March 2014 Ipsy bag review

First of all, I have been accumulating some pretty fun products lately that I've been wanting to review here. Does that sound like something you guys would want to read?

Anyway, you can answer that question in the comments below. Now down to business. For those who don't know what ipsy is, it's a company that sends out personalized makeup bags full of fun stuff every month, for only $10 a month! I have known about this site for ages, but I wasn't sure I wanted to spend my money, so I did my research. I wanted to make sure it was legit, and that the people who were already subscribed to it actually got stuff, and liked what they got. Long story short, eventually I was convinced that ipsy was worth a try. Generally, you get between 4-6 things each month, all of which are full size makeup, hair, or body products, except one, which is generally more high end/expensive. That product is usually a sample size.

SO, I signed up for a glam bag(That's what they're called), and impatiently awaited my package. I have to say, they were really fast. I got the e-mail yesterday that they sent my bag, and I got it in the mail this morning....we're in the middle of yet another blizzard, and I still got my bag in a day! Guess what guys. The package is hot pink. How freaking awesome is that?!

I opened that hot pink package and pulled out my glam bag. Kudos to ipsy, because that was a NICE quality makeup bag! Super heavy duty, but not thick and cumbersome. The design was really pretty too. Dad said it reminded him of candy, and I must say, I agree. I didn't take too long to look at the bag, though, because I was too busy dumping out what was inside to see what I got!

March's bag design! So cute. 

Now, before I go any further, I should say that, when you join ipsy, they give you a quiz that only takes about 15 minutes to answer. The questions generally revolve around your skin type/color, your style, products you love, or would love to try, etc, as well as hair type/color and eye color. They then use this information to personalize your bag, so you don't get anything you wouldn't use. It's a pretty good idea, actually. Then, once you receive your bag, you can go on the site and review each product, which even further allows them to personalize your next bag.

Back to my story. I dumped everything out, and squeeled! There were some brands in there I knew and had always wanted to try, and a brand that I had never heard of, which was almost more exciting!

The first product was a NYX eyeshadow palette called "Love in Rio". I have heard great things about NYX and have always wanted to try it, but couldn't ever justify buying any of their products when I knew cheaper ones would work just fine. So, as you can imagine, I was pretty stoked. The packaging on that palette was beautiful. All black, pretty simple, but the clasp was a bow! I love bows, in case you don't know me. And even though it was plastic, it was pretty nice plastic, very heavy-duty. Also, and I suppose more importantly, the colors were beautiful, and totally something I would wear a lot. There was a pink-champagne color, a sort of caramel brown, and then a chocolate brown, all of which were sparkly....but not in a tacky way. When I put the shadows on the sparkles turned more pearl-y, and just made the whole thing look really, REALLY nice. The shadows weren't super pigmented, but they still had a pretty good color pay-off, and they were really smooth to apply. Ugh! First product was a win!

Second was the Pixi flawless beauty primer. I had heard of pixi, and I know you can buy it at Target, but I've never tried their products. I knew it was a little pricey, and I was of the mind that nothing sold at Target should be that expensive. Just, no. This primer was, once again, a full size product, so that was exciting. So far, I've only tried it on the back of my hand, but it had a slight pink(like skin pink, not bubblegum pink) tint to it, that almost immediately went away as I messaged it into my skin. It smelled really good(and not like sunscreen, which tends to happen with primers) and didn't leave my skin looking shiny or greasy, which is also something that tends to happen. I also noticed that that area of my hand felt a lot smoother than the rest of my hand, so that was really good. Like I said, I haven't tried it on my face yet, but I think I'm still gonna give it a thumbs up.

The third thing in the bag was an eyeliner pen from the brand Chella. Ever heard of it? Yeah, me neither. I think I was the most excited about this product, because the brand was a complete unknown to me. Upon removing the cap, I saw that the eyeliner looked like one of those felt tip "paint brush" markers I had when I was a kid. I know that these types of liquid eyeliners are supposed to be easier to work with if you're not used to applying liquid eyeliner....I am, so the design didn't really impress me. I wasn't unimpressed, but I wasn't like "FINALLY! I can apply liquid eyeliner now!" Actually, I was a bit more distracted by the color. Indigo blue. I was like blue eyeliner? Really? What am I supposed to do with this?! So, I did the only thing I could do in that situation, I started drawing with it on the back of my hand :) and you know what? It didn't come out as shockingly blue as I was expecting. The color had some black undertones to it. The line was definitely blue, but still very wearable. I think, until spring comes, though, I'll be applying some black or navy eyeshadow over top of it to decrease the intensity even further. But the line, oh, it was a beautiful sight. Super thin and even, and it dried almost instantly! Even though the color was a bit of a shock, I think I'll be able to work with it and therefore I give it a thumbs up!

The last product was the sample size, and it was the Bare Minerals lipstick in "Getting ready". Oh my word it's so cute! It's really tiny, like the play lipstick we all had when we were kids! But the packaging is stunning, and, like everything else, really heavy-duty. Now, I don't wear lipstick. Like ever. I have only ever worn lipstick for costumes, and when I'm on stage, and I think, for that reason, whenever I try it wear it in real life, I feel over done. But this color was really pretty, like, my lips but better, and the color pay-off is pretty cray. I literally dabbed it on my lips, and it was pretty intense! Obviously, I'm not too skilled at the art of applying lipstick, so I'm going to have to do a little experimentation with this bad boy. Because I don't wear lipstick that often, I think I would save this for things like Church, or if I were going out, etc. Maybe not on an everyday basis, but I can still definitely see myself wearing it!

So to sum it all up, everything in my March glam bag was a success, and I'm super excited to see what I get next month! One of the biggest things I was worried about was that it wasn't going to be worth my money, but, having received a bag now, I'm pretty sure everything I got was at least $10 each, and I got all of it, plus a cute bag, for the price of one product! If you're interested in joining ipsy, click this link to get started. It's seriously worth it! http://www.ipsy.com/r/7m3t

I'm sure you'll have questions about the site before spending the money. I did my research, and I'd be happy to answer whatever questions you may have about the company, or the products I received! Just leave your questions in the comment section below!