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So I decided to blog today about something that is NOT about the Eat, that is NOT about the Sip, It is about the Be Merry. One thing I love to do to stay Merry is subscribe to monthly subscriptions Ipsy was my first go at it, I went on their waiting list back in March 2014 and received my first box from them in August 2014. For those of you that may have been living under a rock and don't no what Ipsy is, it is a monthly subscription service that each month subscribers receive a beautiful glam bag with deluxe samples and full-sized beauty products, this can be hair products, makeup products, skincare products, nail products etc. You can pay for a whole year of subscriptions for $110 or you can pay for a month by month subscription, I chose this option so it costs me $10 a month to join however us Canadian peeps must pay an extra $4.95 for shipping, so that is $14.95 a month, but I am not done yet we also have to pay the exchange rate so once you turn $14.95 into Canadian dollars it ends up costing us $17.36 a month for our subscription to Ipsy. I find a lot of others complain about the cost whether American or Canadian when they don't get a bag they don't like, I don't blame them I guess who likes feeling like they are wasting their hard earned dollars? However I joined Ipsy so that I can get new products I never heard of, never tried, always wanted to try, things I may not be able to afford full size for full price etc. So I treat each glam bag as an experience I am willing to try anything they send me at least once, and if I ever feel like I am wasting my hard earned money I can just cancel and move on to the next subscription! But I don't think I ever will have to because Ipsy ROCKS! Some things I love about Ipsy is the cost is not too much even with the hassle of the exchange rates, trust me it is so worth it, this is coming from a devoted wife and mother of 3 that really doesn't enjoy sending money on myself! It makes me feel special once a month without putting a dent in my bank! So it's totally hubby approved well at least in my house. I also like that they make you take a quiz and ask you questions about what styles your into, your hair color, eye color, skin tone etc. Then they take your answers and send you products every month they think you'll love. I swear it feels like Christmas every month when the mail man or mail woman hands me that package! I say hands me because I basically stalk him or her! lol every month Ipsy has a new theme for the products we will get that theme could be anything one month we had "Beauty Candy" I remember all my products smelled good, and some smelled sweet like candy. A great thing about Ipsy is when we try the products and love them, then we can order some more of the product from the companies website and Ipsy gets us codes to use for different percentages off, so that saves us from paying full price, these are one time savings but any money saved is fine by me, I've had save 50% off some products so it really is great. Also every month they also send your products out in a different beauty bag hence the glam bag. Yes that is 12 different bags a year, but I don't mind because I love them all so far, and I have found different ways to put them to good use, like I will pack certain products that I like to use together, and have them always at an arms reach which helps with traveling, like I do LOTS of that! lol Or if I am ever going somewhere over night it's great to just grab a bag and go and I have a look for however long I can get away. Now I would like to take a minute to do a little throw back of all my past Ipsy Glam Bags.
My First Ipsy Glam Bag EVER!!
My August 2014 Ipsy Glam Bag
The Theme
Beauty Schooled
The Products
Absolute-Lip Balm $2.50
I loved everything in this glam bag, it certainly felt like they really listened to my quiz answers, it was not bad at all for my first bag. At the time I received this glam bag from Ipsy I had only heard of Coastal Scents and Urban Decay. I never tried any of these products or any of the brands in this glam bag before Ipsy sent them to me, so this stuff was all new to me! If I had to pick a favorite product from this bag I would ask to pick two because if you knew me you would know I am a lip gloss junkie so I fell in love with the Absolute Lip Balm right away! Let me take a second to apply some to my lips right now! Yes I still have it, it is a full size sample, the flavor is grape it smells like Hubba Bubba Bubble Gum! Ok so my second choice would be Urban Decay's Perversion Mascara, I sell Younique for a living and we have a product called Moodstruck 3D Fiber Lashes Mascara it is AMAZING so AMAZING I vowed to NEVER, EVER wear normal mascara ever again, it's either 3D or none! Since it came in my glam bag I told myself I must at least try it once and compare it to my 3D mascara, I feel in love with it instantly as well, it made my lashes look amazing too! When I compared Urban Decay's Perversion Mascara to Moodstruck 3D Fiber Lashes Mascara, Urban Decay's Perversion Mascara it just didn't give me the length that looked like false lashes like Younique's 3D Mascara does. But now I decided I can wear Urban Decay's Perversion Mascara daily when I just want a little mascara and then go, or when I don't feel like having falsie looking eyelashes, for those reasons it will be my go to mascara when I am not rocking 3D mascara. I got one full size product in this glam bag and 4 deluxe size samples, I estimate the value of this glam bag to be around $29.25. As for the actual glam bag all these products came in it was just OK, I didn't expect to really carry this one around because I did not like the material, I ended up however using it as a nail product bag so it is loaded with nail polishes, nail care products, nail files, etc.
One Coat Of Urban Decay's Perversion Mascara vs One Coat Of Younique's Moodstruck 3D Fiber Lashes Mascara, which do you think looks better?
My September 2014 Ipsy Glam Bag
The Theme
Street Style
The Products
I had mixed feelings about the products in this glam bag. I feel that once again Ipsy had certainly listened to my quiz as I love lip glosses, eye liners, facial cleansers, brushes are always a welcome, hand lotions are fine too. At the time I received this glam bag from Ipsy I had only heard of Crown Brushes, but I had never tried any of their brushes, so once again this stuff was all new to me! I am a HUGE fan of moisturizers, whether it is for your body, face, or hands, I moisturize from head to toe daily, I can't survive without lotion, trust me it is so BAD that once my Hubby asked me if I was stuck on a desert island and I was aloud to have on item what would it be, I told him lotion, like it could help save me! But I told him it would be the one thing that could keep me sane! lol Anyway I'm trying to say I was so happy to be trying a new lotion product, Mitchell and Peach Luxury Hand Cream, right away I was disappointed a bit, I did not like the feeling of this hand cream on my skin, it felt very thin, and did not feel like it was moisturizing my skin enough, when I chose lotions for myself I want to feel the lotion on, I don't mean an oily or heavy feel, but I just want it to feel like I applied something to my skin, it also smelled of perfume which is not my thing when it comes to lotions, I don't mind fruity smells or light flowery smells but I hate lotions that smell strong or like perfume. I am always excited to try a new Facial Cleanser because I am very BIG on taking the BEST care of my skin possible, and it pays off because I get lots of compliments all the time, and I don't really need to wear any makeup, I just fell in love with it a year ago when I discovered Younique. Some things caught my eye about this Nourish Organic-Moisturizing Cream Face Cleanser, like it is organic and supposed to moisturizing made with ingredients like cucumber and watercress, it is also a fragrance-free formula, alcohol-free, gluten-free and vegan so I thought this has to be a awesome cleanser. It says that this cleanser is gentle, washes away impurities without drying, irritating or causing redness, it will penetrates deep into pores to dissolve dirt, oil and makeup. The cucumber in it hydrates and soothes while the watercress is rich in antioxidants, helps protect skin from free radical damage, so this all made me super excited to try it out! I knew right away it would not be my favorite facial cleanser because it was not as creamy as I expected, it didn't lather in anyway, and when I washed it away my skin felt slightly clean, it did not feel like it was giving me a deep clean at all, so I highly doubted it was penetrating deep into my pores or even dissolving dirt, oil and makeup! It did however stay true to not drying or irritating my skin, so I feel this maybe great for someone with sensitive skin, however I personally have dry skin so I need a cream facial cleanser that adds moisture to my skin. I did use the whole bottle but I knew I would most likely never buy a full size bottle ever. So now to my favorite thing is this glam bag the CAILYN Art Touch Tinted Lip Gloss color is Love Affair, I love this lip gloss the formula is very rich, it guides on my lips smoothly and effortlessly, it doesn't have a annoying smell to it, and the color seems like it was made for me, it is gorgeous and looks AMAZING on me, I am defiantly excited to order some more of CAILYN Art Touch Tinted Lip Glosses. I got two full size products in this glam bag and 3 deluxe size samples, I estimate the value of this glam bag to be around $46.82. As for the actual glam bag all these products came in it was very edgy and I loved it, it is one glam bag that I will actually carry around with me, I have already loaded it with some of my favorite products so I can just grab it and go whenever I need to.
My October 2014 Ipsy Glam Bag
The Theme
Beauty Candy
The Products
This was another awesome glam bag once again it felt like Ipsy was listening to my quiz answers as you know now I LOVE hand creams, lip glosses and facial products so I was exited for more things to try that were of my favorite things to receive. I also really love highlighters so that was also welcomed. I guess I can say I was the least excited about the eye shadow but only because as you also know I sell Younique so my presenters kit came with 30 eye shadows so I just felt like NOT another eyeshadow! At the time I received this glam bag from Ipsy I had only heard of MicaBeauty but I had never tried any of their products, so once again this stuff was all new to me! I ended up loving all the things in this glam bag but the Starlooks Lip Gloss, this was not a color I would pick for myself but when I tried it on I knew with a nice lip liner I could make the color more suitable for me. It had a sweet smell to it like butterscotch I loved that about it! So here is what I did not like about it, one it did not glide on easily the formula was very thick, and made my lips feel sticky all things I hate in a lip gloss so I would not wear this all the time nor do I think I would purchase a full size. I actually had an issues with the first one that was sent in my glam bag, and it was not Ipsy's fault, the lip gloss came packaged in a wrap that was obviously done at the companies factory, however when I removed the wrapper there was a small hole in it, and the product was running out, I emailed Ipsy and told them my issue and they mailed me out a brand new one right away and apologized for the issue, I was very happy that customer service was so helpful and didn't hassle me in any way!
My damaged Starlooks-Lip Gloss color is Guilty Pleasure
So now the things I loved about the rest of the products, I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by the MicaBeauty-Mineral Eye Shadow in the color Reluctance, it turned out to be a very nice color on me, and was very pigmented so a little goes a long way, if I am ever looking for some new eye shadows that Younique does not offer I will defiantly consider ordering some of their eye shadows. The Figs & Rouge-Hand Cream in Mango & Mandarin & Shea Butter has everything I look for in a hand cream the formula is just right not to thin, not to think, not greasy, and it is easy to rub in. It smells like I could eat it! You can smell the Mango, the Mandarin and Shea Butter, it smells so sweet perfect for our "Beauty Candy" Theme, it is the hand cream in my purse at this time. The Doll 10 Beauty-H2Glo Highlighter in Champagne is one of my favorite products, it is very light and has a nice feel, it goes on smoothly and blends nicely it gives you a perfect glow, I love to highlight my cheekbones, the center of my nose, my brow bones, and my cupids bow with it, a little goes a long way, and I am interested in trying some more products from Doll 10 in the near future. My favorite product from this bag is the Épicé International-Purifying Exfoliate, I don't even know where to begin it was LOVE at first try! Épicé International recommends you use this product once or twice a week, and they say it is great to use all over the body, I don't doubt that but I do not have enough to give that a try. This is what Épicé International says about this product it's a unique exfoliate which removes excess dirt and dead skin cells all while activating collagen production and hydrating your skin. This moisture rich formula utilizes mild, non-irritating and anti-bacterial cleansers with micro-fine poly spheres which enhances skin texture and clarity for a clean, fresh appearance, you will begin to see improvement in the look and feel of your skin. I found all of this to be true, this exfoliate is not like any others I have tried you can feel it working on your skin, you feel the deep cleaning and you can see a difference in your skin right away, you feel a difference in your skin, you defiantly feel your pores opening up and you will see that they don't appear to be so BIG after using this product. I love that a little goes a long way so you can get many uses out of this product even my deluxe sample size product is lasting me and I use it twice a week! Épicé International says the benefits of this products are micro-fine poly spheres gently exfoliate removing excess dead cells and environmental debris. Exfoliation helps open pores, which increases excretion of toxins. It is packed with emollients, humectants and barrier protectors to hydrate dry, irritated skin. It makes your skin smooth as it cleans. The exfoliates are very fine to so I think it is great for all skin types. I also love that is is super easy to use, all you do is moisten your skin with lukewarm water. You can use the Purifying Exfoliate alone or Épicé International recommends using it with their Hydrating Facial Cleanser. Apply the Purifying Exfoliate with your fingertips in a small, circular motion while avoiding sensitive areas around the eyes, when your done leave it on your skin for a few minutes and then rinse thoroughly. I would recommend trying this product, and I can't wait to buy their 5 piece skincare kit it costs $119.00, however Ipsy gave me a 50% off code to use on any products, one time on Épicé International's website, so my first time ordering this kit I will get it for $59.50, like I said before Ipsy ROCKS! I really think this a line I could use for a lifetime especially if all their other products are just as AMAZING as the Purifying Exfoliate! I got two full size products in this glam bag and 3 deluxe size samples, I estimate the value of this glam bag to be around $41.76. As for the actual glam bag all these products came in I love it, it is my favorite glam bag so far, I love the material, the design and the color, this glam bag is just my style, I love to carry it around with me! It is loaded with some of my favorite products, that I use on a daily bases, so once again I can just grab it and go whenever I need to.
Just a few more things you should know about Ipsy you earn rewards points for doing different things like:
- Member bonus: Earn 100 IpsyPoints just for joining!
- Referrals: Earn 250 IpsyPoints for each friend referred through your unique referral link.
- Product reviews: Earn 10 ipsyPoints for each product reviewed in your Glam Room.
- Glam Bag review: Earn 10 ipsyPoints for reviewing your complete Glam Bag.
- Sharing your Glam Bag: Earn 5 points for sharing your Glam Bag’s arrival on Facebook or Twitter.
- Question of the month: Earn 5 points for answering the question of the month and sharing on Facebook or Twitter.
You can then redeem these rewards points to get monthly bonus items in your Glam Bag, most of the bonuses start at 1000 points however the do from time to time have a 500 points bonus. The only thing I hate about these rewards points are the earn 250 IpsyPoints for referrals because not everyone knows this but Ipsy on rewards you if your friends click on your link within 24 hours of you posting it, so as of yet I have not had any referrals that clicked on my link in 24 hours so when my friends signed up on my link I got nothing because the link expires after 24 hours, this sucks so much because I know like 10 people that signup for Ipsy because of one of my posts! That's like 2500 points out the window! Ipsy REALLY needs to change that! You get your own glam room that will tell you what products you will be getting in the current months glam bag if you want to know, if not I suggest staying out of your glam room till your bag arrives to keep that element of surprise, I have only been able to not look once out of the three months! lol It is so hard! You do all your reviews and the quiz in your glam room, you many take the quiz as many times as you want as your tastes change.
Ipsy also does a special deal twice a week every Tuesdays and Thursdays there is a new deal they call it ipsyMe. IpsyMe is a way to discover great beauty products and amazing offers from the brands that Ipsy loves. Unlike the glam bag, IpsyMe is not a subscription, so you pay whatever price Ipsy advertises if you want to purchase that deal. All IpsyMe finds are available in limited quantities, and offers are available while supplies last, so you need to jump on the ones you love as soon as you get the email or get the post on facebook, because before you know it, they are all gone! Most of these deals are AMAZING and well worth it!
This is Yesterdays IpsyMe you get a set of 4 J.Cat Beauty Lip Paint Wonderland for $15 + free shipping these products are normally a $20 value plus shipping. I would have LOVED this IpsyMe deal however the one last thing I hate about Ipsy is that they do not offer IpsyMe to their Canadian subscribers, which totally sucks! I have no clue why they can not offer us these deals, I would be happy to order some even if I had to pay shipping! This is another thing I hope they will change asap!
So far I am loving most of the concept of Ipsy, It keeps me guessing, it shows me new things, it makes me try new things, and sometimes makes me try things I would never purchase myself, and It is awesome. They also give us some great deals and coupon codes, some awesome perks to earn, and give us many chances to win products from brands we'll love every month. If I ever get products I don't like so much that I would never find a use for them, I am sure I can find a family member or friend to take them off my hands! I am excited to be receiving my November 2014 Ipsy Glam Bag any day now, until then I will keep stocking my mail man or mail woman!
Love your Ipster,
Charlene Centen
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