IPSY: January 2013

Look at me trying to be a good, dedicated blogger. *fist pumps*

After browsing around monthly sample subscription websites, I decided to give into the hype. I know, I know. $10 for samples? Am I nuts? Aren't samples supposed to be free from stores and magazines? With that being said, I do have a problem. I love trying out new products. And for $10, why not, right? A bonus: when the box comes it's like Christmas morning! (Only, of course, I have to pay for my own gift.)

Ok, onto the main purpose of this blog... IPSY! (Formerly known as MyGlam.)

IPSY is a $10 monthly subscription service created by Michelle Phan, who I'm sure most of you know. My favorite part about IPSY compared to many other sample subscription services is the fact that they provide more deluxe-sized samples opposed to the itty-bitty one-use foil-packet samples. This allows users to sample more of the product to see if they truly like it.

Here's a quick overview of what came in my January box:



Let's start off with Big Sexy Hair-- there's not much to say about this product. It is very flexible and honestly does help keep your hair looking voluminous. For me, hairspray is hairspray. I guess I just don't play with my hair often enough to feel how "crunchy" bad hairspray can be. See also, I only ever use Tresemme, which I know is a great hairspray for my thick hair. It's honestly hard for me to call this a must-have hairspray when I can really only compare it to one other brand.

The Pacifica Tuscan Blood Orange body butter is as the name reads-- a body butter. It's very thick, very creamy and very rich in scent. The scent is true to its description as seen here:



While I love how moisturizing this product is, the one draw back is that it is definitely not for people with sensitive skin. I've applied it to my legs and arms and within a few minutes, I could feel my skin rejecting it, which sucks because it felt and smelled like pure goodness.

The Josie Maran 100% Pure Argan Oil is, by far, my favorite product this month. I have naturally oily skin and applying oil to my face at night typically causes me to breakout. With that being said, I was extremely hesitant to apply this oil on my face right before bed. OH! MY! GOSH! Can I just say that I have never felt my face so soft and smooth before? If you could compare something to a baby's bottom and truly mean it, it would be my face the morning after applying this oil the night before. I know you could use it on your hair, too, but mine is super thick and damaged that I feel like using this on it would be a waste. I'd much rather save the drops to use on my face.

The Nailtini nail polish in Frappe is another one of those so-so products.



I love that the brush is wide. I cannot stress how much I loathe skinny applicators! It's like having a smart phone for the past couple of years of your life and then suddenly, BAM! Flip phone! Any company that still tortures us with skinny nail polish brushes really need to get with the times. 

While I do love the nude color, I wish the nail polish were just a little more opaque. This is what it looks like with one layer:



Obviously two coats would be required with this polish. And for craps and giggles, here's a quick application video:



I am quite pleased with this nail polish overall. It has a great lasting power. It also is very beautiful after the second application. I can't wait to try different shades from this line. I wish I can say the same about the brush.

The SOHO concealer brush was a total fail. Its plastic handle feels extremely cheap and fragile. One thing to note is that the design of the handle (with the thin middle) makes it feel like one wrong move and the whole thing will snap. Not good.

Another flaw is how stiff the brush feels. I know concealer brushes tend to feel stiff in order to pack on concealer properly. This one, however, has absolutely no give. It also is really horrible at picking up product.



In this video, you could see how it requires a lot of pressure to get it to move. I can't even imagine having to press this hard on my face. Not to mention the fact that if I did, the brush handle would probably snap.

In essence, this box was definitely worth the $10. While I probably won't get much use out of two products (the body butter and concealer brush), the other three will definitely make its way into my batch of empties in due time.