august 2017 ipsy bag!

hi all! as mentioned in my sephora play! post, i was slacking last week, but i'm sitting down and going to get these posts done! anyway, here's my august IPSY BAG* (theme: good vibes only). ~Lin-chan ^.~

here's my impressions:

1. aurora pro cover up concealer in 49 balmy beige -- so it's funny how in my sephora play, i got a foundation that i'm not sure if it's too light or somehow magically the correct shade...this is the opposite. this seems darker than my shade, but also somehow magically correct? i'm not sure. i think i will try using this more and see if i can give you a better opinion.
• repurchase: undecided
2. leaders sheet masks in pore gone for good & what happened last night? -- ugh, i have soo many sheet masks now and i have been lazy about using them! these'll be used eventually, but no guarantees it'll be before my yearly ipsy post.
• repurchase: undecided
3. theBalm balmVoyage vol. 2 eyshadow in kuwakaribisha -- i have been pretty content recently with receiving sample shadows from their various palettes as opposed to buying a full theBalm palette. is that crazy? and the shades i've been sent (by ipsy) are pretty much up my alley. this is a really pretty champagne highlight shade, and i'm not sure how much i see myself reaching for this particular product considering all the eyeshadows i already have, but if i had a smaller collection i can see myself using this regularly in the inner corner and maybe browbone.
• repurchase: the palette -- nah
4. crown brush SS035 medium face contour brush -- this brush does not feel that great. the handle feels very cheap, you can feel the seams on the plastic, and super lightweight, making the brush feel unbalanced and not weighted properly. that aside, the bristles are very soft and dense. size-wise, i don't think this will be a great contour size for me, but i can see myself using this as a liquid foundation brush, if the bristles are up to that challenge.
• repurchase: not likely
5. pacifica coconut blush duo in beaming & tenderheart -- i think i might pass this one along. pacifica makeup has always been pretty hit or miss for me. beaming (i'm assuming is the left one) is an okish color. not really a contour color but not really a blush either. and it's super light, you'd have to build it up. tenderheart (assumingly the right) is a nice light rosy shade, but swatches awfully patchy and i don't think it'll last very long. packaging-wise though, it's pretty interesting. it's your typical inexpensive but durable plastic, but the backside has a mirror on it, with no kind of protection to keep it from breaking. weird, right?
• repurchase: nah
6. points freebie: margaret dabbs crystal nail file -- i redeemed for this with the intention of leaving it in my pen cup on my desk (in it's sleeve of course) so that i have a file easily accessible. testing it out, it's not too bad. i have had a few 'crystal' nail files in the past, and i still have mixed feelings on them, between effectiveness and durability. but if i'm not using it frequently, it should be fine.
7. wild & free purple-pink ombre ipsy bag -- i'm not sure about it having 'wild & free' written on it, but the ombre colors are pretty.

balmy beige, kuwakaribisha, beaming, tenderheart

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december 2016 ipsy bag!

hi guys! my december IPSY BAG* (theme: carpe pm) arrived so fast, contrary to last month's bag. i literally received the tracking email two hours before my mailman delivered it. wut. anyway, i'm happy it got here and i get to try some new things!  ~Lin-chan ^.~

here's my impressions:

1. royal and langnickel moda angle shader brush (full size?, ret. $7.99 for 2 brush set [$4]) -- i don't typically like using this style of brush, but considering the quality of this brand and the other brushes i have from their moda line, i'll give it a try!
• likelihood to repurchase: probably not this brush, but others
2. marc anthony deep hydrating treatment (1.69oz--mini, ret. $2.99) -- hooray for deep conditioners! try all of them. the scent is interesting, kind of argan oil-y, but powdery..ish? i'm not sure. but i can't wait to try this!
• likelihood to repurchase: maybe
3. nyx prismatic eyeshadow in bedroom eyes (1.2g--full size, ret. $6) -- i'm passing this guy along, seeing as though i bought this shade just after they came out! i have a few other colors, and i really like the formula and pigmentation, no complaints!
• likelihood to repurchase: not this shade
4. tarte tartiest glossy lip paint in wcw (1ml--mini, ret. $20 for 6ml [$3.33]) -- there's a few things i really like about this gloss, and there's one major issue that i don't want to be bothered with. the bad: this color will need babysitting, i feel like it will very easily get outside of your lip lines. and it will transfer, but it's a gloss and that's what happens. the good: the color and pigmentation are awesome. i like how balmy and not sticky it feels, and blotting it away, there is a light stain left behind.
• likelihood to repurchase: not this formula
5. aurora intensively precise eyeliner blackberry (1ml--full size, ret. $12) -- i'm not really sure who came up with the color names for these..but this is black. when i think of blackberries, i tend to think of a more purply blue type of shade..not black. but that's beside the point. this seems to be a pretty nice liner, goes on a shiny dark black. i wish the felt tip on this was designed a bit differently though. the way that i apply my liner, i need the tip to be longer, but the part that holds the tip is so much chunkier than the tip itself, it loses some of the length that i'd rather have. i think if the plastic holder was more tapered, it be easier for me to use. on another note, the tip is pretty stiff and relatively easy to make a nice wing.
• likelihood to repurchase: probably not
6. shiny burgundy fuzzy ipsy bag -- this is a cute bag for gifting, or carrying around as a mini clutch.
7. card with company info/discount codes (some codes are case sensitive)
1. royalbrush.com: 20% off purchase, code: ipsy20 (exp. 1/31/17)
2. tarte.com: 20% off purchase - some exclusions, free shipping at $25, code: ipsydec (exp. 1/10/17)
3. auroracosmeticsny.com: 20% off purchase, code: ipsy20dec (exp. 1/31/17)
4. barefootvenus.com: 15% off purchase, code: ipsy15 (exp. 12/31/16)
5. mintpear.com: 30% off purchase, must subscribe to mintpear, code: ipsy30 (exp. 1/31/17)
6. micabeauty.com: 50% off purchase, code: ipsy50 (exp. 1/31/17)
7. clearista.com: 35% off purchase, code: IPSY35 (exp. 1/31/17)
8. pinrose.com: 20% off purchase, code: IPSYLOVE (exp. 1/31/17)
9. thebalm.com: 20% off purchase, code: ipsy20 (exp. 1/31/17)
10. renskincare.com: 20% off purchase, code: IPSY20 (exp. 1/31/17)
11. makebeauty.com: 25% off purchase, US only, code: moonlight25 (exp. 1/31/17)
12. josiemaran.com: 25% off purchase, excludes 'good buy' items, code: ipsy25 (exp. 1/31/17)
13. insprbeauty.com: 50% off purchase, code: IPSY2016 (exp. 1/31/17)
14. jerseyshoresun.com: 20% off purchase, code: ipsy20 (exp. 1/31/17)
15. essencemakeup.com: 20% off purchase, code: 20ipsyessence (exp. 1/31/17)
16. briogeohair.com: 20% off purchase, code: ipsy20 (exp. 1/31/17)
17. beaugachis.com: 28% off purchase, free US shipping at $25, code: beautifulipster28 (exp. 1/31/17)
18. hikaricosmetics.com: 30% off purchase + free item, code: HIKARI30 (exp. 1/31/17)
19. emmprincess.com: free eyeshadow with purchase, code: freeshadowipsy (exp. 1/31/17)
20. nakedprincess.com: 30% off purchase, code: IPSY30 (exp. 1/31/17)
21. ofracosmetics.com: 30% off purchase, code: ipsy30 (exp. 1/31/17)
22. ciatelondon.com: 30% off purchase, code: IPSTER (exp. 1/31/17)
23. hanaleicompany.com: 30% off purchase, code: liptreament30 (exp. 1/31/17)
24. theouai.com: free travel size repair shampoo & conditioner with $45+ purchase, code: getouaied (exp. 1/31/17)
25. tinibeauty.com: 40% off $20+ purchase + free eyeliner, code: IPSYONFIRE (exp. 1/31/17)
26. ulta.com: 25% off $50 purchase, code: IPSYHEAVY (exp. 1/31/17)
27. citycolorcosmetics.com: 50% off be matte blush and be matte bronzer, code: ipsybematte (exp. 1/31/17)
28. privai.com: 20% off purchase, code: ipsy (exp. 1/31/17)

approximate product value: ~$29

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october 2015 ipsy bag

hi guys! my october IPSY BAG* has finally arrived! (theme: alter ego) the postman decided that they didn't want to deliver to our area on saturday due to the game. shame on them for not coming to our neighborhood earlier in the day! ~Lin-chan ^.~

here's my impressions:

1. theBalm meet matte hughes long lasting liquid lipstick in committed (.04oz--mini, ret. $22 for .22oz [$4] -- a lot came out on the wand for this little guy. it was kind of ridiculous. scent-wise, i do not appreciate the chocolate scent it has, but at the very least it fades within a few minutes. also, it seems to not dry down all that fast; either that or i layered too much on. it is nice that it has minimal transfer--you can see a very faint outline... shade-wise, i think this leans slightly coral for what i'd like--i think from this line, i'd be happier with charming, but i'm not totally sure.
• likelihood to repurchase: maybe
2. nourish organic pure hydrating argan face serum (.5oz--mini, ret. $23.99 for .7oz [$17.14]) -- we'll have to see how this one goes. i'm not so sure about it. for sure, this is not a great packaging idea for a serum. a squeeze tube for oil-consistency products..haha that's great! it went everywhere. anyway, it smells really good, since it's a combination of argan, apricot kernel, and rose hip oils.
• likelihood to repurchase: nah
3. emite make up professional slant tweezer (ret. 200kr [~$24]) -- is it sad that it took a pair of tweezers to pull the tweezers out of their packaging tube...? they were wrapped in plastic in the tube and the rubbery tip cap thing was off to the side, making it extremely difficult to pull out of the tube... anyway. i did not have high expectations for this product, considering how crappy their lash curler turned out to be. and those expectations were met. these are ridiculously sharp, but they have no gripping power. they're precise, but you can't even pull a hair on the first attempt with these. for this price, get yourself a good pair of tweezerman's.
• likelihood to repurchase: no
4. balanced guru scrub me body scrub (1oz--mini, ret. $22.99 for 8oz [$2.87]) -- this is coffee scented..or maybe there's coffee grounds in here. idk. i'm not going to use it though. this is an interesting one compared to most scrubs as far as formulation. it's completely dry. you're supposed to pour out a bit and scrub it into wet skin. which makes sense as far as abrasive-action, but you don't typically think of scrubs as being dry.
• likelihood to repurchase: no
5. aurora gel effect nail polish in inky dinky (.4oz, ret. $12) -- this is a really pretty indigo type color. too bad i can't try it anytime soon because of work!
• likelihood to repurchase: maybe
6. points: luxie beauty tapered blending eye brush 205 (ret. $12) -- this feels like such a nice brush. it has a lot of give to it, but it still nice and fluffy and great for blending around the crease.
• likelihood to repurchase: maybe
7. metallic gold/patent black ipsy bag -- this is a really fun bag. i like how each side is a different material and color. the inside is black.
8. card with company info/discount codes
1. thebalm.com: 20% off purchase, code: ipsy20 (exp. 11/30/15)
2. nourishorganic.com: 30% off purchase, code: ipsyface30 (exp. 11/30/15)
3. emitemakeup.com: 20% off purchase, code: ipsy20 (exp. 11/30/15)
4. balancedguru.com: 25% off purchase, code: ipsyscrubme25 (exp. 11/30/15)
5. auroracosmeticsny.com: 20% off purchase, code: ipsyoct (exp. 11/30/15)
6. micabeauty.com: 40% off purchase, code: ipsy2015 (exp. 11/30/15)
7. purlisse.com: 30% off purchase, code: ipsybb30 (exp. 11/30/15)
8. vasanticosmetics.com: 30% off purchase, code: ipsy30 (exp. 10/31/15)
9. drbrandtskincare.com: 25% off purchase, code: fall25 (exp. 11/15/15)
10. lavanila.com: 15% off purchase, code: ipsylav15 (exp. 11/30/15)
11. ayresbeauty.com: 25% off purchase & free shipping, code: ipsy25 (exp. 11/30/15)
12. coastalscents.com: 25% off purchase, code: pencil25off (exp. 12/8/15)
13. beautywithoutcruelty.com: 15% off purchase, code: ipsybwc (exp. 12/1/15)
14. myaromachology.com: 30% off purchase, code: ipsy30 (exp. 11/30/15)
15. skonecosmetics.com: 20% off purchase, code: ipsy (exp. 11/30/15)
16. drugstore.com: 15% off eau thermale avene purchase, code: ipsy15 (exp. 11/15/15)
17. heyhoney.com: 20% off purchase, code: comeclean20 (exp. 11/30/15)
18. target.com: 20% off [delectable (?)] purchase, code: delectable (exp. 11/30/15)
19. itcosmetics.com: 20% off $25 purchase & free shipping, code: itlovesipsy (exp. 11/30/15)
20. kbshimmer.com: 10% off purchase, code: ipsy10 (exp. 11/30/15)
21. royalbrush.com: 40% off purchase, code: ipsy40 (exp. 11/30/15)
22. eva-nyc.com: 55% off purchase, code: ipsyoct55 (exp. 11/30/15)
23. peterlamas.com: 20% off purchase, code: ipsyoct (exp. 12/15/15)
24. girlactik.com: 30% off purchase, code: ipsygirlactik30 (exp. 11/30/15)
25. leeanni.com: 15% off purchase, code: ipsy8 (exp. 11/30/15)

approximate product value: ~$60.01 + 12 (eye brush)

committed

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