ipsy Glam Bag - June 2015 review

Check out what came and what I think about it all!

Wellllll, it's certainly been awhile! I'm hoping to have more regular-ish posts from now on, but we'll see...

Click here to watch my video review!

I recently decided to subscribe to ipsy for 3 months to try it out. I will have to unsubscribe after 3 months for financial reasons, but hopefully, if I like it, I will be able to resubscribe at a later date. *EDIT: I think I'm sticking with it for a while longer!!!*

If you don’t know, ipsy is one of those subscription box/bag services like Birchbox or Boxycharm. You pay $10/month US and you get 5 products in your bag.

This post isn't a review of ipsy as a company, but rather a true review of all of the products I received. I am planning on doing another post or video in the next few weeks outlining the subscription process so you can understand how it works if you are planning on subscribing.

 Also, not everyone gets the same stuff in their bags, so I can only review the items I received.

A Note About Product Worth

                         

Before I move on, I know a lot of people are into calculating the worth of these bags to see if the bag was worth the money they paid. I did calculate the worth of the bag and will show you individual item charts and then a grand total at the end.

For items that weren't full-sized and do not have a sample size equivalent for sale, I took the price per ounce or gram and divided it out and actually used that to calculate how much the sample size is worth.

I hate it when companies and people say, “All of this is worth ‘this much’ or this is an ‘x’ amount of dollars value” and they are using the price of the product as if it were full size, and that’s really not accurate at all. I feel like it’s kind of dishonest and misleading when companies use that to make stuff sound like a better deal, but that’s business for ya!

When I say one of these products is worth “x” amount of money, I mean that this actual size that I am showing you is worth that much and not the full size product.

                      ..........Let's Get Started!

The Bag:

First and foremost is the actual bag that the products come in. Every ipsy glam bag is an actual, usable, cosmetics bag that your items come in, and the bag is different every month.

This month’s theme was “Swim into Beauty,” and I really am impressed with the bag this month. The bag is made out of a black neoprene fabric with a raised ipsy logo all over. I can’t tell if the zipper is orange or just a really, really neon pink, but I like it!


Pictures of the enclosed theme card:

As they have stated on social media, the bag is not waterproof. I saw someone on Facebook say that their package got rained on but the products inside the bag were not wet. I’m sure ipsy still has to say that it’s not waterproof because they don’t want people trying to take this in the pool or to the beach without it being zipped all the way and stuff still gets wet inside through the top.

1. Altchek MD De Puff Eye Pads

I got a bit more non-facial-makeup products than I had hoped for in my bag, but I’m still open to trying new things.

The description of these eye pads says that they "reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.” 

This month's ipsy bag included 2 packs of 2 pads each, or 2 treatments. They come on plastic sheets like a pore strip, and you peel them off and apply one under each eye for about thirty minutes.

There is a slight tingly sensation, but I wouldn't go as far as to say it is uncomfortable. 

The product does come off cleanly and easily with little residue. It does leave some of the gel feeling under your eye, but it’s not like a residue that you need to wash off unless you are about to put on makeup. It feels more like you put on some kind of moisturizer or gel under your eye. It just feels soft. And it’s not like a nose pore strip where it can be difficult to remove and tugs at your skin. It gently peels from your skin when you are ready to remove it.

There really isn’t enough product to determine if the product is effective. It is a treatment, and you need to be able to see long-term results over a period of time. Also, puffiness isn't really a huge problem for my eyes. My under-eyes are actually more sunken, if anything, but I do have dark circles and deep lines.

My under eyes felt really refreshed and soft after using these, but I would really need more product to determine if there are any actual visible benefits. I might try them in the future to see if they work, but we’ll see...

Price Breakdown:

Altchek MD Gel Eye Pads
ipsy Product	2 pair (2 treatments)	$4
Full-Size	10 pair (10 treatments)	$20

I calculated the ipsy sample to be worth $4.

2. Aurora Gel Effect Nail Lacquer

Shade: 4-Alarm Fire

This is a full-size product, not a sample size.

This is also a product where I feel like I was only given one piece of the puzzle so I couldn't really judge it. The product website states that it should be used with the gel base and top coat, hence the “gel effect,” and some minis of those probably would have been helpful. I don’t feel like someone can judge this accurately if it’s missing some required components.

Also, I can’t use this product right now anyway. I’m doing a treatment on my brittle nails and I can’t use any color polish right now, but I do love this color and will definitely use it when I am ready to start painting them again.

I am also a huge fan of the shorter, wider brush. Thin polish brushes are miserable to use and work with.

I did swatch this on a nail wheel to show the shade since I didn't want to paint one of my nails with it. Application was smooth. Like I said, I love the brush. 

The first swatch is one coat when I wasn't really trying and it looks kind of streaky. The second swatch is one coat, but I was actually trying to make it look good and even. The third swatch is two coats of the product.

Some lovely cat fur came along for the ride...

While I would prefer to get more facial makeup in my bags, I do use nail polish and I can’t wait to use this when my nails are a bit healthier.

Price breakdown:

Aurora Gel Effects Nail Lacquer
ipsy Product	12 mL	$12  $7.99
Full-Size	4 oz = 12 mL	$12  $7.99

This is a full-sized product that was provided in the ipsy bag. The retail is $12 but it has been on sale for $7.99 on the website for a while, which also makes me wonder if that is why they are showing up in ipsy bags. Hmmmm.....  If you bought this at this time that the glam bag came out, it would cost $7.99, so I’m going to use that to calculate the worth of the product.

3. Smashbox Photo Finish Primer

There must be a million reviews and videos of this primer, so I won’t go into much detail about this.

I've used Urban Decay Primer Potion for years and it is my favorite primer, but I heard some good things about this product so I was excited to try it.

I tried this product with my Estee Lauder Double Wear Maximum Cover Camouflage Foundation and I didn't do anything differently with my facial routine. I really had high hopes for this product and was kind of hoping it would work for me. Upon first applying it, it made my skin feel very soft and smooth, and I didn't really have any problems applying my foundation.

Upon closer inspection, I noticed that it did not blur my pores or smooth out my complexion like my Urban Decay Primer. My dry spots stayed dry and my pores on my cheeks were much more noticeable under my foundation. After I got back home from running errands, the foundation had come off my nose some, and I haven’t had that happen in a good, long while.

I’m not saying this product sucks; it just doesn't work for me. I’m sure your skin type and foundation have a lot to do with it, but I’m sorry to say it just didn't live up to the hype for me. I think I'll be staying with my tried and true Urban Decay for now!

Price breakdown:

Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer
ipsy Product	0.25 fl oz	$9
Full-Size	1.0 fl oz	$36

This one is pretty straightforward. The full-sized product is one ounce and retails for $36, so one quarter of an ounce would be worth $9.

4. trèStiQue Mini Shadow Crayon

Shade: Marimoto Pink Pearl

I had never heard of this brand before, which is one of the reasons I like ipsy. trèStiQue is actually a new brand and I was intrigued by this product.

People on Facebook actually thought the product came without a cap, but I won't get into that now.... #Inoticeditwasthecap

The cap is kind of misleading, because it makes it seem like a pencil when in reality it’s a rounded stick, but that’s not completely devastating to me. 

...however, upon looking at their website, all of their products have this pointed pencil-tip cap regardless of the type of product it is, which is very sleek and cute, but at the same time misleading and slightly irritating; I'm definitely conflicted on how I feel about this packaging!

I wore this out over my Urban Decay Limited Edition Eyeshadow Primer Potion in Enigma. I put this in the inner corner and middle lid, and my Tarte Emphaseyes Cream Shadow in Slate on the outer corner and blended them together.

Here are slightly heavy swatches with and without flash over Urban Decay LE Eyeshadow Primer Potion in Enigma:

This product is better suited as a brow highlight on me because it doesn't show up well on my eyelid. While I do like a neutral eye sometimes, the fact that this doesn't stand out on my lid makes it slightly underwhelming. I did not notice any abnormal creasing for a cream product and it wore very well without smudging. I am more into powder eye products so I probably will not try any of this product's other shades, but, like I said, this makes a great highlight color and would probably also work well as a cheek highlight. 

Price breakdown:

trèStiQue Mini Shadow Crayon
ipsy Product	0.02 oz	~ $13
Full-Size	~ .04 oz	$26

The full-sized shadow crayons are not for sale yet on their website and there is not a product size/weight listed, however, the price is $26. I am assuming that the mini shadow crayon is half the size of the full, although that may not be the case. Also, they sell the mini shadow crayon as part of a trio for $32, which would make one about $10.67. Usually items in bundles are cheaper per item than when they are sold individually, so the $13 price for an individual mini shadow crayon sounds about right to me if it’s a bit over $10/unit in a bundle.

5. It Cosmetics Brow Power Universal Eyebrow Pencil

Shade: Universal Taupe

This was the product I was most excited to try out of the bunch, mainly because it was the only color cosmetic product in the bag, plus I'm really into brows these days!

The It Cosmetics Brow Power Pencil has a cap on each end of the product. One side houses the actual brow product in a twist-up style, but I wouldn't really call it a pencil. The other end contains a spoolie, which I really do like since I've been using spoolies more lately.

I've used it some of the product so it is worn down a bit, but the top is flat and oval-shaped if you are looking at it from a birds-eye view. There’s no way to differentiate the sides other than remembering which side the product is on in relation to the writing on the tube.

This product only comes in the "Universal Taupe" shade and the description says that it matches all hair colors depending on how hard you press. I would describe this product as more of a pinkish or brick brown as opposed to a more chocolate or blackish brown.

Look at it!!!

First of all, the product really is too light for me, although it says it’s universal and can work with black hair. I now get my hair dyed more of a black color, but this would definitely match me more as my hair color starts to fade. I’m definitely keeping it so I can try it out again in a few months. I will say that I would still wear this right now, if I had to. If it was between this and no brow product, I'd pick this.

Right now I use the NYX brow gel and an angled brush, so I am used to a more pigmented product with harsher lines. This product is a bit hard and you have to press to get a lot of color payoff, but I think that’s the point. This is not made for harsh, pointy, chola brows, and I actually really like the more natural look that this product gives.

I have only been doing my brows for a couple of years, and I started right out of the gate with the thick powders and gels. I skipped pencils altogether, so I am a huge fan of this more natural look after using this product.

That being said, natural brows or not, I do like a crisp, pointed tail to my brow, and this pencil is not very sharp or precise like my angled brush and gel, so it looked sloppy to me the first time I used it. If you are just trying to fill in some sparse areas, this really is a good, solid product, but if you are one of those people who likes to outline your brow first with sharper lines and then fill it in, this is probably not for you.

One of the reasons I really like thicker gel products right now is because I am trying to reshape my brows, so I need something that completely paints over and masks certain aspects of my brows, and creates a brow on bare skin where there is no hair at all. Although this shade isn't quite right for me, IT Cosmetics does have another brow pencil that comes in darker shades that I am definitely checking out now that this brow pencil has piqued my interest...

In general, I will give this product a thumbs up. If you are looking for a nice, natural brow, this is a really good product if you can get the shade to work for you.

Price breakdown:

It Cosmetics Brow Power Universal Eyebrow Pencil
ipsy Product	0.07 g	$12
Full-Size	0.005 oz = 0.14 g	$24

I did not have to do any calculation about the price for the mini because they actually sell the mini brow pencil as its own product on the It Cosmetics website and places like Ulta. You are getting exactly half the product for half the price, which is fair. The brow pencil from the ipsy bag is worth $12 because that’s what they sell it for, and even if they didn't sell the deluxe mini size, it would be worth that much based on price/per gram.

How does this bag stack up against the $10 you spent?

Everybody likes to get their money's worth, so let's see if this month's glam bag was worth the wait!

Worth Comparison Chart
	Ipsy	Full-sized
It Cosmetics Brow Pencil	$12	$24
Aurora Gel Effects Nail Polish	$7.99	$7.99
Smashbox Primer	$9	$36
Altchek Gel Eye Pads	$4	$20
trèStiQue Shadow Crayon	$13	$26

                                                                                               = $46.00                                                 = $114.00

When added together, the total value of the June 2015 glam bag is approximately $46.00. You also have to consider the fact that you received a functional, high quality cosmetics bag, which probably puts the value over the $50 mark. If you still like to know the "value" of the bag based on the full-sized product prices, I calculated it at approximately $114, plus the value of the actual bag. 

Obviously, each person will place a different personal value on the bag depending on whether or not they liked or could use all of their products, but monetarily speaking the June 2015 glam bag is a great deal!

I hope you found this post informative and I hope you are having fun with your June 2015 ipsy glam bag. See you back here to explore next month's bag!

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*All opinions contained in this blog and post are my own. I was not paid to review any products and none of the links contained in this post are affiliate links. I earn 250 ipsy points/person who uses my subscription link, and points can be redeemed for product on the ipsy website*