November 2013 Ipsy Glam Bag vs Birchbox Review

Review time! Let’s start with Ipsy this month.

I love the gold snakeskin bag with the wristlet strap! It’s obviously not high end, but it would be cute to take out for a night of drinks. This is the first wristlet I’ve gotten from Ipsy and I like how they’ve been experimenting with bag types (I have soooo many at this point).

Em Cosmetics lash gallery lengthening mascara in brown ($20)
I’ve been waiting and waiting for Michelle Phan to break down and finally include an Em product in an ipsy bag. This month she came through… and I got stuck with the only one that I didn’t want, mascara. However, it’s a very nice formula, and I actually really needed a brown mascara since I’ve been doing more natural looks. There are also 6 samples in this month’s bag instead of 5, so who am I to complain?
Em cosmetics: 30% off with code ipsy30 through 11/30/13.

Be a Bombshell Lip Crayon in Hot Damn ($14).
Nice, bright matte red that leans a little pink. I really like these solid stain products, they’re so easy to work with. The color is great and wears well, although it isn’t quite as opaque as a traditional lipstick. I still really like it and think it’s cool how the color almost integrates into your lips instead of just sitting on top of them.

Be a Bombshell: 40% off any purchase AND a free lip gloss with code ipsy40 through 12/15/13.

Nailtini Straight Up Color Nail Lacquer in Caviar Cocktail ($13).
Yaaaaay, more Nailtini nail polish! I love them so much. This one is a really pretty metallic gunmetal, although it is basically identical to the the nail polish I got from Birchbox this month. See?

Tini Beauty: 50% off a $25 purchase AND a free eyeliner with code ipsy4glam through 12/31/13. This is a super good deal!

Pixi Beauty Bronzer in Subtly Suntouched ($18).
A nice, subtle, matte bronzer. Very blendable, not overpowering, although I’m guessing this shade would only show up on really pale girls like me. This is great for contouring, and even better when paired with the highlighting crayon from this month’s Birchbox!
Pixi Beauty: 25% off with code bronzepixi through 12/15/13.

Starlooks Gem Eye Pencils ($14).
So far I’ve gotten a Starlooks lip pencil that was good, then a Starlooks black eyeliner that wasn’t so great, and today I got this lavender glitter liner and didn’t know what to expect. It ended up being great! Very smooth, very glittery but no fallout. It’s a very light purple color, so it doesn’t completely stand alone, but it’s an excellent accent color.

Starlooks: 40% off with code ipsy through 12/15/13.

HSI Professional Argan Oil ($29.99).
I can always use more Argan oil, although I have quite a lot at this point. If you don’t, then this discount code might be a good time to try it out.
HSI Professional: 50% off with code ipsy50ss through 12/20/13.

Additional codes from this month’s bag:
Cailyn Cosmetics: 30% off any purchase with code ipsy30 through 12/15/13.
BH Cosmetics Galaxy Chic Baked Eyeshadow Palette 20% off with code ipsy20 through 12/31/13.

And here’s November’s Birchbox:

Color Club® Cocktail Hour Collection in Dark n’ Stormy ($8).
Yeah, so I love the color and I love Color Club’s formula, but how funny is it that it’s so close to my ipsy polish? Here they are swatched side by side. Nailtini Caviar Cocktail is on my thumb and Color Club Dark n’ Stormy is on my index finger. Dark n’ Stormy leans slightly bluer while Caviar Cocktail is a truer grey.

Chella Highlighter Pencil in Ivory Lace ($18).
More full sized stuff (and a frequent ipsy brand). This is super great, I’ve gotten more into highlighting, so this is nice for when I’m on the run and don’t want to pack a highlighting powder and brush. It’s matte, so it’s sort of like a concealer pencil. As such, I used it to line the outside of my lips to prevent feathering. Multi-tasker! This also comes in different colors to match different skintones, which I love.

It’s a 10® Miracle Leave-In Product ($11.69).
Miracle? I dunno about miraculous, but it does leave my hair smooth and soft. I do like it, and was happy to get a full size product from Birchbox.

Tiossan Body Cream ($38).
It’s a whipped lotion, although it has a pleasant, light scent. It definitely moisturizes and absorbs well, I just wouldn’t pay 40 bucks. I’m also super cheap.

Chuao Chocolatier Chocolate Bars in Pop Corn Pop ($6).
Ooooo, I’m on a super strict low carb diet (keto forever!) so I was going to give it to someone. Then again, I also feel like I deserve to break the diet from time to time. The last few days have been stressful and I really needed a special treat, so this was a good way to be bad, but not too bad. The chocolate was so tasty and it had pop rocks in it! Totally worth the sugar.

And now we have swatches. L-R we have blended Chella pencil, Unblended Chella, Starlooks Gem Liner, Be a Bomshell Hot Damn Chubby Lip Pencil and the Pixi pronzer, which you basically can’t see (it is subtle, but in person it works).

My arm is actually even paler than my face, so these swatches are slightly skewed. Below you can see all of my November products in action: