October 2017 IPSY Glam Bag Review

Guess who got suckered into the Ipsy subscriptions again?! This girl. It's been almost 3 years since I last had my Ipsy subscription, and I feel like it has improved since then. 

A little more about what Ipsy is if you don't know already. Ipsy is a monthly beauty subscription, in which you pay $10 (+ shipping brings it to around $17-18, in Canada at least) and you receive 5 deluxe size (sometimes full) products based on your customized choices. You're required to take a beauty quiz, narrowing down the types of products you enjoy, what you're willing to try, your hair colour, skin colour and all that jazz, so they can tailor your bag just for you. It's a great subscription for people who love collecting make-up, trying new products, or who are starting to enter the world of make-up and have no idea where to start. 

The reason I left Ipsy originally, was because I felt that a lot of the stuff they provided me in the bags, went to waste. I didn't use the products much, and I was accumulating so much and I couldn't keep up. Now that 3 or so years have passed, I know my way around make-up and I'm not afraid to try new things. I love switching it up, while also sticking to my holy grail products. I felt Ipsy has also stepped up their game, so I decided to give them another shot. 

If you're new to my subscription box reviews, I normally do a short mini impression on the product itself, and try and calculate the worth of the overall bag, to see if it was worth the $17-$18 I paid.

Each month, there is a new theme, and it was "spellbound". Very pretty red bag with lace printed detailing. 

Of course, finishing it off with a cute bat zipper.

Essence Satin Touch Blush in "Satin Love" (full size) - $3.99

Although a very cheap product, Essence is a wonderful brand that I've loved over the years. Their price points are hard to beat, and a majority of their products are a win in my books. 

Satin love is a pretty muted pink shade in the pan, but comes off as a very bright baby pink/mauve. Great for everyday wear, this product is very pigmented and very little effort is needed to get a good swatch of colour. 

Love love love. 

Blaq Mask (deluxe size) - $6

Black charcoal masks are totally in right now, so it's great to see that it would be in my Ipsy bag. I have yet to try this product out yet, but it would make a great addition to my travel make-up bag, if I felt my face needed a deep cleaning while on vacation! 

It Cosmetics Bye Bye Pores Pressed Powder (deluxe sample) - $10?

I've always wanted to try an It Cosmetics product, so I was happy to see this in my glam bag. Not only that, but I was happy that it was a powder!! I'm always willing to try out new powders that can keep my oily skin at bay. This definitely makes my pores disappear, and helps my make-up last a bit longer. I find really buffing it in to your trouble areas, helps blur the skin and makes your pores disappear. This stuff is amazing, and I will for sure be putting this on my list to buy, when I'm in need of a new setting powder. 

Tony Moly Peach Hand Cream (deluxe size) - $1-2?

This stuff smells amazing! I've tried Tony Moly in the past when I had an obsession with K-Beauty stuff, and I do enjoy this brand very much. Peach is one of my fav scents so this will go nice with the remaining nice weather we got in Toronto haha. 

Chella Eyebrow Pencil in Elegant Ebony (full size) - $18

I was actually excited to use this product, considering I love to fill in my brows. Unforunately, the shade itself came off a little grey on my brows, and not black. The formula itself was great, and it did a great job filling them in, but the shade didn't work out for me, even though I have black hair. I normally use a dark brown for my eyebrows, so I was hoping this would work out for me. 

Verdict:

Full Size Products: 2

Deluxe Size Products: 3

Samples: 0

Price for Bag: $10+tax/shipping=$18

Value of this months bag: $39.49

Mel's Rating: 3.5/5

For my first time being back with Ipsy after 3 years, it was a pretty good glam bag. I think I'll give Ipsy another chance, until I don't feel its worth it to me anymore. I love the opportunity to try new products, without having to commit to full sizes. It takes me a while to finish products, especially with my vast make-up collection. 

Get your Ipsy bag here. 

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Generation Beauty Toronto 2016 Experience + Haul

Generation Beauty Toronto was not on my list of things to do over the weekend, until last minute. I was told by a pr company I've been in contact with for the past week or so, that I would have the opportunity to go. I did face a couple obstacles with registration, but lucky for me, I got in!! Today I'll be sharing with you my experience with the first ever GenBeauty Toronto!

FYI, This is going to be a picture heavy post! 

If you don't know what Generation Beauty is, let me fill you in. Generation Beauty is a huge beauty event presented by Ipsy, the glam bag subscription created by Michelle Phan one of the OG's of YouTube. It's fairly popular amongst beauty lovers and creators in LA and has now expanded to New York as well. I'm forever grateful for being given the chance to attend the first overseas Generation Beauty, right in my own city of Toronto. It's a great place to make new friends, meet creators, lovers of make-up, and basically get new make-up too. 

I personally was willing to purchase a ticket for the event, when it was $100. The pioneer rate was about $60 or so, which was amazing, but sold out before I knew about it. When I was ready to purchase the $100 ticket price, those were sold out, and tickets were going for $200. I felt that was too steep for my pockets, so I had no intentions of going. I will be sharing you my experience, and also what I got from the event, to maybe help justify if it's worth going to or not. 

The previous night, I went to the gym pretty late, so I was pretty much exhausted the whole day. The event was from 11AM-5PM on Saturday, and I arrived at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre at 10AM. Already, there was one long line, and I got a spot in the second wave/line. The lines were ridiculous, who knew that many people were there! If you want to get the best products, or get to your favourite booth first, I suggest leaving bright and early, and trying to be one of the first people in line. 

Upon registration, you receive your pass that also has a booklet of coupons. These tickets allow one free item from each exhibitor booth, which allows every single attendee to receive a product from each booth. Pretty genius idea I must say, so everyone gets a fair chance at the free stuff. I had a picture of it on my Snapchat, and I totally wish I saved it! It was essentially a map of the layout of the event, with perforated tickets of the brand name all around the map. You rip the ticket off and give it to the brand booth in exchange for your free product.

The Ipsy Booth

At the Ipsy booth, when you redeemed your ticket, you got to choose 1 of 4 super cute canvas bags. Each bag had a limited edition artwork illustrated by ipsy stylists! 

They even had the print screening machines there, showing how they bags were made! 

I of course chose Michelle Phan's design. Super cute!

A place to sit, see live photos being uploaded by people hashtagging #genbeauty

The NYX booth was constantly packed, they were one of the booth's I didn't bother going to.

I decided to head to Make Up For Ever first, because I heard in the past that they gave out a full sized foundation! It definitely wasn't a full sized foundation for me, but they did have the best free items, which I'll share below when I get to the haul. I made my way around to most of the booths, except for a few where the lines were ridiculously long. I decided to save them for day 2. 

Here is my Day 1 haul, along with product names, full prices for full sized products, and estimates for the deluxe and sample sizes. I took photos of specific brands separately, that I found to have the best freebies. I will also be putting stars besides products I will be reviewing, and if theres anything you want me to review that I haven't starred, just let me know in the comments below! Enjoy! 

Day 1

Make Up For Ever

Out of all the exhibitors, Make Up Forever gave the best stuff. A lot of variety and the highest value (if I did my calculations right!).

1. Make Up Forever Charlie XCX bag - $?

2. Make Up For Ever Sens’Eyes - $13 [Deluxe Size]

3. Make Up For Ever Ultra HD Foundation - $? [Sample Size]

*4. Make Up For Ever Aqua XL Waterproof Eye Pencil in “Pastel Purple” - $25 [Full Size]

*5. Make Up For Ever Aqua XL Waterproof Eye Pencil in “Matte Black” - $25 [Full Size]

6. Make Up For Ever Duo Eyeshadows + Palette - $51? [Full Size?]

*7. Physicians Formula Super BB #Instaready Filter BB Bronzer - $19.99 [Full Size]

*8. Rock Your Hair Spray It Big Volumizing Hair Spray - $6 [Deluxe Sample]

9. Pur~Lisse Blue Lotus 4-in-1 Eye Adore Serum - $39 [Deluxe Sample]

10. Cake Beauty Delectable Everything Balm - $5.60 [Deluxe Sample]

*11. Absolute New York Velvet Lip Cream in “Terracotta” - $5.99 [Full Size]

*12. Nudestix Gel Color Lip + Cheek Balm in “Posh” - $28 [Full Size]

13. Absolute New York Intense Lip Polish in “Cerise Pink" - $5.99 [Full Size]

14. Ipsy Canvas Make-up Bag - $?

15. Skinfix Lip Repair Balm - $5 [Full Size]

16. OGX Bamboo Fiber-Full Shampoo + Conditioner - $0.30 [Sample Size]

17. Sweet Spot Labs On-The-Go Wipette - $0.35 [Sample Size]

18. PIXI Glow Mud Mask - $17.01 [Deluxe Sample]

*19. Absolute New York Velvet Lip Cream in “Mull It Over” - $5.99 [Full Size]

20. Essence Cosmetics Longlasting Lipstick in “Adorable Matt!” - $3.83 [Full Size]

21. Crown Brush Lip Liner in “Mocha” - $5.50 [Full Size]

22. Benefit Dew The Hoola Soft-Matte Liquid Bronzer - $6.75 [Deluxe Sample]

23. Royal Langnickel Eye Shader Brush -$7.75 [Full Size]

Tarte Cosmetics

Tarte was selling their products for a discounted price. I had high hopes they would be giving out their lip paints as the freebie, but I have yet to try this mascara so this is just as good!

*24. Tarte Tarteist Lash Paint Mascara - $28 [Full Size]

Nearing the last few hours of the event day, they announce that you're able to pick up your daily gift bag. I had high expectations for these bags, seeing as the ones people got in the LA GenBeauty were amazing. It was definitely not what I expected, but the value was still very good.

25. Too Faced Glitter Glue - $11.70 [Deluxe Sample]

26. Make Up For Ever Smoky Extravagant Mascara - $5 [Deluxe Sample]

27. Benefit POREfessional - $5 [Deluxe Sample]

28. NYX Butter Gloss in “Cupcake” - $8 [Full Size]

29. Tarte Powder Player Powder Brush - $41 [Full Size]

30. Crown Brush C413 Brow Duo Brush - $7 [Full Size]

31. OGX Renewing Argan Oil of Morocco Shampoo - $1.50 [Deluxe Sample]

32. Absolute New York Duo Stroke Dual Ended Precision Liner - $9.99 [Full Size]

33. Smashbox Photofinish Primer Oil - $6 [Deluxe Sample]

Grand Total of Day 1: $400.24

I left the event around 4pm, and decided for my last venture, I would go meet Saaammage. She was super friendly and absolutely gorgeous. 

Day 2

Seeing as I visited most of the booths on day 1, I came way later on day 2 since I knew I didn't have much left to do. My first stop was the Too Faced booth, and I honestly wish I came earlier for this one. 

Too Faced

See those gold coconuts? This was probably the most popular of all the booths because of the chance to win a big prize. I wasn't close enough to know what the prizes were, but you pressed a button, the coconut came down, and you won whatever it said inside the coconut. Because there was only two hours left of the event when I came, they had to shut down the coconut tree since it took too long. Quite disappointing, but we still got some great goodies from Too Faced.

I waited an hour in the line for my freebie.

*34. Too Faced Born This Way Concealer - $38 [Full Size]

35. Too Faced Melted Lipsticks in “Chihuahua” - $10 [Deluxe Sample]

Smashbox had a long line up the first day, but because I went so late and everyone went on Day 1, there was no line up at all. A lot of the booths had interactive social media campaigns. The freebie from Smashbox was a full sized primer (amazing right?), and if you liked their Instagram page and showed them you were following, you received the deluxe mascara as well!

*36. Smashbox Photofinish Hydrating Primer - $50 [Full Size]

37. Smashbox X-Rated Mascara - $?? [Deluxe Sample]

Luxie was another one of the busier booths, because a lot of people wanted to purchase the brushes they were selling. 

I was happy to see that the freebie was a highlighter brush, and a gorgeous one too. 

38. Luxie Rose Gold Tapered Highlighting Brush 522 - $31.05 [Full Size]

39. Pur~Lisse Blue Lotus + Seaweed Sheet Mask - $10.36 [Full Size]

40. Royal Langnickel Luscious Lips EZ Glam Duo - $7.75 [Full Size]

41. Cake Beauty Delectable Hand Cream - $6 [Deluxe Sample]

42. OGX Renewing Argan Oil of Morocco Shampoo - $1.50 [Deluxe Sample]

43. Pur Cosmetics Volume Vixen Mascara - $16.28 [Deluxe Size Sample]

44. Essence Long Lasting Eye Pencil in “Black Fever” - $3.22 [Full Size]

45. Glamglow Flashmud Brightening Treatment - $24 [Deluxe Sample]

46. PIXI Flawless Vitamin Veil Foundation in “Tanned” - $12.26 [DeluxeSample]

47. Skinfix Ultra Rich Hand Cream - $5.16 [Deluxe Sample]

Grand Total of Day 2: $215.58

Stuff I Purchased

I believe at all the booths except for maybe Too Faced, you were able to purchase some of the products. I bought stuff from Crown Brush, Caudalie and Cake Beauty. 

1. SS035 Medium Face Contour Brush - Retail Price: $17.49 Paid: $6.99

2. SS027 Deluxe Crease Brush - Retail Price: $12.49 Paid: $5.99

3. Caudalie Grape Water - Retail Price: $14 Paid: $13

4. Cake Beauty Delectable Everything Balm - Retail Price: $16 Paid: $10

Grand Total of Goodies from GenBeauty: $615.82!

Considering the amount of products I received, if I did pay the large sum of $200, I feel GenBeauty was totally worth it. Even though this was the first GenBeauty Toronto, the event went very smoothly, because they were experienced and prepared. If you don't like waiting in lines, then this event isn't for you. It's 90% waiting in lines for free stuff, 5% taking selfies, and 5% everything else. I went by myself and I still had an enjoyable experience. If I brought a friend the next time, it definitely would be a lot more fun. It's a great way to network with other beauty creators, and make friends who have the same interests and passion for beauty.

Compared to IMATS, Gen Beauty was a lot less stressful. The first day was stressful because I didn't really know what to expect, but the second day was smooth sailing. The lining up part gets a bit claustrophobic, but in general, the event is very spacious and not that crowded. 

Would I go again next year? If I do plan on it, I will for sure try and buy the early bird tickets. $200 is a lot to spend on a beauty event, but you do get 3x your money's worth in products.

Would you be interested in going to Generation Beauty if it came to your city?

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December 2014 Ipsy Bag Review + Why I'm Unsubscribing

I have some bad news guys. This is my last Ipsy bag. I know many of you loved reading reviews on my Ipsy bags, but I felt like it was time to move on. Let me tell you a few things about Ipsy and why I am leaving first. I've been a subscriber to Ipsy for exactly 2 years! Time definitely flies. I am unsubscribing for a few reasons. None of them are necessarily that bad, but they weren't good enough for me to want to stay.

Reason One: They advertise that the quizzes are suppose to make a "profile" for you, and that the products are catered to your needs, but most of the time, you get things you don't even want. Almost too often did I receive hair care products when I specifically noted that I don't want or like hair care products. I know it's hard to specifically match people with products, but there isn't a real reason to having a beauty quiz if it does nothing for anyone.

Reason Two: The value/size wasn't worth it really. Before, whenever I calculated the value of the bags, I always felt like I was trying to justify paying that 16-17 bucks a month. I would calculate it and say to myself "yeah, I only paid 17 bucks for 50 bucks worth of products! In the end, it is sample size and deluxe sized products, and the real point to them is that if you like them you end up buying the full size. I've had better beauty subscriptions where I received full sized products (almost all were full sized) and the value was way higher. At that point I felt like I could be spending this 17 bucks on other things instead of small products.

Reason Three: I know I'm not the only one here, or maybe I am but, I rarely use the products. I kind of felt like during this year, I was getting the bags, and then rarely using the stuff I got. So it kind of just sat there in my collection of products I haven't used yet pile. (Yes, I'm guilty of having a drawer full of products I purchased/got for free and haven't even opened yet) I kept telling myself "the bags will get better" or "if I leave now, what if there is an awesome product I'm missing out on?" Who am I kidding. If it was an awesome product, I could just buy it. I could just use this money and buy what I want, instead of getting products I may or may not use.

I'm not hating or bashing on Ipsy. I think it's a great service and it's especially amazing for those who are starting to get into make-up or love trying new things. I love trying new things, but I just felt like it wasn't worth getting a subscription of deluxe sized products I won't ever use. I don't know, maybe in the future I will subscribe again, but for now, it's a definite no. I am in the market for a new subscription box just to try out, so maybe there's hope for someone new. Sorry for rambling, but here is my last Ipsy bag review.

My December 2014 Ipsy Glam Bag

A nice overview of the products I received. 

 I like the bag for this month's compared to previous ones. I believe it was the December 2012 Ipsy bag that was the exact same shape as this bag, and I love it. I'm not a huge fan of the flat rectangular bags they gave out too often. I literally just went through the two years I've been with them and I must say, they cheaped out on the bags. The whole 2013 year had colourful awesome bags, and then we get to 2014. The only nice bags for 2014 was May and June (check it out here and here), and the rest sucked.

Cailyn Cosmetics Just Mineral Eye Polish in "Orchid" (Value: $15)

This is such a gorgeous eyeshadow colour, but I've never been a huge fan of loose eyeshadows. I don't hate them, I just don't prefer to use them. The colour is very pretty though and I feel it would go great as an inner eye shimmer. 

Beauty Without Cruelty Facial Cleanser (Value: $2.99)

Once again, a product I didn't say I wanted through the beauty quiz. Anyways, this is a vegan facial cleanser that works well for normal to oily skin. I do like that it is a cruelty free product, so that is always a plus.

Style Sexy Hair 450 Blow Out (Value: $7.58)

I hate receiving hair products in my Ipsy bags yet I always got them, UGHHH. This one is okay though because I do occasionally remember to use heat protectants in my hair. I like the brand sexy hair so I guess I may use this product one day.

Tarte Lights Camera Lashes Mascara (Value: $10)

I could of done the math wrong but apparently this mascara is worth 10 bucks. I've used this mascara numerous times in the past and it's truly a great mascara. Glad to have received this.

Nyx Butter Blam in "Marshmellow" (Value: $4)

I was happy to receive a Nyx product, but not too thrilled to see that it was a nude lip balm. I do enjoy using lip balms, but the fact that it's nude makes me feel like I probably won't be wearing this on a daily basis. 

Verdict:

In total I paid around $17 for this bag (including the shipping and taxes) and the value of my December bag was a whopping $40.57. Did I like this month's bag? Not really. I probably won't be using 2/5 products which sucks. In the beginning, I was always excited to receive my Ipsy bags until I felt like the products weren't wow-ing me anymore. I used to have a subscription box with Glossybox Canada, and I always loved the products they gave. They were honestly more useful and definitely products I would use. Occasionally we got foil packets, but otherwise all the products were full sized. Unfortunately they went out of business, but I've been informed that the US Glossybox is now available in Canada. Will I be joining? Maybe. We will just have to see. 

I hope you all have a Merry Christmas and a happy holiday. I won't be posting this Thursday as per usual since it is Christmas, so I will see you all back on my blog on Monday December 29th!

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November 2014 Ipsy Bag Review

Ipsy has won this time. If you don't remember my last month's October Ipsy Bag, I talked about how much I disliked that bag and how if this bag was just as bad, I would unsubscribe. They have definitely redeemed themselves.

November 2014 Ipsy Bag

 I definitely love the products I got for this bag.

The Bag: 

 The theme this month was "girl meets glitter", so we got a cute glittery bag. Definitely cute and I would probably use it. 

Marc Anthony True Professional Oil of Morocco Argan Oil Hairspray - Deluxe Sample ($1.35 Value)

 I'm never ecstatic about hair products but I was excited to see a hairspray. Hairspray is a hair product that any girl can use because it has a purpose, at least for me. I don't do much to my hair often, but I can use hairspray whenever I tie up my hair and want to avoid flyaways, or when I want big volume. This product also doubles as a nourishing hair care product. Awesome.

Temptu S/B Highlighter in "Pink Pearl" - Full Size! ($27.50)

 I don't know why my camera made the bottle yellow, but it was suppose to look more like an iridescent pink. Can you believe this tiny little bottle is worth almost 30 bucks? Thats crazy! I love highlighters but I always forget to use them. This highlighter is absolutely gorgeous and pearl like. 

J Cat Beauty Wonder Lip Paint in "Red Potion" - Full Size! ($4.99)

 I've been a fan of OCC Lip Tars for a while now, so I was excited to see a lip paint from another brand. It has the same consistency as a lip tar, and you do need a brush to apply this product. That was the downside to this, that they didn't provide a brush. Otherwise, I love the shade I got. At first, I thought it was going to be a deep purple/brown, but it comes out very blood red, even better.

Elizabeth Mott You're so Fine Waterproof Liquid Liner in "Glitterati" - Full Size! ($17.99)

 I was kind of disappointed that it was a glitter liner, but surprisingly the glitter isn't too noticable. I'm just waiting for the day I receive a black liquid liner in my Ipsy bag because I could use some more! This liner is black, but not super black, so a few coats is needed to get it darker. I'm glad the glitter isn't that crazy so I definitely could see myself using this on a regular day. 

Be A Bombshell Cosmetics Eye Base in "Submissive" - Full Size! ($14)

 Upon opening this product, I was not a fan of the colour. I was confused to see a very dark, brown, green looking colour inside the pot. Once I swatched it, I fell in love. It comes out as a gorgeous shimmery gold colour. This eye base is comparable to the Maybelline Colour Tattoos which are also awesome cream eyeshadows. 

Swatches: 

 From left to right: Be A Bombshell "Submissive" Eye Base, Elizabeth Mott "Glitterati" Liquid Liner, J Cat "Red Potion" Lip Paint, and Temptu "Pink Pearl" S/B Highlighter.

Verdict:

Full Size Products: 4

Deluxe Size Products: 1

Samples: 0

Price for Bag: $10+tax/shipping=$17

Value of this months bag: $65.83!!

Mel's Rating: 4.5/5

One of the best in a while!!

I absolutely loved this months Ipsy bag. They have redeemed themselves in my heart! I am still on the fence with staying with them, and December's bag will determine whether I stay or not. I actually found/been waiting to sign up for a different beauty subscription, but only will if I don't like Ipsy anymore. So far, Ipsy and I are on good terms again! 

If you are looking to sign up for Ipsy and receive awesome products like this every month, click here!

What was your favourite product? 

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