DermStore: Makeover Mystery Grab Bag review

DermStore Grab Bags, $30-$45, occasionally issued, skin, makeup and/or hair products
Promo: You can save 15% when you sign up for a new account or $10 if someone refers you (ask me)
I paid $30 with discount and tax

Every so often DermStore issues mystery grab bags with an assortment of full size and sample products.  I previously reviewed their Winter Wonders grab bag and their Forever Young grab bags, both of which concentrated in skin care products.  This time I got the Makeover Mystery Grab Bag ($35).  I ordered it at the same time as the Forever Young one, but it took this one an extra 4 days to arrive.

I hadn’t meant to order this box at all, but I made a mistake and added it to my cart.  All in all I’m very pleased with it, though I’m concerned that one of the full-size products I got is expired and one of the samples seems old and mishandled. I contacted the company and saw a $10 refund on my credit card, so I ended up paying $20 for a box with a total value of $154.

DermStore promised 12 products in this bag and it delivered (minus the expired and old BB creams). In all, I received 6 full size products and 6 samples. These included 2 lipsticks, 3 eye shadows, 1 primer, 1 foundation, 3 BB creams, 1 bronzer and 1 blush. I was also supposed to receive an extra “gift”, but that appears to have been one of the samples.

LipFusion Plump and Shine Lipstick in Babydoll, .04 oz, value $9

The LipFusion lipstick actually fulfills its promise of making your lips look plumper, in particular your lower lip.  I’m not sure that it’s a good look for me but I’ll probably keep this lipstick rather than give it to my daughter.  It’s a pretty shear pink and while it applied pretty pink to start with, it quickly melded with my lip color, providing shine and plumpiness.  Unfortunately the lipstick case is very cheap and it feels like it’s going to break quickly. Made in the USA.

glo.minerals lipstick in spark, full size, $17

The glo.minerals lipstick is a pretty nice neutral tone, which gives my lips just a bit of color for the summer.  It’s a pretty solid lipstick, it doesn’t leave your lips shiny when you are done applying it.  I still haven’t decided whether it’s too young a color for me.  If it is, I’ll give it to my daughters. Made in the USA.

Cargo BeachBlush in Cable Beach, full size, $30

I rather like the blush.  I rarely wear it – for one, I don’t really know how to put it on – but the color itself is rather understated and natural.  I’m pretty sure one of the girls will claim it for herself. Made in the USA.

Cargo Eye Shadow single in Oz, full size, $16

Yellow is not an eye shadow color I’d consider wearing, so I’ll probably try to swap it.  It’s made in Canada.

This is Camila wearing the LipFusion Babydoll lipstick on her lips and the Cargo Cable Beach blush on her right cheek (left is untreated).

Pixi by Petra Lid Last Shadow Pen in Graphite Glint, full size, $18

This is basically an eye shadow crayon in medium gray.  It’s goes on very smoothly and it’s easy to apply.  On the other hand, this pen requires sharpening and I’m not sure if I have a sharpener large enough. Made in Germany

Vapour Solar Translucent Bronzer in Simmer, full size $36

This bronzer is worth more than the price of the box – but I don’t use bronzer. I don’t really want to look any more tan that I am. The color is for people with light skin color, which means everyone in the family except for me as my face tans very quickly. It gets fairly good reviews. I’m giving to my sister.  Made in the USA.

Dr Brandt BB Matte with Signature Shine Erase – Light to Medium, full size: 1 oz, DISCONTINUED

I have become a fan of BB creams, though I’ve been quite happy with the $2 Korean BB cream I get at our local discount store.  Still, I like trying new products.  Unfortunately the Dr Brandt BB cream was a bust.  The cream was discontinued and it expired last April.  It’s a pity because I swatched it on my hand and it went on smooth and seemed to provide good, if somewhat sheer, coverage.  DermStore refunded me $7 because this lotion was expired.

Cover|FX BB Gel Mattifying Anti-Blemish Treatment – N Medium, 5 ml, value $5?

I liked the Cover|FX BB cream.  It went on a little orange, but the tone disappeared when I put it on.  It provided me with good coverage and did a good job of smoothing out my skin.  My only complain is that the sample is so small. The tube may be 5 ml, but it seems mostly empty. Made in the USA.

Laura Geller Spackle Under Makeup Primer, .5 oz sample, $7

I don’t wear makeup very often but I’ve been curious about how primers work and now I get to try it myself.  Well, if I ever get it back from my daughter who does wear makeup.  This primer gets rather good reviews. Made in the USA.

Laura Geller Baked Liquid Radiance Foundation in Golden Medium, 5 ml sample, $6

I got this foundation in my April BeautyFix box and I didn’t like it then. It’s too orange and it doesn’t really provide good coverage. So I’ll try to swap it. Made in the USA.

Laura Geller Cool Leads Creme eyeshadow in silver sands, 5 ml sample, $12

I liked that I could easily apply the eyeshadow with my hands. The color is light silver,  too shiny and young for me, but it actually went well with the gray eyeshadow pen.  It should work for my daughters, specially if they go for the princess look. Made in Italy.

Sarah McNamara Miracle Skin Transformer Face, 5 ml sample

This product seems to be a BB cream by another name.  It’s supposed to “hydrate, prime, enhance, mattify & protect your skin in one simple step.”  Unfortunately the sample came in a tube that was dirty and had many of the words rubbed off.  It doesn’t expire until August, but it’s still off-putting.  I don’t think I’ll use it.  Update: I contacted DermStore and they refunded me $3 for this product. Made in the USA.

Other Samples

 Whenever you order from DermStore you get one extra sample. This time I got two:

Nia 24 Rapid Exfoliating Serum, foil

This exfoliating serum has to be the coolest product I’ve ever seen in a subscription box.  It’s not just a chemical exfoliator, no siree, but actually a tester for schizophrenia.  The serum contains 5% niacin. Put it on, if your skin flushes you are fine, if it doesn’t I’m sorry to tell you that you have schizophrenia.  Of course, you probably know if you have schizophrenia, but how about your friends and colleagues?  Have you ever suspected one of them may be crazy? Now you can find out, just make an excuse to put this serum on their faces and watch if they get red.

More to the theme, Nia24 claims this serum is for “sun and age damage”.  It might be, but according to the University of Maryland Medical Center “[r]esearchers are studying topical forms of niacin as treatments for rosacea, aging, and prevention of skin cancer, although it’s too early to know whether it is effective”. Plus, why waste it on skin care when it’s other use is so much more titillating? Made in the USA

SkinCeuticals Advanced Pigment Corrector, small sample

This is the third sample of SkinCeuticals pigment corrector I got from DermStore.  On the plus side, the first sample lasted me almost two months.  On the minus, I have seen no reduction of my hyperpigmentation whatsoever.