Tag: Rare Beauty
May 2025 Ipsy Icon Box – Erin & Sara Foster
Once again, I find myself wondering who this quarter’s Icon Box curators – Erin & Sara Foster – even are. I did a quick Google and found that they are Podcasters (don’t care) and made a semi-autobiographical Netflix Show (won’t watch). Cool, cool…but then I read farther down the article and figured out that they are just another set of Hollywood Nepo Babies with a record producer father that put them in Jenner/Hadid circles – and he is currently married to that weird American Idol lady. Safe to say they’ve lost what little legitimacy they may have had in my eyes…
ANYWAY, they curated this box and it easily one of the lamest Icon Boxes yet. I’ll start with the one product that is SOLID GOLD – Grande Cosmetics GrandeBROW Brow Enhancing Serum in Clear ($73). This shit WORKS. I do not know that I would pay $73 for it, but I have been using it every night for the last two weeks or so and I already can see a difference in my thin 90s brows. I am so glad I snagged this as one of my product choices.
I admit, I have not tried my other two product choices yet. I selected First Aid Beauty 0.3% Retinol Complex Serum with Peptides ($48) because I will be 50 next year and a facelift is not in my budget. I don’t remember why I picked Drunk Elephant D-Bronzi™ Anti-Pollution Sunshine Drops ($39). It’s bronzer drops that you add to your foundation. I will literally never use this.
What am I going to do with Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Freeze Gel ($26)? I don’t have brows, so I might resell it. I will probably use the Beautystat Universal Triple Action Daily Peel ($29) instead of acne pads. I used the Rare Beauty All of the Above Weightless Eyeshadow Stick in “Integrity (Champagne) ($22) and it was quick and easy…but WAY overpriced. I’ll probably never use the Rodial Plumping Collagen Lip Oil ($38) for anything, except as lipstick remover.
I am absolutely IN LOVE with my final product though – Maison Louis Marie No.14 Icila Eau de Parfum ($93). It is worth every penny of that $93. Notes of ruby red grapefruit, plum and patchouli make this a hit for me. I’ve already used it half a dozen times since it arrived.
Another $368 box…of course, half of it might be going in the trash…
I subscribe to the basic ipsy bag for $14/month (recently increased from $13/month) and Icon Box (formerly Glam Bag X) for an extra $60/quarterly (recently increased from $43/quarterly). If you’d like to try Ipsy – click here. I’ll earn 250 points if you sign up through my referral link.
November 2021 Glam Bag X – Huda
Okay, write this down – this quarter’s Glam Bag X is SO good that I’ve tried every single product in the box…that’s right, every single one!
First off, this quarter’s box was curated by Huda Kattan. Her beauty empire has grown significantly since the Allure Beauty Box she curated a few years ago, although not without a few controversies and product labelling mishaps…
The star of the box is the PMD Beauty Clean Smart Cleansing Device in “Warmth”. I’ll admit, when my husband saw it, he thought it was a totally different type of toy. (I’ll let you know if that pans out – so far, I’ve only used it on my FACE.) I was happy to get this device, if only as a replacement for my Clarisonic. RIP Clarisonic. I loved my Clarisonic, but I am on my last brush head, so I guess my love affair will end when it gets too nasty to use. The PMD device is entirely silicone – no replacement brushes to buy – AND runs on batteries. At ~$60, it’s also a much more affordable solution than the Clarisonic.
The other products that Huda curated for me were: Cela Masque De Glacier Clay Mask (a little goes a long way with this one; there’s a slight tingle as it dries, but nothing serious); Wishful Thirst Trap Juice HA3 Peptide Serum (Wishful is Huda’s skincare brand – this serum feels nice and has a slight tightening effect); Huda Beauty Legit Lashes in “Vanta Black” (this is a double ended mascara – one brush for volume and one brush for length – but spoiler alert – I cannot see any difference between either brush); and Rare Beauty With Gratitude Dewy Lip Balm in “Honor” (I was underwhelmed to receive another clear lip balm…until I tried it – how does this smell like a literal cloud? I LOVE it!)
I got to choose THREE products. I chose Huda Beauty Haze Obsessions Eyeshadow Palette in “Purple” (I wish I would have had this back in October, when I was wearing my purple “BAND MOM” T-shirt every weekend; quality is middling and not very blendable – hard pass on buying more of these); Ahava Dermud Intensive Foot Cream (my feet LOVE this); and First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Pads (remind my of the Stridex pads of my youth).
At a total value of $323, I am absolutely and totally happy with this quarter’s bag. Wait, since I did not get a bag this month, I guess it is just a box. Whatever.
I subscribe to the basic ipsy bag for $12/month and Glam Bag X for an extra $43/quarterly. If you’d like to try Ipsy – click here. I’ll earn 250 points if you sign up through my referral link.