Beauty | August Ipsy Review

THEME: This month’s theme is “Selfie With No Filter,” or at least that’s my guess based on the insert card. Some months Ipsy’s really great about conveying what the theme is, like May’s was travel-themed (see review here), or even January’s “Game Face” athletic/goal-setting theme (see review here). Other times, it’s anyone’s best guess, like last month’s summer(?) theme (see review here).

Theme or no theme, this month’s bag & the content on its site is generic at best with a bit of an emphasis on skincare (e.g. more moisturizer and serum recommendations, instead of eyeshadow and blush tutorials). There’s a post about tumeric and how it’s an antioxidant that has anti-inflammatory properties that help fight acne and protect from sun damage. Maybe that’s why the bag is orange? I kind of doubt it, but I’ll go with the theme being end of summer-ish/self-love/skincare.

BAG: To be totally honest, when I saw the teaser for this month’s bag, I was disappointed. It reminded me of last November’s pukey yellow bag (see review here). I was pleasantly surprised when it arrived- it’s not as obnoxious as it looked, but the tassel handle is flimsy and pretty cheap quality.

I probably won’t be keeping this bag (post to come about ways to upcycle them), but I will say it has a nice liner to protect against shadow fallout.

CONTENTS:

PIXI BY PETRA: Fresh Face Blush in Beach Rose

• Welp, another blush. This’ll be my fourth blush in less than a year, so needless to say I was underwhelmed to see another one included in my bag. That being said, I’ve heard great things about Pixi (it’s UK-based, cruelty-free, and super affordable).
• Ipsy says that it’s made with vitamin E, which keeps skin soft and hydrated, so that’s a plus. It’s a soft rose color that’s definitely buildable/blendable; but the packaging is kind of cheap and I wish that it’d just been a stand alone pan I could put into an empty z-palette. The color’s also a bit harsh if you’re pale AF (like me), so this is probably a blush I’ll donate.
• This item is not sold on Pixi’s site and the only comparable place I could find was a 4.5g  on Amazon for $4.90. This is the same size as the sample I received, so I’ll go with $4.90 as the estimated value.

PURLISSE BEAUTY: Watermelon Energizing Aqua Balm

• I discovered this brand in one of my first Ipsy bags, and damn, it’s a solid beauty line. They’ve got skincare, haircare, you name it! I was super stoked to see this in my bag, as I’ve yet to be disappointed by any of their products…and this moisturizer did not disappoint.
• It smells like a watermelon jolly rancher, and has vitamins A, C, and E which help to keep skin looking young and fresh. It also has aloe vera and cucumber, which both help to reduce redness and inflammation (great for impromptu breakouts). If you’re sensitive to strong smells, you might not like this product because it does have a noticeable scent when you open & apply it.
• The texture is a little tacky, but it dries quickly and leaves skin feeling smooth and not caked in product. Full-sized this item is 10 mL and retails for $45. The sample included is 10 mL, so 1/5; this has an estimated retail value of $9.
• PROTIP: If you go to the Purlisse website and sign up for their emails, you can get 20% off a purchase!

MACY & MIA: Lip Gloss in Ava

• I’ve gotten a lip product in seven out of the eleven bags I’ve written reviews for. I love a good lippie (every purse I use seems to have at least three), but this one is a little too generic for me.
• I tried to look up the brand and more about this product, but the tube doesn’t even have how many ounces are included. All I know is it’s cruelty-free brand and the color is a basic pink nude.
• Full-sized this item retails on the Macy & Mia website for $12.99, but is currently on sale for $10.99. Neither the website nor the sample indicate how many ounces are full-sized, so based on a guesstimation, I’d say the sample looks like 1/6 the size of a full-sized tube, so rounding up, it has an estimated retail value of $2.

KAT VON D BEAUTY: Lock-It Concealer Creme (in Fair, Light, Medium, or Deep)

• Lately I’ve been digging trying new concealers, because they’re great as a stand-alone for a breakout, or for dark circles and whatnot under foundation. This one is definitely full coverage and can basically do everything: fix discoloration, reduce redness, contour, highlight, as well as brighten under eyes.
• It’s a long-wear formula so Ipsy says that it doesn’t crease, but I’d recommend a primer and setting spray before and after application just to make sure it doesn’t budge (especially if you use it as an eye primer…one of my favorite things to do with concealers, before applying eyeshadow).
• This concealer comes in twenty-one shades. Ipsy subscribers with this item received one of the following: Fair L3 (I got this one), Light L11, Medium M19, OR Deep D33.
• Full-sized this item retails for $26 and comes in a .22 oz bottle. This sample is .065 oz with an estimated retail value of $7.68.

CIATÉ LONDON: Glow-To Highlighter in Moondust

• Ipsy says it’s a highlight, but I’d probably be more inclined to use it as an eyeshadow (aka you get a multi-use shadow).
• It’s lightweight, buildable, and irridescent enough to wear by itself or used as an inner corner, brow bone, or cupid’s bow highlight.
• Bonus points: it’s paraben-free, gluten-free, and vegan.
• Full-sized this highlight retails for $32 and is .17 oz; this sample is .052 oz with an estimated retail value of $9.79.

TOTAL VALUE OF BAG CONTENTS: $33.37

Overall, I like the bag more than I thought I would. It has a nice lining that can be wiped down (great for bottles that leak when traveling). Not only is it orange and yellow (which goes with hardly anything), but it also has a very bizarre tassel that’s hard to hold and feels very cheap.

I’ll probably use every single item in this month’s bag, except the blush. The lip gloss and concealer are great travel-sized essentials. The highlight is a stand alone pan that needs to be put in a z-palette or other holder so it doesn’t get crushed, but it’s a beautiful shade that can double as shadow and/or highlight. The one “new” item I haven’t tried before (as in, it’s not a beauty staple like blush or gloss), is the Purlisse Aqua Balm, but I guess you could just categorize it as a scented moisturizer.

There weren’t any standout products this month, but there also weren’t any epic fails, so I’d say this was a pretty neutral bag with some good travel-sized products I can stash for the next time I travel.

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If you subscribe, what’d you get this month? Anything a great find? Definitely something to donate? 

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