We have a new unboxing this month and that is Scent Box! This service has impressed me since I signed up – very professional and they do what they say they will.
With Scent Box , you get a 30-day supply (the actual product is 0.27 oz or 8ml) of a fragrance you choose. If you receive a fragrance you dislike you can exchange it for a difference scent (once per month). The atomizer comes in a nice box and they included a mini sample of a different fragrance. The cost is $9.72 for the first month, and $14.95 thereafter.
The scent I chose this month is Euphora from Calvin Klein. I would call this a sensual or sexy scent with fruity floral notes. It sounds like a lot going on in the scent but it is not overwhelming at all.
Fragrance Notes:
Base: Liquid Amber, Black Violet, Cream Accord, Mahogany Wood
Middle: Lotus Blossom, Champaca Flower, Black Orchid
This is my second month getting Ipsy Glam Bag and I’m pretty pleased.
With Ipsy Glam Bag Plus (you don’t actually get a bag), you get five full-size products for $25 per month. Similar to the normal Ipsy bag, they do customize your products using the beauty profile. You do have to have a monthly Ipsy bag membership in order to upgrade. They just announced that there is no waitlist now!
Overall Box Impressions: I’m significantly more wowed but this month’s box (my second) versus my first box last month. I still question if Ipsy is really using my profile or if there is just such a limited pool of full size products. What stood out to me this month was the blend of indie versus commercial brands. I hope Ipsy follows this path in the future. The total retail value of the box, as noted by Ipsy, is $173, which is about $30 higher than last month. I love (and would have bought) the blush palette from Lovecraft Beauty, which is $39 by itself (more than the cost of the box).
Paris Hilton ProD.N.A. Dual-Action Cleansing Gel
This is the item I’m least excited about. I’m very specific about what beneficial ingredients I like in skincare products and this cleanser has more “hyped” ingredients than proven ingredients. These include, per the booklet from Ipsy, exfoliating caviar lime and pineapple-derived enzymes to brighten skin, cucumber to depuff and white tea extract to reduce the appearance of wrinkles and help repair sun damange. I didn’t smell the product as I am leaving the safety seal on so I can trade or donate this product. MSRP: $29.
Lovecraft Beauty Blush Palette
When I saw the promo pictures I wasn’t sure the shades would work for me but wanted to try the formula, at the least. When I opened the palette and saw the colors in person – just wow. These are soft and beautiful shades. I could easily use Altheda or Oscalia on their own, or mix either with Dauphine. I love soft shades for a nice natural look and these are so flattering. So next I had to stop and swatch the shades.
Formula-wise these were soft and creamy and literally went on like butter. The swatches above were two swipe stripes. Dauphine is more of an orange brown, Oscalia is a peach shade and Altheda is a gentle rose pink. If you didn’t receive this palette I highly recommend checking it out Lovecraft Beauty’s website. They also have a similar bronzer palette which I am going to look into. MSRP: $39.
Laura Sanchez Moods Eyeshadow and Highlighter Palette
I had not heard of this brand before but was intrigued by the color story of the palette. Some more muted shades and some bright pops of color. I do think you would need to use this in conjunction with another palette (unless you’re doing a one-shade look) and if you normally add an inner-corner highlight, you might need another palette. So, let’s swatch!
The top two shimmer shades (you can barely see the second one) are the highlights. The gold one is very shimmer-y but pretty if you use a light hand. While the second highlighter looks white in the pan it has a pink reflect when applied (very pink with a bit of a purple undertone). I moved on to the eyeshadows next. For the matte shades (which is the top row of two browns, red and yellow) I did need to go over my swatch two to three times to see the pigments. However, on the metallics, there was a lot of pigments with just one swipe, except for the purple (needed two). So not my favorite formula but the color payoff on the metallics makes this a palette I will still reach for. I absolutely love the darker green and might use that with the copper for a two color look. MSRP: $35
Benefit Cosmetics High Brow Eyebrow Highlighter
I remembered as I started to write this that last month we received a liquid highlighted from Benefit in the Ipsy Plus. So two highlighting products from benefit in consecutive months. Anyways, the eyebrow highlighter is designed to be applied under the brow and/or above the brow.
It’s definitely a pinkish shade so I would recommend blending/smudging it out a bit. Since it is a pencil that requires sharpening, and it is truly a pencil, I probably wouldn’t pay full retail. MSRP: $22
IT Cosmetics Heavenly Skin Skin-Smoothing Complexion Brush #704
This is an awesome item to be included in the box. I have one other IT Cosmetics brush (also received in a subscription box) and I don’t know that I would buy one on my own given the price. The retail value of this Heavenly Skin brush is a whopping $48. This brush has a bit of an angled brush head and is purported to give makeup an airbrushed finish. This item has me perplexed. What is unique is that the brush hairs are infused with anti-aging collagen, silk, peptides, niacin and antioxidants, which is an interesting concept. MSRP: $48
This is my first month getting Ipsy Glam Bag, after spending a couple months on the waitlist (after getting off what I call the “pre-waitlist”). If you want to get on the waitlist you DO have to email Ipsy, it is not automatic.
With Ipsy Glam Bag Plus (you don’t actually get a bag), you get five full-size products for $25 per month. Similar to the normal Ipsy bag, they do customize your products using the beauty profile. You do have to have a monthly Ipsy bag membership in order to upgrade.
Overall Box Impressions: I’m not wowed by my first month of the Plus but I don’t hate it either. I’m really somewhere in between. I’m not sure how much Ipsy Plus actually uses profiles since two of these items I’ve said I don’t want. I realize that with subscription boxes you will still get those items sometimes but for 2/5 to be that off is a bit frustrating. The total retail value of the box, as noted by Ipsy, is $141, which is $20 higher than last month’s BoxyCharm. That said, the most expensive item, the set of five brushes, is definitely over-valued at $50. More on that later.
Purlisse Butter Me Orange Creamsicle Body Butter
An orange scented body butter (texture is more lotion-like) with coconut oil, sugar cane and fruit extracts that purports to benefit your skin. I’ve only tried it a couple times and the level of moisturizing was pretty decent and it dried down. I thought I would love the scent, however, to me it smells “fake” and by that I mean it doesn’t smell natural. I like the concept of fruit scents (a lot) but only when it’s more of a natural scent. MSRP: $24.
RealHer Liquid Lipstick in I Am Adaptable
I have another liquid lipstick from this brand that I absolutely love (side note: they changed the packaging). This color is a brighter red (poppy red) than I normally purchase but I want to give it a try. The inspiring color names are motivation and not cheesy at all. At $14 a pop I also think these are more affordable liquid lipsticks compared to some higher end brands. Very excited to see this in my box! MSRP: $14.
Huda Beauty Obsessions Palette in Mauve
I rarely receive the color option I hope for but I did this time! I love the pigment of these colors in the pan and they’re a nice mix of mattes and shimmers/glitters. My past experience with the 9-pan palettes from Huda has been that there is a lot of fall out and a powdery consistency. Now, I was hoping this was because of the colors I previously used (green), but just from swatching I can tell this is the same formula. Even when swatching the powder gets everywhere and the swatch stripes don’t lay down evenly. I’m still going to try to make it work because I do love the color, but will definitely do my eyes before my face when using this palette. MSRP: $27
Benefit Cosmetics Sun Beam Complexion Highlighter in Golden Bronze
This liquid product is supposed to be primarily a liquid highlighter but also function like a bronzer (in that it will warm up the skin). Now I’m not big into highlighters at the moment and a liquid highlighter is more effort and mess than I want to put into a type of product I’m not excited about to begin with. I will be looking into if a few drops of this can be added to foundation or moisturizer to create a radiant glow. MSRP: $26
F.A.R.A.H Brushes – 5 Piece Eye Perfection Set
This item has me perplexed. This is a five piece eye brush set with a silver metallic handle from F.A.R.A.H (we frequently receive singular brushes from this company in the regular bags). Where I’m tripped up is that the MSRP for this set is $50, or $10 per brush. That is more, per brush, than a brush from Morphe. So then I went on the company’s website to find this product – no “perfection” brushes listed in a set or alone. Ok. So then I looked for eye brush sets. I found one ten piece brush set including five eye brushes and five face brushes (called Baby I’m your’s in white) for $40 – so an additional five face brushes for $10 less. I also found the “Black and White Smoke 8 pc Eye Set” for $32. So, three extra brushes for $18 less. Long story short, this appears to be a custom product made for Ipsy and to me the $50 MSRP is probably overstated by about $20. I don’t feel like the brushes are any softer or nicer than any of my other brushes (ELF, Luxie, Real Techniques). Did you receive these? What did you think of them? MSRP: $50
Ipsy contains five sample sized products that are personalized based on your profile. Products include beauty products with a heavy focus on makeup. The subscription is $10 per month and you also have the option to add additional samples (for additional dollars) and shopping on their website gives you cash back. All together, very slick.
I actually get two Ipsy bags. I originally set up this structure to test out their profile algorithim and see if it really worked. The results have historically been mixed but I rarely get duplicate items (and when I do, they’re items I like). One bag is intended to be my “makeup” bag and the other is intended to be my “skincare” bag. That said, this month my “skincare” bag had no real skincare products.
Time to stop yacking and start unbagging! I apologize for the whacky lighting on the photos – I couldn’t seem to get a sunny day for pictures! Don’t fear – my new lights are on the way from Amazon!
My “Makeup” Bag
Overall Bag Impressions: The bag screams Valentine’s Day and if it was red, rather than pink, I’d totally be on board. As my “makeup” bag, my profile for this account is focused on receiving makeup items. This month is pretty spot on, with the exception of the hair product (which was in both my bags even though I don’t have hair products marked). I really wasn’t wowed by ANY of the items in my bag this month. My favorite item is the No Pore Blem priming water.
Eyeko Lash Alert Mascara
This is by far one of my least favorite brands – I’ve yet to receive a product from them that performs well. This mascara fits right in the same category. I normally like curved wands, and maybe this is wonky because it’s a sample size, but in order to line up the curve to your lashes the straight part of the wand you have to hold it nearly against the skin of your temple. Or you have to be a contortionist. This is a nope.
Doucce Fierce & Fine Graphic Pen in Black
This eyeliner appears to have a fine but very flexible tip. Very dark black but haven’t tried it yet to determine its staying power. I thought I unmarked eyeliners in my Ipsy profile but maybe I did that AFTER the selection date. I know that sometimes you will still get those items you don’t have marked but I have a LOT of eyeliners.
Laritzy Lip Gloss in Curve
I received a bright red gloss from this company in a prior box (not Ipsy) and it was only so-so. It was very sticky and was very attracted to my long hair. Laritzy products are cruelty-free and vegan-friendly (per their own representation. Interesting note, the card from Ipsy suggests putting on a balm under the gloss, which I’ve never heard of doing before for a gloss product.
Marc Anthony Strengthening Grow Long Anti-Breakage Mask
This hair mask is designed to strengthen and improve the elasticity of hair strands. I prefer a good leave-in conditioner over a hair mask (because you have to get BACK in the shower to rinse out the mask) but I will give this a try. This winter the shafts and tips of my hair, especially in back, have been dry and prone to breaking, so maybe this will help. I did receive this in both of my bags.
Touch In Sol No Poreblem Priming Water
I just received the Touch in Sol No Poreblem Primer in my BoxyCharm so I was glad this was a slightly different product from Touch in Sol (priming water versus priming lotion). Touch in Sol is a Korean beauty brand and per Ipsy’s tip, a little bit goes a long way.
My “Skin Care” Bag
Overall Bag Impressions: This bag is so-so – as in better than my “makeup” bag but disappointed there are no skin care products. The powder foundation sample is super small and very cool toned for my skin. Lip treatment sample is also very small. Hopefully Ipsy doesn’t go the way of BirchBox by having teeny tiny unfunctional sample sizes. My favorite item is the Luxie brush.
MAC Studio Fixed Powder Foundation
This matte-finish powder foundation is supposed to give medium to full coverage and is buildable. Unfortunately, this sample is too small to even get me through one full coverage application. It’s also very yellow and warm.
Belle En Argent Lip Luire Lip Gloss
Wait – didn’t I just receive this lip gloss in a different shade literally LAST month? Since I subscribe to Ipsy to try new products and brands, receiving the same product two months in a row is off putting to me. Ok. That said, I do like the shade, I Love That Car. The gloss is made with jojoba and castor seed oils.
Hanalei Lip Treatment in Peach Pink
I love a nice hydrating lip treatment but this sample is teeny (and the tube is not full). This balm includes kukui oil, which itself includes vitamins A, C, and E. As I’ve mentioned previously, I frequently make my own clear lip glosses with vitamins, essential oils and cocoa and/or shea butter. So, I likely wouldn’t run out and re-buy this.
Luxie Precision Blending Eye Brush
I always love receiving a Luxie eye brush because they are great for blending and shading. This are vegan (and cruelty-free) brushes. The precision eye brush has a tapered head and I love using these for adding a darker shade to my outside corner or along the lash line.
MooseBeauty 