PurMinerals (Pur The Complexion Authority) Mystery Grab Bag $15

PurMinerals (Pur The Complexion Authority) offers Mystery Bags for $15 every year. There was less variety this year from last, but I’ve noticed while three pieces are the same in the every bag I’ve seen, two items do fluctuate. Of the two that vary, I am happy with the ones I received. I sat on the decision to order for a while, so these sets are not even in stock any more. If I order a bag next year (and I probably will based on my satisfaction with this bag), I will order and thus share sooner. Every mystery bag includes five full-size items making each item $3. That is a fantastic value and allows room for disappointment.

I used code AMFREESHIP, which is valid through 03/31/16 to get free shipping. Between free shipping and paying no sales tax (no store in my state), I got everything for exactly $15.

The PurMinerals Utility Mineral Makeup Brush retails for $16 but is on sale for $14. It feels somewhat soft and only seems to have 5 star reviews. This is the only brush I used to apply these eyeshadows. It is pretty nice brush. One hair shed while I was applying the shadows, but that is nothing unreasonable, so I will see how much shedding takes place as I use it more. This glided through my crease extremely well. There was only one time where I felt a slight scratch. Generally, I prefer to use a more dense brush to pack color on the lid, but this did the job there (with a little extra effort). My only complaint is the handle could be a little longer. I’m happy with the brush though.

It was not that long ago that I never used eyeliner, but I now purchase and use it almost every time I apply makeup. As such, I was not overly disappointed to see two eyeliners. Neither the PurMinerals Eye Pencil Hidden Treasure nor the PurMinerals Eye Pencil Hello Bright Eyes are still available online, so the exact colors are not listed. These are the only two items in the set that you could not repurchase (now) if you loved them. They retail for $17 each, but the remaining colors are on sale for $15. Each is different enough from items I own and each other that they are both welcome in my collection. Hidden Treasure is a dark brown with a glittery green accent. Hello Bright Eyes is an off white that has a slight hint of pink. I have a stark white eyeliner, and it turns out that it is not a good luck on me.

Hidden Treasure was difficult to work with on the upper lash line. The pencil is a little sharp for that delicate area, and I felt at times that it was actually scratching me. From certain angles, the pencil did not even impart much color where it almost imparted too much from others. I will probably snip the tip before I use it again, because the coating on the top may be impacting performance. Despite being difficult to apply, I was pleased with the color. It did not last as long as I would have preferred. My eyes were a little itchy and the formula moved every time I rubbed them.

I really loved Bright Eyes. It glided in my water line like a dream and did a decent job staying put most of the night. Nothing stays put on my water line all night, but this lasted longer than most. This is the look I am going for to add a little brightness without the stark, unnatural look. This even worked beautifully on the inner corner of my eyelids and lasted there all night.

The PurMinerals Perfect Fit Eye Shadow Trio Matchmaker (used above) retails for $26 but is on sale for $23. When I swatched these, they felt a little rough for eyeshadows, and they did not apply as seamlessly as I would have liked. Wearing them was even worse. They lack pigment, so it took a lot of building to pack on color. I did use the brush they included to pack color onto the lid, so I will try this again with a more appropriate brush. Even the dark brown crease color (which swatched nicely below) had a hard time building color. Though I actually was impressed with the overall look and thought it was soft and pretty, it did not last. Within an hour, the shadows were already creasing. That is with NARS primer under them. It is also sad that the colors faded as the night wore on, because they never started off vibrant to begin with.

Based on swatches alone, I was really impressed by the dark brown shade. The pink shade looks okay. Although it is not clear from the palette, a little of the dark shade must have spilled over into the light shade. It shows on the left side of the swatch, but the swatch itself is hard to see. This blends in with my skin tone.

PurMinerals Lip Gloss Stick Daredevil retails for $18. The color is really pretty, and this item is still for sale at the full retail price online.

The swatch was smooth and shiny. It kind of reminds me of a shinier version of the Revlon Matte Lip Balm.

The Lip Gloss Stick was impressive. It has a minty taste, so avoid this if you cannot handle mint. I loved the opaque, shiny red finish. It did not highlight dry patches or accentuate lip lines. This wears more like a balm than a gloss, so it is very comfortable and moisturizing. There is almost zero stickiness. I applied this at 5pm, and there were still beautiful (it wears off nicely) traces of this when I removed it at 11pm. It lasted through hours of visiting and dinner.

Here are all the colors together. They are pretty normal looking. None are wild shades you’d expect to see when they throw together surprise bags to sell stuff they cannot move. Thus, I think this really was a nice look at items within the brand. While I would have preferred at least one face product over two eyeliners, it was not a deal breaker for me.

All of the items inside this $15 gift bag retail for $94. This is also my personal value, because I am keeping everything in this set. The value is $6 less than advertised, but those who received the eyebrow pencils, which retail for $7 higher than the eyeliners probably went slightly over $100. All but the lip balm are on sale, so I get an $85 value using current pricing. Regardless of which price I use, I am very happy with the value of this set and decently happy with the items I received. Only the eyeshadow trio truly disappointed me. Although I will give it another chance using more appropriate brushes, I do not have high hopes. Hidden Treasure may perform better in a different area or once I snip the top. The brush, Bright Eyes, and the Lip Gloss are all things I would readily purchase again (once mine are no longer usable), so this set was a success for me. Remember to check all offers before placing an online order.

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Deal of the Day

Use code AM20OFF for 20% off any purchase. Expires 03/31/16.