IPSY Glam Bag Review & Unboxing

Contents of IPSY Glam Bag for April 2015

This month's IPSY theme was "Beautifully Bohemian", and just as with any other themed month, I'm not sure what the products inside had to do with it! As usual, there is a large assortment of products and each subscriber will receive 5 items (mix of full and deluxe sized samples) and the complementary cosmetic bag. If you want to join IPSY for just $10 a month (you can cancel at any time) click here. IPSY will ship to you via DHL if you are in Canada or the USA.

Contents of IPSY Glam Bag April 2015

I was pretty disappointed in this month's bag for quite a few reasons. I feel as though because I am a long-time subscriber of IPSY they have really stopped trying to impress me with my bags. 

The KCO Colors Lipstick in "Natural Born Beauty" (Retail Value: $8) was broken when I opened the seal and I basically had to MacGyver it back together for the photos I took - the color was also pretty underwhelmingly blah (brownish red). The Olive Lips lip balm (Retail Value: $5) is an absolute waste of space so I'm not even bothering to open it; they send me lip balms in almost every bag and I'm always disappointed with them since I already have ones that are thousands of times superior which I use daily.

Close up of theBalm Nude Dude Eyeshadow Single in "Flirty"

The theBalm NUDE 'dude Eyeshadow single in the color "Flirty" was probably my favorite sample in the bag since it had adorable packaging and was from a reputable brand. I also like the eyeshadows from theBalm since they have a smooth, buttery consistency and perform well on the eye. The Retail Value is around $3.75. I like the shade of this color, it's a shimmery golden violet, which complements my amber eye color.

Photo from Lawless Lacquer 

I was happy to get a Julie G Nail Color since I'd never tried one before, but this is really not my color. I have so many pink nail polishes as it is and this color is really just too generic for me - I'll probably just give it to my mother since it's more her color palette than mine. Retail Value is $3.99.

Close Up of MicaBeauty Eye Primer

This may be the first time I receive an eye primer from IPSY and this is one of those items that I would use - except for the fact that there was some funky discoloration and weird bubbles in my product. I even received a mass email from IPSY stating they were receiving complaints about the MicaBeauty Eye Primer - so I'm really not putting that anywhere near my sensitive eyes. Supposedly the Retail Value for this primer is a whopping $22.48. 

Swatches of April IPSY Glam Bag Products

The total retail value of my IPSY bag this month was: $43.22

 What did you get in your IPSY bag this month? Did you enjoy it? Leave your comments down below!

Physicians Formula Super BB All in 1 Cheek & Lip Balm: Review

Outer Packaging of Physicians Formula Super BB All-in-1 Cheek and Lip Beauty Balm, Berry Pink

At the low price of $6.99 I just couldn't help myself but to pick up one of these cute little ball-shaped balms. Physicians Formula has branded this as a Super BB All in 1 Cheek & Lip Balm. 

You can use the Physicians Formula Super BB All-in-1 Cheek and Lip Beauty Balm  for a sheer wash of color on your lips as well as by tapping your fingers on to the product and working it onto your face as a cream blush.

Inside of the Physicians Formula Super BB All-in-1 Cheek and Lip Beauty Balm, Berry Pink  

The packaging of this product is sleek, luxurious and mimics that of an EOS or Revo Lip Balm. The scent consists of a pleasant sweetness that fades almost immediately after application.

On the cheeks, the finish of this product was neither matte nor dewy, the most accurate classification would be a satin finish. After it has dried on the skin (approximately 1 min after application) it takes on a powdery consistency.

The product looks very highly pigmented in the container but sheers out quite significantly once applied to the skin (this can be a good thing if you're trying to layer your blush on and don't want a difficult application).

Swatches of Physicians Formula Super BB All-in-1 Cheek and Lip Beauty Balm, Berry Pink

On the lips, this is a comfortable lip balm but has a slight chalkiness to its texture (or powderiness as previously mentioned) which means that it is lacking a moisturizing sensation. The staying power is as expected with lip balms, but since it is more matte than moisturizing, it will last longer than a regular lip balm. I was happy to get 3 hours of wear on my lips.

On my cheeks, the product wore for most of the day (approx. 8 hours) but faded throughout the day, but it did look very natural. It was a "my cheeks but better" look, for sure.

My opinion is that this is a good, solid product from Physicians Formula, and the price is right for what you get. I would only really use this over other blushes if I was in a pinch of looking for a multi-tasker to throw into my purse - simply because nothing can convince me to choose cream over powder blushes (personal preference).

Newest Obsession: EOS lip balm!

My newest choice of lip balm to apply to my lips after applying makeup in the morning, before going to bed and numerous times in between is the EOS lip balm. This delightful little ball-packaging resembles a cute little Easter egg and this gave me the idea that they would probably make amazing little gifts or party favors for your upcoming Easter shindigs. The design is literally so out-of-the-box and the rubbery container has such a pleasant feel in your hands, with enough grit that it will not just slip out of your hands. The bottoms have a sturdy base so that they don't roll off your table. EOS stands for "Evolution of Smooth" and you can find their product-line here. I'm not sure if these are sold in Canada, but in the US, I have found them all over the place, Wal-Mart, Rite Aid, QFC and ULTA to name a few. They can cost anywhere from $2.99 to $3.79 US each. They last you a long time and there's a lot of product inside of them so it's not a waste of money. I do agree that they are more expensive than your regular Chapstick lip-balm but the flavors are fantastic and they claim to be all-natural.

The manufacturer's page claims that they contain long-lasting moisture due to their contents being full of shea butter, jojoba oil and vitamin E. They do go on clear and colorless, so if you're expecting a pigment from your lip balm, this will not provide one. The products are gluten-free, without parabens, petrolatum and phthalates.

They come in the following flavors:

•  Summer Fruit
•  Lemon Drop SPF 15
•  Strawberry Sorbet
•  Honeysuckle Honeydew
•  Medicated Tangerine
•  Sweet Mint

My favorites are Strawberry Sorbet and Honeysuckle Honeydew, and I am not a huge fan of Medicated Tangerine or Lemon Drop but they are the ones that are probably most useful because the tangerine one is a super-moisturizer and lemon drop protects your lips from the harmful rays of the sun by being SPF 15. Really whichever ones you choose depends on what's available at the store and what your favorite flavor-profiles are. I usually like very sweet lip balms but some people really dislike very flavored makeup. I know that over the summer they had a pack that contained a purple balm which was in "Strawberry Sorbet" but I haven't seen that one in stores, it sounds delicious though.

When you're not looking to splurge on anything but you want to get something for yourself or your friends, these are a great purchase because they are useful and don't make a huge dent in your pocket. Many articles I've read have chosen these as the lip-product to purchase, especially during this recession.

You can purchase them here:

Melting your lipsticks & making your own lip balms

Do you fear that you're turning into a lipstick hoarder? Do you have tons of little lipstick tubes hanging out in your drawers, purses, car and bathroom? Then maybe you will want to consider this interesting idea I have for you: make them into lip-palettes. It's a very simple process that anybody who owns a microwave can do. I imagine that at this point you're basically picturing a Salvador Dali-esque lipstick melting slowly all over the place. I assure you, this is not the case, I have a way you can do this in a very controlled and neat manner. I promise it's all worth it.

There are very logical reasons why you might want to do this: to de-clutter, to see all of your colors at once and make choices more easily, and to get the small remaining amount of lipstick out of the tubes you have mostly used up. The melting method lets you get the most bang for your buck, so you don't go out purchasing another lipstick when you have a decent amount stuck inside your lipstick container that you just can't get at. If you have colors that you absolutely loathe, this is a good time to get creative, you can mix them together and get new and exciting colors! Let's begin.


What you'll need:
- tiny spatula or cuticle pusher
- microwave or a candle (I recommend using tongs if you're considering the latter)
- container to put your melted lipstick in
- lipstick
- rubbing alcohol

First, you will want to take your container of lipstick and use a tiny cuticle pusher/spatula to scrape out the lipstick, you don't have to worry about making a mess or crushing it (I promise we'll reconstitute your lipstick in a manner that is beautiful). Place the lipstick chunks in your new lipstick container. You can choose an empty pillbox, palette, plastic container, glass container, used-up lipbalm case, or stacked dollar-store containers or bead organizers (my personal favorite). Whatever container you choose, make sure to put your lipstick in and dilute it a little bit with a few drops of rubbing alcohol so you can mix it together for an even consistency. Then nuke your lipstick in the microwave. Be careful not to do this for longer than a 5-7 seconds at a time (depending on the strength of your microwave) because your container can crack. Try to work with a material that you know won't crack in the microwave.

If you use a lip brush to apply your lipstick, you will get the most out of your product and you won't be wasting any on your fingers. Also, if you think your containers will melt in the microwave, use a microwaveable tupperware container or bowl and then simply scoop or pour your melted mixture into your container of choice. If you choose to turn your lipsticks into more of a 'lip balm' you will want to mix in some shea butter. How much you add really depends on how much pigment you want in your lipbalm, because the more shea butter you will add, the less color you will see. Make sure to thoroughly mix them together with mixing medium or rubbing alcohol before you melt them. This is a fun and easy project! Enjoy yourselves and show me some of your creations!

Black Friday madness

So, after am enormous Thanksgiving meal, those of us dedicated to shopping, haul our fat butts out the door and waddle on to our store destinations. We do this, hoping against hope that we'll be amongst the first ones there. This is almost never the case, as people have been camping outside of the most popular stores (like Wal-Mart, Target, and Best Buy) for days in advance even in suburban localities outside of Seattle. So without any hope of ever reaching a cash-register within the next 12 hours at any of these stores, my husband and I moved onto ULTA. This store was the complete opposite, it had cutesy deals, very few ladies inside, no pushing or shoving, and we could easily reach the cash register. To me, the decision was simple, I'm a much larger fan of cosmetics than I am of technology anyway, so I picked up a few things.

They had this collection of items which were all just $1, so I grabbed 5 CHI Silk-infusions bottles for $5 because I love the way these make my hair feel (a small bottle usually retails for $14). Then, I purchased a mint lip-balm, swirl lipgloss and 3 ULTA nail polishes for another $5. Most of the items are $3 each, so the savings is of 66%. I purchased two Stila eyeliners in a pack, one being gold (named Koi) and one being silver (named Silver Dollar) as this was on special for $10 when the regular value is around $40, you can still get this deal here. I thought it was a great deal and Stila's smudge stick eyeliners are absolutely fabulous. The pigmentation is strong and they glide on very smooth and easily, they are absolutely perfect for the holiday season. I spent $20 in total on these items and ULTA gave me $5 Bonus Cash, which can be redeemed on the next $25+ purchase at their store. I was very happy with the overall experience.

Colors: The Jungle Look, Alter Ego, Scene Steel-er

I was drawn to the nail polish because the color was very pigmented and festive, also the price was right and I was looking for more colors to perform my 'water-marbled nails' look! This is a fun and funky way to set yourself apart from everyone else.

The next day, armed with new ambition and rigor, we headed out to Southcenter Mall in Renton, Washington. This place was controlled chaos. The parking lot was chock full of cars, there were tons of security guards throughout the mall, but if you can stand feeling claustrophobic, it was a fine shopping experience. The lines to cash out were not that long, especially at MAC. I went to use their BACK2MAC program where I recycled 12 containers and got 2 eyeshadows of my choice, in the colors Brown Script (matte2 finish) and Swish (frost finish). These colors are both very beautiful, and best of all, they were free! The color pay-off is great, as with all MAC eyeshadows and you can de-pot them (which I did) and then recycle these containers as well when you have 6. I only purchased a 15-color palette to house my colors.

MAC's Brown Script (Matte2)

MAC's Swish (Frost)

I hope you all had an amazing Thanksgiving and I would love to hear about your Black Friday deals! Stay tuned for our IKEA haul in an upcoming post!