Whoa, yellow!  I put some work into my photo setup this month.  I didn’t want to do the fake flower thing, and real flowers would have been more expensive. What I always have a ton of is paint, but I didn’t want to paint lots of flowers that I was going to cover up.  Instead, I ended up making a Pollock-esque background.  The print on the bag (which is the same size as last month with the zipper on the top instead of the side) is a splashy, painterly floral print.  The items in the bag (and the envelope) had plenty of blues and pinks, so I played up the yellow.  What I forgot about yellow is how ungracefully it changes between light and shadow.  

Cute bag!  This could be a spring/summer bag.  I see travel bottles of sunscreen in this one.  It’s big, it’s pretty, it’s sturdy, and the fabric lets in enough light so you can see what you’re trying to find.  Since I’ve already used it for my take-along to the Pi Day party, I’m giving it a 5 out of 5.

Dr. Brandt Skincare, Pores No More Anti-Aging Mattifying Lotion – (full-size 1.7oz 60.00) ipsy sample 0.26 oz. $9.18  I gave this a good test.  The tube says “Use AM and/or PM” so I’ve tried it out on a fresh face in the morning, a part of my evening routine, and even in getting ready for a party.  It feels like a lotion, but behaves like primer.  If you don’t massage it out completely, it dries and fills the pores and fine lines.  I’m not sure the apple stem cells really do anything for the skin in any long lasting sense, but this product does improve appearance while it’s on.  I got multiple uses out of the sample already, and I’m about half-way through the tube, so I imagine the full-size would last a month of daily use.  I don’t think I could swing $60/month, but as it gave me the best makeup night I’ve had since I started this endeavor, I would say this is a perfect product to use for special occasions.  If you’re going to a party, giving a presentation, getting pictures taken, this is the stuff you want for prep.  4 out of 5, lost point for being essentially a high-priced primer that boasts about how genetically incompatible stem cells slow the aging of skin.  It has moisturizing, priming, mattifying, pore refining, and fine line coverage down.

Sexy Hair, HealthySexyHair Soy Renewal Creme Oil – (full-size 4.2 oz. $22.95) ipsy sample 1 oz $5.46 This wasn’t an easy product for me to test, because I am not a morning shower person.  I don’t often blow dry my hair, because if I just let it air dry before bed, my big waves look great.  Also, I work mousse into my hair after my showers, so I wasn’t totally sure how I wanted to do this.  The oil should go on first to nourish and protect the hair, that’s a given, but would the mousse be necessary?  I finally got to test this in the manner it deserved before the Pi Day party.  This one takes a little time to really impress, but it does a good job.  After my shower, when my hair was still damp, I worked a light coat of the oil through my hair, paying special attention to the tips.  Without my volumizing mousse, I was afraid my hair would be limp, so I did most of my blow drying upside-down.  When dry, my hair certainly didn’t lack volume, but it felt stiffer and drier than usual and I was prepared to call this a bust.  “Blah, I’d look better if I just straightened it,” I said and went to fetch my flat iron.  I fluffed my hair with my fingers on the way back to the bathroom, but this time when I looked in the mirror, my hair looked great.  That’s how I wore it to the party.  Gradually through the night, my hair felt softer and looked even more healthy.  By the end of the night, it felt the way it feels right after a haircut (or the conditioners you get with a pack of haircolor).  4 out of 5; it works, it just takes time to fully sink in.

NYX Cosmetics, Butter Lipstick (Color: Little Susie) full-size $6 I have a couple bright pink shirts to go with this color.  It is so bright!  Strangely enough, it smells like crayons, which I think is hilarious since I’ve made the DIY crayon lipstick in a shade very close to this one.  It doesn’t have the best staying power, but it has a smoother texture than the brand’s Butter Lip Balm.  A major warning on this one: take excellent care of your lips before using this lipstick.  It clings to chapped, dry areas and makes them really noticeable.  If you are prone to chapped lips, skip this one.  The product and the wearer share 50/50 responsibility there.  Nothing is going to look great on cruddy lips, but I’ve had products that worked better to hide the problem.  As expected, I’m giving this one 3 out of 5.

Chella, Ivory Lace Highlighter – full-size 1.4g $18.00 Since I got this, I haven’t stopped using it.  Buy this!  If it goes up for ipsy reward points, I’m getting another.  Everything it says is true.  You can clean up your lip line for a crisp lipstick look, use it to highlight, shape your eyebrows, brighten your eyes, sharpen winged out eyeliner, conceal blemishes.  $18 seems like a lot for a pencil, but as many applications as this pencil covers, it will save you money from buying a handful of other products.  The texture/consistency is somewhere between concealer stick and eye pencil, in case you were wondering why you couldn’t just use one of those for everything.  As a concealer, I find it blends much easier and is less cakey that traditional concealers. 5 out of 5, I love this pencil.

MARSK, Mineral Eyeshadow – (Color: Lucky Penny) full-size 1.2g (.04oz) £14.49 -($22.11) So pretty!  Ipsy managed to nail my grey eyes with a color other than beige. Such a little tiny bit of this loose powder has so much pigment, I have to remind myself to tap the brush out really well before putting it on.  I’m sure there are less expensive loose shadows, but this it my first experience with one, and I’m definitely going to try other brands now.  5 out of 5.

Chella Highlighter *MARSK Lucky Penny with eye primer * MARSK Lucky Penny without eye primer * NYX Little Susie Lipstick

Total value: $60.75; ipsy price: $10

Overall Score: 4.3 – Solid A What surprised me the most was the pore lotion, but everything else was spot on.  This was a great bag!  My best so far.  As I’ve said in previous entries, I feel like my bag karma is stretched tight this month and next month can’t possibly compare.  That just means that some other lucky ipster will get a really awesome bag.  It could be you!  If you’re not already a subscriber and you’d like to be, I’d be so grateful if you used my referral link.  Thanks so much!