I finally crawled out from the rock I was under and joined the fabulous world of the IPSY bag . In case you are like me, a creatively brilliant mermaid who rides a unicorn for fun but masquerades as a mommy in sweatpants to keep a low profile, I'll explain just a little more about the inner workings of the IPSY subscription service. Michelle Phan of YouTube fame is the creator of IPSY and it is a $10/month beauty subscription service that offers 5-6 sample or full size products inside a makeup bag with the brand logo. The website itself offers makeup tutorials as well as reviews and discounts for the brands that are featured. Usually there is a wait list, and I myself was tortured for a generous 2 months before December's shiny pink envelope arrived in my mailbox. If you would like to join or check it out please use my link here and for the sake of full disclosure I receive nothing but "ipsy points" if you decide to use my link. Now onward to all my twinkles and treasure that I discovered in December!
The IPSY makeup bag itself this month is a real gem. Shiny black diamond embossed material that seems very well constructed. The inside material is red and easy to clean. Honestly upon first seeing it I immediately thought score! This bag is sleek and sophisticated enough to throw my cards, keys and a lip gloss in for those quick trips. It is also contemporary and neutral enough to be my everyday makeup bag that I carry with me no matter which purse I am currently rotating for the current season. If every bag continues to be like this then I will be stocked for not only myself but also for gifts for my family and friends.
The one item that I was probably the most excited to see was the Mirabella Eye Blender. I am on somewhat of a makeup brush kick lately and this brush was like a shining beacon screaming" look you wanted one of me and here I am!" This is my first impression with the brand Mirabella and upon inspection it appears to be a quality brush. It is reminiscent of my MAC 224 brush, but it's slightly less stiff. I am not too sure about the brushed aluminum ferrel and handle though, since I am constantly using and washing my makeup brushes. The brush sells for $27.00 on www.mirabellabeauty.com and I paid $34.00 for my MAC 224 so the price point is not horrendous. The brand is offering a 30% discount to all subscribers this month which makes it completely worth it to invest in other brushes.
The POP Beauty Bright Up Your Life eyeshadow trio in Smokin' Hot was the next item I found in my bag this month. I couldn't find a source to buy this exact trio alone but single eyeshadows retail for $12 on www.popbeauty.co.uk and the brand can also be found at Ulta. The quality of the POP brand reminds me of NYC and so does the packaging. This particular trio includes shades of silver/grey and charcoal to create a smoky eye. In all honesty I have several other similar shadows in better quality that I could use to achieve the same look. The 25% discount is enticing, but not so much so that I would purchase anything else.
There is something about wearing a nice pair of fake lashes that makes me feel flirty and fabulous. When I saw the Salon perfect Lashes in my bag I was pretty excited. I usually buy the Ardell brand but I have to say that the quality was very nice. When it comes to lashes I usually look for an inexpensive price tag on a pair with great quality. At Walmart these lashes retail for $2.98 which is awesome. They are reusable and I would say that I can get 2-3 actual uses from these lashes before they go to garbage land.
Red Lips are the perfect Christmastime accessory for your face. IPSY had me covered with JCat The Big Lip Pencil in Red Rose. These lip crayon products are flooding the market at the moment and I have to admit they are some of my faves. There is a sweet caramel smell that I adore and the color stains my lips for a lasting effect. At $3.99 on the JCat website this pencil definitely gives you your money's worth. Add a 30% discount to the site and it makes it an easy decision to pick up a few more gems from this line.
One area of expertise that that I may be slightly lacking on is cream blush. I've been doing my research but I still needed to experiment with the actual product so it made me smile to see Be a Bombshell The one Stick in Sunset at the bottom of my IPSY bag. I have to say that the smell is a tad off-putting if I take the time to stick it close enough to my nose and inhale deeply, but unless I am going out of my way to do so then I do not foresee it being an issue. This stick says it can be used on eyes, lips, and cheeks but I am not convinced I would rock it on my eyelids. It does blend beautifully on the cheeks and gives a good wash of color on the lips as well. This retails for $16 on www.beabombshellcosmetics.com which is a good price considering the generous size of the product. I certainly could never use this entire stick within the expiration time frame. The brand is offering a 40% discount and free blush to ipsy subscribers which makes it ever so hard to resist buying many products from the brand.
Until our next beauty adventure, Galaxy (my aforementioned unicorn) and I will be up to no good!
-Nicci
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