I’m just gonna go ahead and give Ipsy their props.  They are one of the best, cheapest beauty boxes available.  If you don’t believe me … well, then something is wrong with you.  I mean, definitely cheapest – it’s $10 per month.  And the quality of products you get is phenom.  Granted, you don’t always like what’s in your box, but that is typical of every box.  But I like what I get more often than I don’t.  Therefore, (and back to the point) I am right.

But I never doubted myself for one second.

Now.  Having said all that, I’m going to sound like such an oxymoron when I say that this month’s box isn’t my favorite.  Here is what I mean:

So there is a lovely little pack of makeup removal wipies from Absolute.  I’m not complaining as they are very useful, but just kind of boring.  Here’s an exact reenactment of what happened: saw makeup wipies, said oh thanks for the wipies, then tossed wipies on the bathroom counter and walked away.

Pretty noneventful, wouldn’t you say?  Excitement level: about knee-high.  Later on that evening, I did go back to the bathroom counter and used the wipies.  So take that as you may.  They were like any other wipie.  Was supposed to smell like pomegranate.  I do not know if this is an accurate claim, as I’ve never smelled a real pomegranate before.  But the wipies did smell, and not all that unpleasant, so I’m going to assume this claim is for real.

I hope you’re still reading this, because I just got bored for about 2.5 seconds.

Next up is a soy tri-wheat leave-in conditioner from Sexy Hair.  I do not know what tri-wheat is.  Nobody does, unless you are a scientist, or perhaps a farmer.  But I ran out of my 12 Benefits detangling spray, so it was nice to have something to replacement it with.  I’ve used it twice now, and I will say for me the spray is quite watery.  Does not feel very conditioning.  Although, I’m no expert on detangling spray.  So I could be spouting gibberish for all I know.  I will finish the bottle but won’t repurchase.  I like my 12 Benefits way better.

One of the most intriguing things is this Bright Skin Serum from Apothederm.  I love anything in serum form, as to me, a serum is a promise of better things to come.  Use this serum, and all your problems just go away.  The word “serum” by itself is a magic word.  I mean, don’t witches use serums?  Or maybe those crazy doctors from back in the 1800s who had weird herbs in jars and cured your tummy ache with the elixir of tree bark or something?

Maybe I’m thinking of potions.  I dunno.  Serum is a magic word, and that’s the end of that.

Anyway, the claim on this one is to brighten skin, even out skin tone, etc.  So I’m hopeful.  I just want a face like one of those Madame Tussauds wax people.  Is that too much to ask?

Also got this super skinny eyeshadow pencil from Elizabeth Mott in the shade Pearl.  I haven’t used it as part of my actual makeup look, but I did do a little sample on the inner corner of my eyelid after work one day.  It’s really sparkly.  That may be good for some people (i.e., teenagers) but I am old y’all.  I’m on the precipace of 40 and I don’t feel it’s appropriate to be dressing up my eye wrinkles in glitter.  Trust me, I’ve tried.  Might as well just put a little spotlight right on my crow’s feet for all the world to enjoy.

I say this as if I don’t wear glitter eyeshadow anymore.  And for the most part, I don’t.  But if I buy a palette, and there be something sparkly in there, I feel it’s wasteful if I don’t use it.  So I do so, but sparingly.  Which is how I’ll use this Elizabeth Mott one.

Last product in the batch, and my absolute favorite, is the tinted lip balm from MicaBeauty.  The color I got is called Natural, and it’s a really pretty rose.  The texture is quite dry/matte but in a good way.  The more you apply, the darker the lip balm is.  It can be sheer, but also very pigmented.  Do I make sense?  I hope so because I really love this product.  It is unlike any lip balm I’ve ever used.  I will most likely hit pan on this thing, unlike all the other barely dipped into lip balms I have in my bag.  In fact, I’ve left it out on my bathroom counter for convenience sake instead of locking it up in my train case full of hardly used crap.  That = love, people, trust me on this.

So I know I said Ipsy is one of my favorite bags, but according to this review it looks like it’s not.  But even with the mediocre items, I do find them all useful and well worth the $10 spent.  I am a fan.