Ipsy - May 2013 Glam Bag - Swatches & Review

Ipsy - May 2013 Glam Bag

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Zoya Nail Polish - Blu

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Click to Enlarge - Excuse the gross polish job!

-Zoya is sold at many online stores and averages at about $8.00 US per bottle.
-A great place to get a good deal is Beauty Lounge which sells them for about $6.50 US
-If you are an Ipsy member they are currently having buy 2 get 1 50% off deal.

I am a huge fan of Zoya nail polishes! They use a non toxic forumla (5free - free of toluene, formaldehyde, DBP (phthlatates) and camphor) They have a great color selection and the application always goes on so nice and buttery smooth with little to no streaking. While I love the product I can't say that I am crazy about the shade that was sent to me (opaque powder blue) although I would love it as a wall color. The good thing about me is that my taste in polish colors change constantly so there is a huge chance I will wear it at some point in time :-)

Juice Beauty Reflecting Gloss - Pink

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-Juice Beauty is also sold in many online stores - Ulta, Dermstore, Amazon, etc.
-Price is $15.00 US for 0.28 oz
-Ipsy Deal - Receive 20% off any purchase of $30 or more at juicebeauty.com/ipsy

Juice Beauty is another brand that I really like for it's eco-friendliness and great variety of products. Alicia Silverstone is a contributor which is another huge bonus for me because I absolutely adore her! I am really looking forward to trying out her makeup line - check it out here.

As for the gloss, I was pleasantly surprised at how smooth the formula was. It made my lips buttery soft smooth without feeling filmy and sticky. The color is very sheer for my pigmented lips but I do not get the impression that it is supposed to be a heavily pigmented item. Overall I really like the gloss but I would only re-purchase it if I had a discount.

Pacifica - Coconut Crushed Pearl - Luminizing Body Butter

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-Pacifica products are sold in Sephora, Amazon, Target, Drugstore.com, etc.

-Price is $7.00 US for 2 oz. tube

-Ipsy Deal - Receive 20% off any purchase at pacifcaperfume.com with the code Beauty20.

I am not very familiar with the Pacifica brand but I can safely say that I really like what was given to me in this month's bag. 

This cream has a wonderful beachy scent and it makes my skin feel very fresh and smooth. The shimmer is slight and tasteful but I would prefer my lotions to be shimmer free. I would definitely re-purchase when I run out although I can't say that this is going to become a staple item. Not yet at least! :)

Pacifica - Island Vanilla & Tahitian Gardenia - Perfume Roll-On

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-Pacifica products are sold in Sephora, Amazon, Target, Drugstore.com, etc.

-Price is $12.00 US for .33 oz

-Ipsy Deal - Receive 20% off any purchase at pacifcaperfume.com with the code Beauty20.

I really like this scent. It's slightly sweet and very summery without being completely overpowering. Definitely a great roll-on perfume to slip into my bag. Not sure if I would re-purchase just yet but I can safely say that I will have my eye on Pacifica products going forward. 

Yaby Concealer in Buff

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Click to Enlarge - BUT BE WARNED! 

-Yaby Cosmetics are sold at http://www.yabycosmetics.com/ & camerareadycosmetics.com
-Price is - Palettes range from $12 - $21.99 US - Concealer Refills are $5.06
-Ipsy Deal - Receive 20% off your purchase with code ipsyluvsyabycc20

I have no experience what-so-ever with Yaby cosmetics but I have heard great things about the line. Stage makeup products are usually great.

As for the concealer, it really didn't do much for me but keep in mind that my under eye circles are VERY severe and puffy so this would probably work out well for a person with light - moderate discoloration issues. The texture was okay...a bit too cakey for me but I also have very crepey eyes.

Overall

I found this bag to be an 8 out of 10 in excitement value. I was very underwhelmed by my first few Ipsy bags but lately they have been quite amazing! 

A 7 out of 10 for providing products that I typically want to try out.

How did you like this month's Glambag? Which items did you receive?

Birchbox - May 2013 - Swatches & Review

May 2013 - Birchbox

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Click to Enlarge to read the description & price of all the products below.

Beauty Protector - Protect & Detangle

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I am definitely looking forward to trying out this product as there are already many rave reviews on the Birchbox website. I will make sure to update with my own review! 

COOLA - Classic Face SPF 30 Cucumber Moisturizer for Face

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A friend of mine was just raving over this sunscreen (she tries to stick to Organic products as much as possible) so I was pleasantly surprised to see it in this month's box. It is way too soon to provide a full review but I can definitely say that the lotion absorbed into my skin immediately! Which is a huge difference from most sunscreen products that I have tried as they tend to be very greasy. I have read several complaints about the odor but I do not mind it at all. The smell kind of reminds me of melons. 

Joie - Folle de Joie eau de parfum

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I found the scent of this perfume parfum very mediocre at best. Most of the time I tend to gravitate towards expensive clothing and accessories but thank goodness that hasn't extended to perfumes. $98 dollars for a full size bottle? Sorry! I will stick to my 2 for $20 Bath & Body Works mists :) 

Sumita - Color Contrast Eyeliner

I am VERY impressed with this eyeliner. The minute I swatched it on my hand and saw how smoothly it glided on (with such strong pigmentation) I immediately though of my UD 24/7 pencil and took a comparison shot. Over 7 hours later the Sumita liner hasn't creased or faded at all and the UD lost some of it's brilliance and left a ring on my crease area (having oily hooded lids is a b**ch!) At $11 per liner I definitely plan on purchasing and I look forward to trying out their other products. Here is a site that sells the brand. 

Yes To Grapefruit - Daily Facial Scrub & Dark Spot Correcting Serum

I have never tried any of the Yesto products so it's pretty nice to have received this as a bonus. I just have to make sure to use it as I find that I don't try out these paper based samples that often. 

Overall

I found this box to be a 7 out of 10 in excitement value only because of the Sumita eyeliner. 

A 5 out of 10 for providing products that I typically want to try out. 

My last rating will come after everything has been sampled. 

How did you like this month's Birchbox? I would love to hear!