Ipsy Review December 2017

Ipsy is a beauty subscription service that sends subscribers 5 beauty, hair care, skincare and fragrance samples and a cute makeup bag for $10 a month. Samples vary in size from sample sized to full sized items and it's a great way for someone who doesn't necessarily care about brands (products range from drugstore to mid-range with the occasional high-end product) and wants to build up a makeup and brush collection quickly and affordably.

My December bag consisted of:

City Color Cosmetics eyeshadow in It’s a Girl -$3.00
Rodial Glamolash Mascara XXL - $12.00 Cruelty Free
NYX Slide on Pencil in Brown Perfection - $8.00 Cruelty Free
First Aid Beauty Face Cleanser - $5.00
Luxie Beauty Precision Shader Onyx Brush 239 - $14.00 Vegan, Cruelty Free

I was so glad to see that I got City Color Cosmetics eyeshadow in It’s a Girl. Finally, a non-neutral/non-smoky shade of eyeshadow. The pan size is quite large, the shadow itself is pigmented, not powdery and blends well. Though it’s a shade I would never reach for on the shelves I’ve been getting a bit of wear out of it.

I am just overflowing with mascara right now so I wasn’t overly pleased to see Rodial Glamolash Mascara XXL in my bag. What’s worse, I feel obligated to try every new to me mascara I receive in subscription boxes just for review purposes. On the flip side though, I’ve got prettier hands and am constantly dropping things (including mascara wands) so some of my favorites like my Urban Decay mascara and my Marc Jacobs have run the course far sooner than their 3-6 month expected shelf life.

I'd be lying if I said I wasn’t looking forward to trying g the NYX Faux Black eyeliners but Nyx Slide on Pencil in Brown Perfection will have to suffice. I love the  Nyx brand and I love brown eyeliners. I only have one other one in my collection and I have found that they do a wonderful job of lining my (hooded) upper lid without looking too harsh. The formula was very creamy without being smudgy at all. Finally, I can go to work with more than a tightlined eye and come back home at the end of the day without looking like an abused panda.

I can never have too many facial cleansers so I’m glad I received the First Aid Beauty Face Cleanser. It reminds me of the Skyn Iceland cleanser I got back in my July bag but that’s not a bad thing. I love a pearly, flaming face cleanser because I can feel them actually removing the dirt from my face. It also washed off sell without any drying or residue. Quite satisfying, really.

My absolute favorite thing in this month’s bag was the Luxie Beauty Precision Shader Onyx Brush 239. This brush is a flat shader brush, which is great since I’m currently overrun with blending brushes. What makes this brush stand out amongst other shader brushes is the somewhat extreme taper it has. This tapered point makes it so easy for me to apply and blend eyeshadow on my hooded eyes. I freaking love this brush, if that hasn’t come across already.

Shiny face and worse picture ever (post work) wearing the Rodial Mascara and Nyx Slide on pencil

Left to right: City Color Cosmetics, Nyx Slide on eyeliner

December provided a strong bag for me. The brush alone made the value of the bag for me and the fact that I liked the eyeshadow and eyeliner were just an added bonus. I also love getting skin care because it prevents me from going to the store for basics anytime soon with the number of items I’ve amassed thus far. My bag valued $42.00 which is great for a $10 bag especially considering the brush and full sized eyeliner I received. I also love how Ipsy tends to curate items that coordinate: items and a brush to create a full eye look and a cleanser.