Beauty Subscription Smackdown Part 2- Ipsy vs. Lip Monthly October 2014

Holy crap! Is October seriously almost over?! WHERE DID IT GO?!?!!?! On the bright side Halloween is just around the corner! Even better than that? My Ipsy and Lip Monthly bags arrived. You will be able to find a Lip Monthly Unboxing video right here.

I think the best thing about October is all the dressing up and the creative makeup. So I definitely had high hopes for this month's subscriptions. I really have been craving those deeper lippies now that fall is FINALLY here. So let's get into the bags shall we?

Ipsy:

 "Beauty Candy" was this month's theme, I kind of like that they played off of Halloween like this, especially because it wont offend anyone and who doesn't love candy? In my opinion they could have gone with a few more dark colors, but all in all, not bad. For more information on ipsy check out their FAQs or my thoughts and review on the company here.

I have to say when I heard the bag was teal I was really skeptical about it being a fall color and felt like it should have been saved for a spring bag, but when it arrived it looks a lot more like a jewel tone than I was expecting. I'm really loving the quilted design too and it feels really sturdy.

#1- Ecru New York Acacia Protein BB Cream Beauty Balm For Hair ($12) - As always, I doubt hair products before I try them, but yet again Ipsy has sent a wonderful product in my bag. I tried this in my hair shortly after opening my bag and it smells and feels very nice. I did notice it made my hair softer when it's dry, and I can't wait to see what it will do when it's wet.


#2- Figs and Rogue Hand Cream in Mango Mandarin ($6.56) - Can I just take a moment to point out how darn cute these tubes are?! These smell really sweet, but I'm fond of the smell. It actually kind of reminds me of satsumas and how my cousin and I used to sit and eat them in my grandparents kitchen. So it brings me back to happy times. As for the cream itself it has a nice texture and is just in time since the hand cream in our car has just about ran out.


#3-  Mica Beauty Mineral Eyeshadow in Harlequin ($14.95) - I was a bit intimidated at first by the darkness of this color, but I found that it compliments my hair color well so I think I will use this on date night. I'm not sure I trust this with just a primer, so I used a mixing medium to prevent fallout since it's VERY glittery. But it looks nice with the Wet N Wild pallet Comfort Zone.


#4- Skyn Iceland Glacial Cleansing Cloths ($5) - I did need some new cleansing wipes for my purse, so these came just in time. Though these are not my favorite, they do take off most of my makeup. The only beef I have with this is that it's marketed for sensitive skin and the wipes themselves are very course feeling. The formula on the wipes is a little sudsy but overall nice. I wouldn't pay $15 for the full pack of 30, but I will use these up and I'm glad I got them.


#5- Starlooks Lip Gloss in Guilty Pleasure ($1.50) - So considering that I recently spent $20 on a lip gloss that I'm loving that is very similar to this one, I'd spend $12 in a heartbeat. But honestly, this formula feels a lot like the Revlon Superlustrous Lip Gloss. The main difference is that the Starlooks one smells like a Carmelizer from Dutch Bro's Coffee. Mmmm...coffee....back to the gloss- I like it a lot and I've really been into rose colored glosses lately, but I'm addicted to the Buxom Full On Lip Polish in Courtney, which smells like cookies. Noticing a trend here? But I just might splurge on this when my Buxom one is gone.


Total retail value-$40.01 Though I'm not fond of the texture of the wipes or the size of the lipgloss, I have to say I am very pleased with my bag as a whole. I know that I will get use out of everything I received and I don't really dislike anything. I'm excited to get more use out of everything and once again I feel like my bag is very balanced.


Lip Monthly:

 So Lip Monthly has been making some improvements to their company. One of those things is the introduction of some new features that have yet to be released. But in more current news, Lip Monthly confirmed that they will be switching up the bags every month from now on when I asked on instagram.

Screenshot from Lipmonthly

 I'm definitely considering sticking around with this company for a little longer than I originally planned. BUT we shall see how these next few months go. And yes, I do appreciate that these bags are bigger, I can fit brushes in these without the bristles bending and they feel very sturdy.

For more information on this subscription check out the FAQs or my thoughts and review of the company here. Onto the bag!

#1- Starlooks Lip Scrub ($.66) - So obviously this is a sample size, but it looks like Starlooks wanted to be in a couple of boxes this month since this is the second product I have received from them. I will give this a shot, but as I can more easily make my own lip scrub and it's far less expensive that way, I will not be buying this after I use it up.


#2- Noyah Lip Balm in Cherry($3.99) - I think it's worth mentioning that Ipsy sent this brand out as well, and made the coupon code "FALLinLOVE" that you can enter at checkout for a free lip balm as well as 15% off your purchase (expires 11/20/14). So honestly this wasn't that impressive to me. It seems like a nice lip balm, but since I don't need ANOTHER one, I will be handing this off to John. Another thing to mention is that you can get 20% off of all lipsticks, lip glosses, and lip balms if you use the code "lipmonthly" at checkout (expires 12/31/14).


#3- Jcat Beauty Fantabulous Lipstick in Honeycrisp ($2.99) - In September of 2013 Ipsy sent out this same exact lipstick, the customers feedback was generally pretty bad. I'm not in love with this, since it looks yellow on my lips and is just waaay too dark for me.


#4- DeVine Lip Shimmer in Pinot Noir ($4.95) - Oh my gosh. This smells reeeaaaally good. It also feels amazing on my lips. This may actually be a repurchase for me. These have Resveratrol, grapeseed oil, and red wine antioxidants. They just feel amazing on the lips and are all natural, alcohol free, cruelty free, gluten free, pesticide free, and paraben free. Can these get any better? I'm extremely excited about this, even though I didn't need another lip balm I like that this is tinted and still gives my lips a bit of color.

#5- LA Girl Eyeliner in Navy ($3) - This seems a bit lighter than navy to me. BUT I do like that it isn't black. I cannot tell you how many black liners I get. So I was excited to see that it wasn't black. It's a bit hard but I think it could work if I heat the tip with a lighter before use. The only thing that worries me is that it skipped a bit when I swatched it, so I'm afraid of it tugging on my eyelid.


Total retail value-$15.59 Did I mention I just love the bag this month? I'm really glad they are taking suggestions from their customers. This month not only was the bag cute, but also very fall themed. I do like the products in it, but again I want more glosses and lipsticks and such. Lip balms are nice but I have yet to EVER finish one. They usually just dry out first or I toss them because they are old.  I think these guys are really going up in quality, and I can't wait to see what comes next month!


The winner for this month is...Ipsy! Okay guys, Lip Monthly was definitely better than I was expecting, but Ipsy was just spot on with everything this month and completely unbeatable. I don't expect Lip Monthly to be quite as expensive in value because it's new, so that really isn't why. I have just been getting so much use out of my Ipsy bag that it's insane. So better luck next time guys!


xoxo
Courtney

The Scoop On Ipsy

After writing "The Scoop On Lip Monthly" I thought I could do a more in depth review on Ipsy as a whole. I've been with Ipsy for just over a year, and I think I've gotten to know the company fairly well.

Photo Credit: www.ipsy.com

As you may already know, Ipsy is a subscription service that sends 4-5 deluxe or full size samples to your door for only $10 every month (just over $15 if you live in Canada).

The bags are curated by Michelle Phan and customized a bit based on a quiz you take when you sign up and can take anytime after.

Photos directly from www.ipsy.com

The samples range from makeup, to skincare, to brushes, and even nail polish! So every month you get a set of products to try and enjoy. It's important to remember that while the bags are customized, it's only to a point and you can never fully opt out of any particular product. So some months may be kind of a flop for you, but if you have your quiz filled out just right and you review products, more often than not you will receive bags you love.

Let's talk about Ipsypoints. Every month is an opportunity to earn Ipsy points. The most you can currently earn in a month is about 90 (if there are 5 products in the bag, if there are 4 than you can earn 75). You earn points by sharing and following the instructions on the popups you get twice a month, and reviewing items. The only other way to earn points is to refer people (giving you 250 points). Every Ipster gets 100 points to start off with, when you reach 500 or 1000, you can get an item. The 500 point items are a new addition and seem to be smaller and usually samples, where as the 1000 point items are usually full size and/or worth more. For instance I just redeemed a 1000 point item set: Samples of Bellapierre lip and cheek stain and the illuminating bronzer. Accumulating points can take a while, so be patient. Even if you have 1000 points wait until there is something you want. Also note that points expire 1 year from when you earn them, and that ipsy uses your oldest points first when you make a redemption. For example, I had 1005 points this month. I redeemed 1000, so instead of my points expiring next month like they would have, my 5 points wont expire until next August. Nice right?

The community is something else I love about Ipsy. On their website they have created a space for Ipsters to reach out to each other via message boards and talk about products and reviews. Though you cannot private message anyone, it does provide a safer place to talk to people without giving out personal information or anything weird/creepy going on. Not only does the community exist on thier website, but there Facebook page is another place to see this in action and ask Ipsy questions (something you can't otherwise do without contacting Ipsycare).

Something to note about the Ipsy community is that though it is not possible to private message anyone, people do give out emails in order to swap items with fellow ipsters. This DOES involve giving out your name and mailing address to a complete stranger. Now I'm not saying these things don't work out and can't be totally harmless, but Ipsy is not responsible for anything you do with your glam bags after receiving them. So if you don't receive an item or something bad happens because you gave a stranger your address--not Ipsy's fault. They wont even replace any products that you traded for. Basically be careful about that. Personally I choose not to give my address to anyone and stick with what I've got.

I've talked to Ipsycare a lot. Now normally you would think "uh oh" but it's usually for small things like when I couldn't get the site to let me change my profile picture (they fixed it right away). That's not to say there have never been bigger problems. For instance, once they had a site glitch and charged the card I signed up with (my mom's before I got mine) for an Ipsyme item and I freaked out and had to run to the bank so they didn't overdraw the account since they had other stuff going through, but Ipsy quickly took the card out of the system and fixed it so that when I renewed it would charge my card instead. This literally happened within a day.

There are other times when I've just talked to Ipsycare to suggest items for future bags or to show them how much they have impacted people's lives. At one point I even emailed them to let them know that they really made a difference in my life (it sounds silly but they have) and since my renewal date was coming up, they extended it for an extra two months so I would have more time to do so. I seriously did not expect that and I started crying. As it turns out, it saved my butt because my car got a flat and I came to find out I had to replace ALL of my tires. Had I renewed Ipsy that month, I wouldn't have been able to fix the tires.

Other than customer service, they are awesome at keeping in touch and interacting with their subscribers. They are constantly posting new things for us to do like challenges or questions for us to answer. It's actually really fun to see how much they interact and reply to our comments!

Along the same lines as social media, sneak peeks are released the first week of every month. This could be awesome or horrible, depends on how you look at it. For me it's both: I like to figure out whats in them for the fun of it...BUT I am also never surprised about what is in the bag...Literally I have ALWAYS looked at the spoilers, but then I'm like: "well, I already know what I COULD get, so I might as well just take a peek at my glam room" ARG!! This month it is my personal goal not to peek...but I've sort of already broken that by looking at the first one via email.

Lastly, I just want to say that if you ARE thinking about subscribing to ipsy, they are a great company. I really enjoy this service and I recommend it to ANYONE who is just starting out using makeup, or already has a huge passion for it, or even just likes to try new things every once in a while. Just please Please PLEASE read the FAQ's before you sign up. For heaven's sake, you are giving out personal information to someone. Know what you are paying for and don't ask ridiculous questions on the message boards. The FAQs probably could answer that for you. I will even link them for you right here.

Also please use my referral link below and score me some points. I would be very very very grateful!

http://www.ipsy.com/r/13bs?sid=ipsypoints&cid=general

xoxo

Courtney

Top 5 De-Clutter Tips

Sometimes life can get a bit cluttered...or a lot. This can lead to a need to completely re-think what you own VS what you need. As was the case for me...

I have WAAYYYY too much stuff that has accumulated over the years. For example 15 collector dolls, 8 porcelain dolls, 50+ beanie babies, a massive wardrobe, tons of crafting supplies, makeup...you get the idea right? Well in a room that is probably the size of some people's closet, this is not easy to organize. So it has resulted in half my room eventually being blocked off by tubs, boxes, and other various things.

Keep in mind, that I had a room three times as big before my last move, so at one point, all of this stuff had a home. But it slowly gets taken out of storage here and there and tossed into this tiny room and I'm left with no clue what to do with it. So here are my organizing tips:

1- Get rid of things you just plain don't need. The collectable dolls I mentioned earlier? Yeah, about 7 of those were sold to new homes, as well as some of the collectable outfits.  My massive wardrobe is continuing to decrease, a lot of my clothes weren't my style anymore or were too small, so out with the old and in with some new jeans and a few new shirts.

2- - Have a good organization system- One of my best organization systems is in my bathroom (currently overrun by makeup since my vanity is a work in progress)I have a spot for everything from my hair tools to my backup products. Since I don't have much cupboard space, I have cute trays on the counter to hold different lotions, hair products, and face products, so everything has a home.

3- Have a catch-all basket that you put away every night. This is so, if I have to take off in a moments notice or if I just don't feel the desire to carefully put something back in it's home, I can put it in a contained space until just before bed, as long as you remember to empty the basket every night it's not a bad system to have.

4- When you get something new, get rid of something old. I will admit I don't always do this, but it worked really great when I was a kid. Now I tend not to apply this to everything, but I find it helps with clothes. Now if only I could convince myself to apply that to my shoes...

5- Now if one particular room is really a mess, then I would say spread out. Pull EVERYTHING you can out and start going through it. Chances are you will find a bunch of stuff you don't need, and you will save yourself the trouble of just moving the mess around you while you sort. Trust me it's a lot easier this way.

Doesn't it feel better to have a clean living space? I am so glad to be getting through my own clutter, it will save me some work with my spring cleaning later!

xoxo
Courtney