The summer is drawing to a close, and for several of you out there that means school is back in session. For a working girl like myself not much changes in my life from August to September, with the exception that my commute is made longer by many a school bus. Still, that doesn't mean that I can't appreciate Ipsy's latest Glambag and feel nostalgic for the days of lockers and dorm rooms. Here's a breakdown of what I got in this month's "Beauty Schooled" bag.
Klorane Extra-Gentle Dry Shampoo with Oat Milk, Travel Size, $8.99 value
I've actually received this same product in a Birchbox once before and am totally happy to now have another one on hand. This is a really excellent dry shampoo that keeps the greasies at bay without leaving a white residue behind. It also has a nice smell to it that's not overly perfumey or overpowering, which would make it a great option for anyone who is sensitive to fragrances. This travel sized bottle is perfect for throwing in your purse for anytime your hair needs to be refreshed on-the-go, which is exactly where I think mine will live!
Jersey Shore Sun Mongongo Organic Lip Balm in Mandarin Green Orange, Full-Size, $5.50 value
So, this is a bit of a weird one. As you can see my lip balm arrived label-less. Between my online glam bag and what was printed on the bottom of the tube I could deduce that this was in fact supposed to be a Mongongo lip balm. Not gonna lie, it's kind of sketchy. I still tried it, because I felt bad chucking it without at least seeing what it was like. Maybe my brain was worried a naked tube meant the product was compromised and gave me a negative bias, but I was not a fan of this. I found it made my lips tingle in a sort of unpleasant way, and the taste/smell was not all that appealing. Needless to say I think I might be parting with this one.
Dr. Brandt Pores No More Pore Refining Primer, Deluxe Sample, $11.25 value
Dr. Brandt is one of those brands I've seen around quite a bit in the beauty world but haven't had a chance to try yet. A pore refining primer is definitely right up my alley, so I was excited to see this product in my bag. I was generally pretty pleased with Pores No More. It has a very silky texture that reminded me a lot of a cross between Smashbox Photo Finish primer and Benefit's The Porefessional. It did help my foundation to apply more smoothly, and I found that it helped it to wear longer throughout the day. The only turn off to me about this product was the scent. It was very heavily fragranced, which seems sort of unnecessary with this type of product. Fragrance doesn't bother me all that much, but I could see where a product like this might give someone a bit of a headache. While I'll definitely make use of my sample, I'm not sure I loved this enough to buy the full size.
Urban Decay Perversion Mascara, Deluxe Sample, $5.50 value
When it comes to eye makeup, Urban Decay is hands down one of my favorite brands. From liners, to shadows, to mascaras if you're looking for something that has bold pigmentation, applies with easy, and will stay put all day UD has got it going on. This new Perversion mascara definitely did not disappoint. It left my lashes super black, added some curl and volume, but also was able to separate and define my lashes - avoiding the dreaded spider eyes. There was no flaking and no irritation throughout the day. I'm going to definitely be incorporating this bad boy into my daily morning makeup routine!
J.cat beauty Flying Solo Eyeshadow in Half Naked, Full-Size, $2.99 value
As a bit of an eyeshadow junkie I can be picky about formulas I like. I was actually pleasantly surprised by this shadow, as I don't think I've loved other J.cat products I've received from Ipsy in the past. It's a very shimmery shade with decent pigmentation. I would have liked it to be a little bit more peachy looking on the eye, but it's still a very pretty highlighting shade. I'm definitely looking forward to playing with this a little more and seeing how I can use it with the other shadows in my collection.
Can we also talk about how cute this bag is for a second? I have a bit of a weakness for polka dots, so I'm definitely a fan. I could have done without the plastic-y material, but I guess it is nice to have a water resistant bag in my stash.
Total bag value: $34.23
All in all I think August was a very solid month from Ipsy. All of these products are great for everyday wear, and I think I'll get a lot of use out of my samples. With the exception of the lip balm, I suppose. It still skeeves me out too much to use.
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