year in review: ipsy glambags 2013

 

hi guys! i thought i'd share how i felt about the products i'd received from this year's ipsy bags*. i actually only started my subscription in april, so obviously i can't give an opinion about the bags for january - march. ~Lin-chan ^.~

april

1. be a bombshell blush in sweet cheeks -- i really like this blush, as mentioned in my spring-summer favorites post.
2. mica beauty cosmetics eyeshadow in 72 earth -- i actually haven't really used it..
3. sation nail polish in of corset i'll call you -- this is a really nice pastel pink shade. i've only worn it once, but it was very nice after three coats. (notd post)
4. healthy sexy hair soy renewal nourishing styling treatment -- i think it's kinda meh. i like macadamia natural oil healing oil treatment better.
• product has been finished

may

1. mirabella shimmerati glimmer gloss in brilliant ruby red -- this is by far the most bizarre yet interesting packaging ever. on the front where the product is, it's the squishy clear plastic like any other squeeze tube gloss. so weird!! the applicator is similar to the tip on any squeeze tube lip gloss, angled with a hole in the center. this gloss feels great, not sticky, and balm-like. i'm a fairly neutral, sheer, or brownish lippie lover but this is a pretty flattering shimmery pinky-red. love it!
2. yaby cosmetics concealer refill in honey -- this concealer is a little too golden for me, but it felt like it had decent coverage.
• product was given away
3. zoya piaf -- pastel yellow with silver shimmer, from the lovely spring 2013 collection. while this color is probably flattering on other people, as a person of asian descent, yellow is the least flattering on my light skintone. 
• product was given away
4. pacifica island vanilla perfume roll-on -- this smells great! i probably wouldn't have picked up on my own since i've been having really bad migraines lately, but i love this! i'm definitely a vanilla person. i actually went and bought a set of minis in this scent for my cousin's xmas gift.
5. pacifica coconut crushed pearl bronzing body butter -- i'm not huge into tanning/bronzing products. after testing this on my hand, it's not too bad, it looks nice and it smells good, like any coconut scented product would.
• product was given away

june

1. nyx cream blush in cb12 bronze goddess -- i'm not all that huge into cream blushes, i think mostly because i'm impatient and powder blushes seem to be a lot easier to fix if i make a mistake. but i'll still give it another go sometime, just haven't been reaching for it enough to fully experiment.
2. starlooks lip pencil in k308 bare -- this shade is not me. this pencil, while matte, creamy and smooth...worn alone, gives me zombie lips. it's that pale, death-purple kind of shade on me. so while i'm not totally bashing this line of pencils or brand, this shade is a definite no.
• product was given away
3. j.cat beauty sparkling cream palette in sp106 volta -- this is basically glitter mixed with a clear, tacky base. i'm not huge into wearing glitter products, i prefer shimmery products. another thing i don't like about this is that the glitter is chunky,  like craft glitter and feels pretty rough if you're not gentle with it. while it's a pretty neat idea, it's not me.
• product was given away
4. cailyn cosmetics line-fix gel eyeliner w/brush in iron -- as the name states, it's a kind of gunmetal-ish black shade. this liner, once set does not budge. i rubbed and rubbed and it did not move. it does smudge when it is still wet and it is fairly difficult to remove, i used both a makeup remover wipe and an eye makeup remover pad and i still have a line on my arm! whatt. i do not advise using the brush that comes with it, it is a flat concealer-style brush and it's not super stiff, so even if you turn it sideways, you won't get a perfectly straight line. but it is super soft and you could probably use it for things...like concealer..if you want. this made it into my spring/summer favorites post.
5. chella ivory lace highlighter pencil -- this is a matte pencil, it's fairly creamy and applies very smoothly. this shade, on my skin, is a little bit too light, but if i blend it enough it'll work. i haven't been using it a whole lot. mostly, i'll apply it lightly under my brow and kinda rub it in to blend it.

july

1. bh cosmetics california collection eyeshadow sampler -- these shadows are pretty nice, the purple from the hollywood palette was a bit difficult to swatch, but the other two are quite nice. i'm not super interested in their matching full sized palettes, so i probably would purchase other palettes from them in the future, but not these three. 
• product was given away
2. pop beauty pouty pop crayon in coral crush -- this shade is really nice, it's pretty close to my yes/no pink borderline. it feels like a thinner version of a lip butter; it's very balmy. hubz didn't like how it looked on me (he thought it was too bright).
• product was given away
3. coola suncare mineral face spf 20 unscented moisturizer -- i'm glad i got the unscented one, i've posted several times on here that i hate rose oil/fragrances. it has a disguised sunscreen scent..which i don't particularly like, but it's bearable. i probably won't repurchase this though because it's kinda expensive (plus shipping), when i could just go to a sephora or ulta and buy my usual stuff (clinique city block or urban decay bb cream).
• product has been finished
4. sexy hair weather proof humidity resistant spray -- i'm not huge on using hair setting sprays, but this one's not too bad. doesn't have a super offensive scent and it holds pretty well. i like how quickly it dispenses and how fine the stream is, and how you can turn the cap to lock it (for traveling). it does give the hair a slightly sticky feeling if it's layered on a lot in places, but it doesn't make your hair crunchy--which is a plus. washes out about the same as most hair sprays.
5. nailtini straight up nail lacquer in mai tai -- this red/coral-y color is ok. it's not really me.
• product was given away

august

1. noya lip balm in cherry -- scent is very similar to chapstic brand; the actual product comes off transparent, and has no tint. while it feels nice, i actually prefer a more thick and/or plush type of balm if you guys kinda know what i mean... (faves: eos spheres, fresh sugar (brown tube)) it's ok, the times that i used it, my lips felt more chapped later on, so i gave it away.
• product was given away
2. michael todd jojoba charcoal gentle exfoliating facial scrub -- the scrub itself is a scary looking muddy-black charcoal color, and it smells like that herbally-aromatherapy kind of smell. like it reminds me of trips to aveda institute. i really like this scrub. i'm more of a harsh scrub type person, but this one still feels exfoliating enough and my skin feels great afterward. >w<
3. pixi beauty lash booster mascara in blackest black -- it's an ok mascara. i think it's waterproof and doesn't really want to come off when you want to remove it. my lashes did look a bit thicker but eh, i'm too lazy to remove it.
• product has been finished
4. chella dazzling dark brown eyebrow color pencil -- this shade was way to light my brows. 
• product was given away
5. pacifica alight multi-mineral bb cream -- i don't like how it smells like sunscreen--like it isn't strong..or maybe they used something to help mask the scent, i'm not sure. i had a really bad ALLERGIC SKIN REACTION to this product. suckyyyyy.
• product has been tossed

september

1. nyx eyeshadow in pure gold -- this is a really pretty gold eyeshadow. i haven't actually tried any of their shadows before and i really like how buttery soft and pigmented this one is. unfortunately, i haven't had time to play with it and wear it though.
2. elizabeth mott it's so big volumizing mascara in black -- it's more like a lengthening mascara than volumizing, for me. it's ok. you know how, when you pull the mascara wand out of the tube, there's usually some excess on the tip, well for this mascara, it's really stringy and takes a few tries to get it all back in there.. >.>
• product has been finished
3. cailyn cosmetics tinted lip balm in big apple -- passed it off to mom, she likes it and it looks a lot better on her since her skin's darker than mine
• product was given away
4. starlooks kohl eye pencil in obsidian -- i have so many eyeliners already that i'm between using, at this rate, i doubt i'll finish any of them. it's a little bit harsh at first contact but once it warms up a bit it glides smoothly.
5. freeman beauty facial paper masks in rose (brightening), and 2x starfruit (purifying) -- i've never used a sheet mask before, and this was an interesting experience. the mask itself is made of a one-size-fits-none. the eye holes are perfect circles, not ovals. so, on my face, the opening was good enough for all but 1/3 of each eye. the mask itself didn't really want to stay in place well whenever i moved any muscles in it--which i guess would be typical for something of this sort. after removing the mask and while pressing the remaining serum in, my face had a sticky feeling for about 10 minutes. after my face finished absorbing the serum it felt pretty good, but i don't think i'll try this again (and possibly other sheet masks) because the mask felt and looked pretty weird while i was wearing it. and i don't feel that i'm getting that much of a benefit by using it. and partially obscured vision.....meh.
• the rose one was given away, gave away the other starfruit one too. i did buy the missing blue agave one just to give it a try, but haven't used it yet.
6. em michelle phan sample card of out to lunch from the career life palette -- i haven't actually used this sample yet. see links to my reviews of the day life palette here. for christmas, i got the sampler of the career life palette, but it's a different quadrant than this card.

october

1. zoya nail polish in neve -- ugh! i love this color. so excited that they gave me a blue one, but i have so many blue polishes! ^_^ (notd post)
2. sexy hair blow dry volumizing gel -- i tried it once and it wasn't for me. i just don't like using hair gel anymore, i don't like that weird sticky feel while i'm blow drying it. 
• product was given away
3. bella terra cosmetics mineral shimmers in emotion -- such a pretty purple color in the pot, but when it's picked up by a brush, it's very sheer almost red-pinkish. if you pick up a clump of it and gently spread it on, it's gorgeous, but if you spread it out it sheers out.
4. coastal scents medium shadow brush -- seems like a pretty nice shadow brush. not as stiff as i like them, but it'll definitely be put to use. very soft.
5. la fresh oil free face cleansing wipes in refreshing scent -- smells citrusy. only ok at removing makeup. not that great. they're pretty expensive relative to more effective wipes, so i don't plan on buying more of these.
• product has been finished

november

1. em michelle phan pillow plush cushiony lip balm in sorbet -- no color payoff but feels great on the lips.
2. be a bombshell lip crayon in hot damn -- this shade is way too bold for me. it's kind of drying and drags when applying
• product was given away
3. pixi beauty bronzer in subtly suntouched -- this is a great corrector shade (and by that, i mean mistake-fixer) for my skintone, it's not really dark enough to be a bronzer on me..which i guess is why they named it subtle..?
4. nailtini nail polish in champagne -- lovely rose-gold type shade! (notd post) love it!
5. starlooks gem eye pencil in topaz  -- like i said in september, i have plenty of eyeliners right now. ~.~ gorgeous color though!
6. tresemme tres two extra hold hair spray -- haven't used it! (will try to remember to update this post if i do.)

december

1. be a bombshell cosmetics the one stick in girl crush -- this is so pretteh. omg. this is so buttery. i applied it with my fingers to my cheeks as a cream blush and it was major butter. built up, this shade is a really nice, natural pink on me (granted, it is shimmery). and sheered out, it's a very pretty highlight. on my lips, it came off as a pretty pinky-nude type shade. but it's not very long lasting or moisturizing and it clung to my dry spots. bleh. but that's ok, i'll primarily use this on my cheeks.
2. pop beauty bright up your life eyeshadow trio from the naturally bare palette -- i swatched these dry and i'm quite impressed. they're very smooth and more pigmented than i was expecting. you guys know i love my neutrals, and these shades are pretty. the left shade is very golden as a highlight and slightly more flaky/fall-out-y than the other two. the three shades together (used like a wnw trio) blend and work very well together. i like it a lot. still not sure if/when i'd buy the full size because i sort of have these shades already.
3. demeter snow perfume oil rollerball -- this smells like dirt, with a twist, to me. paul doesn't think so, but i think so. or realistically, anything earthy smells like dirt to me. this is supposed to have 'perfectly captured the scent of snow'...yeah, ok.
• product was given away
4. nyx extra creamy round lipstick in B52 -- very creamy but i'm not sure about lasting power. feels moisturizing but thin. this shade is in my comfort zone; it's a dusty rose. paul thinks it's slightly vampy on me but it's ok. it interesting because, holding the tube up to my bite lipstick in pepper, the nyx is lighter in color....but i guess the nyx lipstick is more pigmented than bite's semi-sheer lipstick, so maybe... regardless, i like this lipstick.
5. nicka k nail polish in NY139 ripe apple -- this thing was opaque in one coat. holy crap. i'm not into red polish, but this is very impressive.
• product was given away

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