June 2013 Ipsy Bag

The other day I was reading a post from my coral-loving Belgian friend Sunny at Mostly Sunny about the Deauty beauty subscription box, and I left her a comment about my great experience with Ipsy.  She inspired me to finally get off my duff and post about Ipsy here on my blog!  It's not the most well-known subscription service, but to me it's one of the best and I think y'all need to know about it!  :)

Ipsy is a beauty subscription service that allows you to narrow down your preferences (so if you don't want perfume samples, you can specify that!) and ensures a bag that's more personalized to your likes.  It costs $10.00 USD and you are auto-billed every month.  You can cancel the subscription at any time if you aren't in love with the service.

Each month you get an email from Ipsy heralding the shipment of your goodies.  You get 5 beauty products, and at least 2 of them are full-sized which is AMAZEBALLS.  To me, tiny foil packets filled a gerbil's share of serum or shampoo are a bit disappointing.  There's not enough product inside to even get a real idea of what the product could do for you.  Ipsy really seems to get that, and they reward your $10.00 investment with curated goodies in sizes large enough to give you a true feel for the products.  You also receive a card detailing the month's theme with coupons on the back should you like a product enough to want to purchase other items from the brand through Ipsy's website.

Another thing that utterly thrills me is that every month your beauty loot comes tucked neatly inside a cute cosmetics bag!  I love little pouches and bags, so this is a big plus for me.  The theme for June is "On the wild side" and the bag is leopard print with a neon yellow zipper.  I have definitely used the bags to keep my compact and lippies safe and snug instead of surfing around loose in my purse.

In the bag this month...

CAILYN Line Fix Gel Liner in Iron, a gorgeous metallic pewter shade.  Look at that swatch!  I am not even a gel liner girl, but this may make me a convert.  The full-sized liner comes with the brush in the cap and applied smooth and opaque.  It is definitely long-wearing as I had trouble removing it from my arm after swatching it!  This stuff stays put!

Chella Ivory Lace Highlighter Pencil, $18.00, is a creamy highlighter that can be used on the brow bone and any other area of the face you want to bring light to.  I really like this pencil!  It's similar to Benefit's Eye Bright, only the Chella pencil is less blue-toned.  I've used it on my brow bones, inner corners, the bridge of my nose and cupid's bow to bring a touch of light.  If you are a countering diva, you'll appreciate what this pencil can do!  I have used this a lot since I got it, and the only negative is I've noticed it fades after about 6 hours.  Do keep in mind that my skin's on the oily side these days and it's been very hot and humid here in Atlanta.  I've yet to really find a lot of makeup that truly stands up to this level of humidity combined with my skin's propensity to produce excess oil in the summer.  If your skin or climate is drier, you'll probably get longer wear from this puppy.

NYX Tickled Rouge Cream Blush, $6.00, is *SO* pretty.  It's a peachy-pinky beauty that begs to be worn with your favorite pair of jeans and flip flops while you crack open a Summer Shandy on a patio.  The golden shimmer is just enough to give you a dewy glow without making you look like you're going to a rave in 1999.  On my skin, which is usually on the verge of an NW20 light-medium with pink undertones but is now somewhere in the realm of actual MEDIUM {whoa} thanks to some time at the beach {I wore SPF 80 and reapplied with the dedication of Danny Tanner planning a grocery list!} and continued applications of Beautisol, this blush makes me look like I've spent the afternoon sunning myself without a care in the world.  And it's full-sized!  Love! 

Starlooks Lip Pencil, $12.00, is a full-sized pinky-brown lip pencil that glides on with the greatest of ease and stays where you draw it.  This is a great liner to give your lips that Bobbi Brown "No Makeup" makeup effect of just looking naturally boss.

J-Cat Volta Sparkling Cream Palette, $4.49, is a full-sized glitter gel palette for face and body.  It says to use caution if applied around the eye area.  I didn't really love this because I'm a 33 year old woman who works in a fairly conservative industry.  I just don't get many opportunities to wear body glitter these days, ya know?!  I do think the blackened teal (2nd from left) is really fun!

It would cost you $61.49 to buy all of this stuff separately.  Factoring in shipping costs and the handy dandy little cosmetics bag, this is an incredible value for $10.00!

My Rating: A

Where to Buy: Ipsy