September 2013 Ipsy Glam Bag Review

Of all the beauty box subscriptions I've tried, Ipsy has been my favourite. They consistently impress me, and supply me with new and interesting products to try. I also enjoy the size of the samples that Ipsy gives to its subscribers. I can really get a sense if I am going to like the product enough to buy the full size. If you would like to sign up for your own Ipsy bag you can do so by clicking here. If you sign up for Ipsy you will receive a mix of 5 full and sample size products, for only $10USD or $14.95CDN.

In September, we received 5 items plus a bonus sample of Michelle's new EM Cosmetics line. The sample of the palette provided us with enough to get one eye look, but I don't think it will give me a true inspiration of the quality of her products. I actually forgot to take a picture of it for this post. There isn't a lot of product on the card or I would have swatched them.

Freeman Paper Masks

I've really been into masks lately, so I was excited to see these in my bag. I get to try 3 different masks, which is nice because a mask that works for one person doesn't always work for someone else. The brightening mask looks the most intriguing, but unfortunately I am allergic to roses so I wont be able to try it. Right now my skin is so dry so I think that it will benefit greatly from the Blue Agave mask. These masks are fairly affordable so If I end up liking them I wont have to break the bank.

Elizabeth Mott It's So Big Mascara

The last few mascara samples I've gotten from Ipsy have been truly disappointing. The Pixi one was so bad and hard to wash off that I lost at least 5 lashes per eye every time I used it. This mascara on the other hand is simply amazing. It has dark black colour payoff that really makes my lashes look fuller, and makes them pop against my makeup. This mascara lengthens more than volumizes, and I am left with a natural, yet defined, fan of lashes. I would definitely consider buying the full size.

Cailyn Tinted Lip Balm in Big Apple

I was so happy to receive this product because I absolutely loved the Cailyn eyeliner I got a few bags ago. Although the packaging is a little bulky, it is perfect for on the go, as it has a built in brush in the lid. I feel like this product is more of a stain then a balm. I found it somewhat drying on the lips, but it was extremely long lasting, and left a pretty pigmented stain to my lips after it wore away. The size of the brush comes in handy when trying to get a precise application. I can't wait to rock this colour all the way through Fall and Winter.

NYX Single Eyeshadow in Hot Crystal

I was looking forward to trying a NYX single eyeshadow because I've only ever used NYX palettes before, and I'm sure there is a quality variance. Although I am not happy with the colour I received, it does work well as a lid colour or inner eye highlight. Hot Crystal is a glittery, frosty, white shadow. I wont get much use out of this colour, but I now know that the quality of these shadows are much better then the shadows in NYX's palettes.

Starlooks Eyeliner in Obsidian

At first I was a little iffy about the quality of this liner. When I first swatched it (you will see below), there wasn't a lot of pigmentation. It took about 5 swipes to get the swatch that I did. However, after sharpening it slightly, it is like a completely different pencil. It is super pigmented, and creamy, and blends beautifully. The only downside is that because it is so creamy you need to set it with some black eyeshadow or it is smudge city on you eyelids. I'm really thinking of signing up for Starlooks Starbox based off this pencil alone.

Obsidian, Hot Crystal, Big Apple

Overall, I definitely think that the value is there with September's bag. I am happy with almost everything I received and cant wait to try other products from the brands that I received. Ipsy succeeded this month in delivering new and exciting products. Stay tuned for my October unboxing/review next week. I am trying to get caught up in time for Novembers box.

Dupe Alert: Deborah Lippman Ruby Red Slippers

A few days ago Jen from From Head to Toe did a blog post about Deborah Lippman's Ruby Red Slippers ($19), and the polish looked oddly familiar to me. I am a huge fan of black polishes with any sort of coloured glitter throughout, so I knew I had a polish like this somewhere in my collection. I ended up finding the polish in question, and I have to say that it is quite the close dupe.

And what is this dupe you might ask? Well it is Once Upon A Time from the 2012 Fantasy Makers Collection by Wet n Wild. Once Upon A Time ($1.99) has the same semi-sheer black jelly base, with multi-sized red glitter as Ruby Red Slippers. In Jen's post she stated that she used 4 layers of polish to create an opaque nail, I was at four coats and was finding my polish not opaque enough. So I started over, first putting down a layer of Essence Back to Black ($1.99), and then two coats of the Fantasy Makers.

The Fantasy Makers polish dries somewhat matte, so I added a top coat for extra shine. With a topcoat you can really see the dimension to the glitter better. My nails look like they are covered in rubies. They are very eye-catching and I have received quite a few compliments on them. I am totally in love with the look, and I'm glad I get to enjoy it at the fraction of the cost of the DL.

Once Upon A Time is not available in this years Halloween Fantasy Makers Collection. So if you cannot get your hands on this polish, I researched a few other DL dupes:

• China Glaze Lubu Heels
• NYX Dark Glitter
• Wet n Wild Behind Closed Doors
• NYX Dorothy

BrandBacker Review: BA STAR Lip Pencil in Holiday Red

Although lip products come in all shapes and sizes, lip pencils are continuously my go-to product. They provide a wide array of colours and finishes, and their ease of application makes them perfect for on the go. That's why when I saw a BrandBacker Campaign for a BA STAR Lip Pencil I jumped at the opportunity to try it out. I have reviewed a few other BA STAR products through BrandBacker in the past, and will link them below.

BrandBacker is a promotion website that links companies and bloggers in order to review products and services. If you would like to sign up for BrandBacker you can do so by clicking here.

BA STAR is the #1 brand in performance makeup for dancers, cheerleaders, and performers.

BA STAR Stardust Mineral Eye Shadow

BA STAR Smokey Eye Shadow Palettes

BA STAR Holographic Loose Glitter



The Holiday Red lip pencil is described as a full coverage lip pencil in the perfect runway red. It claims to line and colour the lips easily in colour that stays all day. You can sharpen it easily with a duo hole pencil sharpener. For extra shine apply glitter and/or gloss over top.

I have to say that I was really impressed with this lip product. The colour is extremely pigmented, giving a classic red colour to my lips. Without gloss it dries to an almost matte finish that is not drying. I was fine wearing it alone and my lips did not feel dry at all. The colour lasts vibrantly for hours and when it does wear off, I am left with a subtle pinkish-red stain. The stain lasts for some time as well. I cant wait to pair this with some black, cat-eye liner, for a vintage/pin-up look. I can see myself wearing this a lot this Fall and Winter.

These pencils retail for $8.75 a piece, however if you order 6 or more you can get them for a reduced price of $5 a pencil. Available colours include:

• Cranberry - deep rich colour
• Passion Pink - deep full pink
• Bronze - natural shimmer
• Holiday Red - perfect stage red

Right now BA STAR is offering a 50% off code for all of my readers. Enter BBLIPS at checkout. Discount is off full retail price only. Cannot be combined with any other offers.

Disclaimer - I received this product for review purposes because I am part of the BrandBacker community. This in no way influences my thoughts or opinions on this product.

Current Empties

In keeping with my current low-buy/no-buy I have been working through my stash of products, both full size and samples, and have been loving discovering new and old favourites. Along the way I have also found some products that I am not particularly fond of, so I thought I would share my thoughts on these products.

Although I have an abundance of makeup I find it extremely difficult to use up makeup quickly because there is always so much product in the container. I hope to have more samples used up for the next post, because I am currently swimming in sample sizes.

Biotherm Aqua Source Deep Serum

I found that a little goes a long way with this product, and it is super moisturizing. I found that I didn't need  moisturizer on top of this serum. I have saved another sample of this to use in the Winter when my skin gets a bit drier. I'm not sure if I would repurchase or not.

Nivea Hand Crème

This isn't empty, I am throwing it away because I don't like it. It smells horrible, and it does not absorb into my skin. My hands are left with a slippery film that gets on everything. This is the first Nivea product that I haven't liked. I would not repurchase.

Lucia Goat Milk & Linseed Soap

I found this soap very moisturizing. It left a subtle scent which lingered for part of the day. I would repurchase.

Garnier Fresh Grape Water Cleansing Cloths

I hated these cleansing cloths. They were so dry and barely removed my makeup. Because they were so dry I felt like they scratched my skin. I also didn't like the scent. I would not repurchase.

Kirkland Cleansing Towelettes

These clothes come from Costco and are my favourite cleansing clothes. They remove all of my makeup, including eyeliner and mascara with minimal effort. I don't have to tug at my eyes to get the makeup off. They are very moist with solution so I never have to worry about the package drying out. My face feels thoroughly cleansed after using these. I will continue to repurchase.

Covergirl Lash Blast Volume Mascara

This used to be my go to mascara, however since discovering some other mascaras, I find this one lacking. I prefer a wet formula mascara, which this is not. If I am looking for a natural, volumized look, this will be my go to, however, I will look elsewhere for a dramatic volumized lash. I may repurchase.

Maybelline The Rocket Volume Express Mascara

I heard such great things about this mascara, and I really wanted to love it but I just didn't. It didn't give me the volume I like at the base of my lashes, and removal was such a pain. It took a lot of makeup remover and rubbing to get the product off, and even then it felt like I couldn't get everything off. The only plus to this mascara for me was how dark black the formula was. I would not repurchase.

Revlon Lash Potion Mascara

This has been my #1 mascara ever since receiving it from Revlon to review. The formula combined with the unique brush shape gives me that perfect false lash look. I can see this being my Holy Grail mascara for the foreseeable future. I have already repurchased.

Face Stolkholm Luxe Lash Mascara

I found the formula of this mascara to be very dry. Because of this it was hard to get a dramatic look to my lashes. The brush was good at separating my lashes, so I may save and clean it to use with other mascaras. I definitely don't think that this mascara is worth its price tag, as most times when I was wearing it, it barely looked like I was wearing anything at all. I would not repurchase.

Neutrogena Ultra Gentle Daily Cleanser

I actually like this cleanser at first. It lathers well, is very gentle on the skin, and cleans my makeup off very well. However, after a few uses I found that it was making my skin extra oily. Since this was the only new product I was using at the time it is safe to say it was this causing the excess oiliness. I will be sticking to oil free cleansers in the future. I would not repurchase.

Mario Badescu Enzyme Cleansing Gel

I really did not like this cleanser. It smelt weird, had a weird consistency, and didn't clean my face. There was no lather. It felt like it just sat on my skin. I always had to use a cleansing cloth after to get my makeup off. I would not repurchase.

Glamglow Tingling & Exfoliating Mud Mask

I have heard nothing but good reviews about this product, but my review is kinda 50/50. The good is that my skin looks and feels amazing after using this. The bad is that I get no tingling and it really hurts when I have to wash it off. I don't have overly sensitive skin but I found the bits in this mask way too sharp and abrasive for me. I would not repurchase this, but I wouldn't mind trying a different mask from this brand.

Clarins One-Step Gentle Exfoliating Cleanser

I really enjoyed this sample. It had the perfect amount of exfoliation to cleanser. Although it didn't lather I felt like my skin was thoroughly cleansed. The orange scent was very pleasant and helped wake me up in the morning. If the price was a little lower I would definitely repurchase.

Mario Badescu Cucumber Lotion

This toner is just okay. My face doesn't feel overly clean or dirty after using it. I feel like it leaves a film on my skin, and it doesn't really help with my oilyness either. I would not repurchase.

Herbal Essences Bye Bye Breakage 2 in 1 Shampoo & Conditioner

This one of my favourite HE shampoos. I love using a 2 in 1 because I am super lazy and don't like having to use them separately. I find that this shampoo really helps with split ends and I have smoother hair, with less flyaways when I use it. This shampoo also gives my hair a nice shine. I will continue to repurchase this product.

John Frieda Volume Thickening Shampoo

I didn't really enjoy this shampoo. The thing I liked best was the colour of the bottle and the smell of the product. I found this shampoo drying. I definitely needed a conditioner after using this. I would not repurchase.