Ipsy has been consistent in pleasing me the last few months, so I'm hoping the trend will continue.  The theme is certainly promising.  Everyone loves a little sparkle for the holidays, so "Glam It Up" should have a lot of fun little things.  I just hope that stick-on diamonds and nail art isn't one of the items in the bag - while I love painting my nails, I never do complicated designs because it'll chip off too quickly for the effort to be worth it.  I suspect that there will be a sparkling item, most likely eyeshadow, or the component for a good smoky eye look, since everyone tends to rock darker colors in the winter at holiday parties.

There's a small card tucked into the package from Michelle Phan, reminding Ipsy subscribers that each bag contains a full-sized product from em, her cosmetics line.  That means that this bag is extra-full, with six items instead of the usual five.  All I can say is Sweet! because who doesn't love a bonus item?

The bag this month is made with the skin of a shiny golden alligator.  Well, close enough.  It's a bit gaudy, but I actually like it quite a bit because it is so flashy and over the top!  It even has a wrist strap, so it could be used as a small bag - if I was capable of reducing my purse to such a small size.  I'm not, but it's a fun thought.



This month, Ipsy wants me to glam up with...

em michelle phan Lash Gallery Lengthening Mascara - Oh yay.  Another mascara.  I mean, it suits the bag theme and I'm sure it's awesome, but I just don't use mascara often enough to justify another tube of it.  Maybe it's the universe's way of reminding me to put more effort into having long lashes?  Well, it's $20 normally, so I wasn't likely to try it unless it was sent to me in a bag like this...

Be a Bombshell Lip Crayon in Hot Damn - Another brilliant bright red lip color!  Personally, I love lip crayons, but I don't know if I can carry this color off because it is such a strong, vibrant shade.  I gravitate to pinks and berries for a reason.  But perhaps this will encourage me to be bolder...  $14 at the Be a Bombshell website. There was a Be a Bombshell blush in the April 2013 bag.

Nailtini Straight Up Nail Lacquer in Caviar Cocktail - This is a shimmery silver nail polish that has a bit of blue in it, so it's actually more of a pewter or a steel gray.  I don't have a color like it (my silver is a bright-white chrome silver) and I think it'll be a great addition to my nail collection.  $13.00. There was a Nailtini polish in the July 2013 bag.

Pixi Beauty Bronzer in Subtly Suntouched - Bronzer is one of those beauty items that I feel I ought to use, but I'm not sure how.  I mean, intellectually I understand that it's for contouring and giving definition to the face, but when I'm holding the bronzer in one hand and a brush in my other, I don't quite know where to place it.  I guess now that I have this, I'd better do some experimentation.  It doesn't look too dark, so I think it'll be OK on my skin?  Sold for $18.00 on Pixi Beauty's website, but that comes with a kabuki brush, which the bronzer in the bag does not.  I'll knock off $6 for the brush and price this at $12.00. There was a Pixi Beauty Mascara in my August 2013 bag.

Starlooks Gem Eye Pencil in Amethyst - I've been enjoying my black Starlooks Kohl Pencil, so I'm quite happy to receive another pencil from the same company.  Purple has always been my favorite color for eye make-up, which makes this seem like an even better choice. It's a shiny, glittery pencil that I'm already in love with - it'll be seeing a lot of use this holiday season!  $14.00.  This is the third Starlooks product I've received from Ipsy, after the Lip Pencil in June and the Kohl Pencil in September.

GLAMGLOW YOUTHMUD TingleExfoliate Treatment - This face mask promises a "tingle-tastic tightening effect" using green tea leaf extract.  Huh.  I've never heard that green tea would tighten the skin, but I'm certainly willing to give it a shot!  This sounds right up my alley.  I love that Ipsy has been including more skin care products of late.  This stuff ain't cheap!  A full-sized pot of the face mask costs $69 - this trial-sized tube is about a third of that size, so I'll value it at $23.00.

The bonus em mascara pushed the value of this bag up to $96.00 - definitely the costliest Ipsy bag yet!  But I am thrilled with these products.  The nail polish, the eye pencil, the face mask - these will definitely go immediately into rotation, while I look forward to exploring the other items.

I'm noticing a definite trend with Ipsy bags: the same companies appear in the bags over and over.  Is this a good thing or a bad thing?  I'm not sure.  On the one hand, I've really enjoyed the Starlooks items so I smile whenever I see them, but overall I do like getting a variety of brands so that I can constantly explore new things.  Well, as long as the items received in the bags maintain this quality, I'll be pleased no matter what brand show up!

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Ipsy is a subscription service that sends a cosmetics bag filled with 4-5 products every month. If you'd like to sign up or learn more, please use my referral link: http://www.ipsy.com/?refer=u-hce07h21gn2exvq