Ipsy is a subscription box that sends subscribers 5 beauty items for $10 a month. Items range from sample to full sized and drugstore to prestige. Ipsy has been at the top of my subscription boxes for years. It was my first and it's been the most consistent with the mix of sample and full sized items that I actually enjoy. I have to admit the scope of the company has changed a bit over the years where now the themes are more vague and reminiscent of Birchbox or Boxycharm (Look at August 2018 versus August 2016 for reference). I can't say I'm a fan of the change since I'm just a giant child but hey... I guess their marketing team is going with what works. Anyway, if you're interested in subscribing I do have a referral link which allows me to accrue points for bonus items, otherwise feel free to go to their main page.
- GlamGlow Glowstart Moisturizer in Nude Glow
- LAQA & Co Prickly Pear pH Gloss
- Elemis Superfood Facial Wash
- Chella Eyeliner Pen in Brown
- F.A.R.A.H. Powder Brush 50F
GlamGlow Glowstart Moisturizer in Nude Glow
I have a bias against GlamGlow as a brand that has been difficult to overcome. I dislike the brand because of its price and hype. It strikes me as an upjumped hedge knight of a brand (with the help of celebrity endorsements) that is more hype than substance. Well, that's not fair to say at all. I stand by the more hype than substance and even my concerns that they are more gimmick based than anything, but the upjumped bit may be a bit harsh. I also happen to be riding a Game of Thrones high (I'm still on the angry nerd end of the field). The ingredients were pretty good though, the price tags of their items just happen to be enough to give me pause. See below for swatches.
LAQA & Co Prickly Pear pH Gloss
There were two challenges for me with this lip gloss. 1) Anything that adjusts to pH sounds like a rough night. 2) This hyper pink shade is terrifying! Firstly, the pH change in cosmetics is kind of crap since skin pH doesn't change significantly enough to create a different hue of makeup. (On average skin has a pH of about 4.7.)
After some work, I found that the hyper pink shade is less terrifying when applied. This gloss is sheer enough that it gives a very fun and fresh, just-bitten pink look that just screams late spring/early summer. I love that it also lets my natural lip texture show through (it's a really sheer gloss). The gloss is also oily, not sticky, so the lasting power isn't there but I would rather reapply than collect every dust mote and dandelion seed that comes within a 5 foot radius of me on my lips. Lastly, there's this lovely, fruity scent which I can only imagine is a prickly pear (I've never smelled one in person so this is just a guess, guys). Overall rating, 4 out of 5. Minus one star for misrepresenting the product as a pH adjusting formula. Swatches can be found at the bottom of the post.
Elemis Superfood Facial Wash
I used this face wash up in no time. It was a basic foaming gel cleanser but it was green so it looked almost edible. It also smelled very green-imagine a bottle of Naked Green Machine but without any of the fruit to balance out the vegetables. The formula wasn't too drying and the chlorophyll smell was nice but I'm glad to be out of this cleanser, if only to try and tackle the rest of the stockpile I have in the closet.
Chella Eyeliner Pen in Brown
This eyeliner is pretty intense. It's so deep it's just barely brown, damn near black really. It's a felt tip liner, not a brush tip so it's automatically not my favorite eyeliner. I did try to wear this on my upper lid a few times and while I do like how it's slightly less intense than black eyeliner, it's deep enough that I wouldn't wear it outside of a date night or something (swatched below). Keep in mind, I mostly tightline when I wear eyeliner because at the age of 35 I still have yet to master the cat eye. Well, that and cat eyes aren't the most appropriate look for daytime lab work.
F.A.R.A.H. Powder Brush 50F
I don't use setting powders-they make me look cakey-but I got some unexpected use out of this brush. Months ago I made a Glossier purchase and one of the items I bought was their Wowder. I only bought the Wowder because I've read a lot of reviews saying how the stretch concealer has a habit of creeping across faces, but I will save the details for a future post.
This brush is massive. Like... huge. Ok so it's a bit of hyperbole since I've seen much larger brushes, just not in person. The bright side is I can get pretty even coverage when powdering my face. The handle feels rather cheap (it's a flimsy plastic) but I do like how F.A.R.A.H. brushes narrow to a point, making storage much easier. The pink is adorable and the bristles are soft, fluffy, and moderately dense.
Photos below were taken in indirect natural light. The second angle shows just how much glow there is to the GlamGlow lotion.
I was happy with February's Ipsy bag. It was functional and I thought the lip gloss, though completely out of my comfort zone, was a pleasant surprise. Right now my foundations and tinted moisturizers are just a bit too dewy for me to be able to get away with using the illuminizing lotion but maybe that will work with a bare face under powder or something in drier months. I'm glad the eyeliner was brown instead of a very stark black. At the end of the day I think I was most excited about the lip gloss, cleanser and the brush.
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