Ipsy - November 2013

GLAM IT UP

 

    

Holiday season has begun! Which of course means.....Holiday parties! Well I don't know about you, but I looooooove getting ready for a Holiday party. What better time to pull out all the stops and get fabulously glitterfied. Glitterful? Glitterific? Oh you get the idea....Glam It Up! 

If you missed my reveal post for the month, here is the link - 

2013 November REVEAL - Ipsy 

Here is what I received this month.....

 I received: mascara, argan oil, bronzer, nail polish, lip pencil, eyeliner

Everyone received six items, including an EM Cosmetics product, a nailtini polish (one of two shades), a Pixi Beauty bronzer (different shades), Be a Bombshell lip pencil (one of two shades), and a Starlooks Gem eyeliner (one of two shades). 

To the glammed up review!...

EM COSMETICS

DRAMATIC VOLUME MASCARA

in Brown

"inspired by the girl who wants to rock out with her lashes.

amp it up and create instant lash drama with a single coat." - from emcosmetics.com

 I have to say, I was SO disappointed to receive the EM mascara as they were sending out as variations, their Pillow Plush lip balm, lipsticks and eyeliner and I've read reviews that said how terrible their mascara is.....but guess what.....I actually LOVE it! First of all, I was so very excited to receive a mascara in ANY OTHER color but black! Haha! I only have one other brown mascara, so I was a giddy giddy girl! The brush is very interesting, it's flat on two sides and with rounded bristles the edge (you can see their shape in the photo above). It makes it very, very easy to apply as it's lightly curved along the flat side. The bristles are nicely spaced out and completely catch every lash for an even coat.

  

 The formula is a tad thick, but it doesn't clump up on your lashes, and as you can see, it's not watery at all. In fact, it dries quite a bit which can be great for long-wear. The ONLY con I have with this mascara is that because it dries so well, some flaking can occur. The flaking wasn't too terrible though, and to be honest, I'd rather have a bit of flaking than smudging. It held a curl fabulously, and layering for more volume did not weigh my lashes down at all. It's a new favorite of mine!

I don't have single photos of myself with just the mascara, but I am wearing in the Finale, fear not!

 HSI PROFESSIONAL

ARGAN OIL

LEAVE-IN HAIR TREATMENT

"Ready for some exotic shine, girls? Discover the Moroccan 'liquid gold', the product your hair needs for constant nourishment and incredible shine! The essential nutrients contained in this magic-in-a-bottle product are meant to give your hair a very healthy look, lots of shine and velvet smoothness. This is a leave-in treatment conditioner which feels really light on your hair, without building up residue or being greasy. HSI Professional recommends the use of Argan Oil as an extra thermal protection before styling your hair with tools such as the flat iron, the hair dryer or the curling iron. It is suitable for all hair types, and you will just be sorry you have not discovered it before! It tames the frizz, it gives a lovely scent to your hair and it makes it soft and shiny. It really seems like your hair is in for a fabulous treat!" - from shop.hsiprofessional.com

This little bottle is so ridiculously cute. This argan oil is great for adding some extra shine, softness and definitely treats your hair right. I've been using it as a conditioner after shampooing and drying my hair. I add just about a nickle-size amount in my hands and work it in while it's still slightly damp. If I want a little extra shine and softness, I add it after styling to the tips of my hair and lightly scrunch the remainder in the rest of my hair. 

I've noticed after using this for a week that the ends of my hair look healthier, and my hair feels a bit fuller and bouncier. I'll definitely be continuing use of this, and probably will be purchasing a full-size bottle!

PIXI BEAUTY

BRONZER

in Subtly Suntouched

"This deluxe bronzing powder gives your complexion the warmth and luminosity of naturally sunkissed skin. Hydrating, silky-smooth & long-wearing, it also protects against free radicals." - from pixibeauty.com

A girl can ALWAYS use some more bronzer! and joy of joys...this may be my new favorite bronzer! If you are a pale whisper of a ghost like me, it's always hard to find a nice, natural looking bronzer and honeybunch here it is!

Look how beaaaautifully it blends right on in so it's barely visible, but it's definitely buildable as you can tell by the 5 swipes. You can build it up to your heart's content! It's very soft, and does not contain much shimmer at all. It just gives you a soft warm glow. I've even tried it as a natural eyeshadow to wear out in the day and I love it! A new happy find for me! If you're ivory/fair skinned, I highly recommend trying it out.

NAILTINI POLISH

in Caviar Cocktail

"Pure, all-premium nail lacquer in gunmetal gray spiked with shimmer." - from tinibeauty.com

Yaaaaaaaaaaaaay Nailtini! What a better way to glam up your fingertips for a party than with a Nailtini cocktail...well in my case, a Caviar Cocktail! Look how pretty it is...

This is two coats with no top coat. The formula is lovely, albeit a TEENSY bit streaky like metallics can be but it's still very workable. It was fairly opaque with one coat but two coats evens out the color a bit. The formula was very nice, with just the right amount of thickness but not enough to where it makes it hard to apply. I wore it for about three days and had very little wear and tear chipping by the end of the third day. Another gorgeous Nailtini to add to my collection!

BE A BOMBSHELL

LIP CRAYON 

in Hot Damn

Another fav brand of mine that's no stranger to Ipsy! I've tried their liquid eyeliner, lip gloss, blush and now lip crayon! I will seriously never stop loving Be a Bombshell's packaging design. Hot Damn is a gorgeous bright red with a very slight pink tint.

  

The formula is lovely, it's quite pigmented as you can tell, and blends fairly well, but it's not too creamy of a formula so the blending is a bit harder than usual. If you want to just wear this color lightly, I've found the best thing to do is to lightly dot your lips, then blend it in with your fingertips and blot your lips with a tissue. If you want full-on color, well just draw it on, baby!
    

The formula clings a bit to your lips and dries out every so slightly, which I don't mind at all as it lasts longer. If you feel it dries your lips out too much, though, you can always dab on some chapstick or lip gloss over it! It does have a light staining effect, so if you wear it for a certain amount of time, and try to wipe it off, it'll leave some color behind on your lips. The bright color lasted about 3-4 hours with no eating or drinking, then it started slowly fading but still had color remaining for about 3 hours after. I think it's a gorgeous shade, HOWEVER, I must say Ipsy, I have WAY too many red lippies....pretty please, please, pleeeeaase no more red lip products! ALL the beauty subscription boxes love sending out red lipsticks and if you'll notice even freebies and sample lippies from Sephora are typically red. I protest!....but I still love Hot Damn!

STARLOOKS

GEM EYE PENCIL

in Amethyst

"Starlook's extremely popular Gem Eye Pencils are created with a magnificent metallic finish and are so versatile, soft, and creamy that they can be easily used as liners as well as eye bases! Each highly-pigmented, unique pencil has a gorgeous micro-glitter finish." - from starlooks.com

Hello pretty little Gem Pencil! If you read my blog you may already know that I love Starlook's Gem Eye Pencils, I think they're stunning and so versatile. I currently have Deja Vu, which is silver, Mirage, a light silvery blue and Fancy, a pale green and now I haaaaaave....Amethyst! Which is a gorgeous pale purple amethyst shade!

   

This color is SO pretty. It's very creamy and easy to apply, glides right on. There is no fall-out from the shimmer, but it CAN be blended to be worn all over the eyelid for some elegant shimmer and shine. You can wear it so it's super subtle (as you can see by the thin line) or you can thicken it for a bit more pop. It works well on the waterline, but it's not very visible. If you want some brighter color that is more visible then I recommend start with a white eyeliner on the waterline that you know sticks well and doesn't slide right off, then apply the Gem Pencil over it. 

After applying along with using both a primer and a setting spray, it lasts about 7 hours before needing major touchups

     

WORTH AND PURCHASE:

1) EM Cosmetics Dramatic Volume Mascara in Brown:

•  I received a full-size - $20

2) HSI Professional Argan Oil Leave-in Hair Treatment:

• Full-size (2 oz) - $29.99
• I received a 5 ml sample bottle - $2.54

3) Pixi Beauty Bronzer in Subtly Suntouched:

• Full-size (10.21 g) - $15*
• I received a 3.2 g sample jar - $4.70

4) Nailtini Polish in Caviar Cocktail:

• I received a full-size - $13

5) Be a Bombshell Lip Pencil in Hot Damn:

• I received a full-size - $14

   

    

6) Starlooks Gem Eye Pencil in Amethyst:

• I received a full-size - $14

Starlooks' extremely popular Gem Eye Pencils are created with a magnificent metallic finish and are so versatile, soft, and creamy that they can be easily used as liners as well as eye bases! Each highly-pigmented, unique pencil has a gorgeous, micro-glitter finish. Available in 6 brilliant glistening shades. - See more at: http://starlooks.com/collections/eyes/products/diamondline-eye-pencil#sthash.nwsamjTH.dpuf

Starlooks' extremely popular Gem Eye Pencils are created with a magnificent metallic finish and are so versatile, soft, and creamy that they can be easily used as liners as well as eye bases! Each highly-pigmented, unique pencil has a gorgeous, micro-glitter finish. Available in 6 brilliant glistening shades. - See more at: http://starlooks.com/collections/eyes/products/diamondline-eye-pencil#sthash.nwsamjTH.dpuf

        

Total Paid for Bag:  $10

Total Worth of Bag:  $68.24

Greeeeeeat value this month! Nearly seven times what I paid! How fabulously awesome. I seriously can't complain about the value of any item that was in the bag. Four were full-sized and worth more than what I paid each. Also the blush and argan oil were both great sized samples so I am a very happy - and glammed up - girlie!

FINALE

Glamorous makeup finale? I think yes! I went for simple, chic Holiday glam. Something I'd probably wear to a daytime Holiday party at work! 

I used a soft brown eyeshadow and drew on the Amethyst Gem Pencil directly above my lashes as well as on my waterline (without a white priming pencil) to keep the look soft and hazy. Of course I also used the EM Cosmetics mascara both on my top and bottom lashes with about two coats on each. I scuplted my face with the Pixi Bronzer on my cheekbones and nose and, of course, am wearing the Be a Bombshell Lip Crayon!

I just love the bright soft sheen that the Gem Eye pencils give. It just adds the right touch of glam!



I hope you enjoyed my review! I think this month's bag came with quite a few happy surprises for me, and some gorgeous new finds! Did you receive a Glam Bag this month? What products did you love?  Thinking of joining Ipsy? Please feel free to use my referral code to sign up! Click HERE to start to subscription sign-up process!

Happy Glamorous Makeuping!