Ipsy August 2014 Review
The middle of September is totally the right time to review my August Ipsy bag, right?
Here's what it looked like:
The plastic polka dotted bag was tiny and cylindrical, meaning that the majority of the products did not fit in it. It looks like a design that would be perfect for a fourth grader.
Bee All Natural Organic Lip Balm in Grapefruit (full size at 0.15 oz), retail value $3.49
When you mix enough sugar in with grapefruit, it stops tasting like grapefruit. The distinct bitterness is eliminated. I once made grapefruit cupcakes with a grapefruit buttercream, and they tasted exactly like this chapstick smells.
Cali Cosmetics Evulcano Body Lotion with Sicilian Lemons and Volcanic Minerals (travel size at 1 oz), retail value $4.00
Body lotion is body lotion. This is one with a faint artificial lemon scent, like a diluted box of LemonHeads candies.
Manna Kadar Sheer Glo Shimmer Lotion (0.27 oz), approximate retail value $7.83
I actually received this product in Wantable a while back, so I have already reviewed it here. It's a lovely, glowy pink goop that can be liberally applied to give the appearance of some sort of supernatural/ethereal/undead creature.
It's got a lovely, faint shimmer without an overwhelming amount of color. On my face, it looks like this:
Shimmer goop. It's good stuff.
Urban Decay Perversion Mascara (0.1 fl oz), approximate retail value $5.50
As a newly released product from a well-loved brand, this mascara was probably the most exciting thing in my bag.
It's not immediately clear what this mascara brings to the table to set it apart from the gajillion other mascaras on the market. It's neither especially wet nor especially dry. The brush doesn't have any wonky shapes.
But a gimmick-free mascara that does its job well is a desirable thing to have. This gives nice length, adequate volume, and super, super, super black color without getting clumpy or crunchy. It's a solid mascara.
Coastal Scents Forever Blush in Elegant and Fresh (0.08oz), approximate retail value $1.82
This is a teeny weeny little blush sample by Coastal Scents featuring two of their Forever Blushes.
Elegant is a Barbie pink with white glitter that isn't too overwhelming. Fresh is a burnt orange shade.
Both have a good compromise when it comes to pigmentation. They're not so faint that they won't show up on medium or dark-skinned ladies nor so pigmented that I look like I have jock itch crawling across on my face. They blend well, although they do have that classic "cheap blush" powdery texture.
Here's how "Elegant" looks on my face:
I hate that the packaging on the Coastal Scents samples that come in subscription boxes is so shitty. I'm sure that's done intentionally so you're not tempted to just keep the sample for eons, but it takes away from any luxury you might feel about your subscription box service. Tiny, white, plastic tubs are just not very glamorous.
BONUS: Tini Beauty Lipstick in Plum Wine (full size at 0.12oz), retail value $18.00
If no one ever used my referral link, this blog post would be over. However, when you make referrals, Ipsy offers "points" that you can "spend" to get extra crap. Enough of you use my referral link that I always have a shitload of Ipsy points and I just mindless spend them whenever I notice there is something new I can use them on.
Since normal subscribers (i.e. not bloggers) are going to have a fuckload of a time getting enough Ipsy points to actually spend them, the rest of this blog, which focuses entirely on bonuses, is kind of an exercise in narcissism.
In this case, some of my points were redeemed on a Tini Beauty Lipstick in the shade Plum Wine, since NailTini has apparently just decided to go for it and do the whole makeup thing.
I adore this color. I think it's fabulous. It's like a vampy version of a mauve. It leaves a shine on your lips.
The packaging is atrocious, though, unfortunately, especially given the high $18.00 price tag. The flimsy gray plastic seems like something Clinique would have scrapped in the 1990s.
Thanks to the excellent color, though, I will forgive them.
BONUS: Tini Beauty Shadow Tint in Ambrosia (0.14oz), retail value $18.00
I also spent points on a Tini Beauty Shadow Tint which is a cream eyeshadow that can allegedly also be used as an eyeshadow base.
The product has a strange, mousse-y texture, but the color swatches beautifully. It's a toffee color with a lavender duochrome effect. Unfortunately, this loveliness doesn't seem to translate well to my eyes, where it looks like a wash of tan.
I didn't have any issues with creasing, though, which is pretty decent for a cream eyeshadow.
Total Box Value (Not Including Bonuses): $22.64
Total Box Value (Including Bonuses): $58.64
DOUBLE BONUS TIME!
Ipsy wanted to get rid of all their old, crappy samples that they had no use for, so one of the bonuses they offered this month was a second bag full of things they would have otherwise thrown away. One man's trash is another man's… well, probably trash.
The bag was the neon-leopard bag they sent out in June of 2013. I never really thought about what Ipsy does with the bags that don't sell. Now I'm just imagining them all piled up in cardboard boxes somewhere.
Here's what came inside:
Pacifica Indian Coconut Nectar Body Butter (2.5 fl oz), approximate retail value $4.68
If you can believe it, it's a body butter that smells like coconut. (VERY STRONGLY SCENTED, for the record.)
Klorane Smoothing and Relaxing Patches (2 pads), approximate retail value $2.57
These… eye patches? That can't be what I am supposed to call them.
"ARRGH!"
These under eye devices feel much like you are putting bandages on your face, if those bandages smelled like Optimum Nutrition 100% Whey in Vanilla. (They aren't as painful to get off, though.)
I'm kind of at a loss about what these are actually supposed to do, and the ingredient list isn't helping me out. It's got a few moisturizing ingredients but you could just, you know… use moisturizer. It also has some ingredients that can cause irritation in those with sensitive skin (e.g. polyvinyl alcohol).
It seems like people who really want to stick stickers on their face could find a cheaper way to do so.
Coastal Scents Classic Shadow Medium Natural Brush, retail value $2.49
For $2.49, this really isn't a bad eyeshadow brush. It reminds me of the ELF Studio C Brush, but it's actually slightly less expensive, so it might be worth it for people throwing an add-on to a Coastal Scents order they are already making.
It certainly won't compete with the "big guns" in eyeshadow brushes, but I doubt many people spending less than $3 on a brush are expecting that.
Pop Beauty Bright Up Your Life Eyeshadow Trio in Naturally Bare (0.15oz), approximate retail value $7.20
A got a different color variation on this trio in December of 2013, and I was happy with it then.
This one is even better. There is a little bit of graininess in the shades, but, overall, the texture is buttery and the pigmentation is rich.
The shades include a white gold highlight, a metallic bronze, and a cool, medium taupe, all with copious shimmer.
On my face, the shadows look like this:
I received this exact product in November of 2013 and don't have a lot to add to that review. The shimmery lavender color is beautiful, although I don't get enough use out of the pencil to really need two of them.
Total Value of Bonus Bag: $30.94
Total Value of Everything Put Together: $89.58
Overall, given the cornucopia of free shit I got, I obviously can't complain. Narrowing the focus, though, to the core of the original bag, sans bonuses, and I still feel moderately positive. I liked that there were some decent makeup options, including something newly released and exciting. The bag was ugly, but I think the Ipsy bags are ugly a solid 80% of the time.
If you suddenly feel the need to give me even more free junk join Ipsy, my referral link is available by clicking here.
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