February Ipsy Review

Welcome friends! As someone who loves a good bargain, I’m shocked it took me so long to get into the sample box game. From Birch Box, to Ipsy to the Allure beauty box, the value these boxes carry is honestly insane, and I feel like I’m getting such a steal. This is the fourth Ipsy bag I’ve received and I’m excited to lay out all the details about these products!

 

Let’s start with the things I wasn’t totally psyched for. Unfortunately, the Pacifica beach crystals eyeshadow palette I received gets 0/5 stars. The colors just don’t inspire me to create a full look, which is something I look for in a palette. I think purples are so uniquely universal on everyone so I was disappointed they threw in a bronzey shade and a more golden shade. As if the colors weren’t disappointing enough, the blendability of these shadows is terrible. They are so sheer and glittery that there really isn’t much you can with them. I really tried to work with this palette, but even with multiple dips into colors, there was not much I could do. Without a transition shade, this small palette falls flat and I will most likely be throwing it away. I couldn’t find this product on their website, so I’m thinking it was a promotion product exclusively for Ipsy.

 

Another product that didn’t blow me away was the Mellow Cosmetics liquid lip paint in the shade Tehran. The color of this wasn’t too bad, but the formula just didn’t do it for me. It never completely dried down, and it felt so slippery on my lips. The application was extremely watery, and I had to really pay attention to what I was doing. (and even then it still didn’t look rockin). If you don’t mind products that don’t dry down, you might like this formula. Personally, I find it similar the Nyx soft matte lip crèmes. Nyx is half the price of the Mellow lip paint and comes in way more shades. The Mellow liquid lip retails for $14 on their website.

 

 

The next product is the Biobelle perfecting primer facial mask. I prefer masks at the end of the day, but I’m always eager to try something out of the norm for my routine. This mask smelled amazing, and gave my skin a ton of moisture but there were a few things that didn’t work for me. As you can see in my before and after pictures, I have pretty intense adult acne and rosacea. Because of this I typically mix a bit of green primer in with whatever other primer I’m using to counteract my redness. I wanted to give the mask a fair shot, so I didn’t use a color correcting primer. As a result, I had to use more foundation than usual, which I think really shows in the final pictures. That being said, the mask is very luxurious and if you don’t have problem skin I think you would really enjoy it! The instructions say to leave the mask on for five minutes, and even after that, you still have a ton of left over product that takes a while to settle into the skin. This definitely provides the moisture the mask promised, but it’s time consuming. If you’re anything like me, I am constantly rushing in the morning so this just isn’t practical for me, but I might use it on a slow weekend morning. This retails for $4.99 on the Biobelle website.

 

 

When I realized I was getting another eyeshadow brush for the third month in a row I was like… wtf… but I am really digging the Luxie 249 brush. It’s dual ended, with one side for blending, and one that’s a little more precise. The blending brush is excellent and effortlessly defines your crease. The defining side is PERFECT for adding color to the outer v of your lid. While it’s more for defining, it doesn’t pat on like most flat brushes and does a great job of applying product evenly. I also couldn’t find this product on Luxie’s website, but most of their single brushes for eyeshadow retail around $10.

The true hidden gem of this glam bag was the Marc Anthony grow long leave in conditioner. I got a Marc Anthony hair oil a few bags ago, and I’m really enjoying it. As a #curlygirl I rely pretty heavily on leave in conditioners to keep my curls defined, bouncy, and frizz free. Some leave in’s deliver moisture, but weigh down the hair, making my curls go from happy poodle to sad colonial wig. This product DID NOT do that. It delivered the perfect amount of moisture and also played really well with my curl mouse. I was left with weightless curls that looked and felt incredible. Marc Anthony has an entire grow long line, complete with shampoo, conditioner, and multiple treatments and products. In fact, I even placed an order for the full size of this leave in conditioner and the foam dry shampoo before I even sat down to review this. The absolute best part is the price point. It’s currently on sale on Ulta’s website for $5.99. Regularly it retails for $7.99.

 

This bag had some hits and some misses, but I can’t wait to see what I get next month! If this is something you want to see more of, drop me a line in the comments!