December Ipsy Glambag + Glambag Review!

As you might know, I previously was subscribed to Birchbox for over a year. However, in the past few months I had been thinking about changing subscription services--I like getting a monthly box of surprise make up and beauty products in the mail, but Birchbox was sending me a lot of repeat products and boxes that were really not worth even the $10 that I spent for them.

I am a HUGE fan of Michelle Phan, so I decided to switch to Ipsy (note: not an affiliate link). It is the same price and I was hoping that it would have better products, plus it comes in a makeup bag! It is really hard to find a new use for those boxes, and I love makeup bags.

So far, I have not been disappointed! I was getting them both at the same time for a couple of months, and every time they would arrive,  it was clear which box was the better value. I still like Birchbox, and I would recommend it if you are a beginner to make-up products and just want to test out and play with some products.

Here is the December Glambag!



The bag is a small black shiny quilted bag, with red on the inside. The zipper has a circle tag that says Ipsy.



POPBeauty Bright Up Your Life eyeshadow palette in Naturally Bare. I am not a big fan of neutrals, but some occasions do call for toned-down make up, so I am happy to have this in my stash. Plus, I love the small size, since I can throw it in my travel make up bag that I stash in my backpack for when I am running late to class on a full day, that way I can do my make up in between classes.



  NYX Extra Creamy Round Lipstick in B52 (LSS565 soft mauve-pink). I love NYX, but I am not a big fan of this color. I am more of a red or pink lipstick kinda girl, but there is always re-gifting. And I was excited to see NYX in the box! This is a full-size lipstick, valued at $4.



Snow by Demeter Perfume Oil Roll On. When I first saw this in my bag, I was not particularly enthused. I see this all the time at Walgreens and Rite-Aid (back when I used to go drugstore clearance makeup and nail polish shopping weekly in high school), so I was thinking that this was the first lower-quality Glambag that I have gotten in the 5 months that I have been receiving it. As I researched the brand a little bit more, I found that they have a Sanrio collection! But sadly, this perfume does not smell that good.. it is too strong and the scent is just not that great.



Nicka K New York Nail Color in Ripe Apple. Nail polish! I am a big nail polish fanatic but unfortunately, this color is way too loud for me. I am not a red nail polish girl (I can count on one hand the number of red polishes in my 300+ bottle collection). However, this is a full-size bottle, which is valued at $4.99, so this bag is definitely worth $10.



Be A... Bombshell One Stick in Girl Crush. This is a shimmery light pink blush in a matte black tube. I love the packaging on this! Unfortunately, the color does not work that well with my complexion. I believe this is also full size, and according to the website it is $16.

Okay so actually, this bag was not particularly to my tastes (ironically, it was a much better match for my mom so, easy Christmas gift!) But to prove that the Glambag is an awesome product, here are some of the ones that I have gotten in the past.



This was the most perfect one and, coincidentally, my first Glambag that I received in July. See how stuffed the bag is? (Not to mention how cute the bag is). It came with a ton of products:



Benefit Benetint cheek/lip stain, a 3-shadow California Collection pallet (which was much more to my liking and featured a purple!), POPbeauty lip crayon in a bright pink, Coola Sunscreen sample, and an amazing hair spray.

So, I highly, highly recommend Ipsy. The only thing is that after signing up on the site, it takes about two months to get off of the wait list and start receiving your products. But it is worth the wait! So now monthly, I will be posting a review of the ipsy glambag instead of the Birchbox box.

Beauty products that I'm loving this month (April)

Hey guys,

This is just a quick post on beauty products that I'm loving right now. First, for my face/makeup in the morning:





This is my makeup routine! From left, Rohto V Eye Drops (as seen in Michelle Phan's Simple Fast Makeup video), Aquafina chapstick, Yes to Carrots Acne Spot Stick, Eyeko Skinny Liquid Liner in Black, Revlon Perle 045 Black Galaxy, ELF Studio Concealer Corrective Palette, and NYX Slim Eye Pencil in Purple.

Quick reviews of everything:

The Rohto V Eye Drops, I bought from Walgreens when they happened to have a sale. I think it was around $4. The Amazon link sells it in a pack of 4, but you can get it at any drugstore. It has this awesome cooling sensation and it makes your eyes whiter. Perfect for the mornings when I didn't have time to let my eyes rest enough. But I usually use it at night before I go to sleep when my eyes are red from wearing my contacts for too long.

Aquafina Chapstick: Miracle-worker. Nothing else works on my lips as well as this does! ChapStick chapstick, vaseline, Baby Lips, nothing. I usually buy these at the dollar store. I usually use the square, blocky one but I couldn't find it this morning, nor could I find it at the dollar store when I went last week. I hope they didn't discontinue it because it is literally the only thing that soothes and hydrates my lips.

Yes to Carrots Acne Spot Stick: I love this. In the morning after washing and moisturizing my face, I roll this on my acne spots and let it dry before applying concealer or foundation. It seriously works! Plus, if you keep the roller cold (it's winter here in Michigan, so when I leave it on the metal windowsill it's really cold), it can feel really nice.

Eyeko Skinny Liquid Liner: I got this from a Birchbox a few months ago. I love this! It makes such a beautiful line and it's so dark. So much love. I will definitely re-buy this!

Revlon Perle Black Galaxy: Because my eyelids are hidden double eyelids (where they have the crease, but the crease disappears when I blink), if I wear the eyeliner alone it will smudge really bad. So, I have to set it with this eyeshadow, which is nice because it's very glittery. Also, you can use a makeup applicator, get it wet, and use it as an eyeliner (which I do on the bottom eyelid).

ELF Studio Corrective Concealer: This has some bad reviews but I love it. A brush doesn't really work well with this formula, so I usually use my fingers and just rub it on the spot that needs to be concealed.

NYX Skinny Eyeliner in Purple: I love this! NYX has some really nice quality products. Pencil eyeliner usually doesn't work for me (smudges too easily, too harsh on my lids), but I put this under my eye and it lasts for a long time! That's my makeup for the morning for now... I switch out products as I discover them (my friend was helping me clean my room and was reorganizing my makeup train case and I found a lot of stuff... All unused haha. So I change my makeup style whenever I feel like it

I'm going to try and do a post like this every month since my products run out and I lose interest and start digging in my makeup box for different products. This is April's! Hope it gives you some good ideas and some good product choices.