and Marigold to promote cell regeneration, reduce broken capillaries and make the skin glow."

So... that's what I received in my May Ipsy Glam Bag. Hopefully, I'll get the June unbagging posted long before the month of June is over. LOL

Live Well,

Mary


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April 2015 Ipsy Bag!

Just a little note to my current friends and longtime subscribers: I have sorely neglected this blog for some time now and I'd really like to get back to posting here on a somewhat regular basis. That being said, since today's post is obviously makeup related, I wanted to clarify that I'm not planning on taking the blog to a place where I do only makeup and beauty reviews, hauls and unboxings, but since those things happen to be a part of my life that I enjoy very much, I will be sharing things like monthly Ipsy bag reviews, nail polish and lipstick photos and hauls and assorted other beauty and makeup related things. I truly hope you'll enjoy this new aspect of the blog as much as the types of posts (ie. posts about my life and all of the good, bad and ugly that comes with it) that I've been doing here since the beginning and will continue to do! ~ Mary

I'm really sorry that I'm posting this SO late, but as some wise person said a very, very long time ago, "better late than never"! (Hmmmm. I've now piqueued my own curiosity about that saying, so I'm going to have to find out just who said it first and when...)

So, anywhoooo....

I've been subscribed to Ipsy for almost 2 years now and I've been extremely happy with the products that I've received from them during that time, so I've decided to start sharing my Ipsy Glam Bag goodies here each month!

But.... Before I share this month's bag, for those who are here because they want to know what Ipsy is or maybe just a little more about it, I figured I'd explain just what The Ipsy Glam Bag is and a bit about how it works.

If you are already a seasoned Ipsy subscriber, I'm sure you'll want to skip down to the unbagging/review itself. Just scroll down to the photo of the bag!

Ipsy is a monthly subscription plan and community, started by Youtube and beauty industry guru Michelle Phan. It costs only $10 each month, (including shipping) making it one of the best monthly subscription values out there, as far as I'm concerned.

When you subscribe, you'll receive 4 to 5 deluxe sample or full sized makeup, hair, skin and nail care products and tools, from well known and loved beauty brands. Your bag is curated with a new theme each month, by some of the best known and loved beauty experts and gurus from both the blogging world & Youtube. And it all comes packed in an adorable new makeup bag each month, designed just for Ipsy subscribers!

When you first sign up with Ipsy, you'll fill out a personal Ipsy profile, which allows Ipsy to semi customize your monthly bags by choosing the 4 to 5 items that best fit the kinds of items that you've told them you want or need most.

You'll provide them with things like your age range, complexion tone and type, hair and eye color and what types of products you would prefer to receive in your bags, as well as which of the many major beauty brands you love best! You can also retake the quiz anytime by visiting your profile and following the directions to do so.

Why would you want to do this? Well, as the old adage goes... we're women and it's our prerogative to change our minds, right? Also, as a woman, your skin and hair needs can change when you least expect them to and in the true spirit of "keepin' it real", it might just be that you'd like to try some new and different products that might not have fit in as much with your original quiz answers.

While Ipsy works all the time with major brands like The Balm, Dr, Brandt, Bare Minerals, NYX, Urban Decay, Ole Henriksen, Neutragena and many, many more, they also often showcase new, up and coming beauty brands as well, so that you can have the opportunity to try out all of the trendy new products that all of your favorite magazines and beauty bloggers are raving about at the moment!

You can also earn points by reviewing the products you receive each month! Ipsy will also use those product reviews to help match you with the items they're featuring each month. Just visit the "Glam Bag" tab on Ipsy's site to review your products each month, earn points (10 per review, plus 5 more if you share those reviews on Facebook), and to also give them a better idea of what you’d like to see more or less of in your future Glam Bags. You can redeem those points for products that Ipsy has in stock from previous month's bags that you really enjoyed, or maybe that you wanted but didn't receive. 

Ipsy ships to: USA, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Northern Mariana Islands and Guam. They do also ship to Canada, but shipping fees will be applied in that case.

Subscription & Cancellation Policy: Once you've subscribed your subscription will be renewed automatically. You may cancel at any time by logging into your account and following the cancellation procedures that are described.

OK... (phew!) without further ado, these are the great products that I received in my April 2015 Ipsy Glam Bag! If you'd like to check Ipsy out and maybe subscribe to get your own monthly GlamBag, just click HERE!

Isn't this woven straw bag adorable!? It's definitely one of my all time favorites!

This month's bag was curated by the very talented and very funny Youtube beauty guru and makeup artist, Chrisspy! You can check out her Youtube channel by clicking HERE

Each month, you have the opportunity to win a 1 year subscription to Ipsy by sharing on social media!! The directions are on the included card!

The first thing I noticed when I opened the bag, was the incredibly cute sample from The Balm's popular eyeshadow palette called "Nude Dude" (volume 2) and I have to admit that I kinda giggled like a little girl! LOL

Let's give this month's bag a first impression review, shall we?! (Sorry I didn't swatch anything for you this month, but I'll remember to do it in the coming months whenever/wherever it's applicable)

I absolutely LOVE The Balm's packaging!

From their website: Introducing theBalm's latest addition to the Nude series... Nude Dude! Get a quick look using any combination of these triple-milled shadows or dress up your look by adding water to transform your favorite shades into loyal liners. This total package includes 12 full-bodied shadows that can be worn alone or layered for added intensity, so go ahead and cover (or uncover) your eyes.

Cost for the full palette: $36 - Palette includes 12 shadows at a total of 9.6 Grams

I know... It's totally campy, but you've gotta agree that it's cute as all get out! Flirty is a lovely, creamy very slightly brownish/mauve shadow, with a great color payoff and a little hint of shimmer! Little to no fallout. Very pleased! 

This Olive Lips balm (I received Oats & Honey) has a smooth feel, is very moisturizing and not at all sticky. It's full of healthy ingredients and it's a perfect size to throw in my purse and be on my way!

From their website: Who doesn’t want, soft, moist, kissable lips? Well with this set you can have the full Olive Natural Beauty Lip experience!  All 5 ONB flavors in one pretty little set perfect for on-the-go, gifts, or everyday use.  Olive Natural Beauty Lip Balm is packed with our organic grape seed and extra virgin olive oil for light enduring moisture with no added synthetics or chemicals so your lips are always ready for that spontaneous kiss. We use animal cruelty-free beeswax that is cultivated at a higher altitude to produce the most pure and unprocessed wax, protecting your lips from the elements they need while allowing them to breathe and stay plump. With Olive Natural Beauty’s petroleum-free Lip Balm, you’ll forget all about dry and cracked lips as well as those other lip balms in your purse. It’s a lip tease–we know! 

Cost: (for the "A Big Kiss" set of 5 .07 oz lip balms in asst'd formulas) Regularly $29.75, but it's on sale right now for $25.00
This set includes (1) 0.07oz Refreshing Rosemary Lip Balm, (1) 0.07oz Oats & Honey Lip Balm, (1) 0.07oz Radiant Rose Lip Balm, (1) 0.07oz Lemon & Lavender Lip Balm, and (1) 0.07oz Sweet Fennel Lip Balm.

This is the first time I've had KCO Colors by Beauty Brands and I haven't worn it yet, but it looks like a pretty pink/brown nude shade and I am definitely a nude lipstick kinda gal. So... we'll see! I'll try to come back and let you know my thoughts once I've tried it out. :)

From their website: KOCO by beauty brands Cream Lipstick offers a wide variety of colors available in pearl and cream finishes. Pearl shades add shine and luster that volumize lips. Cream shades add a moisturizing feeling that makes the lips feel supple. KOCO by beauty brands Cream Lipstick is formulated to moisturize and protect lips from environmental factors (wind, dirt, pollution). KOCO by beauty brands Lipsticks are paraben-free, talc-free, lanolin-free and gluten-free. 

Cost: $8 for a full size tube which I assume this is, but I couldn't find this particular shade on the site. As you can see in the website info, they refer to their lipsticks as "KOCO" as opposed to KCO Colors on this tube. I'm thinking that it might have been done exclusively for Ipsy, or other promotions.

The only MICA Cosmetics products I've tried before have been loose mineral shadows, so this was a nice surprise! 

From their website: Use MicaBeauty Eye Primer to seal in Eye Shadows and Foundation, enhancing your all-day look. Go from shimmer to matte in just seconds. This waterproof formula provides the perfect foundation for a long lasting, smudge proof look that is designed for your active lifestyle. MicaBeauty Eye Primer helps even out skin tone as well as extends and intensifies your mineral eye shadows, without creasing, smearing, or fading.

Cost: $44.95 for 8G

This turned out to be a really creamy, easy to blend eyeshadow base and the color suits my skin tone perfectly! I truly like and use quite a few of the products that I receive from Ipsy, but I'm beyond happy with this and I'd definitely repurchase it! 

I've never had one of MBC's products before that I was so in love with or that I worried about running out of, but my first thoughts were... "Hmmm... wonder where I can get this when it starts to get low?" When I went to their website and saw that the full size costs $45, I almost fell off the couch! (Full size is 8grams or double this size) Luckily, this is concentrated and should last a good while!

I've had a couple of Julie G for Jesse's Girl polishes before and I like them. I'd consider them pretty good for a basic drugstore brand. I haven't used this color yet (I received the shade 70142 Damsel ~ part of the Julie G Core Collection), but it looks like a great Summer shade for both fingers and toes! 

From the website: You won't be a damsel in distress with mid-tone pink crème. 

Jesse’s Girl Cosmetics provides fashion-forward beauty for any budget (because a beautiful face shouldn’t cost an arm and a leg).

With a product line featuring high intensity nail enamels, mineralized baked eye shadows, eye and lip liners with built-in sharpeners, high quality lip glosses, along with our perennially popular and highly sought after pure pigment eye dusts, it’s no wonder Jesse’s Girl is a hit with women who value top-quality products but not necessarily department store prices.

Cost: $2.99 to $3.99 in most retail locations or on their website, depending on coupons or discount codes, etc.

One of the many things that I like about Ipsy, is that they offer some really good deals on repurchses of the products they send out. It might be in the form of a coupon, like this. Or, they usually have the product available at the Ipsy website for a pretty decent discount over retail.

Julie G is a well known Youtube beauty guru who collaberated with Jesse's Girl Cosmetics to do a line of nail polishes. She has done several very successful collections for them. I also noticed on the site that she has a line of nine styles of false lashes with them as well. If you've tried them, I'd love to know what you think of them!

This is her "About" statement from her Youtube channel: Julie G, Beauty Obsessed, Girly-Girl, Creator of Julie G. Nail Polish. Weekly videos feeding your beauty addiction. Subscribe to get notified of my next beauty obsessed video!

If you'd like to check her channel out for yourself, just click right HERE!

So, that's it for this month folks! Thanks for stopping by! If you have any questions about Ipsy or the products that I shared today, please feel free to leave me a comment. I really love hearing from you!


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