December 2013 Ipsy (My Glam) Unboxing and Review

Hello my lovelies!

My favorite mail day has arrived- Ipsy Day!

Pink Envelope of Goodness

I seriously LOVE receiving this pretty pink envelope each month in the mail.  It really makes my day.

First Peek

The first peek inside the bag is always the best- especially if nothing is broken or crushed :)

Celebration!

December's Theme is "Celebration!" I love this- not only is it Ipsy's second anniversary, it's also the time of year that is filled with parties, family and gatherings.  Ipsy is also having a contest this month, if you post a picture of your Glam Bag on Instagram with the proper tags, you could win a year's subscription to this fabulous service.

The brands

I always love the little insert cards in each package; it is a fast introduction to the brands that are featured each month, and have cute little pictures on them.  December's bag is no exception.

December 2013's bag

I absolutely, positively LOVE this month's bag!  It's the same style as June's bag, and the shiny black diamond-pattered outside is perfectly paired with a deep red liner.  This bag has instantly become my purse cosmetic bag, and will remain so for quite a while, I think.

Each month, Ipsy sends out 4-5 items, either deluxe samples or full sized items.  This month, Ipsy send 2 items to all subscribers, and the remaining 3 items varied from bag to bag.  I'll start with the items everyone received.

Be A…Bombshell The One Stick in Girl Crush, full size (7.3g/0.26 oz), $16 retail, available HERE.  Discount code IPSY40 will get you a 40% discount, and a free full-sized raspberry tart blush, until 1/15/14, US only, can’t be combined with other offers, free item is automatically added when order ships.

I've enjoyed trying out the Be A...Bombshell line.  The One Stick is a product that is for use on the eyes, cheeks and lips (hence the name), and this pretty pink is a beautiful blush shade on me.  I tried it on my lips, and it applied kind of thickly, and it was too frosty to look good with my skin tone.  I have yet to try it on my eyes (I have lots of pink shadow), but I think this would work well as a cream shadow (maybe as a base).  When I heard that we were getting this product, I looked for a picture of it, and was surprised when it arrived at just how big it is.  I guess I was expecting a product the size of a lipstick tube, and this is MUCH bigger than that, and will last a long time.  I am pretty happy with this- it's the first cream blush product that I actually like.
GRADE: 4/5

POP Beauty Bright Up Your Life Eyeshadow Trio in Smokin’ Hot, deluxe sample size (4.35g/0.15 oz, 3 pans of shadow), $7.20 retail value, available HERE. Full size retails for $24 and includes 10 pans of shadow.  Discount code EyeLuvPOP gets you 25% off of any purchase, until 1/15/14, one time use only, can’t be combined with other offers, US only, excluding territories, free shipping on orders $75 or more.

I've had good and bad luck with POP Beauty before- I really disliked the mascara I received earlier this year, but the lip crayon was a flattering shade for me, and a decent formula.  My first impression of the eyeshadow trio was that the palette was hard to open.  Like really REALLY hard.  As in I wound up breaking two nails, and using a butter knife hard. I swatched the shadows and they seemed to be lightly pigmented, but when I went to use them on my eyes, I was very impressed with the consistency. I gave this shadow trio a try, and while I would have preferred the neutral palette, these went on nicely, blended well, and created a long lasting smoky eye look that I rocked for a full day.  I did put these on over primer, and I think that it made all the difference.  I don't currently have a palette specifically for smoky eye looks, so this is a welcome addition to my collection.  I will try to branch out more into this look for evenings out, but I don't think I will ever give up on my love for color!

GRADE: 4/5

 Ipsy also sent each subscriber a lip product: each bag had either a J.Cat lip pencil or a NYX lipstick.  I received...

 Nyx Extra Creamy Round Lipstick in Celene, full size (4g/0.14oz), $4.00 retail, available HERE. Discount code IPSYSLIM gets you 35% off of the slim lip pencil until 1/15/14, one time use, can’t be combined with other offers.

Once I found out that I was going to receive the NYX Lipstick, I was really excited. I've wanted to try out their formula, but don't currently have any in my collection (how did THAT happen?).  When I opened up my bag, and saw the color that I received, I actually sad the words, "You've got to be kidding me!"
Ipsy, please- I don't wear pale shades.  I don't wear much gold.  Please send me pretty pinks, corals, and blue-based reds.  Please don't send me any more zombie-inspired lipstick shades.  Please??  I did give this a try, and it was worse on my lips than on my hand.  I'll try layering this over a darker lip shade; hopefully I can find some use of this tube.  It's really a shame, because I really like the formula.
GRADE 3/5 (Great formula, horrific shade)

The remaining two items in each bag were from an assortment of items.  Here is what I received:

Nicka K New York polish in NY112, full size (0.5 fl oz/15ml), $4.99 retail, available HERE.  Discount code IPSY gets you 30% off until 1/10/14, cannot be combined with other offers, US only, free shipping on orders $50 or more.

I love me some nailpolish, and I have never heard of the brand Nicka K.  I received a pretty taupe shade, with purple undertones in some lighting.  I gave this a try and I really love the formula.  This polish is long lasting, and applied smooth and creamy.  I had total opacity in two coats.  

Swatch of Nicka K Polish in NY112 (gold sparkle top coat on all of them except the ring finger)

This color isn't my favorite shade, but after I added a gold sparkle topcoat, I think it is fantstic!  I don't have any like this at all in my collection, so this will most definitely get used.  I think this is my favorite product in my bag this month.  Love it!
GRADE: 5/5

Ardell Natural Lashes in 120 DEMI, full size (1 pair), $3.99 retail, available HERE.  No discount coded this month, sorry!

I have a love/hate relationship with lashes.  I love them, but I hate applying them.  I finally have a method that works fairly well, and these applied nicely.  I don't think that the lashes looked particularly natural on my face, but they were light and easy to wear.  The glue included did a nice job of holding them in place, which for me, is unusual for the little samples in the lash packs, so this was a big plus.
GRADE: 4/5

In my bag this month, I also received a referral bonus- so a HUGE thank you to anyone and everyone who used my link to sign up for Ipsy!!

Beauty blender and blender cleanser, deluxe sample (blender alone is $19.95), available HERE.  Full size retails for $23.95 (1 blender and 3 oz of cleanser).  No discount code currently available.

I have never tried the original Beauty Blender before, and I have to say, that I was pleasantly surprised.  I expected the foam to be more dense (like the one I purchased from the Ulta brand), and was happy with how it applied the foundation.  The cleanser was great, and did a fabulous job of cleaning my sponge.  I was amazed at how much the blender "grew" once it was dampened!  This is seriously my new go-to for applying foundation.  Love it!  This is a fabulous extra, and I am super happy with it!
GRADE: 5/5

I took one swatch photo this month, of everything on my hand.  Here 'tis:

Top: Nyx lipstick in Celene
Middle: Be A Bombshell The One Stick in Girl Crush, Nicka K polish in NY112 (Classic Taupe)
Bottom: POP Beauty Smokin' Hot Trio

Items YOU might have received in your Ipsy bag, but I did not:

J.Cat Beauty Big Lip Pencil, full size (0.3 oz), retails for $3.99, available HERE.  Discount code jcatlips will get you 30% off of any purchase, until 1/15/14, can't be combined, US only.

Mirabella Eye Blender brush, full size, retails for $27, available HERE.  Discount code IPSTER will get you 30% off of any purchase, until 1/7/14, can't be combined with other offers, valid in the US only.

English Laundry Signature Fragrances set (Signature Pour Femme and Signature), 2 vials, each 5mL, retail value $8.70, available HERE.  Full size is 3.4 oz/100mL and retails for $84 (men's) and $90 (women's).  If you purchase this fragrance, you will receive a free bag with any purchase of $75 or more, and free shipping, until 2/23/14, free shipping is US only and excludes Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico.

Andrea Strip Lashes in style #33, full size, retails for $3.99, available HERE.  No discount code this time, sorry! 

Salon Perfect Perfectly Natural lashes in #53, full size, retails for $2.98, available HERE.  No discount code this time, sorry! 

Demeter Snow Perfume Oil Roll on, full size (0.29 fl oz/8.8mL), retails for $10, available HERE.  Discount code ipsy20dfl will get you 20% off of any purchase, until 1/13/14, one time use only, valid only in US and Canada.

Jesse's Girl Julie G Holiday Frosted Gum Drops Nail lacquer in Sugar Plum Fairy, full size (0.35 fl oz), available HERE, retails for $3.99.  Discount code IPSYDEC2013 will get you 20% off your purchase until 1/15/14, free US shipping, international shipping available.

Starilly Nail Polish in Bzzz Buzz, mini size (0.17oz), retails for $5, available HERE.  Discount code IPSY will get you 20% off of your purchase, can't be combined with other offers, US and Canada only, shipping based on weight, no end date listed.

December 2013 December Glam Bag

Here's my beautiful December 2013 Ipsy Glam bag, in all it's glory!  I am really happy with what I received this month, and while I might have wanted to try some different items, aside from the god-awful lipstick color, everything I did get will most definitely be used.  To me, that spells SUCCESS! 

Here's a rundown of everything that was sent out by Ipsy this month, just to help you calculate your bag's monetary value.  As always, an item could be worth a fortune, and you hate it, so it has no true value, but the almighty dollar seems to be the way most people judge their bags, so, here we go! 

Be A...Bombshell The One Stick (full size): $16.00
POP Beauty eyeshadow trio (deluxe sample): $7.20
Nyx Extra Creamy Round lipstick (full size): $4.00
J.Cat Beauty Big Lip Pencil (full size): $3.99
Ardell Natural Lashes (full size): $3.99
Andrea Strip Lashes (full size): $3.99
Salon Perfect Perfectly Natural lashes (full size): $2.98
Nicka K New York polish (full size): $4.99
Jesse's Girl Julie G Nail lacquer in Sugar Plum Fairy (full size): $3.99
Starilly Nail Polish in Bzzz Buzz (mini size): $5.00
English Laundry Signature Fragrances set (Signature Pour Femme and Signature), (2 vials, each 5mL):$8.70
Demeter Snow Perfume Oil Roll on (full size): $10.00
Mirabella Eye Blender brush (full size): $27.00
Referral Gift:
Beauty blender and blender cleanser (deluxe sample):blender alone is $19.95

Total retail value of MY bag (approx.): $56.13 (without referral gift, $36.14)

My December 2013 Ipsy Look

Sorry about the shadow on my shadow, but here's a closeup of the eyelook, with Starlook's Topaz gem pencil as liner.

Closeup of the lashes

 Here's my unboxing video, for those who like to watch these things, and want to see my Christmas tree :)  If you want to see more of my family and me, a new vlog is uploaded every day on this channel, so subscribe away :)


What's this- you don't subscribe to Ipsy yet?  Well, crawl out from underneath the rock you are living under and head on over there and check them out!  Ipsy is $10 a month (plus $5 if you are in Canada), and gets you 4-5 full size or deluxe sample beauty products in the mail each month, all in a cosmetic bag.   If you would like to sign up, would you consider using my referral link?  I get points towards goodies, and you get good karma, plus a referral code of your very own to share.  Everyone wins!

Until next time, my lovelies- stay Average!

Disclaimer: This video contains products that I purchased with my own money.  I was not asked nor requested by any company to review/unbox these items, and all opinions are true and my own.  No links are referral or paid links, except the Ipsy link.  I totally want the Ipsy points. 

May Ulta Mother's Day Mini Haul: Bare Minerals Your Starting Lineup, Spring Gift and More!

Hi, everyone!

As I (not so) patiently await the arrival of my May Ipsy bags (both of them, as I ordered a second subscripton!), I thought I would take the time to review my Mother's Day present from my sweet hubby. Of course, you know that any chance I can get to head over to Ulta (an hour away), I will- and this was a perfect excuse!  I had a very strict budget for this trip, so it's a mini-haul, but I think I definitely got my money's worth!

First, just let me say that Ulta is one of my favorite stores.  I can go in there with my Tiny Love, who isn't quite tiny anymore and is IN to EVERYTHING, and be welcomed with open arms, and she and I can swatch products to my hearts content.  The employees are super nice, and very helpful.  (if you're reading this Ulta- I HEART YOU.  Please send me free things, or more coupons so I can have the excuse to overindulge again soon.  Thank you!)

BareMinerals Your Starting Lineup 6 piece kit, $25 on sale (now $38 again); available HERE.

I'll start with the reason why I went to Ulta in the first place: I received an e-mail that the BareMinerals Your Starting Lineup 6 piece kit was on sale, from $38 to $25, plus a free gift with any $25 BareMinerals purchase.  Their foundation is my current favorite for the warmer months, so I really wanted to pick this up while it was on sale. 
This awesome kit contains foundation, primer, finishing powder, mascara, lip gloss, and a face brush, and has a retail value of $38.  I really need the "fairly light" color, but my store was sold out of the kits in that shade, so I picked up "light", in the hopes that I will get a bit of sun and it will match better.  My box says that the retail value of everything is $100, but when I add it up I get $80.85.  Full disclosure :)

BareMinerals Original SPF 15 Foundation, 2g size. (full size is 8.5 g, retail $27.)  Retail value $6.35.

I am in LOVE with this mineral foundation.  I've try SO many foundations in the last two months, and most of them just break me out.  I normally have very clear skin, so I don't need a lot of coverage- just enough to make my freckles LESS startling.  When I go out, I use a full coverage, flawless foundation, but for just everyday, I only need something light.  BareMinerals fits my foundation needs to a T. I won't swatch this, because it's a repeat buy for me (and you can see a picture of the swatch HERE), and I LOVE that this size of the powder has a seal to keep the powder INSIDE the container, instead of spilling into the top level.  So happy with this!

BareMinerals Mineral Veil SPF 25 Finishing Powder, 0.03 size. (full size is .3 oz, retail $20.00) Retail value $2

This is another repeat buy for me, and I absolutely love this weightless, translucent powder.  It feels like nothing on my face, has SPF in it (a MUST here!) and goes on like a dream.  I use this on my Tiny Love when we are out and it gets super sunny, as I don't carry a diaper bag any more.  This powder fits great in my makeup bag, and is easy to take out and apply to both of us.

BareMinerals Flawless Definition Volumizing Mascara in Black, 10 mL size (full size), retail value $18.

I have never tried anything from BareMinerals before except their powders, so I'm excited to try this out!  I have a HUGE stack of mascaras that I need to use, and I'll add this one to the stack (I try to only have one or two in use at any given time), but I'm excited about it.  The brush looks nice and full, and I have high hopes for the volumizing formula.  (Has anyone tried this?  Let me know what you think of it!)

BareMinerals 100% Natural Lipgloss in Cupcake, 4.2 mL size (full size), retail value $15.

I love lip gloss, but if you read my blog regularly, you already know that!  Lately, I've been using lipstick to create an ombre lip effect, but gloss is my first love.  I was excited to try this out- especially since it's all natural, but I was a little disappointed.  The gloss is sticky, in my opinion.  Not as bad as the Stila glosses were for me, but still a bit on the sticky side.  I'm still going to give it some test drives before I make a final verdict, especially since I really love the color!

Swatch of Cupcake

This color is really pretty with my coloring, so I really hope I can get over my sticky-hating feelings!

BareMinerals Flawless Face brush, retail value $28.

I already own a flawless face brush from BM, but it's a smaller, travel size brush that I received in my Try, Believe, Love Kit.  I use that brush every day, but it isn't my favorite, by a long shot- the bristles have a bit of fallout, and it's really small and needs reloading frequently.  I am SO glad that I bought this kit because this brush is freaking awesome!  It is SO soft, the bristles are longer and the brush head is much fuller than the travel brush.  I'll leave my travel brush in my purse makeup bag from here on out for touch ups, and use THIS brush for my everyday use.  I LOVE LOVE LOVE it!!!

Prime Time Foundation primer, .5 oz (half of full size), (full size is 1 oz and retails for $23), retail value $11.50

I have a lot of different primers that I have tried (and have here TO try), but I think that this is the first CLEAR primer that I've seen.  This stuff feels like satin on my skin.  The one thing that I DON'T like about BM foundations is that I do need to reapply a bit during the day, and hopefully this primer will make that NOT need to happen.  I'll give this a good trial and get back to you!

Because I spent $25 on BareMinerals products, I received a FREE gift:

Bareminerals Renew & Hydrate Eye Cream, 7 mL size, deluxe sample size, retail value $14.93.  Full size is 15 mL and retails for $32.

 Hydrating the under eye area will help reduce the appearance of dark circles, and help reduce wrinkles, so I'm all for this (especially since it was free!)  This cream has a light fragrance and goes on very smoothly.

Benefit Posit Tint Sample (2.5 mL) FREE sample

While I was over in the higher end product area of Sephora, a sales girl came up to me and we got to talking about (what else?) makeup.  She asked me my favorite brand, and I said Urban Decay (what, are you surprised?).  She complimented me on my makeup, and asked me what other brands I use.  I mentioned Benefit, and she brought me a free sample of the Posie Tint.  I already have a larger bottle of the Posie Tint, but I love it, and am super happy to have been given a nice sample of it again!


I also had a coupon for $3.50 off a $10 purchase (that doesn't include prestige brands), so I did a little extra shopping.  I noticed that they still had some of the gift bags that are free with a $19.50 Ulta purchase.  Who can turn that deal down?!  I really don't NEED a lot more makeup, (and I'm going on a no buy for at least a month, per my husband), but I can always use tools, and hair products.

Ulta Nourishing Deep Conditioner, 9 oz full size, on CLEARANCE for $2.25, originally $8.99. (couldn't find this one online- sorry!)

Ok, so this didn't count towards my $19.50 qualifying purchase, but this was just too good of a deal to pass up.  My hair is crazy, and I need to use deep conditioning treatments at least twice a month, so I jumped on this deal!

Ulta Brand Super Blender Sponge, $4.99, available HERE.

I have been hearing about these little buggers for what seems like forever, but have never splurged on getting one.  Since I didn't see any makeup that I HAD to have, I popped this little packet into my purse.  I haven't used it yet, but I will let you all know what I think of it.  To use a beauty blender, you wet it, wring it out, and use it to apply foundation to your face.  The pointy end is to blend foundation around your nose and eyes, and the larger end is for your whole face.  I know- I just said in this post that I love my mineral foundation, but when I'm going out, I always use liquid.  This will definitely get used!

Ulta Kabuki Brush, $14.00, available HERE.

I have wanted a kabuki brush for, like, ever.  They are just so (in my opinion) costly, that I just haven't been able to justify getting one- until today.  I LOVE this brush, and it feels SO soft on my face, I know I made the right decision.

I also picked up a travel hair brush for Tiny Love, as she wanted it, and tried it in store.  I think it cost $1.20.

Ulta's Spring Gift, Here Comes the Sun! (left to right, top to bottom: Bag in natural and yellow, 3 pc. brush set, lipstick in Perfect Nude, foaming face wash, nail lacquer in OH!, Amped Lashes mascara, blush in Flush, baked eye shadow in Spellbound (my choice), automatic eye liner in teal blue (my choice), and Super Shiny lip gloss in Flirtini.

Because I spent $19.50 or more on Ulta brand cosmetics, tools, or nailpolish, I received another free gift!  I chose the peach colors this time, since I already have the pink one.  I'm not going to review everything in this bag here, since I already did it HERE.  I will go over the items that have different colors, though!

swatch of Perfect Nude (226)

I really like Ulta's lipsticks.  They go on very creamy and have great pigmentation.  This shade, Perfect Nude, is a great shade for me, if I want to pull off a nice nude lip.  I couldn't go any lighter than this, or I look weird.  Love it!

swatch of Flirtini (07)

Lip gloss always makes me happy.  This color is a great, sparkly peach color and looks and feels great.  NOT sticky at all!!!
 

Ulta Nail Lacquer in Oh!

My nails are a hot mess right now, and need some serious attention before I paint them, but this color reminds me of the Sation polish I received in my April Ipsy bag.  I gave that away, and hopefully the formula of this polish will be more to my liking.   This is a super sheer peach polish.  It might make it to my giveaway basket too.



Ulta Cheeks in Flush

 I went from having virtually NO blushes to having a massive collection in the matter of about a month!  This pretty blush give just a hint of color with a matte finish.

Ulta Automatic Eye Liner in Teal Blue , 0.28g, $8 retail value.

I love eyeliners.  Liquids are my favorite, but retractable ones are a close second.  This pretty teal looks great on, and glides on smoothly.

Ulta Baked eye shadow in Spellbound, 2.55 g, $8 retail value.

I love me some eye shadows, too!  This gorgeous duo is silky smooth, and is absolutely beautiful.

swatch of Spellbound

I will totally add this to my collection of favorites.  I love how it's two shades in one, and they blend really well.

Well, that's about it for my awesome Mother's day Haul!  My husband was so good to let me go shopping at my favorite store!

Since I had to go to Salisbury to go to Ulta, I also took Tiny Love to the zoo.  I'll leave you with a picture of this awesome pelican that came over to stare at us.  I could have reached out and touched him (if I weren't afraid of losing a finger!)

Happy May, y'all!

Disclaimer: I purchased these items with my own money my husband's money, and any gifts with purchase were because I met the purchase requirements to receive them.  I was neither requested nor required to review these items, and all links in this post are NOT referral links, except the Ipsy ones.  I totally want a free gift for referring friends.  Sorry!