In keeping with tradition, I once again am wrapping up my monthly subscriptions with my Ipsy Glambag review. I feel like I always get my bag sort of late in the month and am scrambling to try everything out before the next one has begun. Alas, here it is October already and I'm just getting around to writing my review. Perhaps I should be a little more zen and accept that this just the way it's going to go, but my ultimate goal is to have all of my stuff reviewed in the month I get it. Is this just a me thing, or do my fellow beauty bloggers also understand the struggle?
Putting my lack of timeliness aside, let's jump into the goodies from this month's bag. September's theme was Face Fashion, no doubt inspired by New York Fashion Week and all of the buzz around next year's spring trends. I'm not sure how fashion forward any of the products I got were, but the bag they came in was definitely super cute. Let's take a closer look!
The Skinny on Ipsy
Ipsy is a beauty subscription service that sends you 5 deluxe samples or full sized products in a specially designed cosmetics bag every month.
What it costs: $10 monthly
Why it's special: If you're a total makeup junkie/beauty product addict, Ipsy offers you a great way to get acquainted with new brands, try the latest trends, and switch up your routine without having to spend a lot of cash. You'll complete a style quiz that will help Ipsy determine what products you'd most like to get in your Glambag, and can review products as you go to help personalize your experience. Ipsy also offers awesome sets from their brand partners each month at crazy discounts, as well as coupon codes to shop on their websites.
What you get back: Each time your review your monthly bag and the products in it you have the opportunity to earn points. When you've saved up enough points you can redeem them for an extra goodie of your choosing in your next bag.
Interested in becoming an Ipsy subscriber? Use my referral link to let them know I sent you their way!
Curious to see more? You can view all of my previous Glambag reviews here.
This month brought a nice assortment of new skincare and makeup to try. I definitely think that since Ipsy revamped their website and review process my input is being utilized more in tailoring the kinds of products and shades that I receive. All of the makeup I got was in perfectly neutral, daytime wearable colors, and the skincare was jam packed full of good-for you ingredients. Couldn't get more Lauren than that, am I right? Here's a quick breakdown of everything I got:
- Vasanti Brighten up! Enzymatic Face Rejuvenator
- Bayberry Naturals Rosehip & Hibiscus Moisturizer
- treStiQue Mini Matte Lip Crayon in Nantucket Nude
- Evelyn Iona Cream Blush in Ash
- NYX Cosmetics Ipsy Eyeshadow Trio
Rev up your skin with this powerful exfoliating treatment that's packed with the natural ingredients necessary to get a bright, sexy glow. The best part? One step and you're done! You'll see smoother, brighter skin as soon as you rinse.
Full Size, 120 g ($34)
Sample Size, 20 g ($5.67)
This is actually the second bottle I've gotten of this exfoliating scrub, the first being sent to me in a Birchbox maybe a year ago. This scrub is INTENSE. The micro-crystals are really fine, much like you'd find if you were going to get a professional microdermabrasion from a dermatologist, and in combination with a variety fruit enzymes will do a serious job of removing dead skin and debris from the surface of your face. This is not the kind of at-home treatment you want to do right before you go out somewhere important, and its a definite no-go for anyone with active breakouts and blemishes. However, if you have fairly normal, non sensitive skin and want a weekly deep exfoliating treatment to do at bedtime, this definitely works well. It smells really fresh and yummy too!
This Rosehip & Hibiscus Moisturizer is the ultimate facial lotion. Lightweight, yet moisturizing, it’s super-packed with nutrients to aid delicate facial skin. Rosehip oil is rich in omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. Hibiscus extract is rich in antioxidants, as are vitamins E, B3, Pro-Vitamin A, and Pro-Vitamin B5- all providing both protection against free radicals as well as natural anti-inflammatory properties.
Full Size, 4.6 fl oz ($17.95)
Sample Size, 0.5 fl oz ($1.95)
Since I've run out of my Air Repair Complexion Boosting Moisturizer sample I loved so much, this came to me at the perfect time. This moisturizer is very lightweight and has a more traditional, watery, lotion-like texture, which means its easy to apply and sinks quickly into the skin. I also love that it's an all natural formula that's packed with healthy fatty acids and B Vitamins that will help to fight free radicals and reduce skin inflammation. It's even fragrance free, which should be friendly to those with sensitive skin or allergies. I've noticed that on the days where I've used a different moisturizer from this one (or the Air Repair) my skin is visibly more congested and bumpy, so I definitely think I'm better off sticking to these kinds of natural formulas. I'll also have to check out more from Bayberry Naturals, as I'd never heard of them prior to getting this sample!
Fall in love with this new matte lip color. It’s buttery soft, rich, yet light as air and uber comfortable with a futuristic vibrant finish. Infused with Vitamin E, and Monoi Tahiti Butter for moisturization and antioxidant properties
Full Size ($28)
Sample Size, 0.02 oz ($10.67)
Beauty blogger rant moment: I really hate it when websites have no information about the size of their products on their website. Why can't you just tell me how many ounces of product I'm getting? Not only is it helpful for me to figure out the value of my samples, it's also just a nice thing to do for price comparisons between brands. You obviously need to print said info on the product itself, why can't you just put it on your website too? *End rant*
All right, that being said I can only guestimate at the value of this lip crayon from tréStiQue. They offer a set of three minis (presumably this size) for $32, so a single one is probably just shy of $11. Is not knowing a big deal? Not really, but it's just one of those little things that irks me. As for the product itself, the color doesn't really suit me at all. This is a very true, flesh-toned nude that makes my lips almost invisible on my face. I personally feel a more pink toned nude (think MLBB type of shade) makes me look way more fresh and alive. The formula itself is all right, and is pretty creamy and smooth for a matte. However I probably won't get much use out of this particular sample given the color.
This cream blush has a formula that melts into your skin and delivers a healthy dose of organic goodness. This cruelty and paraben free cream blush will leave you with a natural, dewy look and skin that will thank-you!
Full Size ($18.75)
Sample Size, 0.06 oz
Again with the lack of product sizes! I did so much googling to try to figure out how big the full size of this product, but again I've come up empty handed. All I can say is that this blush sample is itty bitty (like the size of a quarter), which makes it hella impossible to fit your finger in there without getting a ton of product under your nails (yeah...gross). Fortunately I recently invested in a small stippling brush that has actually let me use this properly and actually test it out. As far as cream blush goes this has a really nice formula. It's got a good, medium level of pigmentation so its easy to achieve that natural looking flush. The shade Ash is a slightly plummy pink that I think will compliment a ton of fall looks and seems to suit my complexion well. The formula is also made with natural ingredients, which is something I can always get behind. Perhaps my one complaint is that the product itself is a little bit hard and ideally needs to be worked a bit and warmed up on the skin to become extra creamy and blendable. Given my giant collection of blushes I don't think I need to be getting the full size of this anytime soon, but I definitely will be using this sample a bunch.
This 3-color eye shadow palette gives you go-anywhere intensity day or night thanks to the highly pigmented formulations. Provides intense eye colors with a silky texture for seamless application for any eye look that you desire. It consists of 3 complementing eye shadows to wear together or alone.
Sample Size, $3.33?
This little palette was custom designed by NYX for Ipsy subscribers, and contains a really lovely looking trio of bronzey-toned shadows that would theoretically be perfect for a fall smokey eye. Theoretically, being the key word there. Normally I really love NYX products and am often impressed by how high end they feel for the price. I've used quite a few of their eyeshadows before and have always felt that they packed a lot of pigmentation. This trio, however, kind of sucks. I feel so bad saying that, but when you see the swatch I've included below you'll understand. The formula on these was super hard, which means you don't pick up a lot of product with your fingers or with a brush. Maybe if I tried using these wet it'd have a little more oomph to it, but either way I was kind of disappointed. These were just way too patchy and cheap feeling and it really bums me out.
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| From Left to Right: NYX Eyeshadow Trio, tréStiQue Nantucket Nude, Evelyn Iona Ash |
And there you have it. Kind of a hit-or-miss bag for me this month. I think the moisturizer was probably my favorite product of the bunch with the blush coming in second. The lipstick and exfoliating scrubs weren't bad products in my opinion, but aren't necessarily the best fits for me personally, and that eyeshadow trio is kind of useless. Since I have no idea what the full sizes of some of these products are I can't accurately determine the value of my bag, but I'm guessing it's somewhere between $25 and $30. Now, that isn't terrible considering I only paid $10, but typically my Ispy bags are way more valuable. I know I've hemmed and hawed a lot in the past as to whether or not I should cancel my subscription, and lately I've been thinking its about time to part ways. It also doesn't help that Sephora is in the works of launching their own beauty box called "Play" that looks awesome and might be a way better investment of my $10. It's currently still in testing phases in a limited market, but you can bet my name is on the wait list!
What did you get in your Ipsy bag this month?
