ipsy bag - January 2015

I recently signed up for ipsy and today I got my first pink bag in the mail! I am super excited to share with you all what I got. In general, I'm pretty happy with all of the products.

I received three full-sized products and two sample product. The bag this month is pretty awesome too. One side of it is blue, one white with a coral zipper. Their theme this month is "fresh start" and the message said: A kickoff so clean the possibilities are endless. Get ready for a fantastic and flawless 2015. All of the products seem to match up with the theme pretty darn well.

Bellapierre Cosmetics Eyeshadow: This is a full-sized loose shimmer eyeshadow in the shade Celebration (SP017). It is a pretty brown/gold shade. I LOVE neutral colors, so I think that I would get a lot of use out of this shade. The only thing I do not like about this product is that I am not typically a fan of loose shadows.

Pacifica Natural Mineral Coconut Eyeshadow: Another pretty eyeshadow. This one is in the shade "ethereal" and it is literally a super nude shade. It looks like it has a little bit of shimmer in it as well. I can go one of two ways with this eyeshadow: 1) I'm really pale, so I am not sure if this shade will show up very well; 2) I do like to be fairly natural, so this could be a nice shade for those days when I don't want to look like I'm wearing a lot of makeup.

Elizabeth Mott All Over Shadow Brush: I'm very excited for this brush because I do not have a ton of makeup brushes! It will definitely get a lot of use.

Probelle Nail Polish: This nail polish is in the shade Into The Blue. It's a super pretty color that will look great in the spring. I have not tried a Probelle polish before, so I can't speak to the quality. The color is gorgeous though!

Eco-Beauty Moisturizer: One of my sample products. My skin is always ridiculously dry in the winter months and this year is no exception. I'm stoked to try out this moisturizer because I'm always looking for a new product that will hydrate my skin well.

Overall thoughts? I'm quite happy with my first ipsy bag. I will get use out of all the products that came. The only thing that would have made this bag better was if one of the eyeshadows had been replaced with an eyeliner. Are you subscribed to ipsy? If so, what did you get in your bag this month?

Interested in subscribing? Use my referral link to sign up: click here! I get some points for you signing up and you get to try 4-5 beauty products for only $10 per month.

Welcome to 2015!

What is a new year without having some new year resolutions? I feel like this is a fairly common type of post for the beginning of the year, but I want to hold myself accountable to my goals this time around.

Goal #1: Be healthier.
Typical... I know, I know. I could go on forever about the excuses I make, but that's not the point. I really want to start focusing on myself. Making myself a better me. I want to feel better about myself. There are a couple of steps beneath this goal that I specifically want to focus on:

• Train for a half-marathon. I signed up for a half-marathon in my local community that will take place in early May 2015.
• Eat healthier. Ideally, I want to work on reducing the amount of processed foods I eat. While I recognize that this goal might be challenging to achieve for the first half of 2015 since I am finishing up my graduate program, one main thing that I would like to do throughout the year is drink at least three Nutribullet drinks per week.

Goal #2: Be more intentional with my time.
I have a difficult time staying in the moment with my tasks or free time. I really want to focus on making 2015 a year where I manage both my professional and personal time. I think the commitments I have for the first half of 2015 should help me with this a little bit since I will be training for a half-marathon and writing a thesis to complete my final semester of graduate school.