Happy Easter! Before I head out to spend the afternoon with my family and eat half my body weight in chocolate rabbits and Cadbury cream eggs, I wanted to write about April’s Ipsy bag, themed “Beauty Rocks!” (just in time for festival season.) Included in the samples and products I received this month was the Coastal Scents Medium Eye Shadow Brush. Since I already have enough makeup brushes to last me a lifetime (and then some,) I opted to give the brush to a friend instead of only using it once- solely to write about it- and passing it on. Hence, there won’t be a review for it in this post.

Makeup brushes are pretty easy to review, anyway- so even though this post will be short by one of the usual five products I typically receive with the Ipsy subscription service- the other four products I did keep for myself were still a lot of fun to try!

What I Received:

dr. brandt microdermabrasion

Elizabeth Mott pop! goes the shadow in “Champagne” (*FULL SIZE!*)

Starlooks Luscious Longwear Lip Pencil in “Naked” (*FULL SIZE!*)

Urban Decay 24/7 Velvet Glide-On Eye Pencil in “Black Velvet”

Not Pictured:

Coastal Scents Medium Shadow Brush (*FULL SIZE!*)

Product # 1: dr. brandt microdermabrasion ($78)

Every night, after I remove my makeup and before I go about my usual skin care regimen, I use a gentle cream-based exfoliating scrub to clear out my pores of any dirt or makeup my facial towelettes may have missed. When I first opened this small tube of microdermabrasion cream, with a subtle lemon scent and a texture similar to my daily facial scrub- I anticipated achieving the same results.

After massaging this cream into my cleansed (and slightly damp) skin for a few minutes, as directed on the tube, I rinsed my face and was pleasantly surprised with how much more soft and smooth my skin felt- and how my pores seemed to have shrank in no time at all! While I do still love my scrub, this is a great product to use every few days/nights for extra exfoliation without drying or stripping my skin the way masks or harsher scrubs tend to do.

Would I Purchase?: Yes! While the $78 price tag is a little staggering, I really liked the results I had with this product, and I wouldn’t be opposed to buying a full-sized tube for weekly use. I love the crisp, clean fragrance of the cream, the easy application- and most of all- how great my skin feels and looks after each time I use it.

Product # 2: Elizabeth Mott pop! goes the shadow in “Champagne” ($12.99)

Even though I have some truly beautiful eye shadow palettes in my collection that include lighter, brightening shades- I can never have enough highlighter shadows- especially for the days where I don’t want to wear a lot of eye makeup but don’t want my eyes to look dark and dreary, either.

Enter this shimmery, nude, single powder shadow from Elizabeth Mott. “Champagne” applied easily- with no flaking or creasing- and stayed put all day and well into the night with a primer. I’ve been wearing it all over my lids and up to my brow for the past few days at work and while running errands- and it definitely brightens up my eyes without making me look too glittery. It’s just a nice, natural shade that I plan on incorporating with my palettes.

Would I Purchase?: Yes! The “POP!’ collection features two other, darker colors as well- both of which look nice for achieving a dramatic eye- but I think “Champagne” will be one of my go-to’s when I ultimately decide to re-stock on eye shadows and highlighters in the future. It’s just a beautiful, complimentary shade on me.

Product # 3: Starlooks Luscious Longwear Lip Pencil in “Naked” ($14)

When it comes to lip liner, I rarely (if ever) use it. I’m very much a lipstick-n’-leave, gloss-n’-go kind of girl, and lip liners are reserved for special occasions or formal affairs where I know I won’t have time for mirror checks or touch-up breaks. I decided to give this creamy liner from Starlooks a go, however- and while I was pretty impressed with the overall pigmentation (the color was WAY more pink than nude, though,) it didn’t seem to last long before it eventually pooled towards the outer edges of my lips- creating a ring of sorts around my mouth- and then faded completely.

The photo above was taken shortly after I lined my lips with “Naked,” filled them in with the color, and then applied a light layer of neutral gloss to try and tone down the garish baby doll pink. It didn’t work too well, and ultimately this liner washed me out.

Would I Purchase?: No. Between the unflattering color itself, and it’s inability to stay in place or last longer than an hour at the most- I’ll pass on this liner and just keep on with my usual way of wearing lip colors. This product was, unfortunately, a dud for me.

Product # 4: Urban Decay 24/7 Velvet Glide-On Eye Pencil in “Black Velvet” ($20)

When it comes to eye liners, one of my favorite brands to turn to is Urban Decay. Their pencil liners are soft, pigmented, and they last a really, really long time- much longer than competitors brands. I’d heard of the “Black Velvet” liner, but had yet to try it, so I was pretty excited when I received a travel-sized pencil in April’s Ipsy bag.

Much to my surprise- the pencil was hard, almost rough, against my eyelid, resulting in the color not applying evenly at all. Not only that, but within a couple of hours, the liner had flaked down so badly from my lids onto my cheeks that when I unconsciously brushed  the back of my hand along my face to push some hair away from my eyes, the flaked eyeliner smeared all over my cheekbones- giving me weird black flecks and streaks on my skin.

Not even before the end of the day, the liner had run down the outer corner of my eye, flaked something awful, and was pretty much everywhere on my face except for where I had initially applied it. To say I was disappointed was an understatement.

Would I Purchase?: No. Absolutely not- which is a shame considering how much I like and swear by Urban Decay’s products. This liner was just terrible. I’d advise staying far, far away from the “Velvet” stuff and just use a black pencil from one of their regular “Glide-On” liner collections, instead. You’ll get better application, pigmentation, and longevity from those.

So April’s bag featured two great products, two not-so-great ones, and a nice gift for a friend. Overall, I wasn’t blown away with this month’s assortment of products, although I may be a bit spoiled since the past couple of Ipsy bags I’ve received this year have been beyond great. I’m just hoping May’s bag picks up the slack from April’s.

And my April Loot Crate and GlossyBox should be on their way shortly!

P.S.- Have you entered my Spring Giveaway yet?