Popsugar Must Have - June 2014

June's Popsugar Must Have box just came in and I think this is a great selection of items for summer.  I tend to like items that will be useful or can be used up and this fits the bill.

The One and Only by Emily Giffin - $28 value

I've read other books by Emily Giffin and have enjoyed them, so this will be a nice summer read.  I especially appreciate the hardcover version…I hate creasing my spines of my paperbacks and I treat them like they are loaded with C-4.  I also hate lending out my paperbacks for the same reason…this is sturdier so it looks like I'll be able to share this with someone when I'm done.

Sachajuan Body Lotion in Shiny Citrus - $24 value

I own a lot of lotions.  Like a LOT.  And I really hate slathering on lotion for some reason (especially on dry skin) so I tend to use moisturizers or oils in the shower.  That being said, this smells nice and sweet and citrusy without being overly cloying or artificial, and the simplistic packaging makes it look schmancy.  Therefore, this will be regulated to the gift pile or the visitors-are-coming pile.

Turkish T Towel in turquoise stripe – $32 value

I've been hearing about these types of towels so I am thrilled to have one to try out.  This is lightweight yet still absorbent = perfect for beach bags and for traveling, since it won't take up so much space or weight.  Doesn't hurt that its cute, too…they recommend using it as a sarong or a scarf or wrap, too.  Straight out of the package, its a little rougher than I expected, but at 100% cotton it will soften up after washing and use.  I will be swapping for a second with someone so that I'm set for vacationing this summer!

You Smell Wet Wipes in Lemon – $5 value

This is a new brand to me…their packaging is cute and they will be handy to throw into my bag.  I was expecting a more natural lemon scent, but that's okay.  They are approved because they meet my useful requirement.

One Potato Two Potato Kettle Chips in Hawaiian BBQ – $1.50 value

Already ate these (lol).  I will never say no to yummy treats in my sub boxes.

Lollies Hair Ties (colors may vary, mine were black/white/green but I saw grey options) – $8 value

I like these, they are made of a kind of swimsuit type material.  At first I was bummed about the olive green color but realized I have several pairs of shorts that will match.   I'll most likely use the green and black, the mixed color one is too juvenile for public for me.  I like that they can double as bracelets too. Again, they meet my useful requirement, so I approve!

And a Native Union Gift Card/Coupon Code – $15 value

This is most definitely an extra and not to be considered a part of the box value, as it does require you to spend money to use it.  I've been eyeing the monocle though, so this might be the chance to pull the trigger.  

Total box value came in at around $99 dollars, which isn't bad for a $40 sub.  The towel alone is $32, so for $8 more for everything else, I'm satisfied!  If you are interested in signing up for Popsugar and you liked my review, please consider using my referral code.  You can also use REFER5 to save $5 off your first order, or JUNESELECT10 to save $10 off a 3 month sub.

Product Review: Proactiv+ Mark Fading Pads

When I was a teen, I was fortunate enough to have clear skin with just the occasional blemish.  Alas, to be young with a face as smooth as a baby's bottom again!  Now that I hit *ahem* an age that shall not be named, my skin has decided to act out and make me look like a pimple-ridden teen, oy.

Proactiv+ to the rescue!  I've actually never tried any of their products until this point but they were very generous sponsors at Genbeauty 2014 last weekend and I received several products from them.  I was the most excited to try out the Proactiv+ Mark Fading Pads.  After reading the ingredient list, they seemed to be similar to my favorite Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Peels (the first of the 2 steps, that is) with the main ingredients of salicylic acid, glycolic acid, and witch hazel extract.

Proactiv+ provided a lot of full size products, so I was questioning why
I only received 5 packettes...was that really the full size?  Nope.
Turns out the full size is 15 packettes, not 5 (phew, I knew it was too few).

So what's so great about the ingredients?  Now, I'm no scientist, but basically:

Salicylic acid (listed as the main active ingredient) is a beta hydroxy acid (BHA) that is derived from the bark of the willow tree and basically encourages skin cell turnover that keeps your pores clear and eliminates flaking skin (yay shedding!).  This ingredient is an acne ass-kicker.

Glycolic Acid is an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) that works as an exfoliator, penetrating the skin deeply (thanks to its extremely small molecular structure) and aiding the other products to sink and do their magic.  It is very helpful in the treatment of acne, acne scarring, fine lines, and discolorations.

Witch hazel extract contains chemicals called tannins, which help repair broken skin and fights bacteria (destroying the acne breeding ground!).

2% salicylic acid, baby!

Here's Proactiv+'s blurb:

Now, this stuff is pretty potent.  If the wipe got too close to my eyes they would start to water a bit from the fumes.  Plus, there is some mild stinging around some of my problem areas, but good stinging-tingling like it is working, not burning like I'm on fire from an allergic reaction.  They recommend 5 days in a row to kick-start the effects...I wouldn't do every day after those first 5 days, as these are strong and are potentially drying.  I am more of an every other day person so that the full pack of 15 would last a month rather than 2 weeks, too.

As for the results?  I definitely saw an immediate drying up of any existing blemishes I have.  My skin feels smoother (well, the skin between the blemishes, haha) and looks brighter and clearer.  I have a few dry patches on my cheeks and near my mouth and those have disappeared (woohoo skin cell turnover).  I like that rather than using a physical exfoliant to get scrub away dry skin and potentially spread acne germs, this kind of application is gentle.

While there is alcohol in this product (which is harsh and drying) my skin doesn't mind some skin booze.  However, if you have sensitive skin I would highly recommend--as I would for any new skin care product, really--testing a small area to make sure you don't have any negative reactions.  Like I said, this stuff is strong!

One thing that is a bummer with Proactiv+ is that its an all or nothing system.  If you want just one product, you're out of luck.  However, the price per item when you buy the Proactiv+ system is not bad at all.  As you can see, they have a 5 piece system for $40, plus the have an additional free product.  So 6 items for $40 is around $7 per product.  They do have less expensive Proactiv+ sets...but they don't have the Mark Fading Pads in those kits.  If their other products are as impressive as this one though, I look forward to trying the rest.

**UPDATE: Proactiv+ products are available individually here, but at $45 for the Mark Fading Pads, it is much more economical to buy a set.**

Speaking of trying the rest, I have 2 additional products from Genbeauty to try!  Stay tuned.

Next up!!

The products in this blog post were provided by the manufacturer for consideration.  For more information, please view my disclaimer.

Generation Beauty 2014 - Recap!

I woke up yesterday morning excited for makeup and was so sad when I realized I had to go to work.  It is that sad, end of vacation feeling.

And then I was like this:

Sad panda. :(

Because this weekend was a riot of beauty overstimulation and I loved and SQUEED every minute I was at Genbeauty!  Apologies in advance for the lack of photos, I was too busy soaking up every minute of the event and standing in line for two days that I neglected to get all the photos I wanted.  Also, my iPhone 4s is getting grumpy with me and drains its battery pretty quickly in protest of its abnormally heavy use.  Genbeauty is a very social media-heavy event, with a lot of Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook use to earn or win free product.  My whole purpose for attending was mostly to play with and learn more about the sponsor brands...especially the new products they were pimpin'.  To be honest, I don't much follow vloggers (as my gnat-sized attention span does not allow me to view any videos longer than 30 seconds) and while it was great to see some highly touted bloggers at the event, I was on a mission to play with pretties! 

Woohoo, made it!!

The tent!  Thank goodness there was air conditioning because the sun was crazy bright last weekend.

I'm so glad I had a friend come and experience this event with me!  I didn't get to attend last year, but we were so excited about this year that we bought tickets last summer.  We got there extra early because she is a convention pro and she scared the socks off me with horror stories.  Luckily, getting our badges was a completely pain-free process. We got our badges so fast that we had a good hour to kill til 11am, when they opened the doors.  Alas, this was just the beginning of 2 days of waiting...I should seriously consider a walker-chair combo with a basket for next year.  (Okay, not really. but a grown up stroller equivalent is a good idea).

Yay badge and tote bag! (and my tiny lime green purse)

First off, can I just say that I am very impressed at how organized this event was for only its second year.  Granted, there are some kinks to be worked out when you have such a large number of ladies scrambling over beauty goodies, but Ipsy did a great job, as did the sponsor companies.  I do have to say that all the waiting I did was worth it!  Plus, my fellow beauty lemmings were for the most part polite and patient, which was greatly appreciated.

Let the mayhem begin!  The only time the tent was quiet and calm...right
at the beginning of day 1.

And the crowdedness.  Last year I believe they were around 1200
attendees...this was definitely a larger turnout.

By far the worst line was the BareMinerals line, which we suffered through for over 2 hours...it wound its way around half the tent!  They had their new bareSkin liquid foundation and they were color matching everyone.  BareMinerals was a very generous sponsor though, they provided everyone with a free full size bareSkin Pure Brightening Serum Foundation Broad Spectrum SPF 20 and their new Perfecting Face Brush (a $57 retail value).   I LOVE the way this product looked after it was applied, and the brush was so soft!  

Doesn't the bareSkin look fab??  I was shocked at how
flawless my skin looked.

Thanks, BareMinerals!

The best part about going to this event with a friend was our divide and conquer strategy.  We cut down on our line-waiting significantly by taking turns holding our spot in line while running around and checking out the other booths.  We also used the time in line to enter the various Twitter and Instagram contests, which paid off when I won a Temptu airbrush system via their Twitter contest(!!!).

FREE TEMPTU!

The Temptu didn't come with any pods, but they had a nice discount at their booth and picked up a foundation pod after I got matched.  They were so sweet and threw in a complimentary concealer as well.  I'm just sad that their products are no longer available at Sephora, I used to love getting my face done with the Temptu when I worked there.  Honestly, though, I probably won't buy more pods...I would much rather get a spray gun (available on the Temptu Pro site) and either mix my own foundation or use the pro foundation.  Much more economical and I can custom my color.

Thanks, Temptu! (Sorry to everyone for the tired eyes and sad hair, haha.
This was Day 2 and I never did find the time to get my hair done.)

It is fair to say that this past weekend was a complete blur.  It went by so quickly, we forgot to eat. :)  They had food trucks on site though!  Again, more line waiting.  And they also had (nicer) portable toilets (aaaand more line waiting).  Next year I hope they splurge for the fancy portable bathrooms. :)  It didn't help, their having limitless Keurig beverages available too!

 And the best for last....Cargo Cosmetics!  I <3 this booth (and their products) so much that I spent a good chunk of my weekend there...played with products, attended their workshop, stopped by a few times when they had random Instagram tasks for free products...plus the ladies working the show were so sweet.  I left with a lot of generously provided products and a hankering for more...I immediately went home and hopped on their site to purchase a few items I fell in love with.  Once I get everything, I will absolutely do a review on my Cargo haul and stash. <3

I love everything, especially their Cargo HD line. <3

My Cargo freebies (!!) And then I bought more! ><

And here are a few more quick pics snapped around the event:

Benefit.  This booth was so crowded I never did make it
inside! (This photo was taken as they were shutting
down, so obviously not crowded here.)

Proactiv Twitter vending machine...great sponsor,
they provided 3 full size products to everyone who
completed the activities at their booth.

LUSH!  I really wish they gave away more, I would love
to try more of their products...they smell so great.  This
pic is compliments of my friend, who won Lush's Instagram
contest with an edited version of this pic.  SO JEALOUS.

NYX booth pins for voting for the blogger awards.

Keurig, you are a lifesaver.  Free hot and iced beverages for
everyone! And not just coffee.

Josie Maran #ImagineICan booth.  Loved all the color, so
sad I didn't win any of the full size product. :(

And of course, here is the swag I received from GenBeauty!  Definitely worth the cost of the (earlybird) ticket. :)  I can't wait to buy tickets for next year already.  Happy hour swag was easily collected this year, they provided a total of 4 tickets (2 per day) where you could go to any booth listed on that ticket to pick up a happy hour bag.  They had a total of 4 bags (again, 2 per day) with various products inside.  Easy peasy and quick...very efficient.

Items from the happy hour bags from both days.  I definitely got some doubles and different products than
some of my friend.  These products (or a similar variation) were guaranteed to all ticket holders who attended
happy hour.

And the total haul! (minus the items I purchased at the show...so all this was free)

Here's til next year...thank you to Ipsy, Michelle Phan, and all the sponsors! <3

Generation Beauty 2014 - my Must-Haves

So in case you didn't pick up on it, I'm a little excited.  My use of exclamation points has been quite...liberal.  I've always been a pre-planner and packer and this is no exception!  I've been to several conventions/conferences (both for fun and for not-fun work), and I usually don't have access to a place to stash my things while I walk the floor (in this case, I think Fiancé will drop us off).  Every little thing counts to make sure I get the most out of the weekend...and can still go strong on day 2!

Here are some of my Must-Haves to survive and pwn the day that I plan on using for GenBeauty:

Comfy (and cute!) shoes - because as hard as I try, I am not one to totter around in heels for a full day.  I just can't do it.  I would much rather stomp around in boots or flit around in flats, and the last thing I want is to not see everything I want to see because my feet are sore.  Plus, 2 days in a row walking the show usually means slightly sore feet on day 2, regardless of what footwear is worn.  I am not masochistic enough to sacrifice my foot comfort for fashion.

Business cards - whether they are my "official" work cards or my "alter-ego" blog cards, these are essential for networking...and for my male-heavy line of work, helpful in getting people to take you a bit more seriously (its all in the job title!).  It will be so nice to go to a girly event like this for a change.  Silly me forgot to get her cards done in time, so I had to resort to printing and cutting myself...but hey, they look pretty darn good.

Water bottle - I am never without a water bottle.  I keep them everywhere, and I love fancy ones (such as my trusty S'well, or my new Citrus Zinger from my Popsugar Must Have box).  But for something like this, I revert back to a cheap throwaway bottle.  Seems counterintuitive to carry an un-pretty bottle to an event where everyone is looking at everyone else, right?  But!! the bottle will be lighter and if I get sick of carrying it, I can toss recycle it altogether. 

Small crossbody bag (OR giant light tote) - I usually opt for either a tiny crossbody that holds my essentials, or a huge tote to toss all my goodies into.  GenBeauty should provide cute pink tote bags upon check-in, though (if it is anything like last year), so I can use that for the goodies and stick to a crossbody for this.  (Note to self: wear something that won't clash with the tote!)

iPhone - for such a social media-heavy event like this, a smartphone is a must...preferably ready to go with Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.  Last year Benefit printed out all the Instagrammed pics hashtagged for GenBeauty for people to take home, which is such a cute and fun idea.  This year they will have a printer compliments of bareMinerals.  Time to #genbeauty like a crazy person!  Fair warning to anyone following me on Instagram...its going to get crazy with makeup pics next weekend.

Phone battery backup - I love my hot pink iPhone charger...its small and only gets me a charge and a half, but that is plenty to get me through the day without being too bulky.  

Beauty essentials - Sunblock (I have tons of Supergoop!, thanks to the now-defunct LBB), Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment SPF 15 in clear, hand cream, hair ties, small concealer compact, hand sanitizer, lip color (lipstick or lip gloss).  Although in the case of GenBeauty, I probably don't need to bring anything at all and I can get made up at any of the various booths. :)

Sharpie pens & Sharpie - there is never ever a pen when you need one, although most conventions you can track down a freebie somewhere.  I <3 Sharpie brand pens though so I always have one on me.  A regular Sharpie is essential for writing your name on name tags or if you ever get a chance to get someone's signature...I'm always surprised at the number of celebrities that grace conventions with their presence!

Now if only I knew what I am going to wear tomorrow...

Generation Beauty 2014 - UPDATE

Exciting news!  GenBeauty released the full schedule and map.  For a pre-planner such as myself this is mucho awesome.


Anything tagged #genbeauty will post on a social stream screen in the middle of the tent, which is neat to see other people's take on the whole experience.  What I'm excited about though is that any pictures tagged with #genbeauty will be automatically printed out for you to take home! (thanks, bareMinerals for providing the printer!!)  They will also have free WiFi, courtesy of Polished, hooray!

 I can't even begin to figure out what I want to attend right now o_O.   Time to confer with my friend to see what is on her must-see list.  Happy hour = run around and get freebies with vouchers = <3.

Oops, a little teeny.  Click to enlarge!

Day 2 seems much more mellow, with a lot more user-participatory events.  Hopefully they provide some info on what some of these challenges and events are (particularly curious about "Beauty Chopped!" on Day 1...).

I know, still hard to read.  Click to enlarge (expand your browser window if still teeny).

YAY a map!  This is always the best part of any trip for me, even as a kid I would be the one directing my family through the zoo or the amusement park.  Maps just make it more real, 9 out of 10 I will commit this map to memory and be the person who can weave my way through the crowd to get to my destination, like a salmon spawning upstream.

Yay! This is happening, people.  so.excited.right.now. :D

Generation Beauty 2014 - beauty nerds, unite!

OMGIamsoexcited. O_O

10 days until....

AHHHHH!  Ipsy and Michelle Phan's 2nd ever beauty blogger conference is at the end of this month.  I was so bummed I wasn't able to attend last year's first Generation Beauty that as soon as these tickets were made available (in July I think) I bought an early bird ticket and convinced a friend to go with me. :)  At $50 for the whole weekend, it will be more than worth it! (Tickets are, unfortunately, up to $150 now because it is so close to the event).

It will be at LA Live in downtown LA. (Oh the driving.  By far the thing I'm the least excited to tackling that weekend.)  Should be a good location and last year they had food trucks...hopefully there will be food trucks again so we don't have to venture too far away for sustenance.

It will not be this fabulous looking, as it will be during the day and most likely in a giant tent. :)

It will be 2 days (for normies like myself who can't go Friday, which is still plenty) of fabulous basking in beauty products and bloggering, offering a great opportunity to learn about honing all types of social media sharing skills.  And networking.  And playing with all the pretty beauty products.  I plan on getting my hair, brows, nails, and makeup all did up several times over the weekend!

Here is the most exciting part!  They finalllyyyyyy released the list of sponsors that will be attending GenBeauty and I couldn't be more thrilled right now!  They upped their game from last year and have so many brands I would love to try and learn more about...especially if they are previewing any new products.  Plus, if they are all providing free products, I'll be needing a cart to haul everything away. :D

What a great sponsor lineup!

Hopefully I will also get the chance to meet up with my fellow Ipsters and Facebook group makeup-lovers, as well.  Stay tuned, I will be going bananas covering this event.

For all the info on this happi-haps, check out the Generation Beauty 2014 website.

It's been awhile...

Big doings since my last post...sometimes life just gets in the way!  But in a good way, for me...I had two happy huge life events happen in the last 6 months. :)


Life Event #1: Meet Chloe, the newest member of my little family.  She will have several posts dedicated just to her.  Because I am a crazy dog lady, and she is amazing.

Hi there!

Life Event #2: I got engaged!  FINALLY.  I've been with guyfriend (now Fiancé!) for over 12 years now, and this is some big doings.  Of course, it has been 3 months and I haven't planned a darn thing yet...

Bling bling!

Then there were lots of littler events like holidays, graduations, returned travelers, workworkworkwork stuff...

And then some not so great news: Little Black Bag (my major source of pretties) merged with Pose and will no longer exist in the form I had come to know and love.  :(  So I spent a month trading like a crazy person to close out 2 huge gift bags (hundreds of items) and shipped loads and loads.  Now its time to scrub my blog of all the LBB love, unfortunately.  Alas, the good old days....

But hey.  I'm back now. :)  And I'll be posting again.  2014 is off to a great start!