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! 

April 2013 IPSY Bag

It's the pink bubble envelope time of the month! I couldn't help it and took a look at some spoiler posts prior to receiving my bag so I kind of knew the items in this bag seemed promising, it's theme being "Pretty In Pink". Nonetheless, I was still very excited with I actually had it in my hands waiting to unwrap hehe~ Let's take a look inside together!

This is April's IPSY bag, and it is surprisingly sturdy! The style is simple but still chic, the white fabric portion is quite thick and the pink pleather paired with pink zipper totally brings out the air of femininity. On the inside, the lining is pink and white striped with "IPSY...beauty by you" imprinted all over, as you can see from the following picture. Overall, I am very satisfied with this month's bag (so far the best by IPSY, in my opinion) and I am gladly transferring all my small makeup items into it as you read this to have this as my carry-around makeup bag!

This month's goodies stuffed to the brim!

So are this month's items as impressive as the bag that holds them? Let's take a look!

1) HealthySexyHair Soy Renewal Nourishing Styling Treatment - 25mL - This product is suppose to be able to speed up drying if applied to damp hair or reduce frizz if applied to dry hair. I think the sample size is quite decent and also the top is still sealed on the inside! I am happy knowing that this sample is for sure brand new and I thank ipsy for their professionalism when handling samples for their clients.

2) Two Cosmetics Duo Eyeshadow in Heartache - Full Size - This is a cute eyeshadow duo that contains two pink shades. The one on the left has a frosty finish and is a lighter pink where as the second one is more of a matte colour with a slight brownish-mauve undertone. On initial swatching, the shadows seemed pigmented but did appear to be on the more powdery side. I personally shy away from pink eyeshadows because they tend to make my eyes appear more tired than they really are. Perhaps I will give this a try on a day when I don't have to work. :)

3) Be a....Bombshell Powder Blush in Sweet Cheeks - full size (5gm) - This is the item I was MOST excited about in this month's bag! I am a total blush lover and the colour seemed pretty promising. I found the product to be of a great quality, this brand has made several appearances in IPSY bags before and so far they have not disappointed :) This blush is a wearable colour, the payoff is great and not too powdery. However, it is not totally matte otherwise I would've loved it to the moon and back. The finish has quite a strong sheen to it, so even though the colour is good it is likely that I would use it more as a highlighter-blush to top off a deeper blush colour at the cheekbones.

4) Sation Nail Lacquer for IPSY in Of Corset I'll Call You - full-size 15mL - fourth and final item in the bag is a full-size nail polish, right up my alley! While looking at spoiler posts for other peopl\e's bags, I noticed that there was another colour given and it is more of a peachy nude colour that didn't quite appeal to me. I was so relieved when I opened the box and found the pink polish because I know I would use this for sure! I haven't had a chance to give it a swatch yet but I should soon to see if this is a good quality polish. According to the box, this polish is a 3-free polish and is made in USA.

Once again, I am very satisfied overall with the value and quality of April's IPSY bag! There are 3 full-size products included and one generous sample of hair product, not to mention an uber cute bag that I will definitely be putting to work. :) I feel that IPSY actually pays more attention to what subscribers really do enjoy and seem to be working hard to fulfill our desires, thank you IPSY! I look forward (as always) to receiving my next bag in May!

Essence Gel-Look Topcoat Review - Dupe for Seche Vite??

Hi there! Today's post will be about a new nail polish topcoat that I recently came across from the super affordable European brand, Essence. Sold for $2.49 +tax at Shoppers Drug Mart, and promises to be a "topcoat that adds glossy shine and leaves a gel-like finish on nails", it was just too hard for a nail product junkie like myself to pass up; I simply had to try it out. The first thing that came to mind when I got home was "will this topcoat be a comparable dupe for my absolute favorite topcoat of all time, Seche Vite?"

So did I find a dupe??

Sadly....not quite.

The Essence gel-look topcoat, despite not be being an exact dupe for Seche Vite, is still a great topcoat that would not break the bank. It actually was able to deliver exactly as it claimed: a gel-like finish and glossy-ness for your finished manicure.

The biggest issue I had with it was DRYING TIME. The Essence polish simply took way too long to dry down before it can come into contact with anything, otherwise it would smudge or dent and ruin your manicure. One of the biggest winning points for Seche Vite is not only the finish it gives your nail polish, but also the amazingly short time that it requires to dry and therefore, it takes a lot less time to finish a manicure session. Sometimes I even put seche vite on top of my nail colour when I know it hasn't dried completely because I know that Seche Vite will actually help the polish dry faster.

For those of you who have a taste for nail art would probably be aware that Seche Vite may very well be the most reliable topcoat you can have for after you've done your nail art, because it doesn't create any smudges. Unfortunately, the essence gel-look topcoat caused a bit of smudging on my nail art and konad stamped designs when applied to it after it has become dry to the touch.

Overall, I would suggest giving the Essence new topcoat a shot if you either 1) have a lot of free time to sit around without moving your hands (with something to keep you from being bored) after your manicure, or 2) have a drying lamp/fan that you use regularly after painting your nails. Otherwise, the dry time maybe too overbearing for most of us who wanted to get moving quickly after doing our nails. A viable alternative to this and Seche Vite maybe the Sally Hanson MegaShine Topcoat. It gives a great shiny finish, lacks the "gel-like" finish, but much faster than Essence Gel-Look Topcoat.

Have a happy manicure!
Joanne

(Products shown and discussed are all purchased with personal funds)

CoverGirl Outlast Stay Brilliant Nail Gloss - NEW nail polish - swatches!

Wow! Covergirl FINALLY released a line of nail polish again! It has been so long since their last nail polish line and frankly, I'm quite excited to see what CG has in store for us this time! I first spotted the new free-standing display in Shoppers Drug Mart about 2 weeks ago, and at that time it was listed with a regular price of $7.99. Even though many colours appealed to me, I held myself back from the rather high price tag. However, perusing the beauty aisle of Shoppers Drug Mart again today, I see found the polishes on sale for $5.99. It was time to buy several! :)

And several it was...the nail polish addict in me could not possibly leave the scene with just one..or two bottles. Nope, it will seven! Each bottle contains 11mL of product, which is slightly under OPI or China Glaze's 15mL bottles, but in comparison with other drug store polishes, Covergirl is right on the money! Essie, Revlon, Wet n' Wild, Rimmel, etc are slightly higher at a little over 13mL, Sally Hanson has some that are also 11mL, and Maybelline and Essence are slightly under at 7mL and 8mL, respectively.

I find the bottles of the Outlast line quite appealing also! In fact, they remind me a little bit of the high-end brand CHANEL and their nail polish line. Of course, the two are not exactly the same, but the shape, size and even cap design are very similar. These polishes have an external square cap that is to be removed and reveals the circular cap and brush underneath.

The brush is nothing out of the ordinary, just the typical slim brush. However, despite being on the thinner side coming out of the bottle, the brush actually spreads quite wide during application, which, in the end, still helps to achieve a flawless finish. :)

Right To Left: Always Naked, Magawatt Mauve, Smokey Taupe

Always Naked: This is a cream polish, with no sparkles or glitter. It is a very neutral colour, capable of giving the hands a very slim illusion. Colourwise, Always Naked is just a tiny bit tanner than Essie's Sand Tropez.

Megawatt Mauve: This is a cream polish, with no sparkles or glitter. It is a neutral dusty pink with a coral undertone. The colour is definitely workplace appropriate!

Smokey Taupe: This is a cream polish, with no sparkles or glitter. It is a dusky purple, leaning towards grey. I find this polish to be able to give the illusion of whiter skin of the hand, and when wearing it, it gives off a very sophisticated vibe.

Right to Left: Forever Festive, Wine to Nine

Forever Festive: This is a near-metallic finish polish, it is mostly red but in the light there is the slightest gold reflects. This polish is the perfect classic red nails for parties, especially during this time of the year with the holiday season!

Wine To Nine: This is a cream polish, with no sparkle or glitter. Please let me start by saying I LOVE the name, it's just too cute! And it is very fitting for the colour as this polish is a very soft yet wine colour with a plum tone to it. Absolutely stunning for nights out and it will go perfectly with any sort of gold accents.

Right to left: Golden Opportunity, Mint Mojito

Golden Opportunity: This is a finely milled sparkly polish. It is a silver-tone gold that doesn't come off too yellow. It is quite a festive polish that can be act as a base for glitter polishes, or definitely can be worn alone for that soft-spoken type of glam look!

Mint Mojito: This is a cream polish, with no sparkle or glitter. The shade is VERY close to the infamous Tiffany blue; it may just be a hair deeper and greener. This is similar to ESSIE's Turquoise & Caicos which is a bit greener, and to China Glaze's For Audrey which is a tiny bit bluer and lighter. 

Swatches part 1

Swatches part 2

The above swatches were all done with a single coat, which I find to be pretty amazing! The dry time was quite fast and was not streaky; the polish has really nice self-leveling abilities :) The finish was smooth and shiny and I'm very excited to test it on my nails for wear; would it really live up to it's "OUTLAST" claims? Now the big question is just...which one do I chose??

The following picture is of my swatch wheel held up to a light, and the polish doesn't appear to have too many "bald spots", an indicator of whether a polish will be sheer or patchy. With only one coat of polish on the swatch wheel, I have to say I am pretty impressed with the performance!

Checking for "bald spots" against the light!

The full display has 27 shades availabe, are you interested to pick up a couple and try for yourself if you come across them? Let me know what you think!

Thanks for reading,

Joanne