Oh, the dog days of summer. For those not familiar with Toronto in the summer, my fair city goes from being a balmy 15-18 degrees celsius to a humid, stinky and muggy 26-35 degrees for several weeks. It sneaks up on you, one day will be cool enough for a light sweater and BOOM, a heat wave. This type of weather is really hard on makeup-lovers like me, so let's see what Ipsy had in store for me this July.

What is Ipsy?

Ipsy is a monthly beauty box subscription that customizes your monthly offerings to your beauty profile. Unlike several other subscription boxes that CLAIM they do the same thing, Ipsy usually has 20+ different products every month so you're more likely to have customized options than boxes that only have 5-10 products in their rotation. Also? Ipsy focuses more on makeup products, which is great because I'm tired of all the skincare products I was receiving from other boxes. Ipsy costs $10, + $4.95 for shipping. But the catch for Canadians is that it's charged in USD so this box can be anywhere from $18-20, so the value of each box has to be held to a higher standard than other boxes. They also offer points for reviews on their website, so you can build up to redeem for more products.

What I received in my Ipsy July 2015 Glam Bag:

pūr~lisse pūr~delicate gentle soymilk cleanser & makeup remover
I'm a big fan of this brand and in particular, their ability to create products that work for people with sensitive skin. The pūr~delicate gentle soymilk cleanser is yet another win for this brand, it's a gentle creamy/milky non-lathering cleanser that works it's way into the skin and doesn't leave that tight/squeaky-clean feeling. My skin still feels moisturized and soft, but clean.

Jor'el Parker Classico
Perfume samples in beauty boxes are always very iffy because you never know what a person's preferences are. And in this case? I don't really like this one much at all. It's described as "Exotic, inspiring, and full of surprises, Classico whisks you away from the day-to-day. Indulge in the spicy seduction of Indian Tuberose, the striking and sweet sensation of Turkish Cyclamen and the purifying calm of Spanish Mandarin." but unfortunately all I can smell is a LOT of alcohol. It's disappointing because I really liked Harvey Prince's Ageless (this product is also called Harvey Prince Sincerely.. no idea why it's under two names) but found this mixture to be unpalatable.

Be a Bombshell Lip Balm in Ruby
This is my first Be a Bombshell product and I was excited to try out the brand, but I have to admit I have mixed feelings about this lip balm. There's nothing WRONG with the product, but the packaging leaves a lot to be desired. It feels VERY cheap, which is surprising because the product inside isn't bad. The balm has great texture and longevity, but it needs some flavour to really seal the deal. It's not quite Burt's Bees level, or Say Yes to Carrots, but it's close. I love the feel of the balm on my lips, and that barely-there hint of colour, they just need to up their game for me to consider buying another of their lip products.

'Tini Beauty Eyetini Swizzle Stick Eyeliner in Blue Hawaiian
I'm usually wary when I see an eyeliner in a beauty box, but I had no reason to with this find! I'm usually a stickler with my eyeliner, black, brown, white or NOTHING, but I've branched out in the last few months and this cool poolside blue is a great challenge for somebody looking to step out of their comfort zone. I love the twist applicator style, it makes it easy to draw a neat, clean line. I haven't actually left the HOUSE wearing this colour yet, but it does last quite awhile, so I'm excited to see how it does on it's first outdoors test-run ;)

tarte deluxe Amazonian clay waterproof bronzer
This warm, brown, shimmery bronzer is perfect if you want to add a hint of sun-kissed colour, as this warm brown shade is very versatile and buildable. You can literally just do a quick dash over your cheekbones and browbones, or create a fuller contour if you choose. I like that it's non-shimmery because I definitely suffer from being WAY too oily in the summer as it is, so I love tarte's matte formulas that prevent me from looking like I'm melting all the time.

The Bag
This is SUCH A GOOD POUCH. It's small enough to fit in even my smaller handbags, yet still hold a few sizeable products for travel. It's also super adorable. You won't lose something this bright and bold!

The verdict?

For the tarte bronzer alone, this bag is a hit! I was also pleasantly surprised with the bold eyeliner choice, a decent lip balm and an untried product from a pur~lisse, a skincare line I really enjoy. I'm just not a fan of extremely astringent perfumes! But overall? 4/5 ain't bad!

You can sign up for Ipsy with my referral code here!