Ipsy - September 2014

I received my September Ipsy bag this week and it was a big improvement compared to my August bag.  This months theme was Street Style and I also opened it up on my Makeup Miscellaneous YouTube page, as well as giving a quick review of what I thought of the products from August.

The first product from my September bag was the Crown Brush Infinity Shadow/Crease Duet Brush. I enjoy receiving brushes in my bags and this brush feels very soft and has synthetic fibers.  I just recently picked up some other Crown brushes from a Hautelook sale so I'm glad to add this to the bunch.  My only issue with this brush is that it's double ended, which I don't prefer since I store my brushes standing up and one end tends to get ruined.  I will probably test this brush out a few times to see how I like it and then put it away for travel when it will come in handy to have two brushes in one.  This brush has a value of $6.99.

The second product in my bag was the Cailyn Art Touch Tinted Lip Gloss in the color Basic Instinct. In the tube the gloss comes off as a more of a pink neutral, but when I tried it out it has more of an orange tone to it.  I'm not sure it's a great color for me but I'll play with it over lipstick to see if it will work.  It is a well pigmented gloss and doesn't seem terribly sticky so in a different color I might like it more. The gloss retails for $19.00.

The third item in my bag was the NYX Hot Singles Eyeshadow in Velvet.  I like NYX products and this is a nice neutral brown shade that will be good for a crease color.  It wasn't as pigmented as I would have liked when swatched, but I'm hoping it will be helped by primer.  This shadow is worth $4.50.

Next I received a Pacifica Nail Polish in the color Red Red Wine.  I was very happy to finally receive polish in my bag and this is a 7 Free Polish which I like as well.  The color is a nice deep red that will be great for fall.  It swatched well on the nail stick and looks like it will be opaque in two coats.  Looking forward to using this one and will probably use it as my next pedicure color.  The polish has a value of $9.00.

The final item in my bag was the Briogeo Don't Despair Repair Deep Conditioning Mask.  The mask is for dry, damaged, or chemically treated hair and I currently have all three of these issues so I'm happy to try this mask out.  There isn't much of a noticeable smell to this conditioner and it is cruelty free & gluten free.  It came in a one ounce sample size that I should be able to get 2 uses out of and has a value of $4.95.

I completely forgot to take a picture of the bag by itself this month but you can see it in the first picture at the top of this post.  It's a nice silvery pleather-like material with some simple silver studs at the top on one side.  This will go well with a black leather purse I have so will probably use it as my makeup bag whenever I carry that purse.  Overall I'm really happy with my Ipsy bag this month and as I said above it definitely makes up for my disappointment from last month.  Including the brush I received 4 full size products and one sample size, and the bag had an overall value of $44.44.  If you'd like to try Ipsy it is a monthly subscription service that costs $10/month including shipping.  I also have a referral link you can use here.  My video unboxing of this bag and review of August is below.

Ipsy - May 2014

I know it's really late to be posting my May Ipsy bag, but my bag was delivered after we'd already left for a vacation on May 17th so I didn't actually have it until we returned home on the 27th.  I did manage to schedule a couple of posts for while we were on vacation but then once we got home jet lag/plain laziness set in and I failed to post the Ipsy bag or anything else, so I'm going to try to be more consistent with the posting going forward.  The upside to the late posting of May's Ipsy bag is that I've actually tried all of the products since I've been home.

May's theme was "Fresh Picks" and was more skin/hair care focused than their bags typically are.  I did see on Ipsy's website and Facebook page that some people that were upset that their wasn't much makeup in this bag, but I'm okay with this once in a while as the makeup samples multiply quickly when you're getting a monthly sub.  There were also a huge variety of products available this month so there were a lot of different bag variations.

The first product in my bag was a Pacifica eyeshadow duo.  These were made exclusively for Ipsy out of 2 colors from Pacifica's 4 color palettes and every subscriber received one this month in one of two shade combinations.  I received the pink/brown Celestial & Opal duo but there was also a purple and white duo with the colors Moonbeam & Unicorn.  I've used the shadow a few times and they are okay, but not highly pigmented even with primer.  In order to get a good swatch on my arm I had to lay them on pretty thick so they aren't very smooth swatches and the pink shade blends with my arm.  I will, however, still use them over the summer for light makeup days.  I estimated the cost of the duo based on weight compared to the full sized palette and got a value of $5.

Next I received a 0.5 oz sample tube of Jersey Shore Sun Sans Tan Anti-aging Sunscreen.  It's SPF 35, which is a little low for me and my pale skin, but I figured I'd still use up the small tube.  However since it is primarily a zinc sunscreen it does have a very white cast to it.  I put it on my face before walking the dog the other day and ended up looking like a ghost, so if anything I'll use this on my shoulders but not my face. These sized tubes are generally sold in a two pack for $25 so despite the relatively small size this single tube has a value of $12.50.

My third item was a sample of Derma e microdermabrasion scrub.  I received a dr. brandt microdermabrasion sample last month which I've used and liked (I was pleasantly suprised it didn't irritate my sensitive skin) but was not a fan of the chemically lemon smell.  This Derma e sample has a lemon scent as well but is much more mild and natural than the dr. brant (more lemon zest than the lemon Pledge smell of the dr. brandt).  I've used it a couple of times and will likely repurchase it when it's gone.  The sample is a generous 1 oz size, which is 1/2 of the full size product, and has a value of $14.63

My fourth item was the Hey Honey Take it Off Exfoliating Mask in a 10 ml sample size.  It is a clear mask with no noticeable scent and the instructions say to put on a light layer of moisturizer then apply the mask and let dry for 15-20 minutes before peeling off.  I have tried it once and wasn't blown away by the results or anything but I'll use it up because I'm guessing I'll only get one more use out of the small sample tube.  Based on the volume of this compared to the 50 ml full size my sample has a value of $7.

Finally I received the Eva NYC Therapy Session Hair Mask.  I'm happy I got this one as two of the other options were for curly hair which I don't have.  (There was also a hair oil but I've had mixed experiences with those).  This ended up being my favorite product in May's bag and I've already ordered the larger 500 ml size with Ipsy's discount code.  The mask has a very light powdery scent and not only made my hair noticeably softer, but the results seem to last for a few days before I need to reuse it.  The 2.03 oz size that I received in my Ipsy bag is worth $12.

One of the things that I was excited for most in May was the bag, and wish I had gotten it in time to use it in my carry-on bag on vacation.  I haven't loved the bags from my first two months with Ipsy so it's great to finally receive a bag I can see myself using often.  May's bag is a nice canvas material which is definitely an upgrade from last month's vinyl bag.  It is printed on one side with a cute green leaf pattern.  As with last month I left this out of the total value calculation, but this is one I could where I could actually see purchasing a similar bag.

Overall I'm really happy with this months selections and am exited for June's bag, which should be here in a few days thanks to my late posting of this.  This month was a great value as well for my $10 monthly subscription and I got a total estimated bag value of $51.13.  If you're interested in signing up for Ipsy you can do so using my referral link here.