JAN '13 Ipsy Glam Bag

Today's post isn't necessarily about nail polish (gasp!), but it does include a nail polish so that kind of counts right? We're going to broaden our horizons & explore the January Ipsy Glam Bag!

For those of you who aren't familiar with Ipsy (formerly Glam Bag), it's a monthly beauty subscription service that sends you an adorable cosmetic bag filled with deluxe samples & full-sized beauty products for only $10/month! The website itself is also a great beauty community that allows you to share looks, find out more about the products & ways to use them & to see what others are sharing. I believe there is a bit of a wait to subscribe, so if you're interested in Ipsy head over to the website & get yourself on the list.

So far I've been extremely happy with all of the Ipsy Glam Bags that I've received & the January bag is no exception. Here's what was inside!

First, the bag itself...this month's Glam Bag is a small/medium navy bag with a top zipper. The interior of the bag is a lighter blue with a star pattern & the Ipsy logo stitched onto one side.

January '13 Ipsy Glam Bag

January '13 Ipsy Glam Bag - Interior

And now for the contents! First up is the SoHo Get A Grip Eyeliner Brush. This brush has nylon bristles and what SoHo calls a "Tri-Grip Handle". I do like the ergonomic handle of this brush, but I fear that it may be a bit too "fluffy" for precise eyeliner application. Either way, I'm sure I will find a use for it in my makeup routine as it is pretty well constructed.

SoHo Eyeliner Brush

SoHo Eyeliner Brush - Close Up

Next we have Pacifica Tuscan Blood Orange Body Butter. There's not too much to say here. It smells heavenly, not artificial like a lot of orange-based scents can, & it's the perfect size to throw in a purse or bag for travel. Love it!

Pacifica Tuscan Blood Orange Body Butter

One of the things that I was most excited about receiving this month was the Josie Maran 100% Pure Argan Oil. I have a couple of other Argan oils that I've been trying out here & there, so I was happy to add this to the bunch. Since I've been sick this week I haven't been wearing any makeup, my only beauty routine has been washing my face & slathering this on & it's been taking pretty good care of me.

Josie Maran 100% Pure Argan Oil

This next item, Nailtini polish, was surprisingly the one that I was least excited about. Not excited about nail polish?! I know, right? It's nothing against the brand or anything, it's just that the only color options were the very sheer, very light pink that I received or a bright cherry red. I have enough reds & I don't really wear light sheers, so either way it would have been a bust. Oh well, this little polish will go to a deserving friend who enjoys a sheer wash of pink.

Nailtini polish in Frappe

Lastly, they included a mini can of Big Sexy Hair Spray & Play. Nothing much to say here, either. Who couldn't use a nice travel can of hairspray? This will definitely be put to use!

Big Sexy Hair Spray & Play

So there you have it! The January Ipsy Glam Bag. With the exception of the polish, I'm definitely a fan of everything included in this month's bag & will put them all to good use.

Are you an Ipsy subscriber? What did you think of this month's bag? Let me know in the comments!

JAN '13 SquareHue - Arctic Collection

I signed up for SquareHue the day I heard about it & I've been patiently waiting to receive my first box ever since! Yesterday was my lucky day I guess, because this little box of goodness was waiting for me in the mail.

SquareHue is a new polish-centric subscription service that has internet lacquerheads all atwitter, especially those of us who may have grown weary of certain other monthly polish boxes (tiny bottles, too many repeats, often poor customer service...bleh). The polishes included are 3-Free, Camphor Free, Cruelty Free & made in the USA. A subscription will run you $21/month with free shipping, which I think is totally worth it for 3 full .5oz bottles of polish! The subscription can also be paused & cancelled as you see fit. You can sign up on SquareHue's website now to secure your February box & you should probably move quickly since the January collection sold out!

The January box contains SquareHue's Arctic Collection. The polishes included are Midnight Flurries (a dusty medium blue with scattered holo glitter), Arctic Frost (a sheer white flake-ish glitter/shimmer) & Glacier Skies (a light sky blue creme). In the interest of getting these pics up as soon as I could, I swatched these on a nail wheel instead of on my own nails. My apologies, I was just SO anxious! Click any of the photos to enlarge.

Welcome to the SquareHue family!

PICS AFTER THE JUMP!