Ipsy November 2013 - First Impressions

I'm not even sure if I finished or even blogged about last months bag...Sorry about that.

I don't currently have my phone on me to take pictures so I will be using them directly from the Ipsy website.

I am excited and pleased about this month's bag!

Glam It Up was this month's theme, and the products do fit into that theme.

Pixi Beauty Bronzer (Subtly Suntouched)

I did get the lighter of these two which I was happy about (I think). I don't know exactly how much darker the other one is. It's not completely matte, so it'll probably give a nice glow for winter time. It's on the pink side (from what it looks like in some lighting), and I have a lot of pink in my skin...so we will have to see how it works. The picture above is a lot lighter than it is in person. If you were to think of a medium shade between the two pictures, that's the actual shade. It comes in a matte, rubberized feeling container (which I love!) and it comes with a lid that screws off, not a compact. Which I kind of like. This is my first Pixi product to try.

Full Size is 10.21g plus you get a little kabuki brush for $18 off the Pixi Beauty website
Sample Size is 3.2g (so plenty to see if you like it and will probably last me quite some time) - Even if you count the kabuki brush as $5, it costs slightly over $1/gram so the sample is going to be around $4-5

Swatch First Impression:  Eh. It is a satin/shimmery type bronzer. It is very light. I swatched it on the back of my hand and my hand is a little darker than my face I think. And if you rub on it after all the powder easily disappears. It doesn't seem like it "sticks". We will see what happens when I use it on my face. It may just end up being a blush.

Nailtini in Caviar Cocktail

Oh how I wanted the Champagne/Rose Gold color! Silvers don't look very good on me. It is actually darker than in the picture and is more on the gunmetal side. So maybe it won't look completely awful on me. I have been wanting a coppery metallic color and was holding off on getting one because I saw these coming. Guess I need to go out and buy one...Will update on how I like the formula. Seems thick though. They also sell lip colors and eyeliner. Upon looking at the website, I really want the nail polish color Amaretto Fizz....it looks awesome. We will see how I like the formula. It may be something I purchase in the near future. And it seems that most nail polishes have lip colors to match, including Amaretto Fizz (I don't think I like brown lips).

Full Size: $13 (and it is full size).

Be a Bombshell Lip Crayon in Shameless

I actually am excited I got this color now that I see it in person. It's not as purple as it seems. Purple colors don't look well with my skin tone. It's almost a darkened mauve, with shimmer. Like a dark "my lips but better" shade. Their website describes it as a burgundy with shimmer. Can't wait to try it out. I had just bought the ELF Matte Lip color in Red, so I am actually glad I didn't end up getting the red color. There is so scent to it, it actually smells quite waxy if not with a slight hint of a chemical smell.

Full size: $14 (no size listed)
I believe it's full size at 2.5g but I am not 100% positive

First Impression: When you swatch it and then rub it away it leaves a stain behind. So the staying power of the color seems pretty good. I actually did use it the other day on the way to work and it's super pretty! I couldn't stop looking at it. You can't feel the little shimmer particles. It's an awesome color. It's natural enough for me to wear it to work but gives a hint of something extra. It looks glossy and the silver shimmer catches the light and leaves kind of a silver duo-chrome type look. Love this! I was at work so I couldn't tell just how long it lasted. (Work in retail, not much type for breaks to check my makeup).

Starlooks Gem Liner in Amethyst

Three bags, three Starlooks pencils. Two eyeliners and one lip liner. I'm not overly offended by that. Starlooks actually has their own subscription service but it's more expensive and is all full size products. I like the black liner I got in my first bag. There isn't a great amount of staying power, but for a pencil it was creamy and pigmented. I use it to smudge into my upper lashes and in my waterline and sometimes on the lower lashes. I don't use it along the upper lash line on the lid. The lip liner is just not a color for me. Maybe during the summer. Enough about that. So this is the gem liner in Amethyst which is a lilac purple (slightly more purple). They are metallic. Again, it's super creamy and won't tug on your eye. It's actually a really super pretty color, I just don't know how I am going to use it just yet. I can see the Silver being good for winter, but this is more of a spring color. I can find a way to use it for a winter color probably. But when the pastels and metallics come back for spring I can see it working...somehow.

I don't know how the staying power will be with this one and I don't know if the shimmer will get alllllll over my eye. My son touched his finger to the swatches on my hand and he has little shimmer particles on him and they are on my hand too. And they just seem to be spreading when you try to wipe them away.

These eye pencils retail for $12 and they are full size.

EM Waterline in Amazing Grey

EM Waterliner Intense Color eyeliner. "This richly pigmented liner grabs everywhere, including your waterline—without budging or smudging." First things, I was actually really happy to open my bag and find the color Amazing Grey. I don't have a grey liner and have been thinking about getting one. Now this isn't a dark grey like you might find with other liners.




I have mixed feelings about this liner. I have used it once. I did use it on my waterline. It took ALOT of work to get it to show up. It didn't just glide right on. There would have been little color and not worth it to use if I just did one or two swipes across. Even swatching, it barely shows up with little pressure. If I am putting something on my waterline I don't want to have to use pressure to get it to show up.
The color itself when you use it is a good color. I'd prefer something darker but it's at least a neutral shade. When you swatch it full color and it dries it's almost a taupe color. There's like itty bitty gold shimmer pieces in it and it dries almost a touch brown. I do like the color. Just prefer it go on more pigmented and smoother.


Lasting power? I wore it for two hours to Target and when I got home the outer corners of my waterline has disappeared. The rest was kind of there and I think it smudged down a little into my lashes. I mean, the swatch on my hand isn't coming off when I rub it. Maybe a teeny bit of color but other than that it's not going anywhere. If you really work on it you can get some to come off. I have to test it with water. I think the formula is just too dry for me.

Full size is $20 and this is full size.