I’ve fallen behind in my subbie bag reviews. Just too many at once. My Birchbox subscription ended in December, and I’m relieved. I’d actually like to get rid of one more, but I can’t decide if I should keep ipsy or keep Sephora Play. I still love the makeup bags from ipsy and the fact that I get some full size products so they have a slight edge. But Sephora gives all prestige brands though they’re always deluxe samples. What to do?
At any rate, here are my two ipsy bags from the past two months.
Carpe P.M. December 2016
The theme Carpe P.M. or seize the night is perfect for the holiday season. The bag is cute: a raspberry colored fuzzy fabric bag with a metallic plastic wristlet and gold metal ipsy logo that can easily be used as an evening bag in a pinch.
The goodies inside represented a good variety of items:
- Smashbox Insta-Matte: This product has been getting a lot of buzz. The dimethicone-based gel turns regular lipstick into matte instantly. I was hesitant to use it because my lips are so dry, but what the heck. I’ll try it and if it’s too drying, I’ll give it to a friend or just toss it. In addition to making lipstick matte, it is supposed to extend wear time, prevent feathering, and visibly soften the look of lines. Sounds intriguing! deluxe travel size
- Beau Gachis Paris Concealer Brush: A brand I’ve never heard of, but I can always use another concealer brush. Feels soft. full size
- NYX Prismatic Eyeshadow Single, shade Punk Heart: A gorgeous, buttery, shimmer shadow in a raisin or browned purple. I love love love this shadow! full size
- Jersey Shore Cosmetics Peppermint Moisture Rich Hydrating Balm: If you follow my blog, you know that peppermint is not my friend. It dries out my already dry lips. I’ll be giving this lip balm away ASAP. full size
- Aurora Intensely Precise Eyeliner, shade Cinnamon: Oh, a liquid eyeliner in BROWN! Hurray! Cinnamon is a terrific medium brown that will look great with the NYX shadow in Punk Heart. So happy to get a new brown eyeliner! I haven’t tried it yet, but I hope it won’t bleed like in the photo below. full size
Overall Thoughts:
I’m thrilled with my December Carpe P.M. ipsy bag! A real winner IMHO. 5 items of which all but one are full size. One of the items is buzz worthy: Smashbox Insta-Matte. I will use 4 out of 5 products. Winner.
Metropolis January 2017
As a long time NYC resident, I liked the January theme, Metropolis. Big cities are my jam. The bag itself is metallic grey faux leather with polka dot holes over a lighter grey fabric. It’s edgy and urban. What’s inside?
- Ciate London Gelology Top Coat: Another very on-trend product, Ciate Gelology gives nails a mirror-like, metallic finish. I have tried it yet, but I’m happy to get a chance to try it out. Fun! full size
- theBalm Bahama Mama bronzer: I love theBalm but I don’t do bronzer. I’ll give this away. deluxe travel size
- pur-lisse Blue Lotus Seed Mud Mask: Haven’t had a chance to try this yet, but mud masks can sometimes be too strong for my dry skin. But I like pur-lisse skincare so we’ll see. deluxe travel size
- Naked Cosmetics loose mica pigment, shade Desert Sun: I’m not really a fan of loose pigments, but I love the packaging and the golden-bronze color of the pigments. I’ll give this a try. probably a deluxe travel size though it could be full size 0.05 oz.
- Crown Beauty Basics angled blush/contour brush: Looks like a decent quality, useful brush. I’ll take it! full size
Overall Thoughts:
Another very good bag this month. Two or three full size products including an on-trend product – Ciate Gelology. Although I won’t use the bronzer, and loose pigments aren’t usually my thing, I’ll try 4 out of 5 products and that’s the point of a subscription bag – try new things!
So I’m happy with my ipsy bags. If you don’t already subscribe and want to, I’d be thrilled if you’d use my code to subscribe. xoxo
If you do subscribe, how did you like your December and January bags?
Allison……you should have a “Rainy Day ☔️ Give Away” with your Ispy that you don’t want. See a girl is always thinking! ? It’s storming here lots of rain. Coffee for everyone ☕☕☕ and donuts ???. ?
You are absolutely right, DiEtta! I haven’t had a giveaway with my subbie box extras in a long time. Gotta psych myself up to find them all and do it! No rain here, but gloomy to fit the mood. I want those doughnuts!
🙂 Allison! You always cheer me up withy your writings.
Have a wonderful weekend pretty woman!
Oh, Rose, you are so lovely! Thank you for taking the time to let me know. I really appreciate it, especially on this gloomy day! Enjoy your weekend too!
You got really great bags, Allison! I hated my Dec bag and traded most of it away and traded away the Naked Cosmetics pigment for pur~lisse mude mask this time. I haven’t been too happy with my ipsy bags the past two months, we’ll see how the rest of the year goes but I probably cancel end of the year.
Shireen L. Platt recently posted…Let Your Creativity Flow With Make Up For Ever Artist Acrylic Lip Paints
That’s how I felt about my Birchbox subscription. Even though I found a few products that have become my HG, there wasn’t enough from month to month that suited me. I had received the subscription as a gift so I was glad when it ended last month. Now, I have too much, and I’m trying to decide which to keep: Sephora or ipsy, and surprisingly ipsy has the edge although my Sephora bag is pretty good this month. I’ll wait another month, lol.
UGH! These are ALMOST making me miss my ipsy subscription! BUT I seriously just can’t with their CS and others have good stuff too… and better CS lol
Brooke @ Blushing Noir recently posted…Maybelline Expertwear Eye Shadow Swatches, Review + EOTD
Brooke, which subscriptions do you still have? I wish I could afford some of the pricey ones but I just can’t.
Haha, I’m with Brooke! I’m kinda missing my Ipsy subscription too. The bags that you’ve been getting from them these past few months have been fabulous!
Stacie Hamilton recently posted…Friday Beauty Favorites
Actually, I’ve been happy with my ipsy subscription for the past 2 years. I’m on the fence about Sephora, and trying to decide whether to keep it though my bag came yesterday and I liked it. Unfortunately, two is too much. Tough choice for me.
These both look great to me! Each time that you feature Ipsy, I think that I should subscribe! However, I have so much stuff overflowing right now that I am not sure that I need to buy anything else! That NYX shadow is such a gorgeous, and highly saturated, shade!
Lola Seicento recently posted…Advanced Mineral Makeup: AMM Luxury Lip Gloss, AMM Lip Liner and Blush
I really like the cosmetic bag! Jersey Shore Cosmetics…I have to check that brand out. I’m 45 min or less from the Jersey Shore, I like supporting local!
Judy recently posted…I heard you like lipsticks, so I put some lipsticks on your lipstick bag
I’d keep Ipsy for sure – more fun and variety! I love that you got two brushes in consecutive bags!
CosmetopiaDigest recently posted…Fourth Blogoversary Beauty Giveaway: Open Worldwide
I’ll probably end up sticking with ipsy but I got a couple of things I really wanted to try in this month’s Sephora Play. Tough decision 😉
I am smiling at the Jersey Shore cosmetics name (had no idea it existed). But back to the Ipsy’s, I like that you get a little variety of known and lesser known brands and brushes!
Norah recently posted…My Journey Through Fitness And Eating Smart With Jenny Craig
I too have some fond memories of the Jersey Shore! What you said it was I like about ipsy, and I am glad they are including more upscale brands as well as indies.
I’m still happy with IPSY but I’m disliking Sephora Play more and more. It’s funny that the only item I got the same as you from Ipsy is the Ciate – I’m glad it’s that one!
MarciaF recently posted…Two months of Boxycharm fun
I look forward to seeing what you got. I’m reviewing Sephora Play now, and I did get a couple of things I wanted to try so it’s making the decision hard for me!
The December bag would have been ho-hum for me but I do like the January bag.
Cindy (Prime Beauty) recently posted…Fight the Frizz with the StriVectinHair All Smooth Collection
Ohh, I like your January bag. I was debating on which sub box to cancel and I ended up canceling all of them haha! I just always had too much stuff laying around and it’s saving me $30 a month! I love the Insta-Matte and I think you will too, it’s not drying at all and gives a subtle matte look to any lipstick!
Kristina recently posted…Neutral Territory – Zoya Naturel 3 Collection
Now, you were smart to cancel everything, Kristina! I feel like I need one so that I can try new stuff because I try not to buy too much on my own. I forgot to bring the Insta-Matte with me this weekend, but I hope to try it this week!
Punk Heart is pretty.
Phyrra recently posted…The Pale Girl’s Guide to Concealers
The NYX shadow is super pretty. How awesome you got a brown liner, and not a black! The Naked pigment looks interesting!
I agree, Amber! I’m pleased with all three 🙂