Ipsy January 2016

           The theme for the bag this month is "All Eyes on You" The print on the bag fits it well with cute, retro glasses wearing faces all over it. As you would expect all my products were for the eyes so lets dive in.

Peek Beauty Natural Stain Brow Powder Full Size $22 Sample Value $11
           First, how cute is this little tin? I love the packaging. Second, this is a great product. This is in the colour Espresso and is a pretty universal brown shade, it gives a natural look and if you are going for a darker or more intense brow look you can layer it without it looking cakey. Swatch below.
          
theBalm Mr. Write (Now) Eyeliner in Jac Full size $17
           I love the Balm products and was very happy to see everyone got an eyeliner from the Balm in their bag this month. I just got rid of most of my eyeliners since many of them were getting old. This is sort of a muddy bronze and since natural shadows are my jam this will go with most of my makeup looks. It goes on smoothly enough and has great staying power. Swatch below.

Klorane Floral Water Makeup Remover with Soothing Cornflower Full size $24 Sample Value $1.50
           At first I was not overly excited about makeup remover as I have a couple samples from Clinique to use up but this is a wonderful product. It effortlessly removes every bit of waterproof makeup without stinging my eyes or making them red. If I can find this in a store I will be buying this when I use up all my samples of eye makeup remover.

Hikari Cosmetics Cream Metallic Pigment Shadow in Mink $13
          I have said before that I am over getting single shadows but this one is a beautiful colour, it is a shimmery, metallic shadow but not so dramatic that I can't pull it off for a daytime look. Swatch below.

Hey Honey Skin Care Open Your Eyes Contour Lifting Fluid Full Size $28  Sample Value ~$15

             This is meant to firm skin, reduce fine lines, hydrate and reduce puffiness. I am nearing thirty so I think I will start looking into anti-aging and firming products. as a result I have that checked as one of my concerns in my profile. I have only used this a couple times so I can not really speak to its effectiveness but I did notice some firming and depuffing the couple times it did try it.

Peek Brow Powder, Hikari Shadow and theBalm eyeliner

           I also got a bonus item with my points this month:

Nude ProGenious Treatment Oil Full Size $97 Sample Value $16
           Honestly I only got this becasue I thought it was going to come in a cute little dropper bottle like the Jouer oil I had gotten before. According to Sephora this oil will: 

"Transform your skin with this signature treatment oil of 10 carefully-selected, nutritious plant oils. These replenishing oils—including apricot, meadowfoam, camelina, and macadamia nut—are rich in omegas 3, 6, 7, and 9, and provide essential building blocks for youthful, healthy-looking skin. This precisely balanced formula of nutrients quickly absorbs to provide 24 hours of moisture, improve the appearance of fine lines, and reveal a smoother complexion. Use daily to increase your skin’s natural radiance."

           So that doesn't sound like a bad thing.

           Even without the bonus sample item the total of my bag come to $80 which even with the awful exchange rate is pretty great. I will use all the items and repurchase at least one of them. 

Thanks for reading,

A

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Ipsy - January 2015

           Mechanical Eye Pencil by Hikari cosmetics

           In Storm (slate gray) $13

           

           Originally I was quite excited to receive this item, I do not have any gray eyeliner and you can never have too many eyeliners. You just can not. The formula is not the best, it takes a pretty heavy hand to really build any color. I would not recommend this, especially not to anyone with sensitive eyes. I will continue to use it because once I finally got some color from the eyeliner it was a nice gray color without being a sparkly silver.

         Be Good. Good Day, Day Moisturizer by LA Fresh Eco-Beauty.

         Full size 1.7oz $40, received 0.5oz $11.60

         Not a super exciting product but I love getting lotions and moisturizers. This one came in a little packet but had the lovely feature of still having a twist off cap. I have used it a couple times and it has not rocked my world but it is a good moisturizer, it absorbs quickly and does not feel heavy on my face. 

       Mojito Lip Balm by Malin+Goetz

       7g $12

       This was the product I was most excited about. It was featured in a previous bag but I did not receive it. Seeing as it is $12 I was not willing to purchase. This lip balm is a savior for dry and cracked winter lips. It absorbed quickly and moisturized for hours. I am a fan but I can't see myself paying $12 for a rather small tube.

       Sheer Glo by Manna Kadar Cosmetics 

       Full size 1oz $29, received 0.27oz $7.83

       This is not a product I will use. At all. I have oily skin so the dewy look is just a no go for me. I do not like to add any shimmer as it just looks horrible by the end of the day. Not a bad product for some and a decent sample size, I just have no use for it.

       Natural Mineral Coconut Eyeshadow by Pacifica in Treasure

       Sold only in larger palettes $14, single shadow approx. $4.67

       I had gotten an eyeshadow from Pacifica before and the color payoff was not that great but this swatches out exactly as it looks in the compact. It also blends out smoothly to a beautiful bronzed shimmer. I see myself using this often and combining it both with the Be a Bombshell Base from a previous bag and my Urban Decay Naked3 palette.

BONUS ITEM

benefit Posie Balm 250 points

      I hate this product, I am especially disappointed because after I redeemed my points the Ayers lotion I LOVED was available for the same amount of points. To be honest I did not even put it on, it reeks of roses and the smells turned me off so completely that I put it back in the bag immediately. It had such promise. A cute little mini pink, tinted lip balm? Perfect for my purse, I just can not deal with the scent.

       Overall not the best bag for me, especially compared to my last few. Hopefully this is not a sign of what is to come in 2015. The total value of my bag was close to $50 so it was not that it had bad products, just a couple disappointing ones. For me the eyeshadow and lip balm make it worth it.

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A.