August 2017 Ipsy Review UPDATED

Glam Bag Time! I seriously look forward to getting my Ipsy bag in the mail every month and in fact I've begun stalking the mailbox like cheetah approaching the watering hole. All with the dexterity of a dumpy puma. Ipsy is my first and perhaps my favorite subscription box so far. It costs $10 a month including tax and shipping and provides subscribers with 5 items curated based off of a profile created upon signing up. The 5 items subscribers receive can be anything from makeup, skincare, haircare, fragrance, tools and bath and body, based off of profile settings (both full sized and deluxe or sample). Every month subscribers also receive a makeup bag exclusive to that month. For example: so far I have not received any fragrance or nail polish samples in an Ipsy bag. Subscribers can also earn points through reviewing items every month and having people sign up through their referral link. Points can then be used to redeem items in the Ipsy shop.

This month's bag came in a gold mailer with a booklet explaining the burgeoning Ipsy Cash system. Love that pink poodle!

• Belief the True Cream Aqua Bomb - $7.60
• Crown Medium Contour Brush SS035 - $6.99 Vegan Friendly, Full Sized
• Vitamasques Yoghurt Mask Duo - $3.99 each Full Sized
• theBalm Cosmetics Balmvoyage Eyeshadow in Willkommen - $2.00, Cruelty Free
• Steve Laurant Eyeliner - $24.00, Full Sized(?)

 

I've previously tried a tiny foil packet of Belief the True Cream Aqua Bomb and holy shit I loved it. It's a serum that is extremely hydrating and doesn't dry down feeling sticky so I was instantly sold on that. This sample is no different but now it's a teeny tiny sample in a resealable jar! I have tried using this serum as suggested: I've used it as a mask, a serum and a primer. It actually did not disappoint as a primer but I still prefer silicone based primers/bases on my face. This had to easily be the product I was most excited to receive.

I do not know how to contour nor do I have any contour items so I'm not exactly sure what to do with this Crown Medium Contour Brush. This guy is a medium sized face brush and has synthetic bristles so it is vegan friendly and of course it has the ergonomic finger grooves that are present in the other Crown brushes I've received. It's pretty dense and very soft so I've been using it as a blush brush so far. I will definitely try my hand with this as a contour brush if I ever splurge on contour products or ever receive dark enough contour products in a subscription box.

 

The Vitamasques Kiwi Yoghurt Mask smelled exactly like kiwis and yogurt. Holy damn it hurt not having either of those in the apartment to eat. I ended up using the entire pack and slathering a thick-ish layer on my face. It's not a very thick formula so I tried my best to get a nice even layer. The mask started off feeling unusually warm which was unfortunate since it was swamp-ass hot in Chicago at the time. It took about 10 minutes before the mask took on the more familiar cooling sensation. One thing about this mask was how difficult it was to wash off. It was the layer of mask snot that no matter how many dunks in the sink it remained on my face. The best approach with these is to have a warm wet wash cloth on hand. I have not cracked open the strawberry mask yet (I wanted to delay posting a review but you know, tick tock) but I might post an update on that one. ETA: The strawberry mask was instantly cooling and smells exactly like strawberry yogurt. I told my husband to sniff my face and he absolutely agreed.

I can never get over how cute the packaging is!

theBalm Eyeshadow in Willkommen

It wouldn't be an Ipsy haul without the requisite tiny brown eyeshadow, courtesy of theBalm. I received a single of the shade Willkommen from the Balm Voyage II palette. It's a very nice, warm brown shade with a satin finish. It's a deeper brown so it will actually show up on my lids and looks exactly another brown shade I already own but thankfully with far less shimmer.

I'm have mixed feelings about this Steve Laurant Eyeliner, leaning toward negative. On the one hand, it's another black eyeliner, and felt tip at that. On the other, I finally had to toss my Kat Von D Tattoo Liner (reviewed here) and my Aurora liner isn't faring much better, and though no size is listed on the website, I assume this is full sized(?). While the two aforementioned liners have soft flexible tips, the Steve Laurent liner is pretty stiff which I'm hoping makes it easier to be more precise with. It isn't the thinnest tip (may you rest in peace, KVD liner) but it is certainly no Eyeko product. The packaging, while pretty, feels extremely cheap and lightweight and I couldn't find any product sizes on the website but I can only assume this is full sized. I noticed no dragging but there is some smudging and the swatch came off with just a minimal amount of water so... there you go. I have oily lids so after a good 90º summer humidity test and a decent eyeshadow primer, I can say the Steve Laurant Eyeliner failed the test. Perhaps this might work on cooler days though?

Freshly applied Steve Laurant Eyeliner (top) and the same eyeliner after 8 hours of wear (bottom)

Swatched: Steve Laurant Eyeliner (top) and theBalm Balmvoyage II in Willkommen (bottom)

Somehow only two items this month were categorized as Cruelty Free. What the hell, Ipsy? The total bag value was $44.58 which isn't bad and all the items are in some way useful. Nothing was particularly awful and I would have a very hard time swapping anything I received. I also love that there is always a healthy mix of skincare, makeup and tools with Ipsy and that with almost any bag I get items that compliment each other to provide even the most bare bones makeup look. This month's bare bones look would be eyeliner, eyeshadow and glowing skin. I would say it stayed on trend with the theme of natural, bohemian beauty. Well, it would have if it made more of an effort to provide cruelty free and vegan products this month.