The June Glam Bag came in from IPSY! And we have a lot to talk about. I’ve been an IPSY subscriber on and off for several years, but this is honestly the best box yet in my opinion.
First off, since I added a bunch of extra products to this box, my total ended up being $78. Obviously that’s a lot more than the $25, but there were some good deals on things I wanted to try, so there. My love language is giving gifts and I love myself very much. The product value I received, when I did the math (I can link the math at the bottom if you want) was about $350.
So IPSY sends a lot of makeup and skincare in their boxes and I ordered extra of both, so this post will just be a first impressions/opinion on the different makeup products I got/bought and how they worked together. I’ll add my first impressions of the skincare I got as well, but I need more time for an actual skincare review.
Keep in mind that my skin is unique just like yours is and I’m not saying what’s best for everyone, just that I want to share how things work with my texture (see post #1 about my skin picking and the issues from that).
My skin status is pretty good right now, I haven’t picked in weeks and I’ve been very consistent with my skincare routine (see ____, my post about my current skincare routine and struggles).
The first product I tried after giving my skincare some time to set in was the Unicorn Glow Long Wear Primer. It’s a light colored primer, definitely has a tint to it, but it went on super sheer and really nice and tacky. It says on the website that it’s supposed to help you glow, but I didn’t notice any shimmer of any kind, so maybe they just mean it keeps your foundation dewy. Either way I really liked it, it set on my skin really well and my foundation really felt like it was clinging to it.
I didn’t notice a difference in terms of how oily my skin became in my T-zone throughout the day, so I don’t think it’s targeted at oil control, which makes sense because it doesn’t claim to. I just applied it with my fingers, and I didn’t notice any kind of smell or tint to my skin once it was on there.
After I applied foundation I used a fluffy powder brush (don’t ask me why I use powder brushes for literally everything) to apply some of the Complex Culture Sun Bath Baked Bronzer in the color Play. This went on like an absolute dream. Since I’m a little more tan, the color was stunning.
A lot of fallout in the pan because this formula is very powdery, but it didn’t smudge my makeup on application at all, which is something I’m a huge fan of. I applied two layers of it to my cheekbones and one layer to my forehead and a tiny bit on my nose.
I’ve had one product from this brand in the past and loved it. so I wasn’t surprised at all that this was as good as it was – also, something to note, normally when I apply bronzer I go back and tap it out with my foundation brush just to make sure there’s no edges, but I barely had to worry about it here because the application was so smooth and I used a domed brush to keep it really even. I love this product and plan on buying it again.
After bronzer I used a smaller and slightly denser brush to apply the Araceli Las Flores Blush in Petunia and Primrose. This blush is a duo, very similar to the Juvia’s Place Blush Duos which I also use. I was actually not thrilled about this blush though; I tapped my brush off at least three times before applying, and it still went on so strong it was impossible to blend out. What’s worse, when I applied the other color on the other cheek to see the difference, I couldn’t tell at all. They both just looked like big pink blotches on my face and they wouldn’t budge.
What I ended up doing was applying more foundation to the cheek under my eyes and blending upwards over the blush I applied, which actually worked really well. I asked my boyfriend which side was better and he reminded me that he’s colorblind, so that was dumb. Anyway I wouldn’t buy it again but I’m going to try and see if using a little mixed in with my bronzer could be good as just like a one-product bronze and blush thing, because I can’t imagine being able to actually just apply it straight.
After blush I used a small domed highlighter brush to apply the Fenty Beauty Killawatt Freestyle Highlighter in Hu$tla Baby. This highlighter is going to be amazing for me later in the summer when I’m tanner, because right now it’s glowy but not really bright enough for what I like. I’m also going to try it a few more times with a smaller denser brush and see if a more condensed sparkle will stand out more on my skin. But she slays all day, I was folding laundry that night and looked up into the full length mirror on the wall and was like okiieeee, she’s still there. So I’m very happy with the highlighter and can’t wait to try it over my skin when I’ve gotten more sun.
The last product I tried with this haul was the Natasha Denona Jubilee Eyeshadow Palette, which is a 5-pan. I was over the moon to be receiving another one of these because her palettes are gorgeous in my opinion and the formula is one of the best on the market. This one didn’t disappoint for formula at all, the two transition shades are highly pigmented and you’ve even gotta be careful applying them, they’re no joke. The shimmers are gorgeous too.
The only two things I was let down on were the color choices – this palette has two transition shades, one bright yellow, one bright blue, and one deep black. I don’t really see the kind of look I can build with this, since there’s no deeper crease color to build the look besides the deep black, and I rarely use that for anything other than my roots, and it’s sparkly and I don’t like the idea of deeping my crease with sparkle, you know?. The look I tried to create was the brown in my crease, the bright yellow on my lid, and the deep black sparkle on my roots, but unfortunately the roots transferred up onto my lid over the course of the day. I use the Love+Craft+Beauty primer for my eyes which normally prevents this from happening, so I was a little disappointed.
I’m sure I can try to find a new look or add on one darker crease color to this palette to make it work out, and I’m genuinely excited to have this palette because when you reach for the shade you know it’s going to show up.
I definitely want to try more from ND.
So overall the makeup selection is great, love the bronzer that’s my favorite, love the highlighter, the blush is meh, the highlighter is gonna be great, and the new palette is workable.
Skincare, like I said, will have to be more ongoing, but I can talk a little about some first impressions so far. Last night before bed I used the Dr. Zenovia Hyaluronic Acid + Peptide Serum (which retails for like $78 btw) and it went on really nice, super smooth, and even felt glossy enough that I used my gua sha stone with it before bed. It wasn’t highly fragranced, but I liked it and since I use a hyaluronic acid serum already, it felt pretty similar to that but kinda heavier. Anyway I’ll keep everyone posted, going to use it as my night serum for a while.
I also applied the Laneige Water Sleeping Mask over that for bedtime and was happy to find it wasn’t sticky. The fragrance reminded me a lot of the Lotus Youth Preserve moisturizer from Fresh, super clean and kind of pure. I put it on probably ten minutes before bed and my skin seems very happy this morning. A lot of it appears to have absorbed overnight, because when I rinsed my face off today there wasn’t that typical film over it like overnight products sometimes leave.
The only two products I haven’t tried yet are the Starface Hydro-Star Acne Patches and the Beauty Vaulte Eyeshadow Quad in Plum. I’m somewhat interested in the patches but don’t have any current breakouts to use them on, and I honestly forgot I ordered the plum palette so I’ll have to try that out sometime.
Thanks for reading this review of IPSY Glam Bag for June! And keep an eye out for my similar Boxycharm one, just got those products in and I need to try them out as well. I’ll tag my updates under “glam bag updates” so you can go check on any of these you were interested in.
Dani
OOPS! I almost forgot to add my math:
The breakdown of item value is
Kilawatt: $38
Dr. Zenovia: $72
Denona: ~$48
Starface: $15
Araceli: $22
CCulture Bronzer: $25
Teami Green Tea Mask: $30
Unicorn Primer: $12
Plum Palette: $18
Laneige Water Mask Sample: Unknown
Yensa CBD Superfood Dual Cleansing: $38
Total was $318, and then I assumed about $30 for various shipping and handling costs that you would pay if you weren’t ordering through IPSY, so let’s call it $348. Jeez.