It’s that time again…
myglam
Ipsy Bag Review: May 2013
The Bag/Theme: VERY cute, loved that it was blues and orange. I’m not a fan of pink. The theme was “Spring Fling”, which I feel is a little late for the season and a very UGH phrase, anyway. This is the FIRST bag where they’ve confirmed that they chose products based on our website profiles.
Under the cut, because I know some of you don’t care. 🙂
Ipsy Bag Review: April 2013
The Bag: This bag is a white textured material with a pink zipper, and a pink striped silk lining. I don’t think white bags and makeup mix well, so I probably won’t use this. Cute, though!
Two Cosmetics Duo Eyeshadow in Heartache: I think pink eyeshadow is underused. These were two colours that didn’t seem to go well together in the pan. One looks slightly on the orange side of pink and the other is a pearly cool pink. They both were different when swatched… under the cut we go!
Ipsy March 2013: Anchors Aweigh!
The Bag – Very cute nautical print, but it felt a little flimsy. Not sure how much I’d use this in my purse. I prefer slightly more durable bags because I’m pretty rough on my stuff!
The Shipping – The tracking reports that they shipped the piece on the 6th, but I didn’t get the code until the 9th. It was handled by DHL this time, and the piece seemed to move pretty slow. It arrived at the airport early in the morning on the 8th, but didn’t leave until the 9th and I didn’t receive it until the 11th. Meh for this month.
Glam Rx Mini Freestyle Palette – I didn’t know that THIS is what I’ve been looking for in an interchangeable palette until I had it in my hands. It’s a little bigger than a credit card and fairly slim. It’s perfect for dropping in a few pans and actually taking with you! I think this was actually created especially for Ipsy subscribers, and I think it’s exactly the sort of thing brands should be doing. It’s a great taste of what your brand can do and something they’ll actually use–keeping your logo in their bag. The magnet seems to be plenty strong and the mirror is great.
yaby Eyeshadow Refill – Perfect coordinating on Ipsy’s part. Yes, DO give us eyeshadow pans when you give us an interchangeable palette. I got a tealy-green and a pretty muted goldenrod. These are still confusingly similar to the Coastal Scents shades I got–I’m curious about how Ipsy chooses the sample shades now. These have great colour payoff even without primer. They’re a bit small, but it’s a nice sample size.
Juice Beauty Hydrating Mist – I could smell this as soon as I opened my bag. None had leaked, but it was a nice surprise. It’s sort of herby and cirtusy on me. I wouldn’t spray this on my face–sneeze much?–but it would be okay in my hair. This had pretty decent staying power. I don’t know about the “hydrating” part of the equation–I didn’t see or feel much difference. I probably wouldn’t buy this, but it’s a nice freebie.
LA Fresh travel-lite Makeup Remover Wipes – These are okay face wipes. They did a pretty good job of removing the green eyeshadow, which I think is a pretty solid measure of a wipe’s cleaning ability! I noticed a powder fresh scent when I opened them, but no smell really seemed to come with the wipe or stay behind. No stickiness afterward, which I’ve noticed with some wipes.
The Overall: I really liked this bag for the eyeshadow and palette. I feel like ipsy needs to communicate how beneficial it is for a brand to represent themselves creatively. Obviously, generating BRAND NEW products for the ipsy bags isn’t always feasible, but it definitely excites me as a potential customer more than something I could get anywhere. Show me why your brand is unique!
Ipsy: February 2013
Tracking: I got my tracking number today (2/11), but it had apparently arrived Saturday (2/9). Uh.
Bag: I opened the shipper and was greeted with the delicious smell of plastic. I love that smell, but i don’t love that smell on a makeup bag. Eew. It’s a shiny black patent. That always looks so cheap to me and it has all sorts of creases in it. It’s well made, I just don’t care for it. Also, the “offers” card is black and it has three of the brand logos in a different black on it. XD Totally unreadable. If I were those brands, I’d be upset.
Coastal Scents Sampler Palette – I got a Coastal Scents sampler back in October. Three of this one’s shades were in that one. And the fourth shade was better back in October. Whomp whomp.
Mica Beauty gel eyeliner in black – This is a little thin and greasy for gel eyeliner and it doesn’t seem to have much staying power. I swatched it on the side of my hand and started typing. Somehow, I’ve rubbed it off already. It makes a decent line with a good brush.
Pixi Flawless & Poreless pore eliminating primer – First of all, these products are bunk. It’s just a primer. And it does make the application smoother. But the best way to make the appearance of pores disappear is to use a foundation brush to apply foundation. That’s it. This goes on pretty transparent on my face, but I’m quite pale. I wonder if that’s a problem for others?
Lash Card – Need I say more?
Pop Smokey Lash Kapow Mascara – I didn’t even open this.
The Verdict – Zzzzz.
Ipsy Review: December 2012
So I just realized that I should be getting a tracking number from Ipsy within a day or two, but that I never reviewed my December bag. Sorry, folks. The flu took precedent. I’ll keep this (relatively) brief.
The Bag – It’s smaller in height than other bags, but it’s the first I’ve gotten that’s wide. I really enjoy this bag! It’s silky and I’ll call the colour Weimaraner.
Loose Pearl Shadow by NYX – I don’t have this in front of me right now, and I can’t figure out which shade it was supposed to be. It comes with a strange brush inside that seems to just get pigment everywhere. When I finally got reins on the product (I just poured some out and used my own brush) it was pretty standard-issue stuff. I didn’t like the colour on me at all–it went on more neutral than it looked in the bottle (sort of army green gunmetal,) but it was still pretty overwhelming for my pale face. For $3 for 0.06 oz, I feel like this is on-par with other brands, even though the packaging is awful.
Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Pencil in Zero – Zzzz. I already have this. I’m sure people who got Woodstock the last time these were in the bags are happy. Then again, the people WHO ALREADY GOT THIS are probably shrugging. It’s a great black eyeliner, but c’mon. I shouldn’t need eyeliner again until sometime in 2016.
Mai Couture Highlighter Paper – I just don’t care for products like this. I haven’t even opened it.
Mirabella Primer for Face and Eyes – This was silky and nice, and worked okay as a primer. It’s $29 at Mirabella, which is downright ludicrous. Suggested alternative: $6 elf Mineral-Infused Face Primer
Be a Bombshell Lipgloss in Hot Mess – I was expecting this to be like last month’s Be a Bombshell lip product, so I was surprised to find it was a gloss. I was doubly surprised to find that it left a nice amount of colour, thought it was more pink than the tube would suggest.
The Overall – This is decent for making a vampy face, but meh. I’m considering cutting this subscription. I’ve been happy to get such deals on some of the products, don’t get me wrong. I still think it’s wonderful for someone on a budget who wants to fill a close-to-empty makeup drawer. But I have so many products that are so similar, and I’ve gotten plenty of stuff to keep my face done up. The sneak peeks for January are okay. The products include SPOILER ALERT an eyeshadow crease brush, argan oil for the face, Pacifica blood orange scented lotion (I love this brand,) Big Sexy hairspray (no idea how they’re getting these products to us…) and red nail polish. I’m really only excited for the lotion, but who needs more lotion? No one. The hairspray will be nice if it’s a can, simply because I don’t have any at the moment. Meh.
We shall see.
MyGlam/Ipsy Bag Review: November 2012
It’s that time again! I got Ipsy bag in the mail one day after I got my tracking code, which was generated about three days before I received it, and two days before the projected delivery day. I’m guessing their strategy is now to hold back the tracking numbers to give the illusion of speedy delivery?
L-R: full size Starlet pencil in black, full size Nailtini nail polish in Millionaire, (guessing) deluxe sample bare mineral Marvelous Moxie gloss in Dare Devil, deluxe sample Chella eyebrow defining gel, bag and sample size the Balm Meet Matt(e) in Matt Batali.
The bag – Pretty much the same bag as last time but in a deep chocolatey brown with a little more satiny with a shiny patent trim. It’s totally okay, but a little confusing that the bag is so similar when in the past, they’ve been so wildly different. I’m thinking that they got really good feedback on the last bag, though. So why mess with a good thing?
Starlet eyeliner pencil in black – The color in this is fairly solid and makes pretty consistent marks. The label reads “Black total absence of light”, suggesting a deep, inky black. The tip even looks like it would make that level of black, but it definitely doesn’t draw that way. It’s got a slightly brownish lean to it and I just don’t feel like it’s an $11 eyeliner. I’ll pass on buying.
Nailtini nail polish in Millionaire – This is a glitter polish. The base is a super-fine pinky gold glitter, followed by small sticks of gold, followed by long sticks of blue green. I don’t care for polishes with stick glitter because it always seems to hang off the nail. One coat of this goes on pretty sparse, two coats seems to fill out a bit better. It appears to apply very clumpy, but evens out as it settles and dries. The company’s concept is that their polishes should be layered, and I’d definitely do that with this. The biggest grr? I just scraped this off with my fingernail. For $13 a bottle, that’s a real shame. If you’re apt to shell out this kind of money on nail polish, just skip this brand and head to Chanel.
bare minerals marvelous Moxie in Dare Devil – When I saw previews of this, I was horrified. Wine-hued lips are a big mini-trend, but it’s often done far too heavy for real human use. I put this on without a mirror, just waiting for my boyfriend’s reaction. He didn’t react at all. When I checked the mirror, I was pleased to see that this went on fairly sheer and it was a generally pleasing shade for me. Whew! Unfortunately, this has a mintiness to it, which I hate. Why should lipgloss make my lips cold all day? It’s got a little stickiness and sandiness that seems to be standard for lip gloss, so it’s not a huge detractor I can’t get a handle on how big the full size of this is, but it’s $18 a tube. That’s pretty on par with similar products, so I think I could comfortably recommend this for anyone wanting to dip their toes in wine hues without going overboard.
Chella eyebrow defining gel – When I saw this, I was afraid is was a pigmented product. It wasn’t, and I was deeply relieved. It’s a clear eyebrow gel with a mascara wand applicator. It also comes bearing a weird chemical smell that was sort of disconcerting. When it dried, I noticed it felt a little stiff at first. I didn’t get tremendous brow-taming results out of this. A full-size is $18. I spent far less on Covergirl clear mascara and got similar (if not better) results. The downside to Covergirl is that it doesn’t dry as quickly.
the Balm Meet Matt(e) in Matt Batali – Apologies to Mario, I’m quite taken with this Batali. This is a matte shadow in a deep brown colour, headed towards black. It went really well with this pencil. I just dabbed a bit at the outer corners of my eyes without any primer and got great payoff and a nice smokiness. I totally dig matte shadows, so I was really hoping the Balm offered these in singles. And they don’t. I’d love a replacement for my now-defunct Urban Decay Revolver. The palette the Balm offers is $35 (but Ipsy users get a half off offer, soooo… maybe…)
The verdict? This month was a little safe, a little boring. One of Ipsy’s biggest problems is its users constantly complaining about the products they get, whether it’s the wrong colour or the size. Ipsy definitely needed a few totally unhateable bags in its corner to get their subscribers happy. And what better time than after open sign-ups? Do I hate a safe, no-way-to-hate-it bag? No way! New glitter nail polish, perfect sultry party look, more eyebrow tamer, another bag for Christmas gift dispersal. I can’t complain, and that’s the way Ipsy likes it!
My Glam/Ipsy Review: October 2012
This bag game in three days and shipped on the 10th. So much speedier shipping, but I think that was thanks to the SmartPost-esque shipping.
The Bag – It’s a black and white chevron with a bright red zipper. I think it looks SO GOOD. I don’t tend to equate chevron with bombshell, but the black, white and red are spot on!
the Balm What’s Your Type mascara in The Body Builder – This mascara is lovely. It has a curvy brush that made my lashes both thicker and longer–they’re batting against my glasses as I type! Love love love.
Be a Bombshell eyeliner in Onyx – This eyeliner is a thick marker. It’s a little tricky for that reason (I tend to line my eyes with the marker turned on its side.) Liquid liner tends to bleed along the little creases of my eyelids, but this stuff goes on and stays put pretty nicely.
Coastal Scents eyeshadow quad Set 2 – When I saw the preview of this, I thought it would be larger. The pans are just a bit bigger than an M&M. I’ll review these shades separately. Bright Yellow is a bright yellow, a bit darker than a crayon. Without primer, it doesn’t have very good payoff. Jewel Green has lovely payoff and is a nice mermaidy teal. Gypsy Gold is a brownish gold with a sheer application, which is nice as a shader. Dark Golden Olive is an almost black-olive-brown. The application is a bit sheer. It would be nice for a smoky eye.
Mirenesse Lip Bomb in 4 – This is a pink that’s believable as a red lip. I applied it without reading the packaging, so I just thought it was a nice, thick gloss. It’s not terribly sticky and it’s slightly minty. It’s a lip stain, and stain it does. I keep marking myself with it on accident! I keep accidentally brushing my lips, so I get little rubs of it on my hands and nose and everywhere. Now, would I pay $35 for it, ever? Oh my God, no, not ever for any lip gloss, ever. EVER.
Pequi Oil hair shine treatment – This smells somewhat coconutty. A little goes a long way. I use these products, but it’s hard for me to be terrifically excited about them.
The verdict? – This bag was so exciting. I watched the sneak preview spoiler images on the Ipsy Facebook page, and each one was more exciting than the last. I pulled these out and started reviewing them right away, which I normally don’t do. I did a whole face, which I normally either can’t do for lack of product or simply don’t have the immediate desire to do. This bag was FUN!
The Ipsy (still can’t get over that dumb name) team promises that the next bag is just as exciting. I really hope so.
Edit: The yellow eyeshadow is amazing over primer–perfectly yellow! The lipgloss has garnered about a billion compliments. This bag is a huge success!
MyGlam/Ipsy September 2012 Review
So let’s start here.
I got by bag on September 22nd. That’s NOT mid-month. It shipped on the 17th. That’s closer to mid-month, but still wrong. While I will grant that I’ve been having zero love for the postal service lately (the second package was misdelivered out of Cincinatti, I guess.)
The bags were shipped late because MyGlam relaunched itself as “ipsy“.
A brand, not even a year old, renamed itself. That’s never good.
The rename came with the launch of a big online community… thing. It’s for uploading makeup looks. Okay. But renaming yourself? Something so wildly different? I dunno.
Bag: Black, gold zipper, long handle. The bag is seriously the best thing I got this month. It’s really nice and seems sturdy.
SOHO Smudge Brush: Fluffy brush, really long handle, feels substantial. It works beautifully. I’ve been smoking out my eyes since I got it. I didn’t have a smudge brush, so this was a nice get. The bristles are nylon, but they almost feel like real hair. This is $5.97 at Walmart.com
Jane Sparkle Lip Gloss: I got this is a pretty bright watermelon shade. It’s a pretty wearable colour. It’s sticky and I don’t really like it at all. These are only sold in sets of three for $9.99.
Andrea’s Choice Nail Polish in Tightrope: This is a bright fuschia/purple neon. I actually bought this shade from Sinful Colors, and I’m much happier with the Andrea’s Choice polish (by about a million.)
Carol’s Daughter Monoi Repairing Split End Sealer: First of all, lets get this out of the way–“split end sealer” is a lie. This is a big ol’ glob of oil and silicone. And I just want you to know, dear readers, that I’m only trying this for you. It smells like a sunscreen I used once, mixed with some sort of herbal smell. It’s strange. It feels nice in the hair and would work as an overall smoother. And my ends do feel smoother–for now.
Mirabella Eye Color in Semiformal: This colour is a little strange. It looks bronzey in the package, but it’s sort of a pinkish goldy brown on. It’s not for me. The colour payoff wasn’t exceptional (which I’m glad.) It’s shimmery. This shade would be nicely suited to a warmer skin tone than mine. Also, I know they only do pans without a hard casing, but it kinda sucks to have one pan like this, just floating around. I’ll find a way to store it, but I’ve avoided purchasing loose pans for a reason.
Anyone else get a Myglam Ipsy bag this month?
MyGlam: August 2012
Another month, another Glam Bag. The August theme was Endless Summer, which the GlamTeam took to mean “don’t ever look old”. Fair enough, MyGlam.
The bag was neon orange mesh with a neon pink zipper. I was raised to react with horror to that color combination. But it’s a nice little bag. I’m starting to feel like a lot of other Glammies: these will be great at Christmas.
Let’s go with my order of excitement for this bag:
– Demeter Fragrance Roll on Perfume Oil in Clean Skin – Finding out Demeter was going to be in MyGlam was amazing for me. SO EXCITE. I was hoping to get the other fragrance–dragonfruit–but this is lovely and admittedly probably more wearable for me. It smells like a clean baby to me. Light hint of baby powder, a little skin muskiness, a whiff of a lullaby. The site describes it as “Clean Skin is a blend of orange, lemon, white rose, bergamot peach and vanilla, making the perfect shower-fresh scent.” But I don’t pick up on that so much… maybe a hint of the bergamot and vanilla. With MyGlam, I get a 20% off discount at Demeter, and I’ll cash that in. If you’re not familiar with Demeter, you’re missing out. The roller perfume isn’t really a sample size, but it’s definitely not their full size product. This size is $10 in itself.
– Circus by Andrea’s Choice in Ringmaster – I hope this isn’t what wrecked my nails last time. The color is great. It’s a bright neon pink, deep and IN YO FACE. The polish is a bit thin, which is disappointing because the white was thick and took two coats for glory. Two coats of this and I can still see the white of my nails. Still, it’s a nice polish with a smooth matte finish. And it doesn’t flake off. Full size product.
– Eclos Cellular Activator System & Moisture Therapy Regenerative Cream – I’m always so skeptical about these products. Plant stem cells are going to get rid of my fine lines? Fat chance. Still, this stuff smells nice–spicy, vaguely hippie–and a little goes a long way. I’ve been using it in the morning to see if I notice any difference. I won’t hold my breath. Sample size on both products.
– MyGlam Lipgloss – This was a “bonus” item, as a thank you for our support or whatever. I was excited to see they’d developed their own lipgloss, and I popped it on without reading the box. It smells faintly of watermelon, but tastes oily. It’s a little sticky, like every lipgloss ever. In the bottle, it’s very pink, but that color doesn’t translate. But then I read the box. Whomp whomp. Parabens, mineral oil and nothing that would indicate what was causing the smell. Full sized.
– SALTY Cosmetics Eye dust in Glama-ZOID – Meh. I put this on and I’m totally meh about it. The color appears to be white, but it’s got a bit of shimmer. On, it goes on faintly pinkish plum. I applied two layers without primer and it’s pretty minimal still. On me, it looks more purple, though the site said it would look more pink. Whatever. It was clumpy in the container and tricky to even apply. A lot of fallout. They charge $4 for this gram sample size. NOPE.
The verdict?
Good value this month. It’s not MyGlam’s fault I’m a hater; I definitely see how someone else would’ve been over the moon with this bag. I’ve been meaning to invest in a morning skincare routine, anyway, so cool. I’ve been moaning about how I can’t wear perfume for sneezing everywhere, and the combination of Clean Skin and Eclos and the Nume conditioner from last month is a wonderful substitute. I smell a little hippie, though.
