Ipsy Glam Bag July 2015 Review

Ipsy’s July 2015 theme is Summer Lovin’, which means beach wave hair and flawless beauty to flaunt at the beach! It’s been super hot this month and I’m kinda sad I haven’t spent time at the beach like I wanted to. But I’m sure I’ll get to it before the summer is over…

Anyway, let’s get to the bag!

essie nail polish in fashion playground. Retail: $8.50. Essie is a great brand but in my experience sometimes hard to paint with. The light/creamy colors are usually really difficult but when down correctly, it’s beautiful. The key is light even coats, two coats for a nice sheer tone or three/four for an opaque color. You can always layer then too but make sure it dries completely before adding more layers. It could take awhile but I believe essie puts in top coat in their shiny nail polishes so that’s why it takes so long to dry. The color is really nice, I love this color it reminds me of Tiffany’s signature blue color.

City Color Cosmetics HD Powder. Retail: $3.42 for 4 g. HD powder makes your face look flawless but I don’t usually use white powder for finishing my foundation because when you take pictures it tends to have a white cast. Perhaps I’m using too much…

Octavio Molina Hair La Playa Salt Spray. Retail: $7.75 for 2 oz. I actually really like sea salt sprays because they tend to hold my thick long hair better. The only down side is that it’s drying so this kind has additional algae extract for moisture! Awesome.

Be A Bombshell Cosmetics Lip Balm in French Kiss. Retail: $14.00. I’m not a fan of this brand because they use parabens in almost every product. I have tried their product before and I personally think it’s over-priced for something that’s not high end. I don’t need anymore lip balm so this will be traded or given away.

Vasanti Cosmetics Brighen Up! Exfoliating Cleanser. Retail: $5.67 for 20 g. I got this in my Birchbox before and I love it! It’s a super fine exfoliating cleanser so it helps with brightening and fading dark spots. =] This is a great priced exfoliator too, not too expensive for an all natural cleanser with extra benefits.

Bonus item:
it Cosmetics Brow Power Universal Eyebrow Pencil Mini. Retail: $12.00 for .07 g. I love this packaging! It actually made with a sturdy material instead of plastic so you know they put quality stuff into this product. The stuff in the brow powder helps hair grow back!

My bag wasn’t too bad but it wasn’t the most liked that I’ve gotten so far. I already knew I wouldn’t like most of the products I was getting but I’m glad I got an extra product I got to pick. My bag was worth $39.34 + (bonus item) $12.00 = $42.34. Not the most expensive bag but still decent and lucky to get makeup products I can give away. I can’t wait till my next Ipsy bag!

Ipsy Glam Bag June 2015 Review

Swim Into Beauty is Ipsy’s June theme. My initial thought went to waterproof makeup since I’ve always had issues with running/fading/smearing makeup so waterproof helps it stay longer. BUT it’s not the theme, the theme is water inspired products like hydration, blue colored products, relaxing masks and such.

I apologize for the blurry photo below, apparently only the body butter wasn’t drunk.

SheaMoisture Shea Butter Lip Crayon. Retail: $9.99. This is a really lovely color that reminds me of the NYX Butter Lipstick I got last Ipsy bag. It’s super smooth and glides like a dream. The color is vibrant on the first swipe and lasts a longer time than the NYX lipstick.

Smashbox Cosmetics Photo Finish Foundation Primer. Retail: $9.00 for .25 oz. This is a great primer, and I always get these when I order from Smashbox… I probably have about 7 tubes of these!

BioRepublic SkinCare Sheet Mask Trio. Retail: $15.00 for 3 masks. I love these masks because around the summertime my skin is super dry and these are nice a refreshing unlike the peeling masks I do.

LAVANILA LABORATORIES The Healthy Body Butter in Pure Vanilla. Retail: $2.41 for .85 oz. I love body butter anything since my since is horribly dry. So I’m glad I have a to go hand cream/lotion. I love lotion samples. =]

tre’StiQue Mini Shadow Crayon in Kona Coffee. Retail: $10.67 for .01 oz. At first I thought I had lost the cap! But the lid is actually a fake “sharpen” pencil. I wish it was a pointed end but the product is like a gel so the tip wouldn’t hold if it was sharpened. The consistency is smooth and pretty long lasting even when it’s wiped away. It’s buildable but I would use a brush to get a nice line. I’m not a fan of thick (gel) pencils because I like to create a thin line. Occassionaly I do a smoky look but you would have to work fast to smoke it out.

Bonus item:
Too Faced Born This Way Foundation. Retail: $39.00. When I saw this I got soo excited!! This came out before the launch. I wanted to get two colors but I got a lighter shade to add to my previous foundation so I can get the “highlight” look. I should have gotten my true color sand too but this was 2,000 points. It’s not as moisturizing as I want it to be but it’s matte and looks great on the skin. I wouldn’t recommend for extra dry skin or dry patch kind of skin because it won’t cover it up.

Overall, this is one of my favorite Ipsy bag so far, and the bag is adorable (and waterproof I believe). Everything I got, I am going to use. The value of the bag is amazing! $47.07 + (bonus item) $39.00 = $86.07 worth of goodies! I’m obsessed with makeup and skincare so even though I have years and years worth of stuff- I’m still going to want more! It’s like a present every month… guilty pleasure if you will. Anything I don’t want I save for the end of the year (xmas) and create a super makeup box for a certain family member. It’s a win-win.

Ipsy Glam Bag May 2015 Review

Ipsy’s May 2015 theme, Jet Setter so travel and sun protection is key! I saw a lot of hair care products, repeats, and new interesting products. Repeats are nice because if you didn’t get it before you can get it later in a different bag. This month Ipsy did a great job picking items from my preferences so I was excited to test out new products!

Briogeo Rosarco Milk™ Reparative Leave-In Conditioning Spray. Retail: $3.92. I love hair conditioner sprays! I don’t have to put them into my hands and work them in so sprays are so more convenient. This conditioner protects my hair from the heat and keeps it soft and smooth.

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide on Lip Pencil + BONUS Revolution High-Color Lipgloss. Retail: $13.33 for .8 g. This mini lip primer is suppose to keep your lip color lasting for a long time. I find this slightly dry for my lips but I haven’t paid attention if it keeps my lip gloss/lipstick longer or not.

BelláPierre Cosmetics Waterproof Mineral Gel Eyeliner Pencil. Retail: $14.99. This was a full sized pencil! I have trouble finding a long lasting eyeliner because my skin is oily around my eyes. After some time they all run to my lower lashline and makes my eyes look tired or have raccoon eyes. Using primer usually helps the running and smearing. This isn’t bad at all, it’s pigmented but smears off throughout the day.

AMIE Morning Dew Matte-Finish Moisturizer. Retail: $0.93 for 10 ml. This is suppose to be mattifying yet have that dewy look. I personally don’t like this for some reason. It didn’t feel mattifying at all and made me feel like I was breaking out. Everyone is different so this might work for other skin types.

Luxie Beauty Tapered Blending Eye Brush 205. Retail: $12.00. This brush is nice and soft. The hair is synthetic so it’s less prone to collecting bacteria. I didn’t like it all that much because I prefer a fuller brush. Also the hairs feel flimsy but it could be the material.

Bonus item:
ClariSEA Sea Salt Solutions Instant Glow Powder Exfoliant. Retail: $4.50 for 1 oz. I love exfoliating products so this is perfect for combining with my cleanser or by itself. It looks like it would be harsh but I read good reviews that it’s gentle and works wonderfully.

I thought this bag was pretty well rounded, it covered different parts of the face so you can actually create a look using everything. My bag came out to $45.17 + (a bonus item) $4.50 = $49.67 was is a great deal considering the bag was only $10.00 and you get a free bag. The Ipsy glam bag is pretty similar to the Sephora makeup canvas bags. Of course Sephora’s version had a cute silk interior and a golden zipper but hey, this is free right? Ipsy encourages creative people to personalize their bags (literally) so why not add your cute silk interior? ;]

Ipsy Glam Bag April 2015 Review

Ipsy’s April 2015 glam bag theme is Beautifully Bohemian. I love natural looking make-up and skincare products. This month had lots of skincare products but I don’t mind because I love them. In order to keep your skin looking nice and smooth you gotta take care of it! But there’s still a decent amount of makeup too!

JulieG Nail Color. Retail: $3.99. I don’t really prefer nail polishes anymore but somehow this ended up in my bag. I never used it but it’s a semi bright pink nail color. Cute, but not my style anymore. It’s too plain… I really wanted to try the gumdrop line from this brand- it’s a frosted glitter polish that is simple yet different.

Hey Honey Good Morning – Honey Silk Facial Serum. Retail: $13.67 for 10 ml. I can’t get enough of serums! This is a good brand so I’ll end up using this in the future. I love that it’s all natural.

Pandora’s Makeup Box Pink Carnation Blush. Retail: $11.00. I do love this bright pink color but this has parabens. =[ It’s not in a packaging so you can add it to your z-palette (a magnetic case) which you can customize your palette however you want.

theBalm Cosmetics NUDE Dude Eyeshadow Single in Flirty. Retail: $3.00. I love this brand and this color! It’s a reddish brown base with a hint of pink and gold shimmer. The eyeshadow palette is even more gorgeous but I wasn’t fast enough to get the Ipsy deal for $20.00 normally $36.00! Booo, maybe next time…

Mullein & Sparrow Mini Lip & Cheek Tint. Retail: $10.00. This is a tiny lip balm with a slight tint of purple. I don’t really notice the color on my lips but it does have a strong tingly sensation. It has all natural ingredients and it smells like mint.

Bonus items:
NYX Cosmetics Butter Lipstick in Pops. Retail: $6.00. I really like the lipstick I got last month so I got the other color I really wanted. It’s slightly neutral with a hint of pink. I’ve been using this almost everyday!

Benefit Cosmetics chachatint cheek & lip stain. Retail: $30.00. Ever since I got the benetint and traded it away I really regretted not trying it so when this popped up I had to snag it. It has a lovely mango tint with a slight shimmer. This will give your look a dewy look for sure.

This was a pretty good bag, I especially like it because I got extra items that I love so it makes it even better! My bag was worth $41.66 + (bonus items) $36.00 = $77.66! You earn points by reviewing and referring others to Ipsy so you can redeem them for bonus items. Hope you enjoyed the post!

February 2015 Ipsy Bag Review

Ipsy is constantly adding new features like more bonus products, early sneak peeks, more discount goodies, and a bunch of other stuff to keep us happy. And boy am I happy!

I am super impressed with Ipsy’s #ipsyLove, the theme for February… all the products I received were just what I needed!

City Color Cosmetics Creamy Lip Stain in Flirtini. Retail: $4.99 for .078 oz. I haven’t used too many lip stains but this one is creamy however not as moisturizing as I hope for. I do like the bold color so I might just balance it out with a nude color lipstick. Using this alone, it took awhile to dry completely and it did need to be reapplied throughout the day.

Emite Make Up Professional Eye Lash Curler. Retail: $25.00. I always wanted an eyelash curler and it took forever for the IpsyMatch to give me one! I do like this one and I love that we got 3 extra pads! Now I can have one eyelash curler in my emergency bags!

Eva NYC Up All Night Volumizing Spray. Retail: $10.00 for 1 oz. I love the texture this gave me however my hair is super heavy so it didn’t last that long. But then again I don’t heat curl my hair so I just spritzed this on my natural hair. I will experiment more and let you know more. If any thick heavy haired girls know a good hairspray-let me know!

Mitchell & Peach Fine Radiance Face Oil. Retail: $22.83 for .34 oz. I love face oils, I have a bunch of samples and full sized products so I’m sure this will be used up quickly. I can’t believe how expensive this small sample is!

ModelCo Blush Cheek Powder in . Retail: $22.00 for .12 oz. I thought this would be so much bigger but even this sample sized blush will last me a long time… especially when I have so many other ones. I love this color it certainly brightens my face while giving me a youthful blush.

My bonus items:

(MALIN+GOETZ) Mojito Lip Balm. Retail: $12.00 for .20 oz. I’ve wanted this lip balm when I first saw it in the January 2014 bag… so I was excited to scoop this one up.

Figs & Rouge Hand Cream in Rose Berry & Mango Mandarin. Retail: $3.08 for 20 ml each or $6.16 for both. I don’t like to carry a lot of things so this is a good size to keep in my pocket, my skin gets very dry in the winter so I made sure to get two! I like the Rose berry scent more since it’s lighter then the mango mandarin.

Ayres Patagonia Body Butter. Retail: $4.15 for 1 oz. This sample was pretty small but you actually don’t need much because its super rich. I usually leave lotions everywhere since I always have dry hands!

So my overall bag had $84.82 + $22.31 = $107.13! This is my favorite Ipsy bag so far, everything was paraben free and something I wanted to try. I’m really happy with my subscription even though I have mountains of makeup/skincare stuff! For $10, it’s totally worth it for me- I love experimenting and finding new things. =]

Here’s my Valentine’s Day look using items in my bag:

January 2015 Ipsy Review

Wow, it’s 2015 already! Ipsy’s theme is Fresh Start! There’s a lot of neutral colors and basic skincare stuff to start the new year off.

February is the end of my yearly subscription for Ipsy! I’m wondering if I should continue the yearly sub or just pay by month… Ipsy is a great service and I don’t think I want to part with it just yet. So here’s to another year!

Now, Ipsy offers makeup deals on Tuesdays, Wednesday, AND Thursday! Personally, I think it’s way too much stuff going on but if they are making money-so be it.

Let’s see what I got:

Pacifica Natural Mineral Coconut Eye Shadow in Ethereal. Retail: $3.50 for .08 oz. I wanted to love this color but for some reason this did not compliment my skintone. I think I prefer a more warm tone, this was more of a pink undertone. I love neutral colors but this was a miss. I tried the other duo eyeshadow as well and it was okay. I might try experimenting different ways and different color combos later on.

Bellapierre Shimmer Powder in Whesek. Retail: $14.99 for 3.5g. I wasn’t hoping for this color but it’s grey with a hint of cool blue. I do like a little shimmer in my eyeshadows but I think this has too much for my liking. I wish Ipsy would give us a bright color that we don’t see too often, yes it’s bold but these colors they have are a bit boring and we makeup junkies probably already have those colors.

Elizabeth Mott All Over Shadow Brush. Retail: $9.99. I have an ever growing collection of brushes, I’m sure you can imagine! I love the pink color and the brush is super soft- makes me not want to use such a pretty brush.

Jouer Essential Lip Enhancer. Retail: $7.27 for .15 oz. This is super small but it’s also great for throwing in compact purses. I’m sure we go through a ton of lip balms, lipglosses, and lipsticks due to losing them accidently so I’ll be using this in my to go purse.

La Fresh Eco-Beauty Be Good. Good Day. Day Moisturizer. Retail: $13.99 for .5 oz. I love this packaging, it’s so adorable and different from my usual moisturizers. It’s not a lot of moisturizer but I’m glad it’s not a paper packet that you can’t close back up.

I actually really like this bag- at first when I saw it online I wasn’t impressed but I like that there’s two colors on each side and the orange zipper really compliments the blue (literally haha).

My Ipsy bag had $49.74 worth of stuff in it and it’s awesome because I’m going to use most of it.

December 2014 Ipsy Review

December’s Ipsy theme is Talented Being. I had a big package this month since I redeemed a bonus product!

This was one of my favorite bags since I can use all of my items. I love all natural products so I think the theme is perfect for bringing out our natural talented self.

Bumble and Bumble BB Repair Blow Dry Hair Cream. Retail: $3.00 for .5 oz. I love hair creams so I’m always happy to get them. I honestly don’t blow dry my hair that often because I like to air dry it but when I am in a rush I’ll use this! =]

NYX Butter Lip Balm in Parfait. Retail: $4.00 for .14 oz. I was kind of upset because I only used it once and I accidently dropped it and it got ran over by a car and was totally crumbled. I’m sure if I told Ipsy they would’ve sent me a replacement but I didn’t. From what I did try the formula is nice… the lip balm is sheer so I used lipgloss over it. Maybe it was a cold day but it wasn’t as “buttery” as I imagined it would be. The color was a deep pink with a touch of purple but it wasn’t enough coverage color wise for my liking.

Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes 4-in-1 Mascara. Retail: ~$8.00 for .1 oz. I was really excited to try this but I have so many opened mascaras it seems like I never finish them. I love Tarte products so I’m excited to see how this works for my lashes.

Cailyn Just Mineral Eye Polish in #5 Orchid. Retail: $15.00 for .09 oz. I really didn’t expect to like this since loose eyeshadows tend to be messy but I really love this applicator! The powder doesn’t come out everywhere when you take the sponge out and the color is actually really nice for highlighting the corners of my eyes or as a base.

Nourish Organic Renewing Eye Cream. Retail: $10.00? for .5 oz. I have a ton of eye creams so the chances of me testing this one out is pretty slim. I tried the face wash from this brand and I didn’t really like it. It says it’s for normal to dry skin and it has avocado and argan oil so those are good for keeping your under eye moist and brightening those dark circles.

My bonus item I redeemed this month was the Dr. Lin Medicated Acne Cleansing Wipes. Retail: $7.49 for 35 wipes. These are pretty big wipes and each pack has 35 towelettes which again is a lot. I haven’t personally used them yet but I’m using the Yes Blemish wipes I got from Birchbox’s store using my points. I like to use these when I get super lazy washing my face more than twice a day. Even though I’m 25, I still get acne here and there because of my eating habits :X

My overall Ipsy bag was worth $40.00 + $7.49 = $47.49! I will use everything eventually so I’m very happy with my bag! Yay for this month!

November 2014 Ipsy Review

November’s theme is Girl Meets Glitter! Ipsy has been giving us our Glam Bag peeks before the all daily sneak peeks are done so I’ve been taking advantage of the preview ^.^ Another bonus to that is I get to check out the ingredients and see all the other products for that month. However the down side is that all but one product has parabens so I won’t be testing all the products- sorry! 😦

So let’s get into it:

Be A Bombshell Eye Base in Submissive. Retail: $14.00 for .09 oz. This is used for priming your lids for long lasting color/boost/glitter. I’ve tried using eyelid primer but it tends to dry out my lids even more- even the hydrating kind.

Elizabeth Mott You’re So Fine Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner in Glitterati. Retail: $17.99 for .1 oz. I didn’t open this to swatch but I think it’s black with silver glitter in it.

J.Cat Beauty Wonder Lip Paint. Retail: $4.99 for .33 oz. I never tried this before but you’re suppose to use a brush to apply it. I think it’s a  lipgloss and lipstick mix that’s similar to the OCC Lip Tar. I would’ve been obsessed with this color last year but I like to go for the nude look now-a-days.

Marc Anthony Morocco Argan Oil Hairspray. Retail: $1.38 for 1.5 oz. This is the only one I can use but I do like it… hairspray doesn’t hold my thick hair for long but this extra hold seems to hold my hair for more than a couple of hours. I can’t remember for how long but I like the texture it gives my hair.

Temptu Shimmering. Retail: $2.75 for .1 oz. I got this in a different color (pink shimmer color) from Birchbox before so this one is sheer glimmer you can put on top, under, or mixed in with foundation to add dimension to your look.

The entire Ipsy bag was worth $23.12, I really liked this month’s actual makeup bag so it will be used. I think I would’ve liked everything if I can actually use them. I have a shopping problem a year ago so I literally bought every kind of makeup for everything and anything so I basically got that out of my system. Now, I use subscription boxes to show me new makeup and fulfill my makeup obsession!

Ipsy October 2014 Review

I got a ton of goodies this month because I used up my points to get some extra goodies! This month’s theme is Beauty Candy… I was pretty impressed by this month’s selection since all but one item were paraben-free!

I got two Ipsy bags – one for the extra bonus products and one for the main glam bag.
MicaBeauty Mineral Eye Shadow in 34 Harliquin. Retail: $7.48 for 2.5g. I wasn’t a fan of loose pigment but I do love the color- blue is my favorite! I have other Mica loose eyeshadows before and I believe they are very pigmented. If you add water- the color should be even darker (it works for pressed eyeshadows too)!

Fig & Rouge Hand Cream in Mango Mandarin. Retail: $3.08 for 20 ml. I thought I would love the smell of Mongo and orange together but the smell is over powering even when I used a little bit of lotion. I have really dry hands so I had to reapply at least twice to make them soft for a while.

Ecru New York Acara Protein BB Cream. Retail: $12.00 for 1 oz. I love that it’s paraben free! I have a bunch of hair creams/conditioners from these subscription boxes so they should last me awhile. I think it’s a great “sample” size that’ll last me months since all you need a grape size (for long hair). I use less though because I like to condition the ends of my strands. I don’t straighten or curl my hair often so I really don’t need to use much.

Starlooks Matte Lip Gloss. Retail: $4.00? for .3 oz. I’m not a fan of Starlooks since they use parabens in almost everything they make, plus the size is extremly tiny but it’s a good size to keep in your purse/clutch for touch-ups. The full-sized version is $13.00 which looks less than half the size.

Skyn Iceland Glacial Cleaning Wipes. Retail: $5.00 for 10 wipes. I also have a collection of wipes- I like using them to take off majority of my  make-up first. They are nice for hot days since they have a cool sensation when you wipe your face.

Bonus Extras: Milan Trio Eyeshadows. Retail: $11.97 for 3. I really like these colors since I’ve been in a neutral eyeshadow phase. The light pinkish color and dark brown are mostly matte with a slight hint of shimmer and the gold is mostly shimmer. You can use a fluffy brush to apply because you can build up the color. I feel if you use your fingers it would be too much pigment on your fingers but that’s my option.

BareMinerals 5-in-1 BB Advanced Performance Cream Eyeshadow in Elegant Taupe. Retail: $18.00 for .1 oz. Holy-moly this thing is huge… I don’t even know how anyone would finish one of these. I was hoping I would fall in love with this color since the other sample I got was so dark, this one was lighter however still dark for my lids. You really only need a thin layer/dab of this because a little goes a long way. I like all the benefits it has but I’m not a big fan of the color. I wanted to use it as a light base so maybe I’ll consider getting a light base color in the future.

Overall, I was happy to experiment new makeup Ipsy had given me and the extras were nice as well. My bag was worth $31.56 + $29.97 = $61.53 so I’m fairly happy. Most of the stuff will be traded or given away.

August 2014 Reviews (Julep, Birchbox, & Ipsy)

Hello Lovlies, I promised to post my August subscriptions reviews before August ended so here you are:

Julep’s August box was okay, I got a Gel Eye Glider in Smoky Taupe Shimmer (Retail:$16.00) which was surprisingly nice. It lasted a long time and barely smudged which is rare for my eyes. I wish it was more brownish- like taupe should be because this color looks more purple than neutral. It doesn’t look that shimmery but I guess if you layer it on pretty thick you’ll get the shimmery look. I use this on my waterline since it creates the illusion of a soft, fuller lower lashes look.

Another item I got was the Sweep Eyeshadow Palette: Neutrals (Retail:$24.00), this was kind of disappointing because mine arrived messy (like with dirty-eyeshadow-fingerprints on the package and the eyeshadows looked as if they were swatched before). I contacted Julep and they sent me a new one except that arrived broken… it’s okay because I didn’t really like the colors anyway.

I was in a neutral palette hunt and it didn’t have the colors I wanted. I’m a medium now since it’s summer so for me-it wasn’t a nice palette for summer. I was hoping for a more warmer palette… the lightest color was yellowish so at least that can be used. The 3 middle colors looked pretty similar so it just looked muddy with all of them in one look. They are pretty dark so I think it looks nicer on light skin for that smokey look. I would use a fluffy brush with these colors since they are pigmented and tend to get muddy if you blend them too much. Maybe I’ll like them in the future- who knows.

This box was worth $40.00 and the box is $20.00 a month so it was worth it I suppose. I’m getting a September box as well so that should be better. =]

This month’s theme for Birchbox is Lighten Up. I haven’t tried any of my products yet since I’m drowning in all the samples I’ve been getting so it’s going to take some time going through all of my goodies. I REALLY liked that Birchbox has been giving me mostly if not all natural products lately. If it has parabens- I won’t use it. Birchbox is now letting us CHOOSE an item to be in our boxes now. Also, you can add bonus beauty product(s) too. I think it’s a great idea… who doesn’t want to know what’s in their box? Not me, I’m a peeker.

Harvey Prince Ageless – Pink Grapefruit. 100ml for $98.00 (I couldn’t find the amount of liquid I got but it’s slightly bigger than the typical perfume spray samples.)
It has a fresh grapefruit scent with other fruity scents as well. I like it! I don’t normally buy perfumes so I keep these samples to freshen up every once in awhile when I forget to spray myself in the morning.

Noir Cosmetics Long-Wear Eyeliner Retail: $15.00.
I love eyeliners but its gotten to a point where I get so many (buying and from samples) that I don’t even need anymore for my lifetime. My eyes are pretty complicated since they are oily so non-smudging eyeliners- smudge on me. So even though I do buy eyeliners a lot- I buy them to see if they actually are smudge-proof. I did pick this out for this box so it will be tested!

Whish Shave Crave Shaving Cream in Acai Grapefruit Retail: $3.00 for .75 oz.
I don’t really use shaving cream anymore- I use my gel body wash so this will be in the giveaway pile. This is all natural btw. =]

Acure Organics Brightening Facial Scrub Sea Kelp + CGF Retail: $3.75 for 1 oz.
I do love exfoliants but I really do have a lot of brighten products I’m currently using. I’ve learned my lesson exfoliating everyday and night so no more! I brighten/exfoliant every few days now.

hello. Breath Spray Trio Retail: $3.83 for 1 spray.
Interesting product in my box, I sprayed this a few times but I am just not a fan of the after taste. It’s hard to describe but its not yummy at all to me. The inital spray was okay but the after taste kicked in and that was not pleasant, the final result seemed okay… I wouldn’t buy this though.

My box had a grapefruit/citrusy theme going on so that was nice to see. Even though I didn’t try all of them yet, I’m pretty happy with my box. My box was worth around $27.00 if you calculate everything so I love it.

Ipsy’s theme was Beauty Schooled so the items are to get you ready for the school year. Ipsy is also stepping their game this month because now you can view your bag even earlier! I wasn’t too excited when I saw what I was getting (because I already have similar items) but I was excited for one product…

Urban Decay Perversion Mascara Retail:$5.50 for .1 oz.

This was the one item I was most excited for because every mascara I’ve tried so far hasn’t really given me the results or look I wanted. I have about 5 open mascaras now so when I do use this- I’ll update this post.

Dr. Brandt Pores No More Pore Refiner Retail:$11.25 for .25 oz.
I’ve gotten this several times from trading and my other subscription box but I tried to cut down on products on my face so I don’t use primer anymore. I feel like the more makeup I put on my face- the more it clogs up my pores thus creating more pimples and pore blockage. I believe you can use this over your makeup or under it but I haven’t used it yet.

J. Cat Beauty Flying Solo Eye Shadow Retail:$2.99 for 2.5 g.
I really liked this color however it has parabens so I cannot use it. I’ve been looking for a nude skin color eyeshadow but I need it to be paraben free. This would have been nice but it’ll be given away. I like that it also comes with a small mirror and an eyeshadow applicator.

Jersey Shore Sun Mongongo Lip Conditioner Retail:$5.50 for .15oz.
More lip balms! I really don’t need them since I’ve gotten so many in the past… it smells lovely however I use more lipglosses than balms. Maybe when it gets colder they would be used more often.

Klorane Dry Shampoo with Oat Milk Retail:$6.46 for 1.06 oz.
I also have many dry shampoos dry powder form and sprays. I don’t need it right now because my hair needs more oil than less oil so hopefully it’ll be useful later. I do like this brand though.

Bonus Products:
Teadora Rainforest at Dawn Nourishing Shampoo & Conditioner Retail $10.00 both bottles for 2oz each.

These smell nice- they have a citrusy scent on top of the “rainforest’ smell.
Teadora Rainforest at Dusk Nourishing Shampoo & Conditioner Retail $10.00 both bottles for 2oz each.

I’m not a fan of this scent- I feel like its more for a man- smell. Its more “woody” if that makes sense.
Ardency Inn PUNKER Original Smoky Shadow for Retail:$19.00 for .165 oz.

I bought the normal eyeliners and they do last awhile however they do smear throughout the day. I haven’t tried this yet so I’ll update you on it later.
Sugar Line n Shine in Onyx Retail: $9.00 for .04 oz.

Ipsy had a crazy new bonus product frenzy so I decided to splurge on some products. This liner also comes with a sharpener!
Tini Beauty Moisture-rich Straight Up Color lipstick in Plum Wine. Retail:$18.00 for .12oz.

This was a fall color but I decided to get it anyway since fall is coming up. The normal color is a deep purple but with flash you get this nice pink color.

My bag was worth $31.70 of products but I also redeemed bonus products so with those added to the bag it comes to $97.70.! Whoa. All of those extras is because of you guys! YOU ROCK. I will set up a giveaway pretty soon, don’t worry!

So that’s all for August 2014… I know I’ve been lacking in posts but I’m so busy with work! I’ll try my best to get back on the detailed individual posts for next month- there should be plenty of NEW reviews other than Birchbox and Ipsy. Also, I’m thinking of getting a domain and a shop store for unused items and possibly a 5 item bag full of mystery treats-what do you think?