May 2013 IPSY Bag

My IPSY bag arrived in the mailbox today and there is a surprisingly large bulge in the package!

Since my previous experience with IPSY bags have been pretty much all positive, I have some high hopes for it every month, and no difference this month because all the sneak peek pictures seemed to be very promising! I like how IPSY releases sneak peak pictures that hint at what products are included in the bag each month, and often those are very cute and fun to look at and perhaps take a guess at what they might actually be.

Here's a look at what came in the pink envelope this month:

IPSY May 2013 Theme: Spring Fling

1) The bag with products
2) The "Spring Fling" theme card
3) A NuMe special offer card for $110 off when ordering from their website for hair styling tools

The material of this month's IPSY bag is quite similar to the March bag (navy/white stripes with anchors), I have to say the quality of April's bag is so far the best. The colourful chevron print is very cute though.

And the above is what greeted me when I first popped the bag open. And honestly my first thought was "what kind of colour is THAT for a lipgloss....??" And my next thought was "darn! I wanted the Macadamia hair oil sample!" LOL

Here is a closer look at the contents of my IPSY bag this month.

NuMe Finishing Serum - Conditions and Seals (10mL): "This light, greaseless, and humidity resistant formula delivers a straight up glossy finish. NuMe Finishing Serum protects your hair from environmental and physical stress, treating split ends and sealing hair with added, brilliant shine. Full Size (50mL) - $29" So even though I was initially disappointed for not receiving the Macadamia healing hair oil treatment sample like some other people did with their bags, this product from NuMe appears to be of similar use and also smells really good! The scent is light and refreshing, slightly perfume-y but not too overpowering for my taste. I went ahead and tried some first on the back of my hand and then at the ends of my hair. The consistency of this product is more on the thick side, but it gets absorbed amazingly fast and leaves no greasy or heavy feeling at all! The samples is a generous size at 10mL and I'm sure I will get more than just a few uses out of it. However, as NuMe is still currently only available online, I'm not sure I will consider purchasing a full size even if I end up really loving this, since shipping to Canada is often way too expensive. Value: $5.80

YABY Cosmetics Concealer 20mm Refill Pan (Full-Size): YABY online description claims: 

» creamy texture, extremely easy to apply. 

» highly pigmented to correct any imperfection on the face and body, creamy and gentle for around the eyes.
» tear proof! a concealer that won't run away with your tears.
» vegan friendly - contains no animal byproducts. 
» heavy duty metal pans are designed to be sturdy and not easily warped. 
» reusable pan - sanitize empty pans with alcohol and keep some in your kit for special mixing needs. 

As the website states that their refill pans are 20mm in diameter, 3.50g, and sold for $4.85, I took out a ruler and measured the pan I have. Sure enough, it measured to be 20mm in diameter, so I am claiming this to be a full size item! The colour I received was cc008 buff, and it looks like a pretty light colour but I think I can make this work for me used as an undereye concealer. I think I will be trying this out tomorrow and storing this metal pan in with the eyeshadow samples, also from YABY, that I keep in my Z-palette :) Value: $4.85

Juicy Beauty Reflecting Gloss in Champagne (4mL Full Size): "This Reflecting Gloss will give your lips the most brilliant shine on earth. The combination of antioxidant-rich berries, minerals and sweet agave will wrap your lips in radiant colour." This is a full sized product according to product description on the juicybeauty.com website. The packaging is of a standard lipgloss size, and has a foggy matte tube. This type of external packaging often distorts the colour of the product and may give false initial impressions. This was that case for me as when I first saw it inside my IPSY bag I was not happy at all with the colour selection for me, especially since I know this product was available in 3 other shades, which seemed to be more "normal" lipgloss colours because they were more red/pinks. This lipgloss has a doe-foot applicator which I like, and I swatched the product on the back of my hand. The colour "Champagne" appears to be a light peachy golden hue in the tube but actually comes off almost completely clear with just tiny, reflective shimmers. This would be a gloss that I can use to top off pretty much any lip colour I choose to wear to give a glossy finish. Wearing this gloss just over the middle parts of the lips would enhance the shape of your lips and give an illusion of fuller lips :) The scent is strangely full of citrus! I really do like it, but count me as surprised because I've come to expect lipglosses to be sweet and more often than not vanilla-scented. Value: $15.00

ZOYA Nail Polish in PIAF (15mL Full-Sized): PIAF, a creamy daisy yellow with silver micro glitter, is from ZOYA's Lovely Collection for Spring 2013. I love how IPSY offers its subscribers nail polishes from recent collections! To be honest, I am not one for yellow polishes normally, as in I likely would not choose to purchase one for myself. This is the reason why I like the idea of beauty subscription services because it opens up opportunities to branch out! I swatched PIAF on my nail colour wheel and the effect was quite lovely. Full opacity was achieved in 2 coats, and there were no leveling issues at all. The polish is non-streaky considering the fact that it does have all that micro glitter in it. The finish was very glossy and can probably pass without a top coat (but I always add a top coat because I LOVE my Seche Vite!) Although this was part of a Spring collection, I think it is going to be a beautiful summer colour and I would definitely wear it as such. Value: $8.00

PACIFICA Island Vanilla Perfume Roll-On (10mL): Inspired bu the unique magic of Tahitian vanilla, this sensual blend sets sweet and sultry vanilla absolute, with honey-jasmine notes and a touch of fruitiness, against a deep and beautiful base of tea. 100% vegan." While I have not yet owned any products myself from Pacifica, I have come to know this brand as one that just has fabulous scents! There are several that I personally enjoy and have such an urge to bite the bullet each time I try out samples at a store, but so far I haven't done so. I am so pleased that IPSY has given, yet again, another more than generous item this month. This is more than just a sample tube, this is a "full-sized" roller-ball. The scent is rather sweet, definitely a day-time fragrance choice for myself. I know I will be making good use of this product as well and it will probably be totally gone before this summer ends! Value: $12.00

  Total Value: $45.65

I think I have once again been wow'ed by the value IPSY delivers month after month since they have launched in Canada. The colour selections of the products included this month are not really my favourite, I do have others in mind if I got to choose for myself. However, I am very happy with the type of products included this month and so far IPSY continues to be my top pick for beauty subscription service.

You can get your own IPSY bag for $10/month (+$4.95 shipping to Canada). It would be amazing if you opt to use my referral link here: http://www.ipsy.com/?refer=u-h050ed8nabt8mci but you certainly don't have to!

I hope you enjoyed this post, thank you for reading!