Category: IPSY

My March 2014 ipsy bag is indeed Destination Beauty themed if your destination is somewhere tropical.

In case you are unfamiliar with ipsy, it’s a monthly sample subscription service. You pay $10/month and receive a cosmetic bag filled with four-five beauty samples. The bag’s contents are supposedly based on the results of an online quiz you complete regarding your beauty preferences. You receive some winner and some losers, but after subscribing for four months, I consider it a cheap thrill. 

Let’s unpack this month’s bag:

First, I’ll share thoughts on my two, favorite products.

I love crazy, bright nail polish colors. Pinks and reds make me feel too normal, so the gaudier the better. This full-sized product contains gritty material that make it textured. You’ll need two coats followed by a clear coat. By the second day, my nail looked dull and dirty, but a top coat would have preserved the effect.

You may notice the remnants of last month’s ipsy nail polish on the rest of my nails. They always end up looking terrible because I’m too impatient to wait for them to completely dry. Between dog ownership, typing, and cooking, my nails usually look chipped and smushed by the end of the first day. Do you have any suggestions?

Update: My friend who writes Iowa blog On the Banks of Squaw Creek let me know the product actually says, “no top coat.”  I totally missed that. 

I have no complaints about this bareMinerals lipstick. It’s a little less than half of a full-sized product, but will last me a while since my full-sized lipsticks last at least a year. This color suits my complexion and the texture is beautifully smooth and moisturizing.

I have mixed feelings about this eye shadow. As you can see, some of the colors are quite. . .tropical. I tried it out this morning and liked it more than I thought. The shadows are shimmery, but I could subtly apply the brown colors with a brush. Then, I applied the blue shadow with the tiny brush I use to apply my eye liner. It added a discreet sparkle without looking silly.

This full-sized product does not come with an applicator.

Bah! Not another primer. I’ve got to figure out an algorithm on that beauty quiz to avoid primers and foundations.

This one first appears to have a tint, but is actually quite sheer with a slight shimmer. According to the description on ipsy’s site, it’s supposed to even-out skin tones and nurture skin with antioxidants and age-preventing ingredients.

I can’t say there’s anything wrong with this primer; it’s just that I’m not interested this type of product. I’ll never say never, but, for now, I already feel like I’m caking enough gunk onto my face between a moisturizer, sunscreen, foundation, and powder. Fortunately, I found a friend to make an ipsy trade. Nothing wrong with that.

Were you happy with your ipsy bag this month or do you subscribe to another monthly sample service?

This is not a sponsored post. I pay for my own ipsy sample subscription each month. 

It’s that time again.

Let’s explore what I found in my February ipsy bag.

This month’s theme of, “The look of love,” seems fitting since the bag arrived the day before Valentine’s Day.

Oh wait, that’s today!

I retook my ipsy profile quiz regarding my beauty preferences and wondered if I’d notice an effect:

At first, I was excited when I pulled this tube from the bag. I am running out of my sunscreen/moisturizer and hoped I could use this next. This foundation appears much darker than I expected and looked practically orange on my skin.

When I looked up the product reviews on ipsy, I noticed others had similar complaints regarding its color and the fact that there’s a miniscule amount of product in the largish tube. Seriously, it’s a waste of good tube. I really had to squeeze and squish it to get the sample dab.

I’ve never tried a liquid eye shadow before. I really like the metallic earth tone color, plus it’s a full-size.

The color of the shadow may look concentrated, but appears sheer and discrete when I apply it to my eyelids. I will incorporate this shadow into my simple, morning make-up routine.

This is a striking, pink-peach melon color. I actually don’t even have a blush brush, so I will have to purchase one before I can try it. I’m not in a hurry, though, because I’ve been really enjoying the Be a Bombshell One Stick in Flustered from my December bag. I can apply it with my fingers and it’s a sheer color that’s easy to blend.

This is also a full-sized product, though it has the lowest retail value.

I never get tired of lip products. This product claims to function as a gloss, stain, and plumper. I think this is a sample size, but could not find the volume of the full-sized product so I can’t provide an estimated value of what I received.

Personally, I love this raspberry color and think it compliments my skin tone and dark hair. My critique is that the texture is sticky and doesn’t glide onto the skin smoothly or feel very moisturizing.

According to the product’s description, peptides, avocado, and jojoba oils act as plumpers. Personally, I think lip plumpers are scary so I never buy them. I did not notice any significant plumping effect which eases my mind. I also think the description’s use of the word “peptides” is hilarious.

How the use of the word peptides is helpful in explaining this product’s lip pumping properties to customers is beyond me.

Nevertheless, I like it. I will wear this.

Finally, we have a third, full-sized product. Baby pink nail polish in a Big5Free formula meaning it does not contain chemicals including formaldehyde and phtalates.

Usually I avoid traditional nail polish colors in pinks and reds, but I tried a single coat on my index finger and kind of like it. Plus, Jake thinks the color is pretty, so I can see myself trying this  when I want to dress up for a work event or special occasion.

Final Thoughts
As always, it’s fun to receive a mysterious bag full of beauty samples each month in the mail. I’m not sure adjusting my profile preferences quiz had a huge effect, but it was worth a try.

I am enthusiastic about the lip gloss, eye shadow and nail polish, just ok with the blush, and really hate the foundation. Why must you include foundations, ipsy, why?

For $10 a month, though, not bad.