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 October 2012 Review and Swatches

Ipsy/Glam Bag has come such a long way in just under a year of sending out bags. This month's bag is exceptional proof of this. Subscribers got over and beyond what they paid for this month and items that were both great in quality and value. The theme of this month was Bombshell and they embraced this it very well with black eye liner, voluminous mascara, and even a lip stain that will rival any other you have tried before!

For the past few months similar brands have been featured over and over and this month subscribers got to try some well known brands both domestic and internationally! This month's bag with jam packed with offers and coupons to allow you to buy the products from your bag at a discount!

I would like to start with the product i loved the most!

Mirenesse Lip Bomb #2-
This was one of the best lip lacquer stains i have ever tried. It rivals my Lancome products. Glides on creamy and glossy, feels like a liquid lipstick, opaque and full coverage, and tingles just a little bit since it is also a lip plumper. This product is so all in one that if it was a band it would be that guy who has every instrument strapped to a giant drum on his back! I got quite a few hours of coverage with this. Even when my sons hand brushed against my lips the shine still remained! This company is based in Australia, so i you haven't yet heard of them, that's why. I fell so deeply in love with this product (and with information from my friend Krys) decided to check out their other products and their VIP club. This company offers so much and i promise in the up coming months you will be hearing so much more about this company from me. I have about 4 packages coming in! This product is worth $35 dollars (the bag was only $10!!)

The Balm -Whats Your Type -Body Builder- Black Mascara-
This mascara really did add "body" to my eye lashes. It was a noticeable difference but did not look over done, overly dramatic, or like false lashes. It simply added some opmh to my normal lashes which is great for normal application. I usually like a lot of drama for my lashes, but am not that great at the false lashes, this is a good medium between natural and false. It wasn't clumpy or heavy.

Coastal Scents-
At any other time i probably would have thought this sample was awesome, however, right before i received my Ipsy bag i received an order from Coastal Scents which had one of these for free. This let me know that these were a free item from Coastal Scents, and while they have worth made me feel like it was just a cheap add in. None the less, i loved these colors because they aren't what i normally wear. I am daring when it comes to cosmetics but red is one of those colors i use sparingly. This quad goes well together a creamy shimmer white, a matte red, a shimmer brown gold, and a red copper shimmer. These colors make red work on a dramatic and just everyday way. These had great pigmentation and minimal fall out. If you like these shades i suggest you check out their 88 color palettes or their matte and shimmer palettes.

Be a Bombshell liner in Onyx-
This liner was so easy to use. The applicator is a thick and looks like a felt tip pen. Glides on easy, and is a little bit thicker when applied than shown in the picture. This is great for a dramatic wing tip, thin line, or thick line. You can also get creative with this liner. If you are new to liners this might be a good choice because of precision you can achieve using it verses a liquid liner with a brush.

Couture Color - Pequi Oil Treatment-
I have been using different hair oils for a while now such as Argan Oil, Macadamia Oil, and even Moroccan Oil, and i have loved what each product has done. This product is no different. It made my hair shiny and soft. My hair is prone to being greasy at the roots so i only put a little bit on my hands and rubbed through my hair as to not deposit too much in one area. It is great to sleek down frizz at the top of your head. and i like to apply it to my ends before bed to help my dry ends to feel soft by morning but not look greasy. I think this would be a great product for those with curly hair.

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