Ipsy - April 2014

BEAUTY ROCKS
IPSY GLAM BAG APRIL 2014

"Life is a dance floor, so why not live it up, sing out loud, and shake them hips?! This month, we're celebrating our unique beauty to the sound of tunes and festivals that fill the spring air. So, whether you're chilling in a campground or spinning in a ballroom, all of your April "Beauty Rocks!" products will help your lovely look become a hit!" - ipsy.com

I swear, I really did MEAN to post April's beauty subscriptions IN April. Was it just me, or did April go by so stinkin' fast?! One bit of news that I'm excited and anxious to share, though, is that my Hubby and I have been going on what would be a good plan of attack to get my posts up sooner and he and I both think perhaps focusing on a YouTube channel instead of constant writing would help. By the time I take photos, edit the photos, put watermarks on them, add them into a post, write the post, etc., it's just a LOT of stuff to do. Although, I know, making a video and editing it is long as well, I think it may be more enjoyable and I'd be able to film while I get ready for work as well, since that's when I do the makeup I wear in my Finale posts! What do all of you think? Would you like for The Charming Cheshire to move onto a YouTube channel or would you prefer for it to remain in blog form? I know I received an overwhelming response of requests for makeup tutorials, which is always better in video form in my opinion, so that's definitely a push towards starting a channel. I warn ya'll, though, I've learned how to take a decent photo, HOWEVER, I may look and sound like a complete looney in a video, hahaha! I want your thoughts! Be sure to comment and let me know what you think.

On to the Ipsy review!....

A face product, perfume, two eye products and a lip product

In April, Ipsy went a little retro and rock n' roll with some hot products that had a little edginess to them (SO awesome!). I was very familiar with all of the brands I received, but had never tried out a single one, so I was excited! 

As far as what Ipsy subscribers received in this bag - Everyone received the Urban Decay 24/7 Velvet Glide-On Eye Pencil in Black Velvet, one of four different lip products, and the other three were variety items.  

Here's a closer look at my products....

DR. BRANDT

MICRODERMABRASION

SKIN EXFOLIANT

"dr. brandt microdermabrasion is a revolutionary formula designed to mimic the transformative brightening, smoothing effects of the popular in-office microdermabrasion treatment at home." - drbrandtskincare.com

Ahhhhh, I love a good exfoliant! And this exfoliant is goooooooood. I'm crazy about it! I really love the packaging as well, it's clean, simple and modern. I don't like it when products put a bunch of claims on the front or overdo the colors. This LOOKS professional and fancy. Or it could just be that black is my favorite color ::giggles::. 

   

The product contains:

• Chamomile - calms, soothes and reduces irritation
• Aloe Vera - healing emollient that soothes irritations and prevents scarring
• Aluminum Oxide - pharmaceutical grade crystals that polish and remove dead skin cells
• Jojoba - easily absorbed vegetable oil that soothes and softens the skin
• Lactic Acid - alpha hydroxy acid derived from milk gently sweeps away dead skin cells and softens skins texture - drbrandtskincare.com

The crystals are very small and fine, but you can definitely feel them working into the skin and scrubbing away all of the dead skin cells. I was worried that because the crystals felt a little rough that my rosacea would flare up, but the chamomile and aloe vera did an excellent job of soothing the irritation. I didn't have any problems with redness at all! 
  

The smell is one of the things I love about this product. It's a mix of some citrus scents and mint. Very fresh and not at all overpowering. After you work it into the skin, exfoliate, then rinse, your skin is left with the most fantastic tingly sensation! Mmmmm, so good. I love that feeling! I know some people don't but I think it gives my skin that extra step of feeling clean and renewed. 
   

I had been having some problems with acne lately, but after starting use of this exfoliant, my acne has subsided dramatically and my skin has looked a bit brighter and fresher! A little of it does go a long way, I use about two pea-sized amounts for my entire face. I like to take my time and slowly work it into the skin, making small circles with my hands, both clockwise and counterclockwise to work all that dead skin off. My skin just adores it!

DEMETER 

FRAGRANCE LIBRARY

ROLL ON PERFUME OIL

in Jasmine

"Jasmine Jazzed - An exotic, sweet, warm floral bouquet. Demeter’s Jasmine is the experience of the living flowers picked on a beautiful spring night. Captivating and seductive, we’ve taken our original scent and made it even better.

One of the flowers most valued by perfumers, and grown in Grasse, France, its mood-inducing scent is one of the most distinct of all natural odors." - demeterfragrance.com

I'm certainly no stranger to the Demeter Fragrance Library, in fact, ipsy introduced them to me quite a while ago! I wrote a review on five of their fragrances that I purchased through their website last August, and have been thinking of trying out some more. What a surprise to find one in my Glam Bag! First of all, I noticed that they changed their design of their roll-on bottle. Originally they were rectangularly shaped, but it appears now they're round.

   

The scent is beautifully intense, exotic and lightly sweet. It's very rejuvenating and soothing, while still being rich. I usually don't like floral scents, but this oil is very realistic smelling, like I've stepped into a room just FULL of jasmine flowers. Hands down this is one of the best Demeter fragrances I've tried! I've had problems with their fragrances fading off quickly, but this oil lasted so much longer. The strongness of the aroma does lighten softly but it doesn't completely fade away! If you like exotic floral scents, I think you'd absolutely love this!

ELIZABETH MOTT

POP! GOES THE SHADOW

in Champagne

"Effortlessly smooth with blendability. Intense color that's long lasting. Easy to apply. Pop! Goes the Shadow check, check, checks out on all these categories and more! Our goal was to create the ultimate shadow where blendability meets the maximum color payoff. Our buildable colors will take you from subtle highlights to dramatic smokey eyes. With Pop! Goes the Shadow, eye shadow creasing is a thing of the past. We pride ourselves on our long-lasting and crease-free formula that stays on all day and night. So get ready to try the eye shadow that will change your life!" - elizabethmott.com

When I saw Elizabeth Mott was coming out with an eyeshadow, I was so excited! How adorable is this packaging? I don't usually go crazy over shadow singles, but those polkadots and square design just won me over. 

  

The shadow is set it a very sturdy, plastic case with a snap-shut lid. The powder seemed to have loosened a bit on the edges, which caused some of it to fall onto the lid, but I don't feel like the whole pan is going to fall out.

  

They currently sell only three different shades - Antique Brass (warm golden brown), Stars at Night (black with silver shimmer) and this one, Champagne, which is a shimmery pale warm nude.

The shadow is beautiful! As you can see by the swatches, any method of application is great. Used dry (3 swipes), it has lovely pigmentation for such a light shade, over primer it lightens the warmth of the color a bit, and make is appear a bit paler, and blended out it's not at all dry, patchy or streaky. It blends out beautifully and can be lightly built up for a bit more coverage and warmer color. If you want to keep the color warm, I'd recommend using a nude, gold or clear primer, but if you want to lighten it, you can use a white primer (such as NYX's Jumbo Pencil in Milk). It's not sparkly, but it is very shimmery, picking up the lightly so well. If you're very pale, like me, it's a nice highlight that blends well into the skin tone, or makes a gorgeous all over color that's subtle but still with some brightness. If you're skin tone is darker, it creates a very bright highlight that can be easily blended out or can be used all over to brighten the eyes, as it's well pigmented, so it won't look patchy or dry. 

The formula is very smooth, and I have had no problems at all with creasing or major fall-out. I've used it with and without primer, as well as with and without a setting spray. Even without primer and setting spray, it lasted a good 4 hours before fading. WITH a primer and setting spray it lasted at least 10 hours! I really love patting this on the waterline over a white eyeliner for a seriously fantastic way to make the eyes look wider and brighten up the whites of my eyes! 

I really have to say, Elizabeth Mott's claims for this shadow are true! Effortless with smooth blendability? Oh yes. Intense color that's long lasting? For such a nude shade, absolutely! Easy to apply? Very! I've tried with fingertips and various types of brushes, and everything works perfectly. I really would love for them to come out with eyeshadow palettes now, I'd be all over those in a heartbeat!

URBAN DECAY

24/7 VELVET GLIDE-ON EYE PENCIL

in Black Velvet

" Looking for the perfect liner to complement the ever-popular UD smoky eye? This is it: an ultra-velvety, PLUSH version of our legendary 24/7 Eye Pencil. 24/7 Velvet Glide-On Eye Pencil is the ultimate tool for smudging. And it has the same long-lasting benefits as our 24/7 Eye Pencils.

More powdery than our original 24/7 Eye Pencils, 24/7 Velvet blends easier to create soft, smoky edges. Use this pencil to get perfectly blended-out or rich, defined lines. 24/7 Velvet is the ultimate liner for doing a smoky, rimmed eye (or whenever you want a look that’s more matte and soft)." - urbandecay.com

This was probably the item that I was the most stoked about. I am absolutely OBSESSED with Urban Decay's 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencils. Most of you may remember the Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil Vault that came out a few months back that included ALL of the current shades in one box. NO, I wasn't able to buy it, because, let's face it, it was expeeeeeensive....but...I sort of made it my life's goal to collect them all over time (I feel like it's the 90s again with beanie babies and pokemon cards) and yes, YES I DID finally collect them all! I also found most of the Vintage shades as well! Told you I'm obsessed ::sigh:: So, of course, when Urban Decay came out with this new style, all I could think of was "gimme, gimme, gimme!". Oh Cookie. Girl, you need to calm yourself DOWN. 

 The formula is very interesting and quite different from the normal 24/7 Glide-Ons. It was very strange, because my initial reaction when swatching it was that I did NOT like it at all, but then when I wore it I absolutely fell in love!

 The color is solid matte black, however, it's not quite as dark as Perversion, BUT to me it's more buildable for a deeper, richer dark black shade than Zero. If you'll notice in the thick line where's it's layered a bit, it looks much darker. The formula feels a bit waxier than the original 24/7 pencils, and if you'll look at the dots I drew on my hand, you can see it's not very pigmented from just light application. When applied on the eyes, you do have to work a bit harder to get it to do what you want compared to the creaminess of the 24/7 Glide-Ons. It's best to warm the product up a bit on the back of your hand or with your fingertips before using.

The reason I fell so in love with it after use, though, is because once you get the hang of it, this pencil is ridiculously awesome! It's very, very buildable, it's sets to a solid finish that's not budging at all, and it can look nearly as black as Perversion but without the super softness that's prone to smudging and wiping off. This pencil is excellent on the waterline or for tight lining (when warmed up a bit with fingertips or on hand). My eyes tend to get watery and my eyelids will get oily, but I know when I use this pencil, I don't have to worry about a thing. I even taught ballet class with some heavy cat-eyes and it didn't budge an inch! Seriously, I love it so much, I've already bought a full-size!

I've heard some people mention that they've had problems with it flaking off, but I haven't at all. I typically wear primer on my eyelids before applying eye shadow and eyeliner and of course, I always recommend using a good one that way you can minimize any staining, creasing and maximize longevity and wear. I'm really surprised to hear that there's been issues with flaking, as this product seems to be a bit waxy and can be a bit creamy when warmed. 

I really hope they come out with other shades in the Velvet line! I'd love to see some rich blues, greens, purples and greys! 

MARY KAY AT PLAY

JELLY LIP GLOSS

in Berry Me

"Lip sync to full-on glossy goodness with a fun jelly texture.

• Offers brilliant, intense shine with a sheer wash of color.
• Leaves lips feeling soft, smooth and quenched with moisture.
• Provides an ultraglossy look and comfortable wear.
• Use with Mary Kay At Play™ Lip Crayon for an off-the-charts hit." - marykay.com

When most people think of Mary Kay, they tend to think of products for older, more mature women. Mary Kay has recently come out with this Mary Kay at Play line, which is geared more towards a youthful and modern vibe, and although I feel like it's not completely on the mark for what the modern, youthful woman wants, I still think it's an awesome idea and definitely needs to be expanded!

I almost feel like the @ symbol is a hint towards it being younger and modern (w00t, interwebz!). I'm not a huge fan of it, but the design is definitely more youthful, which I totally think can be more appealing for a younger generation. It reminds me a bit of the idea behind the CoverGirl Smoochies Lip Balms and their hashtag names. The product design is a squeeze tube with a slanted opening. I don't usually like squeeze tubes, as they can be a bit messy. I usually prefer to squeeze the product onto my fingertip or lip brush, then apply from there compared to just applying directly onto the lips. I feel like I have better control and am not smearing it on the tip of the tube as much.

Mary Kay at Play Jelly Lip Glosses come in four shades - Poppy Love (coral orange), Teddy Bare (warm nude), Violet Vixen (violet) and Berry Me (berry red). As you can see, the gloss is GLOOOOSSY. Super glossy! It's nicely pigmented for a lip gloss, and even when blended out, it's still a gorgeous nicely tinted shade. I did not notice any scent with it.

Look at dat gloss! It's like I placed a shiny, clear cover over my lips! Crazy! My lips are already naturally pink so this just seriously enhanced the pinkness. The texture is quite sticky, but I didn't have any problems with it sticking between my lips or looking stringy when I talked or closed my lips together and opened. I was really surprised how long the gloss lasted, usually it fades right off, but the shine did last a few hours and the color continued for at least 4 hours after application. I don't feel like it necessarily moisturized my lips, even with all that glossiness still there, you could see my lip's lines through the product. I can always tell if my lips are being moisturized if the lines look softer. 

I was very surprised at how much I like this product! I usually don't like lip glosses. I don't think it's an everyday wear type of product for me, but when the occasion calls for it, and I need some super shiny lips with gorgeous color, I know what to reach for! 

WORTH AND PURCHASE

1)  Dr. Brandt Microdermabrasion Skin Exfoliant:

• Fullsize (2 oz) - $78
• I received a 0.25 oz sample tube - $9.75

2) Demeter Fragrance Library Roll-On Perfume Oil in Jasmine:

• 0.29 oz Roll On Perfume Oil bottle - $10
• I received a roll-on full-size!

3) Elizabeth Mott Pop! Goes the Shadow in Champagne:

• Full-size shadow single (2 g) - $12.99
• I received a full-size!

4) Urban Decay 24/7 Velvet Glide-On Eye Pencil in Black Velvet:

• Full-size (1.2 g) - $20
• I received a travel-size (0.8 g) - $13.33

5) Mary Kay at Play Jelly Lip Gloss in Berry Me:

• Full-size (0.32 oz) - $10
• I received a full-size!

Total Paid for Bag: $10

Total Worth of Bag:  $56.07

Whoa! Over five times what I paid, and three full-size items, plus a travel-size and super awesome deluxe size of a product that's worth $78 in full-size....um...heck yes! Awesome worth this month! I'm very pleased with the sample sizes I received, and they'll all last me quite some time! 

FINALE

So I was debating back and forth about what kind of Rock 'n Roll look I wanted to do with this Finale. At first I wanted to go all hardcore and punk, but I kept looking at the Glam Bag design with the vinyl record on it, so I decided to go for something a little more retro but still with that cool 50's-60's rock and roll chic vibe! 

I feel like I combined Rizzo and Sandy from Grease for this look, haha! I started off with my typical foundation routine, of course, using the Dr. Brandt Microdermabrasion beforehand while washing my face.

  

I used Urban Decay's Primer Potion in Original all over the lid, then blended on NYX's Jumbo Pencil in Milk over that. Once that set, I used a fluffy blending shadow brush and dusted Elizabeth Mott's Pop! Goes the Shadow in Champagne all over the eyelid and up to the eyebrows for a soft and shimmery bright wash of color. I used a nude pencil on my waterline, and patted the shadow directly over that as well to make my eyes appear larger and brighter. I then used Urban Decay's Black Velvet liner for a thick winged cat eye on the outer half of my eyelid, but keeping it thinner on the inner half. I then balanced the wing by created a thick but less winged out mirror effect below the bottom lashes by drawing the liner in a thick line on the outer half of my bottom lashes, then using an thin pencil-point eyeliner brush I pulled some of the product down in a few short lines to make it appear that my bottom lashes were thicker (think Twiggy style, but less dramatic).

I finished the look with mascara, blush, rolling on my Jasmine perfume, and of course, applying the Mary Kay at Play Jelly Lip Gloss! I'm ready to rock and roll!

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 Rockin' n' Rollin' in your makeup!