Ipsy: May 2014 Glam Bag "Beauty's Fresh Picks"

I didn't review my April Ipsy Bag - not cos I didn't get it, but cos 2 of the products had issues- the Elizabeth mott eyeshadow was missing & the Dr.Brand tube was leaking. One good thing was Ipsy responded fast and send me something to make up for it - but since it was some stuff I didn't care for - a BH cosmetics eyeshadow sample & another skincare product - I didn't feel that I can do a good review of April bag.

However May month bag is not that impressive either. In my personality quiz I'd mentioned that I am not Pro-eyeshadow or Pro-nail polish. But I have got both. However, it is not fair to grumble too much for $10, so without much ado here are the pics:

 

The bag is okay. No strong feelings about it.

The nail polish from Nailtini - again okay.. nothing great but a color that is pretty universal I guess. 

 

I am not a big fan of skin care products through samples - its pretty hard to review them unless I get a good use. However, this seems to be a fairly decent size one, so may be I can see how it works. 

Hang Ten  has one of the cheapest tackiest looking packaging I've seen in sometime. The colors are fluorescent!  However, I can always use a sunscreen and this has a fairly high SPF so let me see!

 

The color is blah, packaging is so so - but since I was interested in trying out Pacifica products, I am going to test this out. Looks like 2 safe colors, so lets see.

The last item is Avene Thermal Water - which I already have a big bottle of, so again, not excited about it.

Overall - I looked at other product offerings in this month's kit and I cant find anything I'd have preferred over this one. So well, yeah..thats how life goes! :)

Spring Colors: Hard Candy All Glossed Up Hydrating Lip Stain in Chic

I love it when I find amazing products that feel good on pockets as well. So I am very happy to introduce a favourite lip crayon of mine from Hard Candy – their All Glossed Up Hydrating Lip Stain in Chic.

Not having tried many other shades from this range, I cannot really judge very well on the range as a whole. But I do like this one and I hope others work quite as well as this.

Price – around $6 CAD from Walmart.  Hard Candy is exclusively available at Walmart stores and is not available for online purchase from Walmart.ca. 

If you check Walmart.ca here - http://www.walmart.ca/en/ip/all-glossed-up/6000096775599 , it lets you add & probably buy the lip stain, but since it doesn’t let you pick the shade, it is almost useless!

This is sad, cos as anyone who has been to Walmart here in Toronto can testify, the cosmetic section is usually a mess. Most of the products are used or opened and you just feel frustrated cos there might be something you love but cant buy cos its all smeared!

Gahhh… I hate when people do this!

Setting aside my frustrations with Walmart’s store management, this is a great product if you can lay your hands on it.

The design is nice and sturdy – the color of the casing matches the lip color as well.

Chic is a coral-peachy nude shade that somehow has enough warmth not to make my complexion go super-dull.

This is one of the few nudes that I can wear without looking like a 2-week-flu survivor.

On swatching and on my lips it comes off with a coral peachy tone but sometimes it looks like it has some hints of pink as well. 

There are no shimmers and since Hard Candy makes no crazy promises as to being long staying or super shiny etc, this happily meets my expectations – which is an average stay easy to use lip product. 

It gives a glossy finish on application but settles down to a more satiny lip butter-ish finish.

I like it that it looks very natural – the stain stays for around 3-4 hours while the glossy finish fades in around 1-2 hours.

Overall, Chic is one great color for a day wear to office or for a day out, this Spring/Summer.

So my advice is – keep visiting your nearby Walmart in the hope that someday you’ll find a piece that is not broken or used.