In August, Ipsy decided to remind us that when it comes to beauty, you never stop learning, because there are always new tricks and techniques to be discovered. They called their August Glam Bag Beauty Schooled, and even made the cosmetic bag itself look like a pencil case.
Let’s take a peek inside the “pencil case”. |
HOW IT WORKS
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Nicka K Absolute Lip Balm in Grape – Oh my, that’s a very heavily scented lip balm! Although the fragrance is not unpleasant, I still found it to be strong enough to clash with my perfume.
Nicka K Absolute Lip Balm in Grape |
Other than the scent, this lip balm is everything I dislike about lip products – tin packaging, lots of chunky glitter, and a load of petroleum jelly. I will not be using it myself, and I’m a bit iffy about giving it away for moral reasons. I mean, a nasty oil by-product, such as petrolatum, is not a good thing to ingest [which is unavoidable with lippies], and I don’t want to contribute to someone else’s health issues. I think I’ll just toss it 🙁
dr. Brandt Pores No More Pore Refiner Primer is a cult classic product, but its effectiveness is a bit controversial, because while it works for some people, it does nothing for others. For me personally it seems to work well. I apply it on my nose, cheeks, and forehead before makeup, and it really fills up those wide pores [mine are more like craters!], making the surface of my skin look much smoother.
dr. Brandt Pores No More Pore Refiner Primer |
This primer works best for combination/oily skin types, because it also provides drying and anti-bacterial properties. I like that dr. Brandt included tea tree oil in the formula, that’s one ingredient I know for sure works well to balance the skin and minimize breakouts.
Urban Decay Perversion Mascara – I’m convinced that Urban Decay can do no wrong, and yet again I’m wowed by their product. This mascara looks absolutely amazing on my lashes! No, it doesn’t make them look like falsies, instead it’s all about big, voluminous, fluffy realsies!
Urban Decay Perversion Mascara |
Love. This. Stuff. No, seriously, this is going straight up to my wishlist/birthday haul/christmas/whatever list. It shall be mine, and no one will stop me *mwahaha* 😉
Coastal Scents Forever Blush Sample Duo – I’m okay with Coastal Scents, as cheesy as it sounds, these are some of the best choices within that price range. Their brushes are actually pretty good, and some are even comparable to MAC, I sort of wish Ipsy would just send me one already! But I digress.
Coastal Scents Forever Blush Sample Duo |
I received a duo of two sample-sized blushes, one of them was a shimmery raspberry [Elegant], and the other looked more like a very warm bronzer [Fresh]. Neither color really appealed to me much, so I’m probably going to give it away to someone else.
Lord & Berry Silk Kajal Kohl Eye Pencil – I’m really getting a case of “yet another black eye pencil” here. I think some newer subscribers would really enjoy this little cute sample, but those of us who have been with Ipsy for a while probably received enough black pencils and eyeliners to last us a lifetime.
Lord & Berry Silk Kajal Kohl Eye Pencil |
Lord & Berry products always seem to be a hit and a miss for me, but this one will remain a mystery, because as it stands, I just have way more black pencils than I can realistically use. My Mom uses them daily, so I’ll give her this one to try.
THE VERDICT
I think this bag was decent, because I found Pores No More Primer and UD Perversion Mascara, both of which I absolutely adore and will very likely purchase. The rest of the products will be given away, with the exception of lip balm which I’m planning to toss, even though it seems wasteful, and the jar is just too cute. Well, I would rather be called wasteful, than have someone ingest glitter and petroleum jelly 🙂
Product | Retail value |
---|---|
Nicka K Absolute Lip Balm | $2.99 |
dr. Brandt Pores No More Pore Refiner Primer | $11.25 |
Urban Decay Perversion Mascara | $5.50 |
Coastal Scents Forever Blush Sample Duo | $1.98 |
Lord & Berry Silk Kajal Kohl Eye Pencil | $5.66 |
Box Retail Value | $27.38 |