Ipsy | January 2014

Side Story: I made the move to Ipsy recently after a 6 month relationship with Birchbox. Birchbox was my first subscription experience and I did a lot of research, which I won't expand on, before committing to their monthly box over any other. Birchbox has a fantastic rewards point system and I was always excited for the Sneak Peak videos. I will admit to a certain amount of sadness for having cancelled my subscription. I made that decision for two reasons: 

(1) I wasn't impressed by the samples as every month started to have at least one, if not two, samples in the pouch/plastic packaging. You know the sort, where you can only get one use out of it. I was starting to notice many other subscription boxes in the same price range being a lot more generous. (September 2013 was a low point with a pack of single use teeth wipes for wine stains.) 

(2) I received some sort of anti-aging product every month and that.. sort of was a blow. I'm not that old. Yet. Well, maybe I should start preparing for that old age as it's right around the corner but I didn't want to be reminded of it every month. Even the hair products were "youth renewal". I'm vain. It was a strike to my ego. On Birchbox, you can play around with your profile which is supposed to have an effect on what you receive and no matter how hard I tried to keep these samples at bay or at least, not every month, it never worked. 

To wrap this up, I made the decision and after having a few friends rave about Ipsy, I decided to give it a go and so far... it's not bad! I look forward to a new year with a fresh start.

About Ipsy:
Ipsy is a $10 monthly subscription box where you will receive deluxe samples and full-sized products related to beauty and health. For added fun, each month's products come in a unique "glam bag" that is great for re-use.

January 2014

I really enjoyed this month's bag. It's a sturdy canvas zip top that I will definitely use for traveling as it's just big enough to cover my makeup needs. The color is bright and cheerful and the zip has a large medallion type handle that's perfect to grab on to.

Balm Me Up Organic Sweet Cocoa & Tangy Body Balm   |   I wanted to like this but I was slightly dismayed at how oily this was. Even after washing my hands, I could feel it there, lingering. I will use this up for say, my feet which I always have problems with as I go barefoot so much but I can't see using it for much else. The scent is nice though!

Absolute! Makeup Cleansing Tissue   |   Yay! I love face wipes. I have oily skin and these really come in handy, especially during the summer months, to feel refreshed. I've used  a couple from this pack so far and my experience is that while they are great for the above mentioned use, I didn't feel they worked so well with removing eye makeup. I gave up with trying to rid myself of mascara. The pomegranate scent wasn't too bad though I think this opinion ranges from person to person.

(MALIN+GOETZ) Mojito Lip Balm   |   I just... couldn't like this product. It's been chucked. I am a fanatic with my lip balms and creams and conditioners but I haven't ever come across anything like this. It's in a tube which you must use your fingertips to apply. That's not so bad. It's do-able. But it's thick and reminded me too much of Vaseline. I can't give an opinion on how well it moisturizes because I had to wipe it off, I could't get over the texture. My least favorite item in the bag.

Benefit the POREfessional   |   Ahhh! Excitement! This is something I have been curious about for ages and have wanted to try so badly but never could bring myself to purchase it. Rather pricey and what if it didn't live up to the hype? Well, let me tell you - it lives up to the hype. I don't wear foundation, I have oily skin, but this... is just perfect. It's sort of a matte when applied and it makes my skin feel so smooth, so lovely. It keeps the shine at bay for most of the day due to my body's production of oil (especially the T Zone... so bad!) and I will now recommend this to everyone. It's magic in a tube.

yaby Liquid Foundation (Buff)   |   Rather silly to post anything on this as I said in the previous paragraph, I never wear foundation. I applied it out of curiosity but it doesn't match well to my skin and seems like most foundations out there. (For what little I can say of them having probably tried 2 or 3 my whole life.)

Overall, a great month from Ipsy! And a great way to start the year. There are a few that I didn't like that well but I believe those to be mostly personal preferences and not something against the product itself.