Ipsy: Pink Is My Signature Color

 It's that time of the month again.  I received my second IPSY bag, and this one was better than the first.  The theme of the month was Pretty In #IPSY Pink. Pink has always been my favorite color. Many of you may believe that BLACK is my favorite color, but that just isn't true.  Black is just more slimming. Dark colors make thing look smaller, lighter colors make things look bigger. Again I got 5 samples. Some of the samples were full sized.  This subscription is definitely worth the $10 a month that I pay. Because I paid the entire year, I got some $$ off. This month I actually know a few of the companies I got samples from. What's really cool is that my friend Ryan Chang also purchased a subscription. We compare the items in our bag every month.  I have to try my hardest to not peak at my goodies beforehand.  
  

  

The bag this month is totally adorable.  It's all things feminine, pink and black and hearts. The front of the bag is beaded and has an emoji letter. The back of the bag is a shiny hot pink. I love this bag and will use it all of the time. I really like this bag better than January's.  Links to all companies are below. (CF) = Cruelty Free 

The first product that I got was a lip pencil from the brand Chella Skin Care.  This is a brand that I haven't heard of. The color is Passionate Pink.  When I first pulled out the pencil, I thought it was going to be too orange for me.  I was pleasantly  surprised by the color.  It was definitely a passionate pink. I think this color is better suited for spring or summer, but with February temps in the 90's, it's pretty much summer in Southern California right now. No seasons for us, that's for sure! (El Nino is El Lame-O). I regress, the retail price of the pencil is $18 and I believe the brand is cruelty free. 

This is my new kick, I will no longer purchase brands that test on animals. This color is actually very pretty. I'm very sensitive to smells and this pencil has a smell, I can't really place it.  I only smell it when I'm putting on the lipstick, so that's good. 
Chella Skin Care (CF)

My favorite product

The next product I got in my bag was my absolute FAVORITE this month!  It's the Anti-Aging Lip and Hand Polish, by Jersey Shore Cosmetics.  OMG, I'm going to be sad when this is used up. It's a Vanilla Bean sugar scrub. The smell is divine! It reminds me of cookies baking, Snikerdoodle cookies baking (my favorite cookie). I know that this is for the lips and hands, but no, I'm only using it on my lips and I do lick them after. This products takes off the dry skin very well.  I got a 1 oz. sample, right now a set of 2 1 oz. tubes retail for $30 and they're on sale, they're usually $50. I thought they had a Strawberry flavor too.  I'm all about this company. They are EVERYTHING free, paraben, chemical, all things free and they are cruelty free. This company looks amazing and very healthy. Purchase from this company! I probably will, maybe not the lip scrub. I can make my own version at home. 
Jersey Shore Cosmetics (CF)

The third product I got was a Paula Dorf Baby Eyes Enhancer. Apparently this is for eyes or lips. Those who know me, know that this isn't happening. Eyes, lips and face just don't mix. Yuck, yuck, yuck. Anything that goes near my eyeball will not come near my mouth. I'm not a huge fan of this. It is supposed to open up my eyes and is supposed to match my skin tone on my waterline. I remember using a white eyeliner to do this. I'll stick with the white even though this is more natural

looking. It really just reminds me of a concealer pencil. I used it twice so far and I'm not impressed. A .4 oz. pencil retails for $20. The site does say that their products are not tested on animals.  For that, she gets a thumbs up. I just won't use this product often enough to make it a worthwhile purchase.  
Paula Dorf Cosmetics  (CF)

Another product that I will use all the time is my Luxie Rose Gold Define Brush #221. The handle is pink! I love this brush. So far I've used it to define my eyebrows, but it can also be used along the bottom lash line for a smokey look.  These brushes are cruelty free. This brush retails for $12. Already my bag has paid for itself and then some.
Luxie Beauty (CF)

 The final thing I got was from Smashbox. Of all of the companies, Smashbox is the one that I know the best.  I've purchased products from them in the past. I got a sample of the new Photo Finish Primer Oil. This product confuses me a bit. I'm not sure how I feel about using oil as a primer. I tried this product twice, over the weekend, under my foundation. One thing I do like is how moisturized my face felt. This is obviously for someone with dry skin. I wouldn't be able to use this product in the summer, when my skin is more oily. I've noticed recently, my skin is on the drier side. Foundation just seems to settle on my pores. That didn't happen when I used this. I did try it with a light, liquid foundation. I'm worried to try it with my BareMinerals Foundation Powder, it might make my face look muddy. I will not purchase this product. Smashbox is not cruelty free. I will use the sample that was given to me. I was recently given a sample of a Smashbox mascara. I liked how my lashes looked, but I will not buy from Smashbox because they test on animals. This primer retails for $42. 
Smashbox (NOT CF)

All in all, I loved my bag this month. I can't wait to see what March holds!