November 2016 Ipsy

It's another month and another Ipsy bag. I was actually happy with everything I got in this month's bag which is fairly rare. The bag itself is also cute! It's a dark navy and gold. 

Luxie Beauty- Luxie Rose Gold Small Duo Fiber Brush 524T

I really like the brushes from this brand so I was excited to see this in my bag. This is an extremely soft brush and it applies just a little bit of product at a time so I've been liking it to apply highlighter. This brush is travel size and retails for $16.

Skone - Brow Wand Eyebrow Pencil in Chocolate

I haven't been a fan of the other Skone products I've recieved in bags before but this brow pencil pleasantly surprised me. The shade is perfect with my dark brown hair and it comes with a brush on the other end which is convenient. I find the triangle shaped tip takes a little getting used to, but overall it's a good long lasting brow pencil. This is full size and retails for $18.

LAQA & Co. - B'Lighter in Peacher's Daughter

I've never heard of this brand before and I'm usually not a fan of cream products but this highlighter is pretty good. On my pale skin, it works a little bit better as a blush topper as the peach is a little dark for my cheekbones. It gives a nice glow and the texture isn't sticky. This is a sample size but full size, it retails for $18.

Too Faced- Better than Sex Mascara

I always love getting high end brands in my Ipsy bags. I've actually used this mascara before and while I love the brush and how it makes my lashes look, I find it smudges on me so I'll probably give this one away. This travel size which retails for an astonishing $15.

VERB- Ghost Oil

Another higher end product. I have very fine hair so hair oils are tricky for me but this one didn't make my hair too oily. It also didn't make too much of a difference so I'll need to use it a bit more to determine how I feel about it. This is a sample size but the full size retails for $16.

This is probably the best value bag I've gotten. I've calculated it to have over $55 worth of product! 

What did you get in your Ipsy bag this month?

September 2016 Ipsy Bag

I have another Ipsy bag post today to get us caught up. I really like the design on this bag. It's metallic and the design on the front is really cute with the women spelling out Ipsy.
So here's what I got in my September Bag.

itCosmetics Superhero Mascara

I love itCosmetics as a brand but I've never tried their mascaras before so I'm really looking forward to using this. I have so many mascaras going right now so I'm going to wait a while before I open this one. It is a fairly small sample. The full size retails for $24.

Ulta3 Nail Colour in Sizzling Red

This is a vibrant bright red nail polish from a brand I've never heard of before. As with most nail polishes in Ipsy bags this is full size. It retails for $2.30

eyeko London Eye Do Liquid Eyeliner

I'm all about black liquid liner so this is exciting for me. I have a couple liquid liners going at the moment so I'll probably wait a while to use this. In a black liquid liner I'm looking for it to be very pigmented, matte and easy to apply so we'll see how this one goes. This is a decent sized sample at just over half of the regular size. It retails for $20.

eva-nyc Forget Me Knot Dry Conditioner

I've loved this brand ever since I got a dry shampoo from them in a previous Ipsy bag. I'm really looking forward to trying this dry conditioner as detangling products are always really important to my hair care routine. This is a sample size that would be great for travel. Full size retails for $14.


Seraphine Botanicals Guava Butter Lip and Cheek Stain

Unfortunately I already know that I do not like this product after trying it on the back of my hand. While I'm generally not a fan of cream blushes there are a few types of cream blushes I enjoy. However, this one doesn't dry to a power and instead remains fairly sticky. Most annoyingly it has a VERY strong fruit punch scent which doesn't seem to fade with time. I can't stand having scented products on my face so this one is not for me. However if these aren't drawbacks for you, the colour is very pretty. Plus the brand is vegan which is great. This product is FULL SIZE and retails for $24.

I was pretty happy with this months bag but I think the August bag was better. As I haven't tried many of these products yet, look out for my monthly favourites posts to see if any of the Ipsy products make my favourites.

What did you get in your September Ipsy Bag.

August 2016 Ipsy Bag

It's Back!!! That's right I've resubscribed to Ipsy so you can look forward to another year of Ipsy Bag Reviews and to start us off, I've got TWO Ipsy bag posts this week. Due to the Canada Post strike fiasco, I got my August and September Ipsy bags at the same time so check back here on Thursday to see what I got in my September bag

If you want to see a rundown of what I got last time I was an Ipsy subscriber you can check out My Year with Ispy post. 

First off, the bag is really cute this month. It's a little smaller than the bags I was getting last year but it feels well made.
Here's what I got in my August Bag.

Beauté Basics 3 Tone Bronzer

This is a very tiny, very shimmery bronzer. It is also fairly pigmented but blendable. It's going to give you a nice bronze glow. I swatched the individual shades and the top swatch is all three combined.

 Nomad Eyeshadow in Spice Market

This reddish cranberry shade is absolutely beautiful and perfect for this time of year. The shadow is quite pigmented but blendable. Downside is this is a fairly tiny sample. This might be my favourite product from this month's bag.

Ciaté London Nail Polish in Spinning Teacup

I really like Ciaté nail polishes so I was super excited to receive this full size polish in my bag. This lilac colour is also one of my all time favourite colours so I'm super excited about this.

it Haircare 12-in-One Amazing Leave in Treatment

I haven't tried this yet but I love hair treatments so I'm really excited. It's also a decent size at 100ml. It claims to do so many things so it will be interesting to see how this works.

Tarte Tarteist Mascara

This is the big brand product I was most excited for. I absolutely love Tarte mascaras so I can't wait to try this one out. It's only a small sample but the packaging is adorable.

What did you get in your Ipsy Bag?

I hope you enjoy the return of my Ipsy bag reviews.

My Year with Ipsy: A Review

**Before I get started with this post I just want to make it perfectly clear that this is NOT a sponsored post. I have no affiliation with Ipsy and all the views in this post are my complete honest opinion. Also just a warning this is a text heavy post.

As many of you have seen with my monthly Ipsy bag posts, I have been subscribed to the Ipsy Glam bag subscription service for a year. I have cancelled my subscription and thought I would do an overall review of the service for those thinking about signing up. Just for a little background about the company. It was started by Youtuber Michelle Phan and the basic idea is that each month you receive a bag with 5 deluxe sample size products "semi" tailored to your style with an average bag value of $53. If you live in the U.S. the service costs $10 a month or $110 a year. Since I live in Canada I had to pay an extra $4.95 a month for shipping. The service is currently only available in Canada and the United States. You can get offers on other beauty products on their website https://www.ipsy.com/.

Before I share my thoughts I thought I'd break down the products and brands a little:

Overall I received 60 products

43% were full size products

20% were lip products

22% were eye products (5 eyeliners, 6 shadows, 2 mascara, 2 brow)

18% were skincare

11.5% were hair products

The rest of the products were made up of:

2 brushes and an eyelash curler

4 nail polishes

2 blushes

2 powders

1 concealer

1 primer

1 perfume 

Popular high end brands that I received products from included Tarte, Urban Decay, Smashbox, itCosmetics, Formula X and theBalm. 

Popular drugstore brands I received products from were Maybelline, NYX, essence, and Pixi. 

Brands that I received more than one product from are Pacifica, Hikari, Starlooks, NYX, Briogeo, City Color, Chella and eva nyc.

So I'll start with the things I liked about the service. Throughout the year I was exposed to a bunch of brands I had never heard of before but I have become a fan of through receiving products in my Ipsy Bag. For example Chella, Pacifica and Briogeo. Above are some of my all time favourite items I've received in my bag. All of these products have made their way into my daily use. The bags were on time every month and I never received anything that was broken or damaged. The actual bags that arrived always felt well made.

As for some of the things that I didn't like about the service, I was unimpressed with the waitlist that they put you on before you start the service. You can get off the waitlist by sharing something on Facebook which makes it seem like it's not so much a waitlist but a coersion to promote their business. If you choose not to share on Facebook, you should be off the waitlist in a month. The way the waitlist was set up did put me off a little bit.

Overall I was impressed with the service and I really enjoyed being an Ipsy subscriber for the last 12 months. While I have cancelled my account for now, maybe one day in the future I will renew it. I would recommend Ipsy for anyone who likes collecting makeup, trying new products or just receiving something fun in the mail once a month.

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If you want to revisit my my monthly Ipsy Bag posts click on the months below:

September      October      November      December

January      February      March      April

 May       June       July       August

August Ipsy Bag

My last Ipsy bag review! It's kind of sad really. I've enjoyed recieving these Ipsy bags the last 12 months but I will not be renewing my subscription. I'll soon be putting together a post reviewing the entire 12 months of the service- the good, the bad and whether I think it's worth your money to sign up. But for now here's my final August Ipsy Bag review!

The actual bag this month is not to my taste. It's plastic with a black and white design and a hot pink zipper. But like most of the other bags, it feels well made. As for the contents of the bag, this month was pretty average.

Briogeo Blossom & Bloom ginseng + biotin volumizer

Briogeo was one of the brands I got in my first Ipsy bag so it feels fitting that I received another item from them in my last bag. I really like their hair products and this one in particular smells amazing, very floral. I have a lot of volumizing sprays but my hair is so limp I can never have too many. I'm very happy with it. This is a mini but full size retails for $18.

Lord & Berry Nude Lipliner

This is a really great lipliner. It's long lasting and not too drying on the lips, however this is not nude on me. I am really fair so this is very brown on my lips but on people with a darker complexion this would be beautiful. This is a mini size but the full size retails for $18.

Starlooks Pro Luxe Longwear Eyeliner Pen

This is apparently a new product. The pen isn't the easiest for application as it's really stiff, but it's fairly long-lasting. It's not matte which is my preference but it still looks really good. This is a full size product and it retails for $19.

OZ Naturals Amino Herbal Hydration Mask

This is unlike the other hydration masks I've tried as you actually need to wash this one off. I will need to use it longer before I will be able to see the results, but so far I really like it and my skin seems more hydrated. This is a mini size but the full size retails for $21.99.

Hikari Salsa Lip Gloss

This bright red lip gloss is amazing! Definitely my favourite product in this month's bag. It so pigmented, shiny and long-lasting (it lasted through dinner!). It actually leaves a stain on my lips once the gloss is gone so it wears off evenly. It does have a really unpleasant smell when applying but the scent goes away quickly and it's tasteless. It's full size and retails for $13.

I've enjoyed writing these monthly Ipsy bag reviews and I hope you've enjoyed reading them. I'll have my overall Ipsy review coming up soon!

Also it's my Birthday today so my next post on Monday will be "What I got for my Birthday".

July Ipsy Bag

My 2nd last bag. This month's theme is summer lovin'. The actual bag is nice and summery but nothing too special in my opinion. However the bag's contents were pretty good this month. 

Nicka K New York HQ Quad Eyeshadow

I honestly didn't have high hopes for this $5 palette but was pleasantly surprised. The packaging is very attractive with rose gold detail. The shadows are actually very pigmented and the rosy colours are pretty. While the shadows aren't the most blendable and there is some fallout, overall it's a good palette. 

Jersey Shore Cosmetics Mongongo Vanilla Coconut Cream Lip Conditioner 

This products smells amazing and it's very moisturizing. It's also organic and has a bunch of good stuff in it. It retails for $10.

Teeez Cosmetics Read my Lips Lipstick in Kissing Me Softly

This was by far my favourite products in this month's bag. It's even made it to Europe with me. It's a gorgeous matte coral but it's neutral enough to be wearable for everyday. It's also really comfortable and long lasting. It retails for $22.

City Color Cosmetics HD Powder

Translucent setting powders like this have never been my favourite but this one is pretty good. It's really finely milled, it blurs any imperfections and mattifies your skin. Like always with these powders you need to beware the white caste with flash photos. It retails for $5.99.

Eva NYC Freshen Up Dry Shampoo

I have tried a lot of dry shampoos but this may be one of my new favourites. It didn't come out white, it made my hair feel clean and the smell isn't too offensive. I may have to get a bigger size when I run out of this sample. The small size retails for $10 and the full size is $24.

Overall a very good bag this month. The total value of the products was $52.

June Ipsy Bag

After the awesomeness that was last month's bag, this month was a little bit of a disappointment. I'll start with the actual bag. It's black and made out of foamy soft material with Ipsy embossed on the front and a bright orange zipper. Honestly, not my style. In my opinion, there have been a lot better looking bags in recent months.

LaVanilla Laboratories- The Healthy Body Butter in Pure Vanilla

This is my favourite product I received in this month's bag. Vanilla is my all time favourite scent and this is a sophisticated version of that scent. It's really lovely. The body butter is also hydrating and non greasy. It's only a sample size but the full size retails for $19. I may have to invest.

TreStique Mini Shadow Crayon in Kona Coffee

This is a matte dark brown shadow pencil. I believe this is a new product. It's a decent shadow crayon as it lasts a long time on the lid and can be smudged out before it sets. I did find it to go on a little patchy, I wish the application would have been smoother. I received a mini size but the full size is available soon and retails for $26.

OFRA Eyeliner in Turquoise 

This is a gorgeous Turquoise liner. I recently did a post on how to get away with wearing liner like this, you can find it here. It's a pencil liner so it's a little bit dry and less creamy but it's long lasting. This is a full size and it retails for $13.

Smashbox Photo Finish Primer

I actually already have a sample size of this primer. It's very good at helping your makeup last longer and go on smoother. To be honest I don't have that much more to say about it. It's a good primer. The full size retails for $36.

Sephora Formula X Nail Polish in Power Source

I already know that this is my favourite nail polish brand as it's the most long lasting out of every other brand I own. I really love this bright coral colour. I just wish it was a little bigger. The size of this sample is a little disappointing. The full size retails for $13.

Overall this month's bag was a little disappointing as there were a lot of mini sample size products.

May Ipsy Bag

Happy May Long Weekend! I had some time this long weekend so I was able to write a post even though I've been so crazy busy lately with school. I recently got my May Ipsy bag in the mail. I was really happy with this month's bag. First of all the actual bag is really cute. It's canvas and has this cute picture on the front. I believe this brand just recently put out larger, limited edition bags at Sephora. 

Cotz Face-Natural Skin Tone Sheer Matte Finish Lightly Tinted Sunscreen (SPF 40)

The first item I received I'm really excited about even though I have not tried it yet on my face. It's a sunscreen that is completely matte, scentless and slightly tinted. I'm hoping this will go well under foundation. I've never been able to find a sunscreen that I like. Most I've tried have been too oily to wear with makeup or react with my sensitive skin but with my fair completion, sun protection is a must. I'll report back if this works for me. The full size retails for $20 but this is a $5 sample.

Luxie 205 Tapered Blending Brush

I was also extremely excited about this next item as this is one of the few brushes that are missing from my collection. I've been looking for a good fluffy blending brush to use with transition colours in my crease and I think I've found it. This brush is really soft and the pink with rose gold is so beautiful. I'm so happy to have received this. This brush retails for $12.

 Peter Lamas Detoxifying Citrus C Facial Cleanser

I have to say I'm getting a little tired of receiving cleansers and moisturizers in my bag each month. I have sensitive skin so I try not to switch up my routine too much so I usually don't get a lot of use out of sample products like these. The full size retails for $24.

 Chella Tantalizing Taupe Eyebrow Color

I received a Chella product in one of my last bags and really love it so I have high hopes for this product. This is a mechanical brow pencil. It's not as high quality as my BrowWiz and it doesn't come with a spoolie but the colour matches my brows well so hopefully I'll be getting a lot of use out of this. I believe this is full size and it retails for $18.

 Urban Decay 24/7 Glide on Lip Pencil in Ozone

I absolutely love the 24/7 eyeliners so I'm very excited to try the lip liner. This one is clear so it will work under any shade. The package also came with two samples of their new Revolution High-Color Lipgloss in Failbait and Bittersweet. It's no secret Urban Decay is one of my favourite brands (see my extensive Urban Decay Collection here). I was very surprised to see a UD product in my Ipsy bag this month. This pencil is a mini but the full size retails for $16 and the Lipglosses are $22.

Overall one of the best, if not the best, Ipsy bags I've received. Due to time constraints I haven't been able to play around with the products as much as I would have liked to be able to give a full review, but if I end up liking the products I'm sure you'll seen them in a monthly favourites post.