Ultima Beauty: February 2021

Collage of 5 photos: text reads "Ultima Beauty ipsy January 2021 Review". Photo 1: Violet Voss: Single Eyeshadow in Bare it All; Photo 2:Stila Cosmetics: Stay All Day® Liquid Lipstick in Patina; Photo 3: FIRMA BEAUTY: 403 Round Blending Brush; Photo 4: SOO'AE: HangBang Sheet Mask Duo in Collagen & Hyaluronic Acid; Photo 5: BELLE EN ARGENT: 8 Free Nail Polish in Love and Attention

Hey Beautiful People!

First Glam Bag of 2021!

I was so stoked and then: Wah-Wah.

It was overwhelmingly 'Meh' for me.😑

Don’t get me wrong the quality of the products are top notch, but the type of products and/or shades aren’t for me. But there is one that is a total star🌟 Read on to find out.

January 2021 glam bag: BELLE EN ARGENT: 8 Free Nail Polish in Love and Attention, FIRMA BEAUTY: 403 Round Blending Brush, SOO'AE: HangBang Sheet Mask Duo in Collagen & Hyaluronic Acid, STILA COSMETICS: Stay All Day® Liquid Lipstick in Patina, VIOLET VOSS: Single Eyeshadow in Bare it All

Quick Stats:

Empty ipsy January 2021 glam bag; the 'dream' is printed across the bag repeatedly

Number of Products I'll Use Regularly: 1

My Overall Star Rating for January's Glam Bag: ⭐⭐⭑⭑⭑ (2 out of 5)

Thoughts on January’s Glam Bag: Not their best product selection… Not a 'dream' bag for me. Majority of products are not my taste, but there are some bright spots.

1. BELLE EN ARGENT: 8 Free Nail Polish in Love and Attention

BELLE EN ARGENT: 8 Free Nail Polish in Love and Attention bottle

Top of BELLE EN ARGENT: 8 Free Nail Polish brush

BELLE EN ARGENT: 8 Free Nail Polish in Love and Attention open bottle and brush

Product: Nail Polish

Brand: Belle En Argent

Name of Shade: Love and Attention

Color: Nude

Finish: Cream

Number of Coats to Get Bottle Shade: 2

Lasts for: 1 ½ to 2 Weeks

Pros: Long lasting and a lovely cream finish.

Plus it’s free of eight nasty ingredients: Dibutyl Phthalate, Toluene, Formaldehyde, Formaldehyde Resin, Camphor, Xylene, Ethyl Tosylamide, & Triphenyl Phosphate.

And it is cruelty free, as well as vegan. Definitely a game changer in regards to ingredients.

Cons: The only real con for me is that the shade is not my cup of tea ⛾. More of a con for ipsy than this polish.

Star Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭑⭑ (3 out of 5)
Would I Purchase: Not in this shade (but the shade ‘Bore Someone Else’ looks gorgeous!)

Final Thoughts: A nice nail polish with good staying power. If you like nude/cream shades this one is lovely.

2. FIRMA BEAUTY: 403 Round Blending Brush

Close up of FIRMA BEAUTY: 403 Round Blending Brush

Brand: Firma Beauty

Name of Brush: Round Blending

Feature for Brush: Eyes

Feature I Use it for: Eyes, Under Eyes

Formula it Works Best with: Powder

Blends Makeup Well: Yes

Bristles Splay: None

Pros: A small fluffy brush with a rounded tip that is super soft. It is the perfect size for blending out and diffusing shadow through the crease of the eye for a beautiful smoky eye look. It also works well for dusting setting powder under eyes.

Cons: None

Star Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5 out of 5)

Would I Purchase: Yes

Final Thoughts: A well-built brush that lives up to its name and blends eyeshadow and makeup seamlessly.

3. SOO'AE: HangBang Sheet Mask Duo in Collagen & Hyaluronic Acid

Brand: Soo'ae

Product: Sheet Masks

Quantity: 2

Formula: Firming & Moisturizing

Skin Type It Works Best For: Combination to Dry

Pros: I don’t use sheet masks; just have never been my thing. I gave these away so I can’t really say good or bad.

Cons: I can’t say if there is a con with the product.

But as for ipsy: I constantly make it clear on my ipsy profile, through re-taking their beauty quiz and rating each bag, that I don’t use or need this type of skin care. So, that’s a con for subscribing to ipsy.

Star Rating: Can’t say, gave it away.

Would I Purchase: N/A

Final Thoughts: This could be the holy grail of sheet masks but I don’t use them so I can’t in good conscience say one way or the other.

4. STILA COSMETICS: Stay All Day® Liquid Lipstick in Patina

Brand: Stila Cosmetics

Product: Lipstick

Name of Shade: Patina

Color: Dusty Rose

Finish: Matte

Formula: Liquid

Smudges/Drying/Sticky: No/No/No

Lasts for: 12+ Hours

Pros: This cult-classic totally lives up to the hype!

It glides on so soft and smooth and it sets to a matte finish.

It is one of the most comfortable matte finishes I’ve ever used!

It isn’t drying at all and it truly does last ALL day.

Even through eating and drinking it stays put and doesn’t smudge or budge.

It comes in 20+ shades and in shimmer and sheer finishes as well.

Patina is a gorgeous dusty rose shade, perfect for every occasion.

Cons: None!

Star Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5 out of 5)

Would I Purchase: Yes! (And the shade Fiery looks amazing too!)

Final Thoughts: This is a totally fabulous liquid lipstick that is the perfect everyday shade and is so comfortable I forget I’m wearing it. It is crazy long lasting and it does not disappoint!

5. VIOLET VOSS: Single Eyeshadow in Bare it All

VIOLET VOSS: Single Eyeshadow in Bare it All closed box

VIOLET VOSS: Single Eyeshadow in Bare it All opened compact

Swatch of VIOLET VOSS: Single Eyeshadow in Bare it All

Brand: Violet Voss

Product: Eyeshadow

Name of Shade: Bare it All

Color: Bronze

Finish: Shimmer

Formula: Pressed Powder

Fallout: Minimal

Chalky/Flaky: No/No

Blendable: Yes

Lasts for: 6-8 Hours

Pros: A pretty, shimmery powder eyeshadow. It sweeps across lids with a lovely wash of bronze and stays put for a pretty decent amount of time. There is minimal to no shadow fallout.

Cons: It’s a nice shadow but it’s not better (or worse) than other bronze shimmer eyeshadows.

My con is more for ipsy (again) for the record number of bronze shadows I’ve received in the last few months.

Star Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭑⭑ (3 out of 5)

Would I Purchase: Probably Not

Final Thoughts: It’s a good eyeshadow and it does last a good long while before creasing. It just isn’t anything that hasn’t been done before.

Here is a makeup look I created using a couple of the products from ipsy's January glam bag: