Thinking of You: Ipsy, December 2014.

 Oh hello Ipsy.

This bag came about a week ago, but between the dealing with children right before the holidays, at school, and planning a wedding in March, I've just been so busy, that I barely have time to check my mail. I haven't even opened half the Christmas Cards I've gotten so far. So I do apologize for the delay. 

Anyhow, Ipsy costs ten dollars a month, and for that ten dollars, you get a makeup bag full of samples and full-size products every month. Your bag will almost always be worth more than you paid for it, and at the same time, you get to try out all sorts of products.

This months theme was "Thinking of You", which I suppose seems appropriate with it being December and holidays and such.

I will say, I did like the bag this month, it's black and simple. 

First up, a precision beauty eyelash curler, worth $5.00.

Verdict: Curious

I've always seen eyelash curlers as some sort of Medieval torture device, so I've never actually owned one. They terrify me. But now that I have one, I'm sort of curious about it and want to try to use it without worrying about pulling all my eyelashes out. I'll let you all know how that goes.

This was what was in the bag.

Beauty Without Cruelty, facial cleanser, worth approximately $3.00.

Verdict: Indifferent

I don't mind facial cleansers. I'm always looking for stuff that can help me face and my skin. So I don't really feel happy or upset about getting a product like this. I would've preferred makeup, but it's not an unwelcome product.

Nyx butter lip balm, in marshmallow, worth $4.00, full-size.

Verdict: Like

Who doesn't want chapstick in the winter?

It's a nice nude color, so it doesn't really give my lips any color, and it smells really good. It smells like Marshmallows.

Lights, Camera, Lashes Mascara, worth about $10.00.

[it's about half the size of a full-size product, which is worth $20.00]

Verdict:  LOVE

I love mascara samples. Thanks to Ipsy, I don't think I've bought mascara in over a year because I'm constantly getting samples of it :)

Pixi Fairy Dust, worth $10.00, full-size.

Verdict: Okay

 The color is so nude that you can barely see it on my skin, at all. 

If I had a choice, I would've chosen a different color because there's not much I can do with this color, and some of the other colors on the website like gold, snow, and copper appear to me more.

It's not a bad product, I used to buy stuff like this all the time, only my choices were more bright and glittery colors, I'm just not a fan of the color that I got sent.

[they used to sell these at Claire's, they were these stackable glitter pots and they were awesome! This product sort of reminds me of those, just less glittery and shimmery.]

So....

The grand total of this month's bag is: $32.00

More than three times what I paid for it.

I didn't hate this month's bag. It was much better than some of the recent bags I've gotten from them in the past few months. 

So if Ipsy appeals to you, by all means, check them out.

And:

 to all, who celebrate....

As for me, I'll be on a plane heading to NJ tomorrow to spend a week wedding planning!

See you next year ;)

 

Girl Meets Glitter: Ipsy, November 2014

Meh, that's how I've felt about my last two Ipsy bags.

For those, new to the party, Ipsy is a subscription box bag service. It's ten dollars a month, and you supposedly get a customized bag of beauty goods. You usually get at least what you paid, or more than what you paid, it's a good deal, I just haven't been wowed by it lately. 

This month's theme was "girl meets glitter."

I was really hoping that with a theme like that, I'd get some sort of sparkly makeup product... Nope. 

The only thing sparkly or glittery was this month's bag, which I did like. 

First up, some sort of Under the Eye cover.  A good product, in theory, since I have horrible under eye circles because I don't sleep well, at all, have horrible insomnia, and look it.

It was a tiny sample, it's 0.11 ounces, where as the full-size product is worth $24.00, which makes this sample worth a measly .10 cents. It's tiny. You can probably barely get one use out of it. Thanks for the crap Ipsy.

On my hand.

Blended on my hand. The shade isn't even close to my skin-tone, and my face is darker than my other skin because my face isn't covered like other parts of my body. Useless.

This is what was in the bag.

 Marc Anthony Hair Spray, worth approximately $1.40.

It's Hair Spray. I mean I like Hair Spray. I don't mind getting hairspray. But it's nothing special. I suppose it's a nice travel size for when I go home to NJ over the holidays.

SeaRX Face & Body Scrub, worth approximately $3.20.

It's supposedly anti-aging, but again, a really tiny sample, probably good for maybe one use... How can you even get an opinion of a product if you only get one use out of it?'

Not impressed.

Starlooks lip gloss in "Guilty Pleasure", worth $3.25.

 This is on my hand.

I do like Starlooks makeup products. I used to get their Starbox, I miss their Starbox, but haven't bothered to resubscribe yet :x and I've used their lip gloss before. It's a quality product and it lasts. I do like this color, as well. It's a nice pink, a little above a neutral color, but a nice shade of pink.

Be a Bombshell, eye base, in submissive, full-size, worth $14.00.

It's a very light and neutral brown with a slight shimmer. I like it because it's a neutral color, and I tend to wear neutrals to work. 

Total Value:  $21.95

Probably one of my lowest value Ipsy bags ever.

Looking at the rest of this month's products.. They didn't really go with the theme. There isn't an overall glitter theme or anything. I would've preferred a Starlooks Gem Eye Pencil or the Nicole by OPI glitter nailpolish to almost everything I've gotten.

Oh well... You win some... You lose some..

Here's hoping December's bag is a hell of a lot better.

Ipsy: Street Style, September 2014

I love September because my birthday is in September. 

So, this year, for my birthday, I asked fiance to get me a joint birthday/Christmas present of a fancy DSLR camera because my DSLR is way out-dated, as in I got it in 2007, and with our wedding, in exactly six months from today, and our road trip honeymoon up the west coast, I wanted a camera to capture it all.

So yesterday, he gave me this:

A Nikon DSLR, so maybe my pictures for this blog will be better now ;P

This came in the mail on Friday... Only I've been way too busy to actually open it and check it out. Gotta love the school year. Oh and then, I knew that I was getting my new camera this weekend, and wanted to wait till I had it to open it :P

Ipsy  costs a measly ten dollars a month. For that ten dollars, you get a brand-new makeup bag filled with 4-6 products based on a style profile that you make when you sign up for it.

It's a mixture of full-size and sample size products, and you always get a good value for your dollar. The bag itself is pretty useful to, I've used them to travel, for pencil and pen cases, and they have a myriad of other uses.

This month's Ipsy theme was "street style."

I like the color of the bag, I do like silver, but I would've liked it better without the silver studs near the zipper.

This is what was in my bag. Mind you, I hadn't bothered to check out spoilers or anything. So I really had no clue, nor do I know why I got two of the same product. I think it was just a lucky extra? Because when I checked my glam room, there was nothing missing from it that it claimed I was going to get but hadn't in the bag. 

Briogeo Don't Despair, Repair, deep conditioning mask, worth about $5.00, based on the prize of a full-size product, which is about 5 ounces, and this one is 1 ounce, and the full-price is about twenty-six dollars.

I've never tried a hair mask before, but my hair is dry and damaged, especially since I swim almost every day as a workout... gotta get in shape for the wedding... and chlorine is a killer to my hair. So I'd like to see if this does anything to my hair to make it healthier. 

If it does, I may consider picking up a full-size.

Nyx Hot Singles Eyeshadow, in Asphyxiation, full-size, worth $4.50.

I like eyeshadow. I like this color. 

This is the color on my hand. It's a nice matte color with the right amount of sparkle, and the color sort of reminds me of Tardis blue. Blue is a good color on me because I have blue eyes.

Pacifica Natural-Proof Eye Pencil, in fringe, worth about $6.00 because it looks like it's about half the size of a regular eye-liner pencil.

On my hand.

Eyeliner is my favorite type of makeup. I could use a good brown pencil. It isn't a color I would have chosen for myself, I prefer blacks/grays/blues, but it's a welcome addition to my eyeliner collection :)

Crown Brush, infinity Shadow/Crease duet brush, worth $7.00.

I like eyeshadow brushes. Lately I've been seeing how useful they are to apply to eyeshadow with, so I'm eager to have another one to play with.

Cailyn Art-Tinted Lip Gloss, in Basic instinct, times two, worth a total of $38.00

Like I said, I have no idea why I got two of them, the exact same product and the exact same color.

Here it is on my hand.

It's a nice nude pink, and the color looks nice on my skin tone. I don't really wear lip gloss too much, but if I do decide to wear it, I do think that's a good color for me.

So the total worth of my bag is... about $60.00

Not too shabby.

For the most part, I think this was a great bag, it had products that I may not always use, but if do chose to use, they're good for me.

Gotta love Ipsy, always a great bang for your buck :)

I'm already looking forward to the October bag, especially since I LOVE HALLOWEEN.

Ipsy, August 2014, Beauty Schooled.

Hmm, I don't even remember getting a notification about my bag being mailed, nor do I really think I saw any spoilers, so I had no idea what to expect from Ipsy this month.

Ipsy is only ten dollars a month, and every month they send you a makeup bag full of products that are based on your profile. The bags consist of full-size and sample size products. I've found their makeup bags make amazing pencil cases for my massively huge pen and sharpie marker collection.

This is what was in my pink bubble mailer.

Perversion Mascara from Urban Decay, worth about $11.00 because it's a generous sample size and I'm estimating it to be about half of the full-size product, which is worth twenty-two.

I FUCKING LOVE URBAN DECAY,  they're my favorite makeup company. I love their Perversion black 24/7 eyeliner... Hell I love all their eyeliners. I love their naked palette. So this product alone made my bag amazingly awesome. I can't wait to wear this. 

SrtiVectin  Present Perfect antioxidant defense lotion,  worth $8.67 based on the price of the full-size product in comparison to the sample.

I'm always looking for an anti-aging skin product, so I'm eager to see if this product works, although it's quite a small sample, so I'm not sure I'll be able to see much of a result. Also, I don't know if I'd want to spend $59.00 for a full-size tube of it because I'm cheap like that.

Jersey Shore Sun Mongogongo Nutrient Defense, full-size, worth $5.50. 

I never say no to free chap stick, and I like how this chap stick is all natural and organic. 

MANNA! sheer glo, shimmer lotion, worth maybe $3ish dollars?

On my hand.

Blended on my hand, as you can see, this is not a good color for me. It make me look like I have a second degree burn that matches the one I have on my wrist from burning myself on the salmon tray after we cooked dinner tonight. 

Bronzer products just aren't my forte.

I have absolutely no interest in this product.

J Cat Flying Solo Eyeshadow in Half-Naked, full-size, worth $2.29.

I love the cute little applicator and mirror on the bottom of the compact.

Swatched on my hand.

This is a nice nude color. It's the perfect base color for a neutral every-day teaching look. It's nothing special, but I surely don't mind having more neutral shadows. 

Total: $30.46, about three times what I initially paid for it.

I was quite pleased this month, I'm thrilled about my mascara sample, that just made the entire bag for me, and I surely don't mind some more eye shadow and chap stick.

So check out Ipsy, it really is one of my favorite subscriptions.

Ipsy: Sensationally Sun Kissed, July 2014

This is what Ajani thought of this months Ipsy bag. He did not approve. 

The theme of July's bag was "Sensationally Sun-Kissed", which makes me think of skin and tanning products that I want nothing to do with. 

I didn't HATE this month's products or anything. I just wasn't overly wowed or anything.

But before that. Ipsy is a ten dollar a month subscription bag service that sends you a mixture of beauty products, skin care, and nail products, and other random stuff. The products you get are supposedly based on a survey you take when you join the site, but I'm not sure I would trust the accuracy of that survey. They all send all the makeup in a special bag for each month. It's nice to have makeup bags lying around for travel and stuff.

There's usually a waiting list, but I think you can skip the line if you add them to facebook and become a fan or something... well that's what I did... sometimes the waits are long, sometimes there aren't, sometimes there is no wait. It all depends.

Moving onward.

THIS BAG IS FUCKING HIDEOUS! 

It is so ugly. It looks like bright pink whoopee cushion.. or a pillow that a third grader makes in art class or something. It is SO UGLY! 

Bare Minerals 5 in 1 BB advanced performance cream eyeshadow, worth... I'm not sure? The full-size is $18.00... So this is probably 1/4th of $18.00, if I had to estimate, so... $4.50, approximately?

I think the color I got is Radiant Sands or Divine Wine... My swatch is actually very different in person than it looks in picture. It's much more coppery and shimmery, which make me think it's Radiant Sands over Divine Wine. 

I like the product and it looks good with my skin tone, and I like nude colors, mainly for work purposes, so this is a product that I'd experiment with. 

 Pix! Tinted Brillance Balm in Unique Pink, full-size, worth $8.00. I don't really see how this is tinted, I tried to do a swatch on my skin and I couldn't see anything except maybe a slight shimmer?

The other color that went out was a much darker red, so I can see how that would be tinted. But mine is very much a transparent color, at least on me.

It's basically chapstick. I have nothing against chapstick.

Whet Nailpolish, not full-size, but almost full-size, worth $9.00. A full size is .05 and my sample size is .03.

 The labeling  and description on their box amuses me greatly because it sounds like one of those products that you would get in an "adult" themed box meant to turn on your partner and bring our your wildest desires... Of course... maybe that's the point? BUT ANYWAYS.

My color was facetious, a very bright but dark blue. I'm pretty sure I have colors just like this, but I never say no to nailpolish :)

Whet Nails does have some interesting nailpolish colors with unique names, if you're curious.

Hang Ten Deep Tanning Oil, worth $1.00. The full-size is 8 oz and the sample size is 1 oz.

I don't mind getting sent tanning oil. I do use tanning oil if I'm just reading at the pool.But I tend to go more for oil with 15 spf as opposed to 8 spf, which is what this sample has.

I haven't been much into the pool lately though. Weather in Texas is bipolar and we get a lot of thunderstorms- even now it looks about ready to storm-, and the pool has been very crowded since summer school let out.

I'm going to Schlitterbahn next week, on a mini vacay with the fiance, and this is much too little SPF to use at a water park, all day, in the scorching sun.

So... Not sure if I'll use this product? I may, if I go to the pool for an hour or so. Or I may not. But I don't hate it like some people seem to.

Lavilin JoJoba skin soother gel cream, worth $3.15, a full-size is a huge tub basically.

Oh hey.. it just started raining, told you Texas weather is weird.

Anyways, this product is interesting to me. As someone, who gets sunburns [and not from tanning oil, I tend to get them on my face, where I use real lotion], and painful sunburns, at that, I'm always looking for products to soothe my skin. So, I'll stick this in my bag, when we go to Schlitterbahn and see if it can make a difference.

The total value of my bag was: $25.65

Not the highest value bag I've ever gotten, but not the worst either, it still more then double what I initially paid for it.

This bag wasn't awful, just wasn't my favorite, compared to other bags I've gotten, in the past. But hey, you can't expect every bag to be perfect.

So if you're interested in Ipsy, feel free to check them out.