Ipsy February 2016

          I think any month that has a holiday makes me more excited for my Ipsy bag. This month I wanted pink for Valentine's Day, I would be happy if every single item was pink. Let's check it out:

 

 

         First how cute is this bag? I love the cute little pixelated love letter, the pink top zip and the back is solid shiny pink. I'm a fan.

 

treStiQue Baby Blush Stick in Bora Bora Coral

Full Size $34 Sample Value $8??

          I am not a huge lover of cream blushes but this feels almost like a powder when it goes on the skin and blends out to a wearable colour. Swatch Below. I am not sure on the value of this one, it is not a lot of product compared to packaging but definitely enough to use for a while.

 

 

Trust Fund Beauty Nail Polish in I'm Kind of a Big Deal

Full Size $15

          There is the pink! I do not normally want to get nail polish in my bags but I love this brand and was hoping to get this. They cover in a couple coats and last quite a while with the right top coat. Would I pay $15 for a nail polish? Oh hells no.

 

Smashbox Cosmetics Photo Finish Primer Oil

Full Size $42 Sample Value $5.50

          I might get hate mail for this one (just kidding, no one cares enough about my opinion) but I really do not like Smashbox. I have tried primers, eye shadows, mascara and I was either left unimpressed or indifferent. That being said I was curious to try out a primer oil, to me that seems kind of foolish since my face already makes enough of its own oil. I was pretty surprised how well this worked for me. Will I every buy it? No. It did make my makeup go on nicely but it didn't do anything to extend the wear. Like I said I have oily skin so I did not expect much but it was not a horrible as I thought. If you have dry skin this might be something you want to look in to. Just make sure to let it soak into your skin for a while before moving on in your routine.

 

Dr. Brandt PoreDermabrasion

Full Size $68 Sample Value $8.50

         I could get this in every single bag and be excited every time. This has physical and chemical exfoliants so you face feels so smooth and deep down scrubbed after using this. In studies the majority of participants said their pores looked smaller, skin looked smoother, helped mattify and so many other good things. I can not justify spending $68 bucks on a full size but if I ever came into some money you better believe I would always have this beside my sink at all times.

 

Margaret Dabbs London Miniature Crystal Nail File

Full Size £12 (about $17USD $23 CAN)

           I got a couple crystal nail files from Julep and Immediately threw out all my regular nail files and bought more crystal files as Christmas gifts. It is just so much smoother on my nails and apparently makes your nails less likely to split. If you spend any time at all filing your nails go get a crystal nail file, it is a little more expensive but will last so much longer. This mini size is perfect for my purse.

 

         The value of this month's bag is $46 (using the USD value for the nail file) which is pretty impressive for a $10 bag. Even with the shipping and awful exchange rate I am happy with the value. I will use 4 out of the five items, the odd man out being the primer oil. I already know a dry skinned friend who will love it and I am glad I got to try it out. Overall I am very happy with my products even though two are not items that I would normally want to receive.

 





Thanks for reading!

A

 

@dirty_cupcake

 

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Ipsy - August 2015

           I was a fan of my Ipsy bag as soon as I saw my Glam Room. I got a good mix  items and all in shades I will wear. It does seems like if you redeem for points your bag will ship later, which makes sense as it likely takes longer to process. This month my bag came around the 15th as it usually does.

          I love the bag itself, I am a huge fan of both hound's-tooth and pink, I just wish they would put the zippers on the top of the bags instead of the front. 

Trust Fund Beauty Nail Polish in Elegantly Wasted Full Sized $15 

          Really? A fifteen bucks for nail polish? That seems excessive. I use gel polish exclusively on my fingernails but the colour is adorable so I will use it on my toes. I usually count nail polish as a lost item because I just do not use it or want it but this is cute both in colour and packaging. 

Briogeo Blossom and Bloom Ginseng + Biotin Volumizer Sample Value $0.78  Full Sized $18

          This smells very uplifting, a very light ginger and citrus scent. I have yet to find a volumizing product that really works for me but I am excited to try this one out. 

noyah Natural Lipstick in Desert Rose Sample Value $4.50 Full Sized $18

          I have another shade of this lipstick I got from points and already know I love the formula, it is so creamy and opaque. This is the perfect shade to use until it is time for red and berry shades. 

Juara Skin Care Turmeric Antioxidant Radiance Facial Mask Sample Value $3.50 Full Sized $35

          I actually stopped writing to go try this out. It really feels more like a lotion than a mask, the next time I use it I will do it after a more gentle cleanser as it did sting just a little on the drier parts of y face. I did not notice a huge difference after using it other than my skin was a little softer. Based on the little blub on the Ipsy site saying to expect amazing things after one use it was kind of a let down. The sample size is probably good for three or four masks if you really stretch it but a bigger sample would have been nice.

Skone Cosmetics Luxe Doubler Eye/Lip Pencil in Wine Full Size $12

          I am not sure I am comfortable using the same product on my lips and then my eyes. I will use this as a lip liner as I was just looking to pick up some more berry, wine and red shades. I have yet to wear it but it goes on smoothly and is a beautiful colour.

          Over all I am happy with my bag, two lip products, a skincare, a hair products is a good mix for me. I would have preferred something other than nail polish but at least it is a colour I will wear.

The value of this bag is nearly $50!

Not bad for a $10 subscription

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Check out last months bag

Thanks for reading!

A.

@dirty_cupcake