When summer approaches, natural makeup looks become a more common topic, for good reason. A full face of makeup on a hot humid day is generally not long for this world, so why put in the effort?
When I’m going for a more natural look, I don’t usually like wearing bright opaque lip colors. In fact if I’m not wearing anything else, I like having at least a little tint on my lips. So when I spotted Colourpop’s new lip products, the Blotted Lip and the Ultra Blotted Lip I was very excited to try them out!
Colourpop Blotted Lipstick in Bee’s Knees
The Colourpop Blotted Lip is a 1 ounce lipstick that comes in a matte white tube that clicks shut (very satisfyingly!). The product itself is matte and incredibly lightweight, and yet highly pigmented. Here’s a comparison of my bare lips with one coat of the shade Bee’s Knees:
Ready for a date with Two-Face! 😉
I found it dryer than I expected, most tinted products are some sort of balm or gloss, but despite that, it applies very smoothly. And you can build it up for a richer payoff, if you want, easily:
This is about 3 coats.
While this isn’t as long lasting as a liquid lipstick that dries down, it has some pretty good staying power. it took quite a long day of eating & drinking to wear it out, and even then it faded pretty evenly.
I think these are an excellent product. They come in 11 colors, and are only $5 each! in fact, right now a few of them are on sale for $4. (Incidentally, if you were ever a fan of the Clinique Almost Lipstick in Black Honey, you might want to check out the shade Lolly – I’m planning to get one myself!)
Is this your kind of lip color? Do you already have a color you like, but the finish isn’t the look you want right now? If so, my next post is for you – I’m going to be talking about the versatility of the good old fashioned classic lipstick. You can even follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or Tumblr to make sure you don’t miss my next post.
Disclaimer: I have no arrangements with Colourpop, I purchased this product with my own money.
Happy New Year everyone! With a new year, I’m hoping to do a lot more posting, so lets get right back into the goods!
Even though it is already January, and new boxes are making their way to our homes, I though I would take some time and see which box ended the year with the biggest bang. Subscription Box Showdown Time- Sephora Play vs Ipsy Vs Allure Beauty Box!
Boxes…assemble? 🙂
First box: Ipsy!
While it is technically a bag not a box, Ipsy was one of the first, and for $10/month, they seldom disappoint – and the bag is part of the subscription, every month we get a cute new design. This month’s is intended for party time, and to my surprise? Its fuzzy! And whats inside?
Its so FUZZY!! 😀
Ouai Wave spray – I actually have a bottle of this in my bathroom right now! I received it from another subscription box a few months back. It has a lovely smell and when spritzed on damp hair, I find it does help encourage more waviness in my hair, especially if i let it dry in a bun or braid. So even though this isn’t new for me, I’m definitely happy to get another bottle.
Nyx prismatic shadow in Punk Heart – I am no stranger to Nyx cosmetics, but I had not yet tried the prismatic line, and after this quick swatch I’m delighted to have it! This shadow is a rich amethyst with a gorgeous sheen, and the powder is a soft, smooth texture that was easy to swatch and I’m sure will be easy to apply and blend.
Nyx shadows have a cute bow detail on the package.
Ciate London Liquid Velvet Matte Lipstick in Pin Up – While I’ve heard of Ciate London, this product is totally new to me in all but reputation. I’ve heard excellent things about this company’s matte lipstick, and this is a generous sample in a pretty warm berry shade that I’m looking forward to trying out.
Swatchy!
Jersey Shore Cosmetics Peppermint Moisture Rich Hydrating Balm – I think I’ve gotten a hand cream or possibly another balm from this company in the past, but clearly not that memorable. Still, I like mint lip balms, and especially in winter its nice to have some extra on hand.
tarte cosmetics deluxe maracuja oil – i’ve heard loads about tarte’s oil, mostly about how versatile it is – face, skin, nails, hair etc can apparently all benefit – but what i was pleased with when I opened this up is that its nearly scent-free and absorbs quickly, but not so quickly that you can’t spread it out evenly. I use a serum or face oil as a part of my skin care routine, so I may try subbing this in to see how it compares.
All in all, this was a pretty good box. While I did get some familiar items, everything here is good colors, good quality, and products with strong reputations. Good variety of items too, hair & skin care as well as cosmetics; December was definitely a good month for Ipsy.
Next up: The Allure Beauty Box. This one comes in an actual box, every month you get the same bright red box, but they are very well constructed and could be useful for storage, or as gift boxes. One thing unique to this box is the “mini-magazine”, which is simply a booklet with an entry for each item in the box. I really like this because they often provide advice on how to best use the product, and they give thorough explanations of what each item is. While it’s always a simple task to look things up online, I rather enjoy the experience of sitting down with a new Allure box and opening each product and reading about them without having to hunt down information on the products one by one. So what did I get?
Coastal Salt & Soul Heavenly Hand cream in Mediterranean Citrus – they are not kidding about the citrus! When I opened the seal on this lotion, a wonderful bright citrus scent hit me instantly. I am always in need of hand cream in the winter, and a bright cheerful scent like this is ideal for the dreary winter days ahead.
European Wax Center Oh My Brow brow highlighter – This product is new to me and honestly already quite nifty. Its a chubby pencil highlight that goes on very easily, it has a smooth even texture, and a flattering champagne sheen. Whats especially nice about this is that on the other end of the pencil, there is a smudger tip! Hidden under a smaller cap is a soft black sponge tip that makes quick work of blending. I love that kind of convenience in a product, makes it ideal for on-the-go!
This has a nice soft glow without being too obvious or glittery
Tula Advanced Neck Cream – Honestly this item surprised me, it never occurred to me to have a separate cream just for your neck, I usually just use my face moisturizer on it. But what the heck, its fun to try new stuff.
Embryolisse Lait-Creme Concentre – I thought this was just a moisturizer, but apparently you can use it as a cleanser or shave cream, so I may save this for travel!
Beautyblender Liquid Blendercleanser – As a long time beauty blender user, i’m delighted to have a good sized sample of this to try out. I have a small solid version of their cleanser I got in a beauty blender multipack, and it works very well, so i’m curious to see how it compares to the liquid
Skinceuticals Blemish & Age Defense serum – This I am definitely excited to try, its a skin oil that helps with breakouts AND signs of aging. I have a serum right now that is supposed to work on various skin problems like breakouts, but it does not address aging, so it will be cool to compare to this one.
This month’s Allure box is full of things that are new to me! The cleanser is the only thing I was previously familiar with, so its great to learn about some new stuff I might not have found otherwise.
Last and certainly not least, its the Sephora Play! Box.
Sephora’s Play! box is relatively new to the scene, but it is already popular thanks to their name recognition. The subscription is $10/month, and arrives in a black & white striped box; inside of which there is a cloth, drawstring pouch (each month with a new design) holding all your samples:
Sephora Cream Lip Stain in Always Red – A long wearing, matte finish lip color, Sephora recently released a “vault” of 40 colors of this product, so I’m not surprised to receive this. Its lightweight, and its a nice color that would probably work on most people.
Elizabeth and James Nirvana Rose – this is one of those vial sized sample with a sprayer, the notes are Rose de Mai, Geranium, Vetiver. I’m not a big fan of florals, so this one isn’t really my style, but its not a bad sample.
Urban Decay All Nighter Long Lasting Makeup Spray – I’m delighted to get this, I have heard a lot of good things about this spray, and its a pricey item in full size, so this is awesome to get, and it has a light, fresh scent.
Lancome Hypnose Drama Instant Full Body Mascara – This mascara sample has an interesting brush, which I assume comes in the full size tube as well. Its slightly flattened, and curves up slightly towards the end of the brush:
The brush!
Drybar Detox Dry Shampoo – I don’t know much about Drybar’s products, but I love getting trial size dry shampoos. This one seems to have a strong smell, but I’ll still try it out.
This month’s Sephora box is exciting! The majority of the stuff in here I may have heard of, but its almost entirely composed of things I wanted to try, which is awesome.
All in all, December was a good month subscription-wise. Since I didn’t really feel like any of the items I received were failures this month, choosing a favorite simply comes down to which box I am the most happy about, and I think this month that would have to be Sephora Play! Even though I do not particularly care for the perfume from that box, everything else I received was either something I knew of and wanted to try or something that I am now looking forward to trying.
Do you disagree with my ruling? Do you have a favorite subscription box I’ve never mentioned? Tell me about it in the comments!
This month, I thought it would be fun to compare all three of the subscriptions I got, head to head (to head?) and declare a best of the month. Lets just dive in and have a look!
To start off, here’s Ipsy:
Dig that shiny bag! 🙂
This month I received:
theBalm Cosmetics Meet Matt(e) Trimony eyeshadow in Matt Kumar – a small version of one of the eyeshadows from this palette, this is a generous sample and I know from experience, a good quality shadow. I own a handful of the Balm products, and they never disappoint.
Sedona Lace Synthetic Blender, EB13 – I’ve only heard of the Sedona Lace brand from some makeup artists online, so its neat to get one to try out. The brush feels solidly constructed and the bristles are soft but not too flimsy or sparse, overall the quality seems very good.
Bellapierre Cosmetics Banana Setting Powder – I’ve gotten products from Bellapierre from Ipsy before. One was a loose powder blush that I quite like, so I am looking forward to trying out their setting powder, its quite soft and blended very smoothly when I swatched it. (see the swatch below with other swatches from this bag.)
I’m a big fan of the Balm, and do not have this palette, so getting a color from it was pretty cool. Its a nice, warm shade:
Nice smooth texture and blends easily!
I’m only loosely familiar with bareminerals, but everything I’ve tried from them has been very nice quality. This liquid lipstick seems to be no exception. It has no noticeable scent, and the color is a soft, neutral pink I am sure to get plenty of wear from:
A decent sized sample, and very nice packaging!
And of course, the setting powder:
Banana powder! (named for its yellowish tint- does not contain banana!)
This month from Ipsy I also redeemed points for a bonus – a very nice one too!
Yay Bonus!
With the Ipsy subscription you have the opportunity to earn points by answering short surveys about each item you get. The points are not the only benefit, your selections each month are also affected by your survey responses, so if you like a brand (like I mentioned Bellapierre), its likely they’ll send you other samples from it, or send you similar products to ones you like. You can also earn points from sharing your bag on social media, or referring friends to sign up. (I get most of my points from the review surveys.) I was lucky enough to have enough points saved up when they announced they were offering the TooFaced Born this Way concealer as a bonus for July, before it was even available for sale.
I guessed at my color – its always hard to tell online isn’t it? – and it looks like i guessed well.(Obviously it doesn’t match my hand, but it matched my face very well) This concealer is very pigmented but super thin and lightweight, and I haven’t noticed any creasing so far. As you can see it came in a glass tube with a doe-foot applicator. A full-sized, high-end concealer is pretty sweet bonus item in my book.
Overall the Ipsy selection this month was pretty fun. It was a mix of brands I was familiar with and brands that I’m not as familiar with, and none of the items were a repeat. The bag was also a mix of useful and fun items, which I always like.
Next up, Sephora Play!
Loving that popsicle totebag – so cute!
This month included:
beautyblender – blotterazi: This is a flat sponge designed to replace blotting papers. I actually already own the full size of this, which is a compact with mirror and two sponges, so its nice to have an extra sponge for my compact! This is a cool sample to send out, because it is exactly what you get in the full size product, simply without the compact and the backup sponge, so you can really get an idea of whether this product is for you.
First Aid Beauty Face Cleanser: I have used some really fantastic moisturizers from this brand so I’m happy to get one of their cleansers. This has a nice creamy feel to it, and the scent reminds me of ivory soap. A travel size of a mild cleanser good for all skin types.
Ouai Wave Spray: a texture mist for hair, for those low-maintenance, soft wavy looks often referred to as “beachy waves”. I love doing this sort of easy-going hair style, so I am looking forward to testing this one out. This has a light, clean scent to it; many sprays of this style tend to have beachy scents like coconut, this one feels a little more versatile to me.
Smashbox Photofinish Primer: a foundation primer, and its one I’ve gotten samples of a number of times before, it is very welcome, as it is a fantastic primer! It smooths the skin texture and helps your foundation last.
Nest Fragrances in Citrine: Every Play box includes a fragrance sample. This one claims that it layers fresh lotus flower, freesia, bright citrus with a base of “precious” woods. This is a clean, bright floral scent without being overly cloying. I don’t usually like floral perfumes but this one I could actually see myself wearing. The vial has a sprayer on top, which I also really appreciate.
Benefit Cosmetics Dew the Hoola soft matte liquid bronzer: This is a light cream that gives a soft bronze tone to the skin without any shimmer or sheen. I’ve never done much with bronzers, so I’m pleased to get a sample to play with and try the look.
The only product with color to it in this box, so here’s a quick swatch:
Some blended in and some straight out of the tube.
This is a pretty nice selection of products, and in my opinion, seasonally appropriate. The cosmetic related items are all things I would use in warmer weather, the blotter, the primer and the bronzer. The hair product is designed for giving your hair that “beach day” look, ideal for weather where its too hot to heat-style. The fragrance is bright, clean and not too heavy, definitely a good choice for summer. And the skin product, a gentle face wash in a convenient size, is perfect for a season when you might not only need something gentle for your face, but something portable!
And finally, Allure Beauty Box!
Lots to see here!
This month’s items:
Smashbox Photofinish Primer: No, I didn’t accidentally type it twice, I actually got this sample in two of my subscriptions this month! As I said above, this is a wonderful product, and I know I’m definitely not the first or last person on the internet to talk about liking this primer. Since I became a fan of this primer through a sample, I am never surprised to see it pop up, and never disappointed with it either.
Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Synchronized Recovery Complex II : a nighttime skin serum that claims to reduce signs of aging. I like using serums, especially in summer, since they absorb quickly and you can layer them with other products more easily. This serum is no exception. It has a very light consistency and absorbs very fast; there is a subtle scent when you first apply but it seems to fade quickly as the product sinks in. I’ve received some other items from this line before, so I’m curious to try this one out.
GlamGlow SuperMud Clearing Treatment: a facial mask for oily or combination skin that claims to clear up skin imperfections. I have been hearing about how amazing the products from this brand are for ages now, but their high prices have kept me away. I was legitimately excited to receive this, and can’t wait to use it!
La Mer The Moisturizing Soft Cream: This is a luxury skin cream, which claims to provide intense moisturization and restore radiance to the skin. The sample is small, but given its high prices ($170 for one ounce!); that is not too surprising. The cream is rich but spreads easily and absorbs nice and quick. I think I will be able to get a decent couple of uses from it, and I can come back to you guys with a full review and let you all know if I think this cream is worth the hype (and price)!
In my hand for scale, look at the tiny cute jar!A quick peek at this mask treatment also revealed that it smells great, like tea!A lovely sheer berry color, perfect for summertime
Not going to lie, Allure’s box impressed me this month. All the products are things I’m happy to receive, and frankly, fancier than I expect from these subscriptions, which is pretty cool. This box is pretty heavy on skin care, so the variety is not as exciting as the other boxes, but despite that I was still very pleased with this month’s selections. When I reviewed the mini magazine however, my opinion of the box this month dropped. It turns out there was another item available this month, but it had to be redeemed in person at a Nordstrom’s. There is no Nordstrom’s convenient to my home, so I was never able to pick it up. For me, one of the major benefits of these subscriptions is to arrive home from work and have a happy little parcel of new things to try waiting for me. Discovering I missed out on an item because I wasn’t prepared to go on a road trip to track it down is rather disappointing.
Deciding on a winner this month actually took me quite a while, but when I really thought about it, I realized that this month’s winner is definitely Ipsy! This month’s bag was full of interesting and fun products I was excited to try when I opened it up, and that excitement definitely put this subscription above the other two boxes. The Sephora Play! had some great products this month, and definitely kept my interest, but just didn’t have the same “wow” factor as Ipsy. Allure nearly had it, as I’m definitely looking forward to trying those samples; but my disappointment in the in-store item I missed out on really drove my opinion of the box down for the month.
All in all, I still enjoy all three subscriptions, but right now, Ipsy, I am totally playing favorites for you!
Do you disagree with my ruling? Do you have a favorite subscription box I’ve never mentioned? Tell me about it in the comments!
Disclaimer: I pay for these subscriptions with my own money.
I’ve been wanting to try the Sephora Play! box since it was announced, and just a few weeks ago, I finally got the opportunity to sign up.
Let’s take a look inside!
It ships in a sturdy cardboard box, and all the samples are tucked inside a cute cloth drawstring bag. When the box arrived, all the items seemed very tightly secured, so it traveled well. And whats in it?
First, there’s the Briogeo Don’t Despair, Repair! deep conditioning mask. This is a hair mask (no parabens, silicones or phthalates) that claims to repair, enhance shine, and reduce breakage by up to 81%. It smells absolutely wonderful, which is always a bonus. The sample is a full 1oz, so I feel confident I’ll be able to get a full use out of the sample, possibly more than one, depending on how easily it disperses into the hair.
A nice handy tube, something easy to open with wet hands!
Next I have the Korres Wild Rose Advanced Brightening Sleeping Facial. Its an intensive moisturizer you apply before sleep that is supposed to improve your skin while you sleep, but this one claims to be a lightweight souffle that will “melt” into the skin. Night masks have become quite popular lately, and I have a few favorites, so after testing this out I may do a write-up of all the different ones I’ve tried. This also has a definite scent of rose to it, so anyone sensitive to fragrance might not appreciate that. But some night masks can leave an odd feel on the skin, so that’s something I’ll be looking for when I try this out. I do appreciate that in a box going out to a wide-range of subscribers, they chose a product that specifically states it is good for all skin types.
Also a tube, this one is .34 oz of product
Next up, there’s a tarte tarteist lip crayon in latergram. I have a few tarte products, and even a lip product or two, so I was looking forward to this. It is a nice, neutral pinky brown tone, and I’m sure I can put it to use. However, it is very tiny, at .04g of product! I am not sure how many uses I will get, but I’m still looking forward to trying it.
Small! but pretty
Next up is a brand new product from Origins. Maskimizer skin optimizing mask primer. This is apparently a spray you put on your face before using a facial mask, which claims to make it easier to apply and remove masks, and make them more effective. The description notes it is not for use with peel-off masks. What I like about this sample the most is that they included samples of TWO of their own masks to try with the product, which I think is a fairly thoughtful inclusion.One is a charcoal pore cleansing mask, and one is an overnight hydration mask (see? overnight treatments ARE everywhere!), so I look forward to getting a good couple of tests out of this sample.
Masks are foil packets, the pre-treatment is a tiny spray vial.
Next up we have a cologne sample from Atelier Cologne, Orange Sanguine. I’m a big fan of citrus smells, so even though I don’t wear a lot of fragrance, I was looking forward to this one. From the website, the notes of this cologne are : Blood Orange, Bitter Orange, Jasmine, Geranium, Amber Woods, Tonka Beans, Sandalwood. The scent of this is rich and bright, anyone that likes orange would enjoy it. The only downside is that this is a plain vial with a plug, which I always find messy to use. I prefer sample vials with a sprayer.
Mmmmm, blood orange.
I saved my favorite sample for last. Its a Bite Beauty Amuse Bouche lipstick in Kimchi. I have several Bite Beauty lipsticks, though none from the Amuse Bouche line, and I was excited to try this style. Their lipsticks are known for excellent pigmentation and moisture, and also known for being made with food grade ingredients. The packaging is a mini version of their normal packaging, and there is a subtle sweet scent to the product, but it seems to fade quickly. The color is a lovely, bright pink and I cannot wait to wear it.
I love mini-lipsticks, so cute!
Also included in the box is a short booklet with a few details about the products, which was nice, but even better was the included Play Pass. This is a card I can bring into Sephora next time I make a purchase, and I will get an additional 50 Beauty Insider points on my account! (Beauty Insider is a loyalty reward program where you get points for purchases which you can redeem for bonus products)
Overall I am pretty happy with this subscription. The samples seem generous and I felt like I got a nice mix of makeup, hair and skin-care. For $10 a month, I feel like I got good value for my money, and some very fun new things to try.
Do you get the Sephora Play!? What do you think? Do you want to know more about it? Want to tell me about a subscription you think I’d love? Please comment below and let me know!
I was honestly too excited about this collection to think of a clever title. This collection, from what I’ve been able to gather, is a Walgreens exclusive, but also available via drugstore.com (Thank goodness!) I first heard about it when this flyer hit the internet, and I immediately started watching out for it. None of the Walgreens around me seemed to receive the collection (aside from a few pieces, more on that later), so once I heard it had hit drugstore.com, I placed an order.
WOOO! -me when i opened the shipment
If you compare this to the flyer, I was not able to get everything. I have not be able to find the lip balm tins anywhere, which was disappointing. I saw the brush kit at a store, but frankly, it looked fairly cheap and the brushes didn’t seem very useful or unique so I passed on it. I haven’t seen the bronzer & brush set for sale anywhere, so that was not an option either. But lets focus on what I DID get!
Liquid liners!
As you can see, they are pretty standard liquid liners with a fine brush applicator. The bottles feel like hard plastic, and the caps are bright red with the logo in gold foil, pretty!
The names are on the bottoms, Warrior Black, Golden Lasso and Superhero
I found these liners to be inconsistent. If you are looking for a deep, glossy black liner that’s fully opaque in one pass, you WILL be happy with Warrior Black, but if you want that result from the other two, you will be disappointed. Golden Lasso is gold glitter in a clear base, so like any other glitter liner, requires several passes to even begin to show up as a solid line. Superhero was a bit of a let down. It is a satin finish bright blue, and was rather watery on one pass, I had to go over it several times for it to finally resemble the color in the tube, and while it looks pretty opaque in the photo, it did not look quite as rich in person.
the black is one pass, the blue and the gold were each 3-4 passes with the applicator
Next up I have the solo eye palette (Paradise Eye-land). This is a small red plastic case with mirror (the Wonder Woman design is a plastic overlay that feels removable), and contains 8 eyeshadows.
Colors are Olympia, Wisdom, Strength, Heroic Beauty, Spitfire, Spirit of Truth, Victorious and Freedom Fighter
As you can see, the palette is very sleek, not much excess packaging at all. I found the eyeshadows in this set to be very creamy and smooth, the texture is lovely. I was actually surprised at how wearable I found the shades, since Wonder Woman tends to be associated with fairly bold colors. Despite that, this is a pretty, neutral palette.
Swatchy!
I would point out that the first few shades there do look sheer, but its actually just that they are pale, they were just as smooth to use as the other colors. That shiny blue (Spirit of Truth!) is clearly the standout of the palette, and I plan to feature it in a look soon.
Next up, the lipgloss set. I almost didn’t buy these, as I don’t wear a ton of lip gloss, but I am SO glad I did. These really surprised me! This comes as a set of three squeezy tubes with an angled tip applicator; with red caps and gold foil logo and star accents. They also have a hard-to-pin-down scent, somewhere between cake and candy, but I find it very pleasant, and not too strong. As you will see below, these actually have a good amount of pigment to them! The sheerest of the set is the darkest one, which actually works out well, as it makes it a very flattering and wearable color. They are also very smooth feeling on the lips, and not at all sticky, which is nice.
Colors are Athena’s Kiss,Mighty Aphrodite and Wonder Woman (order of the swatches)
Of course, the collection had to include a red lipstick. Unlike the glosses, I noticed no discernible scent from it, and the finish seemed fairly matte, and very nicely opaque in just one pass. The packaging is very lightweight, but the red plastic case features a very nice illustration of Wonder Woman, making this an awesome piece of the collection.
The color is Heroine- take that Mac! 😉
Finally, the biggest piece of the collection, and frankly my favorite, the Beauty Book.
The cover flips open to show two different look suggestions
This really is my favorite piece of the collection. It contains 9 eyeshadows, one blush/bronzer, one liquid eyeliner, one tube of eyeshadow primer, a small lipstick and a sponge eyeshadow applicator. I’ll start by answering the first two questions I had: Is that the same lipstick, and is that eyeliner from the other set? The lipstick is not the same color. The one is this set is called Amazonian Red and its definitely a different shade of red from the standalone lipstick. The standalone is more of a berry red and matte, while the one from the set is a deeper, more true-red color, and has a more satin finish:
Top color is Heroine, bottom color is Amazonian Red
As for the liner, it is the same. It is also called Warrior Black, and the formula feels exactly the same. Though the packaging is different(and smaller), it is the same sort of fine brush applicator.
Dig that cute eyeliner bottle!
The set also includes an eyeshadow primer. While the packaging only references Walgreens as the distributor, some of my reading about the collection revealed that the company Markwins was involved in the production. They are responsible for Wet & Wild and Black Radiance, among other drugstore brands. I mention this now, because they are responsible for my BFF eye primer, the Wet & Wild Fergie Take On The Day primer (this is no longer available, but I believe their new Photofocus one is the same formula-I’ll be testing that soon). Having only given this a quick look (and test on my arm) I suspect this might also be the same formula. It looks and feels the same so far, but I haven’t tested the durability yet.
The tube is all red with gold foil logo and says “Bulletproof”
That leaves the ten powder products: one blush/bronzer and nine eyeshadows. The blush is Grace and Power, the eye-shadows are Golden Age, Legendary Pink, Modern Age, Golden Tiara, Amazon Princess, Marine Ultra, Secret Identity, Emancipation and Valiant. Happily, I found that these shadows have the same texture as the Paradise Eye-land palette, smooth and almost creamy feeling. But even better, none of the colors are the same, so you aren’t doubling up any colors if you get both items. The bronzer/blush has a slighty firmer texture, but it was still smooth and easy to work with.
I love the color names.
And I was quite happy with the color payoff on them. Just like in the other palette, the lightest shades are a bit weak, but those deeper colors are just fabulous.
SHINY!!
The sheen on Golden Tiara and Amazon Princess was even prettier in person. Honestly these are great shadows and i’m excited to try them out, maybe I’ll test out the looks in the foldout cover too.
Overall, I’m happy with the collection. I think the packaging is gorgeous and really fun, and the products are ones I think I will happily use repeatedly. One of the most amazing parts of the collection is its affordability. The most expensive item here, the Beauty Book, only cost $11.99, and I thought the pricing on everything was more than reasonable. In fact, the lipstick, at $2.99, almost feels like a steal!
I’m glad to see a collection like this come out, I like the recognition that girls like being heroes too! I did notice something on the spine of the Beauty Book while putting this post together, and I have to wonder, does Walgreens have more up their sleeve? I for one would be quite excited!
V.1? like, Volume 1????
Could it be? Well, in my opinion: MORE SUPERHERO COLLECTIONS YES PLEASE!
If you are not familiar, Ipsy is a monthly beauty sample subscription service. Unlike the Allure box, this one is much more customized; with ipsy, you can compare bags with friends, and its possible that you all got different items! I always look forward to discussing the items with other subscribers.
You take a quiz when you sign up, and you select preferences on the types of items you like (for example, if you’re more into nail polish than lip gloss), they select your samples based on that. Another way you inform them of your preferences is by reviewing your samples every month.
Something else I enjoy about Ipsy is that each month you get your samples in a new makeup bag. The styles are always different, if one isn’t your taste, it’s likely you’ll get one you love in another month. I do like this one, but there have been a few major favorites in past months.
The products this month are pretty awesome too!
I’ve had tarte Lipsurgence products before, and this one is a very pretty warm pink. I’ve always found that while these lip colors don’t have a lot of staying power, they are very comfortable on the lips and easy to apply quickly.
I’ve never tried Pretty Woman nail polish before, but this purpley-pink (almost orchid?) color is really fun and I will definitely use it- possibly for a pedicure.
I’ve gotten products from City Color before, in fact, I got those from Ipsy too! This highlighter set is very nicely made, and the powders are nice and smooth. I don’t use a ton of highlighter, but these make me want to play around with highlighting more!
This bag feels very well put together, receiving a highlight palette and a highlight brush in the same bag is very handy! The brush is full and soft, and I think will work quite well for its intended use.
This last item kind of surprised me, I don’t often get fancy skincare items from Ipsy, but I certainly don’t mind- I wouldn’t subscribe if I didn’t like trying new things! “Resurfacing” pads are essentially a chemically-soaked exfoliant disc, which can seem scary but its just another way to slough away dead skin cells to make the skin smoother and more radiant. Some exfoliants can be very hard on the skin, so whether it’s primarily physical or chemical, its important to be gentle when exfoliating! When I haven’t tried a new exfoliant, I prefer to test them first. I will likely to test one of these pads on one of my arms and then wait a day to make sure there is no reaction before using it on my face.
I have been getting Ipsy for about 3 years now, and I always look forward to that puffy pink mailer arriving ; I have discovered some great products through it, but I also have learned what I don’t like in different beauty products, which is very helpful to figure out.
Do you get Ipsy? What do you think of my bag this month? Do you get an entirely different subscription? Tell me about it, I would love to hear from you!
