Ipsy Review, September 2015

It is official--I am an Ipsy Addict (if you need proof check out my July and August Ipsy box reviews)  In case you don't know, Ipsy is a subscription box service.   For $10 a month you get '4-6 deluxe samples or full sized products' and one zippered makeup bag in a theme that changes monthly (the bag is the same for everyone, but the products change based on your style survey).   That is $10 including shipping!   It's so much fun to pick up the mail and have new products to try and a fun new bag.   

September's theme was 'Face Fashion', which they describe as "Face the Future.  Smokier, Deeper, richer.  This September, leave the past behind and take the leap into fall with a Glam Bag made to inspire the perfect transition from summertime casual to autumn elegance"  And for $10, here's what I received:

Crown Brush Oval Concealer Brush (full size,  $3)

The retail price for this brush is $7.45, but it's on sale for $2.98 on the crown brush website.  This seems to be a good quality brush.  The bristles are structured without being stiff, soft without being 'mushy', and they don't fall out.  But it's hard to get excited about a $3 brush when I got this $26 one with last month's bag :P

Tre'StiQue Mini Matte Lip Crayon in Nantucket Nude (0.02 oz, $11)

So, I was playing with lipsticks last week and I learned something--a shade called Plum Riche is so close to my natural lip color that I could barely tell I had put it on.  In other words, this light coral-orange-pink-beige-whatever color is never, ever going to look 'nude' on my lips, whether I'm in Nantucket or Anchorage.   The pigment is good and the formula is soft with a little bit of shine but no glitter.  The color itself, though, is simply not for me.  At least not for my lips--I'm considering trying it on my cheeks :P

The color on the far left is Nantucket Nude.  The one on the far right?  closest to my natural lip color.  :P 

Pixi by Petra Brow Powder Trio ($6? The six color one is $12 on their website)

This powder has a nice smooth finish and good pigmentation.  However, the pack didn't come with an applicator, and honestly, I don't know how to use brow powder.   This is one thing I think Birchbox does so much better than Ipsy--Birchbox almost always has short tutorial videos for their sampled products.  I'll look it up on youtube later, but it would certainly be easier if they had them in an easily-accessible form.  

 

This bag 

This bag is EVERYTHING.  For the second month in a row, Ipsy has sent a bag that I would have purchased on it's own.  It is a gorgeous coppery-gold color with a matching lining.  The back is smooth and the front has a raised pattern.   One thing that I could not photograph no matter how hard I tried (and I tried at least fifty times before giving up and using the stock photo)--It's not a rectangle, it's a trapezoid.   The top of the bag is an inch or so wider than the bottom, and it gives the bag a tiny bit more interest.   I absolutely adore it!