Ipsy - January 2013

I have a thing about stars that goes way way way back to my childhood when my aunt would send me letters signed "Shine On" with a shooting star.  I even have a star tattoo that represents one of my favorite bands (INXS).  So when I saw the postcard from Ipsy, I was a little excited. Then when I saw the inside of this month's bag, all sprinkled was stars, I was a little more excited.  Let's take a look at what was in the bag to see if the excitement continues.









Here's what the bag looks like on the inside, so this month I'm keeping it.

Spray & Play volumizing hairspray from Big Sexy Hair.  It's supposed to leave hair "flexible" while providing lift and shine.  Winter is really the only time I use hairspray, the static gets me no matter what I do and I can't go around looking like I've touched one of those magic lightening balls (that's what she said).  Let me tell you why this caught my eye: red, black & silver - the colors I live for, and stars. STARS! Sadly, the packaging makes me happier than the actual product.  I did not find this to leave my hair "flexible" or "touchable", it was rather immovable and stuck.  It didn't weigh my hair down, which is easy to do given how thin it is but I didn't notice added volume.  So despite it's outward appeal, I won't be purchasing this in the future.  Sexy Hair (and i'm not a fan of the name either) does not test on animals but I'm not convinced they are entirely cruelty free.


Ipsy sent us Nailtini polish in our November bag so I was a bit surprised to receive it again this month.  I ended up really liking that bar glitter polish so despite the "blah-ness" of this color, Frappe, I kept an open mind.  Nope, it was blah.  In fact, I kind of hated it.  After two coats, it was still very sheer and almost void of color.  In the picture, I've got two coats over butterLondon's base coat. I might as well have bare nails.  If I'm going to take the time to put on polish, I want color and fun and interest!  I have no use for you, Frappe.  I don't even need it as a base color for my glitters because there is no color.  I'm not saying there's no purpose in the world for this polish because I'm sure someone out there loves it. But there's no purpose for it in my world.

There are plenty of people who have labeled Josie Maran's Argan oil as a holy grail product so I was excited to see this included.  I've tried the Maracuja oil from tarte, but never 100% Argan oil and I'm in need of good moisture for my face. This winter has been particularly dry and my skin is still adjusting to Retin-A so I need help.  This is not helpful.  I've tried it a few nights, 4 drops messaged into my face before bed.  In the morning, I found dry, flaky skin around my nose and chin.  This is not for my face, at least not this time of year.  I know Argan oil can also be used on hair and nails but I will probably store it until summer.  I want to like Josie Maran products, I really do. Her motto is "Luxury with a Conscience" and the brand supports a lot of great charities.  Everything is cruelty free! But I have yet to fall in love with anything I've tried.



If you want to have soft skin that smells like Hawaiian Punch then this is the product for you.  Tuscan blood orange body butter from Pacifica is a thick, but not greasy moisturizer with a strong, strong scent.  The smell does fade quickly after application but it lingers.  The body butter doesn't absorb quickly, but most don't.  Eventually it does sink into the skin leaving it pretty well moisturized.  This is not my favorite and yet it's not the worst lotion I've ever tried.  I don't mind the fragrance, it's not bad, but I just don't want to smell like fruit all day.  My coworkers will think I'm trying to mask the smell of vodka again. :-)  Pacifica is cruelty free.



Ipsy sent out a variety of brushes from a brand called SOHO Beauty.  From their Get a Grip collection, I received the eyeliner brush.  The collection gets its name from the pinched handle that is good for gripping, though I find the grip to be a bit low on the brush considering how long the handle is.  But it works.  Now, I use a much smaller tipped eyeliner brush from the Ulta collection nearly everyday. I dab it in whatever color eyeshadow and apply it with my eye pencil to make the lines more vibrant but a bit softer.  I find this also helps the color last all day.  The brush from SOHO, while the handle is ergonomic, has a much thicker tip making application less precise.  I'll use it from time to time, for more dramatic looks, but will stick to my Ulta brush for day-to-day makeup.  SOHO brushes are not entirely synthetic and therefore not cruelty free.

Even though I wasn't blown away by anything I received from Ipsy, I was happy to try it all.  The value definitely exceeded $10 and there is no question I'm going to continue my subscription.

And hey, if you have any creative ideas for how I can use the Argan oil, please comment below!