Things I did over the weekend that kept me from blogging the very last review for the month of January:  watched 3 episodes of Intervention, drank two frozen cocktails in a Stella Artois glass which may or may not be illegal, went to Ulta for a “minute” and returned about 1.45 hours later, wore an excessive amount of pajamas, went out to brunch (surprisingly while not in pajamas), transcribed a 17-year-old list of books I’ve read into the spreadsheet app on my iPad (possible evidence of nerd tendencies), and “watched” the Superbowl while thumbing through two old issues of US Weekly.

Sorry about my charmed life.  But without further ado, here’s my Ipsy:

Wish I could say this review is worth waiting for, but it’s kind of a non-event.  I don’t hate the box, but I’m not beside myself with excitement either.  The best thing about the box was right before I opened it.  That feeling is what keeps me subscribed.  Let’s begin!

First item is the La Fresh Eco-Beauty Good Day moisturizer.  It comes in a Capri Sun package.  Isn’t that nifty?  Better than one of those horrid one-time-use packets, though.  I’m thinking there’s enough in here to last a couple weeks probably.  And since it’s a day moisturizer, I’ll have to wait to use it until I’m finished with my current day moisturizer.  Should be soon, although nearing the bottom of the jar isn’t always as close as it seems.

There are a lot of conflicting reviews on the Ipsy site.  Some people said it does not smell very good, which should be the number one concern of any skincare company.  Not efficacy, but smell.  Because it’s really hard to continue using a product no matter how much of a miracle it is if the dang thing stinks.  Although I suppose I’m the least credible source for this assumption – I used an entire bottle of exfoliator made out of salmon eggs on purpose.

And then there are those who says it’s not very moisturizing and that it’s greasy, while others declare the opposite.  I guess it’s up to me to settle this debate.  So stay tuned for a future Empties post and I’ll let you know.

Well who doesn’t love getting a new makeup brush? (Crazy people.)  So while I didn’t necessarily need one, receiving this Elizabeth Mott All Over Shadow brush suited me just fine.  It’s got a pretty pink handle with lovely white and pink bristles.  Applies eyeshadow just like any standard brush, though.  I’ve had denser brushes for this purpose, but can’t say I prefer it one way or the other.  I just threw it in my brush cup and moved on with my life.  I’ll use it; what more can you expect?

Y’all know I struggle with an acute case of the Straggly Lip Skin.  I don’t know why I’m constantly picking flakes off, even though I exfoliate and lube up every evening.  Perhaps I’m using the wrong products.  My friend has used mentholatum for over 20 years and she’s never had this issue.  But then again, her husband hugs his edge of the bed for dear life because she smells like a medicine cabinet.  And while I’m not opposed to owning my 2/3 of the bed, I just haven’t went the mentholatum route yet.  Instead, I buy a lot of hocus pocus from Sephora and Ulta and just know one day I’m gonna hit the lip lottery.  Enter the Jouer Essential Lip Enhancer. Annnnd … it’s just okay.

This stuff is like a thick oil that coats and shines up your lips.  It doesn’t have the most amazing smell, but it’s not gross either.  I only use this right before bed, so I don’t know how it performs during the day, but it feels like it would protect my lips from the fan that blows straight on me for at least 8 hours straight.  In the morning, the oil has worn away and there’s minimal straggly bits, but they are not completely gone.  So for me it’s just a middle of the road product.  However, it does claim to increase the size of your lips and decrease fine lines.  Not even sure that’s an actual, possible thing in the $16 price range.  However, if you wanna pay like $600, you can achieve these results with Juvederm*.  (*Not a sponsored statement – no company gives a shit about my blog.)

Least favorite thing in the box is this BellaPierre Shimmer Powder in Whesek.  First of all, what kind of name is Whesek?  Is that a thing I don’t know about – like a new species of animal or an exotic food?  Is it a town in the English countryside?  Regardless, I didn’t even use it because how many times do I enjoy a loose eyeshadow?  If you guessed ZERO, you’d be right.  It’s just messy and annoying.  Could be the most beautiful color in the world, but I’ll never know.  Passing this along to my daughter who probably doesn’t enjoy loose eyeshadow either but does enjoy free things.  Cuz free trumps practical about 97.906764% of the time.

Last product is this Pacifica Coconut Eye Shadow in Ethereal.  Looks like a boring champagne colored eyeshadow, right?  Welll, it is.  Except I liked it a lot.  I thought it had a nice brightening effect on my eyelid, even though that could be psychological brain trickery of which I am highly susceptible.  I used it with a primer (via MAC Paint Pot in Painterly), and eyeshadow always looks better when paired with this.  It went on smooth and stayed vibrant all day.  I’ve decided to keep it, which is a pretty big deal for a basic color like this.  However, if you’re looking to buy this single, you can’t.  Pacifica only sells the Coconut eye shadow in palettes.  Luckily, they’re available and Target and therefore not super expensive.  Some good news for your Monday.

We’re done.  I have the most annoyingly ginormous Empties post to write, and I’m almost certain it’s going to take eons to finish.  I’m gonna start now so you can read it somewhere around 2017.  Laters.