May '13 Ipsy Glam Bag

Hi everyone! So I had a couple of other posts planned that I was going to put up before my review of the May Ipsy Glam Bag, but after the bag came in the mail yesterday I was just too excited to wait! I feel like I say this almost every month, but this month's bag is probably the best one that I've gotten so far. Every single item inside is something that I will definitely use & enjoy. The theme is Spring Fling & the bag is uber cute! Let's get to it, shall we?

Product reviews & photos AFTER THE JUMP!

First up is a Yaby concealer refill in Buff. This little pan is smaller than a quarter & fits perfectly in the GlamRX Mini Freestyle Palette that came in the March Glam Bag. I was slightly concerned when I first saw the color that I received. I thought it would be too yellow for my skin tone, but it actually works quite well. The concealer has a nice, creamy texture & it blends super easily. I wore it today in lieu of my usual Urban Decay 24/7 Concealer Pencil & I was decently impressed with the staying power. It wore off a little throughout the day in my oily zones, but then again so does every concealer on the planet pretty much so I won't fault this one.

Yaby concealer refill in Buff

Yaby concealer in Buff - swatch

Next is a Pacifica perfume roll-on in Island Vanilla. According to Pacifica's website, this perfume "sets sweet and sultry vanilla absolute, with honey-jasmine notes and a touch of fruitiness, against a deep and beautiful base of tea." However you choose to describe it, I think that this is a fresh & yummy scent that's perfect for when you don't want something too strong or heavy. I test drove it today & noticed that it does seem to wear off pretty quickly, but that's not necessarily a terrible thing. The roll-on is super portable so you can always reapply when you feel like you need a boost. This product is 100% vegan, free of phthalates, nitro-musks & benzene...plus a portion of proceeds (when purchased through Pacifica) go to the Ocean Futures Society. These roll-ons retail for $12, so the fact that I received a full sized product in a bag that only costs $10 is pretty amazing!

Pacifica perfume roll-on in Island Vanilla

It's difficult to pick a favorite item when they are all so good, but the Zoya nail polish in Blu is definitely a front runner. I was happy to receive a color that I hadn't already purchased for myself since I did buy a couple from the same collection. Blu is a full-coverage pale baby blue creme from the Spring 2013 Lovely collection. The formula here was a tiny bit on the thick side but not unmanageable. Coverage was great, opaque in 2 easy coats which was kind of surprising for a pastel. Dry time was average for a Zoya creme. I like that this color is pale without looking chalky, like there's a soft, vintage quality to it. The swatch below is 2 coats plus topcoat with a little flower sticker thrown in for good measure.

Zoya Blu

Zoya Blu swatch

Pacifica joins the party once again with Coconut Crushed Pearl Luminizing Body Butter. This lotion smells heavenly! The perfect coconut scent...natural & not plastic-y smelling like coconut scents can be at times. It's filled with tiny glitter, so if being sparkly isn't your thing then this probably isn't for you. As far as I'm concerned, life could always use a little bit of glitter! The particles are small & not garish so it doesn't have a high school dance feel, heh. Probably not something I would wear every day, but for times when a little glitz is appropriate this is a great way to get it!

Pacifica Coconut Crushed Pearl Luminizing Body Butter

I'm quickly becoming a big fan of Juice Beauty, so I was happy to see their Reflecting Gloss in this month's bag (especially since Ipsy's website says that this is a pre-launch). The color that I received is called Pink, which is descriptive I suppose but not very creative. I do enjoy this gloss, though. It's smooth, light & far from sticky. I was going through a gloss-free period in my life, generally opting for lipstick or stain instead, & recently hopped back on the gloss train. Most of them make me remember why I quit them in the first place, but not this one. It has a lot of the things that I look for in a good gloss: sheer wash of color, subtle shimmer, pleasant smell & taste. It's not very long lasting, but I didn't really expect it to be. Juice Beauty Reflecting Glosses are made with a "combination of antioxidant-rich acai and goji berries, natural minerals and sweet agave nectar" to keep your lips healthy & nourished. (The extraneous glitter in the swatch below is leftover from another product).

Juice Beauty Reflecting Gloss in Pink

Juice Beauty Reflecting Gloss in Pink swatch

The final product in my May Glam Bag is an Urban Decay Moondust Eyeshadow in Intergalactic. Per the cute little card that they included, I received this product as a thank you for being an active member of the Ipsy community. Thanks right back at ya, Ipsy! This shadow is gorgeous! First of all, the color that I received is perfect...I love wearing purple shadow/liner/etc because it brings out the green in my eyes. Secondly, the glitter/shimmer is out of this world (get it?) & I'm super excited to come up with an eye look using this bad boy. The swatch below was applied with my finger over Urban Decay's Eyeshadow Primer Potion. The card suggests using the shadow wet for a more intense look but I forgot to swatch that. Whoops! I'm going to stop blabbing so that you can look at the pretty, sparkly pics (enlarge them!)...

Urban Decay Moondust Eyeshadow in Intergalactic

Urban Decay Moondust Eyeshadow in Intergalactic

Urban Decay Moondust Eyeshadow in Intergalactic

Urban Decay Moondust Eyeshadow in Intergalactic

Urban Decay Moondust Eyeshadow in Intergalactic swatch

Is that a great Glam Bag or what?! I'm obsessed. The bag is cute, the products are great & I am a very happy camper! I can't wait to see what they have in store for the June bag. I'm so impatient, lol. Plus, I'm interested to see how the new IpsyMatch personalization tool works out. If it makes Ipsy any better than it already is, I can assure you that I'll be sticking around for the long haul!

If you decide to sign up for Ipsy (which I totally recommend!) & feel like helping a girl out with some IpsyPoints, feel free to use THIS LINK to sign up (FYI - it's my personal referral link). No pressure...either way I just want to spread the Ipsy love!