Ipsy July 2014

My July Ipsy bag arrived yesterday!  July's theme is Sensationally Sunkissed and as with the past few months there was a ton of variety in the spoilers.  Of course I couldn't resist looking at my Glam Room so I knew what products I was getting before I received my bag.  My only disappointment was that given the items in the spoilers there were 3 possibilities to get nail polish this month and I didn't get any of them despite having nail polish checked off on my Ipsy profile.  That said I didn't get anything I dislike either, so onto the bag...

The first item in my bag was the Bare Minerals 5-in-1 BB Advanced Performance Cream Eyeshadow.  This is a new item from Bare Minerals, and while I think the whole "BB" everything trend is getting out of control, I was happy to get this since I've just started trying out creme shadows and am really liking them.  This also has SPF 15, which is a nice addition since I typically don't put my SPF moisturizer on my eyelids.  The color I received is Divine Wine and it is a dark taupey brown color.  This seems a bit dark for me for a full lid color but could work okay for a simple one color look.  This also feels very much like a fall color to me, and I've been doing lots of pinks & light shimmery golds for daytime summer eyes this season.  I'll probably try it out and then put it away until fall.  This is a .03 oz sample size worth $5.40.

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Next I received the Elizabeth Mott Tints & Sass in Cherry.  I own sample sizes of Benefits Lollitint and Posietint and really like them (in fact I have a review of the Lollitint all written up and just waiting for pictures) so I'm hoping I'll end up liking this brands version just as much.  Color wise I'm not sure it's right for my skin tone but it did seem to sheer out quite a bit as a swatch so I'll have to play around with it.  This is a full sized product worth $22.99

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The third item in my bag was the Faith Aromatherapy Citrus-Ginger Anti-Oxidant Body Lotion.  The name is definitely an accurate description of the scent of this lotion and it smells very strongly of ginger.  I prefer my lotions unscented, so I'm not sure about the scent of this but when I tried a small amount it absorbed really quickly and left my hands feeling soft but not at all greasy.  Since it worked so well I'll have to keep using it to see if I can deal with the scent.  I went to their website in hopes of buying a different scent with the Ipsy discount code but unfortunately this is the only scent in this lotion.  If you like a spicy ginger scent with a hint of citrus though I would recommend this.  This came in a 1 oz sample size which is worth $2.11.

I also received a full sized POP Beauty Sunkissed Bronzer in Secret Sunshine.  I am fair skinned and  used to think bronzer wouldn't work for me, but when I started using Bare Minerals my starter kit came with a small size of their Warmth bronzer, which made me realize that when applied lightly even fair skin can use bronzer. Currently I've been using Wet n' Wild's Color Icon bronzer in Ticket to Brazil and this POP Beauty Bronzer is similar in tone but with a slight shimmer that the Wet n' Wild doesn't have so I think it will make a great summer bronzer with the shimmer. The POP Beauty website also suggests using this as an eyeshadow. This .25 oz bronzer is worth $10.00.

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Finally in my bag was the Pur~lisse pur~protect Essential Daily Moisturizer SPF 30.  I swatched this on my hand. and it's a very smooth untinted lotion and has a slight sunscreen smell but no other noticeable sent.  I use a moisturizer with SPF on my face daily before applying my makeup so I'm sure I'll use this up.  It does say it's for normal to dry skin though and I have combination skin so if it makes my t-zone too oily I may save it for winter when my skin gets drier.  Unless this performs wrinkle vanishing miracles though I can't see myself repurchasing this as the 1.7 oz full size is $55, which makes this .5 oz sample worth $16.17.  That's too steep for moisturizer for me since I've found several drugstore ones that work just fine.

The bag itself this month is cute, though I've seen many people online referring to it as pink ravioli, which seems accurate.  I'll probably use it in our beach/pool bag for the rest of the summer to hold sunscreen & chapstick, it's not completely waterproof but it has a vinyl type material that would prevent it from getting soaked and is easily cleanable.

I estimated the overall value of my bag this month at $56.67, which is a great deal considering the $10/month subscription fee.  Of course that's assuming it all gets used but based on first impressions I think I'll use most if not all of the items I received.  I'm also still loving my Ipsy subscription in spite of the questionable "Ipsy Match" profile effectiveness.  Send me nail polish in August Ipsy!  If you'd like to sign up for an Ipsy subscription you can do so using my referral link here.

I decided to try something new this month and started a Makeup Miscellaneous You Tube channel.  I am not entirely sure how often I'll post videos but love watching subscription box unboxings so figured I'd start my first video with my Ipsy bag "unbagging".  If you'd like to see me open and swatch this months items I've posted the video below or you can view it on You Tube here.  My Beauty Box 5 is out for delivery today so expect that blog review & video unboxing in the next few days!