Ipsy August 2013 Review

It's Ipsy time! This month's theme was Beauty Academy, and came in an ugly purple bag with gold Ipsy Beauty Academy crests on it.  I don't even want to gift it to someone, it's that bad.  Once again, I didn't get the "good" item (July's Benetint didn't bother me that I didn't get it, but I did want to try the Urban Decay Revolution Lipstick.  I LOVE UD.  I'M MAD AT YOU, IPSY.)

Here is what I did get...

Michael Todd Jojoba Charoal Facial Scrub

This is sealed under the cap, and will stay that way until I finish up my current face scrub sample.  I don't like to exfoliate my face very often, even though a lot of scrubs say you can use them every day.  I try to stick to once per week, so my scrub samples last a long time.

Full size $18 for 100 mL.  Sample size is 30 mL, worth $5.40

Noya Natural Lip Balm in Vanilla

This is a really great balm.  It smells like vanilla frosting and has nice, all-natural ingredients (coconut oil, beeswax, olive oil, natural fragrance, stevia).  It's also kosher, if that is something you look for in lip balm.  I do really like it, I'm just sad I didn't get to try the UD lipstick.  My friend said it is pretty awesome (and the tiny size is so cute).

Full size, 0.15 oz, $3.99

Chella Dazzling Dark Brown Eyebrow Color

I have that I have red hair in my Ipsy profile (it is on the redder side of blonde, but I don't like blonde-specific shampoos and stuff), so I don't know why they sent a dark brown eyebrow color.  Light brown or auburn would have been better (based on my profile), but the dark brown will work well enough for me, luckily.  It is a harder pencil than an eyeliner, and is mechanical, so no sharpening needed.

I'm assuming this is full sized? 0.09 oz for $18.

Pixi Lash Booster Mascara

This is yet another mascara sample that will stay sealed until I run out of my current mascara (Julep American Beauty from a mystery box).   Pixi is hit or miss for me, so we will see if I like the mascara.

Full size 0.25 oz for $17.  Sample size 0.105 oz, value $7.14.

Mica Beauty Shimmer Powder in Bronze

I have a decent gel liner from Mica Beauty that came in a previous Ipsy bag, so I was excited to see one of their shimmer powders included this month.  The bronze color is really pretty and there is a nice color payoff.  This will last a long time, and I'm glad it is a versatile color that I can make casual or fancy.

This is a full-sized sample (2.5g) and retails for $14.95.

Chella Brow Pencil (top, with varying degrees of pressing down)
Mica Beauty Shimmer Powder (bottom)

In the light

Total Value $49.48

I will use everything in this month's bag (eventually) and am overall pretty happy with it.  I really like that Ipsy sends out mostly makeup products, with at least one full size every month.  Getting a full brown pencil and eyeshadow definitely make up for the disappointment of missing out on the UD lipstick.  The balm is much more practical for me, anyway.  I don't wear bright lip colors to work (or very often, ever) but wear balm every day.

The other items people received (besides the UD Revolution lipstick) were Smashbox Photo Finish Primer, Michael Todd Pumpkin Nutrient-Rich Face Mask, City Color Cheek Stain, Pacifica Alight Multi-Mineral BB Cream, NYX Blush, or Nailtini in Mai Tai.

Ipsy costs $10 per month including shipping.  They send 4-6 deluxe sample and full sized products every month, and are working on personalizing the bags more and more.  If you would like to sign up, here is my referral link.  I get a gift if two people sign up though that link.  I think there is a waiting list, but it seems to move pretty quickly.

This post contains items I purchased through a subscription service with my own money.  No compensation was received and all opinions are my own.  This post also contains a referral link, see above paragraph for details.