Ipsy: April 2016 Glam Bag Unboxing

April was a very good Ipsy month, with plenty of lovely, usable products and a beautiful watercolor zipped bag. Note that I forgot to include the blusher brush they gave me in the above image.

Pur~lisse Blue Lotus plus White Tea Sheet and Blue Lotus plus Seaweed Masks 

I tried one and gave the other to a friend, and while it wasn't the most amazing mask I've ever used, it was hydrating and comfortable to wear. I wasn't too impressed with the ingredients list (which features mainly glycerin with some fairly cheap herbal extracts) so would rather stick to my The Face Shop masks from Koreatown.

Swatches from left to right: Starlooks eyeliner, Trust Fund Beauty Highlighter, Tarte Lipsurgence in Wonder

Tarte LipSurgence lip creme in Wonder

This was probably my favorite item of the whole bag. I love how pigmented the Tarte Lipsurgence products are, and also needed a bright red (see swatch from earlier). It's a gorgeous color that applies easily and with a slightly minty taste and feel.

Trust Fund Beauty That Glo Tho Face Highlighter



This is a total wannabe copy of Benefit's Watts Up (which I also own), and unfortunately isn't nearly as good as the latter. It's disappointing as I love the packaging, which looks high-end and features a beautiful design on the outer box. Seriously, this product barely shows up when you apply it (just look at the swatch above, which took several coats to get), and what does show up are chunky pieces of glitter. It's ok, and at least usable, but I wouldn't go out and buy it.

Starlooks Luxe Longwear Eye Pencil in Jet

I love how smoothly this applies, but unfortunately it smudges like crazy (see how easily it smudges in swatch below) - even if I don't touch my eyes, it becomes a smudgy mess after a couple hours. Use this to get a smoked eye look, not for a sharp line. I stick to my Tarte eyeliner for that.

Crown Brush C427 Duo Fiber Blush Brush

Finally a brush from Ipsy that's actually soft and usable! This is one of those brushes with an uneven cut, meaning that there are fewer bristles up top so you won't be at risk of picking up too much product when you dab it on a pan. This makes it perfect for picking up and applying blusher. It's super soft, and I absolutely love it.

As mentioned, I was pretty impressed with all of my Ipsy picks for April, as for $10 it really can't be beat.

Ipsy: March 2016 Glam Bag Unboxing

March was a great month for me on Ipsy, as I wound up with a batch of good, useful products. 

Beau Gachis Eyeshadow Brush

This was the one dud in the bag. I needed an eyeshadow brush, but the bristles on this one were just so rough that they feel like they're scratching my lids, and thus makes it pretty much unusable. My recommendation for soft brushes are The Body Shop, and I'm still using that one.

Manna Kadar Eye Shadow in Fantasy

This is a beautiful shadow, and is absolutely perfect to sweep all over the lids. I mean, just look at the swatch above - so rich and shimmery and with a slight deep shade that's flattering for most skintones. 

NYX Liquid Suede Cream Lipstick in color 04, Soft-Spoken 



I've only used this a handful of times, but was surprised by how flattering this deep shade is (I normally go for brighter lip colors). True to NYX's reputation, this product is incredibly long-wearing, even after drinking and eating. The only thing is I prefer more natural ingredients in my lip products, and this definitely isn't it.

Pixi by Petra Beauty Blush Duo in Rose Gold

While the packaging for this is beautiful, the pigmentation is pretty weak and the texture is rather chalky. You can barely see the pink upon application (as above). It works well though for a subtle highlighter.

Marc Anthony Nourishing Argan Oil of Morocco 3 Day Smooth Perfect Blow Dry Cream
Heat protectants are always useful for me as I regularly blowdry and heat style my hair, so this was certainly a useful product addition at the very least. I can't say it works any better than any of the other heat products I've tried. It comes out a light white cream and has a subtle scent. Not bad

Overall, March was a solid Ipsy month and I was very happy with the products I received.