May Ipsy Review: Jetsetter

May's Glam Bag theme was "Jetsetter", complete with travel essentials and an adorable bag to keep them in. 

Overall Rating: 4 stars 

Best Product: I really, really want to say Urban Decay's 24/7 Glide-on Lip Pencil in "Ozone". But I'd be lying. This month's winner is BelláPierre Cosmetic's Waterproof Miner Gel Eyeliner Pencil in "Ebony". 

Worst Product: Bare Republic Naturals SPF 30 Mineral Face Sunscreen Lotion. 

Most Expensive Product: Pixi by Petra's Beauty Bronzer in "Summertime" (although this may not be totally accurate, as the pricing on their website included a kabuki brush and my sample did not). 

Glam Bag Total Value: ~$52.00

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-on Lip Pencil in "Ozone"; Revolution High-Color Lip Gloss in "Bittersweet" and "Failbait"

First up is this amazing pack of lip products from Urban Decay. I actually cheered out loud when I saw I would be getting this in my glam bag this month. Included in the sample was their 24/7 Glide-on Lip Pencil in "Ozone" and two samples of their Revolution High-Color Lipglosses in the colors "Failbait" and "Bittersweet". 

This translucent lip pencil is meant to be used as a lip primer. You can use it to line your lips to prevent bleeding of lip colors, you can use it all over your lips to make your lip color last longer, you can even use it to correct mistakes and fill in fine lines! It's a really cool product that goes on smooth and it doesn't feel like you have anything on your lips while wearing it. 

Revolution High-Color Lipgloss in "Bittersweet" 

The glosses were equally amazing, and I'd definitely be interested in picking up some full-sizes in the future. It is super pigmented, and really glossy. It didn't feel at all sticky. The color "Failbait" was especially beautiful and feminine, and definitely more wearable than it's edgy "Bittersweet" counterpart. 

The glosses are available in 14 shades and retail for $22. The lip pencil comes in both a thin and thick barrel option in prices ranging from $16-$20. I'd give both 5 stars. 

BelláPierre Cosmetics Gel Eye Liner in "Ebony"

As much as I wanted the UD products to be my favorite this month, this eyeliner just really hit all the right notes. Super black, it glides on buttery smooth, can be blended out for a sexy smokey eye, and does NOT budge until you decide to take it off. I was really impressed with the product, especially since it is from a brand I've never used or heard of before. I got a full-sized version, which retails for $14.99. 5 stars!

NUXE Rêve de miel Face Cleansing and Make-Up Removing Gel

I definitely had some mixed feelings about this Facial Cleansing and Make-Up Removing Gel by NUXE. On one hand, I felt like my face wasn't being cleaned while I used it. There were no suds to speak of. But when I stepped out of the shower, my eye-makeup was TOTALLY removed, which definitely impressed me. However, the smell of it made me feel like a hippie all day. I will finish the sample, but I wouldn't likely buy it again. This retails for $19, but my sample was worth $1.41. 3 stars. 

Pixi by Petra Beauty Bronzer in "Summertime"

This bronzer is just wonderful. When I first saw it, I wasn't to keen on the fact it had shimmer in it. Usually, I use bronzer just for contouring. But I decided to give bronzing my whole face a try with this product, and it was perfection! The shimmer is very subtle and adds a beautiful glow. The color of the bronzer itself isn't too dramatic or dark against my fair skin. It gave my whole face a gorgeous bronze glow, perfect for days when you don't want to fuss around with contouring or get tired of blush. This retails for $18 on pixi's website, but that price also includes a kabuki brush. 5 stars. 

This was another confusing product for me. The texture of it is... Strange. It says it doesn't leave your face oily, but the product itself feels really oily. Almost slimy, even. After putting it on, it is true that it did not make my face greasy, but I just wasn't digging the formula on this. Again, I'll probably use up the sample while poolside in the summer, but I don't anticipate using it again. A full size bottle retails for $15, but my sample was worth $4.41. 2 stars. 

I had a couple duds in my bag this month, but the winners truly made up for it. I already can hear my wallet crying from the inevitable purchase of those UD products! 

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April Ipsy Review: Beautifully Bohemian

This month's theme was "Beautifully Bohemian", a theme right in line with festival season being in full swing. 

Overall Rating: 3.8 stars. Not bad, but not great either. 

Best Product: Hands down, Jor'el Parker Femina perfume. 

Worst Product: Starlooks lip gloss in "Cuddle". 

Most Expensive Product: Hikari Cosmetics blush in "Tango". 

Glam Bag Total Value: ~$42

Hey Honey "Good Morning: Honey Silk Facial Serum"

Hey Honey's "Good Morning: Honey Silk Facial Serum" is a nice way to prep your skin for the day, if you can afford it. A full-size bottle of this goes for $41, although a little does go a long way. This product is great for brightening and smoothing your skin, and is a good base for makeup application. There are a lot of other products you could use for this purpose, but this is still a nice one. Since it uses honey as an ingredient, you cannot use it if you have a honey allergy. I give this product 3 stars, and my Ipsy sample was worth $11.58. 

The Balm Nude Dude eyeshadow in "Fit"

I've heard a lot about the Balm from my favorite beauty blogger, Vampy Varnish, so when I saw I would be getting a sample from their Nude Dude palette, I was pretty excited. I got the color "Fit", and the product did not disappoint! Even at sample size, the packaging was cute, and the shadow itself has great color payoff and consistency. It reminded me of my favorite Urban Decay eyeshadow, "Trick", so I swatched a few shadows side by side for comparison:

Top to Bottom: the Balm Nude Dude in "Fit", Urban Decay Naked 2's "Chopper", Urban Decay Naked 3's "Trick". 

The full-sized palette goes for $36, so my single shadow was worth $3. 5 stars. 

I have received Hikari products in previous glam bags. This blush is actually really great. The color, "Tango", is very complimentary to my skin tone, and it is HIGHLY pigmented. You definitely have to use a light hand when applying this product, but that's good, since you won't go through the product as fast. It's a great color for spring. This sample was full sized, and retails for $15. 4 stars. 

This was my least favorite of the bunch. I can't exactly put my finger on why; the color is nice, it looks good over other colors, and has a subtle shimmer to it. Aside from the fact it's a bit tacky on the lips, I don't have a good reason for not digging it. I just don't. It feels like a cheap product to me and overall there was nothing exciting about it. My sample size was worth $3.27, and I give it 2 stars. 

This was the gold star product of this month's glam bag. I had just recently spent two hours in Ulta looking for a new fragrance to no avail, when a couple weeks after I saw I was getting this in my glam bag. I rolled it on my wrists, and loved it. I would have never discovered it if it weren't for Ipsy. The fragrance notes include fruits and florals (my favorite combo), like lemon, grapefruit, forsythia, and plumeria, with Tahitian vanilla and musk. I was super happy to have this new fragrance to wear this upcoming summer. A full size bottle goes for $55, but my sample was worth $9.68. 5 stars!

Overall, my April Glam Bag didn't knock my socks off in the excitement department, but it did have a few outstanding products. I'll be using the blush and the perfume well into the summer! 

Did you get a glam bag this month? Were you happy with what you got?

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September Ipsy Bag Review

Fall is upon us, and with it, a new Ipsy bag to review! 

Even though I wasn't head over heels with all the products I received this month, I'm still totally in love with this subscription service, and September's bag design was my favorite of the bunch so far. It's definitely a bag I can get away with using as a clutch on a night out. 

Briogeo "Don't Despair, Repair!" Deep Conditioning Mask

First up is this deep conditioner. Its ingredients include avocado, almond & argan oils, keratin protein, rosehip oil, aloe, and vitamins B5, D, A, E and biotin. 

I was really excited to try this, because I color my hair fairly regularly and figured it could use some extra TLC. I also thought with all the superstar ingredients I would love it, which is why I was so surprised when I hated it. 

I used this multiple times, hoping maybe it would get better over time, but no luck. When I used it, it didn't even feel like my hair had been conditioned. It wasn't sleek to the touch. My comb didn't glide effortlessly through it. To be honest, my Aussie 3 Minute Miracle did a much better job at a fraction of the cost. 

This retails for $26 for 5.25 oz, but my sample was worth $4.95. 

Leeanni Eco 3 in 1 Revolution Light

This 3 in 1 product does the job of a moisturizer, toner, and serum. The "light" formula is made for normal to oily skin. It is supposed to help tighten skin, reduce breakouts, relieve dark circles under eyes, moisturize, fight aging, treat sun damages, and calm irritated skin, according to the product description. 

I am always a bit apprehensive to try new things on my face, since my skin is sensitive and prone to break outs. I used this product multiple times and really loved it! I did notice an improvement in my skin tone and dark circles, and it didn't make me break out at all. Bonus points for being vegan, gluten free, and natural!

This retails for $30 for 4 oz. My sample was only worth $2.62. 

Pacifica 7 Free Nail Color in "Red Red Wine" 

If you don't know how I feel about nail polish by now, you haven't been paying attention. This was the first polish I got via Ipsy. I was already familiar with Pacifica - they make a delicious blood orange solid perfume I used to wear as a teenager - but had no idea they made nail polish as well. 

The formula is "7-Free" (meaning it does not contain parabens, phthalates, toluene, xylene, camphor, formaldehyde, resin, or animals), which is very impressive. Most major polish brands are only 3 or 5 Free. I also adored the little golden shells on the brush handle. So pretty!

The polish itself was okay. It's a nice basic red to own, but doesn't stand out as a unique color. The formula also applied a bit uneven, but I'm not sure if that was my own error or not. 

Notice how some nails are darker than others with the same number of coats. 

Overall, it's a pretty enough color. And I bet it would look really nice over a black base. It honestly won't likely get a lot of use in my collection, but I would check out their other shades to see if any of the other colors were worthwhile. 

This product was full sized and retails for $9. 

Crown Brush C476 Crease/Shadow

I was sooo excited to get this in my bag! I don't have any nice shadow brushes (I really need a nice full set of makeup brushes in my life!), so I was thrilled to try this out. It did not disappoint! 

It has two ends: one fluffy side perfect for blending, and another pencil type side. I have nothing like either of them. 

The bristles are soft and don't shed, and the blending side... WOW! My shadows have looked so nice lately thanks to this brush. The pencil side is also perfect for applying shadows on the lower lash line. 5 stars!

This product retails for $7. 

Cailyn Art Touch Tinted Lip Gloss in "Love Affair"

Finally, we have this lip gloss. It's a great product! The formula itself leaves your lips looking strangely glassy with lots of depth. Really beautiful, and not at all sticky. I also loved the color. 

The color is also somewhat buildable, so you can layer more on for a darker look or throw it on top of a matching lipstick. Surprisingly enough, this product was the most valuable in my whole bag, retailing at $19. 

The shining stars this month were definitely the eye shadow brush and the lipgloss. Both were totally worth the cost of the subscription alone. The 3-in-1 product was a great new find, but I don't tend to get overly excited about moisturizers. The nail polish was just so-so, and the deep conditioner was a total dud, at least for me. I give this month's bag 3.5 out of 5 stars. 

Total bag value: $42.57, all for just $10. 

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