Ipsy - May 2014

FRESH PICKS
IPSY GLAM BAG MAY 2014

 

"It's a month of crisp air, vibrant flowers, and fresh Glam Bag products! Getting your beauty to bloom all month long will be as easy as lying in the warm grass and basking in the sunshine." - ipsy.com

  

Hello my darlins! I've missed you so! I can't wait for the Summer to begin, so I can get back to a regular schedule. So quick catch up on me. The ballet studio I work at is having it's two big recitals tomorrow (which is going to be a whole day of rehearsals, work and shows). For an example of how big these shows are - we only have them once every other year, haha! We're going to be performing Mother Goose and Magical Moments (a selection of excerpts from Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, Aladdin, The Swan Queen, and Snow White). I'm so very excited, not only do I have some awesome students performing in it, but I've been honored to perform the character roles of Mother Goose, The Little Old Woman Who Lived in the Show and The Evil Queen in Snow White! Eeeee! Can't wait! However, since I'm the Office Manager, one of the instructors and we're only a small staff of four, this has meant 12+ hour work days and rehearsal and working on the weekends. I told my Hubby just to make sure I have a daily supply of Starbucks DoubleShot Espresso cans, teehee. 

After tomorrow, we have one more week of classes, then I'm going to be flying to Chicago for a weekend, THEN I'm officially on a two week vacation! I should be able to catch up on a ton of posts then, so stay tuned. 

 But enough about all that, let's jump into this review!...

I received: a hair product, face product, eye product, lip product and body product

Ipsy is looking fresh and green this month with products just right for a day out in the fresh air and under the sun! 

All ipsy subscribers received five products this month including one of two eyeshadow duos from Pacifica, one of two sunscreens, one of four hair products, and the last two products were a part of a product variety selection.

The bag itself was a little different than the typical ipsy bag. It's made from a beautiful soft canvas material, with green leaves climbing up the sides and a green zipper.

I'm not a huge, huge fan of earthy looking designs, but it's a good size, and I love the feeling of the canvas, so it will certainly go to good use!

Here's a closer look at what I received:

EVA NYC

THERAPY SESSION HAIR MASK

"The Therapy Session Hair Mask deeply conditions, repairs and strengthens dry and damaged hair. Argan Oil nourishes and revitalizes, while Keravis Protein drastically increases hair’s strength and elasticity. The results are hydrated, soft and manageable hair." - eva-nyc.com

::giggles:: I remember at one point I complained that I never had any hair masks...I think I now have about six or seven different ones sitting in my shower! However, that being said, this definitely has to be one of my absolute favorites now. 

First off, the packaging is adorable, I really love the fresh brightness. I did actually receive a travel-size tube, so I'm excited about that. The full-size comes in a jar.

The formula has some awesome ingredients including Panthenol, which is a form of B5, excellent for moisturizing and softening, Jojoba Seed oil, Keravis, which is a protein that's wonderful for hair strengthening, Sea Buckthorn oil, which is also great for strengthening as well as growth, and Argan oil. 

It's a very smooth texture, but not quite as heavy and rich as some hair masks are. Depending on your hair type, I'd say you could use this as a day to day conditioner as well as deep conditioning (leaving it on a bit longer and using more product to coat the hair). 

The smell is my favorite part...it smells...hmmm...how can I describe...like a sweet chamomile tea. Mmmmmm. Although, I did see a couple of ladies from Makeuptalk absolutely hated the smell! Isn't it funny how different people can smell things differently? Although, I'm wondering if it was just a bad batch, because everyone that I've had smell my tube of the mask thinks it smells fantastic. 

I've been using this mask off and on for a few weeks now, mainly as a light daily conditioner, especially since I recently um....changed my hair (which you shall see at the end of this post!), so it's needed a bit more love lately. My strands have definitely felt softer, more manageable and have been looking smooth. It lessened my split ends a bit, and did I mention they smell yummy? The smell isn't overwhelming, but my Hubby got a whiff of it about two hours after I showered and he just buried his head in it, took a deep breath and said: "Mmmmmm, what IS that?". Heehee, I'll take it! 

The product has lasted a good long while, as I said, I've been using it for a few weeks now off and on every other day and I still have quite of bit left. My hair is still quite long (nope, I didn't cut it!) so I do use a bit more product to completely cover all the ends of my hair and up towards my scalp. I'd say this tube, at the rate I'm using it, should last a little over a month. 

Now, although I absolutely LOVE this mask, I will say this, I'm a bit disappointed with the pricing on EVA NYC's website. It seems as though they raised the prices since ipsy subscribers were offered a discount code along with their ipsy Glam Bags this month. I cannot say what the prices were before the month as I had never heard of EVA NYC before, but I do know that on EVA NYC's website, the full-size Therapy Session Hair Mask (500 mL) is $40, and on Ulta's website, it's listed as $14.99 (on sale currently for $12.99). Um, hello. That's a BIG difference! I'm also seeing prices similar to Ulta on Walgreens, as well as other drugstore websites. That just doesn't seem right! So, unless EVA NYC lowers their prices, I certainly won't be purchasing directly from them. Heavens! Again, I can't confirm that EVA NYC raised their prices just because of their ipsy feature, however, it does seem a little odd, don't you think?

Although I won't be buying from their direct website, I do still love the mask, and would like to continue using it, so it's definitely something I'd recommend!

DERME E

MICRODERMABRASION SCRUB

"This award-winning, salon treatment alternative buffs skin, helping to diminish the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles and acne scars." - dermae.com

I was actually so very excited to be getting this product in my Glam Bag, as they've featured it before and I missed out on receiving it!

I've heard SO many amazing things about it, and it definitely did not disappoint!

The packaging I'm not a big fan of, but it's simple and looks professional. Almost like something a doctor would prescribe. I know some ladies that absolutely love this type of look for their face products. 

This scrub has one of the most amazing lists of ingredients I've seen for this type of product, including: Lime oil (inhibits growth of bacteria and tightens pores), Irish moss (softens skin), Volcanic sand and Dead Sea salt (pumice, exfoliates), Lemon peel oil (brightens skin and fights acne), Grape Seed and Sweet Almond oil (moisturizes skin), Vitamin E, Kaolin clay (wonderful for soothing), Jojoba Seed oil (skin conditioning) as well as other various ingredients. 

The mixture of the tiny particles of volcanic sand and dead sea salt makes this product certainly live of to it's name of being a microdermabrasion scrub, and a serious one at that. If you can see in the photo above, it is completely filled with the rough particles, but they're so finely milled that and well mixed with soothing ingredients, that I didn't have any problems at all with redness or irritation, although I don't have any skin sensitivity problems. While using a product such as this, it's best not to press down heavily onto the skin or use much force, but instead to lightly work it in small circles all over the entire face. If you have problems with skin sensitivity, I'd recommend doing a small spot test on the side of one cheek before doing the entire face, or you could mix the scrub with a gel or cream face wash for a lighter exfoliation. I do that all the time with my Dermalogica Special Cleansing Gel and Epice International Purifying Exfoliant, it feels amazing! 

The smell is so delicious, it has a soft citrusy scent, probably from the mixture of the Lemon Peel oil, Lime oil and Sweet Orange essential oil. The smell alone makes this a must-have for me.

My skin absolutely loves this product! Because it's a pretty heavy-duty microdermabrasion, I only use it about three times a week, but since I began, my skin has been looking clearer with less acne, and a bit brighter from the removal of dead skin! Gotta love a good exfoliant. I barely need a nickle-size amount for an all-over scrub on my entire face, although I will use more if I want to do a deep scrub (once a week) and work it into the skin longer.

 You'd better believe that I'll be keeping this product around! The scent, results and extended length of time it takes to use up the product makes it a winner for me.

PACIFICA

MINERAL EYESHADOW DUO

in Duo #1

"The Pacifica Mineral Eyeshadow Duo are coconut infused mineral eye shadows that are a perfect addition to any makeup collection. Packaged in a beautiful travel ready recyclable container, these exclusive duos are customized just for ipsy! These shades can be found in the Pacifica Mystical and Charmed Palette. Smooth application with gorgeous color pay-off." - ipsy.com

It's always both exciting and such a bummer when there are products made specifically for ipsy, and won't be available for non-ipsy subscribers to purchase from the brands website, but in this case, I am happy that these shades DID come from already available products that contain MORE than what we're receiving! That way if you do decide you'd like to own these shades, you'll receive these along with some surprises! Yay!

The packaging is simple and clean. It's a small compact case with a clear plastic lid and a pretty white swirl design over half, along with the Pacifica brand name. The inside contains two pressed shadows in a single pan, with no material separating them.

These two shades are from Pacifica's Mystical Supernatural Eye Shadow palette. The shades including in this palette are: 

• Opal- Opalescent pinkish-white perfect for highlighting and creating a natural look. 
• Moonbeam- Pearlescent greyish moody violet to use on lids or create a subtle smoky eye.
• Celestial- Creamy dreamy beige with a little bright pearl ideal for lids and highlights.
• Stargazer- Heavenly hot blue-violet to smudge, smoke or line your eyes.

As you could probably tell, I received the shades Opal and Celestial in this duo. 

Both of these swatches are done without primer and are about three swipes each. Opal (shown on the bottom of the back of my hand), although not very pigmented, has a beautiful soft pink sheen that picks up decently well in sunlight. Over a white primers, the sheen is much more visible, and over a white shimmery primer (such as NYX's Jumbo Pencil in Cottage Cheese), the color is a teensy bit more vibrant, but it's very shimmery with a stronger sheen. It is easy to blend, but it can be a bit dry and does have a bit of fall-out. I do love using this in the inner corners of my eyes and on my brow bone as it does provide a gorgeous soft highlight.

Celestial I absolutely adore! It's such a gorgeous shimmery beige-gold that is very soft and easily blendable. It's much more pigmented than Opal, and can be worn more pigmented over a good primer. It's still not as buttery and pigmented as, say, an Urban Decay shadow, but it's still gorgeous, can be applied easily and blended out nicely.

I did have some fall-out during the day, but not quite as bad with Celestial as I did with Opal. Because the shades are very vivid, it did seem to fade faster than usual, even with primer and a setting spray. I had full color for about three hours, then it began to fade softly. By the seven hour mark, you couldn't make out the colors much at all.

I'd never tried Pacifica's eyeshadows before, so it was awesome to finally test out some. I'm a bit intrigued now, I'd be curious to try out some deeper shades to see how pigmented and soft they'd be, and for the somewhat low prices, I just might! 

REVLON

COLORBURST

MATTE BALM

in Elusive

"A Matte finish that’s beyond plush. Balm that’s beyond comforting. Our Triple Butter Complex of Shea, Coconut and Mango butters nourishes lips. In 10 collectible, craveable colors." - revlon

If you've been a follower of The Charming Cheshire for a while, you'd know that I've already had the pleasure to review a few of these awesome Matte Balms, but luckily, in different shades! ::giggles:: Well, I was determined to collect them all, so how fabulous was it that I happened to receive one in my Glam Bag! ::happydance:: (Click on shade names to read my reviews on the others: Mischievous - light bright orange, Unapologetic - warm deep pink, Shameless - deep purple). 

Elusive was next on my list to buy from the Matte Balms, as it is the softest pink shade, and the ones I've previously purchased were all a bit more on the brighter, vivid side. The packaging, as with all the Matte Balms, is a standard twist-up stick, very typical for the all the stick lip balms we're seeing everywhere now. The outside of the tube matches the shade of the product, and is completely matte to show it's from the matte collection.

I really, really love the color! It's such a gorgeous warm deep pink and can be easily built up or blended out for a soft color. As you can see, it is very pigmented and even with one swipe it glides on easily.

I applied a fairly thick coat so you could see the full color, as as you can see, it is drying. I used a lip balm to moisturize my lips during my makeup application, but even after, this product still dried up my lips a bit. My problem with these types of products is, that since my lips are naturally full of lines and creases, any drying or matte product just enhances those lines and creases tenfold. I HAVE to use a moisturizing lip balm before I apply this every single time. Even then, it still feels drying after hours of wear. With this shade I found that if I lightly blend it out over my lips, then apply a clear moisturizing balm over it, then apply ANOTHER layer of the Matte Balm over THAT, then my lips look their best and I'm still able to wear the shade in it's full vibrant color, rather than just blended out. Because it's pink, I didn't have quite as much trouble applying it as I did the light orange (Mischievous) or deep purple (Shameless), as it blends better on my lips natural color. I really like the shade, it's like a brighter, more vivid version of my own lips!

As for it's wear, I had full color for about two hours, then it began to fade to a softer pink till the five hour mark, where I had to wipe it off some, since it faded more on the outside of my lips, but built up a line where my top and bottom lip touches (ew, I hate that!). 

I still absolutely love the Matte Balms, and I'd love to continue to collect them. I think when used in a way that's right for you (with or without moisturizer, blended or not), they're can be absolutely gorgeous! 

HANG TEN

SUNSCREEN

CLASSIC BODY SPF 50

"Protect and nourish your skin with our clear, lightweight, naturally scented sunscreen. Provides maximum water resistance and full body coverage against harmful UVA/UVB rays." - hangtensunscreen.com

First of all, let me say, this brand is powered by COOLA and I seriously cannot begin to tell you how much I wish I didn't receive any more COOLA sunscreen products! Not that I dislike COOLA personally, but really, out of all the sunscreen products I've received (and I've received more than I could possible want), I do believe they've ALLLLLL been COOLA! So this isn't exactly COOLA, but close enough. 

Secondly, I really just don't have a need for sunscreen, so I'm kind of disappointed that ipsy made every subscriber receive one. I know sunscreen is important, and taking care of your skin, especially in regards to sun damage is very, VERY important, but having very pale skin that burns easily, even with multiple applications of sunscreen frequently, I just prefer to avoid the sun altogether. I don't like the beach either (I'm sorry! Don't hate me, I just have sensitive eyes and being out in the bright sun with it reflecting off the water and getting salt water in my eyes is just no fun for me at all. Plus I don't tan!) so I really never have a major need for sunscreen. Although, I am glad that I did at least receive a slightly higher SPF. 

It is a classic (or chemical, if you will) sunscreen, meaning it absorbs sun rays, rather than reflecting them like mineral/physical sunscreens do. The good thing about this type of sunscreen is that it doesn't leave that white cast on your skin when applying. 

Now, I haven't used this product myself, as the best type of testing I could do on it would be to wear it outside and stay in the sun for lengths of time. I love all of you, you know I do, but I don't really want to burn (which I know I will!). I found a test subject though! A handsome one at that ::eyebrow wiggle::. Mr. Cookie! He wore it several times while out biking. His thoughts:

"It seems effective. I rode for about an hour and a half and I didn't burn. It rubbed straight in to the skin, wasn't greasy at all, didn't leave any type of sheen and didn't have any unpleasant smell. I did get a very light tan, but I do tan easily (which my wife hates me for, haha) and I didn't reapply at all, so I'd say it works pretty well!." 

I really couldn't recommend this product one way or another, I'd say my Hubby likes it well enough, but as for myself, I'd rather just stay out of the sun altogether and take some Vitamin D supplements!

WORTH AND PURCHASE

1) EVA NYC Therapy Hair Session Mask:

• Full-size (500 mL) - $14.99*
• I received a 60 mL travel-size - $1.80

2) derme e Microdermabrasion Scrub:

• Full-size (2 oz) - $32.50
• I received a 1 oz sample jar - $16.25

3) Pacifica Mineral Eye Shadow Duo #1 (Opal and Celestial):

• Full-size (Mystical Supernatural palette - 4 shades - 0.25 oz) - $14
• I received 0.07 oz sample duo - $3.92

4) Revlon ColorBurst Matte Balms in Elusive:

• Full-size (2.7 g) - $8.99
• I received a full-size!

5) Hang Ten Sunscreen Classic Body SPF 50:

• Full-size (6 oz) - $12.99
• I received a 1 oz sample tube - $2.17

TOTAL PAID FOR BOX: $10


TOTAL WORTH OF BOX:  $33.13


Not too bad! Over three times what I paid, I love four of my five items, and the fifth item was only $2.17, so I'd say definitely a good month's worth. *I used Ulta's pricing for the EVA NYC. 

FINALE

Aaaaand now, for some makeup! I took my inspiration for this look from the Fresh Picks theme, as well wanting to do a fresh Spring to Summer transitional look.

Oh and hello, I'm a blonde now! ::giggles:: 

For the eyes I used a white matte primer, then I blended the shade Opal, from my Pacifica Duo, in my crease and lightly in the inner corners of my eyes. I then applied Celestial over my lid and lightly just under under my bottom lashes but you can barely see it there in these photos. I finished the eyes with a deep green eyeliner (I was feeling a green theme with this month's bag!) and a few coats of mascara.

Of course, on the lips I have on Revlon's Matte Balm in Elusive! 

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 Fresh Makeuping!