Rock and Roll with ipsy - April '14

April's ipsy bag rocked out, with its various beauty products out :) The theme was Beauty Rocks, and for the most part I'm happy with what I received. 

First, I have to say that the bag itself (which is too cute with its glorious purple self) reeked when I first took it out if the mailer. Did anyone else have that issue? I had to put a dryer sheet inside it and leave it on a bookcase, unzipped, to air out. It took about 2 weeks to air out well enough for me to stand holding it. Crazy! Thank goodness whatever the smell was didn't transfer to the products inside.

Now onto the goodies! I received:

City Color White Gold Shadow and Highlight Mousse: when I first saw this, and saw the airy, mousse-like consistency, I was a bit hesitant to use it. Now, I think this may be my favorite product that I received in this bag. As the name implies, it goes on white, but blends to this gorgeous golden shimmer. Definitely not an everyday look, but I'm glad to have it in my collection;

Dr. Brandt Microdermabrasion Skin Exfoliant: I'll be gifting this to one of my sisters or a friend. I've read that it has a pleasing lemon smell, but I'm leery of the actual microdermabrasion aspect of the product. I've found a few face products that age worth my skin, and I'll be sticking to those for now;

Sexy Hair Root Pump Volumizing Spray Mousse: this is another product that will be gifted away. I don't use mousse in my hair, so this one's wasted on me. I have lots of friends that seat by Big Sexy products, so I'll have no problem finding someone to take it off my hands; and

A Cailyn Tinted Lip Balm in the shade Apple Pink: this is a full-sized product and is very pigmented which is great. Stylishly, it comes off as more of a lipstick, then a tinted balm. The nude/pink shade, however, is not the best for me. I can work with it if I keep it light and maybe layer it worth another shade. We'll see.

Lastly, I received an Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Black Velvet. I'm always happy to receive an Urban Decay product; especially when it's such a generous sample size. I have yet to use this since I so rarely use eyeliner, but I've been hearing/reading good things.

What did you other ipsters think of your April 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'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