January Ipsy Glam Bag: Review & Swatches

The January theme of the Ipsy Glam Bag is 19 Reasons. The number indicates the number of possible brand items available in your bag, along with the discounts/offers available. It also indicates the many reasons why 2014 will be a good year. The bag itself is interesting. It works for a weekend toiletry bag, and that's about it.

To continue reading the review and see the contents of the bag, click the link below.

This is the first bag that I can remember off of the top of my head that only had one color cosmetics. This is neither good nor bad, just an observation. I like skincare products, so it's fine by me that there were a lot of those types of items.

First item in the bag is the Absolute! Makeup Cleansing Tissue. This is your typical makeup wipes. I've never heard of this particular brand before, but why not right? The wipes are nice and soft and adequately saturated. It didn't hurt my eyes when I took my make up off, and it did work well to remove eye makeup (non-waterproof kind). I'm not a fan of the fake pomegranate smell though. It lingers. As usual I have issue with the smell of something.


Malin + Goetz Mojito Lip Balm is a seemingly full-sized item in the bag. It's the type of balm that feels like vaseline/petroleum jelly when you apply it on the lips, so if you don't like that texture, you will hate this. I personally like the goopey ointment type balm for my lips. Especially at night as an extra moisture source. This is a clear formula with a very strong citrus scent with a little something else. I suppose that's where the mojito aspect of this product comes into play. I do like the texture and the product, not a huge fan of the scent, but it's bareable. It does linger though.

Benefit The Porefessional is nothing new to the scene and something I've used in the past. I'm ok with this sample though since I'm already a fan. It does help minimize (but not completely mask) some of the most obvious pores. The only issue is that it doesn't really lengthen the wear of foundation. But then again it doesn't claim it does. It has a nice, near silicone type feel. There is a tint to the product, but it's unnoticeable once blended.




Balanced Guru Balm Me Up Organic Sweet Cocoa & Tangy Body Balm is a body butter with essential oils that if formulated to help moisturize and awaken the senses without leaving a greasy residue behind. Especially useful in areas in need of extra moisture like elbows, knees, and feet. I found this to be an almost semi-solid that is very emollient and quickly spreads into the skin. At first it is greasy and leaves a sheen, but if you forget about it, the skin eventually absorb the balm. Once that occurs, there is no greasy feeling left behind. It has a nice citrus smell that is rather potent. I didn't find it to be particularly extra emollient though.

Yaby Liquid Foundation in Buff is the only color cosmetic of the bag. Unlike my last Yaby sample, this actually is very generous. There is only one shade offered in the box, and this is a little too pink for my skin tone, but not by much. It's a matte finish foundation that can cling to dry patches. It's medium to full coverage. Lasting power is average. It was actually a pretty good foundation. Not "Holy Grail" by any means, but very solid product. I found it to be useful to mix with other foundations.

Swatches

Following "swatches" are more of a closer look at the consistency of the products. First off is Malin + Goetz Mojito Lip Balm. It has the ointment type consistency, just not as thick.

Balanced Guru Balm Me Up Organic Sweet Cocoa & Tangy Body Balm has the thicker balmy/butter texture. At the same time it's very emollient.

Yaby Liquid Foundation in Buff. The more concentrated swatch on the left, and blended out on the right. The coloring is pretty close to my skin tone, just a little pink. It does blend well, and you can get a hint of the matte finish it has.

Bottom Line: Although I was happy with the contents of the bag as a whole and the variety of items available, the only thing I would definitely get a full size of is the Benefit The Porefessional. The rest of the items I didn't like the scent, or I was not blown away by it.