March 2019 Ipsy Review

Ipsy is a $10 monthly subscription that delivers 5 beauty samples and full-sized items in a cute makeup bag. March’s bag was particularly cute. I also happen to be a sucker for anything rose gold. The bag also includes the text “and off she went to change the world” which honestly, I’m not opposed to. Inside the bag I found:

·         Lord & Berry Velluto Eye Pencil in Supreme Green

·         Ciaté London Mini Lustre Lip Gloss in Call Me

·         Ahava Purifying Mud Mask

·         Morphe Mini Bronzer in Blogger

·         Farmacy Green Clean Makeup Meltaway Cleansing Balm

January 2019 Ipsy Review

Ipsy is a $10 a month subscription that offers a makeup bag and 5 makeup, beauty, skincare or hair care items. Items vary from sample to full sized and the brands can be drug store, indie label or masstige. What I love about Ipsy is it's a great way to build up a beginner makeup collection without investing too much money, the bags are perhaps the most personalized of any subscription service I've seen, and the sample sizes are great: I've never received a foil packet in the 3 years that I've been subscribed!

I got some serious Judy Garland vibes from January's bag. It's made of a very folksy blue pinstripe patterned fabric-yeah, I know Dorothy wore gingham, not pinstripes. It is far from my favorite with it's down home country feel but somebody out there has to love it, right?

August 2018 Ipsy Review

Ipsy is a $10 a month subscription that sends 5 sample (and sometimes full sized) beauty, skincare and hair care products right to your doorstep. Every month there is a possibility of 20-40ish samples that you could receive but each shipment is tailored to you based off of your profile and reviews.

I actually hated the August bag itself. It felt like a cheap, imposter canvas, not to mention my dislike for this particular shade of orange. Every now and then Ipsy will send a very cute or useful bag but this one just went straight to my kids. What was in my August bag?

• Pur-lisse Watermelon Energizing Aqua Balm
• MAC False Lashes Mascara in Extreme Black
• Crown Brush Highlighting Brush CB106
• Hey Honey Take Away the Drama Copper Peel-off Mask
• Ciaté London Glow-to Highlighter in Moondust

Pur-lisse Watermelon Energizing Aqua Balm

I’m not entirely sure how I feel about this gel moisturizer. It does a decent job of moisturizing even if it feels just the slightest bit tacky but it smells like a watermelon Jolly Rancher. I can’t say I’m committed to that scent in my skincare. On the other hand... I really want a watermelon Jolly Rancher now. And boy, do I hate watermelon flavored Jolly Ranchers; I typically either lass them on or I eat them to remind me how much I deeply enjoy the other flavors.

MAC False Lashes Mascara in Extreme Black

I’ve had the pleasure of trying this mascara from a past Birchbox. This teeny guy is nothing special; it gives my lashes some length and definition without being anything too crazy, just Avery natural, clean look. I had to retire my Marc Jacobs Velvet Noir because it got way too clumpy to use anymore so I may be breaking this guy out sooner than I expected.

Crown Brush Blush Highlighter Brush CB106

I love receiving brushes in Ipsy bags. Looking at the name, this brush doesn’t know what it wants to accomplish in life. The shape, however, is best suited for blush application. It is so soft and dense and the synthetic fibers do a great job picking up powder blush without retaining too much product.

Hey Honey Take Away the Drama Copper Peel-off Mask

So I mentioned a couple of months ago how I’ve grown to dislike peel off masks as I grow older. The sentiment holds true but at least this one had a copper tint to more easily see where I still had product on my face. Did it make much of a difference? No. It wasn’t bad but I’m glad it’s finally used up.

Ciaté London Glow-to Highlighter in Moondust

This was the surprise hit of the bag this month. I’ll be honest; I’m just not that into highlighters. They always look too extreme on me because I don’t know how to blend my makeup in general and every time I receive a highlighter it is either too extreme (think ultra-glam intensity) or just the wrong, silvery or cool peachy shade this was neither of those things. It is a very smooth, creamy powder with white a bit of shimmer that can be easily blended out and the shade is just warm enough without being too pink or gold that it works perfectly for my skin tone. It took me a while to getting around to trying it but once I did I was very pleased.

Overall it wasn’t the strongest Month for Ipsy but at least everything was functional. The shades matched, in general the samples were items that I had a use for and I even got a backup mascara out of it. And a bad case of Jolly Rancher munchies.

Play! by Sephora Review September 2017

Sephora has come into the beauty box scene nearly two years ago with their own Play! by Sephora box and of the three months I've received so far I can't really complain much. The cost is $10 a month plus tax and like Birchbox and Ipsy, Sephora sends out a number of box variations each month. Unlike Ipsy and to a lesser extent Birchbox, Sephora does not have a very broad range of boxes, even though they state boxes are tailored to your personal profile you set up upon applying. What they're really saying is "We have 3-9 pre-curated boxes each month and whichever box you hit the most benchmarks for is the box you're getting." Unfortunately, this means if skin tone was rated as most important by Sephora that month than you may end up with a box that is tailored to your skin type (based off of what you fill out in the profile) but the skin type (oily/combination/dry) may be completely off. It's a gamble I'm willing to take (so far) with this box because I do love that the samples, while not the largest, are not foil packets and all samples are from brands that can be found in store or online meaning the labels range from mid-range to high-end. This month's box was one of the stronger ones. Items included:

• Benefit Cosmetics Gimme Brow in 5 Deep  - $8.00
• Ciaté London Liquid Velvet Moisturizing Matte Lipstick in Diva - $5.85 V, CF
• Sephora Collection Contour Waterproof Eye Pencil in Black Lace - $4.00
• Fresh Lotus Youth Preserve Face Cream - $6.30
• DevaCurl Melt into Moisture Matcha Butter Conditioning Mask - $4.57
• Living Proof No Frizz Nourishing Oil -$3.20

V = Vegan
CF = Cruelty Free

July Ipsy Review

A primer for the uninitiated. Ipsy is a $10 a month beauty subscription service that sends subscribers a unique bag design, and 5 items ranging from skincare, hair care, makeup, tools, polish and fragrances. Items are curated for subscribers based on a personal profile that is set up upon subscription. Disgusting, I know but it was my first and gateway subscription, leading to Birchbox, Target and now Sephora Play! but so far I want to say Ipsy does it best. The items are more closely tailored to my preferences than any of the other subscriptions, thus far, and the points system is superior to Birchbox (if you can manage to earn enough points, that is). The sample sizes are pretty decent and often include deluxe and full sized items. One thing to note though is that Ipsy's  inventory ranges from high end to drugstore so if that is an issue for you you may want to opt for Sephora Play! which has better sample sizes and more makeup items or Birchbox which has high end products and the occasional full sized item.

Quick and to the pointless: not the best month, Ipsy. Not bad, just not the best. This month was a collaboration with the Sanrio character Gudetama, the world's laziest egg. I see a depressed egg and I'm pretty sure if he had an opposable thumb he'd pull the trigger. Poor little guy. I can't say I'm a fan of the bag design, nor am I a fan of the zipper position but it's very well constructed. The bag has a bit of a pearlized finish, a matching yellow satin lining and the outside feels waterproof/easy to clean. The contents were equally underwhelming: staples but boring. Side note: I've already updated my profile last month to mix up the items I will receive but I believe it takes a month or two to for any changes to reflect. This month's bag included: