Thursday, August 22, 2013

August 2013 Glam Bag

The August 2013 Ipsy "Glamour Academy" Glam Bag "is perfect for the professional or student... full of beauty essentials that are perfect for stashing in your school bag or when you're prepping for your next big party!"

This month's samples arrived in a cheeky printed bag to play off the "Glamour Academy" theme.

In my August Glam Bag I received the following items:

Michael Todd - Pumpkin Nutrient-Rich Facial Mask ($34.00/3.4 oz)
The Pumpkin Nutrient-Rich Mask is a blended with Pumpkin and Glycolic Acid.  This rejuvenating facial treatment removes dead skin, impurities and toxins, moisturizes and firms, improves elasticity and pliability of the skin, unclogs pores allowing skin to breath and facilitates movement of skin oils.  Adds brightness and radiance to the skin and significantly improves the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

Sample size: 1 oz
Sample value: $10.00

Wow, this mask definitely has a long list of claims!  Reviews for this product on the Michael Todd website are pretty glowing, though it seems quite a few Glam Bag subscribers experienced sensitivity to the mask.  I'm curious to give this a try myself and see what I think.  I'm usually not sensitive to masks and exfoliating acids, so hopefully this will agree with my skin.  I've been wanting to try out some products from this line since so many YouTubers have raved about them.  I haven't wanted to shell out the money myself to pay for them because I have a hard time fully trusting the reviews of so many girls who are being compensated to mentioned the products.  I'm happy to have the opportunity to try the mask myself (risk free) to form my own opinion on the product.

Smashbox - Photo Finish Foundation Primer ($36.00/1 oz)
Always be photo ready with the Photo Finish Foundation Primer!  This primer creates the perfect canvas for makeup application and helps reduce the appearance of fine lines and pores.  Velvety-smooth, even finish.  Oil-free.

Sample size: 0.25 oz
Sample value: $9.00

I have tried this primer in the past and wasn't overly impressed with it.  It has been a few years since I've tried it (and I've tried numerous primers since), so I'm curious to see what my impression of it will be now.  I know this is a popular primer, I just don't personally love or see much (if any) improvement in the application and wear of my foundation from using primers.  Additionally, these heavily silicone based primers tend to make my already oily skin feel even greasier.

Pixi - Lash Booster Mascara in Blackest Black ($17.00/0.25 oz)
This unique mascara truly boosts your lashes, giving them a "push-up" effect that lasts all day.  The dense, rich formula coats lashes with maximum pigment, for long-lasting full color and the cone-shaped brush coats each lash evenly.  Long lasting, smudge-free and waterproof.

Sample size: 0.105 oz
Sample value: $7.14

I have so many mascaras open at the moment, so it may be a while before I get around to opening this one.  I do love a good mascara, so I'm curious to give this one a try.  I've never used a mascara that claimed to have a "push-up" effect before, so I'm excited to see how this one performs.

MicaBeauty - Eye Shadow in Bronze ($14.95/0.1 oz)
MicaBeauty Mineral Eyeshadows are extremely gentle, free of preservaties, chemicals, dyes, talc, oils, and other fillers.  With this unique formula, the eyeshadows will look ultra smooth and stay put for hours without creasing or pulling the delicate eye area.  Can be mixed with clear lip-gloss, clear mascara, and clear nail polish to add pigment to eyes, eyelashes and nails!

Sample size: 0.1 oz
Sample value: $14.95

{Swatch of the MicaBeauty Mineral Eye Shadow in Bronze}

I'm not the biggest fan of mineral eyeshadows.  While their pigmentation and shine is usually outstanding, I find them a little messy and inconvenient.  I do like the suggestion of using the pigments in a clear gloss, mascara, or polish as another option for wear.  I think this might look lovely added to the tips of the nails in fall.

Urban Decay - Revolution Lipstick in 69 ($22.00/0.09 oz)
Urban Decay's Pigment Infusion System delivers insane color payoff with creamy shine, Maxi-Lip plumps and nourishing oils leave lips cushiony soft.  Get the color you crave.  Addictive to apply (and even more addictive to wear), this creamy formula glides on without dragging or skipping, hugs every curve and gives you a BIG laydown of color.  There's a wide range of colors - from gorgeous nudes to bold brights, there's something for everyone.

Sample size: 0.03 oz
Sample value: $7.33

{Heavy swatch of the Urban Decay Revolution Lipstick in 69}

Apparently August is the month to send out red lips products as I also received a red lip product in my August Birchbox.  From the red lip products I've purchased myself and the tons I've received in beauty subscriptions over the years, I'm certainly set for red lip options this fall/winter.  What I like about this shade is there is quite a bit of pink so it's more wearable (at least on my skin tone) than some of the more orangey reds.  With it's slight shine and moisture, this is also quite comfortable on the lips.  That said, it's definitely not a long-lasting formula.

Total bag value: $48.42

I'm really pleased with the items I received in my August Glam Bag.  I felt like the range of products sent were of a nice variety and the sample sizes were generous.  Having only paid $10 for the subscription and receiving nearly $50 in product makes this month's bag a great value!

This month I also received a little extra for having referred two friends to Ipsy.  I received a full size bottle of the Lime Crime polish in Crema de Limon, an $8.00 value.  How cute is that packaging?!

2 comments:

  1. I am SOOOOOO excited that I decided to cancel my Glossybox, and switch to Ipsy... I put my hatred of Michelle Phan aside and took the plunge and I am SO impressed with Ipsy so far. Firstly, they sent out the bags at the start of the month, so I got it super fast. It was packaged nicely, but without alot of superfluous packaging to throw away... Best part, the products! I got the same color of lipstick (which I have worn a few times now and am considering a full size), the mascara, pumpkin mask, mineral shadow, but I got a Nailtini polish instead of the primer (which is fine with me since Photofinish breaks me out like crazy)... I have already tried every single item I got this month, and loved several of them, which is WAY more than I can say for the last few months of Glossybox. When I saw the contents of the July box, I couldn't have been more thrilled that I had finally canceled... for the $10 cost, this was a fantastic value and I can't wait until next month!

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    Replies
    1. I'm thrilled to hear that! While I did have some great months with GLOSSYBOX, I realized that I rarely ended up using more than 80% of the products I received in my boxes. It just wasn't worth the $21/month to me anymore. While I have had a couple of "miss" months with Ipsy (I didn't care much for my March or April bags), I'm almost always over the moon about at least 2-3 items from my bags.

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