May Ipsy Bag.

Hello everyone!

I actually canceled my Ipsy subscription for a few months now until I received an e-mail that totally reeled me in.  They were offering a free em eyeshadow palette with the May bag if I subscribed again but only for 48 hours!  I originally unsubscribed because even though it was matching me to what I originally put on my personality quiz, what I really wanted to get in my bags were brushes.  I know that a lot of people get at least one brush every bag and were getting tired of brushes.  Even when I changed my quiz every month and did the reviews, I was still not getting brushes.  So that’s why I originally unsubscribed.

 

I’ve always wanted to try out the em products ever since Michelle Phan launched her cosmetic lines but haven’t got a chance.

This month’s bag is really cute! I love that it opens up like an envelope.  So far all the bags I’ve received are closed with a zipper but this one has a button.  I’m looking forward to all the things in the bag this month!

Ipsy’s May 2016 Glam Bag

IT Cosmetics: No-Tug Waterproof Gel Eyeliner (Sample Size, Full Size $22.00) (5/5)
The first item I was excited to try was the gel eyeliner. I’ve been looking for a good eyeliner for the waterline.

Gel Eyeliner Swatch

The swatch in the picture above is even after I tried to rub it off with just my fingers and then again, with some water. It did not budge at all! I give it a 5/5! It totally exceeded my expectations!  According to the box packaging, the eyeliner will set in 30 seconds.  When I was cleaning my hands with a Lysol wet wipe, it came easily so I would assume that it’s easily removable with makeup remover.  I think that’s fine though because you won’t need to pull on your skin too much to remove it.

Em Cosmetics – Artistic Eye Color Palette – Shade Play: London Greys ($28) (3/5)

Em Cosmetics Artistic Eyeshadow Palette in London Grey

After the eyeliner, the eyeshadow palette was next on my list! I believe this is a full-size eyeshadow palette.  On the Em Cosmetics website, it’s priced at $28.  That’s already more than the cost of my bag!  Sadly, they don’t have a name for each of the color so I’ll just have to describe the colors.

All the colors are shimmery, but some are more than others.  The palette comes with a bright navy blue, a dark navy blue that’s almost black, a grey, a cream-white, a bronze, and a light-nude peach.  I found that the colors with more shimmer (cream white, bronze, dark navy) were easily pigmented.  I didn’t have to go through it with many swipes to get the nice color.  The other colors were pigmented also but took some time to build up.

This is the swatches shown from their website. It’s not as pigmented as this picture unless you really build up with a lot of product.

It also comes with two tiny brushes.  One of them is a double ended brush with an angled brush on one side and a fluffy brush on the other.  I find that the brushes would be way too small to use.

I do like the palette but I don’t like that it takes some time to build up.  Compared to Colourpop and Naked Palette, it’s not as creamy.  I do think that it’s a pretty good palette to take on the go and the colors are great for a smoky night time look.  I also love that there’s a big mirror on the compact.

The packaging itself is sleek and simple.  It’s an acrylic case. It opens magnetically. Some people don’t like it but I think it’s pretty cool.  It’s definitely not as cute as Too Faced palettes.

For this, I would rate 3/5.  It’s not bad and the price is decent.  There’s just better palettes out there. For example, Colourpop eyeshadows are cheaper and I find that quality and pigmentation is better.

 

Jelly Pong Pong Cosmetics – Caribbean Sun Bronzer Duo: Aruba (Sample Size, Full size $24.95) (4/5)

I really liked the Bronzer Duo. This is in the color set, Aruba.  The right side in the picture below is the blush.  It’s a peachy color.  The left side is the bronzer.  I’ve only swatched it so far but I really love the quality of it.  It’s super blendable and really pigmented.  It’s also easily buildable.  The only complaint I have is that the compact is very ugly.  It just looks so cheap and boring, almost something out of the dollar tree.  The mirror is gives a plus though.  The packaging it came in is so much better looking.  I just wish more effort was put in to the compact than the packaging it came in.

I loved the how it looks, swatched.  The combination of the two would look perfect during summer for that nice peachy beach glow.  I have super fair, neutral skin tone so these colors really give me some color.  I don’t have any bronzers in my collection yet so I don’t know how it compares to others.  But from what I’m experiencing, I’m giving it a 4/5, less one star for ugly packaging.

 

Glamour Dolls: Blending Brush #10 Sperm Whale Edition ($3.99) (3/5)

Finallllyyy! My first brush from an Ipsy Bag! It’s a fluffy blending brush.  You can never get enough blending brushes! It’s soft and dense enough.  The whale design is pretty cute.  I haven’t tried it yet so I don’t know how well it picks up shadows.  Price-wise, Morphe brushes and even Wet N Wild brushes can be considered a bit better and cheaper, too.  So I gave it a mediocre rating.

Trissola: Chia Smoothing Hair Treatment Oil (Amazon $27.97?) (No rating)

I haven’t tried this product out yet but it does smell nice, not too strong.  Trissola‘s website doesn’t show the price on this item but on Amazon, it’s being sold for about $29 for 2 ounces (the link is in the title).  However, the Amazon one is spray while this one uses a medicine dropper.  I personally would prefer a spray bottle for more convenience.  Sorry guys, I don’t have a rating for this one yet.

 

Crazy Rumors: HibisKiss Natural Lip Color in Coral ($4.99) (3/5)

It is a colored lip balm, very similar to Baby Lips I previously reviewed about (Chapsticks Reviews).  It’s not as moisturizing but it does feel nice and gives your lips a slight bronzey tint.  I don’t really like the smell.  It smells like most natural organic cosmetics smell like, a bit plastic-like.  I do think that I would use it but for $5, I’m not sure if I purchase this, 3/5.

 

Well, that’s it for my review on this month’s bag.  What was your favorite item if you got one also?