Facebook PixelIpsy Review – January 2018 | MSA
My Subscription Addiction
My Subscription Addiction
Our reviewers research, test, and recommend the best subscriptions and products independently; click to learn more about our editorial guidelines. We may receive commissions on purchases made through links on our site.

Ipsy Review – January 2018

Liz Cadman
ByLiz CadmanJan 29, 2018 | 59 comments

Ipsy
4 overall rating
1813 Ratings | 300 Reviews

Ipsy is a monthly beauty and makeup subscription box. Each month you get full-size or deluxe-sized products, plus a cute makeup bag. I think it’s one of the best value beauty subscriptions and a great way to build out your makeup collection on the cheap!

This is one of my top recommendations if you are looking for a beauty box - the value and sample sizes are amazing. (Check out my list of the Top Beauty Boxes for 2017 and our reviews of Cheap Subscription Boxes for more recommendations!)

(FYI – Just like Birchbox, Ipsy sends out many different variations of their bag each month – so my review is just one of the bag variations you might receive!)

My Subscription Addiction pays for this subscription. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes).

The Subscription Box: Ipsy

The Cost: $10 a month (free shipping)

The Products: Full size and samples of makeup and beauty products. (Plus a makeup bag!)

Ships to: US and Canada

Delivered via: USPS

Check out all of my Ipsy reviews and the Beauty Subscription Box List!

Visit the Ipsy Swap Page to swap for any of the items you see in this review!

Each month, ipsy subscribers get a makeup bag in addition to their 5 items.

This one has mesh detailing, bold neon colors, and feels very '90s to me!

 

Now, on to the items!

Oribe Gold Lust Dry Shampoo - .9 oz Value $9

I love Oribe products - they make my hair smell amazing, and they work really well, too. This is your standard dry shampoo formula - goes on clear, helps absorb oil. (It does NOT add texture.)

Mudmasky Sleep Repair Renewal Nourishing Mask - 15 ml Value $20.75

This mask is ingredient-conscious and designed to smooth, hydrate, and repair skin overnight. It absorbs almost instantly, felt gentle on my skin, and my favorite part? No added fragrance!

theBalm Mary Lou Manizer - 1.05 g Value $2.96

This is a shimmery champagne-colored highlighter that is easy to blend and subtle to wear. It also can double as an eyeshadow. (And theBalm always sends out small samples, so it's a good eye-shadow size, anyway!)

(Swatched in lower photo.)

Dirty Little Secret Eyeshadow in Sangria - FULL SIZE! Retail Value $12

This eyeshadow is shimmery, super pigmented, and almost creamy in texture - no fallout! Here it is swatched beneath the highlighter:

So gorgeous!

SLMISSGLAM L36 Tapered Highlight Brush - Value $12?

(This brush is sold in a set, so I'm estimating on the value.)

I love getting makeup brushes in subscription boxes, and I think it is even better when the brushes are sparkly and pink! (This brush is designed for highlighter and bronzer application.)

Verdict: This box has a value of about $56.71. I'm happy with that value. All the items are usable, and the mask is a nice luxe skincare treat! (And while the bag design doesn't exactly fit my aesthetic, I have to give Ipsy props for not playing it safe with their glam bag designs!)

To Wrap Up:

Can you still get this box if you sign up today? No, if you sign up in this month, you'll get next month's box as your first box. (Check out our Ipsy Spoilers to see what's coming up next)

Value Breakdown: At $10 for this box, here’s what you are paying approximately per item:

  • Dry Shampoo: $1.58
  • Highlighter: $.52
  • Eyeshadow: $2.12
  • Mask: $3.65
  • Makeup Brush: $2.12
  • Bag - Not counted toward value

Good to know: Ipsy sends out variations. You may get a completely different bag than me.

What do you think of the January Ipsy Glam Bag? What items did you get in your bag?

Starting at $14.00
Subscribe Now

IPSY Glam Bag is one of the most popular and affordable subscriptions around, and our readers have selected it as one of the top beauty boxes for the last 5 years running! IPSY Glam Bag connects members with five makeup, skincare, hair care, and other beauty sample... read more.

Liz Cadman
Liz Cadman
Liz is the founder of My Subscription Addiction. She's been hooked on subscription boxes since 2011 thanks to Birchbox, and she now subscribes to over 100 boxes. Her favorites include POPSUGAR Must Have, FabFitFun, and any box that features natural beauty products!

Join the Conversation

Please do not enter your email address in the Name field or in the comment content. Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *. Remember to post with kindness and respect. Comments with offensive language, cruelness to others, etc will not be approved. See our full comment policy here.

59 comments

Karen

Finally got my bag today – the tracking information never updated.

Reply ButtonReply

Lara

My first Ipsy bag ever. When they picked the items for me, I wasn’t too impressed with the selection. Nor with the bag.

But when the Ipsy bag finally arrived, I was surprisingly very pleased with everything! Even the glam bag looks way better and higher quality in real life – great for sporty days.

Anyway, I got:

1. TheBalm Mary-Lou Manizer highlighter
> Surprisingly good, gives even my very fair cool-toned skin a ridiculously natural glow

2. Kokie Cosmetics liquid lipstick “Desire” (Full Size)
> I thought I’d hate this since I can’t do liquid lipsticks. But the color (neutral to cool) turned out really good on both warm and cool skin tones! My friend with olive warm skin tried this and it brought out a healthy radiant pink glow in her face!

3. Lue by Jean Seo
> I wanted a sodium hyaluronate serum to hydrate my dry lips, so I was super happy to get this. Remember to spritz some toner on your lips after applying else it’ll suck out the moisture from your lips instead.

4. Furless Loose Pigment in Sneaky
> Unlike another first-timer here, I got this product intact, unopened and clearly brand new. Love the cool dark metallic purple shade. My kinda color.

5. Trust Fund Beauty Lip Scrub
> Have not tried this yet. But I wanted a lip scrub so this was awesome.

Guess I’m looking forward to my next bag 😀

4.

Reply ButtonReply

Cat

I got the amazing lue serum, seraphine raisin lip crayon, the same brush as Liz, the same the balm highlighter, and dermelect exfoliator. Mine arrived on like the 14th and in perfect condition as always, and I got 2 instead of 1 of the Biobelle sheet masks with the ipsy points (pretty sure it was supposed to be one of the priming sheet masks and not 2!).

Reply ButtonReply

Sharon Seneker

I am a true Ipsy fan! I love every makeup bag & products! If I get a color of makeup or something I would not use I share it with someone else. My bag comes every month in the mid teens 14th -16th & every item is new in the original packaging! No complaints! What a value! 💋

Reply ButtonReply

Amber

So I’m a first timer for subscription boxes and I just received my first Ipsy today! I got a Kokie liquid lipstick, Pūrlisse mud mask, Ciate and Tarte liquid eye liner, The Balm highlighter, the bag of course and a Furless eye shadow that has finger prints all over it, a deep scratch, and the plastic flap on the inside lifted like it’d been opened, used and then just cleaned up. Like is that normal? I’m just wondering because the is my first time receiving and I was kind shocked that it’s been opened, looks used and messily put back together. Other than the eye shadow issue I’m happy with what I got for this month, but I’m just wondering if it’s happened to anyone else and or if its normal that happening???

Reply ButtonReply

Anastasia

definitely email ipsy care and they will replace it. They are super quick and friendly and will find a solution to help you out. http://help.ipsy.com/customer/portal/emails/new

Reply ButtonReply

Tammy Haley

no, that is most definitely not normal…take a pic, and email customer service…they should send you another one, but i’m unsure of ipsy’s policy on this…

anybody know what she should do?

Reply ButtonReply

Sarah

I still have not received mine that was at FedEx on the 9th! No other shipping updates either. I can see what I’m supposed to receive on the ipsy site, but I’m not feeling too excited about the selections this month… :/

Reply ButtonReply

Moonjock1

Same! I’ve had ipsy for 4 years now and my bag seems to be lost in the mail, only had this happen once before but last time ipsy sent me a new package as soon as I reached out to them. This time they told me to wait…. months almost over!

Reply ButtonReply

Val

They make you wait 14 business days after it ships before they send you a new one. (Happened to me in November) Just wait it out and remind them at the end of the month and they’ll send the replacement!

Gidget

Dear Ipsters, Some advice PLEASE! Last month I received a dark eyebrow pencil which I rated 4 hearts do to how dry it was and not quite dark enough. I’m a brunette w/ some highlights. I am slowly but completely loosing my eyebrows. This month, they sent me a really great eyebrow product but it’s blonde… What should I do?

Reply ButtonReply

Anastasia

What hair shade did you put on your quiz. Did you choose dark brown or light brown? which eyebrow product did you get? Was it the Bellapierre one in the color Cardmon

Reply ButtonReply

h

Try emailing them to see if you can possibly return it?

Reply ButtonReply

Carolyn

Got none of what was shown. Blue nail polish, Eye Artist pigment in VIP, NYX Lip Lingerie (don’t like nude colors), Trust Fund lip scrub and Cake heavy cream lotion. Not too thrilled.
I’m not sure about using the lotion (because the smell is really sweet) or the eye pigment (shimmery brown gold…boring)…
And the bag is not my style.

Reply ButtonReply

Christine

If you want to trade the cake Beauty please look at my profile. I would be more than willing to trade. Thanks

Reply ButtonReply

Heather

I haven’t even received my bag this month

Reply ButtonReply

Karen

I haven’t received mine either, and tracking information hasn’t been updated since last week.

Reply ButtonReply

Lillian

Same! I thought maybe it would just show up today but it seems stuck from the drop off from DHL to USPS. I wonder what’s up? Tomorrow is the expected delivery date so we will see!

michelle weaver

I got the dry shampoo, the awesome brush, Real Chemistry foaming cleanser (supposed to be non-drying but it dries my face horribly), the highlighter, and really pretty Furless loose eyeshadow. I love the color of the eyeshadow but never have used loose so its very new to me. Overrall a great bag except for the cleanser and actual bag. Seems like the section of the baby mats that are krinkly to me! Just not what I am looking for in a bag and the shoelace! lol I am super jealous of the DLS eyeshadow but I still like mine so I am pretty happy. Its only $10 and the eyeshadow values at $18 so how can I complain?

Reply ButtonReply

Megan Mcgilbery

I got:
biorepublic sheet mask in aloe and pomegranate crush
Hola neon liquid lipstick in DF
Ciate eyeliner
Cake lotion
Doucce mascara

Reply ButtonReply

Veronica davis

I got my bag this morning and it only had two of the items shown. ‘ very disappointed.

Reply ButtonReply

Pink5

You got what I got.

Honestly, the Hola Neon lippie is not flattering on me. It’s just boring.

Reply ButtonReply

Taz Caz

Wow… theBalm. I had almost forgotten about this brand. And had you not included the picture of the little samples they send, I probably wouldn’t have even recognized the product.

Reply ButtonReply

Alyssa

I feel like Ipsy has been really good to me lately! I got 3 full sized items in my bag this month.
Ciate London Liquid Eyeliner
Pretty Woman Nail Polish
Hola Neon Liquid Lipstick in DF
Purlisse Mud Mask (sample size)
Alterna Haircare Caviar CC Cream (sample size)
Overall, I feel like this was a great bag for me and well over the $10 mark!

Reply ButtonReply

Dawn

I’m getting the balm highler too. It doesn’t make much sense to me as I don’t have that brand or highlighter checked and always rate them both VERY low. Looks like Ipsy had a huge abundance of it. Did everyone get it? Ipsy did a great job this month! 4 out of 5 products are a great match for me.

Reply ButtonReply

Christy

I got the Balm highlighter. I have very fair cool toned skin, and even though the highlighter is on the warm honey side, it still works. It’s actually really good! One of their better products honestly. Gives my skin a ridiculously natural soft warm glow. I keep getting compliments about how nice my skin looks 😛

Reply ButtonReply

BD

I didn’t get the highlighter. Which I’m happy about.

Reply ButtonReply

Jaclyn

I’m super jelly of that brush.

Reply ButtonReply

Sue Basile

Me too! I got a double ended pair of tweezers made by F.A.R.A.H brushes. Oh well, they’ll get used too but I REALLY WANTED THAT BRUSH, LOL

Reply ButtonReply

Care

I’m bummed that I haven’t gotten a tool or brush in the last 3 bags! I used to get a brush in nearly every bag. Time to change up the answers to the questionnaire.

Marion

I love my bag! The only thing I put up for swap is the SL Miss Glam brush, only because I have an excess of brushes right now.

I also got the mauvey Kokie liquid lip (good shade for me, decent formula), Absolute NY shadow (not a good shade for me, but love the velvety formula), theBalm highlighter, & Lue serum.

I’ve seen people saying that theBalm samples are too small, but I’ve never had a problem, even with the bronzer. I just swirl my brush through.

Reply ButtonReply

Redhed36

Mine:
– Ciate London eyeliner
– Luna by Luna Eyeshadow in Juliet
– Purlisse Beauty blue lotus mud mask + Exfoliant
– Thebalm Cosmetics Mary-Lou manizer
– Hola Neon Velvet liquid lipstick in DF

Reply ButtonReply

Holly

Finally sub’d and then….waitlisted

Reply ButtonReply

Dawn

I got off of the waitlist the same day by posting an update on Facebook (I set it as private so I wouldn’t bother anyone), and sending a link in messenger (to a friend), and posting on twitter. So I’ll get the February bag. I was just too late in the month to get the January.

Reply ButtonReply

Marion

I’ve read people saying they’ve had luck emailing customer service and asking to get off.

Reply ButtonReply

Holly

Thanks for the idea! I emailed them and found out that all new subscribers are now automatically waitlisted. She offered to manually remove me from the wait list so I could get a box. Thanks again!

adncl

I got that brush last month! It’s beautiful but it doesn’t match any of my boring black-handled tools lol

I got three of the same products as Liz: theBalm highlighter (super tiny sample size), the DLS eyeshadow in Sangria (definitely a statement shade), and the Oribe dry shampoo (not very excited about that).

I also got the tweezers but unlike most people, I’m actually excited about them! They feel really high quality and I love the color.

My final product was the Trust Fund lip scrub which tastes a little weird but works really well, and also it’s a full size valued at $20 so yay!

Just wish the bag wasn’t so ugly, because then this would have been an all-around hit!

Reply ButtonReply

Michelle

I got Cake lotion which I love, the Balm, Nude lipstick, hideous blue polish, and a lip scrub. Overall very happy with everything except the polish. The bag is not my style at all but I never keep any as I don’t use them.

Reply ButtonReply

Lillian

The brush is so cute! I am super jealous. I got the tweezers. I have to say I am not excited about them. At all. So if anyone is in need of some tweezers, let me know! 😉

Reply ButtonReply

Jackie

I wish I had gotten the tweezers!!

I got:

-Fré Revive Me Deep Replenishing Serum

-Vasanti Waterline Eyeliner “Intense Black” full size product! RV $19!

-TheBalm Mary-Lou Manizer highlighter

-Kokie Cosmetics liquid lipstick “Mad About Mauve” full size product RV $6.

-Caviar CC Cream 10 in 1 Leave In Hair Perfect or

If anything interests you I would love to trade for the tweezers!

Reply ButtonReply

Lillian

I signed up for the swap list but I’m in wait list mode. 🙁

Wendy

Black eyeliner, blue nail polish, lip scrub, eyeshadow. Same as my bag in December. Only difference was a brush last month and highlighter this time. I review, change profile, etc. like everyone suggests and I seem to never get the items I want.

Reply ButtonReply

Nan

When I saw this month’s spoilers I thought the bag looked cheap. After receiving it though, I think it’s really cute and better quality than I expected.

Reply ButtonReply

Sara

That brush is beautiful!!!!!

Reply ButtonReply

Ashley

Can only subscribers get the ipsy deals now? I’ve subscribed since we don’t get a monthly choice but would still look into their deals. I hope not

Reply ButtonReply

Emma

I have been unable to locate the offers in the app, and I think it’s unnecessarily hard to find on the website, but fortunately my computer remembers ipsy.com/offers as the address to get to them.

Reply ButtonReply

MOI

Emma, in the app at the bottom there’s a “Shopper” button- click that, scroll down just a tad, click Ipsy Offers, and there they are- they show up at 9 am PST, 12 pm EST each weekday.

Luna

Yes, you can still get the Ipsy offers even if you’re not subscribed! I wasn’t subscribed to Ipsy for almost a year, and checking those Ipsy offers was still part of my daily routine, and I ended getting (quite?) a few of them. haha

Reply ButtonReply