Lip Monthly February 2016 Unboxing

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This is my first Lip Monthly bag and I am not just excited but also have high expectations. Following my new year resolution this year to focus on myself, I jumped on the beauty subscription box bandwagon. I had subscribed to Lip Monthly in January 2016 after I saw this offer where I could receive the first Lip Monthly bag for just $5 instead of the regular price of $12.95. 

If you want to know how to get your first Lip Monthly bag for just $5, check out my Lip Monthly Review.

I just received the Lip Monthly bag in the mail today after tracking it online for a week. I was expecting a cute glossy package like some of the other subscription boxes, but it arrived in a regular yellow package. This was my first disappointment. 

This month's orange bag with red roses is kind of cute. But orange is one of my least favorite colors, so it's a bit of a bummer that I got it in my first month.

So, here is a list of items from the February Lip Monthly bag. 

1. NYC Expert Last lip Color

I got the NYC lip color in the shade Snowcone. This lipstick is creamy and smooth. Based on my prior experience I am not a fan of NYC lipsticks. I find them pretty poorly made and aptly suits its price tag of a dollar and something. I did not like the color at all and I am not sure whether I will use it. This brings me to my second disappointment. The NYC Expert Last lip Color usually retails for $1.49. 

      

2. Seraphine Botanicals Vegan Berry Tint

This is a liquid blush for lips and cheeks in the shade Berry Tint. It is really pigmented and the berry color is very bold. I had a hard time taking the swatch off. I don't think I will use it as a blush as it is too bright. I really love the color and can't wait to try it on my lips. The vegan Berry Tint is 44.8% natural, vegan, gluten-free and no parabens etc. It is also not tested on animals, which is great. It retials for $18. 

    

3. Prim Botanicals Lip and Cheek Glow

This is a hydrating lip and cheek balm in two shades. This lip and cheek balm too is vegan and not tested on animals. Both the colors are very pretty. These are very creamy and hopefully will be great both on the lips and the cheeks. It also comes with a little mirror on the lid, so it will be great for on-the-go. In it goes in my purse. This retails for $22. 

4. Harvey Prince Organics Body Cream

I got this body cream in the scent Sincerely. This moiturizing cream uses a hydrating combination of Shea Butter and Amond Oil and some French and South African extracts. It smells nice and is very light and non-greasy. It got absorbed really fast. It comes in a really small size considering it is a body cream. The Harvey Prince Organics body cream looks like a sample size and retails for $3. 

So, there were 3 lip products and 1 non-lip product . 2 of these lip products can be also be used on the cheeks. 

The total retail value of the Lip Monthly Bag of February is $45. Not bad for the $5 I paid for the bag I say! 

Overall, I am not too pleased with the bag. In terms of size, all the products have been dissatisfactory. I did not like the NYC lip color and the Harvey Prince body cream too much. Lip Monthly could have done better. My favorite product from the February Lip Monthly bag was definitely the Seraphine botanicals Vegan Berry Tint. 

I am going to give Lip Monthly another month to redeem itself before I decide on continuing my subscription. 

You might also want to read my reviews on BzzAgent, Ipsy, PINCHme, Influenster and Elite Deal Club. 

February Ipsy Glambag Unboxing

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This is my first Ipsy Glambag and I am superexcited to share its unboxing. I just subscribed in January, and this is the first Glambag I received.

What is Ipsy?

For all those who don't know about Ipsy yet, here it is in a nutshell. It is a monthly beauty subscription box. You can get 5 deluxe size samples for $10 a month. Anyone can join Ipsy and shipping is free in the US. 

If you want to know how to skip the Ipsy Waitlist and get your Glambag the very next month, you can get some helpful tips here.

What is in the bag?

This month's theme was Pretty in Pink. The products came in a cute little make-up in keeping with the love in the air. It fits well with the month of February with Valentine's Day et all! I can just keep this bag filled with all my on-the-go makeup items into my purse. 

So, here are the products I received in this month's bag:

1. Mr. Write (Now) Eyeliner Pencil

It is a crayon eye liner in the shade Jac by the Balm Cosmetics. It has a built-in sharpener in it. It has a very smooth texture and rich color. It is a fun color and you can use it to jazz up your look. This is a full size product. It retails for about $17. It actually comes in 8 shades, but Ipsy has been giving out only 2. I received the bronze color. Some of the other members have received purple.

2. Ciate mini Nail Pot

I got this nail polish in the shade 'my go to red'. It is by the brand Ciate London. These nail polishes are free of chemicals. It comes in a really cute little pot. It is pretty small for a nail polish, but when is the last time anyone has finished a nail polish? It is really thick and smooth. However, you will need 2 coats. It does not reke of that typical nail polish smell. And I loved the brush; it is so perfect for a flawless application. This size retails for $8. Yes, it is a pretty penny!

3. Dr. Brandt Pore Dermabrasion

This is  a pore perfecting exfoliator that refines the appearence of pores, deep cleans pores and smooths skin texture. It is supposed to reduce enlarged pores and mattify shine. I can't wait to try this because of late I am dealing with enlarged pores in a couple of areas on my face. Sad! This looks like a sample size. The full size retails for $15.99. 

4. Theorie Argan oil Utlimate Reform Hair Serum

It is supposed to restore moisture and impart brilliance to lackluster hair. It is made of natural ingredients like Moroccoan Argan Oil, Sunflower Seed Oil and Keratin. It smells medicinal. Again, I would love to try this and see how it works. Now I have pretty long hair and I am worried if this little bottle will be enough for a few applications. I mean till I can see if it is working. This is like a sample size I believe, and it retails for $13.99. 

5. Lip Gloss from Vintage by Jessica Leibeskind

I got it this lip gloss in shade Pink Sequin. This shiny lipgloss is supposed to give the lips a luminous shine and sophisticated shimmer. It is a cute pink color, good for day-wear. I did try it on when I went out for Valentine's day dinner. I loved the almost -nude shade with shimmer. It stayed on for a long time, but not till the end of dinner. It is a sample size. The full size retails for $21.

Overall I would say I am pretty satisfied with the contents of the bag. I liked all the products. I think Ipsy did a good job of matching my profile to the products. I am happy with the products I have tried so far. Really excited to try the others. 

Just to let you know not everybody gets the same products in their monthly Glambag. It differs according to the profile and preference of the person. I would love to know what the other Ipsters have received and if you have like the products. 

If you have not joined Ipsy yet, you can sign up here. (It has a referral code! You can use it to give me a boost)

You might also like to read about my Elite Deal Club Review, Lip Monthly Review, PinchMe Review, Skipping the Ipsy waitlist, Being a BzzAgent or Hauls.

Lip Monthly review

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If you are a lip person and love lip products this is straight up your alley.

What is Lip Monthly?

Lip Monthly falls in the catergory of affordable monthly beauty subscription boxes. It comes for $12.95 per month if you live in USA. They also have free worldwide shipping. 

You will get 4-5 full size deluxe lip products each month. Lip Monthly claims that the retail value of each of their bags will be between $35-55. Sounds like a good deal!

What can you expect?

Each month you will get a cute little make-up bag filled with lip goodies. You can get lip sticks, lip glosses, lip stains, lip liners, lip plumpers, lip balms and a lot more. The lip products you will receive can be from a variety of high-end or niche brands. They include a card inside telling you about the retail value of each product. 

Every now and then Lip Monthly tosses in a non-lip product just for fun.  

Lip Monthly does tend to repeat the make-up bags and brands sometimes though. 

My little tip:

Use the code LIPLOVER to get your first bag for $5 only! So sign up for Lip Monthly now. 

If you want to just try this subscription for a month, you can cancel anytime. So, enjoy the first bag for $5 and decide if you want to continue. 

Use the code 1STFREE if you want to receive the first bag for free in the 4 month subscription plan. 

Use the code 2FREE if you want 2 free bags in the annual subscription plan. 

If you want to give me a little boost, you can use my referral code for signing up. 

Lip Monthly unboxing coming soon. 

How to Skip the Ipsy waitlist

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Ipsy has become a very popular beauty subscription box ever since it debuted in 2010. Clearly, Michelle Phan has hit the jackpot with this budget-friedly service. So all you have to do to is pay $10 +tax for the monthly subscription box in order to get the pink glossy package in your mail.Or is it really that easy? 

Ipsy gives you 4 to 5 deluxe to full size make-up samples each month and the idea was really enticing. When I decided to subscribe to Ipsy in January 2016, I found out that Ipsy is playing hard to get. After having filled in all the details needed for registration, Ipsy tells me there is a waitlist. Well, had the waitlist been genuine like Sephora Play where you would be notified when your turn comes, I would not be complaining.

But Ipsy is playing it dirty. You actually have to go through a 4-step (and a bonus step) process to skip the waitlist! Really? Am I not paying them for this subscription already? 

Step 1 is to promote Ipsy on Facebook and give them access to post on my walls.

Step 2 is to invite my Facebook friends to subscribe to Ipsy. 

Step 3 is to subscribe to Ipsy's Youtube channel. And as if that was not enough, you also have to subscribe to their beauty experts to earn some brownie points. Thay also want the permission to post public comments on my behalf. (Honestly, who does that?)

Step 4 is to follow Ipsy on Instagram and again allow them to like and comment on my behalf. (This is crazy!)

Step 5 is to use your referral code to invite your friends to join Ipsy.

Ipsy does not charge you till you are on the waitlist. While some claim to be on the waitlist for a few month, the lucky ones get through in a month.

What is surprising is that Ipsy does not have a real waitlist. They just say so to have you as a hostage of the social networking sites. The moment you give them access to your social media, you are off the waitlist. 

So, here is how you can get off the waitlist in a matter of minutes just like I did. All you need to do is do whatever they are asking of you. Liking and following them won't really hurt. But allowing them to post and like and comment on you behalf might not sound that good. 

1. Like them on Facebook and give them permission to post on your behalf. 

2. Invite your closest friends on Facebook to subscribe to Ipsy, so that it is less embarrassing.

3. Subscribe to Ipsy on Youtube. This can actually help you get updates. 

4. Finally for Instagram do the same. Follow and give permission to like and comment.

The trick is give it an hour's time. Then go to the privacy settings of each of your accounts and revoke the permission to post or like or comment using your profile. 

The magical thing that will happen in that one hour is you will get an email saying that you are off the waitlist and you will receive the Glambag next month. Once this is confirmed you can revoke all the access and permission you had originally given Ipsy. Mission accomplished! You can skip the waitlist and still not be a slave to Ipsy on socoal media.