Ipsy Review -- September 2014

Ipsy is a monthly beauty and makeup subscription. For $10 a month (free shipping in the US, $4.95 to Canada), you receive 4-5 deluxe samples or full-sized products, plus a makeup bag. There are several combinations of products sent out each month, so my review is just one sampling of what was received.

Crown Brush Infinity Shadow and Crease Duet Brush

$17.50 (currently on sale for $6.99) / Full size

I am late to the make up brush party, but I really do love them! I currently use a teensie tiny crease brush that came with my current eyeshadow and a blush brush as an eyeshadow blender brush. All of that to say, this brush is PERFECT. Now I have one brush that does both of those things. The bristles are very soft and overall, the brush quality feels great. I'm very excited to have received this brush!

Please forgive the horrible quality of all of my
pictures in this post. I was in a rush. 

Pacifica Natural Waterproof Eye Pencil

2.87 / .026 oz

From the sneak peaks (Ipsy reveals pictures at the beginning of each month showing the products you may receive), everyone was going to receive either this eye pencil or nail polish by Pacifica. I so wish I would've received the polish, but oh well. I got the liner in the color gun metal, which is a metallic silver. I'm a bit nervous about this one; I haven't worn silver eyeliner since middle school. I'm going to post it on my edivv site and see if anyone is interested. If it stays there a while, I'll take the plastic wrap off and try it. 

Nourish Organic Moisturizing Cream Face Cleanser

$2.33 / 1 oz

I've recently become more aware of chemicals I use, both in household products, but also in products I put on my skin. Therefore, I really appreciate getting items that are chemical free like this face cleanser. I recently bought Norwex makeup removing cloths (magical cloths that clean with just water -- no chemicals or soap!), so I've been washing my face with those in the evenings, but I wanted to give this product a fair shot, so I've been using it in the shower. I really love it. It's technically fragrance free, but it does have a tiny hint of a smell. I've read complaints about it, but it doesn't bother me. It spreads on my face smoothly (requiring VERY little product) and makes my skin feel clean and soft afterward. This is a product I may look into actually purchasing once my sample is gone.

Cailyn Art Touch Tinted Lip Gloss

$19.00 / .14 oz (full size!)

Ipsy has quickly learned that I enjoy lip glosses. The color is much darker than the picture shows, which makes it a bit intimidating for me, but because it's a gloss (instead of a lipstick), it still works for me. I like lip colors in the red family more so than pinks, so that's a positive. I'll use it on occasion, but it's a large container (guess how they justify charging $19!!!), so it will take me a long time to get through this.

Mitchell and Peach Luxury Hand Cream

$13.77 / 1.1 oz

This brand is sold in England, so converting the cost was a tad more complicated than usual. I think it's worth mentioning that this sample is half the size of the full size product -- pretty generous for a sample. When I first opened my ipsy bag, this product is what I immediately smelled and it's not my favorite. I would describe it as a "grandmother smell." The formula however is amazing. It goes on very smoothly and does not leave any greasy feeling at all! I guess that's why it's called luxury. Because I don't like the smell, I'll likely only use it at night or if I'm staying in for the day. Nice product though.

The Bag

I have a love/hate relationship with this month's bag. I love, and I mean LOVE, the texture and smoothness of the bag. I do not, however, like the look of it. If it was just the silver without the studs, I would adore it, but the studs are so.not.me. From other reviews, it appears many are head over heels for this bag, so I may put it up on my edivv site and see if I have any takers.

Overall: The value of my bag totaled $55.47 (or $44.96 if you use the sale price for the brush) + the bag! This is a GREAT value this month, since I only pay $10 per bag. I like the range of products I received: two makeup items, brush, cleanser, and lotion. I got two full size items and the other three were generous samples. This month was a hit for me. Great job Ipsy!

(Disclosure: Some links may be referral links, meaning if you use them, I receive reward points toward free products. All opinions are my own, and I received zero incentive to write favorable reviews.)