ipsy glam bag review | february.

China Glaze Nail Polish 'Marry A Millionaire' (similar) // ModelCo Blush 'Peach Bellini' // JOYA Composition No 1 Parfum // Medusa's Makeup Safari Eyeshadow 'Headhunter' // Mitchell and Peach Fine Radiance Face OilThis month's ipsy bag was another meh one. I was not impressed with the coloring of both the blush and eyeshadow, nor was I really partial to the nail color. I do love china glaze polish, and there's a chance I'll be feeling glitzy and fancy and purple all at the same time and this will get used, but I would have preferred a solid color. The perfume is just alright, it smells nice but it's not exactly my style (update: passed along to mom, who loves it).The face oil though, that's probably the only thing that I'm excited about. I haven't started using it yet because I don't want to switch from the one I'm using now, but it smells delicious and I read a few things online about it that seemed really positive. I keep threatening to cancel my service after mediocre bags like this, but I am a weak and lazy individual, so that hasn't happened yet. For ten dollars, it's still kind of worth the risk.

ipsy glam bag review | january.

1. La Fresh Eco-beauty day moisturizer // 2. Velvet 59 Lip Gloss in 'Nude Cocoa' // 3. Elizabeth Mott All Over Shadow Brush // 4. Pacifica Coconut Eye Shadow in 'Etheral' // 5. Hikari Cosmetics Mechanical Eye Liner in 'Storm'.This month's bag was meh. It was the kind of bag that made me go into my profile settings on ipsy and re-answer the questions that help them to create a personalized bag because I'm tried of getting products that are not a color I would use, not the type of product I like, or very similar to another one that I've already gotten. The eye liner was another crappy formula that isn't going to get used because I feel like I would have to push so hard on my eye to get the color payoff that it would pop out of its socket. The eye shadow is similar to another Pacifica eye shadow that I got a few months back, and the formula is so chalky that I don't know how I would ever get the color to stay on my lids. The lip gloss is just. Ugh, I hate lip gloss. It's sticky, it's hard to spread on your lips, and this particular lip gloss was more like a nude colored glue. Pass. The brush was awesome, because I love getting new brushes, and shadow brushes are ones that don't need to be as perfect as a face brush. As long as it gets product on, which is does, I'm happy with it. Finally, the moisturizer was just okay. It was definitely moisturizing, but I have other creams like I like way more. Also, the smell (a bit like kale green juice) was totally not for me.

I'm going to see how next month goes with my new profile question answers, but it may soon be time to try out another beauty service and switch things up a bit in the future.

ipsy glam bag review | december.

1. Big Sexy Hair 450* Blow Out Heat Defense Spray // 2. Cailyn Just Mineral Eye Polish in "Orchid" // 3. Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes 4-in-1 Mascara // 4. NYX Butter Lip Balm in "Marshmallow" // 5. BWC Aromatherapy Facial CleanserThis is the last glam bag of 2014, and it was definitely the type of bag that had really great things, and a couple of unexpected goodies. The NYX butter lip balm would have really served me better in a more vibrant color, because I hate nudes, but it smells so good and is really nourishing, so it might get some good use. The mineral eye polish is the one thing I'm iffy about, but it's a nice color and it's supposedly really good ingredients, so again, it'll probably get some use. The facial cleanser smells delicious, and it's a cruelty-free product, which I like. I'm sure it cleans faces the way it's supposed to, but I don't know if it will replace Purity in my line-up. The heat defense spray is probably awesome, because BSH is a reputable brand, and even though I can never tell if heat spray is actually working because my hair is in awful shape to begin with, it doesn't hurt to use. And this one smells like absolute heaven.The winner of this bag though by far has to be the Tarte mascara. I had this in my hand at Sephora before the holidays, but decided to be good and not spend on myself. In the true fashion of a Christmas miracle, ipsy sent me some, and I could not be happier with it. It's seriously awesome, and it makes my lashes so long that my manicurist asked me if I got eyelash extensions. WIN. If ipsy did one thing right this year, it had to be that they sent over the most amazing mascaras in almost every other bag throughout the whole year. Keep 'em comin, ips!

*Some affiliate links.

ipsy glam bag review | november.

1. Starlooks Gem Liner Pencil 'Ultra Orchid' // 2. Be Delectable from Cake Beauty Lotion // 3. J.Cat Wonder Lip Paint 'Mad Splatter' // 4. Be A Bombshell Cream Eye Base 'Submissive' // 5. Glamglow Powermud Dualcleanse TreatmentThis month's bag was mostly exciting for me because any time I get to try a Glamglow product for free, I'm pumped. They're the most expensive products ever, but everyone raves about them. I haven't tried it yet, but based on reviews, I think I'm going to love it. The lip paint is definitely darker than anything I would ever wear, but because it's like a gloss, I think applying it with a brush could make it thinner and less dark. The cream shadow base is pretty good, definitely would work on it's own as well. The lotion is well, lotion. It smells delicious, like strawberries, and does what a lotion does. The only thing I wasn't a huge fan of was the eye liner pencil because I probably won't ever have a time to wear that purple color. It's an okay pencil though, and a nice color in general.
*Some links are affiliate

ipsy glam bag review | october.

Skyn Glacial Cleansing Cloths // Doll10 Beauty H2Glo Highlighter in 'Champagne' // Figs & Rouge Mango Mandarin Hand Cream // City Color Be Matte Lipstick 'Cappuccino' // ModelCo Volumeyes MascaraThis month was actually pretty good in terms of variety of products and the chance I'll use them. The highlighter is aweeeeeome. It's a cream highlighter, which is not something I normally go for, but it will look really good on both cheeks and eyelids, and it's my color. Anything with the name champagne? Sign me up. The lippy is a little bit of a miss only because the quality kind of sucks. It drags when you try to get it onto your lips, so it would have to be applied to super moisturized lips. The color is just alright, kind of a dusty brown. Not the most amazing product ever.The mascara is pretty good. It's got a typical fiber wand and definitely adds volume. Nothing super, super special, but it's good. The hand cream is a little bit sickly, so a little will go a long way in terms of the scent, but it's a nice cream other than the smell. And finally, the cleansing cloths were what I was disappointed in this month. They are very soapy. I don't know if that's the right way to describe a wipe, but basically it bubbles up and you have to use a tissue or something else to get the suds off of your face. If I'm going to use a wipe, which is not often, I need it to just be a one-step thing. Like a 3.5/5 this month, ipsy.

ipsy glam bag review | september.

pacifica eye liner pencil 'gun metal' // cailyn art touch tinted lip gloss 'basic instinct' // nyx hot singles eye shadow 'addiction' // crown brush infinity shadow/crease duo brush // alterna hair care caviar cc cream 10-in-1 complete correctionThis month's bag was kind of a rocker chick theme, which worked out in most ways for me though I wear simple makeup. The eye liner pencil is a really nice gun metal grey color (hence the name), which I think will look really great smudged out as a top liner, and it's super creamy so that should be easy to achieve. The lip gloss isn't exactly my color but it's a nice formula so I'll probably find some way to wear it, possibly over top of something else. The CC cream smells delish and seems like it will be a good hair mask/leave in based on what it claims it does (locks in moisture, heat protects, softening, anti-breakage, etc.), which are all things that my poor, thin hair needs. The brush is a welcome addition to my collection because it's dual sided, soft, and you can really never have too many shadow brushes, especially when you're too lazy to clean them often (watch this video to see how I clean mine). And finally, the NYX shadow is the only thing that I'm a bit disappointed in. I don't love the shade at all, which annoys me because I've done the ipsy profiling thing a million times and there's no reason why they should be under the impression that I'd ever put a coppery purple eyeshadow on myself, but in general, the NYX shadows aren't even that great. They're buildable, but kind of chalky and not very pigmented. An okay bag all things considered, but I'm starting to feel like my ipsy love may be coming to a close after almost a year of monthly bags.

ipsy glam bag review | august.

1. Absolute New York You're The Bomb Lip Balm // 2. Coastal Scents Forever Blush Duo in 'Fresh' and 'Elegant' // 3. Lord & Berry Silk Kajal Kohl Pencil (black) // 4. Dr. Brandt's Pores No More Pore Refiner  // 5. Urban Decay Perversion MascaraThis month's ipsy bag was an interesting one. I was excited to see another Urban Decay product, but kind of disappointed with the quality of the other products that seemed like they could have been really awesome. The Urban Decay mascara is amazing, as I suspected. The only issue I have is that the brush holds so much product, so I really need to scrape it off on the edges before I use it on my lashes. The blush looked like it could have been good, but the formulas are chalky on the skin, which is disappointing. And though I understand that the whole point of ipsy is that everything is in a sample size, I find it really difficult to get a good blush brush into one half of the packaging they came in. The pore minimizer is okay. I have really huge pores on my cheeks and have yet to find a primer that will cover them up. I may not be the best judge on how well this product works for people with normal sized pores, but I found it to be kind of greasy and since it didn't really do too much for the visibility of my pores, I'm not sure how much I'll use it, but I will probably give it a few more tries.The eyeliner was a total disappointment. It said on the website that it is awesome for smudging and blending and the color payoff is awesome, but I disagree with most of that. To get the swatch on my wrist (below), I had to press harder than I ever would on my eye to get the color payoff that I did. The pencil drags, it's not a creamy formula, it's waxy, and I didn't try, but I can't imagine that after what it takes to basically scrape it on that it would blend or smudge in any way. In fact, to get it off my wrist with makeup remover took a lot. So at least the staying power is good if you're looking for a bright side. Finally, the lip balm is just alright. I am kind of a lip balm hoarder, so I will probably use it. I was concerned at first that the giant sparkles I noticed in the formula were going to transfer to my lips, but that actually wasn't the case. The balm smells like grapes and is pretty moisturizing, so it'll probably get thrown into my car or a bag and get used from time to time.

ipsy glam bag review | july.

1. Bare Minerals 5-in-1 BB Cream Eye Shadow - 'Divine Wine' // 2. Be fine Daily Moisturizer // 3. WHet Nail Polish - 'Facetious' // Pixi Tinted Brilliance Balm - 'Unique Pink' // 5. Hang Ten SPF 8 Tanning OilThis month's ipsy bag came while I was away on my trip, and man could I have used some of these minis while I was gone. But they're all awesome nonetheless and will get used at home. The moisturizer is something I'm holding off to try because I'm just about finished with my current daily moisturizer, but it smells great and feels like a good consistency on my hand. The nail polish is pretty cool as well, a very similar color to Essie's Butler Please, just a bit darker. This is something else that I'm waiting to try, but the formula seems okay after being given the quick "drip, drip" test (for those of you who don't know what that is, or really all of you because I made it up, the drip, drip test is something I do to see how thick the polish is, if it seems watery, or if I can just tell that it's going to be streaky and non-opaque. Sometimes the drip, drip test works like a charm, sometimes it's totally off. I realize that this is not helpful whatsoever). The hang ten oil smells delicious and will be put to great use this weekend at the beach. I like to wear oils over regular spray or cream sunscreen with about 30 SPF because SPF 8 really isn't enough coverage for the sun, and oil attracts the sun to your skin. You still get a great tan with the SPF 30 underneath, promise.The Bare Minerals BB Cream Eye Shadow is actually a very cool product. It's brand new, and it's basically a cream base shadow. The color I received is a darker brown that I usually use on my eyes, but it's kind of blendable if you work quickly. And that swatch on my wrist was only there for about five minutes but wouldn't come off in the sink without some scrubbing. Hopefully that means that the staying power is great. And finally, the Pixi tinted balm is something I've seen in Target before but never picked up, and to be honest I kind of have a love/hate relationship with it right now. It's very moisturizing, but the color barely shows up, which you can see on my wrist above. I pushed that sucker into my skin and barely got a sheen. So it seems like it is just a nice lip balm, not something you're going to reach for if you want a bit of color.
*I apologize for the dark photos, the time of day just was not right. Some above links are affiliate.

ipsy glam bag review | june.

1. NYX Butter Gloss in "creme brûlée" // 2. Realtree for her perfume // 3. Marc Anthony Dream Waves Beach Spray // 4. Be a Bombshell Lash Out Mascara // 5. ORFA Universal Eyebrow Pencil.This month's glam bag was pretty good to me. I love the NYX butter glosses already and I didn't have that shade, and the other products are all things I haven't tried but seem to be pretty okay. The Beach Spray is something I'm excited to try on days I want a little volume in my hair, and I already use the hairspray from this company and know that I love that, so we'll see how I like this. The Realtree scent isn't something I would buy for myself, but I do like the scent & will definitely use up the sample of it.I'm a bit picky with mascara, and I have quite a few on the go right now, but I do like this one. The wand isn't anything huge, but the color is blackest black and will look nice on days I don't feel like putting on anything other than mascara (which has actually been a lot lately, so maybe this will get some use sooner rather than later).The eyebrow pencil in the link is what ipsy's site links to, but that looks like an almost olive green pencil. Whether it's the right product I linked or not, it's the only one there that matched the description of the medium brown one I received. I did try this out and it's very creamy, so it's easy to overdo it. I think applying it really lightly and then using a spooly through the brows to blend a bit is the way to go, and even an eyebrow brush to blend could make for easier application. I've been kind of into making my brows a little more defined lately, so I'm liking this so far. And finally, the bag this month was just adorable. It's a Rebecca Minkoff for ipsy creation and it is for sure with me on my trip right now because it's too cute. Still loving this service!

ipsy glam bag review | may.

1. Jersey Shore Sun Sans Tan SPF 35 // 2. eva-nyc Therapy Session Hair Mask // 3. La Fresh Travel-lite Facial Wipes // 4. Boo-Boo Cover-Up Concealer in medium // Pacifica Mineral Eyeshadow DuoThis month's ipsy glam bag was another good month with more practical products than high end or hyped up products (last month I got an Urban Decay eyeliner, which was so awesome). The bag itself was so cute and a great size, and I've already brought it with me on an overnight trip to hold all of my makeup and got a compliment on it. It's canvas with green leaves and feels very earthy. On my weekend trip I brough the facial wipes to remove my makeup before washing my face, and they did a good job of removing my makeup. I can't tell if the wipes dried me out or if I was dehydrated, but I never really count on a wipe to do much moisturizing anyhow. I used the sunscreen at the beach last weekend for my face and I didn't get burnt, so there's that. I've only used the hair mask once, and I definitely think it smoothed my hair and left it touchable, but I'm super attached to my holy grail hair mask, so I'm not sure I'd purchase this one.In terms of the eyeshadows and concealer, I was disappointed. The shadows could have been lovely because the colors are nice, but they are extremely chalky and to do those slight swatches above, I had to reallllllly pack the color on. Even then, the payoff is pathetic. The concealer is not exactly the right shade for me, it's a little bit muddy (at least on my arm), and I'm not sure if you can tell, but in the middle of the concealer swatch I have a scar from a burn and it's not covered up at all. Considering it's a concealer, I mean, meh.

Overall, the bag itself is awesome, the wipes and sunscreen are practical, the hair mask is a so far so good situation, and the eyeshadow and concealer are complete duds. Bring it, June.

ipsy glam bag review | april.

The ipsy gods from above must have read my last ipsy post because man oh, man was this month a roaring success. Not only did they go back to a five product bag this month, but the bag itself is adorable and useable and the products are completely my taste and perfect.1. dr. brandt microdermabrasion skin exfoliant // 2. elizabeth mott pop! goes the shadow in champagne // 3. starlooks longwear lip pencil in naked // 4. urban decay 24/7 velvet glide-on eye pencil in black velvet // 5. coastal scents medium shadow brushI was considering buying the urban decay pencil because I had gotten like a half of a half of the ipsy size sample and loved it, so I was so happy to see a decent sized sample in here. It's everything the name suggests and more. The eyeshadow is exactly my color, and is aptly named champagne, which is how I describe my perfect base eye shade. It took a while to get that sheer swatch on my arm (above), but it's definitely buildable. Another match made in heaven. The lip pencil is in a color in which I don't own any lipsticks, but it's so beautiful that it is giving me an excuse to go out and look for a match, which I'm not complaining about. The eyeshadow brush is perfect for packing on color, and according to the website it's cheap as chips, so can't go wrong! And finally, the skin exfoliant, which I have only tried once so far, but will definitely keep using, is pretty good. Leaves my skin feeling fresh and not dry, which is all you can ask for really. I'm not sure about the long term benefits though seeing as I've only used it once.This month was loads better in terms of matching my colors and styles, and the products are all things that I use, unlike last month's blue liquid liner and eyeshadow, and the dark oompa loompa shade of self tanner. Check plus, ipsy, you've made me happy this month.