Ipsy:
Happy 3 years Ipsy! Technically the first bag was sent in December of 2011 but they started in November of that year and it looks like celebration is in the air with this month's sparkly glamorous theme. Maybe not everyone's cup of tea, but I've been all about glitter lately and they definitely sent out some killer brands this month!
This month's theme is "Girl Meets Glitter"
1. Temptu Highlighter in Pink Pearl ($2.75) -I have to say I was so excited to see this in my bag. Now I don't have an airbrush machine, but I do know you can use a few tiny drops on your fingers and oh my goodness is this reflective. I love the glow it gives my cheek bones and that it doesn't start looking cakey with certain products applied under it like some cream highlighters do. Unfortunately this doesn't seem to last to long on me either. Any ideas on that one?
2. Jcat Wonder Lip Paint in Red Potion ($4.99) -At first I was like "not ANOTHER red lip color" but no. No it is not really red it's more like a dark berry color. Which is great because Ive been loving the vampy berry-ish lips lately. I've heard that this is comparable to the OCC Lip Tars, but as I've never tried one (don't stone me) I have no way of really knowing. However this was very beautiful looking when I applied it to my lips and it dried matte. It also seemed to stain my lips a little bit too, so after I took it off my lips were still a light berry color. I'm not sure about the wear time on this yet because I haven't had a chance to wear it out, since its a little dark for me to wear to work.
3. Be a Bombshell Eye Base in Submissive ($14) - I have to say this is a great coppery brown base color for a neutral eye look. It has just enough shimmer to look good alone or you could top it with some nice browns for more dimension. I love that it was full size and I will definitely be rocking this at work for a while! I have noticed that I need to wear a primer with this at the very least because it did start creasing on me a few hours after putting it on. I have been liking this with some of my brown matte shadows though and that seems to last all day.
4. Elizabeth Mott You're So Fine Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner in Glitterati ($17.99) - I'm so torn. It's black liner, but its got sparkles AND it's really long wearing (like lasted through tears). I think I may wear this more than once or twice because it has a great little brush and I can get a thin line. The other thing I was worried about was the sparkles getting in my eyes or being painful on my lid because they are a bit chunky but I haven't had that problem so far so I'm happy with this. I'm really hoping they come out with more colors because this works so much better than my Urban Decay 24/7 liquid liner...now if only I could perfect that winged liner look...
5. Marc Anthony Oil Of Morocco Argan Oil Hairspray ($1.54) - The only thing in my bag that isn't makeup. I have to say I am not a huge hairspray person. I have one I like for most things because it keeps my hair in place but it's not great for just basic styles because my hair looks so...dingy. I don't think my hair looks dingy with this which is nice but it does still give me crunchy pieces, so I'm not thrilled with that. But I am curious to see how it holds up the wet crazy weather we get here. Also can I mention that I love hair products with Argan Oil, anymore its the only thing I use in my hair other than Tea Tree Oil.
Total Bag Value: $41.27 Wow. Just wow. I got a lot of makeup this month which is awesome. I'm loving the items I got. I feel like this month was very fall and winter colors and I'm pleased with that. The wind picks up like crazy here in the winter and hairspray is a must, but its also hard to find the right one for your hair so I'm happy to try that. I also think that a lot of this makeup will integrate well into my daily routine.
Lip Monthly:
So Lip Monthly has been getting better...ish. Last month was good, but their customer service is...questionable. They have also promised the release of new features, which have yet to be launched for a couple months now. Obviously this company is still quite small compared to other subscription services, but they really need to up their game. Again they have said they are training new employees, however it really is compromising customer care. If emails are taking longer than usual (for me it took over a week) a notice should be sent out and their customers shouldn't have to inquire over social media. Okay, rant over. I do still have high hopes for this company, which is why I will be letting my subscription renew in December. Which means part two of the smackdown series will last a little longer than I had originally planned. Onto this month's bag shall we?
1. NYC Expert Last Lip Color in Purple Crush ($1.99) -I will admit I was the tiniest bit sad to see NYC in a bag this month, but, I really don't have room to talk. Just because I have easy access to this brand doesn't mean everyone does. I actually really like this lipstick too. The color borders a bit (in my opinion) on the pink side, but overall I feel like it's going to wear on the lips well, especially with how much it stained my hand when I swatched it. It was also nice to get a color I could actually wear to work since some of the darker colors are a bit much sometimes.
2. City Color White Gold Mousse ($4) -AAaannd this is why I said I had no room to talk. I didn't receive this when they sent it out in an Ipsy bag a while back. Since I don't have easy access to this brand I am always happy to get products from them. Its the same way as when I didn't have easy access to NYX before we got an Ulta. As for the product itself, I can see why they called it white gold. Admittedly I had no idea how to keep it from drying out so I did a bit of research. I did find that it can be used as a highlight (my first guess) as well as an eyeshadow base. When I first saw this I was worried it would be cakey-looking but to my surprise I haven't had that issue. I'm still not sure if I should keep the little pot thing that was inside it. I find it quite messy but I don't want it to dry out either. Thoughts?
3. Ofra Lip Liner in Silk ($13) -Daaaanngggg I wasn't expecting to see Ofra in the bag. I'm glad that they are stepping up their game and adding slightly more expensive brands to the mix. Also this color is the embodiment of my lips but better. I really love this and I know I will continue to use it until I run out of it. Also it's the perfect color to pair with sheer lip glosses. This is one of my favorite items from the bag.
4. Hikari Lipstick in cabernet ($13) -If you watch my unboxing video I'm pretty sure I said "Carbonette" Not sure where it came from, but I know that's not how it's pronounced. I've been reading it like that since I got it in an Ipsy bag. Again I have no idea why. But it's a nice lipstick, again I was happy to see a slightly more expensive brand in the bag. But this is just not my color. So one is going to my cousin for Christmas and the other to a close friend for her birthday.
5. Crown Brush Deluxe Syntho Lip Brush ($2.45) - The card does read $3 for retail value, however I did find that it was actually $2.45 on the website. I don't really think it makes too much of a difference but I thought I'd point that out. I do have to say this brush works rather nicely, It's very soft and comfortable to use and it applies product really well. I'm really glad they didn't decide to make this the monthly mix up item since its a tool. I felt like this was the perfect addition to this bag.
Total bag value: $34.44 Though the card claims 34.99, I don't think it makes a huge difference either way. I feel like this months bag was really wearable and that they are really listening to their consumers. We said we wanted the prices back on the cards, they gave it to us, we said we wanted more color and less balms, they obliged. They did have a shipping issue this month, so a lot of people got bags very late. However this was not the fault of Lip Monthly but they did do their best to help their customers and keep us updated. They sent an email to everyone apologizing for the issues so I think they are doing better. While the company is having some problems, I do want to say that I am in no way trying to bash them. I think they truly care about their customers and I see a lot of great things happening for them in the future.
And the winner this month is...Lip Monthly! Whoa. I didn't even see that coming. If I separate my bag from the customer service this month which was...confusing and a little irritating, I actually do like this bag just the tiniest bit better than my Ipsy bag. For one reason, I just felt like it was a little more wearable. I do want to say that I was really impressed with Ipsy pulling out some awesome brands and I honestly thought that Lip Monthly didn't stand a chance. I feel like Lip Monthly got me to branch out to a new color this month, I would have never gone for that NYC lipstick in a million years, and provided me with a great tool to use and an awesome lip liner. I have to say that the only thing I'm not thrilled with is that they are continuing to get a lot of products that were in Ipsy as well, I would like to start seeing some other brands and colors.
I hope you enjoyed November's edition of Beauty Subscription Smackdown, feel free to leave a comment below! Do you get either of these bags? What did you think? Is there a subscription you think I should try?
Interested in either of these subscriptions? Please use my referral links below!
Ipsy Lip Monthly
xoxo
Courtney
