Sabrina's February Ipsy Bag | 2015

It's only fitting that my FINAL Ipsy bag post is coming five days later than it was meant to go up (soz, midterms and applying for my second study abroad - more on that in a later post - took priority this week). So yes, this is my last Ipsy bag, at least for a good while. I started out with Ipsy and Birchbox last March and cancelled Birchbox before summer ended (post about that here). Most of the products I received from Ipsy made it into my daily routine and I was introduced to a lot of things that pleasantly surprised me. While I had very few disappointments, things I didn't feel like I needed or really loved were given away to better homes and others were thrown out (one such product is in this very post). While I wish this subscription were 100% makeup, I did enjoy a few of the hair products and maybe one or two items of skincare. Anyway, I have way too many samples at the moment, which is the ultimate reason I cancelled my sub, but my bags also weren't totally hitting the right mark for me recently and I feel like I don't need to be paying $10 a month right now for things I don't need. This month's bag was a little on the pink side, but again, Ipsy surprised me and I'm glad my last bag turned out as good as it did.

CARGO Cosmetics Mini Lip Gloss in Anguilla
I'm going to start on a bad note here and say I absolutely despise this lip gloss. Not a fan of lip gloss to begin with, I approached this one with caution when I saw the sickly sweet pink shade. Don't be fooled by the swatch (below) because as soon as I applied it to my lips, it was such a gross pale pink/nearly white shade and I looked awful. There was no working with the shade and it was sooo sticky. Ick. One of the few products I've had to throw out because nobody I know would be able to get along with it.

Hey Honey Take It Off! Exfoliating Honey Peel Off Mask
I'm really into skincare at the moment, so I was excited to try this as it's a chemical exfoliant, but quickly became annoyed when the product came without instructions. I went to the product's website and watched a Michelle Phan video that barely answered my questions. She basically just put the mask on her face and peeled it off an unspecified amount of time later. She didn't explain if it should be used with water, before/after cleanser, how long leave it in and exactly how much to use. So I just put as much on as I felt was necessary and applied to my T-zone and along my chin (hormones, ugh) while my face was still slightly damp. Then, I watched about 20 minutes of YouTube videos before attempting to peel it off (totally unsuccessful) and just washed it off instead. My face did feel much softer and looked a lot more radiant so I think I'll just keep using it and see how it works.

Luxie Beauty Large Angled Face Brush 504
I love that Ipsy do full-sized makeup brushes! My last duel-ended eyeshadow brush from Crown (here) is probably tied with my MAC 217 in terms of fave eyeshadow brushes and this Luxie brush is a new fave for cheek products. The hairs are quite soft and I love how it's a different color to anything in my brush collection right now as it makes it so easy to locate. The angle is really cool because it dispersed my blush nicely and works really well to distribute highlight as well.

ModelCo BLUSH Cheek Powder in Cosmopolitan
This is the product I was most anxious about aside from the lip gloss because in the compact, it looks so bright and pink - two words I never want to hear out of a blush - and to top it all off, it's a powder. I've been weaned off powders since discovering stains like Benetint and creams like The Balm's How 'Bout Them Apples. They sit so much nicer on the cheeks than powders and they look so natural. Also, after taking some time to get used to them a bit, they are foolproof. Anyway, this shade transferred darker, slightly more berry I'd say, but not actually berry, if that makes sense. It looks so good on! Although it appears scary and bright, it's darker and more muted and a really flattering, slightly more noticeable shade than I would normally go for. Absolutely adore this paired with the Luxie brush.

'Tini Beauty Rob Scheepy for 'Tini Beauty Eyeshadow in Pearl Fizz
Well, another champagne eyeshadow from Ipsy and while I do like the color, it's not something I think I'll be keeping as I don't think champagnes suit me all over the lid and this isn't something I'd like as an inner corner highlight. The durability and pigmentation are great, and it's more of a gold with slight peachiness in it, so that's interesting. Ignore the swatch on my arm (below) as you can hardly see it, but IRL and on the lid, it transfers much better and is quite shimmery. So if you're into champagnes, this might be a good one to try for a different shade option and the blendability and softness of this shadow are worth mentioning as well.

Overall, I'd give this bag a 3.5/5. Let me know what you thought about this month's bag or if you have any questions about Ipsy! Thanks for reading! Xx Sab.

SWATCHED! From left to right: ModelCo BLUSH Cheek Powder in Cosmopolitan, 'Tini Beauty Rob Scheepy for 'Tini Beauty Eyeshadow in Pearl Fizz, and CARGO Cosmetics Mini Lip Gloss in Anguilla