Ipsy - December 2013

CELEBRATION!
   
   

Holiday season is ALWAYS a time to celebrate! Ending of the year with good cheer and the fresh start to a whole new chapter. Time to start writing resolutions and ::ahem:: sticking to them....am I right? ::wink, wink:: This month Ipsy decided to provide some fabulous products that will not only be amazing for Christmas, but also be useful for a fabulous and fresh New Years look! If you missed my Sneak Peaks and Previews for this month's Ipsy, don't worry, you actually didn't miss it...I didn't get a chance to write one for this month. Oh the sadness! I know, I'm sorry. HOWEVER, we should be getting some Ipsy Sneak Peeks for January starting next week and I'd like to jump on those right away as soon as they come out!

So let's start celebrating and jump into this review of my Ipsy Glam Bag!....

 I received: a nail polish, cosmetic stick, lip pencil, eyeshadow trio and false eyelashes

Everyone received one of two color combos of the Pop Beauty eyeshadow trio (brown/nudes or grey/silvers), a Be a Bombshell One Stick (in different shades), a lippy (either J Cat Beauty lip pencil or NYX lipstick) and the nail polish and falsies were some of many variation items. 

I love, love, LOVE this month's actual bag! It's a classy somewhat textured quilted pattern made from a soft plastic, however, I one that doesn't feel cheap, in my opinion. It has a side zipper as you can see, which I think makes it a bit snazzier and a crimson inner lining. Haha, I almost feel as though the February and June 2013 Glam Bags got together and had this baby! The February bag was a black fake patent leather bag with a red inside as well and the June bag was leapard print with a size zipper (same design)! 
 

STARRILY

NAIL POLISH

in Bzzz Bzzz

"This nail polish is seriously all the buzz." - from etsy.com/shop/Starrily

This is SUCH an adorable glitter polish! First of all, the bottle is their mini-sized, which I find irresistibly cute, and I just have such a fondness for black and single colored glitter. It's so festive and party-ish! I also have way too much fun saying the name....Bzzz Bzzz. Because I don't pronounce it as Buzz Buzz, oh no, it's Bzzz Bzzz. Go on, you say it.....see what I mean? ::grin:: 

As you can see it's a mixed pattern glitter with square, hexagon and dot yellow-gold glitter as well as square, dot, hexagon and bar black glitter. The yellow-gold dot glitters appear to be a bit shinier while the rest of the glitters are more satin. The black glitters are matte. Here we have a swatch of two coats (no top coat). It spreads out nicely, the glitter doesn't clump in any space. Two coats is absolutely perfect for even glitter distribution without completely covering the nail so this could easily be paired with a color underneath. 

I think it'd look gorgeous over white or grey for a more toned down party nail, or you could go full throttle and brush it over a purple for a bright complimentary colors effect, or even pink for a girly bright funky look! I'd even wear it over a bare nail as an accent finger with maybe black or yellow polish on the other fingers. Definitely a fun and exciting product that I'm more than pleased with!

 

BE A BOMBSHELL

THE ONE STICK
in Sunset

"An all-in-one multiple stick with a smooth texture. Apply to eyelids, cheeks or lips for the perfect pop of color anywhere!" - from beabombshellcosmetics.com

I always love experimenting with a multi-use product. I must say, this one did NOT disappoint! 

The design is a twist-up stick and I'm so happy that there IS actually quite a bit of product inside if you twist it up all the way. It's almost as long as the small cylinder on top that it's encased in. I've tried twist-up products before that don't even reach half way down the upper cylinder. What a cheat, right?! Not The One Stick, though!

How GORGEOUS is this? The formula is super creamy, and look how beautifully it blends, with no patchiness at all. What's great about it is how extremely pigmented it can be if you want it to, but it easily blends out into a very natural shade. Sunset is listed on Be a Bombshell's website as a deep coral with a light shimmer. They have six other sticks ranging in a shimmering white, pinks, coral, plum and copper. I personally think Sunset is a very flattering shade that would like nice on a range of skintones. 

For application on the cheeks, this product is perfect, you just lightly dab or swipe it on where you're wanting color and you can either blend with your fingers (which I found very easy) or with a fluffy cheek blending brush. Along with a face primer and setting spray the color lasted 10+ hours with minimal fading. What's awesome, though, is the stick is very convenient to just pop on into your purse if you feel you might need touch-ups later or if you want to deepen the color for a richer nighttime look!

For application on the lips, it's a bit trickier to handle and most people may not like it. The color payoff is great, you can still build it up or wear it more natural, however, it's very drying and has an almost powdery finish feeling when you press your lips together. This is partially good for the color lasting but it may be slightly uncomfortable. I preferred to lightly dab on a lip balm with my finger on top of the color so my lips didn't feel quite as dry (which incidentally causes you to lick your lips, which in turn causes the product color to fade). I still do recommend using this as a lip shade, though, it's really lovely and when used properly, can last a good 3-4 hours before needing major touch-ups.

Application on the eyes was the only application I wasn't as fond of. The color does go on nicely and it's also buildable but because my eyes tend to get a bit oily during the day, the color began to crease since it IS creamy. I believe once the creamy product begins drying on a dry skin surface, it changes to a slightly drying/powdery finish so it lasts, but if you apply it to an oilier surface, it won't finish as nicely. If you don't have any problems with oily eyelids, though, this may work for you! I did use it over an eye primer and with a setting spray, as well and I had about 3-4 hours of decent color before it started fading and creasing. 

All in all, I did like The One Stick, especially as a blush! I think if my eyelids wouldn't get quite so oily, it'd be absolutely perfect for all uses!

POP BEAUTY

BRIGHT UP YOUR LIFE

EYESHADOW SAMPLE TRIO

in Naturally Bare

"This palette of bare pigments adds definition & intensity to lids, creating a broad range of shadow looks that complement all eye colours....these hues blend smoothly onto the lid, adding a veil of silky luster that will outlive the day or night!" - from popbeauty.co.uk (describing entire palette)

There were two eyeshadow trios that went out, this one which is called Naturally Bare, and a trio of black, grey and silver, called Smoking Hot. Pop Beauty doesn't sell these trios exactly, but these three shades are three of ten shadows that are part of actual eyeshadow palettes called Naturally Bare and Smoking Hot. Basically these are three sample colors from those palettes. 

I was superdupes excited to see I received the brown/nude shades, as I thought those looked absolutely gorgeous...and to my surprise I find out they're not exactly nude...they're shimmery with gold! LOVE IT!

As you can see, three swipes dry wasn't too bad. This is with no primer, whatsoever, and I must admit I was fairly impressed with the formula and color payoff. They're not patchy at all, and blend beautifully. They're also very buildable if you want more pigmentation.

Over NYX's Jumbo Pencil in Milk, the brown deepens significantly and has a bit of a rust undertone, the coppery gold looks richer and the champagne yellow-gold shows up a bit better and is more even in color across the area.

I preferred using eyeshadow brushes for the coppery gold and brown, but then just using my fingertip for the light gold. I find using the fingertips for a very shimmery light shade gives me a better pigmentation because I can pack it on easier with little to no blending. 

Along with primer and a setting spray the colors lasted a good 10 hours before needing major touch-ups! I've been wearing them quite a bit over the Holiday season as they're SO fabulous for parties or even just a bright daytime Holiday look. I may even go ahead and purchase the ten shade palette that these colors are from. It comes with this list of colors:

 white, faded taupe, eggshell, bare nude, pinky taupe, faded charcoal, bright bronze, toasted taupe, cinnamon, deep brown. 

J CAT BEAUTY

THE BIG LIP PENCIL

in Caramel Mocha

   

"The Big Lip Pencil is another staple in our bigger and better collection! Versatile as a hydrating and vibrant lipstick as well as a sculpting lip liner.  It’s destined to be in your makeup collection!" - from jcatbeauty.com

Can I take a moment please? HALLELUIAH! I DIDN'T RECEIVE A RED LIP PRODUCT! Ohhhhh my goodness. When I saw that they were sending out a red shade in this pencil as well I was terrified I would receive it. I don't know what is up with beauty subs loving to send out red lip products, but I'm seriously good with red lippies for...oh...I dunno.....years....decades possibly. ::giggles::

This Big Lip Pencil was quite a happy surprise! I was a tad bit hesistant when I saw how very caramel it looked, but once I swatched it, I was in love...

How beautiful is THAT!? It leans to just the right amount of pink in a stunning mocha shade. It's nicely pigmented and can be either lightly applied and blended on with fingers or applied straight from the pencil for a deeper, full coverage color.

The formula is awesome, it dries just enough to lock onto your lips but not to where it makes your lips feel dehydrated and dry. Just to note, though, if you have very pink lips such as me, you WILL need to apply some foundation, concealer or BB Cream over your lips before applying the pencil as the color will change. It was the funniest thing. Without lightening the color of my lips first, the lip pencil went on pretty much pink! Even here in the picture above which I put on my BB Cream over my lips to cancel the pink tone of them, it still goes on more of a pink than a nude caramel. I think it's gorgeous though! It's like a super pigmented version of my natural lip color. So pretty!

ARDELL

FASHION LASHES

in 120 Demi Black

"Ardell Natural Lashes are popular lashes because women love that they're lightweight, reusable, easy-to-apply and give the desired, natural look of full, beautiful lashes." - from ardelllashes.com

Alas, the one item in my Ipsy Glam Bag I was not excited about....false lashes. I simply just...don't wear them. I know HOW to, I was trained since I was 12 how to apply falsies since I took ballet but I have the type of eyes that just really don't like them. I always have to trim my falsies because my eyes are smaller, and I have to finagle the direction of the lashes while applying since my eyes and eyelashes slant down so much. They never look quite right on me, even when I apply them correctly, so I prefer not to wear them. 

I'm sorry to say I don't have a photo of them on for you. I had a ballet recital at my studio before Christmas so I brought them to the show and gifted them to one of my students to wear for the performance. I applied them on her, and they really are lovely lashes (yes, yes I forgot take a photo ::slaps wrist::). The curve on the outer edge does a fantastic job of lifting the eye and giving it a bit of a cat-eye flair. The spacing of the lashes makes it appear very natural as well. The only thing I did not like about this set of lashes was the adhesive. It came in a foil-like packet that has to be ripped open on the top so it's not going to last long at all before drying out. I'd much rather have seen a twist top tube. It didn't dry completely clear, as well. My absolute favorite lash glue I've ever used was a black glue believe it or not. It was slightly harder to see when applying, especially when making sure if I covered the edges enough, but when the lashes were on it looked absolutely seamless! 
 

WORTH AND PURCHASE:

1) Starrily Nail Polish in Bzzz Bzzz:

• Mini Bottle (5 ml) - $5

 

2) Be a Bombshell The One Stick in Sunset:

•  Full-size (7.3 g) - $16
• I received a full-size!

3) Pop Beauty Bright Up Your Life Eyeshadow Sample Trio in Naturally Bare:

• Full-size (palette of 10 shades) - $24
• Sample Trio (3 shades) - $8

4) J Cat Beauty The Big Lip Pencil is Caramel Mocha:

• Full-size (5 g) - $3.99
• I received a full-size!

5) Ardell Fashion Lashes in 120 Demi Black:

• Full-size (1 set) - $3.99
• I received a full-size!

 

Total Paid for Bag:  $10

 

Total Worth of Bag:  $36.98

 

 

Not quite the lowest worth Glam Bag I've received, but definitely on the lower end. Not that I'm complaining, it's still almost four times what I paid, and I didn't even account for the bag itself! I'm really happy with the price of each individual item as well! 

 

FINALE
   
Holiday makeup finale! I went for a natural daytime look that could easily be darkened for a night look as well. I just wanted fresh, bright, and glowy.

NOW you can see what I mean about the Lip Pencil looking pink without a foundation, concealer or BB Cream on the lips....I didn't put some on underneath that day so the color looked quite pink! Very natural looking though, in my opinion!

For this look I started with a primer, then BB Cream all over my face. I used concealer where needed (under eyes, chin, nose), then a matte setting powder all over. I then used an eye primer along with blending NYX's Jumbo Pencil in Milk all over the eyelid. I blended the lighter gold eyeshadow on my entire eyelid first, stopping just outside of the outer edge of my eyelid, then softly blended the coppery gold towards the outer edge and finishing with the darker brown on the outside. I then patted some of the light gold with my fingertip on the inner part of the eyelid both on top and on the bottom to highlight the inner corners of my eyes. I used a red-tinted brown eyeliner for the wing of the cat-eye and a gold eyeliner for the inner part of liner towards the inner corners of my eyes. I finished the look up with light contouring with a bronzer, lightly darkening my eyebrows with a brown eyeshadow and setting gel, blending on The One Stick for my blush and applying the Lip Pencil on my lips! I finished it all up with a setting spray. 

I felt like it added just the right amount of shimmer and glow for a Holiday look! LOVE the eyeshadow trio and shades!


Well that's it for this month's Ipsy Glam Bag review, I hope you enjoyed! I can't wait to see what's in store for us for next month! 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 Holidays and Happy Makeuping!