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.

IPSY November 2014 Glam Bag: Girl Meets Glitter (Review & Swatches)

November brings about fall and all things related to apple cider, scarves and pumpkin spiced latte (obviously, autumn is very related to warm drinks in my mental association). However, to IPSY, the $10/month beauty subscription, November means glitz, glam and glitter! I'm surprised this theme didn't make it to December for the holidays but hey, I'll take the festivities a little early. 

This was probably one of the best bags I have received in months, but it's coupled with the sadness that I couldn't bring you last month's bag since my neighbor ripped it open and stole its contents (IPSY was nice enough to send me a new one but it's still in transit for at least a week).

If you don't already have your own Glam Bag, go git you one ASAP! This also makes a wonderful gift for the holidays!

Be a Bombshell Eye Base in Submissive

This Be a Bombshell Eye Base claims to be a concealer and base in one but I would consider it more of a cream eyeshadow in a pot, similar to the Maybelline Color Tattoos but it feels more jelly-like to the touch. This product isn't opaque enough to be a concealer or to cover up the appearance of discoloration and pigmentation on the lids. I received the color Submissive (which was sent to all Ipsters) which is an intense creamy bronze with gold shimmer. I enjoyed that this was a full size item but did not particularly love the slightly chemical scent. I do not enjoy the products by Be a Bombshell but this is the best one Ipsy has sent out even though I really wish they would stop working with this brand.

Retail Price: $14 (Full size)

Elizabeth Mott - You're So FINE Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner in Glitterati

Elizabeth Mott is a fairly expensive indie brand that I've heard very little about outside of the IPSY subscription, but I'm so glad they have introduced me to them since I have loved their eyeliner pencils and eyeshadows so much thus far! This month, I received the You're SO Fine Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner and it is full sized and in the shade Glitterati (black with shimmer in it). The brush tip allows you to achieve a precise and very fine line but you need steady hands, I always find that liquid eyeliners in brush form are a lot less forgiving during application than sponge-tipped pen eyeliners. That being said the color is very opaque and the glitter is not gaudy, this is a good product that is well suited for the holidays!

Retail Price: $17.99 (Full size)

J. Cat  Beauty Wonder Lip Paint in Red Potion

J. Cat Beauty is another brand that I'm not thrilled about receiving since it's a drugstore brand with more misses than hits but I was intrigued about their Wonder Lip Paint since it seems to be an OCC Lip Tar dupe (specifically of Black Dahlia). I love the intense color of the shade Red Potion but it is best applied with a lip brush and rather slowly so you don't stain your skin. a little bit goes a very long way. This shade also has smile-enhancing properties as it makes your teeth appear brighter and whiter. Now we have to keep it real here on my blog so I have to admit that there is a strong chemical/burnt rubber scent to this product that should not be overlooked, if you are sensitive to smells like I am, I can't recommend it.

Retail Price: $4.99 (Full size)

Temptu S/B Highlighter in Pink Pearl

I'm a long-time fan of the Temptu brand because I own one of their Pro Airbrushes with a ton of their products (thanks to my hubby for getting me that for Valentine's day years ago!) and I was so excited to see one of their products this month! This is a Temptu S/B Highlighter in the shade Pink Pearl but we received a very small sample size which is 1/10th of the size of the product. This can be applied by airbrush or by gently dabbing it onto your cheekbones with your finger (just as you would apply any of the Benetint products). 

As a sidenote, if you were interested, S/B means silicone-based which refers to the base that is used to make the product. Silicone based products tend to have dimethicone which is a substance found in primers that creates the nice slip to the product which allows it to slide on to your face while being a pore filler. Typically if silicone-based products are listed near the beginning of the products used in your foundation, you should try to use "like" products and not mix them with water-based formulas since they will tend to separate.

Retail Price: $2.75 (Sample size)

Marc Anthony Oil of Morocco Argan Oil Hairspray

This is a fruity smelling Oil of Morocco Argan Oil Hairspray by Marc Anthony and it is a decent sized item that can be useful for traveling. I liked the hold on this and the fact that it didn't smell the way generic hair products can smell like a mixture of aerosol chemicals. I'm pleased with this addition to my bag since it doesn't leave my hair stiff, sticky but rather soft and clean.

Retail Price: $1.38 (Sample size)

The bag this month was a very flexible vinyl finished bag with a glitter which was deep set inside of the vinyl-like finish so there was no glitter fall-out or catastrophes. It also had a pink zipper, I think this bag is very cute and it was designed by Forever 21 in conjunction with Ipsy (it says so on the tag, sorry I forgot to take a photo of it).

The total value of my bag this month was $41.11 (over 4x what I pay for this subscription)! I was happy with the way the products were curated for me except for brand preferences (I would rather not receive J. Cat Beauty or Be a Bombshell Cosmetics in the future). I hope that I will get lots of use out of some of these items and that IPSY continues to get better at their IPSY Match algorithm which matches individuals to products each month based on a preference quiz.

Sign up for the IPSY monthly subscription or gift it to someone else here!

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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