Ipsy May 2014 Review

I wasn’t looking forward to May’s Ipsy bag as much as the past few. I have been getting lots of really fun makeup products, so I’ve been spoiled. Each month, Ipsy subscribers receive a makeup bag with 4-5 deluxe samples and full sized beauty products for only $10.

Ipsy May 2014

Ipsy May 2014

The canvas bag is REALLY cute, but as I’ve said before, I hate things that say things. This one has “Ipsy” printed all over the leaves. It’s not obscene, though, and it’s actually cuter than all of the others I’ve received so far. It definitely suits my style, so I’m sure it won’t get stashed away in the back of my bathroom cabinet like some of the others.

Hang Ten Classic Sport SPF50

Hang Ten Classic Sport SPF50

Okay, this is sunscreen, but I kind of liked the idea of being able to carry a mini sunscreen in my purse. Especially with summer coming up. It’s not greasy at all, but it still feels kind of heavy like most sunscreens tend to do. I would never put this on my face. The scent is a very subtle typical sunscreen smell mixed with rotten bananas. Seriously, I hate it. 1 oz, $2.17 value.

Nailtini Straight Up Color Nail Lacquer in Champagne

Nailtini Straight Up Color Nail Lacquer in Champagne

I rolled my eyes when I pulled this out of my bag. ANOTHER champagne color. Boring. I already have way too many. Nailtini Straight Up Color Nail Lacquer in Champagne is something really, really special, though. I wanted to hate this over and over again, but I finally gave in and fell in love. It takes a million years to dry. Drying time is something that is extremely important to me when it comes to nail polish because I don’t have time to sit around and wait for paint to dry. After two coats, I waited…and waited. When it was finally dry, I walked into my kitchen where there was more light to take a look. IT WAS GORGEOUS! It’s a pale pink with a very subtle silver and gold shimmer. My picture does not even do it justice. As an added bonus, the durability is pretty incredible. My nails actually started growing out before the polish even started chipping. I love this brand so far. Can’t wait to try more! Full size 0.5 oz, $13.00 value.

Crown Brush Pro Blending Fluff Brush

Crown Brush Pro Blending Fluff Brush

I was so excited to finally get a new brush to try in my bag this month. The Crown Brush Pro Blending Fluff Brush looks a lot like my MAC 217 Blending Brush. The bristles on this one are a tad bit shorter, which I prefer because it’s easier for me to blend deep into my crease. It picks up a lot of shadow, making the pigmentation better, but at the cost of having a ton of fallout. It also feels scratchy and rough on my eyelids. I am mixed about this brush. I love the fact that it makes blending easier on me, but it will have to be used as a blending brush only because applying eye shadow with it makes a huge mess. $5.49 value.

Pur~lisse pur~moist hydra-balance moisturizer

Pur~lisse pur~moist hydra-balance moisturizer

I am always wary about trying out new moisturizers because I have sensitive skin. This Pur~lisse pur~moist hydra-balance moisturizer felt like a splash of cool water. It has almost no scent whatsoever and feels very light on my skin. It goes well under my makeup and doesn’t cause any extra oiliness. It is very pricey, but a little bit goes a long way. 0.5 oz, $16.18 value.

Pacifica Mineral Eyeshadow Duo in Moonbeam & Unicorn

Pacifica Mineral Eyeshadow Duo in Moonbeam & Unicorn

This Pacifica Mineral Eyeshadow Duo in Moonbeam & Unicorn was bad news right out of the bag. As soon as I opened it, the lid popped off. I snapped it back on, but it’s still poor packaging.

Pacifica Mineral Eyeshadow Duo in Moonbeam & Unicorn

Pacifica Mineral Eyeshadow Duo in Moonbeam & Unicorn

The colors are a shimmery dark purple and a shimmery white with gold sparkle.

Pacifica Mineral Eyeshadow Duo in Moonbeam & Unicorn

Pacifica Mineral Eyeshadow Duo in Moonbeam & Unicorn

The pigmentation on this is awful. I had to layer and layer to get them to look like much of anything. The purple goes on relatively smooth and is blendable. The white is incredibly flaky and has lots of glittery fallout. It is barely blendable and ended up looking very cakey. It has been a very long time since I used an eye shadow with such poor quality. I have heard lots of good things about the Pacifica brand, but with this being my first product to try, I am not impressed. 0.07 oz, $3.92 value.

Total bag value is $40.76. I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised by this bag. I was not expecting to really love any of it, but man, that nail polish.

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Jae Burkett

  • Elizabeth Riley Chiechi

    I got a CAN OF WATER in mine. Seriously. It’s WATER in an aerosol can. I think I’d have to be flying first class on some fancy-pants airline on my way to San Tropez to use it. Who pays money for a can of WATER?

    However, I also got the Too Faced Chocolate Soleil matte bronzer. It smells like chocolate, and if a little of the dust gets in my mouth (IT HAPPENS! Sometimes A LOT) it tastes like the fine dusting atop a delicious Tiramisu. Now that I sound like I belong on one of those shows where people eat crayons and emery boards, I’ll give the more important info:

    It’s medium/deep, and you know how white I am, but it’s perfect for contouring (or my clumsy attempts at it). I haven’t been able to find an affordable product that works this way, save for the orangey, shimmery, glittery, shmeary crap that most bronzers boast. Pretty good stuff.

    What’s up with the Pacifica shadow? Why even put something like that on the market? I have a slightly different duo that works decently when I use it with my homemade primer/mixing medium (seriously the same stuff as this: http://www.stilacosmetics.com/product/stay+all+day+liquid+eye+primer.do?sortby=ourPicks) made of 1 part vegetable glycerin to 4 parts water, but it’s not great anyway. I’m much happier with a lot of other products, some of which are made by such prestigious brands as Wet N Wild.

    Sorry for the novella.

    • Haha, I read about that on a few other blogs. They could have at least thrown some rose oil or something in it to make it seem like they tried.

      I got a sample of that bronzer back when I ordered some Too Faced stuff. I need to read a bronzing/contouring instructional manual or something, because it always looks like I just smeared dirt on my face. I JUST DON’T UNDERSTAND. Your comment inspired me to give it another shot today. I went super easy on it and it didn’t look bad, but I still have no idea what I’m doing.

      The Pacifia shadow was awful. I have a sample of Lorac eye shadow primer I’ve been using for a few months that I’ve been pretty happy with, but not even that could save this stuff. I just don’t even know why they bothered putting it out there.

  • Elizabeth Riley Chiechi

    I do really like that nail polish, btw. kthxbye.

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