Beauty Schooled- August 2014 Ipsy Bag Review

Hello Lovelies! 

I have been subscribed to Ipsy since May of 2012 and over time there have been good months, and bad ones. This particular month I do like the theme, but I am not overly thrilled with the execution and choice of products, but for the price I pay I am always pleased.  For only $10 a month I get the opportunity to try new products and test out new brands that I wouldn't normally purchase on my own. Sometimes I can tell as soon as I open my bag that their are certain products I wont like, those products I collect and give away, but sometimes I find products that I fall in love with. 

Let's start by discussing the bag that came this month. I am a huge fan of polka dot print, and I think this is adorable, although it really doesn't fit the particular theme. I would have preferred to see a bag with a cutesy book print, maybe something a little more colorful and artistic. I also detest the material of these bags, I much prefer when they use fabrics. 

I always love when I get to try out new lip balms, as they are one of my essential beauty products. I love this tin, although it is a little big to be kept in my makeup bag in my purse on a daily basis. I am glad I received the Green Apple Absolute Lip Balm not only because I love the scent, but the light pink tint is very complimentary to my skin tone. I am impressed with this balm as it is moisturizing, but it doesn't leave that sticky feeling like some lip balms tend to do. I also am super excited about this balm because stamped directly on the bottom of the cute tin is a little bunny symbol that says "against animal testing" and that always makes me happy to see. I definitely could see myself purchasing this in the future, and I would love to try out the other flavors (grape, strawberry, and bubblegum) especially since they are only $5.99 for a two pack. 

This here is the Dr. Brandt Pores No More pore refiner primer for oily/combination skin. I myself have combination skin,  my cheeks and parts of my forehead tend to be dry, while my t-zone can get a bit shiny. This pore refiner says it will minimize the appearance of pores, blur imperfections, erase shine and mattify skin, absorb oil, and even act as a shield to prevent makeup from clogging your pores. The product directs you to apply either under or over your makeup, and throughout the day as needed. I decided I would wear this under the makeup as I would a typical primer, and I was impressed with how smooth my face felt and appeared. I continued to work on my makeup and realized I didn't feel the need to apply as much foundation or see the need to apply my Makeup Forever finishing powder as I normally do to get the matte look I like. I am thoroughly impressed with this product, but I do find it to be a bit pricey ($45 for 1oz.)  

If you have followed me for a bit you may know that I am a huge fan of Coastal Scents products, so its always great to get stuff from them. If you have never tried products from them they are definitely a great company for all sorts of makeup enthusiasts as the products are high-quality, but affordable. I have made many purchases in the past from Coastal Scents, especially since they frequently have sales, and they are one of the main brands I recommend to people. Although the  brown shade of blush isn't really fitting to my pale skin tone, the pink shade works quite well for me. These Forever Blushes are highly pigmented and come in various different shades, and I guarantee you can find a shade you will adore also. 

Every so often I get the opportunity to try a product from a brand I have never heard of before, and this liner is one of those products. This mini kajal kohl-liner in black is from Lord & Berry and I was quite excited to try it out as eye liner is essential to me. In the past couple years I have grown to love marker-like pencils, or liquid liner, but I am always willing to test out a pencil. Unfortunately, this particular one kind of fell short for me, I didn't think it was dark enough and it smudged quite easily, so, it doesn't work well for me personally as I typically rock a cat eye, but I think this could be a good liner to use when creating a sultry smokey eye look. 

Last, but not least, is the Urban Decay Perversion Mascara, and I must say I love UD products. I love receiving mascaras because I wear them on a daily basis, even when I don't exactly feel like wearing makeup. This mascara is exactly what it says it is, it's bigger, badder, and blacker, I have no complaints. 

Here is a simple look using all of the Ipsy bag products along with: 

Kat Von D Lock-It Tattoo Foundation in Light 

Pacifica Natural Beauty Eye Shadow Duo #2 (Received in a past bag) 

Benefit Gimme Brow in Medium

June Ipsy Bag Review and Swatches

Hello Lovelies! 

 I came home today to find my package from Ipsy stashed in my mailbox and after opening I knew I needed to get the review and swatches done asap, so here we go!

This month's theme is "On the Wild Side" and features a lovely animal printed bag that I happen to love, and some products from brands I have never heard of before.  

To start off my review I am going to begin with the product I was most curious about, the Sparkling Cream Palette from J.Cat Beauty. I had never heard of J.Cat before seeing this product, and I don't have much glitter in my collection so I was eager to test it out and swatch it. At first glance I expected this glitter to be an eye shadow, but it is actually not safe to use around your eye so it is definitely not for everyone, but I know it will come in handy for me when I am working on more creative makeup pieces. Although it is described as cream the top layer of the glitter is just like regular loose glitter, but as I rubbed the brush in a little bit I could tell it did have a slight creamy texture, but nothing like I expected it to be. Overall I feel these palette would be awesome for someone who does a lot of creative types of makeup, or body painting, because they are quite cheap ($4.49ea.) and they come in a variety of different shades.

BONUS TIP: For my lovely readers who received this in their Ipsy Bag and don't see yourself using body glitter, you could always mix it in with some nail polish to create a lovely glittery shade of polish.

Although I think the body glitter was a bad choice to add into the Ipsy bags I do find myself still curious about the J.Cat brand so I was excited when I realized the fake lashes in my bag were also from J.Cat. At first glance these lashes are perfect to add some drama to any look, and they are a great choice for my favorite styles of makeup. Although I didn't like the lash glue that came along with these lashes I think they are a pretty good pair of cheap lashes ($3.99ea.), but you can also find the same quality lashes around the same price at drugstores.

If you have read any of my previous posts you would know that I absolutely love NYX Cosmetics and am always excited when I receive a new product from them, this time I received a blush named angel. Angel is a soft matte pink shade that looks nearly nude on my pale skin tone, and I absolutely love it. This blush is perfect to add just a little emphasis to the cheeks, but not go over the top with color. I absolutely love NYX products because they are high-quality, and affordable, these powder blushes are only $5.

I am not sure how I have never heard of Starlooks before, because if the rest of the products they offer are anything like the lip liner I received, they are definitely quality. The liner I received was in a shade called Tipsy which is a lovely shade of coral that I would more than likely never choose for myself, but I absolutely love. When I tested the liner I realized that is quite smudge-proof, and long-lasting, which is something that's very important to me. These liners are a little pricier compared to some lip liners, but at $12 I think they are still pretty worth it. I would love to test more products from this company, and hopefully will be making an order in the near future.

Last, but not least, there is the gel eyeliner from Cailyn Cosmetics, another company I have never heard of, so thank you Ipsy for introducing me to a bunch of new things this time around. Before I get to reviewing this product I must tell you that these sell for $21 each, so if this doesn't make you want to subscribe to Ipsy, I don't know what will. I received the eye liner in purple, which is an odd shade for me, but it will be wonderful when I am working on more creative looks. I love gel liners because they are easier to work with when trying to create a precise line if you use the right brush, I believe the brush that is paired with this liner is a little thick, but it will get the job done if you don't own an eye liner brush already. This liner is definitely long-lasting, smudge-proof, and waterproof, which makes it harder to take off, but if you are in the search for a good resistant eyeliner this is the one for you.

If anyone is interested in joining Ipsy, sign up here . I absolutely love Ipsy and would never cancel my subscription, the products are amazing and definitely worth the small price a month. If you have any reservations about joining just remember that most months you receive $30+ worth of products and adorable makeup bags, and you also get to try new things. :)

May Ipsy Bag "Spring Fling"

Hello Lovelies!

I received my May Ipsy Bag two days ago and once again will be reviewing the products. The theme of this month's bag is of course "Spring Fling" and it's filled with products that are good for looking good in spring/summer. I also noticed that it seems a lot of people received different products this month which makes it kind of fun for us bloggers. I absolutely adore the print of the bag this month, it is bright, colorful, and fun.

My favorite product this month is the Moondust eye shadow in the shade of Space Cowboy from Urban Decay. I received this as an extra because I am an active member of the Ipsy community. This shade is a light champagne color with TINY flecks of silver glitter and has quickly become a favorite in my makeup collection. The collection of Moondust shadows consist of six different BEAUTIFUL shades that I would love to own. From the container the Moondust appears to be a cream, but it actually is a powder and applies easily and looks wonderful. These little shadows are $20 each from Urban Decay which makes this $10 Ipsy Bag so worth it. Below is a look I created using the Moondust, and a brown shadow, called Roo, from RoseMarie Shadows.

I always love adding new lip products to my collection, especially in red/pink shades like this one from Mirabella called Posy. Posy is a color sheer lipstick and applies very lightly and provides about as much color as a tinted lip balm, but it does go on smoothly and lasts long.  For $22 I would much prefer to purchase a tinted lip balm to wear if I wanted this little color, but if price doesn't matter I think these would be a nice everyday lip product.

Juice Beauty  is a great company that offers organic alternatives for cosmetics such as this pink reflecting gloss. The gloss itself smells wonderful and is quite moisturizing but I do have a little thing against the texture that comes with it being an all-natural product. I can get past the issue with the glosses texture, but I can not see myself paying $15 for the gloss although it's organic.

When I first opened the little box I wasn't sure what to think of this color of polish from Zoya called Blu. Obviously pastels are part of the trend for this spring/summer but being as pale as I am some shades just don't work well for me and this seems to be one of them. Although I am not a huge fan of the shade personally I do like the color and the polish is wonderful. I created the look pictured below using two coats of Blu topped with a 3D accent bow from Kiss Nail Designs. These polishes can be found on the Zoya website for $8.

I already have a love/hate relationship with this concealer from Yaby. I love this concealer because it provides great coverage, but I hate it because this particular shade Ipsy sent me isn't right for my skin tone. Ipsy sent me a shade called Buff which seems a little too dark for my skin I typically would have chosen the shade of Ivory for myself. I also dislike when Ipsy sends us refill tins, because I honestly just don't have a place to put them, one day I need to purchase myself a concealer palette. Setting the hate aside the concealer itself is quite wonderful, it is perfect to cover up flaws and applies smoothly. I also love Yaby concealers because they offer a wide range of skin tone choices. These refill tins are $4.85 each, but a full concealer palette from Yaby is $100.



This is one of those products that I will never be testing and I will be giving away to some lucky friend unfortunately.  As I have said before I love having an ivory complexion and do not wish to have a tan. The reviews for this Wash Off Instant Glow Lotion are kind of all over the place, mostly I see bad reviews from people with fair skin like myself saying it was too dark for them, but others say it is amazing. Although I don't have much to say about this product if you would like to try it for yourself you can find it here and the full sized bottle is $18. I wish Ipsy would really take the little quizzes they give us more into consideration so people like me wouldn't receive products like this, but even though I don't like this particular product this month's bag was definitely worth it. 

In the end this bag adds up to about $80 worth of product (not including the price of the bag itself) and is obviously worth the small price tag of $10 and being active in the Ipsy community to receive bonuses such as the Urban Decay Moondust. 

April Ipsy Bag Review

Hello Lovelies!

This month's Ipsy theme is called "Pretty in Pink", I am not sure exactly why they decided to go with pink this month I would have much preferred a more spring inspired theme. Overall the products were okay, but this month was not as impressive as other months have been, although we did receive a couple full size products. I would really like to see some new brands in the near future, possibly some fragrance, and more hair products.

I was really excited when Ipsy finally gave us a printed bag last month, but it looks like they are back to the boring old plain bags, at least for this month. I absolutely hate the concept of a white makeup bag, if I actually used this I would have to wash it so often because I would always be leaving little stains, it's inevitable. 

This peachy pink shade of polish is called Love at First Byte, and I wasn't impressed at all. I decided I wanted to create a look using this polish but as I applied it I realized it was very sheer, it took me FIVE coats to really achieve a color payoff. I did read many comments on the Ipsy website of people saying it quickly peeled, but mine has lasted a week so far with minimal chipping, below is the nail look I am wearing right now using the polish and Kiss nail stickers.

I absolutely adore Be a... Bombshell Cosmetics , but this blush in a shade called Sweet Cheeks is definitely too heavy and bright for my pale skin. I think it would look lovely on someone with darker skin though, and it does blend out quite well. 

Another product from Big Sexy Hair, although I do love the products they offer I wish we would get more hair products from various companies. I naturally have volume to my hair, but occasionally I need a little help creating a good pompadour "poof", especially when my hair is freshly washed and this volumizing powder is the best I have came across. I have tried the volumizing powder from Got2B, but that makes my hair feel sticky and hard to style, this powder from Big Sexy Hair is easy to style and works well.

In the past couple months I have been stocking up on mineral eye shadows, I especially love the shadows from an Etsy shop called RoseMarie Shadows, check out my review on them here. I love this shimmery pink shade by Mica Beauty called Earth. Some people may be thrown off by the fact that it's pink, but it is very subtle.




This month I chose to skip my Beauty Army, because they weren't offering anything new for me to choose, so hopefully I will have a Beauty Army Box to show you next month.

March Beauty Army Review

 Hello Lovelies!

I normally do my Ipsy and Beauty Army reviews at the same time, but this month Ipsy shipped extra early, which is always a nice surprise, so this time around they are separate. Overall this month I was pretty excited about my choices, I had a good selection of brands and products.

Amlactin Moisturizing Body Lotion 

According to Amlactin's website the body lotion is a special formula that contains 12% lactic acid. Lactic Acid is a naturally occurring substance that promotes retention of moisture that even Cleopatra was rumored to use in her skin regimen when she bathed in sour milk. Although it is a natural product during my research I found it can still irritate skin, especially on allergy-prone skin. I have never heard of this brand personally, but after my research I found it has wonderful reviews and they happen to carry it at Walmart for $14 for a 7 ounce bottle. (Also at Target, Walgreens, and CVS) Now, that is a little expensive in my opinion, but it is a well working lotion. Amlactin is non-greasy, fragrance free, and works really well at moisturizing skin.

Grand Central Beauty Skin Perfecting Polish

Now if you have been sticking with my reviews you would know I had a decently bad experience with the last product from Grand Central Beauty even though many people's reviews were spectacular so I was quite hesitant to test this out, but I knew I just had to. After doing a little research on the website I found that this is a brand new product and doesn't have much of a following yet, which makes me a little excited yet scared to try it, my skin is so sensitive. The polish is suppose to smooth, moisturize, reduce-redness, unclog pores,  and invigorate tired skin, and it has a built in neutralizer so you have the option to rinse or not. 

Directions (copied from the package)

•  Apply 1 pump (dime-size) onto clean, dry face.
• Massage face lightly and thoroughly for 30 seconds until clear sponge beads emerge, rolling away trapped dirt and dead skin cells.
• Buff off gently with fingertips. Rinse optional.
• Use at least 3x week on clean face.

I tested this polish on freshly cleansed skin and applied the dime-size like directed, but it didn't seem to be enough, and the sponge bubbles didn't emerge, so I added a little more and continued to massage. Eventually little bubbles were created, they kind of felt just like the beads in an exfoliating wash, and were slightly difficult to buff off. After I went through the process my skin begin to feel a little itchy so I decided it was best for me to go ahead and rinse. At first I noticed my skin seemed smoother, but the morning after I noticed my skin was greasier than it has ever been. I am not sure if it's just my skin type, but I do know that I will not be testing anymore products from Grand Central Beauty.

Yes to Tomates Daily Pore Scrub

As you know I love this brand and put my full faith in the products they make and the acne daily scrub didn't change my mind one bit. I have been having a lot of little break outs lately due to stress overload so this sample came at about the perfect time. I was concerned at first if it would be tomato-ish scented, because I do not like the smell of tomatoes, but it was a quite pleasant scent. Even though it's a facial scrub it was gentle enough to be non-irritating and worked well at leaving my skin feeling smooth, clean, and refreshed. I actually picked up a tube at my local Walgreens the same day that I tested this little packet and have been using it since and adore it. Some of the YesTo products are a little pricey, but I found this one for $7 for a decent sized tube, but all of the products I have tested are well worth price.

New York Streets Dry Shampoo

This is my absolute first dry shampoo and I was quite unimpressed. New York Streets is a brand I have never heard of before, but they specialize in hair products. For this size bottle of dry shampoo on the website is $17 which is a little pricey in my opinion compared to other dry shampoos I have heard a lot about, such as Freeman Beauty's Psssssst Dry Shampoo. One thing I did not like about this company is the website, they do not have customer reviews, and ingredients listings, and I find that it's important to have those open to the public. I tested this product in two day hair and the only thing it did for me was leave my hair smelling like my grandma. (I am not saying my grandma smells bad, just old, ya know?) Now, my hair doesn't really get greasy, even if I do skip a couple washes, so it's hard for me to tell if it adequately disguises greasy/shiny hair. I can say that it was easy and quick to comb through my hair, and it did seem to make a little difference when restyling. In conclusion I think that if you have styling products in your hair this will be no help to you, and it's not really worth the money if your hair doesn't get greasy.

Karuna Eye Renewal Mask

I am always excited to try items like this because I don't often get a chance to relax and these "spa-like" items are as much of a chance I can get. I applied the masks like instructed, on a freshly washed face, and let them sit for twenty minutes. At first they irritated my eyes a little bit and made them feel slightly itchy, but after a couple of minutes a cooling sensation set in and they began to feel good. After twenty minutes I removed the masks and rubbed in the leftover product around my eye area. I didn't notice an immediate dramatic difference, but I noticed that my skin felt softer. They are suppose to help fight signs of aging, decrease puffiness and discoloration, and improve firmness and tone around the eyes. Honestly this product may be amazing if used regularly, but for $36 for a small pack of four I can't see myself ever purchasing and giving them a good test.

Skinn Cosmetics Color Touch Eye, Cheek, and Lip Glow

I have never been a fan of cream blushes, but this one by far is the best I have tested quality wise. This shade is called "teen tone" and is perfect to create a slight flush, or a nearly nude lip. Typically I have issues blending cream blushes, but this one blends better than the others I have tested and seems to last quite long. My favorite use for it so far is to create a nearly nude lip combined with my favorite lip primer by Too Faced Cosmetics and a touch of gloss. With all that said after developing my thoughts about this product I pulled up Skinn Cosmetics website and realized that it is $17, which is quite pricey in my opinion.

 



March Ipsy Bag Review

Hello Lovelies!

I was super surprised to see my package from Ipsy in the mail on Friday, especially considering that I had received the tracking code about ten minutes before checking the mail. I tested the products out later on Friday and just had to get the review out to you guys as soon as possible. 

This month's theme is "the great escape" which seems a little more like we are welcoming summer instead of spring, but it's still nice to see something different. I do love the nautical printed bag, I am so happy that they finally agreed to do some prints, and I am hoping next month's in something more "springy" and possibly floral. Overall this month doesn't include much, this has to be the smallest amount of samples I have received yet, but the products we did receive are quite nice.

LA Fresh Travel.Lite Makeup Remover Wipes $1.99 for 8 wipes 

Wipes such as these ones are a necessity for makeup bags, and traveling, although I do find these a bit expensive for such a small pack. These wipes do work well to remove makeup quickly, but they are a tad bit too greasy for my skin, and the scent makes me think of baby wipes. 

 I have heard a lot about the Glam RX Touch Up Palette but have never really wanted to purchase it for myself, and this is kind of a mini of that. The real touch up palette consists of concealer, lip balm, shine erase powder, black eyeliner, mirror, and magnetic bottom level that can hold your personal makeup that comes in a metal tray (They are $17). This Glam RX thing that we received with out Ipsy bag does not include any of the makeup, it's simply the mirror and magnetic bottom level. Considering most of my eye shadows are in palettes this wont really be of any use for me, except to hold my little sample trays I have received from Yaby, Coastal Scents etc. If you are the type of person who uses a lot of single eye shadows this palette may work nicely for you depending on how you like to organize you makeup, and if you feel like "de-potting" some of your shadows. 

 These small shadow samples are from Yaby Cosmetics, shadow in top picture is called "Sand Dune", and bottom is called "So Vein". "Sand Dune" is almost a perfect match to my skin color and works well for a nude natural eye, and I absolutely adore "So Vein" and it's bright shade of teal. (I am using the Glam RX palette to store these.)  Both of these shadows blend well and are highly pigmented, they especially pop when paired with a eye primer/base. You can purchase these trays in a 3 gram size for $3.15 each.  

Juice Beauty Hydrating Mist  $22 for a 6.75 oz bottle. 

This hydrating mist is made from organic ingredients and is said to be great for all skin types. The first thing I noticed when spritzing this upon my face is that not only does it feel refreshing, but it also smells refreshing. My skin instantly appeared brighter and it made me feel more awake and ready to go. As a hint on the products website they say to refrigerate this product in the summer months for an even more refreshing sensation, and I can not wait till it's warm enough to test that theory. This product in itself has me browsing through Juice Beauty's website and wanting to make a little order of my own, so stay tuned. 

Overall this month's bag seems to be disappointing people because of the small amount of products, but I have decided I will just look at the positives. 

1. I have never tested anything from any of these companies before, and they all turned out quite well. 

2. We finally received a printed bag after asking for months, and I love nautical prints. 

3. Ipsy attempted to compile a bag that would leave us happy in hopes that we were planning a spring getaway.