Ipsy (MyGlam) January 2013 Review

My Ipsy bag FINALLY came in the mail, and I am so excited to write a review!  My bag should have been here last week, but UPS delivered it to the wrong hub, and then the post office lost it.  Twice.  I could not make this craziness up!  When I called the post office, the clerk did NOT want to help me, and was very rude.  Of course, this is NOT Ipsy's fault, but it did affect my thoughts on their customer service, as their facebook person wasn't the most sympathetic of souls (and gave conflicting information), and their customer service took twice as long to respond as their promise on their website.  From what I understand, several bags were misdirected to Iowa (!), along with my bag, so I think maybe I can write this off as a one-off; due to a major error on UPS' side.  Ipsy should ask for reimbursement for UPS' error, in my honest opinion.  I worked customer service for more than ten years, and shipped via UPS and USPS for two.  I am uniquely qualified to own this opinion :)

So, that said, on to the good stuff!

The super cute hot pink envelope that Ipsy ships in is one of my favorite parts!

First peek inside the bag.

As my package was lost three (!) times in total that I am aware of, I did just peek inside cautiously to make sure that there was no polish, lotion, oil, or other type of explosion.  I am SO thankful (and lucky!) thank my package arrived completely intact, and that nothing was damaged from the very cold weather in Iowa (Ipsy ships from North Carolina, and I live in Delaware.  Cold damage isn't really something I have ever had to worry about before!).

The card found inside my bag.  Very pretty!

 The theme for this month's bag is Super Stars.  I think that is pretty spot on with the items inside the bag.

A preview of what discounts you receive if you choose to order from this month's vendors.

This month's bag, a dark blue, nice sized bag.

First peek at all the goodies!

I love the bag this month, it's a great size for travel, and although it won't fit in my current purse, I do have larger ones that this will work well in.  My girls always want to play "makeup" and I can always give them extra makeup bags to put their own makeup in!

January's goodies: left to right: SOHO crease brush, Pacifica Blood Orange body butter, Big Sext hair hair spray, Nailtini nail polish, Josie Moran Argan Oil, plus the bag at the top.

Here is the first look at everything in this month's bag.  Although I didn't receive any makeup this month, I think I will use pretty much everything here, and it's nice to receive some high end skin care.  After all, if you don't take care of your skin, you can't expect to have a good canvas to create on!

SOHO Crease Brush, $7.99 retail (available at Walgreens; this brush is not available on Walgreens' website, however all of the SOHO brushes that ARE available on the website are $3 until 2/7/13.)

The first item was not actually in the makeup bag, because it was too big to fit.  There were three brushes that were sent out, a crease brush (pictured), a liner brush, or a concealer brush.  I actually purchased one of these this past weekend at Walgreens on CLEARANCE for $4 and change; and I LOVE it.  I had hoped to get a brush I didn't have in my Ipsy bag, but if I had to have a duplicate of any brush, it's this one.  I clean my brushes every time I use them (let me know if you would like to see a blog about how I clean my brushes), so it's nice to have an extra of the one brush you use every day!  I have slightly hooded eyes, so a crease brush isn't exactly the first thing I would think of to use, but I have to tell you, this is the fluffiest, best blending brush EVER.  I swear, it cuts my blending time in half at least.  I had never heard of the SOHO brand, but it seems to be getting good press.  The one think I DON'T like about it, is that the bristles are natural, and not synthetic.  I really prefer to use synthetic brushes (yay for animals and their safety!), but this brush honestly does the job well.  SOHO's claim to fame with their brushes is that they have an ergonomic handle.  I honestly have to say, that I didn't even notice it, so I guess it works.  Grade: 4.5/5

Pacifica Tuscan Blood Orange Body Butter Mini Tube  2.5 fl oz. $7 retail (available at Pacifica; coupon code beauty20 will you 20% off your purchase until 2/15/13)

So far, the Pacifica lotion is my favorite in this month's bag.  I received the full size tube.  The smell is perfect (I have fragrance triggered allergies), the texture is great, and while it is a little greasy, it blends very well.  I think I like this so much because I can share it with my friends!  I love how it came with a seal on the tube so that I knew it was fresh from the factory. Will I replace this when it is empty?  Not sure; I like to switch out scents after a while.  But this is definitely a favorite.  Grade: 5/5

Big Sexy Hair Spray & Play Volumizing Hair Spray  1.5 US oz. $5.63 retail (available at Ulta; coupon code 70950 will get you $5 off $25 or more of Big Sexy Hair products until 2/5/13)

I also receive a (almost) travel size Biz Sexy Hair volumizing hair spray.  For those of you who don't know me, I have super crazy kinky curly hair,  Hair spray isn't a product I ever bother with, because my hair has a mind of its own. However, my hair is super thin, and if I were ever to use hair spray (aside from my beloved Aqua Net), I would want to use a volumizing hair spray.  I will test this out this weekend, and let you all know what I think.  For now, I will give it a neutral score.  Grade: 3/5

Josie Maran 100% pure Argan Oil  .17 US oz  $4.67 retail (available at Josie Maran; coupon code ipsy15 will get you 15% off an order of $45 or more until 1/31/13)

Out of everything in my bag this month, I was most excited to get this, Josie Maran's Argan Oil.  Ok, I had never heard of Argan oil before.  I live under a rock, ok? So what?  Once I began checking out what Argan oil is and does, I became more impressed.  In regards to beauty, you can do anything with this stuff!  Want softer cuticles?  Argan oil.  Split ends? Argan oil.  Scars? Argan oil.  Oily skin?  Argan oil.  Dry skin? Argan oil.  Dry, brittle eye lashes? Argan oil.  Seriously, I don't know what this stuff can't do.  When my bag came, I immediately tried this on my hair, and didn't notice an immediate result.  Granted, I have majorly dry hair and nasty split ends (even though I just cut a good two inches off the bottom last week), but I don't think this is an instant miracle.  I also have a scar on my face from a nasty cold sore in November, so I will be applying this to that scar too.  Do you have a favorite use for argan oil?  Leave me a comment and let me know, so I can try it too!  What's awesome about Josie Maran's argan oil is that it is cruelty free (Yay!), vegan, fragrance free, and all natural.  There is a video on her website that tell about how they collect and make the oil, it's definitely worth a watch.  The sample I received is 1/3 the size of the "to go" size on their website, but it definitely is enough to see how amazing this stuff really is, especially when it has a dropper in the lid so none goes to waste!  Grade: 5/5

Nailtini Straight Up Color Nail Laquer in Frappe  .5 fl. oz. $13 retail (available at Tinibeauty; coupon code ipsystar will get you 30% off your purchase until 2/28/13)

 I just love getting full size products!  Nail polish is always great to receive, if you can't use it, I've got a couple of kids who are always happy to get a new color.  There were two color possibilities that I could have received from Nailtini this month; Frappe (pictured) or Bloody Mary (very red).  I have lots of different red polishes, so I am happy I received the pale pink.  I will say, it is almost exactly the same shade as my natural nail.  This will be a good base for a design, or great for a french maincure.  Below is a picture of my nails, the day after I painted them, with no base coat, no top coat: just two coats of the Frappe. 

My nails, the day after I painted them.

 So far, no chipping, which for me, is a mathematical impossibility.  I think I would like to see some different colors in this line, as this is kind of boring, but hey, I AM Only Average, after all. Grade: 4/5

January 2013 Ipsy Myglam bag

 All in all, this was a pretty awesome haul for $10, shipping included.  There isn't anything that won't be used, and definitely a couple new "must have" items in the mix!  I'm so glad I found Ipsy, and hope you have the chance to try it too!  To sign up for Ipsy, visit their website HERE!  There is currently a waiting list, but I have heard they expect it to be only 1-4 week wait, so don't lose hope!  They do not have a referral program currently, so I don't get any special credit for you signing up, except the mad props that I helped some awesome people find a great service to pamper themselves with!

Recap:  $10 out of pocket, including shipping
Retail value: $38.29, makeup bag not included.  Not QUITE as awesome as December's bag, but most definitely worth the $10, especially since I will use everything!

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Disclaimer: This review is solely my opinion, on a product I paid for out of my own pockets.  I have not been compensated for this opinion in any way, and it is my honest thoughts on the products listed above.

Thanks for reading!