Tag: Review

November 2016 Ipsy Bag Subscription Review

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November 2016 Ipsy Bag Subscription Review

Cost: $10 monthly, $110 annual

Cycle: Every Month

What is it: Every month Ipsy sends out a cute makeup bag of samples and full size items. you can review your bag for points that you can trade in for reward items. The rewards change often and the range between 100 points and 1000 points. You can get up to 95 points every month.

If you want to subscribe you can subscribe HERE and skip the waitlist. That is my referral link so I do get points to spend but I’m not an affiliate in any way just one beauty junkie to another.

Two months in a row that Ipsy has knocked it out of the park with adorable bags.

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I love the little makeup constellations!

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And the little gold star zipper pull

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So the bag is so damn cute let’s see how Ipsy did on actual products.

Luxie Brush 524T

Full Size: No

Full Size Cost: $18

Value: $9

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So I can’t actually find this brush for sale anywhere it seems to be an Ipsy exclusive, which is pretty cool.  It is a full size brush head and a short handle.  This will actually be great for travel so I am not mad at not getting a full size brush. I am slightly mad at the fact that this seems inferior in quality to all the other Luxie brushes I own.  This is just as soft but lacks the quality feel the bristles are not packed as evenly. I am estimating this brush to be half the price of the full size.

Delectable by Cake Beauty in Only Mint to Be

Full Size: 4 oz

Full Size Cost: $12

Sample Size: 2 oz

Value: $6

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I LOVE delectable hang creams they smell so amazing and are very moisturizing. This one is a lovely mint cream smell that is like a vanilla peppermint candy its so holiday. MINTER IS COMING (well actually its here already).

theBalm Mad Lash

Full Size: 0.27 oz

Full Size Cost: $18

Sample Size: 0.08 oz

Value: $5.33

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I have so many mascaras so another mascara sample is not exciting but I do enjoy theBalm products and the brush looks interesting. its very curled and long with short spikey bristles.

Absolute New York Matte Lipstick in Dark Red

Full Size: Yes

Full Size Cost: $5.99

Value: $5.99

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This is a very nice matte red lipstick it is opaque with one swatch. And a matte lip is always the way to my heart. Swatched at the end.

Tini Beauty Eyetini in Firestarter

Full Size: 0.06 oz

Full Size Cost: $13

Sample Size: 0.06 oz

Value: $13

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I could not get a picture of how pretty this is its creamy and build-able with shimmer.  Its a copper golden shimmer with a very deep red undertone its just gorgeous. Swatched below.

With Flash

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Without Flash

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The red undertones would not pick up on camera.

Total value of this months bag is $39.32 including my brush estimate and $30.32 if I do not include the Luxie brush. I have mixed feelings about this bag I liked it but there wasn’t any real wow products the eyeshadow and the hand cream are my favorite but there was no real wow. I received 3 sample sized products and 2 full sized products.  At more then 3x the cost of the bag it is still a great deal.

<3 Nightmarebeforemakeup

 

October 2016 Sephora Play! Subscription Box Review

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Sephora Play!

Cost: $10.70 monthly

Cycle: Every Month

What is it: Every month our favorite money sucking store Sephora sends out a curated box of higher end samples to try out.  Every month you receive 5 samples and a perfume sample.  Even one used to receive the same samples but they have now been introducing box variations.

I would normally be annoyed if I got a little sample size of perfume as an item in a subscription box but because it is sort of a bonus item it is actually nice to help me test out new perfumes since I tend to be a perfume loyalist to my Juicy Couture Perfumes.

The box variations I have been having a love/hate feeling towards.  It is nice to have a sort of customized box and a little bit of a surprise but it does lead to box envy when you don’t get the product you wanted that you saw was an option.

This month’s theme is the cool cut. Which i really didn’t understand but there  were alot of very “cool” interesting products. The box came very late this month usually I get it early in the middle of the month and this came only a few days before the end of the month.

So there is the box in its entirety with the cute little bag that says “Lipstix and Chill”.

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Madam C.J. Walker Beauty Culture Scent & Shine Coconut Oil

Full Size: 1.7 oz

Full Size Cost: $26

Sample Size: 0.15 oz

Value: $2.29

Omg I love how they packaged this with the little dropper separate from the bottle so cute why I think this is cute who the hell knows but I found it adorable.

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I have never heard of this brand but it smells amazing I love coconut scents and I love hair oils so as soon as I use up my current hair oils I’ll be using this one up.  It is also a great size for travel so I may end up using it for that I don’t know yet. But this is a serious win product for me.

The Estée Edit Flash Photo Gloss in 01 White Flash

Full Size: 0.27 oz

Full Size Cost: $20

Sample Size: 0.1 oz

Value: $7.41

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There is nothing to swatch here it is literally a clear gloss. Meh I don’t like gloss this one is particularly sticky which make me hate it I didn’t notice any teeth whitening effects and it is supposed to be vanilla scented and it really isn’t this is just not my cup of tea I’m gona keep it around for any off random chance I need a clear gloss because it is nice packaging and looks pretty in the tube. *cough* pack rat *cough* Weird that I got two lip products in one box, but it is worth almost the cost of the box so that’s a plus.

Smash Box Always On Matte Liquid Lipstick in Drivers Seat

Full Size: 0.13 oz

Full Size Cost: $24

Sample Size: Not listed but I am guessing about 0.05 oz

Value: $9.23

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This was so hard to get a good picture of the color so sorry about that. The size isn’t listed on the sample but I have seen the full size and this appears to be about half that so I am going with that. Normally I would not guess but it really appears so close to half to my eyes.

I love matte liquid lipsticks so this is great to try a new one but I’m not a huge fan of  the color. Drivers Seat is described as a Warm Pink but on me it pulls a very almost a light orange tinted nude.

No Flash:

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With Flash:

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Farmacy Skin Dew Hydrating Essence Mist & Setting Spray

Full Size: 3.3 oz

Full Size Cost: $44

Sample Size: 0.68 oz

Value: $9.07

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This smells really nice and herbal and I’m into it.  It does feel moisturizing and refreshing on the skin. As a setting spray I do not know I’ll be able to test that claim because it isn’t really a mist so must as a thick blotchy spray probably because it is a sample  size and the pump is different as a full size maybe the mister is better.  It smells good so that good I like facial water mist type moisturizers since they aren’t as heavy and don’t make my face feel oilier and over moisturized.

Drunk Elephant T.L.C. Framboos™ Glycolic Night Serum

Full Size: 30 ml

Full Size Cost: $90

Sample Size: 5 ml

Value: $15

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We have come to the product I am the most excited about. I have heard tons about how amazing this brand is but Drunk Elephant products are so fucking expensive. $90 dollars for 1 ounce of product it better be god damn magic. So I am thrilled to try it out. It is a clear gel a little seems to go a long way to rub into the face and it sinks in well where I have oily skin and its just a tab bit tacky where my skin is on the more normal side.

Derek Lam 10 Crosby Silent Street

Full Size: 1.7 oz

Full Size Cost: $95

Sample Size: 2 ml

Value: $3.8

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This was a heavy musky scent not for me.

Overall

The total value of this box came out to $46.80 which is the highest value I have ever had from the Sephora Play! box.  Can’t wait to see what they do now that were coming into the holidays.  I had two really big hits with the drunk elephant product and the hair oil which makes up for the misses in the lip products and the perfume.

If you are not subscriber keep trying the wait list never seems to work properly so I would just keep trying every so often until you get on. It really lets you try expensive brands at an inexpensive price.

<3 Nightmare Before Makeup

 

October 2016 Medusa’s Makeup Subscription Review

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Medusa’s Makeup

Cost: $15.95 monthly

Cycle: Every Month

What is it: Every month Medusa’s Makeup sends 3-5 full size products from their line.  This is the third month that this subscription is around and I have been subscribing since the beginning.  Every month the products arrive in a different colored bubble mailer.

So far I have received 4 products each month and they have all been full-sized.  They also send out products that they have newly launched which is really cool that you get to try their brand new stuff.

Medusa’s Make up is also a vegan and cruelty free company and made in the USA.

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This months products:

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They have upgraded the info card this month I hope they continue with that. Previous months it was a little slip of printed paper.

Lipstick in Red Square

Full Size: 3.5 g

Full Size Cost: $12

Sample Size: 3.5 g

Value: $12

Close up of the packaging:

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The packaging is both  light (cheap) feeling plastic but well designed and the cap stays on well.

Here is the lipstick with and without flash:

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It’s a very nice creamy lipstick and the shade is a very true bright red with no orange or blue undertones. It is a little sheer for my tastes but does build up. Swatched below.

Cosmetic Glitter in Abracadabra

Full Size: 2 g

Full Size Cost: $7

Sample Size: 3 g

Value: $7

I don’t know if this is like old packaging or something but the pot I received says that it contains 3 g while full size on the website is advertised as 2 g.  I am going to go with the full size price of $7 for 2 grams since that is what you can buy from Medusa’s

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This is a cosmetics grade glitter that can be used on the eyes, lips or any where on the face or body.  Abracadabra is a black glitter that is not super reflective but I could see this looking really nice topping some of my Tattoo Junkee liquid lipsticks. Swatched below.

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Glitter Adhesive in The Fix

Full Size: 2 g

Full Size Cost: $8

Sample Size: 0.2 oz

Value: $8

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Again with the weird sizing differences the product received is marked at 0.2 oz which is almost 3 times what the website says full size is.

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I am interested in seeing how this wax type of product will hold the glitter but i am not holding my breath that this is going to work.

Deluxe False Eyelashes

Full Size: Yes

Full Size Cost: $8

Sample Size: Yes

Value: $8

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This seems to be a brand new product so that is cool that they include their new launches.  I am not a false lash person but this little kit is so cute that I may have to give it a try.

Overall:

The total of this months bag was $35.  Which is damn good for a 16 dollar bag. I have been happy with the variety of products they send out even if they aren’t always the type of make up I use. Messy pigments and glitters are not my thing but having this glue may help me branch out a little. The weird discrepancies in sizes has me a little confused but overall I was happy. Let me know what you guys thought about this box or if you guys get this same box!

<3 Nightmare Before Makeup