HP Instant Ink Review

Hello my friends,

Today's review is not makeup related....but could be very helpful for those of you who use coupons to shop the drugstore sales!

Recently I purchased a new printer (an HP Envy 5540) and decided to try HP's new Instant Ink program since I typically buy a new round of ink every 2 months or so which as you can imagine can get costly (roughly $40 every 2 months).  Since I had a hard time finding reviews, I thought I'd take a minute to share the pros and cons of this program.  First, here's a quick overview:

What is HP Instant Ink?
It's basically a subscription service for ink.  Your printer tells HP when your ink is low, it will send you a new one without you having to do anything.

What you need to enroll?
An HP printer that is compatible with the HP instant ink program. You can find compatible printers on HP website.  Active WiFi/Internet connection.

How much does it cost?
There are 3 subscription plan options.
-50 pages printed per month for $2.99 (each 15 additional pages for $1)- rollover unused pages
This comes out to 0.06 per page whether you print full best quality color or black and white
-100 pages printed per month for $4.99 (each 20 additional pages for $1) rollover unused pages
This comes out to 0.05 per page whether you print full best quality color or black and white
-300 pages printed per month for $9.99 (each 25 additional pages for $1) rollover unused pages
This comes out to 0.03 cents per page whether you print full best quality color or black and white

Now on to the review:

Pro's:
-The savings I have had since starting this program is amazing!  With my old printer and ink, if I printed 100 pages it was empty and I'd have to spend another $40 to replace the cartridges.  Now I can print 100 pages for $5!
-I never have to go to the store to buy ink or buy online since HP sends it to me in the mail
-I like the option of being able to use over my "set" number of pages and only pay the additional page fee
-I can print the highest quality color pages and not worry about killing my ink reserve.  Since you have a page limit it doesn't matter if that page is black and white or the highest quality color image you can get.  I love this because I can print photos, high quality planner stickers, etc. and not worry about draining my color ink since it still counts as just 1 page.

Con's
-Every page counts towards your limit.  If you print a period on one sheet it counts.  If you have to align your printer or print a sheet to clean the cartridge, etc. it counts.  It doesn't add a lot, but I lose about 6 pages a month doing this.
-Rollover pages- If you hit 1 page over you get charged the $1.  That means if you don't use the additional (say 24 if you are on the $5 plan) then you just paid $1 for 1 sheet.  QUICK FIX: If you know you're going to go over, use up the full overage to get your money's worth.
-Shipping- HP sends you a refill based on your usage or average usage.  So if you print 20 pages per day, HP will figure out when you would be out and send you your ink about a week before it thinks you'd be out.  No biggie right?  Well if you decided to print 100 pages one day and 100 the next you'd throw off the average and HP will send you one out the same day it realizes you are printing a lot, but it'll take about 4-5 business days to get to you.

Overall Decision?
I say if you use your printer to print 50+ pages give or take a month then this program will be great for you!  I personally now am on the 300 page plan for $9.99 and print pictures of my kids monthly and my own planner stickers.  I don't have to worry about "wasting" my ink anymore.
If you print very little though, this probably isn't best for you since you'll be charged the monthly amount whether you use the pages or not.

All in all, I am beyond pleasantly surprised with this program!

This is my referral link and if you use it, you get 1 month free as do I:
HP Instant Ink

If you prefer not to use the link, just go to: www.hpinstantink.com to learn more about the program or sign up :)

How to get makeup cheap/free- Drugstore edition

Ever wondered how to get makeup for cheap/free?  If you have, then read on.  I'll share with you some tips and tricks I've picked up along the way. 

1. When buying drugstore makeup, buy it at...the drugstore!
While at first sight makeup at the drugstore seems more expensive than at say Walmart or your local grocery store, usually by a couple of dollars.  BUT, the drugstores like CVS, Walgreens and RiteAid generally have awesome sales on makeup, which will make them cheaper in the end. This leads me to my next tip.

2. Watch the sales
Now you've made your way to the drugstore, don't just go in and buy what you need.  You'll end up paying more than you should.  Instead watch the sales.  I generally spend a few minutes every Sunday and go through the weekly ads online for Walgreens and CVS.  Generally there are a few brands that will have sales each week.  Pay attention and only go when what you want is on sale.  Some examples of frequent sales:
40% off
Buy One Get one 50% off
Buy One Get one free
Then there are loyalty rewards...which leads me to #3

3. Use store loyalty reward cards
CVS has an extracare card, Walgreens has a Balance Rewards card, etc.  Sign up for them, they are free!  With them you will get some awesome deals.  CVS, Walgreens and RiteAid have the same general concept for their reward cards.  As part of a sale, if you buy a certain product or dollar amount worth of a specific product, the store will give you back a certain amount of store dollars or points that you can use on your next purchase.

Here's a recent example I saw in the last few weeks from CVS:
Buy $10 worth of Revlon products, get back $4 extracare bucks- This means you buy your $10 worth of product, then you will get back $4 to spend on your next visit, which would make your purchase $6!  That's a 40% saving. 

Sometimes there are REALLY AWESOME deals.  Physician's Formula was just at CVS for buy $15, get back $10 Extra care bucks!  That ends up being 66% savings!

4. Use coupons
I was one of those people that used to say "ugh I don't want to use coupons".  Now, I know better.  And you don't necessarily have to buy the newspaper to get them.  There are lots of online coupons now due to the online era and you can go to sites like coupons.com, redplum.com, etc and find some great coupons you can print from home.
Just using a coupon will save you money, but using them right is key.

5. Combine sales and coupons!
It's genius I know.  Now you know how to watch the sales and how to use coupons.  Now, lets add those two together and you have an amazing love child that will get you the best sales and deals ever!

Take the Revlon deal I shared above...buy $10 get $4 back.  This deal was a limit of 6, which means you can do that 6 times or get up to $24 back if you spend $60.

There was a great $3 off Revlon Colorstay foundation coupon out.  Here is an example of combining a sale and coupon to get the best deal:
Revlon Colorstay foundation was $13.50 at my store
Used your $3 off coupon, making the cost $10.50, and get back $4, making the product $6.50, which is 50% off.
That's a great deal, BUT if it's a product you need more than one of or split with someone else, you can save even more by buying more!

I did this deal, but I bought 3 colorstay foundations (2 liquid, 1 whipped) so I could try them all!
3 Revlon Colorstay foundation @ 13.50= $40.50
Used 3 $3 off coupons = -$9
Total $31.50, got back $16 ($4 for each $10 spent), so the 3 products ended up costing me $15.50 or just over $5 a piece. 

If you use those tips, I promise you will get some great deals on makeup and be able to try out some amazing products for a fraction of the costs!  If you have any drugstore tips, share below, I'd love to hear them!

~Cammy~

Beauty Blender Dupe

The beauty blender is one of those beauty products that suck you in with the hype because everyone loves it, but it's $20 for a sponge!  Like many others, I gave in to the hype and purchased the beauty blender about 3 months ago.  I agree, it's an amazing product and blends foundation flawlessly.  But, at $20 a pop, that's a big investment if you are like me and would actually replace this product every 3-4 months (I think no matter how well you clean these things, they are still sponges and for hygiene reasons should be replaced periodically...just a personal opinion.  I'm sure some people's have held up great for longer periods of time!)

So I went to Ulta with the intention of buying a replacement, but instead found the new Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge.  As you can see from my picture above, the shape is noticeably different from the Beauty Blender, but looked relatively similar as far as texture.  And....it was only $5.99!  SOLD!  Actually I bought 2 because I had a $5 off $10 coupon to use, so I snagged 2 for $7!

I have now had the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge for about 2 weeks and here are my thoughts:

• The sponge material itself is so similar to the Beauty Blender that by touch alone you can not tell the difference
• The shape- I initially was iffy about the shape, but OMG I love it MORE than the Beauty Blender!  The flat part was great for applying foundation all over my face faster and the edges are great for areas around your nose and under your eyes.
• On the flip side, there was a learning curve figuring out which way to best blend because of the shape, but after about 3 days, I nailed it.
• The cost is phenomenal!  Ulta also has pretty frequent sales on Real Techniques where they go BOGO 50% off, so you should be able to snag this at a great price.

So, is this a dupe for the Beauty Blender????
ABSOLUTELY!  The material again was so similar to the Beauty Blender, and the application was identical.  I can't speak to the longevity of the product shelf life yet, but I anticipate getting the same 3-4 months of use out of it as I did the Beauty Blender. 

If you have been wanting to try the Beauty Blender but didn't want to pay the $20 or if you have already fallen in love with the Beauty Blender and need a replacement, I'd say definitely try this Real Techniques Sponge. 

~Cammy~
Have you tried the Real Techniques Sponge?  Let me know how you like it below. :)

Ipsy December 2013

Ipsy December 2013

My Ipsy bag for December showed up this week and I have to say I'm overall thrilled with this bag. 

So here's my beauty:

I loved the actual bag his month.  You can see it has diamond indents and the quality is really good.  You can't see it, but the inside lining is red, which is awesome.

Here is a breakdown of what I got:

Nicka K Nail polish in classic taupe (FULL SIZE) - Value $5
Pop trio in bare naturals from the Brighten up your life palette- Value $7.25
Nyx Lipstick in Mute (FULL SIZE)- Value $4
Be a bombshell the one stick in Flustered (FULL SIZE)- Value $16
Mirabella Blending Brush (FULL SIZE)- Value $27!

Total Value this month: $59.25, not too shabby for a $10 a month bag

My thoughts:

-Nicka K- Initially I wasn't thrilled with the color of this polish, but when I put it on, it looked to have some purple undertones, which made it really beautiful.  The application was smooth and the brush is nice and fat.  I haven't had chips and it's been 2 days now, so far so good.
-Pop eye shadow trio is decent quality.  You get good color payoff if you layer, but there is some fall out, so careful with how you dig your brush in.
-Nyx lipstick is great quality.  The mute color is really sheer and goldish toned.  At first I wasn't a fan until I put it over another brighter color and OMG it is gorgeous paired with something else. 
-Be a Bombshell in Flustered the one stick is a lip, cheek and eye stick.  Holy crap this color scared me when I opened the tube.  I don't do red well and this is....RED.  But, I swatched it by doing the lightest dot and blended and it gives a gorgeous flush to my cheeks.  I think it will be a great product.  I would never use this on my eyes though (yikes!) and since it can be sheered out I could use it as a gloss though application would be awkward since it's such a big product.
-The Mirabella blending brush is AMAZING quality.  The size is awesome and the bristles are soft, but have some denseness to them.  It actually is very similar to my Sigma E40.



I love this month's bag and this Mirabella brush by far paid for this bag almost three times over...love love love that thing! 

Let me know what y'all got in your Ipsy bags this month and how you liked them.

~Cammy~


**Ipsy is a monthly beauty subscription program.  For $10 a month you are sent 4-6 samples (often full size) products to try.  If you're interested, you can sign up HERE or go to ipsy.com.**

DIY Daily Brush Cleaner

DIY Daily Brush Cleaner

Clean your brushes!!!  One of the best lessons I've learned so far, but deep cleaning takes soooo long.  I found some daily brush cleaners at Sephora one day and was explained it was a great in between to deep cleaning, but man they were pricey!

So, home I went and research ensued.  I looked at several popular brands of daily brush cleaners and found two common ingredients: Water and regular old rubbing alcohol.  In my search I found several variations of DIY cleaners, some including vinegar (YUCKY smelling nastiness), shampoo, dish soap, natural oils, olive oil, etc.  After trying many formulations, I decided mixing the things I personally liked or was comfortable with and found one that works great for me.  So here is my version I've been using.

What you'll need:

-Spray Bottle- Any size will do
-Rubbing Alcohol-Kills the bacteria and germs on the brushes
-Witch Hazel- This is an astringent and will help protect your face (I also use this as a toner twice a week)
-Baby Shampoo-Cleans your brushes, but isn't as harsh as regular shampoo
-Leave in conditioner of your choice (I used a leave in oil treatment this last time since that's all I had on hand)- Helps keep your brush bristles healthy and soft. 

Here is my line up:




For this DIY, I didn't want to give you amounts like 1 tsp because you could be using any size bottle and I would hate for you to have to figure that math out to fill your bottle properly.  So instead I'll be explaining it in terms of what portion of ANY bottle you'd fill. :)

Here is the breakdown....and by all means this isn't precise science so too much or little won't hurt anything.

1) Fill your bottle 1/3 of the way with Alcohol
2) Pour some witch hazel over that until your bottle is at the 1/2 full mark
3) Add a splash/squirt of baby shampoo
4) Add a splash/squirt of leave in conditioner- if you are using oil like me use a few drops (add more depending on your bottle size)
5) Finally fill the remainder of your bottle with water (this should be roughly 1/3).
6) Mix your bottle.  I swish the product side to side and around, but a few quick shakes will do too.  And you're all set!

Here is a fancy picture I made for you visual learners out there:

To use:

1) Spray your brush bristles (I generally do 2 sprays for small brushes and 3-4 sprays for larger ones)
2) On a clean paper towel rub your brush back and forth.  You will see the product start to transfer onto your paper towel
3) Repeat steps 1-2 for particularly dirty brushes (my foundation and blush brush always take two goes)

Enjoy and I hope this helps save you time and money!  I am now able to spot clean my brushes every 2 days and then deep clean twice a month.

Have any suggestions on what you use in your DIY cleaner...share with me below!

Lorac Pro To Go Palette Review

After months of months of deliberation and back and forth, I finally convinced myself to purchase the Lorac Pro to Go palette.  Why did I hesitate you ask?  Well...I didn't think I could justify buying a product that just combined products I already have similar of. But after our trip to Houston this Thanksgiving, I found that this product is totally justifiable.  I had to bring so many different products that took of so much space that I decided to bite the bullet.  Also, it didn't hurt that Sephora sent out an email to their Beauty Insiders with a coupon for $15 off $50.  SOLD! 

Specs:
The pro palette to go rings in at $38 on Sephora and in stores.  It can also be found at Ulta. It contains 6 eyeshadows- 3 shimmer, 3 matte.  It also contains 2 blushes and 1 bronzers.  There are also 2 small eye shadow brushes, that honestly I will never touch (but then again I rarely use the brushes that come with products). 

These are the 6 eye shadows. 
The top row has Pearl (Shimmer), Chai (Shimmer) and Mink (Sparkle)

The bottom row has Shell (Matte), Café (Matte) and Black (Matte)

I loved that this combination of eye shadows can give you a variety of looks from an everyday neutral look to a dark and sultry nighttime look.  The combination of matte and shimmer shadows is something I am coming to love from the Lorac brand.

Here are the 2 blushes- Coral (Shimmer) and Pink (Matte) <----See even their blushes have one shimmer, one matte
I find them both beautiful and love that bought are very wearable colors. 

Finally the bronzer which is oh so ingeniously named Bronze.  This bronzer is matte which is a major plus for me when it comes to bronzer. I find the color to not be muddy at all on my fair skin and don't detect any orange undertones.

Pros:
The combination of matte and shimmer shades leaves you with so many eye combinations and the colors are all neutral and flattering for most everyone. 

The blushes are awesome quality and last all day. They were very blendable and looked beautiful

The bronzer is an amazing matte bronzer and I think it would flatter most people with fair to medium skin tones. 

My absolute most favorite thing is the portability and travel friendliness of this palette!  When I travel I now only have to take this and a few other things and I'm done. 

Cons:
I wish they would have thrown in a highlighter in this palette to really make it complete.  But, you could use the Pearl eye shadow shade if you were in a pinch or really trying to save on space. 

Let me know how you like this palette. :)

~Cammy~

December 2013 Birchbox

Yay my December 2013 Birchbox has arrived! 

 

Product I recieved this month:

Color Club Nail Polish in Baldwin Blues.  The full size retails for $8. Sample value: $4

This color is gorgeous. 

Camille Beckman Body Butter- Midnight Monarch Scent.  Full size retails at $15.  Sample value: $0.75
This has a pretty strong perfume scent, but I plan on using it on my feet while I sleep, so should be great for this time of year.



Number 4 non aersol hairspray.  Full size retails for $30.  Sample value: $4.50
This is one I was excited to try.  Aersol sprays weigh my hair down and kill my curls.  I'm hoping to see if this works...and silently praying it doesn't because of the price tag!



Bliss that's incredi-"peel".  Full size retails for $49. Sample value: $1.50
I am beyond excited to try this one!  I've heard wonderful things.  A few people have told me to cut this in half or thirds to get 2-3 uses out of it since they are soaked in so much product.  I'll give it a shot.













Benefit Sugarbomb- Full size retails for $16.  Sample value: $7.50
This is an awesome color for me.  And I love Benefit products so major yay!

Birchbox EXTRA- Everyone got this.  It is a small sticker that you put on the back of your phone. The front is cleaning cloth material.  I actually think it's kinda cool.  Value: ?????











My total box value this month was $18.25, not bad. :)  Comment below and tell me what you all got!


*Birchbox is a monthly subscription that for $10 a month you get 4-6 deluxe size samples of beauty samples (makeup, skincare, etc.).  They personalize your box based on a quiz you take when you sign up, so there are a lot of different box combo's sent out each month.  My favorite part of birchbox is the phenomenal point system where you get back points to spend in their shop.  Right off the bat you get 10 pts ($1) back just for purchasing each month.  Then you can review your samples each month and for each sample reviewed you get back 10 points ($1), so if you get 5 samples a month which is average you get $5 back.  I consider it a nice savings acct for bigger purchases, so in reality you are only paying $4 for the box each month!*

Sign up for Birchbox HERE!





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