April 2013 Ipsy Bag

I subscribe to Ipsy.  It's a makeup subscription service that costs $10 a month.  I used to be a member of Birchbox, but they only gave samples.  Ipsy gives a lot of full size products which makes it well worth the price.  Each month your goodies come in a makeup bag (I forgot to take a picture of it before I gave it away) which makes organizing your makeup a breeze.  If you want to join just let me know in comments, and I will send you an invite.  There is a waiting list, but it is fairly short compared to other subscription services.

I thought I would start sharing my thoughts on my Ipsy bags.  (I apologize for quality of the photos.  I was fighting with a 3 year old that wanted to "paint" with my goodies)  Here is April's products:

Dr. Brandt:  Microdermabrasion

 This was a trial size, but it lasts a long time.  You don't need much of it.  Here are the steps I used:

• splash your face with warm water
• apply on your face while avoiding eye area (I used about a pea sized amount)
• rub gently into face for 2-3 minutes
• rinse off with warm water
• moisturize

I have never tried microdermabrasion before because I have very sensitive skin.  However, I found this product to be extremely gentle. I had to thoroughly moisturize afterwards.  I can tell a major difference in my skin.  

Coastal Scents Medium Shadow Brush

 I'll be honest....I mainly use cheap brushes that either came with my makeup, or that were given to me in a cheap travel case.  This brush has sort of changed my life.  I keep thinking of how I need to buy other brushes now.  The bristles are so soft.  It makes applying my eye shadow super easy.  Helps so much with blending!  My only beef is that the metal at the bottom is sort of pointy, so be on the lookout if you have this brush.  I think I will look for higher quality brushes in the future.

Elizabeth Mott:  Pop! Goes the Shadow

 I have a ton of eye shadow.  When I saw this shade I didn't want to try it.  I honestly believed that I wouldn't like it.  It's just a very light cream color.  I decided to try it with my black eyeliner, and mascara.  I didn't expect the shadow to be so shimmery.  It ended up having a beautiful result!  This is quickly becoming my go-to shadow, and will have to replace it when it's gone.

Urban Decay:  24/7 velvet glide-on eye pencil

 This is a travel size of the product, but makes it very convenient to keep in a purse.  When they say 24/7, believe it!  It comes off easy enough when you wash your face, but lasts a long time.  However, it is not waterproof.  I learned this the hard way.  The first day I wore this I had a hormonal (I hate being a girl sometimes) meltdown.  The liner went down my face very quickly.  So don't wear it if you may cry!  It is a very good product.  I may be switching my go-to liner for this.

Starlooks:  Luscious Longwear Lip Pencil

I am not a fan of lip liners because they never last.  This one lasted longer than my lipstick did.  It isn't quite the shade I would prefer, but it matches my lips well.  It does last a long time, so perhaps I will buy it in a different shade.

Influenster's Uni VoxBox

I am a part of Influenster Nation.  It's a group of people throughout the country that get boxes in the mail to review for free.   Please let me know if you would like an invitation, and I can email you an invite.

The last box I received was called the UniVoxBox.  It was sent to university students.  The products included in it were New York Expert Last Color Lipstick, Rimmel London Stay Matte Liquid Mousse Foundation, Broadway Nails ImPress Manicure, Pilot Acroball White, Red Rose Real Tea Premium Water Enhancers, and Playtex Sport Fresh Balance.

This picture is missing the Pilot Acroball White pen, and the Red Rose Real Tea Premium Water Enhancers.  I gave away the water enhancers because I don't drink anything but herbal tea.  I forgot to take a picture of it before I gave it away, but you can learn more about them here. 

New York Expert Last Color Lipstick   
The color that I received was not my favorite.  I am too old to pull it off.  If it wasn't so bright perhaps I could have.  I ended up giving it to my niece.  It did seem to hold up well, and lasted a long time.  It was very light, and not cakey like other long lasting products I have tried.  I may buy this kind in another color.

Rimmel London Stay Matte Liquid Mousse Foundation 
 I am not a foundation person.  I normally wear tinted moisturizer instead.  Yet, I cannot explain how much I love this foundation.  It was very light, and didn't make me breakout.  I didn't need to put on a powder afterwards because of the matte finish.  I will be buying this product again.

Broadway Nails ImPress Manicure
Once again, this is another product that I am too old for.  Some of their designs I could pull off, but not the neon hearts.  I ended up giving this to my niece as well.  I did one nail, but I didn't feel it would hold up to a toddler running around.

Pilot Acroball White   
At first I was a little disappointed with this pen.  The ink didn't seem very fluid.  I kept it in my purse, and continued to use it.  After a few uses the ink became more fluid, and I decided to use the pen more.  It was very comfortable in my hand.  At stores I kept having clerks try to "borrow" my pen.  I had to be careful to remember to get them back.  I will probably buy this pen again, but not 100% sure.

Red Rose Real Tea Premium Water Enhancers   
I don't drink anything but herbal tea, so this was given away to my neighbor.  She really liked this product because it had decent ingredients.  So if you need water enhancers for your water, and like tea, this would be a good product to check out.

Playtex Sport Fresh Balance
I will be honest, I am not thrilled about doing a blog post regarding feminine hygiene products.  However, this deserves to be talked about.  I have tried Playtex Sport Tampons in the past and HATED them.  They weren't comfortable at all.  I expected the same from the fresh balance.  I was surprised that they were quite different.  The packaging has changed significantly since I last tried Playtex Sport.  It seems more ergonomic, and softer packaging.  It is much more comfortable now then it used to be.  It had great coverage.  The only downside is that I don't normally use scented products.  The ones I got were scented, so I will just buy the unscented from now on.  I have already bought another box of these.  I highly recommend them!