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How does ipsy work?
Type of subscription: beauty
Frequency: monthly
Product size: sample, although most people will receive at least one full sized item
Amount of products received: 5, always
Cost: $10/month or $110/year
Each month you recieve a themed makeup bag stuffed with products. It’s a “try before you buy” type of subscription, and a generally fun way to find new things that you love (or hate). Every person’s bag is a different variation based off of the style quiz they complete upon signing up. That means you probably won’t get the same thing as your friends, which is pretty cool!
Ready to take the plunge? Sign up here —> ipsy
I pay for this subscription.
The theme for the month of November is Friendsgiving! Being the month of Thanksgiving it’s obvious that this month should be all about being thankful for friends and family. And, yes, ipsy did just casually drop a #blessed.
November is my birth month, so I was really hoping to be wow’d by the bag. The bag this month is dark blue in color and covered in a black heart print. The zipper tab is gold and the inside lining of the bag is a very bright pink. It’s not exactly my favorite bag, but I don’t hate it either.
Peripera Peri’s Ink Velvet in “#9 Love Sniper Red” – full size retail $7.70
I love lip products, and more than that I love RED lip products. I’d never heard of this brand before, so it was fun to learn about something new. This product is actually a lip stain and it is SUPER pigmented. Like, to the point of actually STAINING your lips after being removed (example on my arm swatch below). This stain had a very creamy texture and applied easily. I found that it was pretty long lasting. I just had to touch up after I ate a burger for dinner. It gave my lips a matte look, but didn’t dry them out. It was very comfortable to wear.
Skone Cosmetics Brow Wand in “Chocolate” (full size!) – retail $18
Finally! A brow item! I almost thought that this day would never come, haha. If you’ve been keeping up with my Instagram then you know that I’ve just recently started to do my brows. It’s not pretty, but it’s a work in progress and I’m having fun with it. Normally, for a natural brow I just use tinted brow gel or a brow powder. I hadn’t yet tried a pencil like this, but I have to say.. it was way easier than using the powder for me! I was concerned that the shade might have been too dark for me, but I think it worked out okay. When I tried to swatch this product on my arm is was really rough. Almost to the point of being painful. I thought to myself, “there’s no way I’m going to be able to use this on my brows.. it’ll rip all of my hair out!” Well, it just goes to show how much I know about brow products. The unique shape of the tip makes it easy to fill in large portions and get detailed. There is even a spoolie attached to the end so it’s really an all in one product. The application of my brows was silky, smooth. I can’t wait to play with this product again!
Marc Anthony True Professional Strictly Curls Miracle Treatment – you can find this size at Ulta for $3
I don’t have curly hair. I guess that’s all I really have to say about that. But, you know, I really like trying new things so.. what the heck? It’s also supposed to cut down on frizz, so at least there’s something it could help me with. I like that I was able to apply this product right in the shower. After shampooing you just coat your hair in it and leave on for 1 – 3 minutes and then rinse it out. I like that I can rinse it out afterwards, because my hair does NOT hold product well. Especially if they’re creams. This treatment was formulated to heal breaking hair and strengthen it for the future. It smells pleasantly like lime and not at all overpowering. It definitely cut down on my frizz after use (especially being so close to Winter now), and made my hair feel SO soft!
theBalm Cosmetics Foiled Again Eyeshadow in “Cahoots” – this product isn’t for individual sale, but you can purchase the palette that it is in at this link for $34 (currently $17 on sale!)
theBalm always has the most adorable packaging. I’m a fan of metallics, but I don’t use a lot of silvers so it took a little bit of brainstorming before I could pull together an eye look using it (see the photo at the end). This shadow swatched beautifully, but I had some trouble applying it over my mattes. I found that using my finger to apply worked even better than a wet brush, so that’s what I went with. I didn’t experience any fallout and I thought that it blended well. I don’t know how many more eye looks I can come up with using it, which might be the only reason that I don’t.
Ciaté London Mini Translucent Setting Powder in “Hideout” – full size retail $22 (on sale for $15.40)
Look at this little cutie. I don’t usually use setting powder, because I just make a mess with it, but when I do actually use it I notice a significant difference in my foundation and concealer. Not only did this powder keep my face looking good all night, but it it kept my concealer from creasing and my t-zone from getting shiny. It didn’t feel at all cakey and was very breathable.
The verdict: with the exception of the eyeshadow, I loved this bag. I liked the other three products so much, that I don’t even care that I’ll hardly ever use the shadow again. I was even able to find a use for the curl cream, so that’s a win in my book!
Here is a look that I pulled together using this month’s products:
Thanks for reading!
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