Tag: Ipsy

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August Glam Bag Review

Published on by AlissaLeave a comment

For August Ipsy designed three types of Glam Bags.

They were: Peace, Love, Lipstick, Wild & Free, and Good Vibes Only.

We received Wild & Free.

What was in our bag:

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Ginger + Gold by Seraphine Botanicals

What is it?  A powder blush with ginger and chamomile extracts to provide extra shimmer.

Why I love it:  I think this blush is great because it adds a nice amount of gold shimmer to my cheeks. It isn’t a dark or overpowering color and works well with our without foundation. Sometimes I prefer to go without foundation and just add a little blush, eyeliner, and mascara before running out to the store. This adds just the right amount of color without appearing overwhelming-it makes you glow! It’s also light and goes on smoothly so there’s no need to worry about it being cakey or thick.

PS: This also makes a great eye shadow!

Romantic Rose Blending Brush by Glamour Dolls

What is it? A blending brush with a soft, rounded tip.

   Why I love it: Unfortunately I cannot offer a lot of opinion on makeup brushes. I get these a lot from Ipsy and also got them a lot from Birchbox. While I use all of the ones I receive my main concern with a makeup brush is the softness, if the bristles stay in the brush, and how well it applies makeup. So by those standards I believe this is a really good brush.

When using it the bristles don’t fall out and they’re soft on my sensitive skin. I think the packaging is cute and I like that the bristles are white and pink.

 

theBalm Voyage Vol. 2 Eyeshadow in Willkommen by theBalm Cosmetics

What is it?  theBalm’s eyeshadows are triple-pigmented and made with anti-aging ingredients so this eyeshadow naturally follows suit; this is a great caramel shade that looks really good with brown eyes. It isn’t too dark nor is it too heavy on the eyes.

Why I love it:  I LOVE theBalm cosmetics! I get so excited when I see that I’m getting one of their products in an upcoming Ipsy bag! All of their eyeshadows are pigmented just right so it doesn’t take numerous applications to obtain the desired color (which means these little samples also last a long time). Another great thing about theBalm cosmetics (and this eyeshadow) is that you don’t have to keep reapplying your eyeshadow throughout the day. I put it on in the morning and don’t have to worry about packing it in my purse to reapply throughout the work day. The less in my purse is always a plus!

 

Nourishing Coconut Milk Face Lotion with Hibiscus by Promise Organic

What is it?  A night and day moisturizing lotion designed to condition skin while improving it’s texture and reducing the appearance of fine lines.

Why I love it:  I admit, I personally didn’t try this. Lisa did and she loves it. She said she uses it all the time and it’s really improved her skin and makes her skin feel great. I didn’t try it because the smell of coconut actually makes me extremely nauseous and I didn’t want to risk having that scent on my face all day when I couldn’t wash it off haha.

Ipsy’s group of dermatologists tests this lotion and proved that it won’t irritate skin. It isn’t super thick and doesn’t make skin oily throughout the day or night.

 

EXCESSIVE LASH Arresting Volume Mascara by MAKE UP FOR EVER

What is it? The mascara wand is made up of two types of fibers: hard and soft. The idea behind this is that it’s supposed to help you put layers of the mascara on and make the lashes look like they have more volume and more length.

Why I love it: So, Lisa has been using this mascara more than myself. I tried it and while I didn’t dislike it I wouldn’t say that I also loved it. My main issue was that it flaked off and got in my contacts by the end of a long day. However, Lisa felt that it went on really well and made her lashes appear more noticeable and had more volume. So I think that this is a good mascara but as with all mascara’s I think it really depends on your personal preference, how thick/thin, long/short your lashes already are and how much you apply. I have thicker blonde lashes that are close together so applying a mascara with a wand like this I actually struggle because I get a lot of clumping but for someone like Lisa who has fewer, shorter, and thinner lashes this works wonders! So before buying this mascara I would just pay attention to your own personal preferences and needs.

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July 2016 Ipsy Glam Bag Review!

Published on by AlissaLeave a comment

This month’s glam bag wasn’t as exciting for me as some of the one’s I’ve received in previous months but there were still a few items that I have fallen in love with. So let’s begin!

As always, let’s start with the style of the bag itself. ipsy, ipsy glam bag, ipsy glam bag review, cosmetics, cosmetic bag, ipsy bag, glam bag, makeup, makeup review, cosmetic review, too faced, vasanti, em cosmetics, eva nyc, skyn icelandThe bag is made out of a somewhat reflective silver fabric and to me personally, the design on it represents beach umbrellas. I have yet to find a use for this bag so if anyone has come up with some ideas of their own comment down below and let us know!

Now, onto the actual items in the bag!

The first product that we tested out was Too Faced Hangover Replenishing Face Primer ($32.00)

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Before actually receiving this product I had heard a lot about it, I know the brand produces some amazing products and I heard this primer was great after a long night of drinking. But here’s the thing: I don’t drink. So I was concerned that this product would be a bust for me when I got it in the Glam Bag. Another downside and concern for me was that it’s made with coconut and the smell of coconut makes me so unbelievably nauseous I was convinced that this product would make me feel sick all day. But I was wrong.
Scent: Luckily (for me) there’s no strong scent to this product so there’s not concern about smelling it all day.
Application: It goes on smoothly and moisturizes my skin very well, it doesn’t leave a greasy residue after application either which is always a plus
Overall Quality: I liked how well this applied and the lack of strong scent but I didn’t feel like I had groundbreaking results from it. It didn’t prime my face any better or any worse than the majority of primer’s I have used in the past. It didn’t make me look more awake or “refreshed” as I had read in some reviews. It did a good job at making my face look “glowy” though.

The second item I tried was Em Cosmetics Pillow Plush Cushiony Lip Balm in Bubblegum ($14.00)

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Before receiving this product in the Glam Bag I had never heard of this brand so I was excited to try something new; add into the fact that it is a tintied lip balm and I was ecstatic. I literally put this on the second I pulled it out of the bag!
This product is actually designed by the founder of Ipsy- Michelle Phan.
Scent: The Glam Bags this month offered both Bubblegum and Lollipop. They were both advertised to have a “delicious vanilla scent” so I’m assuming they both smell the same. I didn’t think that this lip balm actually smelled like vanilla. I thought it smelled more like… well, play dough. But the scent doesn’t last very long after the lip balm has been applied so I didn’t really consider that to be a deal breaker.
Color: Bubblegum has a light pink tint to it so it essentially made my lips look brighter.
Wear: It’s made with shea butter and vitamin E so it does a wonderful job as moisturizing; which is wonderful in these hot summer months. It doesn’t go on sticky or “thick” as some other lip balms do which is also a plus. It also lasts long so you don’t have to constantly reapply.
Overall Quality: I highly recommend this product. I love the way it goes on, looks, and lasts. The scent isn’t that great to me but as I said, it doesn’t last very long so I can get past it! If you’re looking for a new lip balm to try I recommend you give this one a shot!

Eva NYC Get Glossed! Hair Serum ($18.00)

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Alright so, I was a little skeptical about this product when I first pulled this out of my Glam Bag. I was concerned that it would make my hair greasy or smell gross like some other products have. I also was worried about using too much because it doesn’t have a spray nozzle like the hair glosses I’m accustomed to. I was seriously concerned that I would end up dumping the whole bottle in to the palm of my hand haha.
Scent: I didn’t think that this product had a strong or “offensive” scent to it. In fact, I’ve used it a couple times now and so far haven’t noticed a smell.

Vasanti Cosmetics Professional Eye Shadow Brush ($21.00)
This month’s bag came with one of two brushes: the Professional Contour Eye shadow Brush or the Professional Eye shadow Brush. We received he latter. This brush has a tapered head, meaning that it slants a little. I would refer to this brush as “sturdy” because the bristles are soft but strong. I haven’t had a bristle fall out nor have I had them “flop around” that I get eye shadow in my eyes. Basically what I mean is that the bristles aren’t so loose and relaxed that when brush on eye shadow they cause little flakes of the shadow to fall off my eyes and float into the unknown…or my eye.

skyn ICELAND – The ANTIDOTE Cooling Daily Lotion ($45.00)

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This product is definitely cooling. The first time I put it on I had an expression like the wide eyed emoji. I wasn’t expecting it to be as cooling as it was haha. Basically the gist of this lotion is that it is made with Icelandic kelp to help hydrate your skin while simultaneously detoxing, soothing, and calming inflammation. This cream was also made with ingredients like cloudberry and cranberry seeds to help boost your skins hydration and ingredients to create the cooling feeling that will make your skin less red and more glowy.
All in all I really liked this cream, in my opinion it does what it’s intended to do and that’s all we can ask. I have put this cream on in the morning while getting ready for work and just let it soak in and that has worked fine. But for the best result’s I would recommend following Ipsy’s tip which is to apply the cream and let it sit on your face for 5-10 minutes and then wipe off with a warm damp cloth.

 

If you have tried any of these products and have other opinions or results let me know how you feel in the comments down below. If you’d like to try any of these products out just follow the links which are the names of the products in bold.

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June 2016 Glam Bag Review

Published on by AlissaLeave a comment

 

Rebel Rebel is this month’s Glam Bag, I love the design of it- check it out!

 

Elizabeth Mott Show Me Your Cheeks Blush in Peach Pink ($15.00) was the first item we pulled from our bag. The first thing I noticed about this brand is that they’re cruelty free meaning they’ve never tested their products on animals and that fact right there is a plus in my book. This blush lasts all day and has a shiny somewhat sparkly finish to it. I like that because it not only adds some subtle color to my cheeks it also attracts the light so my cheeks glow.Blush

 

theBalm Cosmetics Meet Matt(e) Trimony Eyeshadow in Matt Moskowitz (Palette is $42.00) was the second item we tried and firstly I have to say that I LOVE the packaging to this item. It’s like a little book! You can put the product on lightly or heavily; so if you don’t want it to go on as dark as it appears in the photo just lightly brush it on. It has a matte finish to it. The color we received (Matt Moskowitz) is actually a matte plum color. Some eyeshadows I have tried tend to powdery flake off into my eyes when I’m applying it but this does not; it has a velvety smooth texture to it.

Matt Trimonycolor sample

 

 

 

Delectable by Cake Beauty Everything Balm ($16.00) had me very confused when I first pulled this out of the bag. I thought “everything balm? What the heck is that?”. But this product is true to its description. According to the website this balm can be used to moisturize skin, repair damaged cuticles, help seal split ends, brighten dark circles and dark spots, plump lips and so forth. On Ipsy’s website they always add a little “awesome spin” blurb and they said that you can add a powder to this product to create a lip or cheek stain or some shimmer for a body glow. I tried adding some of the blush from this month’s bag to this balm and applied it to my lips. It created the most beautiful lip stain and it lasted ALL day!

balm

 

 

Jouer Highlighter in Tiare ($22.00). So I’ve spent a lot of time in search of the perfect highlighter; I’m still pretty new to highlighting and so far haven’t been a huge fan of the products I’ve tried. This product looked way too light to me when I first tried it BUT I was wrong and I truly love it. It’s very lightweight and can be applied before or after foundation. It’s low maintenance and can easily be applied with your fingertips it goes on super creamy and lasts all day.

Highlighter

 

The last item we pulled from our bag was the Royal & Langnickel MODA™ Crease/Smudge Brush. I love getting new brushes and if it’s soft and easy to clean I love it even more. The brush has a no slip grip and can be used to apply concealers as well as eyeliners and cream or powder products. Another great plus about this product is that it is made 100% vegan so if you have sensitive skin this is a great product. I personally suffer from eczema and sometimes a more coarse brush irritates the eczema and makes it flair up which obviously is terrible when you have eczema around the eyes; luckily this brush doesn’t irritate my skin.Brush

March 2016 Ipsy Glam Bag Review

Published on by AlissaLeave a comment

March Review HeaderLisa and I recently decided to give Ipsy a try, we received our very first Glam Bag this past month and we just wanted to share our experience and thoughts with you.

To start, we chose Ipsy over Birchbox because it was more affordable and after reading comparison reviews of the two subscriptions Ipsy seemed to fit the two of us much better.

In terms of service, I thought it was great that Ipsy gave us all sorts of fun chances to preview our bag. You could follow their Ipsy Stylists on various social media sites, post reviews, tweet, share, etc. They also shared sneak peek pics on their Instagram which was fun.

We received the Beau Gâchis® Paris Eyeshadow Brush, I love this! This brush is super soft and my eyeshadow goes on really smooth! If you’re looking for a brush that doesn’t lose it’s fibers, isn’t rough, and applies eye shadow smoothly then this brush is a good option. However, all of that being said, I wouldn’t necessarily say that this brush is my all time favorite. It’s a great brush and I liked it a lot but it’s not necessarily a new and improved break-through product. If you’re looking for a new brush and want to try this one here’s the link: Beau Gâchis® Paris Cosmetic Natural Hair Eyeshadow Brush

 

Aphrodite Skin Care Replenishing Eye Cream was something Lisa used and loved. It’s very lightweight to go on and a little goes a long way, Lisa always says that she can actually feel the product working. This cream is made from Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Argan Oil, Shea Butter, and a bunch of other natural ingredients. It firms the skin under the eyes and helps to get rid of the puffiness and dark circles that many women struggle with. We love this product and believe it works really well. If you want to try it yourself, here’s the link to purchase it: Aphrodite Eye Cream

 

OFRA Cosmetics Green Go Eyeliner: This is a product I used and I loved how the green (not too green!) made my brown eyes stand out a little more and I loved that the product went on silky smooth. It didn’t rub off throughout the day which is something I always have a problem with because I work long days and have a bad habit of touching my eyes. This product is also cool because it can be used as an eye shadow or lip liner. I tried it as an eye shadow and it wasn’t sticky heavy on my eyelids. If you want to try this eyeliner too here’s the link: OFRA Cosmetics Green Go Eyeliner

 

IT Cosmetics has this really cool product called Bye Bye Under Eye which is an anti-aging concealer. To start off when I say that a little goes a long way I really mean a little goes a long way. It covers extremely well and doesn’t have little creases when applied. I would recommend using a little bit and taking a concealer brush or your finger to blend it in. Then apply your other makeup as usual. If you have a difficult time covering up dark circles or puffiness this is a great product to try: IT Cosmetics BYE BYE UNDER EYE Waterproof Concealer Neutral Meduim

 

Now this last product I was a little hesitant about, its ModelCo LIP LACQUER lip gloss in Socialite. This also comes in Morocco, Fire Red, and Casablanca. I was a little nervous because I don’t wear many colored products on my lips (in other words I really stick with chap stick!) and this product looked dark in the bottle. I also was never a huge fan of lip gloss because most of the types I bought turned out to be sticky. That being said, this color is a little lighter than it looks, it goes on smoothly and isn’t sticky. It also lasts all day which is nice because then I don’t need to keep checking my lips to make sure they’re still the same color as they were when I arrived at work! I have to admit that if all lip glosses were like this one I would certainly wear them more often. I love this product and plan on buying myself a bigger tube. If you would like to purchase this same product here’s the link: MODELCO Lip Lacquer
If you would like to sign up for an Ipsy Glam Bag of your own (which we highly recommend) just click here. It only costs $10 a month and they have great products, discount codes, and special offers all the time!