Bonus Ipsy Post (f.k.a. some of the crap I've accumulated using rewards points, a.k.a. Thank you!)

Holy crap, look at that. Two posts in one night? Hell hath frozen over!

Ipsy's rewards system is pretty heinous but I did find that it does pay off occasionally. Part of the reason I can even redeem anything is because a blogger was kind enough to post my referral link on their site, for which I cannot thank that person enough. The result is the occasional product haul.

Make Lip Gloss in Abalone

Having always wanted to try Make cosmetics (I already own a teeny tiny highlighter that rarely gets use because it is too light), I jumped at the opportunity to snag this lip gloss in the shade Abalone. It's a really pretty shade and I really wanted to love it but it turned out to be just a bit too pink for my skin tone so it got passed on to a friend.

Jordana liquid lippie in Molten Chocolate Cake

Jordana Sweet Cream Matte Liquid Lip Color is amazing! It's creamy, it goes on beautifully, it's transfer proof and stays on for hours and it's not drying! Molten Chocolate Cake is the perfect vampy deep brown with a hint of brick red to it. It's a bit bold for a daytime look but surprisingly enough I received several compliments on the days I've worn it to work and one person had me write down the brand/cost/shade for her.

 

Iope Dual Lip Blender in Shade 3

Iope Dual Lip Blender in Shade 3 was a big womp womp. It was very creamy but so garishly pink that it got passed on immediately after swatching. Even for lighter skin tones, it looks like the pink equivalent of the southern church-lady berry shade that I can't quite bring myself to wear. Even the packaging, which was pretty sturdy and looks quite classy, just looks dated like the sequin dress you find in the "womens" section of Macys. In the basement. Under evening wear. At a mind-boggling price point. Quite great-grandmother of the bride. I cannot help but feel like clothing designers all believe that people should wear beads and sequins the moment they turn 55, but I digress.

Nomad Cosmetics eyeshadow in Cohíba

 While a beautiful shade, Nomad Cosmetics eyeshadow in the shade Cohíba is very similar to other shades that I already own. This pan is from the Havana kit and it's a beautiful foiled bronze shade. I have to say I love Nomad Cosmetics' packaging and the shades thus far have not let me down. If I were adventurous with my shadow colors or had lighter colored eyes (and obviously had any skill) I could see myself wanting buy one of their kits, probably Marrakesh (omg those bolds!)

Ofra eyeshadow/blush in Country Road

 Last up was the Ofra pressed eyeshadow in the shade Country Road. This shadow was offered in a glam bag some months back but I was not fortunately to draw that straw as one of my 5 samples, so to speak. I jumped so fast at the opportunity to snag this that it wasn't even funny. I must say, it makes for an absolutely beautiful eyeshadow. It's warm enough on my skin tone while remaining neutral but with a funky, unexpected pop of color. It blends easily and is highly pigmented. The only downside is that I have to dip into it lightly with a fluffy brush or else I will end up with quite a bit of fallout from the pan. Well, that and the fact that It's a lose pan so while I could put it into my rapidly filling Z pallet I would rather not because of the aforementioned fallout. I have not tried this as a blush yet, as suggested by the manufacturer but I'm not willing to commit to that quite yet. I may just end up looking very bruised.

Left to right: Jordana, Make, Iope, Ofra and Nomad