I've been slacking, but I still love ipsy :)

... except for the fake lashes.

But given the complete awesomeness of the rest of the December bag, I can overlook one set of false eyelashes.

I'm sorry I'm so far behind in my reviews. Work has been a BEAST! Everyone wants to start their projects after the first of the year, and I don't see things slowing down for at least a couple of months. Anyway, on with reviews :)

The theme of the December bag was Celebration - very fitting for the holiday season.

The bag itself is gorgeous. It's a tie (with the Hogwarts-esque bag from August) for my favorite so far. The pop of red inside is wonderful.

Love it :)

In my bag, I received:

1) Be a Bombshell's The One Stick in the shade Flustered: This is described as an all-in-one stick that can be used on the eyelids, cheeks and lips. I love the multitasking idea behind this, but the color is a bit too bright pink for me to seriously consider using it on my eyes or cheeks (unless I'm clowning it up for Halloween). However, a very light dab of this highly pigmented stick on my lips is a possibility;

2) A small bottle of Starrily Nail Polish in Bzzz Bzzz: A clear base with flecks of black and gold glitter. I hate bees, but I'm loving this polish;

3) NYX Creamy Lipstick in the shade Apollo (LSS548): Great creamy texture, with a bit of shine = I love this lipstick. NYX is a wonderful brand - always love receiving items from them - and I didn't have a coppery shade similar to this one yet;

4) POP Beauty Bright Up Your Life Eye Shadow Trio in Smokin' Hot: Always nice to receive more eyeshadow - especially POP Beauty brand. I'll keep these in reserve until needed; and

5) The aforementioned Andrea Strip Lashes is #33 Black: The lashes feel nice enough, but I never use fake lashes. I've even requested not to receive them, so I hope they don't send me any more in the future. At least not for a while. I'll either gift these away, or save them for a try-something-new day. We'll see.

All in all, December's bag was great.

Now on to January.

January's ipsy theme was 19 Reasons. As in 19 reasons why 2014 is going to be amazing.

Despite the great theme, the bag itself, and the products within, were less than stellar.

Cute, but not ipsy's best

I received:

1) Briogeo's Don't Despair, Repair! Deep Conditioning Mask: This hair mask is full of oils and essential vitamins to help prevent breakage and promote healthy hair. Unfortunately, with my hair, I'm not sure this is a compatible product for me. I'm definitely interested, and will do some more research about the brand; but this will likely be gifted away;

2) Nourish Organic Lightweight Moisturizing Face Lotion: This lotion contains argan oil, rosewater, and shea butter to hydrate, smooth and moisturize skin, while improving elasticity. My skin, especially on my face, is super sensitive, so I will either keep this to use as hand lotion or gift this away as well;

3) Proactiv+ Mark Fading Pads: I was sent 4 of these pads. I'm not a Proactiv user, and specifically requested not to receive any acne related products, so I was disappointed to see these in my bag. They have already been gifted away;

4) Elizabeth Mott Smooth Shadow Creamy Eye Pencil in Pearl: This little beauty has great pigment and staying power, with a healthy dose of shimmer. I'm a fan; and

5) Mica Beauty Cosmetics Tinted Lip Balm in #06 Fiesta: Holy wow, they aren't lying. This lip balm is crazy tinted, and has a wonderful fushia/pink pop. I'm glad that I received this color instead of the other more natural toned option but, just like the One Stick from last month, I'll be using this sparingly so as to avoid possible clown effects.

What did all you other ipsters out there think of your bags these last couple of months? I hope this month's bag has more hits than misses. We'll see :)

Later gators,
M

Round 'em up!

It's round up time!

I've now received all of my September subscriptions and, of all my makeup-centered boxes, Birchbox is this month's winner.

I ended up loving the Fox Hunt Ruffian Nail Polish I received in my box. The color is so vibrant and goes on so smooth...it's a clear, perfect for Fall, winner.

Starbox comes in 2nd thanks to the Pearl Necklace lip gloss; and ipsy is a distant 3rd this month. The NYX Sparkle White eyeshadow I received in my bag is ok but, unfortunately, that was the theme of this month's ipsy bag - just ok.

I'm excited to see what next month brings! :)

What about all of you? How did your September subscriptions stack up?

Later gators,
M

Celebrating Classic Beauty

I'm a bit late with my review of my September ipsy bag. In all honesty though, I'm glad I waited a bit to post my thoughts as I've now had a bit more time to try out some of the goodies that I received.

This month's ipsy theme is Classic Beauty.

At first I wasn't too keen on the items that I received; but I've changed my mind on most of the bag.

This month's bag itself doesn't measure up to last month's purple gorgeousness. I love the royal blue color, and don't mind the pattern. The material, however, is not the best; but I'll definitely find a use for it.

Every subscriber received a sample of the life palette from the EM makeup line. I received the "look 4 natural talent" sampler, and almost threw the little pamphlet away without noticing the sample. It was a cute extra.

The first item that I pulled from my bag were two pairs of Skyn Iceland Hydro Cool Firming Eye Gels. I haven't tried these out as of yet, but I'm happy to have received them, and that more than a single set was sent out.

Everyone received the It's So Big Volumizing Mascara by Elizabeth Mott, and a NYX Single Eye Shadow (I received the color Sparkle White). I definitely don't need another mascara right now, but I'll gift it to someone. I also wish that is received another shade of shadow, but I'll deal.

Lastly, I received the Pouty Pop Lip Crayon in color Rose Romance, and the Obsidian Kohl Eye Pencil by Starlooks.

The rose-colored lip pencil plus the white eyeshadow, equals me thinking that ipsy isn't taking my ipsyMatch answers into account at all. I've also read some reviews which say that it has a tendency to dry out the lips, so I'm not that excited to try it.

I was initially disappointed to see a Starlooks product in my bag since I also subscribe to that Company's monthly box; but I've never received a Kohl pencil, so I got over it. The pencil has a nice deep black color, and goes on smooth - thumbs up.

All in all, I feel pretty neutral about this month's bag. There was nothing that I was super excited about, but also nothing that I was sorry to receive. Hopefully, October brings a Halloween themed bag with more treats than tricks (no more mascara for a while please ipsy! :)

If you subscribe to ipsy, how did you like your bag? If you don't yet subscribe but would like to, I'd appreciate it if you used my referral link at http://bit.ly/154vUAf :).

Later gators, 

M

I got my 1st ipsy bag, and it's a good one :)

"Glamour Academy" is the theme of the August ipsy bag; and that leads to a lovely, Harry Potter/Hogwarts-esque, purple cosmetics bag holding this month's goodies. 

The view inside that distinct pink ipsy mailer.

Unlike some other monthly subscription companies, the included card did not provide detailed descriptions of the products. Rather, the back of the card lists product discount info.

The bag.

I love this bag. Purple is my favorite color, and the pattern is fun and stylish at the same time. I'm glad I got off the waitlist in time to get this one.

I received the Urban Decay Revolution Lipstick in the color Anarchy. It's a very small sample, but it is incredibly pigmented and has a wonderful texture. It's far too pink for my everyday wear, but I'll find some occasion for it.

Next up, are the Michael Todd True Organics Jojoba Charcoal Facial Scrub and the Pacifica Alight Multi-Mineral BB Cream. The facial scrub I've been using just finished, so I was excited to see that I received this one (in a generous 1 fl. oz sample size, I might add) instead of the pumpkin face mask option others received. I've never tried a BB Cream; but I've heard positive things about Pacifica products, and I'm sure I'll try this somewhere down the line.

Lastly, I received a sample of the Lash Booster Mascara from Pixi, in No. 2 Blackest Black, and a full-size NYX Mosaic Powder in the color Dare. I've never used any products from Pixi, so we'll see how this mascara works out. I like the color of the mosaic powder that I received, and have been consistently impressed NYX products so I was happy to see this in my bag.

Overall, I am very impressed with this bag! The cosmetics bag itself is gorgeous, and contained a nice mix of products that are more than worth the $10. I'm excited to see what next month's pink mailer brings :)

If you're interested in trying ipsy out for yourself, I'd appreciate it if you used my referral link. Click here :)

Later gators,
M