Ipsy, February 2014: A Review

This month's theme was the Look of Love. Happy Valentine's day! First of all, cute glam bag! No ugly design on the outside. The products inside were fun this month as well. Overall very pleased with this month. Sorry no vlog unboxing as I've been a bit under the weather.

This month my Ipsy Glam Bag contained:

• City Color: Be Matte Blush in Melon
• POP Beauty Plump Pout Mini in Peony Petal
• Zoya nailpolish in Odette
• J.cat  Beauty Eyelashes
• Phyto-C Velvet Gel

Lets dig in to the reviews!

City Color Be Matte Blush:

 

I was excited to get a blush sample because I'm trying to expand my blush horizon.This blush

 will run you 2.99 over at their website. I'm not a huge compact blush fan as I've been using loose powder mineral blush for years now. This does not blend well and is quite chalky. The melon color doesn't seem so bright here, but it is a little much for a natural look. I love the kind of products where you are surprised at how cheap it is because it performs so well. Not the case here, just your average cheapy blush. Their website calls this blush "ultra blendable". Nope. Now, if you like BOLD blush.... this might work for you. 

POPbeauty Plump Pout Mini:

POPbeauty for the win! This is the second Pop beauty product I've fallen in love with. (The first is their crayon! review here) Look at that pigment! You can buy it at Zappos which I find a bit odd but I guess they do makeup now. It runs 16 for the full size (this is a mini). But the next time you pick up some shoes, you can add a lipgloss to your order. Of course you can also buy it at stores like Ulta as well. It seems a bit pricey for a lipgloss but this has some actual color to it so it could replace a lipstick. They have a nude color that would be fun to try. I would highly recommend, and will be buying the full size. Its got peptides that help plump and vitamin E and avocado oil for moisturizing.

Zoya Nailpolish:

I like Zoya brand. I don't really have anything new to say about the wear and tear. I like clear bright colors and this has a dusky look to it. Not for me, but I'm willing to give it a try. Odette is a cream finish in a cool color tone. It is a purpley mauve color. I am more into a metallic or shimmery finish personally. The great thing about Zoya which I don't think I mentioned in my last review and is important to mention: Zoya is Big 5 free! That means it is free of these toxins: formaldehyde, DBP, toluene, formaldehyde resin, and camphor. ALSO Zoya is not tested on animals. More reasons to love this brand. Zoya runs 8-9 bucks and you should check out their website here as the color choices blow me away.  

PHYTO-C Velvet Gel:

Hmmm... I'm kind of stumped on this one. Here is what I can tell you: This product is crazy expensive. 100 bucks for 30ml. That's one ounce, people. One. Ounce. Apparently it can reduce fine lines and wrinkles. I have been using this in replace of my normal serum but I can't tell the difference. Ingredients are Hyaluronic Acid, Calcium Pantothenate, Niacin, Alpha-Tocopherol, Retinol, Vitamin B12, Caffeine, Arginine, Glutamine, Taurine, Lysine, Glutamine, N-Acetyl Carnitine and Pentapeptide. I recognize that quite a few of those are known to be fantastic for your skin, but I also know I can find them in other preparations for a nicer price tag. I do not know enough to tell you if this exact mixture is more "special" than anything else out there.

J.Cat Beauty Eyelashes:

Not the best application, but you get the idea

Love 'em! I was not graced with full voluminous lashes. I have short stubby lashes. There isn't a magical enough mascara to fix that, and I'm not about to put crap on my eyelashes that could potentially alter the color of my iris (lookin' at you Latisse). My next option? Falsies. I really love the look of these lashes. Very lush. I have a lot of "natural" ones but these just seem so glam. They also have 30 other styles and only cost 3.99. I'd buy these again. Hope Ipsy sends me some more of this brand for sampling! 100% human hair, cruelty free, and latex free glue. Plus the glue is black which I really like (I know the white stuff says its dries clear...)

Join me on ipsy and subscribe to the Glam Bag! You get 4-5 beauty products every month delivered to your door, for just $10. Michelle Phan curates the bags! Check it out here

Ipsy, January 2014: A Review

This month was an ugly glam bag. I have had two months of bags that I absolutely loved. I guess it was about time to have a bag I didn't like. It's not that I mind the colors, but the silhouttes of the makeup products are a bit cheesy.. bleh.

This month my Ipsy Glam bag contained:

• (MALIN + GOETZ) mojito lip balm
• Benefit POREfessional 
• Yaby Natural Finish Foundation in Buff
• Absolute! Makeup Cleansing Tissue
• Balanced Guru Body Balm

(MALIN + GOETZ) mojito lip balm.

First and foremost, I'd like to take a minute to complain about the packaging. It looks like a medicated ointment! I wouldn't really want to pull it out of my bag in front of anyone. Don't mind me while I put on my medicated ointment. Packaging does matter. It seems they went with a plain look, but the white with blue lettering? I am new to this brand, and they have not won me over. The actual lip balm is very greasy feeling. A little goes a long way and its hard to get just a little out of this tube. The lip balm has a little note "fatty acid absorption technology" on the front. What is that?! It doesn't say anywhere on the tube either. Or their website. Which seems to me like it doesn't really mean anything.... I've read through some testimonials of their other products. It seems their face care is their big seller. "Better than proactiv" Maybe I'll have to try something other than the lip gloss... As far as the mojito scent? I was hoping for party in a tube... it is barely scented. 12 dollars for a tube. No way would I pay that much!  

Benefit the POREfessional

As I've mentioned, my pothole pores can always use a little help. I was very excited to try this out because its on the spendy side. Thats the great thing about Ipsy! Try before you buy. 30 bucks for a tube over at Ulta. This really did a good job spackling over my pores and had a soft finish. However, now that I've tried it, a cheaper dupe would be Avon Magix face perfector, which I already own. Seriously very similar in formula. The Avon only costs 10 bucks! Check Magix out here. 

Here is the POREfessional under the Yaby foundation

What pores?!

Yaby natural finish liquid foundation

I love trying out different foundations! I was pleasantly surprised that it cost 13.55 from their website. It blended very well, was easy to work with, and provided a medium to full coverage without being cakey or too thick. The color I received was buff, and it seems to match my winter skin pretty well. It is something I would consider buying in the future. 

A! Absolute! Make-up Cleansing Tissues 

These sell for 6.99 over at Walgreens. That seems pretty average for makeup removal wipes. I honestly use wipes a lot in the evening. After a 12 hour shift I want easy makeup removal. The cucumber scent is nice. These do a nice job. 

Balanced Guru Body Balm

Egads! They charge 45 through their website for this body balm, and you will be surprised to learn it doesn't contain diamonds or gold. For the travel size, which I am sampling, it costs 12 dollars. That is too much for me to splurge on a body balm. This company does use organic ingredients, so if you are trying to use organic products you may want to check it out. It is a very strong citrusy scent. It also has an undertone that reminds me of Vick's vapor rub. 45 dollars for something that smells slightly medicated is just too much for me. It does not absorb into the skin very well and leaves my skin shimmery and shiny and a bit tacky. This product is not for me. Also, if you want me to recognize your brand name, you might make it a bit bigger on your packaging. Just sayin'

Join me on ipsy and subscribe to the Glam Bag! You get 4-5 beauty products every month delivered to your door, for just $10. Michelle Phan curates the bags! Check it out here

Ipsy, October 2013: A Review

Woot woot! Ipsy is doing it right this month. I'm loving what a variety of samples I received. Can't say much about the ugly ugly bag. I couldn't wait to dive in and sample. You can tell it is a great bag when I don't want to wait to try things out.



Ipsy won over my heart this month by giving me a nail polish sample. Zoya! The color is Giovanna. I have heard great things about this brand. It is a color I don't currently own which is even better. This has a pearlescent metallic sheen that is really great. It's hard to pick up on camera the depth this polish has. It is described as an emerald green, and it truly is even though I feel like at first glance it looks more teal.






StyleSexyHair Spray Clay. Kind of a flop so far. I knew it wasn't really going to work for my hair. Wrong kind of product but right BRAND of product. I can tell you that this brand of hair products is amazing. I have tried both the Big Sexy Hair line and the Healthy Sexy Hair line. I love their Chocolate Soymilk shampoo! Sulfate free and smells like a damn chocolate bar. Who wouldn't like that? This spray clay is from the Style Sexy Hair line. It is to create textured hair with a matte finish. My hair goes limp very quickly, so I think if I am going for a big hair night this may be the ticket. I was attempting a flat iron with a bit of edge to it... not quite there. The spray comes out VERY forcefully. As a first attempt with a product I've never used I would say there is room for improvement. Texture? Yes. Good texture? Not so much. I think this will work nicely when getting my hair ready for an updo.



Coastal Scents: Medium eyeshadow brush. I am loving it and using it all the time. The even better news? Easy on the wallet! 3 dollars for the eyeshadow brush I'm sampling. It seems like very good quality and I was surprised to see it was that cheap. I have more expensive brushes I don't like as much. It looks like they only sell through their online site. I'd be interested to try some of their makeup!





Bellaterra mineral shimmer eye shadow in Navy. Available through the Bella Terra website for $15. To me that's a lot to throw down on one single color. If I were to purchase I would want it to be a color I wore all the time. The pigmentation is actually pretty good. I used the tiniest bit as I knew I wanted a day look. This is just very quick application as I was pressed for time and headed out the door to an appointment. I used a neutral lid and just smoked out the crease a bit. Very wearable for a Navy color. I would definitely do a different lip color if I hadn't been sampling my lip pencil at the same time....It did not take very much at all and produced excellent color. The website also recommends adding it to nail polish, using it as a body glitter (not in navy unless you want to look bruised!), using a wet brush for a cream eyeshadow, using a wet eyeliner brush for eyeliner, using it with clear mascara for a pop of color, mixing with lip gloss, or even using it as hair streaks with hair gel. Interesting suggestions. 60 different shades through their website.



Starlooks lip pencil in Tipsy. Holy orange undertones batman!! I thought this would be pink but it is like a flourescent coral. This picture doesn't even do it justice! I was so hopeful when I first glanced at the pencil because it seemed close to my favorite pencil...  I used straight up pencil with a little lip gloss over the top. I will have to blend this color with something a little less LOOK AT ME.

PS. What is going on with my one eyebrow?!

Here it is next to my beloved "Radish" colored lip pencil. If only it weren't so orange! Bummer because I have yet to find a color that is my radish color. It is THE color for my lips, but the brand (Jane) went away for a long time. They have now re-branded and don't carry lip pencils. Some day I'll find a dupe... today is not that day.








Join me on ipsy and subscribe to the Glam Bag! You get 4-5 beauty products every month delivered to your door, for just $10. Michelle Phan curates the bags! Check it out here: http://www.ipsy.com/?refer=u-hkeep4gyw4of1rcp