Ipsy Bag February 2013 Review

Are you ready to get Red Carpet ready? Forget about Valentines day, just like Ipsy did, and focus on the glitz and glamor of Hollywood's award season! Just in case you are new to Ipsy or don't know what it is, it is a beauty subscription service that allows you to sample beauty products in your own home for only 10$ (yes that includes shipping!) a month. While it is a mystery as to what you will get, you always get items worth more than this and this subscription is cosmetics based! Rarely disappointing. If you would like to sign up, you can do so here!

Just in case you didn't get an Ipsy Bag for February, here are some promo codes!

This months bag was a black, shiny, simple makeup bag which has the Ipsy logo inside.

What i received:
Pixi Flawless and Poreless (deluxe sample size)-
This translucent primer left the pores on my face visibly reduce. While i wouldn't trade the primer i use already for this product it did work quite well. I did not find it heavy on my face and found a little bit went a long way. It can be found here for $29.

Mica Beauty Cosmetics Gel Liner-
This liner, in a deluxe size, has quickly become one of my everyday essentials. It is soft and smooth enough to glide on with a soft or thin brush. It is smooth enough to blend out slightly. I like that once it is on it is resistant to tears and rain. I find it to be great quality that lasts all day and has so much more precision and lasting power than pen liner. You can find this liner here.

Pop Beauty Smokey Lash Kapow Mascara-
This mascara was just, mascara. Nothing special or different. Didn't make my lashes super lush but didn't fall flat. Did not get clumpy or make my lashes stiff. This is your run of the mill mascara that falls right on average and is good for everyday wear.

Coastal Scents Quad-
This item is not new at all. Ipsy gave this item out in October (I believe) and this is also something you can receive for free by placing any order at Coastal Scents. While it still requires a purchase, I always get irritated when I find out that a sample I pay for is something I could have gotten for free. With that aside these colors were decent. I found some a little too powdery for my taste but they were highly pigmented. The upper right shade has some fall out because of the micro glitter but this wouldn't defer me from purchasing this shade or a larger palette. These shades go well together for a full eye look or used individually.

Lash Card- 

This is the second time I have received this sample recently. Now my opinion may come off as a little bias on a few levels and I will explain why. First off, if you are new to mascara or eye looks having something like this to protect your freshly done makeup is genius. If you're a makeup artist you may want to use this on a client. But for someone who does makeup everyday this is pointless. I know how to maneuver a mascara brush, such that, i know how to not mess up my eye look.

Overall this months Ipsy bag was decent. A little something for novice to seasoned makeup user. While some items felt a little pointless others were spot on. Ipsy is a monthly subscription that allows you to sample beauty products for only 10$ month which includes shipping. If you are interested in signing up for Ipsy you can do so here ! 

Ipsy My Glam bag December 2012 Review and Swatches

Happy Haute Holidays! is the theme for this months festively themed Ipsy bag. While the Holiday theme is mostly safely in the politically correct zone with only the miss Clause boot on the wire, the products themselves do not scream holiday to me. I am sure other bloggers have mentioned this but this bag really reminds me of just another version of Octobers bag. That is not an entirely bad thing but i just feel they could have been more festive with this bag.

 The bag itself i found to be rather boring. It is absolutely practical but very boring. A simple grey bag that will fit your essentials in, but i feel they could have given something with glitter or squints, something fun!

 Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Zero-
I own about 4 of these products, many for free in various Urban Decay palettes, plus Ipsy has already given out so many black eye liner that i was left feeling unimpressed. This product is a good choice if you like pencil liners that glide on smooth and are blendable to create a smokey eye.

 In addition i was also given an Urban Decay Primer exclusive preview for being active. I am not active at all on the Ipsy site. I have my blog, instagram, and am active on makeup talk. If i took up being active on Ipsy i would be spreading myself way too thin. So i was a bit shocked to receive this product.  This product is a beauty balm that goes on smooth and feels very natural. I used it on my face under my normal powders and it was not heavy at all. It blended to match my skin tone which was nice. It was the quality i would expect from Urban Decay. I don't know if i would replace the product i use now with it, but I have a feeling it will be a hit.

 Mai Couture Highlighter Papier-
This is a lie. This product is not a highlighter. I don't know who told the people over at Mai Couture that this was a highlighter, but they should be fired.  It is too dark in tone and too golden to highlight, it is however, a fantastic bronzer. So do i hate this product? No not at all, it is nice to rub on the top of the cheeks and the chest for a bit of a sun kissed glow and really turns a tired face into a more youthful face (trust me i am a mom i know!) So all in all not bad. It is also nice that this is a book and makes it less messy than a brush and bronzing powder.

 Mirabella Primer for eyes and face-
This primer is very, very greasy, a light greasy but none the less greasy. I don't think i will be using this product much because i like something just a little less.... oily. Applys clear. I think this would be great for affixing glitter.

 NYX Loose Pearl Shadow in Charcoal Pearl-
Years ago i bought every single NYX loose shadow. I still have most of them and always found their quality for loose pigments to be pretty great. This shade is somewhat boring to me though. I already own it and i use it sparingly when creating neutral looks. It is a very soft and find powder, good pigmentation and i had no issues blending it. I would have loved to have gotten a gold or silver since those are more my personality, but this is acceptable.

Be a Bombshell Hot Mess Lip Gloss-
Red lip gloss again? We did this in October, and the one in October was better quality in my opinion so i wasn't over thrilled with this gloss. It glides on smooth, has no weird after taste, very shiny, it is not a full pigmented gloss but it is a nice wash of color. I did not find this sticky, tacky, or drying. I think i would layer this over a red lipstick rather than use it on its own.

 For months now Ipsy has been pushing Just Fab, now they sent out a little booklet of shoe options! I am still passing though.

 Overall this month had some great brands just the products were so similar to other months that it undermined how awesome this month could have been. New subscribers may not have mind this bad so much but when you keep getting the same items over and over it becomes less of a treat and more of just redundant products. I love red lips and black liner but i also like stepping out of my box with these monthly subscriptions. Ah well, i hope for better variety in the new year!

If you want to sign up for Ipsy it is $10 monthly, shipping included, and is a cosmetics based subscription! You can sign up here!

Ipsy/Glam Bag November 2012 Review and Swatches

Yes, i know it is almost the end of November and i haven't even touched on most of my subscription boxes, so the next few posts will be mainly subscription boxes.

This month Ipsy (formerly Glam Bag) themed their monthly bag as party perfect. Everything you need for a complete party look. While i had (still have!) some gripes this bag, it really does have everything you need (just about!) to be ready for holiday parties.

While this brown bag is simple and neutral, perfect to compliment just about any party outfit, it is somewhat cheaply made. The products this month were from a wide range of pretty well known brands. Two products were full size, while the other three are sample size. Earlier in the month some people recieved an email that Benefit They're Real mascara would be included in our bag, shortly after we were told it was a mistake and mainly new members received this product. While mishaps happen and most companies use the tactic of offering better products to new people to help gain a bigger customer base this is unfair to those who have been on board for a while now and are left out. On the flip side we did receive a mascara last month, so can i really stay angry? No, not so much.


What i received-
 Nailtini Nail Lacquer-
This is the biggest bottle of nail poilish ive seen in a while. At first glance its a beautiful gold glitter polish with light touches of blue. I think its beautiful and perfect for a party. The wear, not so good. I had this one for less then a day before it peeled right off. To be fair though i had not used a base or top coat but this kind of quality is still pretty bad. I got semi opaque coverage with just about 2 coats. It also dried pretty quickly

The Balm- Meet Matte- Matt Batali-
This shade sample is quite small but the packaging is adorable. I like this shade over all. It feels smooth and seems easy to blend. I was able to use it without primer and still achieve full coverage. It seems like it would be good to define the eye or as a crease color. Not something i would wear all the time, but i think this would go good for a smokey eye look for a party.

Bare Minerals Moxie Lipgloss in DareDevil-
I was so excited to see this purplish red lip gloss! That is, until i tried it on. This shade, though beautiful in the tube applies nearly sheer. It has a non sticky and soft formula though so i think it is the idea gloss for a simple look. It may not be good for a party, but at least your lips will be moisturized during the colder months.

Starlet Cosmetics Intense Eyeliner in black-
This eyeliner rich in black pigments. Applies soft and does not pull on the eyelid. Easy to blend out to a smokey look. While i am getting a little tired of receiving black liners from various subscriptions i do like how this product works and it is a good essential to any makeup collection. I found the packaging to be adorable as well.

 

Chella Eyebrow Defining Gel-
I was only disappointed in this item because of the mascara email. After i stopped being whiny i realized this product wasn't all that bad. It is pretty much clear mascara that is applied to the brows to keep them looking well groomed.

For the past few months a discount for JustFab has been included, i haven't used mine but it does add a nice value to the bag.

Overall i thought this months bag was a great value for $10 dollars. If you are a makeup veteran, a lot of these products may just be doubles for you, whereas, if you are a rookie these types of items will help to start building your collection. Aside from the items there are the discount codes given for each product along with the Just Fab discount. Overall this is great subscription and if you would like to sign up, you can do so here!