August Birchbox vs. Ipsy Glam Bag Review

Finally. I’ve been studying for finals/travelling/busbusybusy and have been slacking on the blawg. Sorry! I definitely have a backlog of things to share with you, but let’s start with my August Ipsy Glam Bag and Birchbox reviews.

Ok. So I think switching some things around on my Birchbox profile last month has actually improved my latest box! I lowered my household income and reduced the number of skincare concerns that I have, and now I’m eligible for makeup again. Yay! My BB was much improved this month. The box was curated by Ann Taylor, although I didn’t notice the connection between the store and this month’s products.

First up, ModelCo Party Proof Lipstick ($24 for a pack of three). I was actually planning to buy this on my own, so I was super, duper excited to get one in my box. The packaging was so cute, which is an extra plus in my book! My shade was Disco Fever, a punchy orange. As you may have noticed, I will never, ever turn down orange makeup, so this is a good thing. It actually looks just like OCC Electric Grandma minus the sparkle (so maybe like regular Grandma?). Maybe a tad matte-er than I would like, because up close you can see that the coverage gets a little funky and uneven. It’s only visible if you are RIGHT UP ON MY FACE, but still. I most prefer a creamy pseudo-matte for that reason, although the matteness here does help with longevity. As you can see, this lipstick also stands alone without any other makeup, which is faaaaan-tastic. I do love a bright lip when I’m feeling lazy.

Next, Dr. Jart+ Premium Beauty Balm SPF 45+ ($39). I really like this stuff already, but since I do so much traveling I could always use a mini. For a full review, see my BB cream review here.

Violet Oasis 100% Organic Argan Oil ($39.95). This stuff felt really nice! Very smooth, and my skin felt great when I woke up in the morning. You can’t go wrong with Argan Oil.

TanTowel® Classic Formula Self-Tan Towelettes Half Body ($24 for a pack of ten). I’m sure this is great, although I am getting tired of the endless self-tanning products from BB. Maybe I need to deactivate “spf” as a skin concern as well? I can handle one self-tanner a year, that’s about it. Pale and proud.

Jasmine Seven™ Wipes ($9.95 for 30). Hand and foot cleaning antibacterial wipes? This was a really weird choice for a Birchbox product, but it’s a pretty nice thing to have and I’m keeping it in my purse anyway. It’ll probably come in handy for cleaning my hands after commuting on the train. People can be kind of icky on the El.

Ipsy was also good. This bag was “Glamour Academy” themed, and included essentially a full-face look. Thoughtful. After testing everything out, I decided that the products combined made me feel like Cara Delevingne (all about the brows), so here’s my wild-eyed Cara impression, starring everything from my August bag. I do what I want.

But seriously, there are some good things happening when you look at my normal face. See?

Urban Decay Revolution Lipstick in Anarchy ($22). Holy ish, I was skeptical, but this stuff lives up to the hype. It’s incredibly pigmented and opaque after one coat, it’s creamy, and it makes my lips look smoother. I will definitely be buying a couple of these in full size. The Ipsy promo code discount was not great (free shipping with lipstick purchase – code: IPSY), so I would recommend buying at Sephora, Ulta or Beauty.com instead because they have automatic free shipping and WAY better specials.

Bonus wear test: I washed my face later on in the night with a charcoal exfoliator (more on that in a minute) and inadvertently tested the longevity. Obviously I wasn’t exfoliating my lips, but I did rub them pretty well with water. While the creaminess went away, I was impressed with how much the stain and a little balminess remained. See?

Pixi Beauty Lash Booster Mascara in Blackest Black ($17). Meh, this wasn’t bad, but it didn’t blow me away. Sometimes mascara samples don’t do the full size tubes justice, but this mascara wasn’t as intense as I would have liked. If you like Pixi products, definitely check out the special offer. 20% off at pixibeauty.com with code pixi+ipsy through 9/1/13.

MicaBeauty Cosmetics Mineral Eyeshadow in Bronze ($14.95). This was very pretty! A nice golden copper color with a lot of metallic shimmer. It had nice color payoff even without a primer, but still blended well. 25% off at micabeauty.com with code ipsy25 through 8/31/13.

Chella Dazzling Dark Brown Eyebrow Color Pencil ($18). This was quite nice. I usually use a brow powder, but this pencil is more convenient for travel and has a nice, dark color. I especially like how fine the tip is, for a more natural look. Today, however, I went for a more intense brow, just to see how far I could take the color. Not bad! Very Delevingne-esque. Get 20% off with code BROWPENCIL through 9/15/13.

Michael Todd Jojoba Charcoal Gentle Exfoliating Facial Scrub ($18). The nice thing about this cleanser is that it promises to exfoliate without causing microlacerations. These tiny scrapes can actually widen pores, so it’s important to be careful when exfoliating. It’s black, so that’s a little jarring, but the texture is so creamy it feels whipped and it’s really comfortable. It took a long time to wash all of the grit away, but when I did, my skin felt extremely smooth. I’d definitely use it again. Get 30% off with code AUGIPSY through 9/30/13.