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!

Ipsy Glam Bag Unboxing - April 2014

Here's what I received in my April 2014 Ipsy Bag.

Urban Decay 24/7 Velvet Glide-On Eye Pencil - Travel Size - Value $15
dr. brandt Microdermabrasion - Deluxe Sample Size - Value $9.75
Elizabeth Mott Pop! goes the shadow (Champagne) - Full Size - Value $12.99
Mary Kay At Play Jelly Lip Gloss (Teddy Bare) - Full Size - Value $10
Sexy Hair Root Pump Volumizing Spray Mousse - Travel Size - Value $6

Total Value of this my Ipsy April 2014 bag - $53.74

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I definitely received my money's worth and then some, I just wasn't extremely thrilled about the products - it all seemed a little... basic for my taste. I like to experiment with makeup and I have so much that a neutral eyesahdow (although I love the quality, a nude lip gloss, an exfoliator, a black eye pencil and a hair mousse really isn't very thrilling. I can't say I loved the bag but I also didn't dislike it. I'm using it in my purse currently because it's the perfect size for me to store coupons.

I received this Teddy Bare shade of the Mary Kay at Play Jelly Lip Gloss. I am happy this is a full size product but extremely bummed that this nude is a color that completely washes me out. I also didn't like that this product stuck to any dry patches on my lips and really accentuated them, it was also very sticky and thick in consistency. I would not repurchase this lip gloss, especially at the high price of $10!

I was happy to receive an Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Pencil in their new Velvet line (color: Black Velvet).  This is a similar size to the travel pencils that they sometimes include in their Book of Shadows (various editions) and other palettes. I have quite a collection of these and was happy to see this one smudged well, clearly being intended for a smokey eye. It's more of a charcoal black rather than a pure dark black due to its intended use. The value of this product was $15.

This was my surprise favorite item in this bag. I have received a couple of other Elizabeth Mott products in the past and also enjoyed them thoroughly (through Ipsy, Glossybox and Birchbox). I'm a fan that I'm always receiving something different from this brand, rather than just the same product sent out in all my subscriptions! Also, this eyeshadow reminds me of Stila's Kitten (which is an amazing compliment). I absolutely love this shade, it's very universal and wearable, super glowy and extremely buttery. This product is worth the $12.99 price tag, I would purchase it and I'm glad that it came in my bag. 

The last 2 products are my absolute duds for this month. I have plenty of exfoliators and although I've heard great reviews of dr. Brandt's products, I just can't seem to get myself hyped about cleansers. It retails for a fortune so even this extremely small sample is valued at $9.75. I also received the BigSexyHair Root Pump Mousse (valued at $6) and this will be an okay product that I can put in my purse if it's very humid out and I really want to control my hair. These two products are the reason why I unsubscribed from Birchbox, I want a purely makeup subscription and not really cleansers and hair products. With that being said, Ipsy usually does the best job of the affordable makeup subscriptions of sending primarily makeup products.

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Hautelook Exclusive Pucker Up! Lip Beauty Bag

I've got a great deal to share with you guys today but it's exclusive to Hautelook members (Hautelook is free to join, by the way, so if you aren't a member, go sign up!). The best part of this "mystery bag" is that it's no mystery at all! I will give you the whole list of products and even the colors they come in! Talk about smart shopping! I will also be providing you with the retail prices of each single product. As a bonus, everything comes in a cute lipstick case as a freebie bonus. The only catch is that with Hautelook, you do have to pay for shipping (which depends on your location I believe, but mine was around $7.00). Hautelook values this bag at $160 worth of products and we can buy it for the absolute steal of $24! You can purchase the bag here.

The bag contains the following items (sources are linked for the retail value):

1. Laura Geller Italian Marble Lipstick, Sugared Maple (glazed caramel with creamy vanilla) - Retail: $18
2. LORAC Lip Lustre Gloss, Ruby - Retail: $15
3. Mirenesse Glossy Kiss, Flirty Kiss - Retail: $29.95
4. Mirenesse Lip Bomb #2, Siren Red - Retail: $39.00
5. Swoon Lip Gloss Reusable Wand - innovative cosmetic tool that is designed to retrieve every bit of gloss from a lip gloss tube - Retail: $15.00
6. La Fresh Lip/Eye Makeup Remover Packette - just 1 of these - Retail: 0.83
7. Lord & Berry Shining Lipstick 20100, Fire (orangey red) - Retail: $16.00
8. Allegro Lip Gloss Case - couldn't find this anywhere
9. Crown Brush Lip Liner Brush (synthetic hair) Retail: $3.00
10. NYX Retractable Lip Liner, Ruby, Fruit Punch, Nectar, Nude Pink, Citrus (as far as I can tell, this is the only product with variation) - Retail: $4.50

So when everything is totaled up, I get a value of $141.28, the price Hautelook has of $160 is definitely a little bit over-inflated. But I'm not adding in the values of the lip gloss case or the makeup bag (because those, to me, with any mystery bag or subscription box, are essentially freebies).

Hope you guys enjoyed this and I hope it helps you decide whether or not you want to purchase the bag!

Also, please keep in mind what it says on the bag (at least when I'm looking at the page today)!

Happy shopping!