July's ipsy glam bag: Summer Lovin'

Hi, all!
This month's ipsy post is super late. The bag was delayed in Hebron, KY for many days and then it was delivered the day after we left for Disney World. (That will be another post once I've rested up.) The theme of the month is Summer Lovin'. The pattern on the bag is summery, I guess...?

I really liked everything I got, so I'll list the contents in no particular order.

1. NUDESTIX Magnetic Eye Color in Gilt - This is an eyeshadow pencil that is waterproof and smudgeproof. Gilt is a metallic gold and is straight up gorgeous. Once it sets, it doesn't budge and it doesn't crease.

I tried it on its own and with a traditional eyeshadow over it. Works beautifully both ways.

There is a sharpener that comes packaged with it.

And the sharpener fits onto the end of the pencil. Pretty neat. They also come with a case when you buy them. Ipsy subscribers didn't get the case, but honestly that's cool with me. I keep my eye pencils in a pretty cup thingy. The case would get in my way.
(Value $24.00 with case)

2. City Color Cosmetics HD Powder - City Color keeps knocking it out of the park. Their HD powder is beautiful. It's so finely milled and it leaves a soft matte finish. It's 100% silica.
(Full size value $5.99. Sample size value $3.42)

3. Jor'el Parker Classico Mini Roller -  I really like this perfume. It's so grown-up and sophisticated. That's not normally what I go for, to be honest. I tend to like smelling like a candy shop or a bakery. The website has this listed as the perfume's notes:

Indonesian Clove Bud, Australian Sandalwood, Moroccan Rose, French Bergamot, Indian Tuberose, Japanese Orange Flower, Lebanese Cedarwood, Turkish Cyclamen, South African Freesia 

Basically, it's a spicy floral.
(Value $21.00)

4. Crown Brush Professional Tweezers in Black - (I kind of wish I had gotten pink, but whatever.) These tweezers are perfectly fine. They're a good size; smaller than my other tweezers, but not too small. I seem to go through a lot of tweezers, so I was happy to get these.
(Value $6.99)

5. pūr~lisse pur-bright ultra skin brightening serum - This was some seriously good timing. I've developed some freckles this summer. I wear sunscreen daily. I even carry around two different kinds with me in my purse. I still ended up with more freckles than I find acceptable on me. I've been using this as directed both at night after washing my face and in the morning before doing my makeup. It goes beautifully under makeup. It absorbs quickly. I haven't had it long enough to notice a difference, but it hasn't broken me out. So, yay! (Side note: Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Wash Redness Soothing Facial Cleanser + pūr~lisse pur-bright ultra skin brightening serum = dill pickle scent. Just sayin'.) I've been using Murad's Rapid Age Spot and Pigment Lightening Serum for a while. The pūr~lisse one is much milder.
(Full size value $76.00. Sample size value $25.33) 

The bag - I think this month's bag is good. The print is super cute. I prefer a zipper on top rather than on the side, but that's my only real gripe. A friend of mine (Hi, Christal!) had issues with her bag. It had frayed around the seams or something. Mine was fine. Until I splashed coffee on it. But, whatever. User error.

Rewards Points Bonus: Buxom Eyeshadow Bar Single Eyeshadow in VIP & Empty Eyeshadow Bar Compacts - ipsy does this cool thing where you can review the products you got and have people sign up using your code and you get points. Points get you free stuff. Yay! I ordered this Buxom eyeshadow with my points. It came automatically with compact. Super yay!

I love a good purple, so I went with VIP. It's described as a sparkling orchid. It is a matte base with a hint of micro glitter. On the eye, the sparkle is very subtle. Even on the swatch, I had a hard time photographing it. The website describes the formula as:

A primer-infused, powerfully pigmented eye shadow refill with intense color payoff.
Featuring primer-infused technology to help keep color locked in place, this Single Eyeshadow Refill has a powerfully-pigmented formula that glides onto lids—delivering intense payoff with an ultra-luxe, powder-to-silk feel. 

I'd take that primer-infused claim with a grain of salt. I normally use an eye primer, however as an experiment (For science!) I went without it. This creased and faded pretty badly. With a proper primer, it's gorgeous and lasts all day. Moral of the story: Use an eye primer!

I was really impressed that they included the compact.

(Value Eyeshadow $12.00, Compact $2.00)

The grand total for this month's ipsy bag is $80.74 + $14.00 bonus = $94.74 not including the bag. Score!

If you're interested in signing up, you can use my referral link or just go to ipsy.com. Ipsy is a $10/month beauty subscription service that's customizable to your own tastes.

If you already get ipsy, what did you get in your bag? I'm always interested.

Love,