I know tons of beauty blogs out there have already got their January beauty box reviews signed sealed and delivered (I’m yours!), but I’m going to go ahead and do mine. Cuz you know…I have opinions and stuff too. *nods importantly*
This month’s bag was a disappointment to many subscribers (so I hear) because it lacked Ipsy’s usual makeup. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the concept of a monthly beauty box, the general idea is that you pay a certain amount for your subscription (Ipsy is $10/month) and in return you receive a box full of makeup, hair, skin, etc., samples. With Ipsy, every month you get a makeup bag filled with various (typically) makeup items. This month, however, the Ipsy bag was filled with non-makeup items, which had some subscribers a little riled up.
I could never take a picture this nice.
Personally, I was stoked about the change-up. Ipsy releases teasers on what the items in that month’s bag would be, and when they started coming out for the January bag, I knew I was going to like it. Here are this month’s items one by one with my reviews of each…
Josie Maran 100% Pure Argan Oil
First off, I’m a big fan of Josie Maran’s line of makeup. I’ve used several items and have been impressed with pretty much everything. The only drawback is that it’s kinda pricey, so I have to pick and choose the products I buy pretty carefully, which means I don’t buy her Argan oil because I get a different brand off of Amazon for wayyyy cheaper. And really, if you’re in the market for Argan oil, I’d recommend going the Amazon route, because, well, as much as I’d like to say otherwise, the Josie Maran stuff is pretty much equal in quality as what I usually get. Regardless, I’m out of my usual brand right now, so this JM bottle was very welcome.
I use Argan oil primarily as a night time moisturizer. I put a few drops on my fingers, rub my hands together, and spread on my face and neck, including my lips. I use a different moisturizer for day time – mostly because I’ve found that I don’t leave myself enough time in the mornings for the oil to absorb all the way, so it doesn’t work well under my makeup. When I put it on my face at night, I wake up with nice bright, moisturized skin. I realize it can seem counter-intuitive to put oil on your face if you have oil issues (which I do), but I’ve found in the past year that moisturizing cleansers are what works best for my skin, despite the fact that it can get oily. I have had adult onset acne since I was 25, and since changing up my skincare routine, it’s nearly as clear now as it was when I was a teenager (backwards I know, but…*shrug*). Anyhow, I highly recommend this product. Love it.
Pacifica Tuscan Blood Orange Mini Body Butter
I’ve never used Pacifica brand before and I love lotions and stuff, so this was nice. This is a good sized sample – small enough to go in a purse, but substantial enough that it will last a while. I love the smell – it can be a little overpowering at first, but after a little bit it fades to a pleasantly sweet smell (at least this is what happens with my body chemistry). It’s definitely body butter texture, nice and thick, which I love for my dry winter skin, and it absorbs nicely. I’m not sure that I’d seek this out to buy over other brands I love, but it’s nice and I liked having it in my bag this month.
Sexy Hair Spray & Play Volumizing Hairspray
To be completely honest, aside from show day updo’s, I’m not much of a hairspray person, so I haven’t used this much yet. I do use the Sexy line (the Sexy Short Hair spray wax is my faux hawk’s best friend), so I was happy to see it getting some play by Ipsy. This will going in my show bag for emergency hairspray fixes.
Nailtini Straight Up Color Nail Lacquer
Like most girls I know, I have quite a collection of mostly full nail polishes. I’m not much of a nail painter – and I am an anomaly in that I HATE professional manicures! – but I do paint my nails every now and then. I think I’m probably another anomaly in that I did not own a single red nail polish prior to this, lol. They were giving two colors of this polish, and I knew I’d be happy with either because they were both colors I didn’t have. I wound up with Bloody Mary, which is a very pretty red. I heard reports that the polish chipped very easily (like the day after application) but I haven’t had that experience. I painted my thumbnail to test out the color when I got the bag a couple weeks ago, and it stayed pretty nice looking all week. This gets a thumbs up from me.
SOHO Makeup Brush
There were three different kinds of brushes being sent out – a concealer brush, a crease brush or an eyeliner brush. I got the eyeliner brush and I couldn’t be happier with it. It has a nice finger indent, so it doesn’t slip around when I’m using it even if I’ve just lotioned my hands, and I’m finding that it doubles quite well as an eyebrow brush. I’m finding that it works very nicely using shadow as liner – it gives a very nice defined line and it’s easy to work with.
I believe that everything that came in this bag will end up being very useful to me, either now or in the near future, so, like I said, totally stoked on it.
Can I start being impatient for next month’s bag yet?
Can has?
Not Entirely Perfect 