BEAUTY BOX REVIEW: IPSY DECEMBER ‘BRAVE SOUL’ BAG

purified water, aloe barbadensis (aloe vera) leaf juice*, sodium c14-16 olefin sulfonate, ocoamidopropyl betaine, sodium lauryl glucosides, hydroxypropyl sulfonate, lavandula hybrida (lavandin) oil*. pelargonium roseum (geranium rose) oil, citrus sinensis (sweet orange) oil*, cananga odorata (ylang ylang) oil*, lavandula angustifolia (lavender) extract*, calendula officinalis (calendula) extract*, nthemis nobilis (chamomile) extract*, lonicera fragrantissima (honeysuckle) extract*, cucumis sativus (cucumber) extract*, panthenol, allantoin, magnesium ascorbyl phosphate, glycerine, glycolic acid, malic acid, citric acid, tocopherol, sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate

This cleanser gave me super clear skin on my first try and I love the citrusy scent. My skin looked like it was glowing and it made me extremely happy. 3 days later I used it for the second time and again, fabulous results. A week later I used it for the third time and it turned out this cleanser is my skin’s Achilles heel. My skin broke out in little red spots in between my brows, nose and on my right cheek. It took more than a week for my skin to calm down and I’m still waiting for the spots to fully fade away. Maybe this is meant to be used once a year?

Pixi by Petra Fairy Dust (Sample size 0.6g/0.02oz) Value: ? Full size: £18.00

Ingredient list from ipsy:
mica, talc, zinc stearate, hydrophobic silicon dioxide. [+/- mica, red iron oxide, black iron oxide, titanium dioxide, yellow iron oxide]

My thoughts:

I received ‘Brightening Bare‘, a pretty shimmery nude champagne shade. I fell in love with the shade when I swatched it and fell completely out of love as soon as I attempted to apply it. Why I used the word attempted? Well, this product is a mess. I failed when I tried applying it with the applicator and then I failed again when I used a brush to pick up the product. It was super messy and I ended with the product on my nose, cheeks and sink, basically everywhere but my eye lids. Fail.

Maybe I’ll try it as a highlighter next.

NYX Cosmetics Butter Lip Balm (Full size) value: $4.00

Ingredient list from ipsy:
mineral oil / paraffinum liquidum/ huile minérale, ceresin, polybutene, octyldodecanol, synthetic wax,hydrogenated polyisobutene, silica, petrolatum, pentaerythrityltetraisostearate, butyrospermum parkii (shea) butter, helianthus annuus (sunflower ) seed oil, stearoxymethicone / dimethicone copolymer, euphorbiacerifera (candelilla) wax / candelilla cera / cire de candelilla, beeswax /cera alba / cire d’abeille, phenoxyethanol, tocopheryl acetate, bisabolol, fragrance/ parfum, citral, linalool, limonene. may contain / peut contenir (+/-): mica, titaniumdioxide (ci 77891), iron oxides (ci 77491, 77492, 77499), red 6 (ci 15850), red7 lake (ci 15850), red 28 lake (ci 45410), yellow 6 lake (ci 15985), yellow 5lake (ci 19140).

My thoughts:
Coloured lip balms can be very tricky as some tends to dry and chap my lips instead of moisturizing it. Yes, I am staring at you Maybelline Baby Lips. NYX products has never failed me so far and this was no different. I received the shade ‘Red Velvet‘, a very pretty soft red. This feels like butter, very moisturizing and it fades into a nice stain on my lips. The pigmentation is good for a lip balm and it lasts a long time too. I only have to reapply every 3-4 hours. Take note that this has a slight fruity flavour which I personally don’t mind but some of you might dislike it.

tarte deluxe lights, camera, lashes™ 4-in-1 mascara (Sample size 3mL/0.10oz) value: CAD10.00, Full size: CAD24.00

Ingredient list from ipsy:
water/aqua/eau, oryza sativa (rice) bran wax, cyclopentasiloxane, hydrogenated stearyl olive esters, stearic acid, cera carnauba/copernicia cerifera (carnauba) wax/cire de carnauba, alcohol denat., triethanolamine, candelilla cera/euphorbia cerifera (candelilla) wax/cire de candelilla, acacia senegal gum, panthenol, vp/va copolymer, phenoxyethanol, polyvinyl alcohol, aminomethylpropanediol, chlorphenesin, iron oxides (ci 77499)

My thoughts:
What can I say? The bag is not the best quality, it looks and feels cheap but hey, it’s mostly black with a splash of deep pink so I am using it to store cotton buds and hair pins. Definitely way better than the sparkly November bag which I happily threw away. Only very limited sparkles are allowed in the House of Platt.

Verdict:
I am much happier with this bag and it felt like ipsy took heed of my quiz. It did give me the feeling that it was catered to my needs so definitely a plus point. Can’t wait to see what January bag looks like!

Do you subscribe to ipsy? If yes then are you happy with your December bag?