Sailor Moon Steampunk Cosplay Update

I have been a busy little bee and spend most of my free time at home sewing. It seems like everything that involves sewing takes 3 times longer than you think it is going to. I have a week and a half to finish the outfit and I think I am right on track. I have several things done (blouse, gloves, bag) and everything else is well on it's way. I will be sewing the skirts this week and once they are done all I have to do is the accessories, boots, spats, and a bow.

The underbust corset took longer than I had wanted but I kind of knew that was going to happen. Trying a corset in a week is a lofty goal. But, with a little extra time it got done. I don't want to give the entire outfit away yet but I did take some pictures of what is done so far. I think I like the bag most of all, and the gloves. They turned out to be cooler than I thought they were going to be. Fancier. So, onto the pictures. Everything still is a work in progress and could change.

Sewing the corset went pretty okay. It took a long time but I didn't make any major mistakes and it fits well. I was a little concerned that I would have troubled making it so once it has been so long but it all worked out. The fingerless gloves are not connected to the sleeves of the blouse I just needed to pin them on so they could be seen nicely. The lace along the hem of the gloves is so pretty and looks so lovely. It is very flattering.

I need to fit the blouse and add a few little changes but that won't take long. The bag is something that I am excited about. I needed something to carry my essential items in so I thought a nice satchel/bag that I could hook onto the bottom of the corset would be prefect. A few loops and a little hook or two and it will be perfect. Enough to carry my phone, id, money, chap stick, a little make up, and odds and ends.

Well, I could go on and on but I want to leave a little for later and my next post when the skirts and boots are on their way to being done.

What do you ladies and gents think of it so far? Like it? Hate it? Do you have any ideas to improve it?

February Monthly Make Up Boxes

It is official! I love monthly make up boxes. I now subscribe to 3 and I want to have so many more but I don't have the money for it. 3 is enough though, more than enough. I subscribe to Ipsy, Birchbox, and Eco Emi. I have only received boxes from Ipsy and Birchbox and I will start getting them from Eco Emi at the end of the month. Here are the things that I got this month.

Birchbox

 I was very excited to get my very first Birchbox. It is $10 per month just like Ipsy and like many of the monthly make up boxes. There are so many of them and they range anywhere from $10 to $45. for my $10 I received 5 items. My box contained Jouer’s Luminizing Moisture Tint, WEI™’s Eye Treatment pads, TIGI Catwalk Session Series Styling Cream, a black Twistband™ Headband, and a Ghirardelli Milk & Caramel SQUARE. Lots of good stuff, I know. 

The black Twistband is a large headband size and I am very excited that I got this one instead of the hair tie because I can make two hair ties out of the headband. I don't use headbands but I do use hair ties each and everyday. I nibbled on the chocolate right after I took these pictures and the caramel is so yummy. The Jouer tint is in the cutest little sample size and perfect to throw in your make up bag for when I go on vacation. I tried it one day and it is really pretty. It has a pearly thing going on.

I haven't used the TIGI hair styling cream yet but I think I am going to bring it with me at the end of the month when I do my hair in the Sailor Moon style. I did smell it though and it has a pretty smell. The size of the sample is really good as well. I haven't tried the WEI Eye pads but I am very excited to do so. They actually sent two sets so my husband is going to try them with me. It will be fun. I have dark circle under my eyes and he has bags under his so we both could use a little attention/care for our eyes.

In addition to the great beauty/health items that come in the box, I am going to keep the nice box and pink tissue paper. The box is a great smallish size and very sturdy so I am going to collect them all year and use them for gift giving for birthdays and for Christmas.  I really liked my first Birchbox and can't wait for my second.

Ipsy 

 
Ipsy is a pretty great make up of the month subscription and I think I will be keeping it for quite some time. I really like that it goes hand in hand with Michelle Phan and you get all of her make up and beauty videos. I know you don't need to subscribe to Ipsy to get the videos on Youtube but I like how well they fit together. She always does videos using the items that comes in your bag. 

This bag included  MICA gel eye liner, a small 4 set palette of Coastal Scents eye shadow, pop mascara, Lash Cards, and Pixi primer. I was quite excited to get most of these items. I have been in the market for a good primer but I don't want to commit and buy a $25 one just to end up not liking it. I tried the Pixi primer and it is very nice. It feels nice, looks good, has a subtle smell, and has a nice glow to it. It is definitely in the running to be my new primer. The lash cards are going to be saved for when I am going for dramatic eyes and wearing false lashes.

The pop mascara is a nice little mascara that goes on well and is a great size for your purse or for when you are traveling. I don't have any complaints about it in the week of using it. The MICA gel eye liner is a good standard gel eye liner. It goes on well and stays on for quite a long time. It takes a little getting used to but once you get the hang of using a small brush  it is no problem. I love my liquid eye liner and I don't think I will be switching any time soon. This is the second Coastal Scents eye shadow palette that I have received and they are really cute. The first one I got was in the blue family and this one is in the yellow/bronze family. It actually looks very nice on my skin/skin tone. Coastal Scents is a really good inexpensive quality eye shadow. They have about a million colors so you can find what you want. I actually just got a palette of 252 colors for $13 through Ipsy.

Now that we are into March I will be getting my next round of boxes. I will get my Ipsy bag and my Birchbox in the middle of the month around the 20th and then my Eco Emi at the very end of the month. The theme for March's Ipsy bag is an aquatic/sailor/travel thing and I really am excited. The bag has quite anchors on  it and anything sailor themed is pretty awesome. 

What do you think of the monthly make up subscriptions? Do you think they are worth it or do you think it is better just to take the $10 and buy something that you want?