Ipsy January 19 Reasons Glam Bag!

There were so many options for this glam bag! Normally when I look at all of the items that could have come in the glam bag there are 8 maybe 9 other options, this month had a whopping 15 other items! Almost everything sounded fun to me so anything would have made me happy. I feel like the amount of options is why there was a bit more complaining then usual going around.
This certainly wasn't one of my favorite glam bags but it wasn't awful either, I'm not sure I've ever had a totally awful glam bag though. I mostly had an issue with the scents associated with the products and bag itself.  Even when I don't love a product in the Ipsy Glam Bag I'm still excited at the fact that I was able to try it for $10 rather then buy it at it's regular price and be disappointed. I think that's something a lot of people need to remember. It's a $10 bag. Most of the time the empty bag itself is worth close to $10. I always get a full sized product (or near full size) that is over $10. Even if you don't like it, you at least got to try it without paying $30 for a lip balm that melts all over your face, or $25 for a concealer that looks like you caked frosting under your eyes. In the end it's all elective. No one is forcing anyone to continue to subscribe to Ipsy. There are so many other monthly beauty sample boxes out there for less then $20 a month, in fact I know of several that are $10 just like Ipsy. Lets just keep everything in perspective. Even when I state that I don't like a product, it just means that I won't be buying it in the future, in no way does that reflect any unhappiness with the Ipsy Glam Bag service.

This glam bag was the first one that I wasn't happy with the actual bag. I thought it looked adorable in the photos but was disappointed seeing it in person. Or rather the scent disappointed me. It stinks. I mean not just a plastic smell that you only smell when you press your face to it, I mean it stinks really bad like melted plastic and something else that reminds me of car exhaust. I'm a firm believer that scent can make or break a product. I've had several really lovely high end beauty products that smell awful and I've thrown them away and refused to purchase them again. The scent overruled any awesomeness. The stench broke the bag for me. Aside from that it is cute, with light blue cosmetic containers on a medium blue background. The fabric itself is really thick and sturdy, and all of it is accented by a very cute light blue zipper and pull.

Inside I found this lovely little collection of items...

The package is actually green, but apparently in photos it turns neon yellow.

 

Absolute! Make up cleansing tissues with pomegranate extract $2.49/10ct $4.99/33ct $7.99/60ct 
You can find this HERE.
I'm not a huge fan of purchasing make up wipes because I don't totally understand them. I like the convenience of them for removing stray bits of make up that didn't wash off, but in the end a small piece of toilet paper works just as well. I can not think of any situation where I'd be wearing make up and have absolutely no access to soap and water to wash it from my face, giving me a complete and total need for make up wipes. These were lovely aside from the ungodly strong pomegranate scent that assaulted me as I used them. Even underneath, I can see how it would be an incredibly wonderful scent on a make up removing wipe, it would be really pleasing if it weren't so strongly scented. The smell clung to my skin for a good 30 minutes afterwards as well, which again would have been totally fine if it hadn't been SO strong. All of that being said, Absolute! make up cleansing tissues are probably one of the best ones at removing make up that I've come across. I put foundation and powder on my hand, lipstick, eyebrow pencil, cream blush, UD 24/7 liner, a liquid liner, and a tinted lip balm on there as well. One swipe with the Absolute wipes and it was gone. I certainly can't say that they don't do their job freakishly well!

From top to bottom, foundation with powder, lip crayon, eyebrow pencil, mascara, cream blush, 24/7 liner, liquid liner, tinted lip balm. This is all with a single swipe of the make up wipes.

In the end, if you can get over the smell, with the way that they work, and if you're really into make up removing wipes then these are totally worth the money! Even my liquid make up remover has a hard time taking off my liquid liner sometimes, this cut through it like it was nothing. I was super impressed!

The top is just slathered on but right below it with the shininess is where I blended it in a bit. You can see that it sort of covers up my freckles.

Yaby Natural Finish Liquid Foundation Oil Free in Buff  $13.55-$13.99 15.40g
You can find this HERE at the Yaby website or HERE on the website Ipsy recommends.
I'm a HUGE Yaby fan. Their concealer? Best ever! So I was super excited to try their liquid foundation. Buff seemed pretty light for me, but it blended in really nicely. Although, oddly enough, it was too light when I used my concealer with it. I remedied this by adding a bit of my normal foundation which worked nicely. The liquid itself is thick enough to stay put until you blend it in but thin enough to be easily squeezed out of the tube. I used this first without concealer and then with, I noticed both times that it's a little more sheer then I'm used to, I'd put it more in the light coverage category, while I'm a little more accustomed to a medium coverage. But it is extremely light weight, it literally feels like you're wearing nothing at all. It didn't cake in the slightest or fade away (without setting it with powder I might add) in my 8 hours of wear. Overall this was lovely, I will definitely be using this for the summer time when even a medium coverage foundation makes me feel like I'm wearing a mask.

It looks much more rosey in the photo then it actually was, however, it wasn't as nude as it looks in the container either. Somewhere in between the photos with a more blue undertone.

Mica Beauty Tinted Lip Balm in #5 Natural  $30
You can find this HERE.
Sadly, my tinted lip balm container came to me all cracked. I was reluctant to use it at all because of that, I'm a little freakish about germs getting into my make up and this was cracked all the way through. However, my mom convinced me to try it at least once. I'm pretty sure the word chicken was thrown around with a fair amount of clucking.

So sad.

I was not impressed. The color is awful on me, it gave my lips a slightly blueish tint, it made me look like I was a recovering drowning victim. Now I'm not sure if that's because of the natural color of my lips mixing with this or what but it defiantly has a blue undertone to it. The color itself is a neutral rose hue. I wore this for about 15 minutes and then checked it in the mirror, to my horror it had melted and was now underneath my lips as well. I put on a very thin coating of this and it ran outside my lips. This was a completely new experience for me. This has to have some sort of coconut product in it because all I can smell on it is slightly spoiled coconut milk. It's not good, but it's not completely awful either. I smells just like when I use coconut milk in my hair and let it heat up in the shower. Overall, I would NOT pay $30 for this, the melting alone is enough to put me off but the price is pretty high for a tinted lip balm. I'm a big fan of the Mica loose eyeshadow we received a few glam bags back so I was expecting really good things from the lip balm. I was so disappointed.

Nourish Organic Face Lotion Argan + Rosewater  $21.99 1.7oz
You can find this HERE.
I loved this! From it's slightly citrusy scent to the way it absorbed into my skin completely in less then 20 seconds. My skin instantly felt super soft and smooth. Now my skin is on the normal/dry side so I'm unsure how this would be on oily skin. This says that it provides moisture throughout the day, however I hate using moisturizer on my face underneath my make up. It always messes with it or makes it feel super thick. I did use this underneath the Yaby foundation though, and was pleasantly surprised that it didn't feel thick or make my skin oily and ruin my make up. It has Moroccan Argan Oil, Rosewater (to even out skin tone), and Shea Butter.  It's also fragrance free and alcohol free for those of us with skin on the sensitive side, as well as gluten free and vegan. I'm unsure the benefits of being gluten free if you aren't going to consume this, but I'm sure it's important to someone.
Overall, this was like magic on my skin! I have never felt immediate results that lasted as long as I used the product. However, as soon as I stopped using this for a day, my skin went back to how it was before. I was a little disappointed that this didn't provide lasting results, but I've only been using it for a week. It's possible that the longer I use it the longer the improvements last. That wouldn't detour me from purchasing this though.

Costal Scents Small Foundation Brush  $4.95
I think this is the Classic Small Foundation Brush. Of course my packaging didn't say, my brush only has numbers on it, and the website doesn't categorize them by the numbers, so it's all a guessing game I suppose. You can find it HERE.
I don't use a brush for my foundation, I've attempted many times to put my foundation on with a brush only to be left with strange streaky skin. I always end up blending it with my fingers anyway, which makes using the brush pointless. Apparently I am incapable of mastering the art of the foundation brush. I have found this useful for applying my contour and then blending it out with a fluffy brush though, so it wasn't totally wasted on me. I'm kind of a brush whore anyway so I'm always excited to get brushes. If I can't use one I save it for a Halloween make up brush where it will always have a use.
This one is soft on my skin but stiff enough to hold it shape. It picks up and holds color easily. The handle is pretty thick and super sturdy. It isn't as long as my other brushes but it isn't as short as a travel sized brush either. Overall, it is a lovely brush that has several uses.

As usual, if you would like to receive your very own Ipsy Glam Bag you can sign up HERE! It is $10 a month and each monthly glam bag has a theme of it's very own, right down to the mini make up pouch. You also take a beauty quiz when you sign up to help personalize your glam bag. To personalize it more you can review the items you get in each glam bag, stating if you like the color, item, or brand, or if you hate it completely.  

Enjoy!

*Ipsy Glam Bag is a monthly beauty sample bag that I paid for with my very own money. I do not get paid to give good reviews*