February's Glam Bag from Ipsy

Here are the items I received in my February Ipsy Glam Bag. If you aren't familiar with Ipsy, it's a $10 monthly subscription sample service similar to Birchbox, although it seems to concentrate more on makeup than Birchbox does.

But I think I may be sampled out.... I just wasn't impressed with my Ipsy bag this month and will be cancelling it too.

POP Beauty Smokey Lash Kapow Mascara- I haven't tried this yet, because many girls who got it are saying it is very wet and smudges terribly.

MicaBeauty Gel Eyeliner- I received the black, and I will definitely give it a try. Luckily I do have a liner brush already- if you did not, you'd have to buy one before you could use this. Altough I did receive a full-sized product, it normally comes with a brush and retails for $30.

Lash Card- not something I'd use because mascara application without it is fine for me- maybe someome with super-long lashes would get a benefit from it?

Pixi Flawless & Poreless Primer sample- I now officialy have too many primer samples to count. I have used a few Pixi items from Target and I was pleased with their quality. I just don't need any more primer right now! I actually don't even use primer because I feel it clogs my pores and causes more breakouts for me.

Coastal Scents Shadow Palette sample- it sounds as there there were two versions of the palette sent out- the gold/olive shades I received, and a smokey eye set. Since I have blue eyes, I don't think the colors I received are very well suited for me- I imagine they would be much better for people with brown or green eyes. Coastal Scents is not a brand I am familiar with, but a brand that sells an eye shadow palette with 120 shades for $20 doesn't seem very high-quality to me.

Are you an Ipsy subscriber? Were you pleased?

February Birchbox Unboxing

I have been a Birchbox subscriber for about 6 months. The $10 price tag and opportunity to try out new products intrigued me so I gave it a try.

My February Birchbox came last week and here's what was inside:

1. TIGI Catwalk Session Series Transforming Dry Shampoo. Sample size is 5.2 oz with a value of $7.68. Since I'm an everyday hair washer, I don't use much dry shampoo. Trust me, after running or Turbo Fire cardio, there's no option for 2nd day hair. I also have a few bottles of dry shampoo that I purchased in the last two Allure Beauty Boxes, so this wasn't a product I was very excited to receive. If I did use it, I am sure the smaller size would be nice for travel.

2. Vasanti BrightenUp! Enzymatic Face Rejuvenator. Sample size is 20g with a value of $5.60. This brand is new to me, and this looks like a nice try-it size. I should be able to use it enough times to form a good opinion of it. I do like to exfoliate a few times a week, so I will definitely try this product.

3. Juicy Couture Couture La La. Perfume sample of .05 oz. I have a bazillion fragrance samples and am pretty picky about scents so I don't get very excited about samples like this. I assign no value to perfume samples this size.

4.Ghirardelli Milk & Caramel Square. I have tried these before and they are nice. Not fabulous, but nice. I'm not sure about the value because I'm not sure how many come in the big bag which is priced at $4.25. Let's just assign this a value of 50 cents.

5. Jouer Matte Moisture Tint. Sample size is .07 oz with a value of $1.56. This is a very small sample- probably one or two applications if you use it as a foundation. I may try it, but I'm not sure I can get a good opinion of it in just 1-2 uses. This is a brand I hadn't heard of before Birchbox, but I believe is my third sample of one of their products.

Verdict: The value of the box was about $15, but most are products I'm not that interested in. I went ahead and cancelled my subscription after getting this box.... if was I more into trying new skincare brands, I might continue, but I really prefer beauty products.

Stay tuned for my Ipsy February unboxing to see if I liked that better.

Beauty Chat

My obsession with beauty products is continuing to grow! Have you watched any "beauty gurus" on youtube? I have a few favorite to share with you. 

My first is a recent discovery- Stephanie and Laura from A Brunette Duet. They are absolutely darling and have great reviews and tutorials. I have watched all of their vids and they are fabulous.

I've been watching Stephanie and Tracy from Eleventh Gorgeous for quite a while. They are sisters and I love their vids too. A must watch.

And in other beauty news, last month I subscribed to Ipsy because I saw several unboxing vids on youtube and was pretty impressed. I've been a Birchbox subscriber for a bit, and I'm actually considering dropping this subscription because I'm not that excited by what they have been including in their boxes, which run $10 a month.

But Ipsy! Wow! I absolutely think their $10 subscription price is worth it. Here's what I got in my January bag.

What monthly beauty subscriptions do you subscribe to?

Disclsoure: This post does NOT contain referral links- the Ipsy link is NOT a referral link.

September Birchbox

Do you subscribe to Birchbox? Just when I was about to cancel, the September box arrived and renewed my interest and I actually got some things I LOVE!

1. First was a sample of the Benefit Cosmetics Foaming Clean Facial Wash and Refined Finish Facial Polish. I have wanted to try these, so I am super-excited about this sample.

2. Next was a twistband hair tie- these are all the rage, and I've even seen people wearing them as bracelets. This is a cute taupe color.

3. A sample of Caudalie Vinexpert Firming Serum. I prefer serums to heavy moisturizers since my skin can be oily so this is something I will definitely try.

4. A sample of Dr. Jart+ Water Fuse Beauty Balm. I actually have the full size of this and love it- so this will be perfect for travel.

5. AND A NAIL POLISH! Finally! I received Color Club Status Update, which is a Birchbox Custom Polish. I have heard great things about Color Club, but have never tried the brand so I'm excited to try it out.  It's a deep grey, and I'm wondering if it might be a bit of a jelly finish. We shall see.

You can see underneath my goodies is a decorated zip-lock type bag by tili.

Not familiar with Birchbox? Birchbox is the best way to discover new grooming, beauty and lifestyle products. Sample top products from high-end brands, get expert advice, buy new favorites and earn points with every purchase.


For $10 each month, Birchbox sends a new box with samples. Since I loved this box, I'll definitely be continuing my membership to see what they send next.
If you are so inclined, here is my referral link: https://www.birchbox.com?raf=dovfe Birchbox has a point system and rewards members with store credit using points earned from referrals.