lucky bandit | RVA based lifestyle blog

Thursday, February 21, 2019

unboxing // ipsy february 2019

I recently signed up for Ipsy, a monthly beauty subscription service. You fill out a beauty quiz, let them know what you'd like to receive, and they send you five products for you to try out and review. I'm always late to everything and wasn't really a fan of subs, but I've realized I tend to buy the same things over and over, so I thought it would be a great way to branch out. Ipsy is not an exclusively cruelty free service, so I'm going to do my best to research and try to see what is cruelty free. It seems like this month's was entirely cruelty free (with the exception of my free gift of the Clinique). As always, check for yourself as I'm human. :)

Here's what I received in February's bag!

Ipsy Pink Pouch with Lip Print // I don't really need any more makeup bags, so this will likely be gifted to someone.

Meech N Mia Pressed Eyeshadow in Taupe // cruelty free // I was hoping for the taupe shade, but now that I have it I'm not sure how well it'll fit into my collection. It swatched a little purple, but that may just be me. I'm going to give it a shot, though!

Sand & Sky Australian Pink Clay Flash Perfection Exfoliating Treatment // cruelty free // I'm all about some skin care and I've heard good things about this.

Pixi by Petra Glow Tonic // cruelty free // I've been wanting to try this so badly and I'm so glad I got a sample! I'm going to use this up in place of my normal toner and see how it works.

Kokie Cosmetics Be Bright Illuminating Concealer in Light // cruelty free // I really like the striped top and doe foot applicator. Hopefully it doesn't come out too light for me.

Belle En Argent Auteur Creme Lip Color in I'll Bring Dessert // cruelty free // This color is great! The formula seemed to apply smoothly when I swatched it.

Clinique Almost Lipstick in Black Honey // not cruelty free // This was a free gift for signing up. It's not cruelty free so I'm not going to replace it once I use it up, but it's a nice color for the office.


frugal bandit blog | my poshmark closet | shop leggings | shop my mercari

Follow

lucky bandit is a for profit blog. I use affiliate links and paid advertisements. I may earn compensation for a click or purchase through a link. Paid (whether via product or monetary) reviews will be noted in the actual post. Though compensation may influence the type of posts, all opinions and reviews will be legitimate and honest.

*All affiliate links will be marked with an asterick.*

Tuesday, February 19, 2019

review // Diamond Candles pumpkin espresso

Last fall I scored a Diamond Candle for 30% off, so I thought I'd save it for the apartment. I actually have no sense of smell, so it's more a novelty for me to burn candles. However, this one offered a little prize in the form of a ring. You can potentially get a higher value ring, but typically they're just costume pieces. I chose the Pumpkin Espresso scent.
I started it one Saturday morning. It had a little frosting, but it didn't affect the candle's burning. However, it did start tunneling a few hours into burning, which isn't something you want your candles to do. I try to always burn candles long enough for them to evenly distribute wax to prevent tunneling, so unfortunately it wasn't my burning technique.

According to a friend, the scent throw of this wasn't doing too hot, especially since I live in a tiny one bedroom.
Here you can see the foil packet finally revealing itself. It took about 10-12 hours to get to this point, over a few days. I didn't reach for this candle as much as the others since it doesn't have a lot of smell to it.
 This is the little foil piece once I pried it out with some tweezers. It was attached to the side of the candle and came out fairly easily. The ring itself was well protected and was inside a small bag in the foil.
And here's the ring reveal! It's worth $10 and honestly isn't really anything I'd ever wear, but it's fairly nice for a cheap costume piece.

Final verdict? I don't think I'll be ordering another Diamond Candle just because the candle itself wasn't super amazing. It was a fun experience and the ring was an added bonus, but I can get candles with a better scent throw elsewhere. I'll likely finish burning it because we already have it, but this will be the last one.

frugal bandit blog | my poshmark closet | shop leggings | shop my mercari

Follow

lucky bandit is a for profit blog. I use affiliate links and paid advertisements. I may earn compensation for a click or purchase through a link. Paid (whether via product or monetary) reviews will be noted in the actual post. Though compensation may influence the type of posts, all opinions and reviews will be legitimate and honest.

*All affiliate links will be marked with an asterick.*

Saturday, February 16, 2019

link love

Some odd part of me really wants to try this cruelty free and vegan cheese curd lip balm or maybe the pizza version.

I ordered this rug for our apartment when we first moved in and it has been a GODSEND. Mud and water doesn't stand a chance with this at the door.

Duke University is leading a study about Cuvier's beaked whales and how they are the deepest diving mammal, even defying mammalian physiology!

Here's a list of some cruelty free and vegan laundry products!

Jess has an amazing pasta recipe over on Writing in Red Lipstick!

I've always loved Stay Home Club, but I'm really liking this beanie.

Instagram confirmed a bug that has altered follower counts.

unsplash-logoViktor Juric

frugal bandit blog | my poshmark closet | shop leggings | shop my mercari

Follow

lucky bandit is a for profit blog. I use affiliate links and paid advertisements. I may earn compensation for a click or purchase through a link. Paid (whether via product or monetary) reviews will be noted in the actual post. Though compensation may influence the type of posts, all opinions and reviews will be legitimate and honest.

*All affiliate links will be marked with an asterick.*

Friday, February 01, 2019

marshall's mini cruelty free haul

I stopped at Marshall's one day after work to pick up another dog bed for Tucker and perused the cosmetics aisle for a bit. Stores like Marshall's can have some really awesome finds, but you have to be careful and make sure the beauty products haven't been opened or swatched (because ew). I lucked out and picked up this Too Faced Melted Latex liquid lipstick in Hopeless Romantic for $5.99 and a Pacifica Cactus Revive Milk to Foam Face Wash for $4.99.
This lipstick is a gorgeous color and from how it performed on my arm, it has staying power. I had to use a lip color remover* to get it off completely after smearing it all over the place. It'll be a nice muted color for the office. I think the Latex line might be phasing out and the cleanser is discontinued, so snag the lipstick while you can!

Found anything good lately? ♥


frugal bandit blog | my poshmark closet | shop leggings | shop my mercari

Follow

lucky bandit is a for profit blog. I use affiliate links and paid advertisements. I may earn compensation for a click or purchase through a link. Paid (whether via product or monetary) reviews will be noted in the actual post. Though compensation may influence the type of posts, all opinions and reviews will be legitimate and honest.

*All affiliate links will be marked with an asterick.*
^