Ipsy September 2014 - value breakdown, swatches, mini reviews!

Hello, Beautiful!

This is my September 2014 Ipsy bag! Check out below to see what I received, a little about each product and my thoughts, as well as a break-down of the value of this month's bag!

P.S. Can I just rant a little about how it took me forever to save up 1,000 points and I waited to redeem them not even a month after finally reaching 1,000 points and I went to use them and suddenly had 950 points because 50 of those points had expired. UGH! So frustrating. It felt like it took forever to finally be able to redeem an Ipsy reward and this month I can redeem something because reviewing the 5 products would give me 50 more points again, but it was just a little moment where you go "reeealllly Ipsy?!". Rant over.

Ipsy is just $10 a month! Each month you'll receive 4 to 6 deluxe or even full-sized products. If you want to sign-up for your own Ipsy bag, CLICK HERE (it's my referral link - you don't have to use my referral link; it only gives me points that I can save up to redeem for prizes in the future).

September 2014 Ipsy Bag

Shipment Quick Stats:

• Value of this month's Ipsy Bag: $37.69 (value is approximate & does not include value of actual bag)
• Total # of Items Received: 5
• # of FULL SIZED items: 3
• # of makeup items: 1
• # of nail items: 1
• # of tools: 1
• # of hair care items: 1
• # of skin care items: 1
• # of body care items: 0
• # of fragrance items: 0

Now I'll talk about each product...

Hikari Lipstick
Shade: Cabernet

• MY THOUGHTS: I am a lip product addict, but not the biggest fan of darker shades. In the Ipsy preview for my bag this shade looked a lot darker than it appears in person, and especially with how it swatches on my lips. It pulls way more pink toned on me, but is darker in person than what it shows in the pics on my lips; still not a super deep color but more wearable for me. The formula is just okay; I felt like it kind of dragged along my lips, but the pigmentation was really nice.
• FULL SIZE: $13.00
• SIZE I RECEIVED: Full Size
• VALUE: $13.00

Crown Brush Infinity Shadow/Crease Duet Brush - C476

• MY THOUGHTS: I love makeup brushes, and after spending hours cleaning all that I have, I realized I have a makeup brush hoarding problem. I even just recently ordered a set from eBay. I don't really need anymore, but I can't stop getting them. Always happy to receive a brush in a subscription box, especially a good one. I have a lot of Crown Brush makeup brushes already, but non that are dual-ended. Honestly, I have a pet peeve with dual ended brushes because I can't store them with the rest of my brushes. I keep all my dual-ended brushes in a separate bin where they can lay flat so neither side gets squashed. This brush would be useful for travel though, since it is 2-in-1. That's likely what I'll keep it for. 
• FULL SIZE: $6.99
• SIZE I RECEIVED: Full Size
• VALUE: $6.99

Briogeo Don't Despair, Repair! Deep Conditioning Mask

• MY THOUGHTS: I have so many deep conditioning masks that I'm trying to work through, so I kind of cringed when I saw another but that just means I have even more hair goodies to keep my hair soft, shiny and healthy -- really can't complain there! It does smell nice and has a nice creamy, lightweight texture.
• FULL SIZE: 5.25 oz @ $26.00
• SIZE I RECEIVED: 1 oz
• VALUE: $4.95

LeeAnni Eco 3-in-1 Revolution Light

 

• MY THOUGHTS: I have so much skincare right now, and I recently purged a bunch of it. I'm trying to really work through it without freaking my skin out too much by switching things up constantly, but I also don't want it all to go to waste. I find it hard to introduce new skincare all the time, but I like the idea of this product. I think I would have used this more for spring and summer, because in the fall and winter my skin goes towards the dry side, and this product is more for normal to oily skin. I may use this at some point, but right now I won't be adding it into my skincare routine.
• FULL SIZE: 4 oz @ $29.98
• SIZE I RECEIVED: 0.5 oz
• VALUE: $3.75

Pacifica 7 Free Nail Polish
Shade: Red Red Wine

• MY THOUGHTS: I already own two Pacifica polishes - one is a pretty teal and the other is their matte top coat. Honestly, not a fan of the Red Red Wine shade but it's not horrible either. I love the formula of these polishes though! My teal shade is opaque in one coat, but I find I need two coats of this particular shade to get the intensity it requires.
• FULL SIZE: 0.45 @ $9.00
• SIZE I RECEIVED: Full Size
• VALUE: $9.00

The actual bag everything comes in...

• I think the bag it comes in is something I would personally use. I like it and think it's a decent size too! Not bad this month, Ipsy!

My Thoughts On The Entire Bag...

• FULL SIZE/DELUXE SIZE: This bag contained 3 full sized items and 2 deluxe sized items.
• VALUE: The value was approximately $37.69
• USAGE: I will use the Crown Brush, Hikari Lipstick (selectively), the Briogeo Hair Mask, and possibly the Pacifica polish. I probably won't ever use the Leeanni Eco skincare product.
• FINAL THOUGHTS: This wasn't my favorite bag by far, but it wasn't my worst bag either. I don't really have much else to say about this bag; it didn't wow me and there wasn't anything super ridiculous in the bag. Just eh; nothing exciting this month really. I think I like the bag more than anything!

Let me know what you think...

What are your thoughts on this month's Ipsy bag? Did you receive an Ipsy bag this month? If so, what did you get in your bag? Discuss in the comments below.

Pacifica Enlightened Gloss Nourishing Mineral Lip Shine in Pink Coral - pics, swatches, review

Hello, Beautiful!

I have another Pacifica makeup product review to share with you in this post! I've already reviewed several of their makeup products, which I'll link below in case you want to check them out. In this post I'll share with you my review on the Pacifica Enlightened Gloss Nourishing Mineral Lip Shine, which I have in the shade Pink Coral. Check out my full review, including all the product info, after the pics!

Other Pacifica makeup reviews (I have non-makeup Pacifica reviews too):

• Pacifica Stellar Gaze Length & Strength Mineral Mascara in Stardust
• Pacifica Coconut Kiss Creamy Lip Butter in Sunset
• Pacifica Smolder Eye Lining Gel in Anchor
• Pacifica Color Quench Natural Moisture Lip Tint in Blood Orange

Pacifica Enlightened Gloss Nourishing Mineral Lip Shine
Shade: Pink Coral

Pacifica Enlightened Gloss Nourishing Mineral Lip Shine Info & Review:

Cost/Availability: $12.00 (0.10 oz full size). Available on the Pacifica website, on the Beauty.com website, at some Target stores, and everywhere else Pacifica is sold.

My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Kisses

Supernatural shine, super smooth and non-sticky with nourishing hydration and long lasting natural color. Pacifica's Enlightened Gloss Nourishing Mineral Lip Shines are infused with coconut and antioxidants to help support superior lip health. This gloss is for anyone who wants to hydrate their lips and add gorgeous sheer color with a glossy shine. As with all their products, these are 100% vegan and cruelty free. Formulated without carmine, FD&C color, talc, phthalates, parabens, sorbital and petroleum.

Currently available in these five shades:

• Pink Coral: sheer matte coral
• Beach Kiss: pearly pale pink
• Nudist: golden pearl nude
• Opal: opalescent pale peach/pink
• Ravish: sheer pomegranate with subtle gold

I have the shade Pink Coral, which they describe as a "sheer matte coral". When they say matte, I think they just mean a non-shimmer, cream finish formula. This gloss certainly is not matte, but the color Pink Coral does not have any shimmer in it. 

I like the shade, although it is close to clear on my lips. These glosses are sheer, so don't expect a lot of pigmentation from them, but the color wash is pretty and because they're sheer they'd make for great purse glosses (aka, glosses you can just pull out and apply without a mirror, and they sort of go with anything). This shade is very sheer, and depending on your natural lip pigmentation this gloss may not give you much, if any, color pay off. In person it appears nearly clear on my lips, but I can definitely notice the coral-pink hue to it. If it had shimmer in it, it would probably be more noticeable but because this is a cream shade this does look very natural in tone on my lips. I think I may want to try Ravish, which appears to have the most pigmentation, but then again Nudist seems like it would be a great topper shade!

I did feel like it kind of applied a bit weird. There wasn't much product on the applicator, so you have to re-dip your wand to get more product on your lips. It also sort of skipped across my lips when I applied it - but maybe it was just because my lips were on the dry side. It didn't feel all that hydrating on my lips, and even felt a bit drying. As long as I wear a lip balm underneath this gloss I'm good to go. They're non-sticky and have a nice shine to them.

Because it is a lip gloss made with all-natural, good-for-you ingredients, I find it has that same sort of cardboard like taste - pretty much the same taste that the Pacifica Coconut Kiss Creamy Lip Butter had. I don't really mind it, because it kind of goes away and it's good for those that don't like sweet or bakery scented lip products.

Overall, I think it's a nice gloss. It didn't blow me away, and I wasn't in love with the formula but it was just okay. Since these are sheer, I wouldn't recommend these glosses if you're looking for color on your lips. But it is a nice, natural lip gloss option if you like sheer formulations.

Now let me know what you think...

What do you think of this lip gloss? Have you tried this or is this on your beauty wish list? Discuss in the comments below.

Pacifica Stellar Gaze Length & Strength Mineral Mascara in Stardust - before & after, pics, swatch, review

Hello, Beautiful!

I have another makeup product from Pacifica to share with you in this post. This time it is their Stellar Gaze Length & Strength Mineral Mascara, which I have in the shade Stardust. This mascara gives a very natural look, so if you like a mascara to condition lashes and look very natural you'll want to check this out. Read my full review below, including all the product info, after the pics!

Pacifica Stellar Gaze Length & Strength Mineral Mascara
Shade: Stardust

Pacifica Stellar Gaze Length & Strength Mineral Mascara Info & Review:

Cost/Availability: $14.00 (0.3 fl oz/8.8 ml full size). Available on the Pacifica website, at some Target stores, on the Beauty.com website, and everywhere else Pacifica products are sold.

My Rating: 2 out of 5 Kisses for my person taste, but 4 out of 5 Kisses for the formula and rating it as a natural mascara

Fall in love with Pacifica's long lasting, nourishing, natural mineral mascara. Their amazing formula is infused with coconut oil and vitamin B to hydrate each lash as it lengthens, strengthens and adds volume. Apply for a natural look by day, or layer for more volume with their super plush 100% vegan brush that provides effortless coverage.

Formulated without FD & C color, parabens, talc and petroleum. 100% vegan. Cruelty-free.

Available in brown (Stardust) and black (Supernova). I have the brown shade, Stardust, but it is a very dark brown and even on my lashes you couldn't really tell I had brown mascara on.

This is a VERY natural mascara for my lashes - but I'm not really your natural mascara type of gal. I want volume and length, and this mascara just was a bit too natural for my liking. For me, this isn't a mascara I would go out and re-purchase just because I prefer more va-va-voom everyday. However, I know a lot of people really love this kind of mascara for everyday.

I do love the conditioning this formula provides, but there was only a little lengthening and certainly no volume to it. In my before and after pics I used two coats on top and one coat on the bottom, just as I do with all mascaras that I review here on my blog. I appreciate that it went on without any clumps - keeping it looking very natural - but again, it was just a little too natural looking for my personal taste.

I'd say if you want a natural, everyday mascara that conditions your lashes and is both vegan and gluten-free, then this is the mascara for you! However, if you prefer the length and volume in a mascara then you'll want to skip this one.

Now let me know what you think...

What do you think of this mascara? Have you tried this or is this on your beauty wish list? Discuss in the comments below.