ipsy Glam Bag Review – August 2015
I got a fancy thing and it is super cool! Many moons ago I was subscribed to Birchbox and it was pretty fun, It was like getting a little random present every month. But I believe that those were the early days of the subscription box trend – now there are so many out there with so many different things that you could basically get one for every day of the month if you wanted. I discontinued my Birchbox subscription because I just kept getting samples I wasn’t at all interested in trying, there was no way to customize what you got.
So I just recently signed up for Ipsy and I have high hopes. You get to take a fancy quiz and one of the questions was even “How comfortable are you with using makeup?” Perfect – I could tell them upfront that I am a complete idiot and have no idea what I’m doing! This is my very first “Glam Bag” (already an improvement over getting a cardboard box every month), and here’s what I got –
Not as Yellow as I Expected Mask
(JUARA Skincare – Turmeric Antioxidant Radiance Facial Mask)
When I saw “Tumeric,” I was expecting this mask to be super yellowy-orange and I was kind of disappoint when it was just a pale peach. I really wanted it to be like orange face paint. It’s got the consistency of a thick body lotion or butter which I really hate when it comes to face masks because it makes them SUPER hard to get off. This mask was a little stingy, which also isn’t my favorite thing. I want a mask to feel cooling and calming, not like I just rubbed icy hot all over my face. It was because of this that I was concerned it would irritate my confused skin, but I noticed no redness or blemishes the next day – it really just left me feeling moisturized without oiliness. There was enough in this sample tube for one application, it went on very thick and I had to use the whole thing to cover my whole face. Its recommended you use it 1-3 times a week, so it would have been nice to get a sample with enough for at least 2 applications.
I looked up some of the medicinal/topical uses for Tumeric and did find that it’s active compound curcumin is BELIEVED to have anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antitumour, antibacterial, and antiviral benefits but I didn’t find any records from clinical trials, so I’m gonna file all of that under “meh, maybe.”
Purple Cement Nail Polish (Trust Fund Beauty – Nail Polish in Elegantly Wasted)
Okay, I was super stoked to get what is essentially a full-size nail polish in this bag. Very like. Much wow. But the color? In certain lights it looks cute and eastery-purple… but in most lights it looks like I painted my nails with dingy cement. And boy did this stuff SMELL – mind you I am aware that it is not unusual for nail polish to smell a little chemical-y, but for something that’s touted as being non-toxic, vegan, and “7 Free” (that apparently means it doesn’t have 7 scary-sounding chemicals that I am assuming are found in normal nail polish?), it was rather pungent. Much smellier than regular nail polish. It also had some serious chippage after only about 48 hours of wear, but that’s probably my fault for not applying a top coat. I don’t think I’d buy it, but I’m definitely not going to throw it away. I think the band and color name is rather clever (heck I wanna be “Elegantly Wasted,” that sounds awesome) and I can probably layer the color with something else to make it more wearable.
Red Eyeface Pencil
(Skone Cosmetics – Luxe Doubler Eye/Lip Pencil in Wine)
This was my favorite thing of all the things! I really dig it. Another full-size product. 2 in one bag? I am pleased. I felt this was a very good color for my skin tone, its somewhere between wine and rose – a rosé perhaps? It wasn’t chalky and stiff like I’ve noticed other lip liners to be – mayhaps because it can also be used as an eyeliner? How about that – a twofer! Honestly, unless I was going for the I-just-cried-my-eyes-out-for-three-hours-because-I-watched-Bambi look, I would never use a red eyeliner. I wore it under a tinted balm and it blended nicely, but the color on the inner parts of my lips did fade a bit after about 2 hours and a Latte
Hobbit Lipstick! (noyah – Natural Lipstick in Desert Rose)
I could care less about the color – THIS. THING. IS. ADORABLE! Its miniature! It’s like the lipstick a hobbit lady would have in her purse on her way to the Green Dragon for a half-pint! Its what a feisty dwarf woman would have tucked between her enormous breasts for a date in Erebor (before Smaug trashed the place. <-Nerd) I have never seen a lipstick sample packaged like this… but that may be because I’ve never had a lipstick sample? Again – idiot, no idea what I’m doing.
It didn’t look too great with my skin tote, kinda made my lips disappear into the rest of my face. But it wasn’t too bad layered over the aforementioned red Eyeface pencil (that shot not pictured).
Spiked Gingerale Hair Stuff
(Briogeo – Blossom & Bloom ™ Ginseng + Biotin Volumizer)
Not kidding. Smelled like ginger ale with a tip of white rum and maybe some orange liquor? Freaking yum. I wished my car smelled like this stuff. What’s it for again? Oh yeah…
So, I was unable to properly field-test this guy because you’re supposed to spritz it on wet hair before you blow-dry and… I do not own a blow-dryer. Actually, I hate blow-dryers. With a passion. They’re loud, they’re hot, they make me all sweaty, my arm hurts after a while holding them up, and I inevitably clock myself in the head with the scorching hot end. Nothing like goose-egg to go with those victory rolls (Lol, oh Marina, like you can actually do victory rolls. Shut up). I would rather hop in my car and drive to Circle K for a Polar Pop with my head stuck out the window than blow dry my hair.
So I did the best I could and on hair-washin’ day I sprayed it in my freshly washed, still damp hair. This is how it looked straight outta bed the next morning. A little more volume than usual perhaps? Sure smelled good. I dunno, maybe I’ll give this to someone who has a better relationship with blow-dryers and see what they think.
In Conclusion
I’m a fan. I already like this subscription service way more than Birchbox. I like that it comes in a not-too-shabby bag instead of a box – those Birchbox boxes piled up after a while. I used them as gift boxes, but I feel like I’ll have more uses for these bags. I paid $10/month for Birchbox and it’s the same for Ipsy, but I feel like I am getting more full-sized products with Ipsy than I did with Birchbox, and I really like that I took a quiz and review the products I get on their website to help them better tailor what they send to me. Already excited for my random present bag next month!
The Battle of the Moisturizers
Apparently moisturizers are important. Very important. So much so that there’s a gazillion of them and they can cost an obscene amount of money. The only piece of cosmetic advice my grandmother ever gave me is “be sure you’re moisturizing every night,” and my childhood was awash with the smells of Neutrogena and Aveeno facial moisturizer with SPF – my mother wore that stuff religiously, rain or shine. The combination of her painfully fair and delicate complexion and my father’s invincible olive skin of the gods has left my face very confused.
So when I started running dangerously low on my current weapon of choice (LUSH’S Vanishing Cream ), I couldn’t help but wonder if there was something out there that was better for me. Something magical and medicinal and … slightly cheaper perhaps, and I decided to embark on a journey. A journey full of countless little tinctures of what is essentially silicone and plant goop. A journey to bring justice to those who adorn their product in a veil of empty promises, and vindication to those whose promises are kept. An adventure where in I, not unlike Magellan, will circumvent the vast sea of modern cosmetics and do battle with their exotic ingredients, their clever marketing, and their outrageous claims.
I have many names… the most legal one being Marina (Hello!), and in the ripe old age of my late 20’s, with my career obtained and a tiny disposable income at the ready, I have decided to learn…
How to : “Girl.”
So come, be the Lewis to my Clarke – the Spock to my Kirk – the Chewie to my Han as we brave the depths of modern femininity and document our failures epically. We start at the most basic level, the foundation of the foundation (that’ll be a whole ‘nother post, i’m sure), the moisturizer.
And like any journey, one of the most important things you need is a map –
Sexy. And, like I said – confused. In my research I have discovered that my skin situation is what is referred to as “combination.” I fit under the great miscellaneous category of “well… you’re screwed.” My eyelids could provide enough crude to power a small town in Texas, my chin is a sebum-filled minefield dwarfed only by the no man zone that is my nose, and my jawline is dryer than the British version of “The Office.” It is because I have so many things going on that I don’t have a lot of faith that there is going to be a single product capable of addressing all my issues, but ain’t nobody got time to use two different moisturizers on their face. I got sh*t to do.
As I mentioned before, the product I have been using for the last year is Vanishing Cream by LUSH. Its pretty safe to say that I know a little but about LUSH’s products, when it comes to moisturizers alone I have also used Imperialis , Full of Grace, Enzymion, and Gorgeous. The problem is none of them have every wowed me… except for Gorgeous.
This thing is allegedly “the finest quality moisturizer on the market.” A whole mess of cold-pressed, organic oils from a large list of things that sound like they’d taste pretty good in a salad together go into this puppy. Its reportedly great for every skin type, age, tone, whatever. I’ve sampled it extensively and I really like it. Its light, it makes my skin feel fresh and clean and elasticky and young, it smells kind of like tortillas (its supposed to be orange blossom scented, don’t ask me why my nose translates orange blossom into tortillas, its probably brain cancer), and its wonderful and I love it. Its apparently the cold pressed part that makes it so effective… and expensive.
How expensive, you ask? 1.5 ounces will run you $89.95 US + tax. That’s right, $60 an ounce! I can’t do it, I just can’t. There are so many other things I could do with $90 bucks. That’s gas for a month (I don’t get out much). That is A LOT of yarn. That’s 22.5 lattes. 13 Publix Deli subs. I could get TWO new Filofaxes with $90! (Oh, more on those later)
But I am not sure its worth it. Can a bunch of plant oils, some emulsifiers, and preserving parabens all mixed together really be the absolute best thing for me? And can 1.5 ounces of it really be worth more than I made in a whole week while I was working in college, all because the oils are “cold pressed?” Imma find out.
Now, I’ve got nothing against LUSH. I basically have a mini-LUSH store in my bathroom, its a problem. If it turns out that Gorgeous is better than everything else – great, and i’ll know EXACTLY why, right down to the chemical level. And if its not? I’ll still know exactly why, and maybe save myself some money while I’m at it.
So I had no idea what moisturizers to try, but it turns out there is a place called Sephora , and in the very back of this mystical place there is a giant computer that knows all, the Skincare IQ Computer. I told HAL 9000 the Computer that I wanted a moisturizer, that I had the “combination” skins, and that my primary concerns were Acne/Blemishes and Oiliness. I actually tried several different things in combination with “Acne/Blemishes” and it pretty much kept returning the same results. It then printed them on a little slip of paper and the nice Sephora Skincare IQ Computer slave Lady gave me free samples! I also purchased the Sephora Favorites Customized Skincare Favorites Bag that got me 2 more moisturizers to try, along with 3 other “deluxe size” samples and a cool bag for $25. I was pleased.
So that leaves us with 4 contestants! I’ll most likely be adding more as I find ones to try and rule others out. I am going to closely analyze how each effects my skin as well as break down their ingredients to see if they are really all they’re cracked up to be and maybe even try to find some dupes. Without any further adoo – here they are:
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Fresh – Rose Hydrating Gel Cream : A daily moisturizer proven to provide up to 24 hours of significant hydration.
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Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion+ : A luxurious moisturizer that promotes smooth, healthy-looking skin.
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Kate Somerville Oil Free Moisturizer : An antiaging hydrator for combination and oily skin.
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Dr. Dennis Gross SkincareHydra-Pure® Oil-Free Moisture with Chelating Complex™ : A lightweight, oil-free moisturizer with an exclusive Chelating Complex.
Let the battle begin!
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How 2: "Girl" 