IPSY BAG: March 2013

my March ipsy bag arrived on March 13th but to my dismay, i found the whole bag sopping wet. turns out the bottom of the Juice Beauty item had completely broken off - perhaps it was frozen? 

and so i sent a sad email to ipsycare on the 16th (along with a sad photo of the soaked contents) and got a response back on the 18th. ipsy later sent me a tracking number for a replacement bag, which i received on the 27th. thank you for the kind and timely response, ipsy!

my second bag arrived just fine and now i finally have a chance to review it for you.

let's start with the bag - cute, no? (and now i have two, teehee!)

March's bag is themed "The Great Escape" -  can't help but think of "The Sweet Escape" by Gwen Stefani.

1) Juice Beauty Hydrating Mist
"Juice Beauty Hydrating Mist tones, hydrates, and refreshes your face and hair while on the go, anytime of the day. Hydrate with the refreshing blends of organic juices for a fresh, radiant complexion. "

i sprayed this on my face this morning and was trying to think of a way to describe the smell when my boyfriend asks, "does it have rosehip?" and i'm like "whhhhhhhhat - wait...". turns out he is right! he remembered 'rosehip' from buying me the Australis Finishing Spritz - oh, what a smart boyfriend that one is.

anyway, i do not like the scent but you can't blame them since it is made only with organic ingredients. i am not a huge fan of this mist since it makes me feel oilier and i already have enough of that, thank you very much. it also somewhat irritated my skin at first contact but the irritation went away (also do not inhale through your mouth right after - it doesn't taste good either).

promotion: 20% off purchase of $30+ (until April 10, 2013)
size: 30 mL
retail value: $22 (200 mL)

2) La Fresh Travel Lite Makeup Remover Wipes
"La Fresh® Travel Lite® portable towlette wipes are perfect for jetsetters, go-getters, outdoor enthusiasts and multi-taskers everywhere. Towlette packets are small in size, designed for practicality and are easy to apply discreetly. Each item is carry-on friendly and slim enough to slip into a pocket, purse or wallet. Perfectly portable, La Fresh® makes beauty a breeze when you’re on-the-go. For a refreshing getaway, grab any Travel Lite® and Live. Life. La Fresh.™ "
more La Fresh, and more makeup remover wipes. very ho-hum. on a more positive note, we get to try 8 instead of a single-use wipe.

promotion: 30% off (until May 31, 2013 & Canadians are excluded :/ )
size: 8 wipes (full size!)
retail value: $1.99

3) Yaby Eyeshadow Refill in "ES296 So Vein" and "ES442 Sand Dune"
"Whether you want to make a dramatic statement or just add a veil of color to your eyes, the yaby eyeshadow refills are extremely easy to work with. Can be used wet or dry and the smooth texture allows blending with ease. All shadows are vegan friendly and the pans are reusable for mixing. Glam Bag subscribers receive two of 80 fabulous shades. "
the colors i got are both matte and not shades i'd wear often. i think the size of them are cute and portable but it is difficult to get a brush in there since the pans are smaller than a dime.

the color payoff is just okay as well (see below for swatch). "Sand Dune" is less pigmented and clashes with my skin tone. both colors fade almost completely after a work day. not sure if this was affected by the Juice Beauty mist... i will attempt applying these eyeshadows wet at a later date.

promotion: 25% off (until April 15, 2013; Canada shipping starts at $7.50) 

size: 15.5 mm each (full size!)

retail value: $3.35 each

4) GlamRX Mini Freestyle Palette

"The GlamRX Mini Freestyle Palette was made exclusively for ipsy Glam Bag subscribers. The magnetic base is the perfect spot to store pan-only eyeshadows (2 of which are included in this Glam Bag!), blushes & bronzers, or whatever you need for perfect for quick touch ups on the go! Whether you are headed off to spring break or just need a cute & clever way to store products in your bag, you can create the perfect makeup look and take it with you with your exclusive GlamRX Mini Freestyle Palette. "

i like how ipsy paired up the tiny magnetic Yaby eyeshadows with this tiny GlamRx palette. the palette is slightly bigger than a business card so it would be handy if you needed to touch up and you were only carrying a clutch or something. the mirror is also a nice touch!

promotion: 20% off GlamRX Touch Up Palette (until April 15, 2013)

size: 1 mini palette (full size!) 

retail value: N/A (not sold on the website but the Touch Up Palette is $16.50)

oh blargh i forgot to take a group photo again!! <insert photo here later!>

overall, this ipsy bag was contained items that i have not received from a beauty bag before but it is also not my favorite. i am happy with the customer service though. looking forward to April's bag! there has been sneak peeks popping up here and there which i am trying to avoid...

whoohooooo yeehooooo

GLOSSYBOX: March 2012

dun dun dunnnn! it is finally here!!
it arrived yesterday, after much anticipation and delays. Glossybox was having a bit of trouble with customs. they continually updated their Facebook page on the status of the box as well as gave everybody 250 Glossydots for their patience. for some reason though, the company said the Alberta boxes were sent out last Monday and yet my tracking information said Canada Post received it on Wednesday. Glossybox said it was glitch with Canada Post. i liked being kept in the loop but placing the blame on someone else for the delay will not help the situation. i hope i receive April's box within the month!
so many people were super pleased with their box - i snuck a peek on Facebook. when i picked it up from the mailbox, i was shocked at how heavy it felt. it's a whooping 700 g. haha apparently March's Luxe Box was 500 g but the Glossybox feels really heavy!
so it is the first time i received the Glossybox so here's plenty of pictures.
the cardboard box is quite fancy. it has the Glossybox symbol and logo all over the box and perforation (? is that the right term?) along the side which makes it so much easier to open the box.

upon opening the box, there is a light pink box that seems really sturdy. taking off the lid, you will find some tissue paper wrapped in a pale pink ribbon with a logo sticker.

there's a large black envelope and this is the shot of all the products underneath it (there's a lot of them!):

the black envelope contains: a note from Glossybox including a list of the products, a Bailey Cosmetics product tag, a promo code for Pandora's Makeup Box and a huge booklet about Sebastian products.

products of the month:

1) Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Lotion - i've seen plenty of ads for this so i'm alright with receiving this lotion. it claims that it moisturizes for 24 hours. great for my elbows! there is a very light oatmeal scent and absorbs really quickly. feels slightly more runny than creamy.
size: 71 mL
retail value: $11.99 (354 mL)

2) Bailey Fresh Lip Gloss in " Fresh Berry" - there's no label anywhere saying how big the sample was or what color it was, but i compared mine to some of the other blogger's and found that mine is a lot darker. it also looks more like "Fresh Berry" than it would "Fresh Pink". one thing to keep in mind is make sure you twist it all the way to close it. my sister wanted to take a look but didn't close it properly and it began leaking A LOT. it kept leaking until i figured out the problem. i put some on her, put a ton on me, did a swatch on my hand and still large goops of lip gloss was lost.

this allowed me to take two swatches of the gloss on my lips - one with just a normal layer of gloss, and the other one i layered quite a bit. the color looks darker (quite purple) on my hand and appears sheerer on my lips but you can build the color. it has a sponge applicator and does not feel all too sticky.

some people received an anti-shine powder or a duo foundation - both of which i would've preferred since i've got quite the stash of lip products from these beauty boxes.
size: 8 g (full size!)
retail value: $28

3) Evian Brumisateur Facial Spray - hmm interesting that Evian has "branched out" from bottled water to beauty products. i have something sort of similar that i use to refresh my skin - The Body Shop's Vitamin C Energizing Face Spritz.

i love the smell because the citrus definitely wakes you up. this Evian one however, is just water. so i am not entirely sure what the hype is about. this sample costs $7... i really don't know what you're paying for here.
size: 50 mL
retail value: $17.50 (300 mL); $12.50 (150 mL); $7.00 (50 mL)

4) PANDORA'S Blush in "St. Tropez" - yay! first time receiving blush in these boxes and great timing too! i think blush would probably be the product that i have the least varieties of so this is a great addition. it comes in a little magnetic box and is a nice pink color.
size: 4 g (full size!)
retail value: $18

5) Sebastian Re-Shaper Hairspray - this is a new type of product to receive in the beauty boxes. i have quite a bit of hairspray which i do not use often so i do not know when i will actually test this out. this product emphasizes brushability (did they invent the word?) which would be something i am interested in. i don't like it when my hair looks super hard after hairspray and when you try to brush,it causes little white flakes. will update you on this later!
size: 43 g
retail value: $19.95 (43 g) i heard plenty of bloggers/Facebookers mention that this was calculated incorrectly so i went online to check... $22.95 (300 g) according to Fabove.ca

6) *bonus* Algemarin Foam Bath - i like bonuses! i've never heard of Algemarin and i hardly ever take baths so will let you know later.
size: 15 mL
retail value: $23.95 (750 mL); $17.99 (500 mL); $3.99 (5 x 5 mL)

comparing mine to others, i would've preferred some different items but overall, it's a decent box. my favorite item would probably be the blush from PANDORA'S. the lip gloss is a darker shade than i normally get so that's a nice variation. i wish Glossybox had added those label stickers they sent out last month for new subscribers. i'll have to start thinking of uses for this box now! what do you use all your boxes for?
interested in signing up? i'd appreciate it if you use my link. :)

PS. Topbox is holding ANOTHER giveaway on Facebook - click here to win a top 10 gift set from Stila Cosmetics!
thanks for reading!