Nothing quite brightens my day like seeing that pink bubblewrap envelope from ipsy. This month’s theme is Pretty in Paradise and is all about achieving that gorgeous summer look. I’ve been trying out these products for a few weeks, so here’s my verdict on June’s ipsy bag.

As most of you know, ipsy is a service that for $10 a month sends you 4-5 sample or full size beauty products. Ipsy also provides discounts from many of their monthly products, which is a heady drug for us beauty addicts. In the three months I’ve been an ipsy subscriber I have really enjoyed the service and trying new things. If you’re interested in joining up, use this link here to get started.

June Ipsy Bag

Every once in a while my inner label whore wants attention, and boy is she happy right now! This month’s ipsy bag was specially designed by Rebecca Minkoff to coordinate with her 2014 summer collection. I can’t afford anything else this woman creates but dang does it feel good to have this little makeup bag. And it’s really adorable. Not too thrilled by the zipper location though; it sometimes makes larger products awkward to fit into the bag. Ipsters also receive 20% off at rebeccaminkoff.com. Super win!

OleHenrikson Truth to Go Wipes ($9.00 for 10 cloth pack): These citrus scented cleansing wipes feel like a luxury item for a somewhat reasonable price. The texture is kind of thick and fluffy for a makeup remover wipe, so I want to call them a cloth. It may seem like a strange distinction but I think it’s one worth making here. With most makeup remover wipes I feel like it’s just step one and I still need to wash my face after. These OleHenrikson wipes/clothes  actually do the full job. I took them on a road trip recently as my only cleansing method, which could have been risky but paid off.  I wouldn’t recommend using only these clothes long term, but for a weekend away or a night where you just want to hit the hay these are perfect. I might repurchase these for travel, because of the ease and small package size, but I can’t really support this price for everyday use. If you’re an ipster you can get 20% off your order if you share your email address though so that might be worth it.

Jessie’s Girl Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner in black ($6.99):  I’ve never used a felt tip eyeliner before, so this was a lot of fun to try. This is the greatest wing-making tool I’ve ever used. The control with this product is amazing. The design of the tip kind of looks like a calligraphy pen, so you can create a super thin line or go thick. It glides on  and then dries quickly. It also lasts all day long and doesn’t even think about smudging. I have to use my strongest makeup remover to get this stuff off at night.  Some liquid eyeliners have a hint of a sheen or a wet look to them, but this Jessie’s Girl liner is a luscious matte. The price on this liner is also lovely. I will definitely be purchasing Jessie’s Girl Liquid Eyeliner again in the future. Ipsters also receive 20% off any purchase at the Jessie’s Girl site.

NYX Butter Gloss in Eclair ($5.00): I’m always excited to try a new NYX product! Like most brands there are some hit or miss items in their range, but the Butter Glosses are almost unanimously beloved. This is my first try with the Butter Glosses and I absolutely buy into the hype. The color I received, Eclair, is a light pink or barely nude. I feel a little bit like Bridgitte Bardot with the shade and high sheen. Overall the gloss is fantastic but doesn’t become sticky with wear. You do need to reapply every few hours–I wouldn’t call this formula longwearing–but your lips will feel plush and moisturized for hours after it wears off. That’s a fair trade to me. And the smell is delicious like vanilla sponge cake. For $5.00 this is worth every penny. I will be getting other shades of this in the near future. Ipsy subscribers will also receive  30% off on NYX stick blush.

Marc Anthony True Professional Dream Waves Beach Spray ($3.79 for travel size. $8.79 for full size): My hair is stick straight and notoriously refuses to hold a curl. So naturally I’ve always wanted glorious waves. I had high hopes for this product, mostly because the phrase “dream waves” are in the title. The bottle says to spray into hair either wet or dry, scrunch your hair for texture and volume, then let dry. Now true to form, my hair refuses to give into my desire to have mermaid locks. However, this ended up being a wonderful volumizer. So while I didn’t get beach waves from this product, I did get fullness and a bit of added body. Dry shampoos have never really worked for me because they tend to make my hair greasier, but this beach spray is a more effective solution for my hair’s needs.  I haven’t used this product often in the last few weeks but I will keep it around for when my hair is looking particularly flat. I would repurchase this product and if you’re an ipsy subscriber you can now get $1.00 off the full size at Walgreens.com

Lash Out Mascara by Be A Bombshell ($15): This is the most expensive product in my ipsy bag?? Kind of disappointing. I have some incredible mascaras from the drugstore that are less expensive and do a better job i.e. L’Oreal Miss Manga, Maybelline the Falsies, or even e.l.f. waterproof  and lengthening mascara. Even after three coats my lashes do not have much added length or volume. It’s a very dry formula, and so it is also prone to flaking. There are few products out there that I truly am disappointed with, but this Lash Out mascara is absolutely one of them. Ipsters can get 30% off purchase and a free Beach Please blush, which is a good deal if I weren’t so upset with this mascara.

Not so much with the killer deals this month, but that’s probably because of the designer makeup bag. Overall, I’d give this bag a 3 out of 5 bubbles (I’m trying this system out. Too corny?). My favorite of the bags so far was April. The value of June’s bag is $39.78, which is the least value I’ve received thus far. But it’s still a worthwhile value and a great service.

Ipsy link: http://www.ipsy.com/r/7zfy