Ipsy Glam Bag January Review

I recently found out that ipsy offers sneak peaks of the upcoming bag on its website, and I've become addicted to tracking the mystery products while I wait for my next bag. Once again, I was happily surprised by the number, size, and quality of the products that I received for only ten bucks!

This month's bag is a cute black bag with a blue starry lining, and it's a little larger than last month's. Once again, the brands featured in the bag are offering discounts and specials to ipsy subscribers online. So, what did I get this month? Let's take a look!

 First, a travel bottle of the cult favorite Spray & Play Volumizing Hairspray from big sexy hair. This spray provides lots of oomph and hold without feeling sticky. I'm definitely a fan! This size retails for $6, so that's already half of the price that I paid for the whole bag!

Next up, a nail lacquer in Bloody Mary by Nailtini. This rich & creamy tomato red glides on easily and is opaque in two coats. Every girl needs a good, classic red nail polish every now and then! Also, this is a full-sized bottle (!) which retails for $13. 

There's also a mini bottle of the sought-after 100% Pure Argan Oil by Josie Maran. Unlike argan oils with additives, this has sort of a "dry oil" feel to it. It's nice for my hair, but I don't like it on my skin as much as some other brands.

Next up, a full-sized Crease Brush from SOHO. I like the triangular grip, and the texture of the bristles is quite nice for an inexpensive brush. It's a little larger and fluffier than I usually prefer for my crease, but it's great for blending and highlighting. 

The last item in this month's bag has been my most reached-for item lately. It's a Tuscan Blood Orange Body Butter from Pacifica. (I have no idea what happened to the color on this picture, btw.) This stuff smells magnificent! It's got one of those juicy, fruity scents that just makes your mouth water, and it's exactly what I need to brighten up these drab winter days. It feels amazing and keeps my skin hydrated for hours! The sample was actually a 2.5 ounce mini tube, which retails for $8. When this runs out, I'll be heading over to pacificaperfume.com to pick up the full size! Seriously, this stuff smells so yummy. You want this; I promise.

Ipsy is a recurring subscription-based beauty service. For $10 per month, you receive a cute little bag filled with samples of fun beauty products. For the price, ipsy is amazing! The offered products are excellent, and I was really impressed by the size of the samples. I'm so excited to be receiving this bag every month!

*Disclaimer* The ipsy bag was purchased using my own funds, and all opinions are my own.

Ipsy December Glam Bag Review

(This is a bit late, but December was hectic, and I'm not 100% used to having a blogging schedule yet)

I am so excited about the December ipsy bag! This amazing little bundle was full of color and wonderfully priced. I've heard reviews that say that this company was less than thrilling until their recent makeover, but it really looks like they've got their act together now!

The bag comes packaged in a bright pink bubble mailer. Inside, I found a cute gunmetal grey makeup bag full of goodies and some coupons. 

The first product in my bag was the Mirabella Prime for Face and Eyes. I'm on the fence about this one. The texture is more slick than I'm used to for a primer, but it does feel very comfortable on the skin. My foundation looked lovely and smooth, although I did get some shine as the day wore on. As an eye primer, I don't particularly care for this. My eye shadow creased fairly quickly, unfortunately. The deep shades in my crease looked just fine, but my lids were streaky within only an hour. 

Ipsy also included a coupon for 30% off of any purchase at mirabellabeauty.com, which doesn't expire until the end of January. 

My second product was a Loose Pearl Shadow in "Yellow Gold Pearl" by NYX. I was very happy with this product! Think of it as a (very) inexpensive version of the loose pigments offered by brands such as MAC. The pigmentation is great and very true to color. Like most loose shadows, it can get messy, but the end result is worth it!

(From left to right) Applied to bare skin, applied over MAC "Painterly" paint pot, applied over the Mirabella primer, and mixed with MAC eyeliner mixing medium

The included coupon, which expires on the 1st of February, gives 30% off any loose pearl shadows from nyxcosmetics.com, which is especially nice for a product that already retails for a bare $3. (That's right! only three bucks!) I might just need to stock up on some fun colors.

The third product in my bag was a booklet of Highlighter Papiers from Mai Couture. I wasn't sure that I would like these, but they've become one of my favorite on-the-go products. It's almost like a book of blotting papers, but each little papier has a nice dose of rosy gold highlighter. The color, as it turns out, is rather difficult to accurately photograph, but it's beautiful, I swear! One swipe gives a subtle glow, and a couple of extra dabs gives enough warm color to replace blush. Even on my pale skin, it wasn't overwhelming.

The included Mai Couture coupon gives 20% off any purchase from maicouture.com.

The fourth product is a cult favorite, the 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in "Zero" by Urban Decay. I have a confession: I've never actually used an Urban Decay product. I know; that's blasphemous. I've always heard such good things about the brand, and I was so happy to get this in my bag! "Zero" is a rich, creamy black that glides on beautifully. The sample size was amazing, too!

The included coupon provides a travel bag full of luxury samples with a $25 purchase from urbandecay.com.

My final sample was a full-sized(!) lip gloss from Be a Bombshell in "Hot Mess". It's a pretty sheer red that looks great on its own or layered over lipstick. Do you remember the Cyndi Lauper Viva Glam lipstick by MAC? I loved that it was red but still subtle and sheer. This gloss reminds me of that wonderful lipstick (with perhaps a bit more pink), and means that maybe I don't have to keep being so miserly with my old tube of Cyndi.

Cyndi on the left, Hot Mess on the right

Once again, there was a nice little coupon for 30% off any purchase from beabombshellcosmetics.com.

Here's a few pictures in different lighting that show the eyeliner, highlighter, and lipgloss:

I have a swipe of MAC Sheen Supreme Lipstick in "Quite the Thing" under the gloss in this shot

Ipsy is a recurring subscription-based beauty service. For $10 per month, you receive a cute little bag filled with samples of fun beauty products. For the price, ipsy is amazing! The offered products are excellent, and I was really impressed by the size of the samples. I'm so excited to be receiving this bag every month!

*Disclaimer* The ipsy bag was purchased using my own funds, and all opinions are my own.