Ipsy - August 2013

GLAMOUR ACADEMY

Realization hit me last night that it is now SEPTEMBER! Hello! When did THAT happen?! I have three beauty subscriptions that I have yet to post about for August! Although, technically, I only received one of them 2 days ago and Ipsy arrived to me almost 2 weeks late! Regardless, it arrived, I've tried out the products and it's time to share!

Here is my Ipsy REVEAL post for the month of August! -

August REVEAL - Ipsy

I absolutely adore this month's theme, I think it's positively cutesy chic and very unique! Here is what I received in my Glam Bag...

 Such a fab mix of brands and products this month!

I received a lipstick, primer, pigment, face mask and mascara

    

Everyone received a lip product, as well as one of two face products from Michael Todd and we all received the same mascara, but the other items varied. 

     

Look how freakin' cute this bag is! This is probably my favorite bag that Ipsy has sent out. If you click on the photo it will enlarge it for you so you can see the adorable makeup insignias that say ipsy Glamour Academy on it! ADORE! The inside is just a solid color matching the purple on the outside. It's an unusual fuschia-red toned purple that I just can't stop looking at!

     

 On to the products!

URBAN DECAY

REVOLUTION LIPSTICK

in 69

"Creamy, badass luxury. Our Pigment Infusion System delivers insane color payoff with creamy shine, Maxi-Lip plumps and nourishing oils leave lips cushiony soft." - from urbandecay.com

I had written a post a while back when these new Revolution Lipsticks were coming out and I've been DROOLING over them ever since! I was superdupes excited to see that I received one in my Glam Bag! Ipsy subscribers were set to receive either one of two Urban Decay sample lipsticks or one of two Noya chapsticks. The Urban Decay lipsticks chosen were 69, a bright red with pink undertone, and Anarchy, a bright fuschia. I was really hoping to receive Anarchy, but 69 is positively stunning as well! Here is the card it came in:

 It lists all of the gorgeous shades of the Urban Decay Revolution Lipsticks and on the left you can see the little lipstick sample tube!

As you can see, this gorgeous baby is PIGMENTED! One swipe is BA-BAM! Color! It looks to be a solid red with a solid swipe but when blended it fades into a lovely rosy-red pink. It's very soft and creamy and blends super easily, even with fingertips. 

 Look how SOFT it looks! I absolutely loved the application, it was creamy, rich and only needed one layer for full coverage. The only thing about this lipstick is that it does feather a bit, as you might be able to see from the picture above. I would highly recommend using a lip liner with the Revolution Lipsticks, but FANTASTICALLY enough, Urban Decay makes matching lip liners for each lipstick! Well done, Urban Decay! I know it's always a bit tricky to find lip liners that match your lipstick so that is definitely a smart move on their part (and very thoughtful I might add!). Another little trick I have is to get yourself a clear lip liner. A lot of people don't realize that that type of product is out there, and it's really a must-have for lipstick lovers since you can use it for...well....every color! In the picture above I'm not wearing any lip liner, so you can see it doesn't feather too terribly, but lining would just clean it up a bit. 

SMASHBOX

PHOTO FINISH FOUNDATION PRIMER

 "Create a perfect canvas for foundation application with this silky, lightweight blend of vitamins A & E, grape seed extract and green tea. Worn alone or under foundation, our best-selling, oil-free primer helps to reduce the appearance of fine lines and pores for flawless skin with a velvety-smooth finish. Now in a sleek tube for perfect dispensing down to the last drop!" - from smashbox.com

I always love trying out new primers because a makeup primer can seriously make or break a fabulous face of makeup! I must say, the Smashbox primers are the ones that seem to be breaking out of the pack as the most highly acclaimed, award-winning and popular primers across the board! They have a nice variety of different primers including blemish control, dark spot correcting, hydrating, luminizing, and color correcting ones. The one I received is their basic oil-free formula. 

It's very soft, smooth and has a dry-wet texture from the silicone. It blends in clear and doesn't leave any residue or streaking. The formulation lightly fills in small lines and wrinkles just enough to give your face a smooth, even surface. It works well with a multitude of foundations, but my particular favorites were BB creams, pressed powder, mineral and cream-to-powder foundations. Liquid foundations were a bit trickier to use with this primer as the silicone made the surface a bit too smooth. 

What I loved about this product is not only did it give me a nice smooth surface to work with, but it also kept my makeup color fresh and vibrant.....and ON to say the least! I did a few studies for comparison by wearing the Smashbox primer on the right side of my face and different primer favorites of mine on the left side, a different one every day for three days. At night when I was ready to take off my makeup I used makeup wipes to determine how much makeup I still had on at the end of the day. The side with the Smashbox primer definitely seemed to have a bit more foundation left, as well as blush! Love it!

MICABEAUTY

MINERAL EYE SHADOW

in Bronze

 "MicaBeauty Mineral Eye Shadows' glamorous shimmers will give you the look you always wanted" - from micabeauty.com

Pigments can be SO much fun to work with! This pigment certainly did not disappoint, it's shimmery, bright, pigmented and very smooth.

It was so shimmery that the even with filtered daylight it just shines so much that's it's hard to see. If you look towards the bottom of the two swipes you can see how rich the color really is. It's called bronze but it definitely has a warm gold lustre throughout. It's also easily blendable if you just want a soft shimmering sheen for some gorgeous highlight! It can easily give you full coverage over your entire eyelid as well. You can wear this by itself, or blend it with other colors OR even just lightly pat this in the inner corners of your eyes to add some brightness! You could also use this on your nails by applying a clear coat first, then patting the product on top, let it dry, then lightly seal with a top coat!

MICHAEL TODD TRUE ORGANICS

PUMPKIN NUTRIENT-RICH FACIAL MASK

"This mask smells so much like fresh pumpkin you will think it's Thanksgiving. And exfoliant lovers will give Thanks! That tingle is the pumpkin enzyme combining with glycolic acid to go to town on your skin's flaws dissolving impurities like dead skin and clogged pores. Adds brightness and radiance to the skin and significantly improves the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles after a single use." - from michaeltoddtrueorganics.com

They are seriously not kidding...smelling this stuff is DIVING. I swear, Fall sprung open from the bottle and washed all over me....it's a good thing my favorite Starbucks starting serving their Pumpkin Spice Lattes a few days early or I might have had a pre-Fall hissyfit! By the by, if you love Pumpkin Spice Lattes and haven't ever tried adding mocha to it, you are MISSING OUT. It tastes just like chocolate pumpkin pound cake! MMmmmmmm.....anyhow....moving on....

This was definitely one of the most bizarre masks I've tried, but I loved it! It's exactly what you think it might be....orange...and it looks like pumpkin puree! It doesn't go on thick, in fact you can still see your skin underneath it, but it still provides a decent, albeit thin-looking, coverage. The one thing that I need to stress about this product though is it is NOT for people with sensitive skin! It even says on the bottle: "all skin types except sensitive" and no joke! My skin is pretty tough when it comes to products, then only thing I have that can ever be an issue is my rosacea, but it typically doesn't bother me other than looking flushed. This mask started with a bit of a tingling burn for me and definitely made my face turn a bit red from the rosacea becoming a bit inflammed, but it subsided in about a minute. If you have rosacea or are unsure about whether a product such as this might inflame your skin, then I'd recommend trying just a teensy spot on your lower cheek or jawline before applying to your entire face. 

Upon rinsing I can tell my face is squeaky clean, and definitely smooth. It does get a good layer of grit and dirt out of the pores but not quite all of the blackheads, however I love the look of my skin afterwards! My face stays a little red for a bit, but I just use a inflammation reducing serum afterwards and it clears up quickly. I really don't mind any redness as long as the product lives up to it's claims, and I'd say this mask certainly does! And did I mention is smells scrumptious?

PIXI

LASH BOOSTER MASCARA

 in Blackest Black

"This unique mascara truly boosts your lashes, giving them a "push-up" effect that lasts all day. The dense, rich formula ensures that lashes are coated with maximum pigment, for long-lasting full colour. The cone-shaped brush coats each lash evenly for the ultimate smudge-proof, water-proof lash and eye definition." - from pixibeauty.com

I've actually been reviewing a lot of Pixi products lately and have been loving them all....except this one, oh sadness. This was my, well I guess you could say, boo-boo product from this bag. The thing about my lashes is that they slant downwards, are thin and short and are such little buggers. Well, it's the truth ::giggles::. I've gone through SO many mascaras and I've only truly fallen in love with a select few that I could probably only count on one hand...maybe even less. This just missed the mark for me. Because of the separation of the bristles on the brush in stacked lines it would apply through my lashes when I tried to get closer to the roots and smear onto my eyelids. It also made it very difficult to apply to my bottom lashes without getting a bit on my skin underneath there as well, no matter how careful I tried to be. With the bristle design, I feel Pixi could have better utilized a denser section on the brush or at least some bristles on the top to make bottom lash application easier. 

Other than smudging, it also didn't seem to give my lashes any boost at all! It took at least 3-4 coats to build up the volume to achieve my typical look with two coats of my favorite mascara. It did, however, keep my lashes separated with no clumping, although maybe a bit TOO separated for my taste. It did give them a nice coat of black, but definitely no volume, no lengthening and not any boosting that I could see! Alas! 

I completely forgot to take a simple mascara picture for show, but I am wearing this mascara on ONE eye in my Finale pictures which I'll point out for you once we get there in the post!

WORTH AND PURCHASE:

1. Urban Decay Revolution Lipstick in 69:  

• Full-size (0.09 oz) - $22
• I received a 0.03 oz sample tube - $7.33

2. Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer:

• Full-size (1 oz) - $36
• I received a 0.25 fl oz sample tube - $9

3. MicaBeauty Mineral Eye Shadow in Bronze:

• Full-size (2.5 g) - $14.95
• I received a Full-size!

4. Michael Todd True Organics Pumpkin Nutrient-Rich Facial Mask:

• Full-size (3.4 fl oz) - $34
• I received a 1 fl oz sample tube - $10

5. Pixi Lash Booster Mascara in Blackest Black:

• Full-size (0.25 oz) - $17
• I received a *0.11 oz size sample - $7.48

Total Paid for Bag:  $10

Total Worth of Bag:  $48.76


Woohoo! An awesome worth bag this month and once again, not including the actual makeup bag, all of the products worth are well over what I paid! Almost ALL of the products individual are almost worth the price I paid for the sub, so I'm very, very pleased!

*The sample tube did not show the size, instead I compared it to other sample mascara tubes to estimate the size. 

FINALE

So let's see what the Glamour Academy taught me today!

 Wooork it...work that glamour! 

I used the Pumpkin mask earlier that morning! I used the Smashbox primer underneath my favorite BB Cream, as well as the MicaBeauty eye shadow all over my eyelid. Because of it's shimmer it gives you a natural contour and depth for your eyes without needing to add any darker shadow if you don't particularly want to! And of course, I'm wearing the Urban Decay lipstick!

See what I mean, it looks like I'm wearing darker brown eyeshadow on the outer edges of my eyes, but I'm not! It's all just the bronze eyeshadow! Now, about the mascara...on my right eye (your left) I'm wearing the Pixi product and on my left eye (your right) I'm wearing one of my favorite mascaras, Nyx Doll Eyes Long Lash mascara. I have 2 full coats of the Nyx on with a 3rd applied just to the tips and 3 full coats of the Pixi on with a 4th on the tips. You can see the Nyx made my eyelashes just a bit more feathery and full while the Pixi separated them a bit and didn't make them quite as thick and fluffy at the tips. 

Well that's it for my super, super late Ipsy August Glam Bag review! I hope you enjoyed and please let me know what you use to glamorize YOURSELF up! 

    

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Happy Makeuping and Glamorizing!