Welcome to Beauty Geek, our new beauty product feature on TDF! We’ll review makeup, skincare and haircare products, perfumes, and other beauty products as well as share tutorials, geeky and otherwise.
Ipsy, a beauty product subscription service, is sort of hit or miss for me. Some months, my adorable little makeup bag is full of awesome new things, and other months, I get shave lotion that smells weirdly like vomit. At $10 a month with free shipping, Ipsy is definitely a great way to experiment with products you might not have found on your own, but like any service where you get random stuff each month, you’re going to get some stuff that you like and some stuff you’ll never use again.
Luckily, my May Ipsy bag was full of great products that I will definitely use a lot.
Let’s get to the reviews.
[cracks knuckles]
Urban Decay 24/7 Glide on Lip Pencil + Revolution High-Color Lipgloss
I already love Urban Decay’s eyeshadows and eyeliners, but I haven’t ventured too far into their lip products. I have been wanting to try a clear lip liner, since some of my beloved bright lipsticks really like bleeding into the fine lines around my mouth.
LUCKY ME, I got their 24/7 Glide on Lip Pencil in Ozone! It works as a liner and a primer, and it sets your lip color so it doesn’t bleed. I haven’t had a chance to try it with a lipstick yet, but I did wear one of the two gloss samples over it and until I ate lunch, the gloss didn’t budge.
Speaking of the gloss, I’m… not a fan. The color payoff on Failbait, the pink shade, was very nice, if a little lighter a pink than I’d usually wear, but after about an hour of wear, the gloss got very sticky on my lips. That’s a dealbreaker for me; I hate sticky lip gloss. I am looking forward to trying the purple shade, but I don’t think I’ll be buying the gloss. I’ll stick to my non-sticky lipsticks.
BelláPierre Cosmetics Waterproof Mineral Gel Eyeliner Pencil in Ebony
I kept seeing BelláPierre mineral cosmetics pop up in Groupon emails, so I’d heard of this brand before this eyeliner arrived in my bag. I hadn’t seen any reviews of it, though, and none of my friends had tried it. But oh my gosh, this liner. It’s what I wish the Urban Decay Velvet eyeliner had been, an inky black liner that glides on smoothly and gives a great, dramatic line. It works well as a sharp line, and it also smudges nicely so you can smoke it out. It is waterproof, so this would be a fantastic eyeliner for a sweaty day or cosplaying purposes.
And since it’s waterproof, it takes a little effort to remove it. I took off most of it using an oil-based eye makeup remover, and while it removed the bulk of the liner, it also smeared it all over my eyes. I looked like I’d been getting makeup tips from The Winter Soldier.
Actual photo of me halfway through removing this eyeliner.
I double washed with a cleansing oil and a foaming wash, then had to use a little more eye makeup remover to get off the last smudges underneath my eyes. It came off a little more easily than some waterproof liners I’ve used, but it’s still enough of an ordeal that I won’t be using it every day.
But for cosplay? YESS.
Pixi by Petra Beauty Bronzer in Summertime
I’m not much of a bronzer sort of gal. I’m pale, I’ve come to terms with it, and I embrace my pastiness for the most part. A lot of bronzers are just too dark for my skintone and end up looking muddy if I try to use them for contouring. Pixi’s Beauty Bronzer, though, is very sheer and an absolutely lovely shade. I dusted it across my cheeks and nose, and it gave my skin a really pretty glow. You can layer it on for deeper color, and it has just the slightest hint of shimmer to it. You won’t look glittery, but it definitely gives your skin a nice sheen. I think I’ll be adding this to my summer makeup regimen.
Luxie Beauty Tapered Blending Eye Brush 205
I never know how to review brushes if I like them. Like… I liked it? I don’t know what else to say if I didn’t have a problem with it, heh. Luxie Beauty’s tapered blending brush is very soft with longer, synthetic fibers, and it picked up eyeshadow fairly well. It’s not a brush that lets you load on the color in few applications, but it’s nice that the color doesn’t stick too much to the fibers. I didn’t think the shape worked too well for applying color, but for blending, it’s great. It’s soft and full enough to get a good, widespread blend going over your whole lid or crease.
Alterna Haircare Caviar CC Cream
I didn’t take a pic of this product because it was already down in my bathroom. Hello, I’m kinda lazy. 😁
As a bit of background, I have fine, curly (type 3A/3B) hair. It’s naturally medium/dark brown, but lately I’ve been coloring it copper blonde because screw you, genetics, for not giving me red hair. My hair gets pretty dry as a result, and that combined with the curls makes it a little frizzy and unmanageable, so I’m always on the lookout for a good product that will both control my frizz and not get goopy and weigh my hair down.
I love this stuff. A little goes a long way, particularly if your hair is thin or fine. I put this in my hair before my usual (lazy) routine (braiding it while damp at night, then unbraiding in the morning and enjoying nice waves), and my hair’s been absolutely great today. The curls/waves are nicely structured and I haven’t had any frizz. I may end up buying this one.
If you’re interested in joining Ipsy, you can sign up using my referral link. I get points when you join, and then when you refer friends using your own code, you get points that can be used to get extra free stuff.
So! Here are some action shots of my Ipsy bag goodies. Make way for the selfie parade!
The final product, glasses and all.
Another angle because why not?
And a sans-glasses shot. I love how black the eyeliner is.
A closer look at the eyeliner. I’m still trying to figure out how to get good shots of my eye makeup, heh.
The rest of my makeup:
Brows: Nyx pencil in auburn
Lids: Anastasia Beverly Hills Illumin8 eyeshadow palette #4
Lashes: Benefit’s Badgal Lash
Cheeks: Physician’s Formula Argan Wear Blush in Natural
Face: L’Oreal Paris True Match Powder in Nude Beige
And I shall leave you with a shot of my hair, nicely tamed by Caviar CC Cream:
Are you an Ipsy fan? What was in your bag this month? What other subscription services do you use? Get makeup geeky with us in the comments!
