Bitchy Review: ipsy's Spring Fling (May) Bag

I'm in the process of narrowing down which beauty subscription services are the best, and since I ordered from Birchbox last month I ordered something from ipsy this month and just received my package today.

I took these out in my backyard. LOL

As with Birchbox, I received 5 sample-size products that I wanted to review below.

1. NuMe Finishing Serum

The full-size product is $29

I didn't try this immediately, but it smelled good when I opened the package. It's a protectant from physical and environmental damage to the hair, seals split ends, and tames flyaways and frizz. I have all of the above, so I'll probably be trying this out this coming weekend in combination with a couple of other hair products I've picked up over the last month or so. I like that it has a dropper applicator and only needs a few drops to work; this size container can be used on shorter locks like mine for awhile and I'll be able to see some consistent results so I can really see if it works or not. Even though the container looks small, 2-3 drops really is not a lot of product so it must go a long way. I'll update once I've used it for awhile and tell you how it goes.


2. Zoya Nail Polish in Piaf

This is a regular-sized bottle and costs $8.
If you want a more accurate photo of the
color, go to the link or the overall photo above.

When I first saw this color, I hated it. I love nail polish though, so I had to give it a go and see if maybe it would grow on me over time. It reminds me of Grey Poupon, but eventually it did indeed grow on me. I still don't love the color for myself as I think it gives my cuticles a dried-out appearance because my skin has a yellow undertone, but I'm okay with it. I'm still wearing it, and that says something. LOL It goes on really light at first, a really pale shimmery yellow, but after about 3 coats it darkens to a bit of a Grey Poupon-ish pale yellow or a sandy shade. It maintains a decent amount of shimmer regardless of the coats, so no complaints there. I've never tried Zoya polish before, so I can't say I'm wholly dissatisfied. I like it but I don't love it.


3. Yaby Concealer Flawless Refill in Buff

This doesn't come in a single container;
a refill swatch like this is $5.06 but the entire
Concealer Flawless Palette is $100

I almost didn't see this when I was going through the bag it was so small. The business portion of my mind computes that this is technically a sample size and you don't want to give out too much of it because this may hinder sales of the full-size product, but the consumer side is a little disappointed in the size. It feels like a cream-to-powder concealer, which I've been interested in trying, but the shade was off so it made my skin look ashen and dry. It feels rather dry at first as well, so to me you're not able to get a real application in because it dries pretty fast and most women I know apply more than what comes in the sample size. No bueno. I usually use liquid foundation as a concealer because of the coverage but I don't use it all over my face, so I've been looking for a concealer that I can use for my spots of hyperpigmentation. Maybe in another shade I would be okay with it, but this shade was too light so I couldn't get an accurate idea of how it works. What I don't like is that there is no full-size version of this product; you can either buy the entire palette of concealers or continue buying the refill swatches like this.


4. Juice Beauty Reflecting Lip Gloss in Fig

The full-size is $15

I've heard a lot of raving about Juice Beauty products, so I was excited to see that not only was this a full-size sample, but that it was Juice Beauty. I didn't like the scent at first but now that I've worn it a couple of times it reminds me a bit of fruits, I would say more orange rind. It comes off a little bitter at first. It has a high amount of sparkle, so I can't wear this gloss alone or as a topcoat because it makes my lips look a little white against the rest of my skin, but I like it. And it's organic too, so I know it's safe for my mouth, it hasn't dried out my lips so far and doesn't give me a thick goop-like covering like many lip glosses. The moisture remains on my lips for awhile after applying and I hate having to constantly reapply because my lips are dry when I'm out and about, so this is also a plus. I don't like that ipsy linked me to a gloss 4-pack for the full-size rather than an individual gloss because that seems like a bit much, so I had to look on Juice Beauty's website on my own to find the price for just one gloss.


5. St. Tropez All-Over Glow Body Lotion

Before 

After

This was the final product in this month's bag and is a temporary tanner by St. Tropez. I really don't need any help with tanning or looking darker but I wanted to try it out anyway. I didn't like how it made my skin feel at all. The color (to me) made my skin look more ashy than dewy, my hand felt chalky and my knuckles looked dark and bruised. I don't need anything with a tanning property anyway, but I thought that I would at least have a bit of a glow. It just looked darker and didn't feel too good, either. I'm sure that this probably looks great on lighter skintones, but on mine I just didn't like it. It washes off fairly easy though, so that's a plus. I included pictures of how it worked for me instead of the product picture since I thought that was more relevant and you could see the results beforehand.


6. Bonus Product: Makeup Bag/Clutch

As a bit of a bonus, ipsy included this adorable little clutch with this month's products. It's cute, summery, chevron-printed which I love, but can be used for everyday storage as well. It holds all of my necessities when I leave (iTouch, cell phone, id & debit card, pen and chapstick) so it's big enough to hold the small stuff when you want a no-fuss day and don't want to take a lot of things with you. No complaints here.



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Bitchy Review: So what do I have to say about this bag overall? I liked it, but I didn't love it. I have realized that the problem with these subscription services isn't them or their products, it's me. My expectations were a bit too high and rather unrealistic; I guess the hype surrounding these things made me expect something different and when I didn't get it I was disappointed. But in reality, look at what I got for $10--hair serum that's probably going to last me for awhile, a full-sized nail polish that normally costs what I paid for the entire month's subscription, a full-sized organic lip gloss, and a cute bag to boot. I can do without the concealer and the tanning/glow lotion. Four out of six ain't bad. Most of the products had to grow on me, but again that was more due to my expectations being out of whack than the products not being good enough. A plus with ipsy is that discounts of the full-size products are offered if you go through your ipsy subscription to get them. Between Birchbox and ipsy, I've been able to try a lot of high-end products that I would not have had the opportunity to try otherwise and have been able to find things that I will definitely be buying when I have the money to do so. Like Birchbox, I'm willing to give this another go next month.