Ipsy Glam Bag August 2014

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. 

When you sign up, you take a "beauty quiz" to let them know what you like. I guess Ipsy is kind of a social network-type beauty website, but I don't do all of that. There's also some sort of points system that I haven't quite figured out. You get 10 points for each review, but you usually need 1000 points to get some kind of bonus product, of which they only have 3 to choose from at a time. There are points for referrals too, but I don't badger my friends into signing up. If you would like to sign up, please consider using my referral link: http://www.ipsy.com/r/4q7r

This month's theme: Beauty Schooled

School is back in session (I can tell... LA traffic has gotten much worse! :p) so the theme this month is Beauty Schooled. I dunno... I don't think the items ever really fit in with the theme, just the bag. Speaking of...

I didn't think I would like this bag when I was seeing people's pictures online, but I really do. The problem with the rectangular ipsy bags that we've been getting, is that they're too small to actually be a makeup bag for me. They've all been flat and smaller. Since this one is round, it can hold a lot more products, and it's longer than the usual bags, which means mascara and eyeliners fit better. Yay! The only thing I don't like about this bag is that it kind of smells like a pool raft... that synthetic plastic smell. At least it seems waterproof then right?

Urban Decay Perversion Mascara: I was so excited to get this product! Everyone got either this or a purple eyeliner, and I'm allergic to all the purple eyeliners I've used lately. I really like this formula. I don't think it's quite "Bigger. Blacker. Badder." or whatever their tagline is, but it's nice. The brush is nice and fluffy and the formula is thick, but not clumpy. It's good enough for now, but I don't think I'll be buying the full size.

Jersey Shore Sun Mongongo Lip Conditioner in Mandarin Green Orange Ginger: Very smooth and moisturizing. Interesting flavor that I actually really like. Orange ginger is not something I expected on my lips, but I like ginger. I have so many lip conditioners though! Guess I'll just have to put this into rotation.

J. Cat Beauty Flying Solo Eye Shadow in Half Naked: I love pale shimmery eyeshadow. And this is no exception. It looks more orange in the pot but is a very nice shimmer, almost highlight, color. The design of the package is really cool too. They've put an applicator underneath the color with a small mirror for ease when traveling. The mirror is too small to work really well, and the plastic hinge is very cheap, but they're thinking and I like that.

Dr. Brandt Pores No More Pore Refiner: This is actually a duplicate from a previous Birchbox. I did like it, but I hardly use primers anymore since I finally found a couple BB creams that work for me. I might have to revisit it for days when I just want to use powder.

Klorane Dry Shampoo with Oat Milk: This is also a duplicate item from Birchbox, from last month actually! But I guess you can never have too many dry shampoos. Especially because I just read a beauty hack that says you can spray your feet with dry shampoo before wearing flats and they'll stay dry! I don't know how well that works, but we'll see when I decide to stop wearing sandals.

Birchbox July 2014

Birchbox is a monthly subscription box service. For $10 a month, they will send you 4-5 'Beauty and Lifestyle' samples. 

They also have a points system, which is the best I've seen. 100 points = $10 to spend in the Birchbox shop. Earn 1 point for every dollar you spend (monthly boxes don't count, except for the first one) and they offer a lot of promo codes to get extra points. You can also earn 10 points for each review of your monthly samples. That's like getting $4-5 back each month! You also get 50 points for each person who signs up through your referral. If you would like to try Birchbox, please consider using my link: https://www.birchbox.com/invite/pdwbx

This month's theme: Power Up

This month, Birchbox partnered with Women's Health Magazine. They included a little booklet of "challenges" to try, including "Get out of your color comfort zone" and "Take a cold shower". Personally, I'm not that motivated. I've been washing my hair in cold water since I dyed it a couple weeks ago and that's long enough for me. 

They also included a card for a free one year subscription to Women's Health. I haven't decided if I want it yet or not... I don't really read magazines, but it's free. But here's what else I got!

Klorane Dry Shampoo with Oat Milk: ($19.50 for 3.2oz) I've been using dry shampoo a lot since I dyed my hair again. It's great for the days in between washing, which helps hold the color in. This particular dry shampoo is supposed to be pure and blah blah... it performs like any dry shampoo. Maybe it's better if you have long hair and you're trying to keep curls from the day before. But for my short hair, it's just another dry shampoo. It also claims to not leave residue, but it still does. Oh well. Nice travel size. I love dry shampoo so this was a great sample, but I won't be buying it.

Marcelle New-Age 8 in 1 Power Serum: ($34 for 1oz) I have to keep looking at what the 8 things are, so I've just copied the description off the Birchbox website: "The lightweight formula boasts five peptides, the amino acids that amp up collagen production and improve elasticity, plus xylitol, a natural sugar alcohol that helps skin retain moisture. These potent ingredients work in eight great ways. When it comes to lines, they smooth, provide a filling effect, and visibly reduce even deep wrinkles. They also firm, lift, and strengthen, while working to boost radiance and improve the texture of your complexion. Even better? It does all of this without parabens or fragrance." I haven't noticed much of an effect, except that it makes my face feel smooth. I also haven't decided if I should use a moisturizer on top of this since it's a serum, or by itself because it's supposed to "retain moisture". Overall, I really like this but I don't think I can justify spending $34 on something that I'm not sure all what it's doing. Maybe in 10+ years when I need help with wrinkles?

Cynthia Rowley Beauty Creamy Lip Stain in Sugar: ($20 for .17oz) This month we got to choose one sample from a selection given to us. I liked the Cynthia Rowley Stain in Valentine I got last month so I decided to try Sugar this month. At first I was disappointed because the color looked like the plain glosses I've been getting from Ipsy - kind of made my lips disappear. I figured out that it was just my horrible bathroom lighting and it natural light, it did add a nice natural pinkness to my lips. I love the texture and the stain left behind. I would buy the full size, but I have a lot of lip products I rotate so this little size will last me a while. It also fits very nicely in a pocket or purse.

Naobay Body Radiance Lotion: ($24 for 250ml) So this lotion is all natural with olive oil, avocado oil, and shea butter. I'm not someone who only buys organic and natural (I'm not that Californian yet... lol but kudos to you if you are!) so to me, this is just lotion. It smells kind of like my BeeKind lotion did - lemony but not bad. This is a good size tube so I think I will leave it in my desk at work. 

100% Pure Gingerade Shower Gel: ($15 for 13oz) Like every other Birchbox subscriber, I was disappointed in the amount of product in this package. The package is small enough, but there was barely a teaspoon of product in there. It doesn't lather like it claims, and the smell was just ok. I only used one of these packets so far, but it's enough to know that I do not like nor need a product like this. Wasted sample if you ask me.

I also finally took advantage of the Birchbox Plus offer this month. This is the Triple C Designs Power Card Ultra Thin Battery in Blush. I had been looking to order a portable phone charger (for those long days at Disneyland and whatnot) and this seemed perfect. I was a little more expensive at $28, but it's very thin. So thin that you need to push open the USB slot to make it large enough to fit the USB cord. It also has a small button on the side that lights up with how much power is left. I've used it a few times now and it's been really nice. You also receive Birchbox points for your Plus items.