Ipsy April 2015 Review

Ipsy April 2015

Festival season is in full swing right now, and Ipsy is all over it this month with its Beautifully Bohemian theme. The bag is a woven straw pouch and might be my favorite to date. Each month, Ipsy subscribers receive a makeup bag with 4-5 deluxe samples and full-sized beauty products for only $10.

Before I jump into what I got in my April bag, I just wanted to touch on what you’ve missed the past couple of months since I’ve been gone. Like my Birchboxes from the previous two months, I won’t be reviewing my Ipsy bags from February and March. However, I went through the trouble to snap and crop pictures of them, so I may as well show them. Out of the two, the product that stood out most for me was the Mitchell and Peach Fine Radiance Face Oil. I didn’t even touch it for a month, but when I finally did, I loved how well it absorbed into my skin and how soft and smooth it made it feel. It is extremely lightweight and adds just that little bit of extra moisture I need to keep my makeup on top looking flawless, which is perfect for transitioning from winter to spring.

Ipsy February 2015

Ipsy March 2015

On to April-

Aromachology Sophisticated & Sensual Floral Eau de Parfum 0.17 oz, $20.11 value

I’m a fragrance junkie. My bathroom has an oversized medicine cabinet and 3/4 of it is full of perfume. Let’s not even talk about that box in my closet full of samples I haven’t even had the chance to sift through yet. In short, I am pretty much always happy to get some kind of fragrance with my subscriptions, especially if it’s coming from a brand I’ve never tried. Aromachology Sophisticated & Sensual Floral Eau de Parfum is a very clean, floral scent, with a splash of grapefruit. Lots of grapefruit. I really do love citrusy scents, but this one is a little over the top. Just a tiny dot from this rollerball makes me feel like I’ve dumped an entire bottle of perfume over my head, resulting in a trip to Headache City. I like the way it smells and it works well with my body chemistry, but boy is it overwhelming. 0.17 oz, $20.11 value

Hey Honey Good Morning Honey Silk Facial Serum 0.34 oz, $8.71 value

I’ll be totally honest-about 99% of the time when I’m sent something like a facial serum or fancy eye cream, I roll my eyes and expect for it to end up lost underneath my bathroom cabinet in less than a week for the rest of eternity. The majority of the things I’ve tried haven’t lived up to their outrageous claims, why would this one? This is one of those times I wish I had taken a before picture of the state of my skin when I began using it a week ago. Since I’ve started using a different cleanser, the redness and irritation on my face has improved quite a bit over the past few months, but not completely. I’ve been pretty happy with the transformation, but there is always room for more improvement. The Hey Honey Good Morning Honey Silk Facial Serum looks like some bubbly, feel-good tube of snake oil, but it means business. Since I like to break rules, I put it on under my night time moisturizer (the instructions say you can, but the “Good Morning” part just makes it confusing for everyone). The first thing I took note of was how well this stuff absorbed into my skin. It’s lightweight and non-greasy, and adds a refreshing amount of moisture to dry or tired skin. The next morning, I felt like a golden goddess. My complexion was so bright and even. I chalked it up to a good night’s sleep and moved on with my day.

Skin after one week using Hey Honey Good Morning Honey Silk Facial Serum

A week after using it morning and night, I can’t even believe this is my face. Am I 12 again? Because my skin has practically gone back to its original state before hormones came in and ruined everything. The less serious red patches from old acne and sun damage around my jawline and my cheeks have almost completely disappeared. The more severe areas around my nose and on my chin from acne, sun damage, pregnancy, and general sensitivity have faded dramatically. Overall, my skin looks incredibly youthful. The tone is more even, it’s smoother, it’s firmer, my pores are less noticeable, and I pretty much look like I’m glowing from within. Magic. To top it all off, I have not had one single acne breakout since I’ve been using it and it works great underneath my makeup. At roughly $26/oz, I still want to be skeptical and find something wrong with it, but I haven’t yet. 0.34 oz, $8.71 value

JulieG Nail Color in Damsel Full Size, $3.99 value

I really had to force myself to sit down and paint my nails with the JulieG Nail Color in Damsel because muted, cool-toned, hot pinks just aren’t my thing. I was surprised by how much I ended up liking it, though. It’s more of a magenta than it looks in the bottle, which is just bold enough for my taste. It dries very quickly and has held up very well after a few days of wear. Full Size, $3.99 value

theBalm Cosmetics NUDE Dude Eyeshadow Single in Fit 0.035 oz, $3.75 value

Ipsy, can we have a talk about the eye shadows you keep sending me?

Pacifica Natural Mineral Coconut Eye Shadow Swatch in Treasure

CAILYN Cosmetics Just Mineral Eye Polish Swatch in Orchid

theBalm Cosmetics NUDE Dude Eyeshadow Single Swatch in Fit

I mean, you see a pattern here, right? When my Ipsy profile is as adventurous as it gets and you have the option to send me shimmery brown or shimmery plum, you send the plum. Okay? I have enough Naked palettes, thanks.

Anyway. theBalm Cosmetics NUDE Dude Eyeshadow Single in Fit is a shimmery tan with a touch of copper. I really hated this at first because I had a hard time getting it to stick and there was lots of fallout. After attempting to wear it a few times, I found that once I got past the gritty surface of the shadow, a gorgeous, buttery formula resided beneath. It’s smooth and blends out very nicely, and I have no problems getting it to stick.

theBalm Cosmetics NUDE Dude Eyeshadow Single in Fit 0.035 oz, $3.75 value

As usual, the packaging is adorable. If I didn’t already have so many neutral palettes, I would definitely consider getting this one. 0.035 oz, $3.75 value

Starlooks Satin Finish Lip Gloss in Cuddle

I don’t have much to say about the Starlooks Satin Finish Lip Gloss in Cuddle because it looks almost exactly like the one I got in my October bag and I’m just not that excited about it.

Starlooks Satin Finish Lip Gloss Swatch in Cuddle

Cuddle is a sheer peach with a golden shimmer. It’s a little sticky, but not too bad. For me, I just really feel there is not enough color here to keep my lips from getting lost in the rest of my face since they are so pale to begin with. Once again, there is confusion between Ipsy, Starlooks, and the rest of the internet about what size this is and how much it’s worth. $4.00ish

Here’s how the lipgloss and eye shadow look:

Ipsy April 2015 on Face

Total bag value is around a whopping $40.56. At first sight, I honestly wasn’t too into the products in this bag, but they ended up being a nice little surprise. Keep it up, Ipsy.

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