Ipsy Glam Bag: September 2014, Street Style

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I feel kind of bad for Birchbox this month, because even though I got a very good box, I was most excited for my September Ipsy to arrive.  That's for one reason and one reason only.  Do you spy it among the five items I got?

Yep, you guessed it!  I peeked in my Glam Room the second it was live to see if I got a Pacifica eye liner or nail polish.  All subscribers got one or the other.  You probably already know which I wanted.  I think I squealed when I saw this stunning Red Red Wine shade was coming.

My excitement was a bit amped up because Pacifica is a personal favorite because of my love for their Blood Orange scent and lip products.  I have been wanting to try their nail polish since I got their email announcing they had begun to offer nail polish.

All the sampling powers all aligned for me since I got something I wanted to buy anyway.  It retails for $9 so it's only one dollar less than the price of my Ipsy bag.  I feel like basically, everything else I got this month was free.  While over all, I'm sad to admit, I do prefer the Ruffian polish I added to my Birchbox this month, I had to pay an additional $26 on top of my monthly $10 subscription price to get them.

Pacifica's nail polish is 7 Free and it's formula is without parabens, phthalates (dibutyl phthalate), toluene, xylene, camphor, formaldehyde, resin, and animal byproducts.  Since it's a vegan product, and it can be hard for vegan polish to perform as well as polishes full of all the seven things it's without, I did take that into consideration.

There is one thing there is no denying.  This is one stunning color and just perfect for fall.  It's swoon worthy for sure.  It goes on deep dark red but it took three coats for it to reach the opacity I wanted.  It had a bit of a jelly quality about it too when there are fewer coats on.  I thought it was a bit streaky at first too.  I felt it was outperformed by the Ruffian trio I mentioned yesterday, many OPI polishes, and the 100% Pure polish I got in my CEW Prestige LE Birchbox.

However, if being 7 free is important to you then this is a very well performing vegan polish.  There is a fair amount of color selection.  If this becomes locally available and doesn't require me to special order it, unlike some other vegan polishes, then I would be willing to pick up a few more shades.  I'm really glad I got to try it as I've been very curious about this particular product.

Now onto the rest of my Ipsy samples. This Nourish Organic Moisturizing Cream Face Cleanser sounds great.  It's supposed to clean without drying or irritating.  The cucumber hydrates and soothes, the watercress has antioxidants.  It's fragrance free but not scent free and I cannot get past the smell, which is quite off putting, which is too bad since it's a good sized sample.

The Maybelline Face Studio™ Master Glaze™ Glisten Blush Stick in Make a Mauve is such a beautiful looking color, that I wish it was a lip product.  It's a little dark for my cheeks and little too shimmery too.  However, with a very light hand it is quite pretty and it blends nicely.  If I wanted to, I could probably make this last for years!

Next is this Briogeo Don’t Despair, Repair!™ Deep Conditioning Mask.  I've been wanting to try a hair mask but haven't had time to research which one to try.  Their site says it, "Delivers an optimal blend of transformative hair nutrients, such as b-vitamin complex, rosehip & avocado oils, collagen, and silk to restore and replenish damaged hair to a shiny, healthy & lustrous state."  I do have dry and chemically treated hair so this will be great to try.

The last sample this month comes from Be a Bombshell and it's their Smooth Criminal Powder.  I don't really get products like this so I'm not too excited about it.  I wear minimal makeup so I usually can't be bothered to use a finishing powder but I may give this a try.  I know from seeing paparazzi photos to use light hand with it or I may end up looking very weird if someone happens to take my photo!

That's my Ipsy for September, besides the Pacifica nail polish and the cute and edgy bag it wasn't too exciting but it was nice to get two full sized products.  I like the polish and will use the blush stick so it's well worth the $10, even if I don't like the hair mask - although I hope I do!  If you decide to sign up for your own Glam Bag, please consider using my referral link!