September Ipsy glambag: Classic beauty

{I know this is SO overdue! Where has the time gone?! I got this bag late & then was very busy so bear with me!}

September's Ipsy glambag theme was classic beauty. I'm not quite sure how these products play into that, but nevertheless.  

I also wanted to put off writing this because honestly, I didn't know how I felt about it. On one hand, I was disappointed. Not that the products I got were bad- they aren't. But because I was hoping so much I would get the Jesse's Girl liquid eyeliner along with the Butter london nail polish. I know I probably didn't get the Butter London because I got the Urban Decay lipstick last month. It's only fair.  But I WAS hoping for the liquid liner. 

All in all this month's just feels...uneventful. The products are not great, not bad. I'll use pretty much all of them. I got my money's worth. It's just nothing to write home about, ya feel me?

But alas I will go through each item with you. Mostly because while looking through blog posts last month I found that I think most subscribers got very different bags. So in that regard, I'm intrigued if not impressed.

September Ipsy glambag

This month's bag was a cobalt blue with black design that resembled lace. It's a little bright but I do like the pattern. 

Find out the contents after the jump!

John Frieda full repair shampoo and conditioner

The first and biggest things in this bag go together- shampoo and conditioner. Of course, most everyone has heard of John Frieda but, aside from the occasional  sample, I don't think I've ever tried it. I put them on the bag for size comparison's sake- as you can see they are a deluxe sample or "travel" size. 

I haven't used these yet and as I'm typing this I'm asking "WHY??" It's better than what I'm currently using- Clear for Men (what? I'm not a man?) and would probably make my like this month's bag more. Butttt since I'm clearly a little slow on the uptake, I can't vouch for these puppies yet. 

However I'm a little bit bummed out that they included these, as far as prices go. These trial size (1.5 oz) bottles can be found at Target for only $1.49.  A full size (8.5oz) bottle can be found at Ulta for $5.99

elizabeth Mott It's so big! mascara

I'll admit I was skeptical about receiving another mascara after the Pixi mascara  I got in last month's bag was a pretty big fail, especially since I have never heard of the Elizabeth Mott brand. 

Turns out, all they make is the It's So B!g mascara and a lash card- for applying the mascara.

Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures of the wand but I do have some comparison pictures of the mascara on my lashes so you can see the difference it makes!

on the left, It's so b!g, on the right, bare lashes

Sorry for the sub-par quality of my phone pics, but I will explain that later.

As you can see in this closeup, my lashes on the left look GREAT compared to my lashes on the right! The difference is obvious. I wouldn't say I was immediately impressed, but I certainly wasn't disappointed. 

I wouldn't trade my usual mascara out for this, but I am happy to use it since it does a pretty good job. 

You can find the It's So Big mascara here, where it retails for $19.99. As you can imagine, that's way out of my league for an appropriate price to pay for mascara. So while I will happily apply this until it runs out, I will not be purchasing it again.

Nyx eyeshadow single in Velvet Suede

Most people got a Nyx eyeshadow single in their bag, but few got the same color. That was exciting for me. I am already a fan of Nyx eyeshadow singles, and owe a handful already, so I'm glad I got a new shade.

Velvet Suede is a frosty baby blue. It's soft and blendable but a little too light for my tastes. You also  can barely tell it's blue in certain lights, which takes the fun out of it in my opinion. However, I am never one to shy away from eyeshadow especially from a band that I love like Nyx. 

Nyx Velvet Suede with flash

Velvet Suede swatched on bare skin

Nyx eyeshadows can be purchased at Ulta or here for $4.50

The last product in this month's bag is a Starlooks  kohl eye pencil in Obsidian.

If you've been keeping up I have received Starlooks products before in the ipsy bag and to be honest, it doesn't woo me. It isn't necessarily bad it's just nothing special. In fact I have not found myself reaching for the lip pencil even once. I have a feeling this eyeliner will be the same way. 

This is a matte black kohl liner that doesn't seem dark enough. It is the exact reason most people reach for liquid or gel liners. 

Starlooks obsidian kohl pencil swatch

 It's honestly just a typical run-of-the-mill pencil liner that I would not spend the $12 price tag for here on their website.

The first day I got the bag I actually was stuck at a friend's house with no makeup. I loved that I was able to do a pretty full face of makeup with just the contents of the bag. Everything minus the lipstick was found in this month's bag. I even filled in my eyebrows (half-assedly) with the Starlooks pencil

All in all you've got your standard 'staples' in this month's bag. Nothing too crazy. I am happy that 3 of the products were full size. And even though technically the price tag exceeds $10, I don't know if I would necessarily say it is worth that.

All together the products are worth: $39.50  and most of that is because the mascara is so expensive. 

I, of course, paid $10 flat which included shipping. 

Which is, of course, a better deal.

While I wasn't woo-d this month I am definitely not giving up on ipsy or anything. I just reviewed the products I got to give them a better idea  of what I'd like to see in the future. 

I would still say I am not regretting purchasing this every month.

If you'd like to join Ipsy you can do so by following my referral link here! I think it's a must-try for anyone who likes beauty products, surprises, and trying new brands!

Be sure to  check back next month to see if they knock it out of the park this time! Were you happy with your glambag this month? Did you get the coveted Butter London nail lacquer? Let me know!

Follow your bliss,

Ember Darling