Ip, Ip, Ooray! April Ipsy Glam Bag

I missed my Glossyboxes. Granted, they were ridiculously expensive, and more often than not, a little disappointing. Still, I loved the anticipation of not knowing what I was going to get, and the fun surprise of finding a little happy in the mailbox.

I'm a child. I know. I'm okay with this.

The Glossyboxes had to go. That was the hard truth, and one of the things that sucks about being a grown-up. They just didn't make the cut on my scale of fiscal responsibility. But...I still really wanted them.

Enter ipsy. Like Glossybox, they're a monthly subscription service that sends deluxe sample and travel-sized products to your door. Unlike Glossybox, they're only ten bucks. I can do ten bucks. Plus, each month's selection comes in a cute little makeup bag. That's a heck of a lot easier to reuse than the pink box. (I loved the pink boxes, and found ways to repurpose most of them, but a few still ended up in the trash, and that hurt my soul a little.) It should be noted that the ipsy products aren't quite as prestigious as the ones in the Glossyboxes, but let's be honest: was I ever really going to purchase a full size of the $100 moisturizer I sampled? Sweet fancy Moses, not a chance! Even if it was miraculous, there's no way I could ever swing that. Might I purchase a bottle of the $22 hair treatment from ipsy? No idea, but if it's miraculous, there's a distinct possibility, especially if I have an Ulta coupon.

Anyhoo, each month is themed, and this month was "Pretty in Pink". It was my first ipsy Glam Bag, so I wasn't really sure what to expect. Turns out, it was a pretty darn great bag.

The first product I tried out was the Mica Beauty mineral eye shadow in Earth. The shade is a lovely muted rose with a ton of sparkle. As with any loose mineral shadow, it helps to have a base for the product to stick to. Here, I have it layered over the Maybelline Color Tattoo in Inked in Pink. They're almost the exact same shade, so the pairing works nicely. The mineral shadow has good staying power, and I haven't experienced any creasing, even after hours of wear in high humidity. The size I received was 2g, just shy of the 2.5g full-sized version. The full-sized runs $14.95.

Next, I found a full-sized bottle of Sation by Miss Professional nail polish in the color Of Corset I'll Call You (that's adorable). The shade is a stunning sheer blush pink with a hint of lavender. Please note: it is very sheer, but not in a watered down, streaky way. I would call this less of a nail color, and more of a nail flush, and it would make for a gorgeous French manicure. In this picture, I'm wearing three coats, because, honestly...I'm a klutz. I kept making one nail darker than the one before it, and kept adding coats trying to even them out. Adding to the klutz factor: this is the only finger photographed because this is the only finger I didn't totally destroy immediately after applying nail polish. It has nothing to do with the polish, itself. It has everything to do with the fact that I've been out of town at a film festival, trying to buy a house, and hold down a job. I haven't really slept a whole lot, and am a little bit of a walking zombie, right now. Also, I may have had a slight case of food poisoning, as well. I'm a mess, y'all. But that's beside the point. Back to the polish! It's beautiful, goes on smoothly and evenly, and has a fantastic brush. Best of all, it's only five bucks for a bottle. I may have to pick up a few more

And it's blurry, too...I rock...(ugh...)

I'm really excited over the next product! Unfortunately, I'll have to wait a little longer to really play with it. Included in each bag was a full-sized (read: $16) Be a Bombshell blush. Mine was in the color Sweet Cheeks, which is kind of a bright mauve with a slight sheen. Sad to say, it broke in shipping (as did many others, according to Facebook), but a brand new one is on its way to me.

Cute, cute, cute packaging! It's about the size and shape of a MAC mineralized blush.

My heart hurts.

In the meantime, I did my best to work with what I had to, at least, give you an idea of the color and what it would look like on. Here it is on my cheek. While it might look a little scary in the pan, when applied with a fluffy brush, it appears as a natural flush on the skin. The sheen is so light that it just gives you a little glow. It's highly pigmented, not powdery, and I love the finish. Now, I really can't wait until the unbroken one arrives and I can really see what it can do.


See? There's a little color, but it doesn't look like I'm caked with blush. Also, I need a face mask. And to not photograph this close up. 

 Here's a shot of me with the blush and eyeshadow. The rest of the makeup is very minimal (mascara, eyeliner, beauty balm, concealer, lip balm, and a little pressed powder), and I think these products help pull together a very fresh and natural Spring look.

The last product in the bag was Sexy Hair Healthy Sexy Hair Soy Renewal Nourishing Styling Treatment. (That's a mouthful.) I haven't tried it yet, but as soon as I do, I'll give you a verdict. The sized I received is a good travel size, so I should get several uses out of it.

Part of the ipsy Glam Bag experience is the little makeup bag (the Glam Bag, itself, I suppose) that holds all of the products. This month's appears to be a simple white bag with a pink zipper, but I won't know for sure until next month. There was a problem with some of the bags, and those of us who were to receive those bags were sent a different one, with the assurance that our correct bag will arrive in our next shipment. The one I ended up with is cute, though. It's Springy and floral--not the highest quality, but whatever. It's not the one I was supposed to get, so I'm reserving judgement.

So, is ipsy worth the ten bucks a month? I think so. I've been impressed with the products I tested out, and really impressed with the customer service. I don't know how long I'll subscribe, but for now, it's a fun, inexpensive treat.