Showing posts with label January. Show all posts
Showing posts with label January. Show all posts

Monday, January 26, 2015

IPSY January 2015 Unboxing & Review

 

A new year, a new IPSY bag! We bring in January with a bang this year by getting what appears to be like all full sized products! Let's hope that this trend continues throughout 2015.

The contents of my IPSY January 2015 Bag:

  • Elizabeth Mott - "All Over Shadow" Brush - Retail Value: $9.99 (Full size)
  • Pacifica - Natural Mineral Coconut Eye Shadow - Retail Value: $3.50 (Full size eyeshadow but only sold as part of palette, which usually come as 4 for $14)
  • Malin + Goetz - Mojito Lip Balm - Retail Value: $12.00 (Full Size)
  • BellaPierre Cosmetics - Shimmer Powder in "Whesek" - Retail Value: $14.99 (Full Size)
  • Probelle - Nail Lacquer in "Into The Blue" - Retail Value: $6.00 (Full Size)


Not much I can say about the bag this month except that I am not impressed. This bag isn't cute, one side is navy blue and the other side is white with a coral-orange zipper. It also features a crosshatch texture that I can best explain the texture of by telling you to rub your hands on some dried glue which came from a hot glue gun.


The first, and frankly my favorite item in this month's bag is the Elizabeth Mott "All Over Shadow" Brush. This baby retails for just $9.99 and I am super impressed with the good quality of the bristles and how densely packed they are. I haven't received anything from this brand that I didn't didn't like... IPSY please keep it coming.


I have tried some Pacifica shadows in the past and I was not impressed, so my expectations for this one were very low. Let me begin by saying that the Pacifica eye shadows are only sold as palettes or sets so you get the absolute cheapest packaging imaginable in makeup subscriptions (it literally falls apart). I was actually very impressed with the pigmentation, creaminess and coverage of the shade "Treasure" of their Natural Mineral Coconut Eye Shadow. If this was part of a set, the approximate retail value would be $3.50 and I think it's well worth that.


Malin + Goetz Mojito Lip Balm is one I frequently see making the rounds among beauty subscription services. This is a luxurious lip balm that easily absorbs into the lips, is not sticky whatsoever (which makes it much more tolerable than most lip balms) and has a pleasant citrus-fruity cocktail scent. I'm happy to have finally received this product to test it out and my verdict is that it's worth every penny of the $12 price tag.


Surprisingly, I was sent 2 eye products this month, and since those are my favorite of all beauty product, you'll hear no complaints from me! BellaPierre Cosmetics Shimmer Powder in "Whesek" was sent - this is a dark gray base with lighter gray shimmer. The packaging of this product seems to have changed recently to a translucent cap and there's a sifter included (this is always very important to me when I receive pigments). The price for these was fairly steep at $14.99, but mineral powders are a very pure form of color so I'm sure you would get great color payoff - I didn't swatch it because I don't think the color is for me, so I might just pass this on.


I receive so many nail polishes that I never feel the need to purchase more, this month it was Probelle "Into The Blue" Nail Lacquer. This is a beautiful, mid-tone blue shade which has almost a slight gray-undertone. This polish is DBP, Toluene and Formaldehyde free (or 3 free) so it's better for your nails than just the average polish. The retail price is $6 which is a steal for the quantity and quality, I achieved full opacity is one thick coat or two thin coats and the formula is not watery in the least so it is easy to work with.

The total value of my bag this month is $46.48 and all the products were full sized! 

I am a very happy girl with IPSY this month. You can sign up for your very own subscription for $10/month. You can choose a recurring subscription and cancel at any time before the beginning of the next month.

Thursday, January 9, 2014

Julep Maven Starter Box Unboxing - January 2014

Seattle-based company, Julep, caught my eye about half a year ago but I have a plethora of nail polishes and saw no need to get more. However, while reading another beauty blog, I discovered they have a promo code "FREEBOX" which lets you get 1 free intro box and see what their Julep Maven Subscription Service is like. I literally received my box the very next day after I subscribed. Granted, the only catch here is that you have to pay around $4 for taxes and some shipping cost and they get your credit card on file (I have already sent customer service an email asking them to remove my card so that I am not billed for the following month).
If you want to sign up, click here: http://www.julep.com/rewardsref/index/refer/id/371425/

They have 5 different profiles that you can fit into (after filling out a short questionnaire): Modern Beauty, Boho Glam, Bombshell, Classic With a Twist, It Girl. I got "Bombshell" and I actually liked the box associated with my profile best (however, if you don't like your box, you can always choose any other box) - so you always know exactly what you're getting. There's also huge discounts for those who are purchasing other items (some can be as much as 40-50% off).
I received the following: 
Julep - Mighty Nail & Cuticle Serum Pen
Julep - Nail Polish - Zelda (pink champagne metallic)
Julep - Nail Polish - Kendra (an army green frost)
Julep - Blank Canvas - Mattifying Face Primer (sample packet)


This is what the polishes look like on:
Julep Zelda Nail Polish 
Julep Kendra Nail Polish
I really like their polishes, they're smooth and true to color, you can easily achieve the color that you see in the bottle usually on the first coat. I really enjoyed the cuticle pen as well because it didn't leave my cuticles feeling too oily like the "Solar Oil" I normally use but did leave my cuticles feeling softer and more moisturized.


Here's where you can buy the full sized products:

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