Ipsy Glam Bag March 2014 (Destination Beauty) First Impression & Review

Hello wonderful readers! 

Today, I am going to be reviewing my very first Ipsy Bag! I finally got it in the mail earlier today, so I’m really excited to share it with all of you.

Ipsy Overview:

Most of you probably know about Ipsy! But for those of you who may not, Ipsy is a bag of 4-5 cosmetic samples (sometimes full size) you receive in a pretty bag every month! It’s $10 per month which isn’t a bad deal if you love to try new makeup, ect. Right now they have a wait list so if you want to join use my link and we’ll both get Ipsy points to use on extra items from ipsy.com. My link is http://www.ipsy.com/r/71ot click that to sign up! I promise, you’ll be glad you did. 

Products I received this month:

bareMinerals
Marvelous Moxie™ Lipstick in Get Ready

NYX
Love in Rio Eye Shadow

Chella
Indigo Blue Eyeliner

Pixi Beauty
Flawless Beauty Primer

Review:

This months Ipsy bag was named Destination Beauty! And the design was selected by artist Klari Reis’ from her geography based series “Street Anatomy”. So this bag has a very artsy feel to it, which I appreciate! And it’s very pretty. Inside the glam bag you receive  a little card telling you the theme of this months bag (Destination Beauty) and inviting you to participate in a contest!  

On to the products,

I received a lipstick from Bare Minerals Marvelous Moxie collection in shade Get Ready. Which is pretty much my lips but better! (I have very pigmented lips) the size is 0.05 oz and is a value of $10. I really like the consistency of the lipstick, it’s very creamy and long lasting! 

Next up is NYX Love in Rio eyeshadow quad in Moonlit Skinny Dip. It’s a basic neutral 3 color eyeshadow quad with a highlight, lid and crease shade. It’s very warm brown tones. I love the idea of this quad, it’s simple and would fit in a tiny bag or travel makeup case for spring break and you could easily use this as an everyday quad. And I know a lot of people love and rave about NYX. They have great products from what I’ve seen and heard, but I do not care for NYX products. I try my best to avoid parabens in my products and almost every NYX product contains parabens and other bad ingredients. So, I will be passing this along or trading it with another Ipster. The is a full size product and retails for $7.

Continuing onto the Pixi Flawless Beauty Primer. I have never got to try a product by Pixi until now so I was pretty excited! I have heard a lot about Pixi from other bloggers and let me just say, I love that Pixi offers natural products made with better and natural ingredients. The primer hydrated my skin and made it perfectly smooth for makeup application. It didn’t dry me out or make my skin feel tight like most primers. It gave me a lit from within look and I appreciate that with my dry skin. It also helped even out some of my redness! So I really love this and could possibly purchase more when I run out of this sample, but I have a feeling it will last me a while being I don’t use primer every single day. This is a travel size tube according to Pixi’s website. 0.4 fl oz. Retails for $9.

Last but not least is Chella Liquid Eyeliner Pin in Indigo Blue. This is a standard liquid eyeliner pin with a felt tip applicator! I visited the Chella website to find out this liquid eyeliner is paraben free so that’s a huge plus. It also claims to stay all day, not cause irritation and no feathering! But sadly, I’m not huge into blue eyeliner, I have blue/green eyes and blue eyeliner isn’t really the best option for me (Which, I stated I have blue eyes on the Ipsy quiz). So I will be again passing this item a long to a friend or trading it with another Ipster. I’m sorry I couldn’t offer a better review for you guys on this product! But it is full size 0.034 fl oz. Retails for $24. 

 

Total Ipsy Bag Value: $50

 

So overall, I’m very satisfied with my first Ipsy bag! Even though some of the products weren’t a hit for me, it’s not the end of the world! And at $10 per month and I got $50 worth of products, you really can’t beat it.

I hope this was helpful to all of you reading and I hope you enjoyed it! Feel free to leave any questions or comments below and stay tuned for my very first Birchbox review and first impressions coming soon!

Want to join ipsy? Click here and sign up! We’ll both get points to use on future Ipsy bags for extra goodies! 

XOXO

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NARS Sheer Glow Foundation Review (Siberia)

Hello lovely readers and followers!

I just wanted to give a small shout out to all of my new followers to say thank you for following my blog and liking my posts, I really appreciate it!

So around the middle of January, I decided to stop into a Sephora store after watching and reading some pretty amazing reviews about the NARS Sheer Glow foundation. Everyone said it looked natural, radiant and didn’t dry out skin. And all of the reviews I read from people who have dry skin said it offered hydration without making them feel greasy. Even us dry skinned gals can get a little too much hydration! So I got color matched and asked the nice sales associate for a sample. She returned with a full sample jar of the foundation. I was shocked. But see! You always get more bees with honey! And I’ve been using it everyday since then and I still have a full sample jar. I decided to purchase a full size bottle being that the sample jar was starting to feel a bit icky from dipping the brush in over and over. Anyway, on to the review!

(Click on any photos to enlarge them!)

Claims: 

This foundation is formulated to give hydration and claims to improve natural hydration over time with wear.

“This Sheer Glow Foundation enhances, without masking, your overall natural complexion. The weightless formula hydrates the skin while complexion brightening properties improve skin brightness, radiance, and texture, leaving skin with a luminous, sensual glow.” It is best suited for normal, normal-to-dry, dry, and very dry skin types.

Research Results:
– 100% say skin felt soft and smooth
– 96% say it evens out skintone
– 96% say they would purchase it if it were available on the market
– 96% say they would recommend it to a friend
– 92% say skin looks brighter and more radiant

(Credit to sephora.com)

Color Matching: 

NARS Sheer Glow foundation is available in 17 shades ranging from neutral, yellow, pink and deep under tones. It suits anyone who has very fair skin all the way to very dark skin tones. So there is something for everyone, which I appreciate. I would suggest getting color matched before ordering online, unless you already know what shade you are. Just because the color swatches online are very different from what you see in person and how it looks on skin.  As you can see in the photos above (click to enlarge) it matches my skin perfectly and looks natural! The photos were taken in natural sunlight.

Review:

I absolutely love this foundation. It has taken me forever to find a foundation light enough for my very fair skin and that’s hydrating. I’m in the lightest shade Siberia Light 1, it has a bit of a yellow hue in the bottle but it does not turn yellow on skin or oxidize, but the slight yellow really helps cover my redness. I have dry skin and it’s very dry in the winter. I get very patchy dry skin and have to stay on top of it to keep it looking fresh and nice. This foundation does not cling to my dry patches, if anything it hydrates them! So I agree with the hydration claim. It makes my skin glow! Hence the name. This foundation does not make you look oily in anyway, but I would not recommend this to anyone with oily skin. It makes you look lit from within. It offers medium to buildable full coverage and it covers 95% of my imperfections. I mostly have redness in my skin and it’s worse in the winter. It does not cover my dark circles however, but concealer is always the best option for that! The only con to this foundation is no pump. But NARS offers a foundation pump online for $5! Which I have already purchased for my bottle. I do not know how this will work in the summer months when it gets super humid, I can get the slightest amount of oil when it’s hot and humid outside. But I’ll be sure to update all of you through out the seasons on how this foundation works for me! But as of now, this is my favorite HG foundation!

This foundation retails for $45 and can be purchased in stores or online! (Sephora & NARS)

(IF YOU ORDER FROM NARS.COM USE CODE WELCOMETONARS FOR A FREE GOODIE!) 

That’s all for today everyone! As always thank you so much for reading and if you have questions or requests feel free to leave them in the comments below.

xoxo

The Body Shop Blueberry Shower Gel & Body Lotion Review

Hello fabulous readers!

Today I am bring you a promised review on The Body Shop’s Blueberry Collection.

I purchased the Blueberry Shower Gel & Body Lotion when they had a 40% off sale last week. I was in search of a better shower gel and body lotion and me being a blueberry fanatic, I thought these would fit the bill perfectly! And I was so right.

Shower Gel Review:

This shower gel comes in a 8.4 fl oz bottle and it’s very compact! I was super happy to know, you really don’t need travel bottles to take this on a trip with you. I have dry skin in the winter and in the summer months as well, it’s just drier in the winter. So anything that strips my skin or makes me feel dry and flaky afterwards is always a no in my book. (I was previously using Dove Body Wash for Sensitive Skin and it was perfect, too bad it has such awful ingredients.) This shower gel is perfect! It makes me feel clean and doesn’t strip my skin of the little bit of moisture that’s there. It doesn’t really add extra moisture being it’s a gel formulation but it doesn’t take away too much either. Balance is key! The gel is slightly colored blue but it doesn’t stain you! So don’t worry about becoming Violet. 😉 The ingredients are great and not harmful to you, which is something I love about purchasing from The Body Shop. Did I mention it smells amazing, like blueberries? There have been some people reviewing this shower gel saying it smells awful and not like blueberry, it doesn’t smell like synthetic blueberry, it smells natural. Like a fresh blueberry but the scent is not overwhelming and it did not linger. And if you have headaches, sinus issues or are sensitive to strong smells, or maybe you just don’t like to smell like your shower gel all night or all day then this will be perfect for you! It’s so sad that this is limited edition, I really hope they decide to keep it!

Body Lotion Review:

This body lotion comes in a 8.4 fl oz bottle and is the same size as the shower gel mentioned above. But instead of the cap, it has a pump! Which is very nice, but sadly may not be perfect for travelers.  I picked this up when I bought the shower gel, because I was also searching for a new lotion with better ingredients.  This lotion is light weight and very creamy! It has a very light blue tint in the bottle but it doesn’t stain your skin. It hydrates your skin without leaving a thick or oily feeling. It absorbs quickly, leaving you with soft hydrated skin. I will say that this lotion is not going to give you hydration like a body butter, but it’s great for after shower or just everyday moisture! It kept my skin from feeling scaly after taking a long shower. And it does smell like blueberry! Again not synthetic blueberry but natural and light. The scented lingered on my skin for a few hours but it was not offensive at all. You had to pretty much sniff your arms to smell it, and I love that! It’s not over whelming or super strong like perfume. It’s great to slap on and go to bed without making the whole room strong with fragrance.  And is also great if you have allergies, headaches, sensitive to smells or sinus problems.

So that’s all for my review on The Body Shop’s Blueberry Collection, I’ll be adding new reviews when I receive more products!

You can pick these up at thebodyshop.com or at any The Body Shop stores for $8-12 a piece.

Rate: A+

xoxo

The Body Shop Haul!

I recently just stocked up on new items from TBS. I was in need of some new skin care products after finding out some of my most used products were high on toxicity ratings. (Post on this later) I needed to update my whole collection of skin care, so I did! And I can’t wait to get more! In fact, I already did and it’s on the way. I’m so excited!

Top left corner: Coconut Body Butter (Gift for my mom)
Top left – right: Hemp Hand Butter (Free Gift), Blueberry Shower Gel, Blueberry Body Lotion, Aloe Sensitive Skin Calming Facial Wash, Aloe Protective Lotion SPF15.
Bottom left – right: Aqua Bath Lily, Coconut Handsanitizer (Gift for my boyfriend), Aloe Night Cream, Mango Handsanitizer and Orange Bath Lilly (Gift for my boyfriend).

I’ll be posting reviews on these products soon!

xoxo

Too Faced Shadow Insurance Eyeshadow Base Review

Hello lovely readers!

I know this product has been reviewed over and over.. But what’s one more reviewers opinion?

Anyway, let’s get to it!

Back Story:

So, I was in need of a new primer and decided to try Too Faced’s eyeshadow primer. I’ve heard so many rave reviews on this one so I figured, how could it be bad?  I purchased it and couldn’t wait to try it out with my new Chocolate Bar Palette! (Review coming soon!) I’m new to Too Faced’s products and decided it was time to give them a shot.

Overview:

This eyeshadow primer claims to lock eyeshadow down for 24 hours or until taken off, make eyeshadow more vibrant and prevent creasing/fading. Hence why it says “24 hour insurance policy”. It also comes in a squeeze tube to insure you get all of the product out and retails for $20 at Ulta, Sephora & Too Faced’s Website.

Does it hold true?:

Sorry Too Faced.. But I’m going to have to give this a big fat NO! If this was a 24 hour insurance policy, I’d sure hate to see what a 12 hour policy looked like! I didn’t even have it on for 12 hours and my eyeshadow had creased, faded and became one big oil slick spot on my eye! I do have normal/dry skin but very oily eyelids. I can sometimes see the oil on them in the mornings. It’s gross! That’s why when I spend 30 extra minutes on creating a pretty eye look, I need it to stay put until I take it off. Who likes creased and faded eyeshadow? Not me.

My Thoughts:

I personally think Too Faced is a nice company with great products. I do not know if this primer just was a bad tube or it just isn’t enough to control my oily lids. Either way, I will be going back to my beloved Primer Potion by Urban Decay. It truly is the only primer that can control my oily eyelids and prevent my shadows from creasing and fading on me through out a long day with no touch ups. But on the brighter side! I think this would be a great primer for someone without oily eyelids. And if you do have oily eyelids and this product works for you than that’s great!

Until next time.

XOXO

Rating: 2/5 (D-)

Can be purchased at: Ulta, Sephora or Too Faced’s Website.

PARABEN FREE

Urban Decay NAKED Skin Beauty Balm SPF 20 Naked Light Review

Hello, gorgeous readers!

I finally have received my package from Urban Decay and can you guess what was inside?

BB Cream! If you read my last posting, you can see where I talked about UD expanding the color range on the Naked Skin Beauty Balms.

And they finally did it! They made a shade for fair skinned BB Cream lovers.

I ordered mine the day of release in “Naked Light”

On the website it says it works well with people who fall under the 0.5 – 3.5 shade ranging in the Naked Skin Foundation. I wear 0.5 and figured it probably wouldn’t work that great for me, being it ranges 0.5 – 3.5. But it claims to be “Shade Adjusting”! So let’s get into the review.

(CLICK ON PHOTOS TO ENLARGE THEM)

Product Overview:

The whole idea behind NS BB is to protect skin from harmful UV damage caused by the sun, hydration, soothing, anti aging and healing benefits while evening out the skin tone. It claims to protect DNA damage, even though I honestly have no idea how to know if it’s really doing that or not. At first glance you have a taupey mirror like box (Almost identical to the UD Naked Skin foundation box) that says Urban Decay Naked Skin Beauty Balm. Opening the box, you have a sleek and slim little tube that is medium brown with the signature gun metal lid with Urban Decay engraved on top. You get 1.8oz of product which is a good bit. More than normal liquid foundation! The price on this BB Cream is $34 and can currently only be purchased on the Urban Decay webstite. 

Shade & Color Matching:

I have been waiting for a long time for Urban Decay to finally make a lighter shade of the BB Cream. Being that the first shade was way too dark for me, even though they claimed it could be used on every skin color.  I’m sure it worked out for a lot of people! But it’s nice to have the color selections. When you first squeeze the product out on to your hand, don’t be afraid the color looks peachy toned and dark but that’s only to correct skin imperfections! I thought it was going to be too dark as well but it matched and blended perfectly. And you all know that I have trouble finding the perfect shade. So if you are fair skinned or fall in the 0.5-3.5 shade range in the UD Naked foundation you will be pleased!

Coverage:

This BB Cream has low to sheer coverage. Do not expect it to cover many imperfections. It will however smooth out your skin and even out skin tone! But if you have a lot of redness, dark circles or anything else. You will need to use concealer or you can apply foundation over this and use it like a primer! Yay for multi functional Beauty Balm!

Everything Else:

This Beauty Balm is great for all skin types and will work beautifully alone, with concealer or used as a primer. It has a lot of great benefits with skin loving ingredients. It lasts about 7-8 hours on me and I have normal/dry skin. If you have combo/oily skin you will need to powder this because it does give a demi matte finish, which still allows for some shine. Plus it will boost the lasting power! This BB dries and does not feel tacky once set. It doesn’t transfer onto my clothes or phone screen. Overall for $34 and being a perfect skin match, I must say I’m hooked on this! I still do have to use a concealer under my eyes, around the nose and over the tops of my cheeks to cover imperfections. Which is no biggy, I actually used less concealer than normal with the BB than without it!

Ingredients:

  

Rating: A (5/5)

Okay everyone! That’s my review on the Urban Decay Naked Skin Beauty Balm!

I hope it was helpful to those who haven’t tried the new colors yet or to those who are curious.

Feel free to contact me with any questions!

XOXO

PARABEN FREE

It’s a 10 Silk Express Review

Hello all! Today I am bringing you a review on the new It’s a 10 Silk Express line. I only have the conditioner and leave in mist to review for you today! I didn’t want to buy the whole line and not love it, it’s a little pricey.

Conditioner:

I have been searching for something to moisturize and tame my dry thick hair. I have a dry scalp and no it’s not from dying my hair. It’s from winter weather and already having dry skin. I have to use a flat iron on my hair almost daily. So anything that claims to “straighten” hair, I’ll use it! My hair isn’t curly. It’s just very thick. So before using this conditioner, I read the directions to be sure I got the full benefits from it! It said to leave in 2-5 minutes using a generous amount. So I left it in and rinsed it out. INSTANT SMOOTHNESS! My hair felt instantly smooth and moisturized. I could also run a brush through my wet hair without it catching.

Leave in mist:

I used the leave in mist after toweling my hair a bit. I used one pump in my hand, rubbed together and ran it all through my hair. (It says to spray all over hair, but I find that waists more product if you have thicker hair) My hair was instantly smooth and soft!

After drying:

My hair was noticeably shiner than usual, no frizz and dried much straighter than normal! It seemed tamer. The next morning, I used my flat iron as usual and my hair straightened beautifully! And it took less time than usual. No frizz or “frying” from the flat iron and my hair stayed straight for 3 days! I did not have to touch it up. (My skin and scalp is very dry, I do not have to wash my hair often) and no dry scalp!

Prices: $16 for leave in mist, $20 for conditioner.

So, I am very happy with my purchase! And would recommend this to anyone looking for good hair care products. I know they are a little bit pricey but they last a long time and do amazing things for your hair! Also can I just rave about how gorgeous the packaging is?!

xoxo

How to cure dry lips! (FAST!)

Hello lovely readers!

Today I am writing this post about dry lips. We all hate them and a lot of us get them in the winter, or in my case year round!

I would apply chap stick all day, I resisted the urge to lick them and would use vaseline at night to dry and cure it. Nothing helped. Me being a skin care/beauty junkie never thought “Hmm.. Exfoliating might help.” It works for the face and body. Why wouldn’t it work on the lips? Let me just tell you! It does!

Things you’ll need:

Chap stick, Vaseline or both.

Tooth brush, Wash Cloth or both.

What do to:

1. Get a wet tooth brush and apply a then layer of vaseline over the lips and gently brush the dead skin away! Then apply vaseline or chap stick when you are done.

Don’t have time for all of that? Try option 2!

2. Get a wash cloth and dampen it with warm water, gently rub all of the dead skin off, then apply vaseline or chap stick. This only works if you do not have a huge build up of chapped/dead skin on the lips.

How to prevent in the feature:

Apply chap stick or vaseline daily and avoid licking the lips! Exfoliate them once – twice a week as needed but do not over do it!

Hope this was helpful to all of you!

Remember to be gentle while exfoliating if you have a lot of dry/chapped areas, you can crack the lips open easily and make them bleed if they are badly chapped!

XOXO

How to take care of Red Hair

I’ve been asked a lot on how I take care of my red hair. What I do to keep it vibrant, ect.

So here is a small post!

I dye my hair once every 8 weeks, only doing the roots and sometimes I touch up the ends. This color doesn’t require full color.

Dying:

I use a Semi Permanent dye with a 20 volume developer and a packet of bleach on my roots for 10 minutes.

(If the color needs refreshing, I use clarifying shampoo or crystals. They can be found at any beauty supply store!)

After bleaching, I use Clear Scalp & Hair Therapy (Color Safe) Shampoo.

After dying, I use the same shampoo followed by Dumb Blonde conditioner for color treated hair.

Then after you have towel dried the hair a bit, I use a leave in product called It’s a 10.

Then you are good to go!

After Care:

I have a slightly time consuming after care method, but trust me! It’s so worth it to keep that hair vibrant.

I use Quantum’s Riveting Red’s Shampoo mixed with Clear Scalp & Beauty Therapy (Color Safe) Shampoo. Obviously you want to mix both shampoos, use them and then mix the Quantum’s Riveting Red’s and It’s a 10 Silk Express conditioners for usage AFTER rinsing the shampoo’s out. I use only a dime size of my It’s a 10 Silk Express conditioner. BUT YOU NEED IT TO PREVENT SCALP AND HAIR DAMAGE!

Why do I mix 2 shampoo’s and conditioners?

Simple! The QRR Shampoo & Conditioner is not moisturizing enough for the scalp, so it causes itchy scalp. That’s why I mix them with a color safe shampoo/conditioner that has moisturizing properties. Also Clear’s Shampoo & It’s a 10’s Conditioner makes my hair smell good, where QRR actually makes it smell kinda bad.

The QRR Shampoo & Conditioner is red in color and will temporarily stain your finger tips pink. You need to leave this on for around a minute to let it revive your color. But it really works! It keeps my hair color fresh even past 8 weeks when I’ve had to let it go longer before.

After Shampoo & Conditioner, I use a leave in product! I use It’s a 10 Silk Express (NEW) & Miracle 7. Depending on which one I’ve got. They both work the same, but M7 is a lot cheaper than It’s a 10.

So there you go! That’s how I keep my red hair vibrant and healthy!

(Me, no filter just sunshine!)

Products mentioned and where to buy:

Quantum Riveting Reds can be purchased at Sally’s Beauty Supply or Online for $7-8 a piece. (1 bottle of each lasts close to a year)

Clear Scalp & Beauty Therapy (Color Safe Formula) Can be purchased at Walmart or any place shampoo/conditioner is sold for $3-4 a piece.

It’s a 10 Silk Express Can be purchased anywhere hair products are sold for around $20

Miracle 7 can be purchased at Sally’s Beauty Supply for around $14

Hope this was helpful!

xoxo

My Belly Button Piercing Experience

Hey out there all of you bloggers!

I thought I would make a small post about my belly button (navel) piercing. Because some of you are into that sort of thing.

I got my belly button pierced on September 18th of this year. And let me just say, I’ve wanted a belly button piercing since I first saw one in 2001. Yes, 2001 and I saw a young woman have one. How do I remember that? I have no idea. I just know it was the first time I had ever saw one and whatever it was in that girls belly button, I wanted it.

So finally, I got one. I’m so happy with it!

UPDATE 2/27/14

I have had my belly button pierced for 5 months now, close to 6. And at 3 months, I noticed a bubble on the top hole of my piercing. I thought it was a keliod. So I continued to clean it (H2ocean 2 times a day) and after a month it still had not improved. I went back to the piercing shop to let them take a look at it and they were VERY unprofessional about it. I was not taken into a room with the piercer nor did I have a one on one conversation with him. The woman who had pierced me originally was not in, but I doubt that would have made a difference. I was pretty much told to make an aspirin paste with lemon juice and apply that onto the area for 30 minutes. So after doing some long hard research and calling another piercing shop (in another state!) I finally figured out that I had been pierced with LOW quality jewelry that was too big for my body type. I only paid $20 for the piercing including jewelry, that should have been a red flag but I had never been to get any other piercings besides my ears and went off of recommendations by others. After calling every shop in my area, I finally found a place who sold high quality Titanium jewelry. By this point my belly button piercing was starting to bleed slightly. So, I made my appointment with them and found a shorter barbell for my piercing. And when the woman took me back to put my new jewelry in, she was shocked that anyone  would have pierced me with that large of a barbell. Pretty much the jewelry was low quality (nickel allergy) and too long. It was rubbing a blister inside and out of my piercing! So she changed it, the hole was very red and inflamed.  Thankfully it wasn’t infected! But she also recommended me purchase Emu Oil and use it once a day on the piercing until healed.

I also purchased the No Pull Piercing Discs, which help reduce scaring and movement of the piercing! It also helps speed up the healing process. They are originally for oral piercings but can be used on any piercing!

And now my piercing is doing great! No more pain, bleeding or “bump” I hope this was helpful to those of you considering getting a belly button piercing or who may be going through the same issue thinking you have a Keliod.

Always remember, do research and find a place that sells high quality body jewelry for you to be pierced with. Make sure the shop is clean and professional. If you feel uncomfortable besides the obvious nerves about getting a piercing, leave and go somewhere else! It’s much better to go somewhere you are comfortable and that does a good job than to go somewhere shady and get a piercing that will only cause you problems. Also, it’s better to pay $60 for a proper piercing than to pay $20 for problems.

Before:

After:

Products Mentioned: 

H2Ocean (Can be purchased on amazon or at any piercing shop)

Emu Oil (Can be purchased on amazon or at most piercing shops)

No Pull Piercing Discs (Can be purchased online!)

Thanks for reading!

Feel free to ask any questions in the comments below.

xoxo