Bonjour! Are you managing to maintain your sanity during this brutal summer heat? It’s been a bit rough these past couple of weeks battling the heat and humidity that attacks any tiny bit of makeup on your face. Even during a heatwave, I still tend to play with a lot of makeup. I tell myself that I will once again be triumphant over Mother Nature and proceed to hose myself down in matte finish setting spray in the hopes that I don’t end up looking like, well….like this:
The middle of each month tends to sneak up on me and I’m always surprised to find my beauty subscription packages sitting at my doorstep. But this time, our newest family member Polly discovered my Glam Bag first. Polly, our very sassy pug puppy, spotted the shiny pink Ipsy envelope and chomped down with her baby piranha teeth.
After I was able to pry the envelope from her shark mouth, I excitedly opened the package. This month’s Ipsy theme is called “Dive Into Summer”. If you aren’t familiar with Ipsy, it’s a $10 a month beauty subscription service that you can check out here.
Also, if you are interested in trying your first bag for free, leave me a comment below!
Here’s what I snagged in this month’s bag:
La Beaute Fatale Lipware in Vibrate
I pretty much live my life in matte liquid lipsticks or at the very least, I reach for those with a satin finish. While I love the way glossy lips look, I loathe having to reapply a product a zillion times. I even tend to reapply my matte lipstick more than I care to if that tells you anything about my lip laziness.
But once in a while, I find myself reaching for a hydrating lipstick. So when I saw Ipsy’s description of the La Beaute Fatale lipstick that I received in my Glam Bag, I pictured my sandpaper lip transforming my lips into a luscious pucker. Here’s what Ipsy has to say about the Lipware:
And I must say, that I love this formula! With one swipe, the lipstick is rich and pigmented with a nice grip that keeps the lustrous lipstick in place. It feels moisturizing without sliding all over the place. The berry shade has blue undertones and is flipping fabulous!
And how long did it last, you may be asking? I am happy to report that the Lipware lasted for a pretty long time before it needed to reapplied. Does it stay on throughout shoveling nachos into my piehole? No. But do I expect that from a lustrous lipstick? Nope! However, it is much easier to reapply than the dreaded mess that is matte liquid lipstick.
If you’ve worn matte liquid lipstick, especially a drier formula, you know that reapplying it can be a nightmare. We’ve all been there. You’re at a restaurant and you have the leftover ring of lipstick left on your face. You attempt to gracefully remove it with your napkin but it won’t budge. You then head off to the restroom wishing that you had brought a blowtorch and a sheet of sandpaper to scrub off any remaining remnants of lipstick. Do yourself a favor and don’t keep applying layers of matte liquid lipstick over previous layers. It will most likely crack or crumble or just feel utterly gross.
I’ve learned the hard way through many awkward public moments with wonky lipstick to carry makeup remover wipes or a lipstick remover in my bag. Check out the affordable and effective Kiss It Goodbye Lip Color Remover from e.l.f. Cosmetics. It works like magic and will easily remove every tiny bit of lingering lipstick to keep you from looking like a crumbly mess.
Find La Beaute Fatale’s Lipware here.
Briogeo Scalp Revival
Anytime I receive Briogeo in my beauty subscription bags/boxes, I feel like my subscription cost has paid for itself. Briogeo creates amazing haircare products that make your hair happy. I struggle with lots of hair fallout and dryness due to health issues and medications so I’m always looking for anything to toss on my head to help alleviate my tale of hair woe.
Here’s Ipsy’s details on the Scalp Revival:
After taking a quick whiff of the product, it has a minty and fresh scent. Don’t worry, it won’t feel like you applied toothpaste on your locks. I took my time and massaged the treatment into my scalp and worked it all the way down to the ends of my hair. Its cooling sensation was pretty relaxing since it feels as if it’s been as hot as the surface of the sun recently. I then gave my hair a thorough rinse and was happy to find that it rinsed easily yet my hair felt silky.
I was a little concerned that the charcoal ingredient would zap all of the moisture from my skin and hair but the combination of ingredients, which includes tea tree oil, left my hair hydrated, less frizzy and smooth. Since I’ve only tried the product once, I’ll give an update in a few weeks to see how it holds up. But so far, it’s pretty awesome.
Find Briogeo’s Scalp Revival here.
H2O+ Beauty Oasis Ultra Hydrating Cream
H2O+ Beauty is one of those brands that you may have seen but haven’t gotten to know. Their packaging is often aqua blue or silver colors that emit the vibe of hydration. I’m often complaining about my dry skin and enjoy trying out different moisturizers in the hopes of finding the next potion that I cannot live without. Will H2O+ help to lock in moisture without causing a zillion pimples?
Here’s what Ipsy has to say about that:
I love a gel cream so I was super stoked to try this one that is labeled as “Ultra Hydrating’. I applied the cream to my skin and it absorbed quickly yet left my skin feeling dewy and plump. There was no oily residue and it fully absorbed into my skin instead of sitting on the surface. It’s been a few days of trying the cream so I will report back soon after a longer trial period. But so far, it’s a fabulous moisturizer.
Find the Oasis Ultra Hydrating Cream here.
Ofra Cosmetics Eyeshadow in Syrup
Ofra Cosmetics is a tried and true brand that creates products that are consistently awesome. If you follow any of the beauty influencers on YouTube, there’s a pretty good chance that you’ll come across a glowing review on an Ofra product (you know they’re beloved by many when their reviews aren’t sponsored). I’ve been using their products for about two years now and they continue to impress me.
Here’s Ipsy’s take on this lovely shadow:
Ofra’s individual pans are a tad pricier than some other brands but you won’t be let down from its quality. So when Ipsy tosses an Ofra eyeshadow in my Glam bag, I again get a little giddy. Valued at $15, this eyeshadow costs more than the cost of your monthly subscription.
Syrup is a luscious copper shade with a bit of gold shimmer. The shadow is smooth like butter with minimal fallout. It blends easily with zero patchiness and has good staying power. To make the shimmer have a foiled effect, hit your coated brush with a tiny blast of a fixing spray and your lids will be the envy of many.
Find Ofra’s eyeshadow here.
Manna Kadar Cosmetics Flawless Finish Dual Powder in Flawless Ivory
Manna Kadar is a brand that was launched in 2012 by French-born…you guessed it…Manna Kadar. The brand’s mission is to help you simplify your makeup routine to be done painting your face in under seven minutes. They call this the Beauty Simplified System. While I appreciate the notion that some people can do their makeup in seven minutes or less, I can assure you with 110% certainty that I will never be that person. It’s just not in my DNA! I have always taken my time applying my makeup and will always go down that rabbit hole. But that doesn’t sway me from giving the brand a try.
Here’s Ipsy’s take on the powder:
I was relieved that Ipsy sent me a shade that works with my fair skintone. I don’t use powder very often to set my makeup since I have pretty dry skin. But once in a while, I’ll tap on a touch of powder to prevent my makeup from melting off of my face.
This powder helped to set my concealer without adding texture or settling into fine lines. I was relieved that it didn’t emphasize my pores or dry out my skin. This is a nice powder to keep in my arsenal of beauty tools to prevent my makeup from sliding around on a hot summer day.
Find Manna Kadar’s Flawless Finish Dual Powder here.
To Sum It All Up
I love you, Ipsy. You keep being you. Another great month and here’s to many more.
Lipstick and Nachos 