WHY I CANCELLED IPSY

| dolledupbyj

Hi beauties,

Hope you are all doing wonderful! So after about 6 months of membership, I decided to call it quits with Ipsy. I received my May bag a few weeks ago and was once again just disappointed with my selection. The photo below is from the April Ipsy bag, but I never posted about it as I wasn’t very happy with it either.

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WHY I QUIT:

For those of you who don’t know what Ipsy is, it’s a monthly subscription box service where you get sent 4-5 sample size (and usually one full size) product per month for $10 with free shipping.  Sounds great right? Not so much for non-Americans. I live in Canada so I pay $10US plus $5US shipping plus tax. So my $10 Ipsy bag is actually a $20 Ipsy bag once the exchange rate is added in. Add that up for a year and I’d be spending $240 on sample makeup I don’t even get to pick!

Second, the bags can really pile up. What’s a girl to do with a new travel-sized makeup bag every single month? I already have like 10 different makeup bags from my regular life!

Third, I kept getting useless cheap makeup brushes that I never use. I think I’ve used one brush from Ipsy and it was a Luxie Beauty blush brush. Everything else just collects dust. That brush in the photo looks like it’s for a five year old. Why would I ever want that?!

Fourth, basically every month I’d get a mini blush or highlight but they are so hard to actually use because you can’t coat your brush with the product! I often just give up on those samples and forget about them after a few days. In one post, I literally did a side by side comparison and found my bronzer sample to be smaller than a dime. How am I supposed to have an accurate impression if I can’t use the product properly??

Fifth, they send single eyeshadows and highlights in the pan with only a paper insert. I don’t have z palettes just laying around ready, so using those loose products can be messy and nerve-wracking. What if it falls and crumbles everywhere??

Sixth, I wish you could have more of a choice. When I tried to cancel the first time, Ipsy’s customer service tried to offer me a customizable bag at no charge, but you could only customize one item per month. At least with services like TopBox, you can choose your box every month.

Seventh, they advertise a lot of high end makeup examples on their website, but what you actually get most of the time is niche indie brands. I feel like this is false advertising to lure people into signing up.

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FINAL THOUGHTS:

If you live in the US, Ipsy is a great deal and if you don’t like everything you get it’s no sweat. For me, $20CAD a month on something I’m routinely unimpressed with is a big waste of money. I’d rather buy myself sushi or a new lipstick with that money.

I should mention you do get the chance to review your bag so you get a better selection the next time, but I just don’t have time to do that every single month with every single product. Overall I think what I enjoyed most was opening something fun and new every month, but the selection of products needs work and the fact that they advertise them to be high end when you really just get random crap is annoying. I thought I was gonna test out stuff from brands like Too Faced and Benefit but that has barely happened.

Have you guys tried Ipsy? What do you think???

xo J

Marc Jacobs O!Mega Perfect Tan Coconut Bronzer Review

| dolledupbyj

Hi beauties!

 

Sorry I haven’t posted any reviews in a few weeks, I’ve gotten a second job for summer (my student loan  and credit card won’t pay itself, but one can dream!). I’ve been working every single day, sometimes doubles. A girl’s gotta do what a girls gotta do. Today however, I’m bringing you my complete review of the oh-so-coveted Marc Jacobs Tan-tastic O!mega Coconut Bronzer!

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THE DEETS:

I managed to get my hands on this during the VIB Rouge Sale at Sephora (see my giant haul here) for $59CAD. This product kept going in stock, then selling out, then sometimes was in stock miraculously, then sold out again. When I placed my order I was one of the lucky people to add it to my cart. This product was “limited-edition“, but you know how that goes these days (*cough* BECCA and Too Faced- we see you!)….I wouldn’t be surprised if they did a second run.

The frenzy around this bronzer was largely in part to it’s sleek white packaging and coconut fragrance, but also because you get a whopping 25grams of product! To contrast, Nars’ Laguna Bronzer is only 10grams for $52CAD and Too Faced’s Chocolate Soleil is only 8grams for $39CAD. Are companies ripping us off?!! Yep. 

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THE PROS:

-Sexy ass packaging

-Neutral shade (not too warm, not too cool)

-Blends like a dream

-Very pigmented (be careful!)

-Smells lovely but not over the top

 

THE CONS:

-Can look muddy if you apply too much at once

-Product is very large so it’s hard to store

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THE VERDICT:

5/5

IM IN LOVE. BTW, I haven’t ranked a product 5/5 in god knows how long, so that’s saying something.

This bronzer is everything! I used to think Nars Laguna was the best thing to happen to me, but F that. This blows that out of the park! I love love love this. The pan size is massive so you can use as big of a bronzer brush as you want, it blends so effortlessly and makes me look liked I’ve been out in the sun without looking fake and orange.

This shade looks a bit warm in certain lighting, but I’m fair skinned at the moment and find this bronzer to work perfectly on my skin. It is NOT shimmery whatsoever either, so you don’t have to worry about exaggerating textured skin. The upfront cost is steep at $59CAD, but you get 2.5x the product of most bronzers on the market! There’s just something about the formula and shade, it’s literally the “perfect tan” just like they claim.

I LOVE THIS! If it ever comes back in stock or you find it online, BUY IT.

 

xo J

 

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Honest Review of the Tarte Shape Tape Concealer

| dolledupbyj

Hello beauties!

Ah, the Tarte Shape Tape concealer. It’s probably one of the most talked about beauty products lately. It’s also famously hard to track down in Canada as none of our beauty counters have it. I decided to see if it was worth the hype and ordered it directly from Tarte (see my Tarte haul here).

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THE DEETS:

I ordered this for $31CAD in the shade ‘light sand’, a light shade suitable for skin with yellow undertones. This product is vegan and claims to provide full-coverage a creamy and blendable formula. Because this concealer is SO popular, they actually have set a limit of 2 per order.

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THE PROS:

-Attractive packaging

-Contains more product than comparable concealers

-Full coverage

-Can be worn without setting under eyes

 

THE CONS:

-Applicator is excessively large

-Doesn’t fully conceal dark circles

-Has a weird powdery look when blended out

-Easy to over-use and will look shitty if you do

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A COMPARISON OF APPLICATOR SIZE BETWEEN TARTE SHAPE TAPE (LEFT) AND NARS RADIANT CREAMY CONCEALER (RIGHT)

THE VERDICT:

3/5

Honestly guys, there was a lot of strategic hype put into this product. First, they got every high profile beauty guru talking about it, then they made it sell out all the time and made it hard to find, then they even put a limit on how many you could purchase from Tarte’s website even advertises that ‘one is sold every 26 seconds’. People always want what they can’t have or what is hard to find.

This isn’t a bad concealer, but considering it cost me $31CAD I don’t think I got my money’s worth. Yes, you get 0.33oz/9.6mL vs products like the Nars Radiant Creamy concealer or Maybelline Fit Me concealer that only contain 0.22oz/6ml, but the applicator is so large it just globs the product onto your face. You need to wipe the applicator with every use or it puts too much product on the skin. If you use too much of this, it looks like a mess.

The finish of this concealer is also weird. It does give a full to medium finish, but for some reason no matter what I’ve used to blend it out (beauty blender, brushes, fingers), it always has a weird powdery look to it once it’s blended. Also, I’ve looked in the mirror halfway though the day and been like WTF I LOOK TIRED! And it’s because this doesn’t actually camouflage my dark circles that well (even though it is full coverage), unless I use too much but then it creases. If I use just enough to get by, I can get away with not setting my under eyes but then I don’t have the coverage I want.

I’ll continue using this just because I ordered it online and online returns are a pain in my ass, but I don’t think it’s worth all the hype. I was really hoping the Shape Tape would be a cheaper replacement for my Nars, but sadly that is not the case!

 

Have you guys tried this? What are your thoughts?

xo J

HUGE Sephora VIB Rouge Sale Haul

| dolledupbyj

At laaaaaaaaast I have all of my products from the Sephora VIB Rouge sale! It’s a lot. I initially went into the sale thinking I would only buy a tinted moisturizer, a concealer and maybe a lip product. Well, I ended up saying F*** it everything’s discounted! and bought basically whatever I wanted/needed. I’m really excited because a lot of what I hauled is completely new to me which means reviews reviews reviews!

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WHAT I GOT- SKINCARE!

Clinique Go-Go Eyes Set

May Coop Raw Sauce (small size)

Herbivore Rose Hibiscus Coconut Water Face Mist

Consonant Natural Foaming Face Wash

Nude Advanced Renewal Serum + Progenius Omega Face Oil

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WHAT I GOT- MAKEUP!

Narssist Loaded Eyeshadow Palette

Marc Jacobs Limited Edition Coconut Omega Bronzer

Too Faced Melted Matte Liquified Lipstick in ‘Sell Out’

Buxom Lip Plumping Gloss in ‘White Russian’

Buxom Plumpline Lip Liner in ‘Incognito’

Maison Margiela Replica Eau de Parfum Rollerball in ‘Beachwalk’

Nars Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer in ‘Alaska’

Nards Radiant Creamy Concealer in ‘Custard’

Anastasia Beverly Hills Lip Gloss in ‘Bronzed’

Nars Pencil Sharpener

Clinique travel sized Chubby Lash Mascara

Sephora Collection Outrageous Effect Volume Lip Gloss in ‘Universal Volume’

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Total cost of this haul was just shy of $600 (excuse me while I go throw up…) and was a combination of one online order and one in-store purchase. To be fair everything I got is a practical item I will definitely use, and all of the lip products are nudes. Also instead of charging my credit card online, I purchased a gift card in-store ahead of time and used it for my order. That’s financial responsibility if I’ve ever seen it.

The Narssist Loaded Eyeshadow Palette was a luxury purchase at $74CAD, but the colours just called to me. I honestly didn’t need another bronzer, but the limited edition Marc Jacobs Omega Bronzer was actually in stock when I made my order so I thought why not? I’m especially excited to try the Buxom Plumpline Lip Liner and to enjoy the refreshing Herbivore Coconut Hibiscus Face Mist this summer.

xo J