IPSY BAG: April 2013

i don't know why i wasn't motivated enough to put this up earlier since it is a good bag... but i am blaming Glymm for dampening my spirits regarding beauty boxes. i was able to leave my Glossybox and BB5 untouched for two whole days! what what!

anyway here is a quick blurb about the ipsy bag for uhh... April.
"Pretty in Pink":

1) Be A Bombshell Blush in "Sweet Cheeks" 
"A highly pigmented pressed powder blush that highlights the complexion and provides long lasting color. Can be used both as a blush or a bronzer."

oh how pretty! i love the packaging and the names - hilarious! i got "Sweet Cheeks" (which has shimmer) but others got "Beach Please" (a matte).

i haven't gotten around to using this since i love this color (described as "medium rose pink") so naturally, i have like 10 variations of it :)

size: 5 g (full size!)

retail value: $16

promotion: 30% off and free full size pink shadow that expired on April 30, 2013 and was only available in the US - shucks cause that would've been awesome!

2) MicaBeauty Cosmetics Shimmer Powder in "72 Earth" 
"MicaBeauty Mineral Eyeshadows are extremely gentle, free of preservatives, chemicals, dyes, talc, oils, and other fillers. With this unique formula, the eyeshadows will look ultra smooth and stay put for hours without creasing or pulling the delicate eye area. Can be mixed with clear lip-gloss, clear mascara, and clear nail polish to add pigment to lips, eyelashes and nails!"

this is the deluxe sized version of MicaBeauty's multi-purpose shimmer powder. those who did not get this got a full size Two Cosmetics Duo Eye Shadow.

"Earth" is a shimmery pink champagne color. it looks to be a comfortable everyday kind of color and works on all skin tones.
i was thinking that it looks like a very pretty color but also so familiar at the same time...

so very familiar... and that's when i started digging through my collection and found this Bellapierre version - which is yet to be opened (like many, many, many others).

well would you look at that!
they are identical! they even have the same name! i tried to dig up some more info to confirm the relationship between MicaBeauty and Bellapierre but cannot find anything except someone posting in a forum that MicaBeauty, Micabella and Bellapierre are all just using different names.
i did find that MicaBeauty and Micabella are the same company - MicaBeauty is the US website while Micabella is the Canadian version. all three priced their "Earth" shimmer powders at $14.95-14.99.
did anyone else notice the similarities?

size: 2 g

retail value: $14.95 (2.5 g)

promotion: 30% off but expired April 30, 2013 and only valid in US

3) Miss Professional Nail Sation Nail Lacquer for ipsy in "2012 Of Corset I'll Call You"

"Sation Nail Lacquer is a contemporary beauty company, infusing a creative direction in nail care through a blend of lifestyle aesthetics. The collection features 120 colors from its seasonal & limited collections."

i have never heard of Sation nail polish or Miss Professional Nail before. the color "Of Corset I'll Call You" is part of a limited collection and is described as a "romantic lavender-rose". i think the color is just okay, maybe slightly boring so i am not in a rush to use it. i'd probably put it on my swap list.

size: 15 mL (full size!)

retail value: $5

promotion: 20% off online for US only until May 31, 2013

4) Sexy Hair Big Sexy Hair Powder Play
"Get ‘POW’ volume in an instant with Sexy Hair's Powder Play! Powder Play adds instant volume to any type of hair style or texture. Weightless, odorless, and colorless! Instantly liquifies when applied and adds volume and texture in seconds. Just sprinkle on dry hair at the root for lift and volume. Apply throughout the hair for extreme volume and texture."

anything that promises volume is always welcomed but i have gotten a bit lazy with these powders. even with dry shampoo (powders), i've found that if i am not careful, i would go to work and discover later that i had white residue on my scalp. and of course, it'd be on days when i'd have a conversation with some VPs of the company.

i have thick hair so i definitely have to use quite a bit in order to achieve the voluminous look. it looks great for a while but my hair would resume its natural flat state an hour or so later. but with this size, i guess you can always carry it with you and reapply it throughout the day/night :)

i've always been interested in the Big Sexy Hair line so i am glad i got this. ipsy members either received this or Healthy Sexy Hair Soy Renewal.

size: 2 g

retail value: $15.95 (15 g)

promotion: $5 off $25 purchase of Sexy Hair products from Ulta until May 10, 2013 - so again, not for Canadians

and that's that! all of these products are great but for me, i already have similar colors in my makeup collection so i'd prefer to swap them with someone.

i'm sorry this post is up later than usual but i have been busy with other fun events like the Calgary Comic & Entertainment Expo (if you have seen my instagram pic, you will know what i mean) and Army and Navy's Legendary Shoe Sale. they probably deserve their own blog posts - what do you think? ;)

IPSY GLAM BAG: February 2013

oh hello procrastination!! how did you ever manage to delay this post until the day i get a shipping notification from ipsy saying that my MARCH bag is on its way...

oh geebus.
anyway, here's a little reminder that there is less than THREE hours to enter my giveaway! then my Saturday will be dedicated to going through the entries so i can select 3 lovely winners.
if you are a fellow procrastinator, click to enter here!!

so let's keep this post short and sweet...

March's ("Red Carpet Ready") bag contained:

1) POP Beauty Smoky Lash Kapow!!! Mascara in "No. 1 Smoky Black" - haha i like the use of exclaimation marks in the name :) can't exactly crack this open yet but it seems that many people are saying that it is clumpy. i wonder if it is that way because they followed POP Beauty's instructions that include using 3 layers of this. i ain't got time for that!
one time when i was flying home from LA, the lady beside me must have spent a good 20 minutes putting on mascara and then using a safety pin to separate her lashes and repeating this process over and over.

odd thing i noticed is that the full sized version gets the "e" in Smokey. guess there wasn't enough room on the mini one!

promotion: 20% off purchase that ended... yesterday. oops! oh well, it wasn't available to us Canadians anyway!
size: 4.8 g
retail value: $18.50 (7 g)

2) MicaBeauty Ultra Smooth Gel Eyeliner in "Black" - i am pretty sure i have seen MicaBeauty booths at the mall before but i have never stopped long enough since i'd feel obligated to buy something when the prices are probably pretty steep.
i love gel eyeliners since they are the most pigmented type of eyeliner. i also love black eyeliners so i will definitely be using this baby up. the other colors such as Blue, Purple and Green look gorgeous but i don't think i could pull colored eyeliner (on my top lash line) off! the full sized version also comes with a built-in application brush.

promotion: 30% off purchase that ended... 8 days ago. again, no real 'loss' here since Canada was excluded. :(
size: N/A but looks pretty big - perhaps a full size but just without the brush?
retail value: $35 (5 g)

3) Lash Card The Lash Card - one, two aaaaaaaaand three. third time's a c----- rap.

promotion: buy 2, get 1 free. ended 2 days ago. was valid for Canadians. no one is sad here.
size: 4 cards (this ipsy deluxe sample was special)
retail value: $6.99 (10 cards)

4) Pixi Flawless & Poreless primer in "No. 1 Translucent" - this primer has the same kind of texture as the Benefit POREfessional - light and velvety. i did not notice any difference in my pores and how long my makeup lasted. but i just found out that it has salicylic acid so i will now pay attention to whether or not it helps with my current situation (THREE pimples in one week boooooooo - this i am sad about).

promotion: 20% off purchase until yesterday.
size: 15 mL
retail value: $29 (30 mL)

5) Coastal Scents Shadow Palette Sample in "Glitz & Glamour" - this palette sample included the colors "Candlelight" - my desription: a shimmery white/silver; official description: a decadent wash of silvery-grey with a satin finish
"Gunmetal" me: a soft black with red shimmer; official: a sultry, deep grey with a slight satiny finish
"Incognito" me: a semi-matte dark navy blue-almost black; official: a mysterious black hue with a matte finish
"Ashen" me: a shimmery champagne; official: a light greyish-taupe hue with a satiny finish

my sample palette also came a little broken.

by looking at it, i thought "Gunmetal" looked like an amazing color! the red and the black was just gorgeous. sadly, the red does not show at all! in fact, the rest of the colors were also just okay. after debating about Coastal Scents for all these years, i don't feel like i am missing out. i like that i got to try it out though. plus the tiny samples are rather cute and can pretty much fit into a wallet.

top: natural light; bottom: flash

promotion: 25% off until... you guessed it - yesterday.
size: 2 g
retail value: $1.99 (1.3 g)

all in all, i like the variety that ipsy delivers. they are also quite prompt when it comes to sending out their bags (unlike how i received my Glymm for February today...). the bag looked slightly cheap though - with the rushed sewing job to brand ipsy on the inside and the zipper that won't open all the way up.
and what is up with the eye-straining info card with the black font on a black background??
<will insert group photo later>

anyway, i will be getting my March ipsy bag shortly! and i *will* post that within a reasonable time frame. :)