March 2014 Ipsy Bag Review: "Destination Beauty"

Huzzah, it's already time for another Ipsy bag! (A refresher: Ipsy is a makeup sampling service that sends me a little makeup bag full of 4-5 cosmetics goodies each month.) This one's theme is "Destination Beauty," which somehow denotes a connection between cosmetics and traveling, so there ya go. I don't require a theme... just give me the pretties!

The bag...

This month's bag is interesting... the pattern is a detail of a larger piece by artist Klari Reis, which is an abstract map of the city of San Francisco. (Get it? "Destination Beauty" = map? Cute, Ipsy.) For me, the beauty of the piece was lost in translation due to the scale; a smaller scale incorporating more of the image would have been much more appealing, and could have made it more clear that it was a map and not just a random, vaguely amoeba-esque pattern. The vibrancy of the colors is also muted on the bag because of the plasticky material it's printed on, which is great for bag-cleaning purposes, but not so great for translating the crisp, bright hues. I still like the bag, though, and it's already living in my purse.

The goodies...

My bag contained:

• bareMinerals Marvelous Moxie Lipstick in "Get Ready" (mini, valued at $7.50): At first glance, this pink lipstick didn't appeal to me, but it's a very pretty "my lips but better" color when applied. Smooth creamy consistency, but the jury's still out on lasting power. I usually prefer glosses to lipsticks, but isn't trying new things what a sample service is for? And I actually really like getting these mini lip products, because I almost never finish full-sized items before they pass their "use-by" date, and they take up less space in my purse, so there's that.

•  Nicole by OPI Roughles nail polish in "On What Grounds?" (full-size item, valued at $8): As soon as I saw that I'd be getting this item, I made arrangements to trade it. This is a textured polish... and the swatches that I've seen online just weren't appealing to me. The color is a lovely robin's-egg sort of blue, but honestly, to me the gritty texture makes it look like blue sandpaper, and that's just not my jam. Plenty of people seem excited about this product, though, so it was easy for me to arrange a trade for an indigo Chella eyeliner that was one of the other options this month. I've really gotten into colored eyeliners lately, because they're great for adding a little vibrant color to my eyes without looking like I just stepped out of the 1980s or got punched in the eye.

• Be a Bombshell Eyeshadow Quad in "Bora Bora" (full-size item, valued at $16): Speaking of looking like I just stepped out of the '80s, there's this eyeshadow palette. Three of the four shades are more neutral, workable hues, but then there's that BAM teal! Not sure that quadrant of the palette is going to see a lot of use, and honestly, the other three are a little more shimmery than I like, but I'm going to experiment with them and see what I can pull off.

• Pixi Beauty Flawless Beauty Primer (deluxe sample, valued at $8.80): Like the eyeshadow quad, this primer is a little more shimmery than my usual selections, but I will probably end up using it when I run out of my current bottle. I think it may just need to wait its turn until warmer weather arrives... the shimmer may work a little better with bronzed summery makeup and a bit of a tan.

So the total value of my bag this month is $40.30. I don't really care about the dollar value of items or the brand names in my bag as long as I like the products; this time, I'm trading a cheaper item for a more expensive item, but I'd also happily do the reverse if I found a less expensive item more interesting than something else in my bag. I just kind of think it's interesting to keep track of the prices for informational purposes.

In other "newly-discovered makeup obsession" news, I also received a lovely little package from City Color Cosmetics, containing three "Be Matte" blushes. These blushes were options in the February Ipsy bag, but I did not receive one, and after seeing some good reviews, I couldn't pass up an order. I've found that a lot of blushes have more sparkle to them than I like, especially for work where I don't need to be looking like a glitter explosion, so I was excited to snap this matte trio up for the loooooooow price point of $2.99 apiece!

Enough blush for a stylish army...

 From L - R: "Fresh Melon," "Dragonfruit," and "Blood Orange." These pans are HUGE... I doubt I'll have to buy blush again for a long time. (I won't be keeping the Blood Orange, though, because it's just too bright for me.) The Dragonfruit is a really pretty pink shade that's not nearly as aggressively fuchsia as it looks in the pan. The Fresh Melon is a lovely change from the usual pinks, with a coral sort of hue that I find really natural and flattering. Both are highly pigmented and very easily buildable... I have to be careful to start small so I don't end up with clown cheeks! For the price, I'm very happy with the quality of these items.

Oh, and speaking of colored liners...

Happy St. Patrick's Day! I'M WATCHING YOU... with my snazzy green eyeliner, which is the only nod I'm making to green on this goofy beer-soaked holiday. A hearty "slainte" to you, dear (probably non-existent) reader... and may you be in heaven a half-hour before the devil knows you're dead!