Ipsy Bag December 2013

This month, Ipsy continues with the shipping notification shenanigans...I got my confirmation email about four calendar days after it shipped, and only a day before it actually arrived at my house. Perceived value, I guess. While I appreciate getting my bag before Christmas (which honestly I was not expecting), I do not appreciate your ruse, Ipsy. You are fooling no one.

The Goodies:

Pop Beauty Brighten Up Your Life Eye Shadow Trio in Naturally Bare

Ardell Natural Lashes #120 Demi

Be a Bombshell The One Stick in Sunset

J.Cat Beauty The Big Lip Pencil in Caramel Mocha

Starrily Nail Polish in Bzzz Bzzz

the shadows. That middle one looks an awful lot like
UD Half Baked.

eyeshadows swatched over bare skin
with the included sponge thingie

the One Stick, blended to oblivion

the lip crayon

two coats of the polish over OPI Alpine Snow

My Thoughts:

The Eyeshadow:
It's my first go with Pop Beauty eyeshadows. They are pretty powdery, but I was surprised that they were as pigmented as they were. The taupe color left something to be desired, but the gold Naked 1 kind-of shade packed some pretty impressive punch. Half-Baked is a very popular color to dupe, it seems. I have worn these twice, and I am pretty happy with how they apply on the eye. They were easy to blend, and seemed to hold up wonderfully over my regular primer. I will be keeping these in my "quick face kit" for sure.

The One Stick:
I'm not sure what I'm supposed to be doing with this. It's really a blood red cream-ish stick infused with gold glitter. It blends surprisingly well, and this shade will mimic a natural flush precisely. It's only got one drawback, but boy is it a doozy: the smell. It smells like cheap crayons. I can't get beyond it. I think this will be a swapper.

The Lip Crayon:
I actually really like the formula on this lip crayon. It's smooth, it smells a bit like cocoa, and it is very pigmented. My only complaint is about the color, but that is really minor.

The Eyelashes:
I've never worn false eyelashes, and I doubt I'm going to start with a full length strip. Those in the know say that Ardell is a quality brand, and I know they have excellent prices. I have already traded these away to someone who was very excited to get them.

The Polish:
Let me first say that I hate mini bottles. They were not made for people with big hands. Aside from that, this is a perfectly serviceable glitter. The base is a bit on the thick side, but it suspends the glitter well. I didn't have to do any dabbing, thankfully. I do like that it has a mix of gold and yellow glitters in there. I think it makes the bee theme a little more dynamic.

And here is my face, using all the December Ipsy stuff...except the eyelashes. I am still not convinced about the lip color, but in pictures it looks ok. The One Stick is the most convincing flush-color I have ever seen...but for someone with a red face anyway, I'm not sure how I feel about it. I have a friend who got the other color, and I might try hers out. The eyeshadows were just a pleasure to work with, so smooth and blendable for something that swatches so powdery. (I even used the awful sponges to apply it both times!)

I think blogger kinda airbrushes faces.
my original pictures dont look this good.

as always, if you want to check out Ipsy, please think about using my referral link! I am literally 20 points away from the free gift. Which means a huge thanks to the three people who subbed using it!