I am always excited about receiving my December Ipsy bag. Usually they pull out all the stops at the end of the year with a bag either made from or full of bling.
This year, not so much.
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Maybe because we all will benefit from staying home to celebrate the holidays. No parties, no bling. Ya think?
The drawstring bag (that as you know I am not thrilled about) is a soft, woolly red: Christmas-y enough. The inside of the bag is lined with plastic, so it would be a good bag for a wet swimsuit next summer.
Ipsy’s relatively new thing is that they choose two products for you, and you can pick the rest of the items from a selection they provide. The two items they chose for me were a Nomad Toscana/Tuscany eyeshadow palette and a black eyeliner pencil from Wander Beauty. I reluctantly chose the rest from what I thought at the time was a fairly lackluster group.
Here’s what I got:
- Nomad Toscana/Tuscany Intense Eyeshadow Palette: “5 mattes, 3 satins & 1 shimmer finish. Infused with organic Grape Seed Oil for vibrant & long-wearing color. Cruelty-free & vegan” I haven’t had a chance to try it yet. I looked at it on the Nomad website, and I guess I need to adjust my computer screen colors. Mine looks like warm-toned, mostly neutral shades. It’s pretty. I’ll try it soon, and if it warrants it, I’ll review it and show swatches. $27 on the Nomad website with free delivery in the U.S.
- Wander Beauty Skyliner Automatic Gel Eyeliner in Jet Black: I didn’t think I needed another black eyeliner pencil even from a brand I like, especially since the brand makes a lovely plum eyeliner with gold flecks. Nevertheless, the Skyliner is supposed to be “everything-proof”, and it is recommended for use along the waterline. Maybe I will give it a try rather than giving it away. It’s been forever since I lined my upper waterline. $21
- Smith & Cult Nail Lacquer in shade Bitter Cashmere Daydream: The Ipsy website says this shade is light green, but to me, it is a pale aqua-grey. It’s a discontinued shade, I believe. I love Smith & Cult nail polish because the formula is good and the packaging is gorgeous. I look forward to wearing this! $18
- Maëlle Beauty Filmstar Eyelash Curler: A lightweight easy to use lash curler. It was supposed to come with an extra latex-free pad, but there wasn’t one in the box. Oh well. I really do need to start curling my lashes again. Maybe that’s why I have had trouble getting mascara on my outermost lashes. $9 (It’s not an expensive lash curler. I usually pay about $20 for Shiseido or Tarte curlers)
- LARUCE Beauty Face Set: I had never heard of this brand before. But I am very impressed with these super, duper, soft makeup brushes. They are densely packed and feel so nice on my skin. The textured handles are easy to hold. 4 brushes: Contour Blending, Flat Angle, Kabuki, Tapered Face for $134
The value of the bag is $209 mostly because of the pricey brush set. This month’s bag was OK. It was actually good, I guess. Just not exciting. I love the nail polish, the brushes are surprisingly nice, and I need to try the palette and eyeliner before I complain.
What I have liked most about Ipsy is the pricey skincare from 111Skin, Murad, Sunday Riley, and others. But over the past few months, I haven’t gotten much or any skincare products at all. I think the last skincare I got was a brightening serum from Goldfadden MD, and that was a good one. I want more skincare!!
I picked up two add-ons for $3 each:
- Georgette Klinger Sea Extract Eye Cream, mini: I’ve been a long time fan of Georgette Klinger, since I was in college in New York. I used to go to their salon on Madison Avenue for facials and massages. GK was just about the only skincare brand I used when I lived in NYC, except for Clinique from time to time when I was a student. I was sad when the Klinger family sold the brand. It went out of business shortly afterwards. So I was excited when the family bought it back about 3 years ago or so. I have been trying the reformulated and updated skincare products little by little. The Sea Extract Eye Cream is a lightweight, white lotion-y cream, a little too lightweight for my dry skin. For $3, it was worth trying although I was a bit surprised at how small the tube is. full size $32
- Hanalei Lip Treatment, Clear, travel size: I discovered Hanalei natural lip balm via Ipsy, and it is one of my favorites. I was happy to pick up this purse size balm for $3. full size $20
So there you have it. My December 2020 Ipsy Plus bag items. All in all, an OK to good bag but not fabulous like their usual exciting holiday bags.
Did you get a subscription box this month from Ipsy, Boxycharm, Boxwalla etc? Anything that you loved in your box?
This is why I keep unsubscribing from Ipsy and Boxycharm. They will both have really amazing months and then they will follow it up with really lackluster months that they use one or two overpriced items to jack up the value of the box. Honestly, I would not have paid that price for those brushes when I could have gone to Beautylish and got WAY better quality for the same price, or gone to Sigma and got better quality for a cheaper price…
All that being said, I totally would have resubscribed just for the nail polish /facepalm
Cassie Tucker recently posted…Tati Textured Neutrals Palette
LOL, Cassie! The S&C nail polish shade is gorgeous! I have never had a greyed-aqua before!
I would actually be quite happy with the contents, but it does lack the festive holiday sensibility that one would expect in December! It certainly is a good value though!
This year especially, I could use a little bling!
It’s so dull looking. It’s not that the products are bad but there’s no zip in this holiday season. At least you didn’t get glitter that you wouldn’t use. The polish shade wouldn’t work for me but I’d try the rest. Hard to believe the price on the brush set.
MarciaF recently posted…Time to win: book, beauty and Amazon giveaway
Exactly, Marcia! The red drawstring bag looks like a facecloth. Ugh. Actually, I could really use some glitter right now. I bought myself a glittery Urban Decay liquid eyeliner during the Ulta sale, and I’ll wear it around the house, lol.
I got a Ciate London sparkly creme eyeshadow a couple of months back and I wear it nearly every day. I too need sparkle.
That is wonderful! I can picture you wearing it 🙂 Do you work from home, or are you masked and wearing glittery eyeshadow??
I work at home, but I do my makeup anyway. Why not?
Makes sense to me! Besides, you’ve gotta keep your skills up 😉
I am not sorry I skipped this month, and I’m so sad that you didn’t get niftier items. Hopefully January will be fabulous. It’s my birthday month, so they better get it right!
I was thinking about you and your Boxwalla! You were prescient!!! What did you get?? And yes, Ipsy better send you a great bag for your January birthday xo
I got this amazing Barrier Balm from Live Botanicals that I use on top of my night cream and my skin is soooo soft, even in this very dry winter. I also got Bluh Alchemy Vitamin C Serum and Body Oil, which I am waiting to use until I am done with my current products, but which seem likely to be outstanding.
I have been seeing Bluh skincare everywhere, but I haven’t tried it yet. I’ll be curious about the C serum. And a barrier cream/balm over night cream is a great idea! One of these days, I will buy a Boxwalla box
I just tried the Bluh Body Oil last night and I adore it! It has a light but very pleasant sandalwood-y sort of smell and it made my skin feel nice and soft. I’m expecting magic from the serum. I do highly recommend Boxwalla. They have never let me down.