ipsy August Glam Bag

My bag came super early this month!  I actually received it on the 10th of the month, when normally that's when they begin shipping the bags out.

Winning!

This post is pretty long, but...

August's glam bag is my favorite so far!

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.  (From ipsy's site.)

Something I haven't mentioned in the past is that glam bag subscribers get discounts on the brands that are featured in the ipsy bag each month, even the products you don't receive. So, if you get a sample and love it you can buy it for cheaper than you would normally have to pay. Or, if you don't get a product that you really wanted, you can buy it with your discount.

You also take a beauty quiz that is supposed to help ipsy match products to you, so you get things that you'll actually like if there are alternates.  For example, this month people could get an Urban Decay lipstick or a Noya lip balm. The goal was to get the lip balm to the people who aren't big fans of lipstick. 

This month, the theme was "Back to School."  The bag was adorable and made me think of Harry Potter. Totally keeping it.

• Urban Decay Revolution Lipstick in 69. Deluxe sample size. Full size is $22 if you buy it from Urban Decay's website. Estimated value: $7.33.

This photo doesn't really show its true color. It really is more red than that, but it does have pink undertones.

This lipstick.  I don't know if I was in a super good mood on Sunday, or if this is a super good lipstick that put me in a good mood. I felt sexy wearing it. The texture was creamy and smooth. The color wasn't shimmery or shiny, and it also wasn't matte, it was the perfect balance between the two. The color when first applied was a perfect red. Not orange, not pink, red. I did not use a lip liner, and this lipstick did not feather out past my natural lips.

I applied it before I went to church, and reapplied it before my last class in church.  The picture below was taken 6 hours after reapplication.

So, the lipstick color isn't perfect in this picture... It has faded to a hot pink rather than being a bright red. However, what did I do in those 6 hours between reapplication and this picture?  I had a toddler touch my mouth repeatedly. I drank a glass of water AND a can of soda. I ate dinner. I had an interview.

I have NEVER had lipstick still look that good after eating and drinking, and 6 hours of wear.  Moral of the story?  I bought this lipstick.  I bought the full size, $22 lipstick.  The discount from ipsy was free shipping... which really isn't much of a discount, except that shipping is freaking $8. I'm feeling a bit of buyers' remorse, but not really because of the price, but because I want MORE colors. Specifically, I want Jilted and Rapture.

Jilted - Photo from makeupandbeautyblog.com

Rapture - Photo from makeupandbeautyblog.com

GET ALL THE COLORS!

• Michael Todd Pumpkin Nutrient-Rich Facial Mask. Deluxe sample size. Full size is $34 if you buy it from Micheal Todd's wesbite. Estimated value: $11.56.

This mask smells absolutely wonderful, like fresh pumpkin! It reminds me of Thanksgiving a few years ago when my sister, Elise, decided to make pumpkin pies out of fresh pumpkin instead of canned pumpkin. Totally delicious.

The texture feels like pureed pumpkin with a tiny amount of sand in it. It's just barely gritty.  When applied to the face, it tingles a little. The smell is better in the bottle than when it's on your face, but the smell is not bad. A little bit goes a long way, so this sample will last me a while!

I'm not sure if I noticed any specific benefits from this mask, but the day after I used it, my sister, Emilee, told me that I have nice skin. So there's that.

• Pixi Beauty Lash Booster Mascara in Blackest Black. Sample size. Full size is $17 if you buy it from Pixi Beauty's website. Estimated value: $7.14. 

 How cute is that tiny tube of mascara? I've never seen anything like it before! I just purchased a brand new mascara, so it might be a while before I try this one.

• MicaBeauty Eyeshadow in Bronze. Full size. $14.95 if you buy it from MicaBeauty's site.
• Claims: MicaBeauty® Mineral Eye Shadows’ glamorous shimmers will give you the look you always wanted.
  MicaBeauty® Mineral Makeup is extremely gentle, free of preservatives, chemicals, dyes, talc, oils, and other fillers.
  With this unique formula, your Eye Shadows will look ultra smooth and stay put for hours without creasing or pulling the delicate eye area. (From MicaBeauty's site.)
  

I think I would love this if it were in another color. I'm cool toned, yadda yadda yadda. This is a warm golden bronze color. It's totally gorgeous, but it wouldn't work on me. And therefore, I will be keeping it unopened so I can either trade it on the ipsy swap page, or give it away as a gift when I go visiting teaching, or something like that. Or I could sell it. Whatevs.

• Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer. Deluxe sample size. Full size is $36 if you buy it from Smashbox's website. Estimated value: $9.00.

This is a really good primer. However, you can buy something extremely similar for $6.  Behold:

Monistat Chafing Powder-Gel. I've been using this as a primer for four months now. It has not caused me to break out, or have any skin issues whatsoever. I've heard that it's similar to Smashbox Photo Finish primer, but I did not know how similar it was until I tried Smashbox's.  Honestly, if you put one of these on one hand, and the other on the other hand, I would not be able to tell a difference. They have the same texture and feel to them, and my makeup is just as perfect with one as it is with the other.  So, safe yourself some dough, and buy the chafing gel.

Recap:
.03 oz Urban Decay Lipstick sample: $7.33
1 fl oz Michael Todd Pumpkin Mask sample: $11.56
.105 oz Pixi Beauty Mascara sample: $7.14
.1 oz MicaBeaty Eyeshadow: $14.95
.25 fl oz Smashbox primer: $9.00

Total Bag Value: $49.98

Here's my referral link if you want to join: http://www.ipsy.com/?refer=u-hh1dhitczm8r4e9