BEAUTY ALIXIRS

The first is the Skyn Icelands Glacial Cleansing Cloths. The pack comes with 10 single-use cloths. I'm a huge fan of cleansing wipes, especially the Neutrogena ones. However, taking a look at the ingredient list on this pack I saw the unfortunate words: "Salix Alba (Willow) Bark Extract", as well as "Benzyl Salicylate", both of which are either Salicylic Acid or some form of said acid. 

As you may know, my skin is very allergic to salicylic acid. The 2% in Neutrogena face wash was enough to cause a chemical-burn-looking rash for a week before calling down with prescription steroids. That being the case, I won't be trying out these wipes. *womp womp*

Next is the J.Cats Beauty Blinkle Shimmer Eyeshadow in 102 Tangerine Light.

The colour is a burnt reddish-orange metallic shade which really isn't my cup of tea, but I'm sure others would love.

Next is the OFRA Eyebrow Pencil. Is the shade called "Universal"? It's an ashy brown color which would probably suit a lot of hair colours. I usually use a grey eyebrow pencil (Etude House Drawing Eyebrow Pencil) as it's a more natural colour for my black hair. 

Next is the TreStique Mini Matte Lip Crayon in Florence Fig.

The shade is a dusty reddish-mauve which is great for the winter months.

The Balm's Mr. Write (Now) Eyeliner Pencil in Jac is an interesting brown-gold colour. It's an automatic pencil and comes with 0.28g of product. 

Swatches of the products from top to bottom: 

Ofra Eyebrow pencil in Universal

The Balm Eyeliner in Jac

toreutique lip crayon in Florence Fig

J.Cats shimmer shadow in Tangerine light

xoxo,

alixirs

December's Ipsy bag comes in a nifty ( albeit slightly poorly constructed) red quilted bag which I can't decide if I love or hate. In any case, on to the goodies!

This bag came with 5 products:

Tarte Smooth Operator Amazonian Clay Finishing powder 2.2g

Be a Bombshell eye liner in wild child ( black) .25g

Pacifica Natural Minerals Power of Love Powerful Color Natural Lipstick 2g

Lather Honey Moisture Mask with Propolis extract 14g

Skinn Dimitri James Sugar Lips Polishing scrub 20ml or 0.7oz

The Lather honey moisture mask  is intended to relieve "environmentally-stressed skin". If that's the case then I'm just the person to try this out! The weather in Toronto is usually very cold. Despite an unusually mild winter this year, my skin is still rather dry and chapped. 

Opening up the jar there's a plastic stopper which keeps the product from leaking out.

The product itself is a thick cream and smells like real honey!

Next is the Skinn Sugar Lips. The last lip scrub I tried was from Lush and was their Mint Julep which I adored. This scrub smells like an artificial strawberry scent, which isn't bad, but I definitely prefer the mint-chocolate scent of the Mint Julep by Lush. 

The size of the product is generous and I'm excited to try it out!

Tarte's Smooth Operator finishing powder is a transparent powder which is used to set your makeup.

I was probably the most excited to see the Pacifica lipstick.

The shade is actually a very wearable nudish pink that is very much a My Lips But Better "MLBB" shade on me.

Unfortunately the pigmentation on the eye liner was underwhelming, and with oily lids like mine I expect they'll slide right off.

Overall, I think this month's Ipsy bag's is one of the best so I've received. What do you think?

xoxo,

alixirs

Inside there are 5 "samples"

A generous sample of Smashbox Full Exposure Mascara. I've never used this mascara before, though a similar sample also came with the Smashbox Full Exposure Palette. I'm excited to see how it measures up to the drugstore mascaras I love like the Covergirl Lashblast and Maybelline The Rocket. 

This liner has a very fine, somewhat soft felt tip. Very comparable to the Stila Stay All Day Liquid liner, which is a cult favourite.

My bag also came with the Colourpop Super Shock Shadow in Stereo. This is a full sized item with a retail value of $5 USD.

Here is a swatch of both the liner and the shadow. I tried the liner yesterday and it was quite easy to use and stayed all day. The shadow is a beautiful copper-burgundy colour with flecks of gold glitter. Not a shade I would wear day to day, but it could work as a sparkly liner or an outer corner accent.

Next is the Avance Flawless Effects Skincare Mattifying Emulsion Primer. It's a generously sized sample at 0.5 oz, which is roughly half the size of a typical foundation. 

Unfortunately, for me, the formulation does contain Benzyl Salicylate and Sodium Salicylate, both of which are forms of salicylic acid, which the skin on my face is extremely allergic to. 

This primer has a nice texture and felt moisturizing on my hand, but I won't be trying it on my face as salicylic acid always leaves my skin with red rashes all over. 

All in all, I'm quite happy with this month's Ipsy bag. What's your favourite beauty subscription box?

xoxo,

alixirs