IPSY June and July Box Reviews

June 2013 IPSY Subscription Box

June 2013 IPSY Subscription Contents:  {This month's total full size retail value: $43.49}

Starlooks Lip Pencil in Tipsy- Full Size $12.00 included  I've never used anything by Starlooks, but I've heard a lot about them.  The color is a very bright coral color, and it's super pigmented.  The formula glides on nicely without tugging or skipping.  It's not waxy at all, which I love.

NYX Cream Blush in Boho Chic- Full Size $6.00 included  I'm not a big fan of the texture of this as a cream blush.  It's a little too greasy and emollient for me.  It leaves a lot of shine on the skin.  The color is able to be applied in sheer layers, but it feels heavy on my skin when I build it up to the pigmentation I prefer.  I'll either use this as a lip tint or just give it to someone, since I just swatched it.  I'm disappointed, because I usually love the NYX products, and their powder blushes are so great for the price!

J. Cat Beauty Sparkling Cream Palette in Suzie- Full Size $4.49 included  This was an epic fail in my mind.  The quality of the packaging in combination with the gritty cheap cream "shadow" itself reminds me of something I would find in a Barbie makeup kit for a six year old.  I don't want to even try it on my face.  I swatched some on the back of my hand, and all that I was left with was a greasy spot with glitter that rubbed off almost immediately.  The glitter colors are very pretty, and this might be useable for a Halloween look in a few months.  Overall, I wasn't happy at all with this product.

Cailyn Line-Fix Gel Eyeliner in Iron- Full Size $21.00 included  Another full size product, but not another product I'm looking forward to using.  I don't really like grey eyeliner on myself, but it's not a bad thing to have in my makeup kit.  The brush that comes with it is too thick to get a thin precise line, so I have to use another brush.  The formula looks a bit dry, but the pigmentation seems decent. I'll use it for a photoshoot as a shadow base for a smokey look and see if I like it any better.  Right now I'm neutral on it.  Not hating it, but not loving it either.

Psssst! Dry Shampoo- Full Size $6.99 for 5.3 oz, Sample Size $2.99 for 1.7 oz I keep this in my hair kit for my boudoir and headshot clients, and it's an amazing dry shampoo.  It doesn't have a heavy scent, and it works quickly to reduce shine from excess oil and add a boost of volume to roots.  Sometimes I'll use it on my clean hair at the roots to give them a bit of texture before I do a topknot.  It also adds a bit of grip to my fine locks.  And since it's a travel size, it's perfect for my vacation bag!  Yay!  Another item added without having to hit the travel section at Target!

Leopard Print Cosmetic Bag


This month's box:  Hit or Miss?   Big Hit For Value, although the cream palette was a major bust in my opinion, and I'm not a fan of the cream blush.  Major bonus points for almost everything being full size though!

July 2013 IPSY Subscription Box

July 2013 IPSY Subscription Contents: { This month's total full size retail value: $0.00!}

Pop Beauty Pouty Pop Crayon in Coral Crush- Full Size $25/6 crayons, Sample Size $4.17/1 crayon  Even though it's part of a set of six crayons, the one in the bag itself is a full size lip crayon.  The color is called Coral Crush, although against my skin tone it comes off a little more on the pink side, like a fun watermelon color.  It's very pigmented and emollient, and there's a faint peppermint scent to it.  When you apply it there is a very slight cooling sensation.  Pop Beauty is a brand I've wanted to test out for a while, so I'm hoping that they show up more often in my IPSY boxes.  *Fingers crossed for a nail polish soon!*

BH Cosmetics California Collection Eyeshadow Sample- Full Size $7/16 eyeshadows plus 4 blushes, Sample Size $1.05/3 eyeshadows  These are three beautiful colors!  I love how pigmented they are, and the formula is very silky for such an inexpensive brand.  They coordinate really nicely together, and I think I'll do a sultry royal purple and gold look for my anniversary date in just 13 short days!  Eeek!

Sexy Hair Soy Renewal Beach Spray- Full Size $19.95/5.1 oz, Sample Size $6.65/1.7 oz  Every year we spend our anniversary in Florida, but this year we won't be leaving until a few days after to head down.  Along with my sultry eye look, I'll be channeling my inner Victoria's Secret model with some sexy beachy waves instead!  Another item I keep in my hair kit, I'll happily be replacing my current bottle when it runs out with this.  It's like IPSY has seen into my hair kit and knows just how to keep me happy!

Coola Mineral Face SPF 20 Moisturizer- Full Size $36/1.7 oz, Sample Size $4.87/.23 oz  I think everyone is going for some type of sunscreens in their subscription boxes lately, so this is just another one that I'll be adding to my stash.  At least I don't have to go shopping for much!  The formula is nice and thin and absorbs quickly into the skin with no greasy residue.  It starts off white, and despite containing titanium dioxide, it doesn't look chalky on the skin.  There is no scent added, but you can smell a bit of the natural ingredients, so it's not an unpleasant 'sunscreen' odor.  The main ingredient is safflower seed oil, so it's got some good hydrating properties without being heavy.  I think it's a bit overpriced for a sunscreen, but it's decent for a higher end moisturizer.  I think it needs to pick one direction and focus.  If it wants to be a sunscreen, it needs to be a better price point.  If it wants to be a moisturizer, it needs to "do" more for the skin than just hydrate with some sun protection.  (Never mind that I'm talking about the product like it's got a brain or something... but you get what I'm saying... right?)

Derma E Microdermabrasion Scrub- Full Size $32.50/2 oz, Sample Size $16.25/1 oz  What a generous sample!  I've never heard of the brand before, but their generosity and the overall scent of the product has already started to win me over.  The product has a nice sweet lemony scent, like fresh baked lemon squares.  The texture is gritty, like a scrub should be, but it's not overly harsh.  I wish it came with the ingredients listed, but IPSY provides all that information in my Glam Room online so it's not too big of a deal.  It contains a nice blend of natural plant oils like sweet almond and sweet orange and jojoba, along with brightening benefits of lemon peel oil and exfoliants like volcanic ash and dead sea salt.  There's also a bit of kaolin clay, so it should be good at not only removing dead skin from blocking pores but helping to draw some of the impurities out at the same time.  I'm in the process of testing out a different exfoliating scrub on my face right now, so a more in depth review of this will have a to wait a bit.

Clear Pink Cosmetic Bag



This month's box:  Hit or Miss?  Big Hit for great products.  The total value of the bag was $32.99, although none of the products this month were full size on their own.  They were either full size pieces of a collection, or a generous sample size of the product.  I'm excited to use almost every single product in this month's box, so this is definitely a huge winner in my book despite not technically having any "full" size products included.


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