Ipsy November Glam Bag Review

Annnnnd once again I've got an Ipsy dilemma.

"I can't use these products until I take pictures of them in their perfect, unused, form."

"I really want to play with my items!"

"It's raining, I need bright, natural sunlight to take pictures that will look good!"

"I guess I'll start writing about the products before I take pictures..."

"Ugh, but now the products will be USED in the pictures!"



 I'm so OCD.

So anyway... My November Ipsy is awesome!!

What is Ipsy?
Each month, subscribers will receive a beautiful Glam Bag with deluxe samples and full-sized beauty products. Members can watch and play along with the stylists with the same products that they are using. All for only $10 a month.

So go ahead, take the beauty quiz, get your first Glam Bag, watch the videos, and create your own! 

From Ipsy's site

• EM Michelle Phan Lip Gallery Creamy Color Sheer Lipstick in Violaceous. Full size. $16.50 if you buy it from EM's site.

Inspired by the girl who believes less is more. A fresh tint of just right color for a dreamy pout. Lightweight, creamy texture with sheer, buildable color quality. Silky shine finish and conditioning comfort.

I believe I've found my new favorite lipstick!  (Before, it was Mauve Outta here by Wet n Wild.) This color is gorgeous, and I don't feel like it's too "out there." It's perfect for everyday looks and for dressing up.  It's sheer, so it combines with your natural lip color a bit to be the perfect berry shade for anyone. You can also wear multiple layers to make it more opaque. The texture is smooth and creamy, and thinner than most chapsticks I wear, so I hardly noticed I was wearing lipstick. It smells like vanilla, which is awesome. It's not super long-wearing, but I did get at least 2 hours of good wear out of it.

To see pictures of me wearing this lipstick, check out this post.

• Be a Bombshell Lip Crayon in Hot Damn. Full size. $14 if you buy it from Be A Bombshell's site. 

(Gem eye pencil in Amethyst on top, lip crayon in Hot Damn on bottom)

 A glossy lip crayon with a smooth texture that is perfect for travel and touch-ups on the go.

Another.red.lip.product. I love red lips, but how many red lip products does one girl need?  I got the red Urban Decay lipstick sample, the red Cailyn lip tint, and now this red Be a Bombshell lip crayon. Of those three red lip products I just mentioned, this is my least favorite. It's too sheer. It actually looked more pink than red on me. I'm sure if I built up layers of it on my lips it would be fine, but why would I do that when I have two other red lip products I could use? (Not including the full size red Urban Decay lipstick I purchased.) I wish I hadn't tried this out. I'm hoping I can sanitize it and someone will be willing to swap with me, so I can get something else.

• Pixi Beauty Bronzer in Subtly Suntouched. Full size. $18 if you buy it from Pixi Beauty's site.

(Galaxy Chic eyeshadow in Eclipse on top, Pixi Beauty bronzer in Subtly Suntouched on bottom)

This bronzing powder gives your complexion the warmth and luminosity of naturally sunkissed skin. Hydrating, silky-smooth & long-wearing, it also protects against free radicals. Contains Vitamin E to protect the skin and mica, which provides dense natural pigment.

I'm not a huge fan of bronzer, but I do like to contour on occasion, so that's what I'll use this for. It's not as dark as the color I've used in the past to contour, but it will work for an extremely subtle look.

I used the Pixi Bronzer in the same pictures that I was wearing the EM lipstick. Here's the link again.

• Nailtini Straight Up Color Nail Lacquer in Caviar Cocktail. Full size. $13 if you buy it from Nailtini's site.

Glamour is an attitude as much as a look, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't look the part...all the way down to your fingertips!

Just one of Nailtini's top-shelf, 3-free nail lacquer, available in dozens of shades, textures and finishes. Wear them alone or layered to create custom looks and effects, each one a cocktail unto itself. Cheers to beauty, and as always, apply responsibly! 

One drawback to Ipsy is that if there are only two variations of an item and you love one and hate the other, you get to worry about which one you'll get.  I was worried about the nail polish. I did not want the bronze color.  I am so happy I got the silver color!  I loved the formula of the Nailtini in the color Mai Tai I got back in July, so I thought I would love this one even more because the color was right for me.  Unfortunately, the formula of Caviar Cocktail isn't as good as the formula of Mai Tai. It's a little thick, streaky, and I got a clump on one of my nails.  Those things aside, I do love the color. The above swatch was using one coat of OPI Natural Nail base coat, and one coat of Caviar Cocktail, so this color is completely opaque in one coat.

• BH Cosmetics Galaxy Chic Baked Eyeshadow. Sample size (one full size eyeshadow, rather than the entire palette of colors). Full size is $14.95 if you buy it from BH Cosmetics' site. Estimated value: $0.83.

 This Galaxy Chic Baked Eyeshadow Sample will take you from Plain Jane to an infinite trendsetter. Inspired by the moons and planets of the universe, eyeshadow shades range from hot sun-orange to cool earth-blue and colors of the Milky Way. Be as chic as a sparkling star! 

I read a review of the entire Galaxy Chic palette on XSparkage, and I'm really tempted to buy it. It's decently priced, and the colors are really pigmented with and without primer. I really like my sample. Eclipse is a shimmery eggplant color. The packaging is really good quality; it has a little magnet to keep it closed. For my estimated value of 83 cents, I think that's an awesome value. I hesistate to purchase the full Galaxy Chic palette because I've got my heart set on the Naked 3 palette by Urban Decay that will be out soon... I could probably get both, but, would I really use that many eyeshadows in addition to the amount I already own? And, of the 18 eyeshadows included in the Galaxy Chic palette, how many would I actually use?  That's something I still need to figure out.

I used Eclipse to smudge/blend my eyeliner in the post mentioned twice above. ;-)

• Starlooks Gem Eye Pencil in Amethyst. Full size. $14 if you buy it from Starlooks' site.

In the shade

In the sunlight (Gem Eye Pencil in Amethyst on top, Lip Crayon in Hot Damn on bottom)

 The Starlooks Gem Eye Pencils provide a magnificent metallic finish and are so versatile, soft, and creamy that they can be used as a liner or eyeshadow base! Each highly-pigmented, unique pencil has a gorgeous, micro-glitter finish.

This is a very pretty color!  I don't see myself using this as an eyeliner or an eyeshadow base though. It's too light to be an eyeliner, and it would take too much work to blend it out as an eyeshadow base. I used it is a tear duct highlight and it looked pretty cool. I'll have to play with it some more to see what else I can use it for.

Bag Value
EM Lipstick: $16.50
Be a Bombshell Lip Crayon: $14
Pixi Beauty Bronzer: $18
Nailtini Polish: $13
BH Cosmetics Eyeshadow: $0.83 
Starlooks Eye Pencil: $14

Grand Total: $76.33

That makes this bag my highest value bag so far!  I found a new HG product in the EM lipstick, and I'm pretty pleased with everything else, besides the lip crayon.  Well worth $10 if you ask me!


Interested in trying Ipsy?  I'd love it if you used my link!  http://www.ipsy.com/?refer=u-hh1dhitczm8r4e9