Ipsy - Beach Beauty

I just received my first Ipsy shipment - in a hot pink bubble wrap envelope, no less.  I'm pleasantly surprised by the size of the samples, and the plastic hot pink makeup bag is very fun.  My makeup is always spread across multiple purses, buried under gum wrappers, hair ties, and quarters, and every so often I resolve to keep it all organized and edited within a cute makeup bag. I officially resolve to do so, until I stop.  And then, I guess, next month I can re-resolve with the next Ipsy shipment makeup bag.

Based on a card of products and discounts, I'm assuming that each month there are eight products of which five products are chosen for your shipment.  I cant remember if I indicated skintone when I signed up, but I do remember ranking which beauty products are most important to me (makeup vs hair products vs skin care, for example).  The Beach Beauty card indicates Benefit, Coola, Demeter, Dermale, bh Cosmetics, Nailtini, Pop, and Sexy Hair as bands for this shipment.

I received:
Healthy Sexy Hair Soy Renewal Beach Spray (I already own)
Coola Mineral Sunscreen
Pop Pouty Pop Crayon in Rose Romance
Benefit Benetint (I have owned)
bh Cosmetics California Collection eye shadows

I was a bit bummed to find products that I've already tried, but a travel size of the Beach Spray is useful (and generous for a sample).  I love the smell of this spray, which I also use as a dry shampoo.  It's perfect for the day you should have washed your hair, but just couldnt work up the energy.  And, again, it just smells like vacation.  I have tried Benetint a few times over the years and it's just not the right product for me. It's doesnt work on my skintone as a blush, as it makes me look *actual* sunburned. Not sunkissed or any other positive adjective.  It's too delicate for a lipcolor for me. I like full-on obnoxious or JLo nude for my lips.  I will do another test drive shortly to see if I've changed my mind.  Though I do find the brush extremely tickle-y.

I love trying out new sunscreens and I'm excited to try this mineral and organic one. I'm currently using Kiehl's Super Fluid UV Defense, which I love for its lightness.  I'll report back on the Coola, as the mineral sunscreens sometimes are difficult to rub in. My Kiehl's is SPF 50 and the Coola is SPF 20. As these ratings are being overhauled, it's hard to compare if these numbers even matter.

The bh eyeshadows look gorgeous. Hollywood is a dark eggplant, San Francisco is a shimmery taupe, and Malibu is a shimmery gold. You know that I'm partial to Urban Decay, so I will report back on creasing and longevity.

I am addicted to the Nars lip pencils and do not see how I will ever go back to a traditional tube of lipstick or gloss, so I am excited to try out another brand of lip pencils. The Pop crayon does not need to be sharpened, as it's a twistup (a pro over Nars) and glides on smoothly.  My particular shade is not as saturated as my Nars pencils and felt more like a tinted lipbalm.  The rose color is just slightly wrong for my skintone, but I will continue to experiment with lightening and darkening (either over another color or with a gloss on top).

Sorry for all the report backs, but I wanted to get this up fast and havent had a day to experiment (interviewing, ugh!).

In short, I'm truly impressed with Ipsy for the size of the samples, the mix of makeup and other products, and the quality of the brands. I cant wait for next month!