Ipsy is a monthly beauty and makeup subscription box. Each month you get full-size or deluxe-sized products, plus a cute makeup bag.
This is one of Liz’s top recommendations if you are looking for a beauty box! The value and sample sizes are amazing. (Check out our 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).
About Ipsy
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: the US and Canada
Delivered via: USPS
Visit the Ipsy Swap Page to swap for any of the items you see in this review!
Ipsy November 2018 Review #2
This is my first time EVER reviewing Ipsy! I'm so excited to show you all what I got—it's a little bit different than what Tiffany got in her Ipsy bag this month. And stay tuned, as later this month, we'll be sharing a tutorial based on the items I received!
One quick thing before we dig in, just to give some context about me as a reviewer! I typically don't wear a full face of makeup on the regular and instead opt for a sweep of blush, maybe some eyeliner, some lip gloss—simple, essential accents that make me feel a little bit more polished but don't overwhelm my skin. (It breaks out really easily when I try to layer on foundation or other more all-over products.) In general, I'd describe myself as more of a beauty newbie, though I am fascinated by makeup and think it's really fun. And when I do get more in-depth with makeup, say, for a special occasion, I really go in—I'll usually pick between a bold lip or eye and get adventurous with color. But how I shop for makeup is kind of random and not terribly informed. So I'm excited about the prospect of Ipsy finding those new essential items for me and helping me get to know notable new brands.
Okay, enough about me. Let's check out the makeup, shall we?!
Here's the info card that came in the bag.
Each month, Ipsy subscribers get a makeup bag in addition to their 5 items. I got a faux-leather blue bag with black hearts, a pink lining, and a shiny gold zipper.
Skone Cosmetics Brow Wand in Chocolate, .3g/.01oz - FULL SIZE Retail Value $18.00
I'd never heard of Skone before, so I'm already happy with Ipsy for helping me discover new brands to shop for! Okay, two things I really loved about this brow pencil. 1) The consistency of the pencil is really hard. I have relatively dark brows as is, and since I'm not much of a makeup person, I don't love the look of opaquely drawn-in brows. Instead, I like being able to whisk in a few subtle lines where I need them and be done. The hardness of this pencil makes that an easy task. 2) The design! The pencil has a chisel-shaped tip, which makes adding little dashes into my brows really simple. And the flip side of the pencil is a spool, so I can brush out my brows and get that natural, no-makeup-makeup look I'm aiming for.
Ciaté London Mini Extraordinary Translucent Setting Powder, 1.5g - Estimated Value $2.20 (Buy 15g for $22.00, found here for $15.40)
As someone who doesn't wear a ton of makeup, I don't have a lot of occasions where I use setting powder. That said, when I do decide to go all out, I do notice the difference that using powder makes. This formula is light and airy and disappears against my paler skin/foundation. It's a rather small pot (it reminds me of tiny lip balm pots I'd get as a kid...), but for me, that's just fine. I'll only need it in a pinch now and then.
Peripera Ink Velvet Lip Tint in #9 Sniper Red, 0.09 oz. - Estimated Value $4.34 (Buy a 0.28 oz. version for $13.49)
This is another brand I'm not familiar with! While I only got a small sample size, it should last me awhile—a little bit goes a long way with this formula! I don't think I've ever tried a stain with this much staying power, either. Even cleaning off the swatch on my hand took a two long cleanses! I'll swatch this deep, sultry red color in a few so you can see. It's very va-va-voom.
Foiled Again Foil Eye Shadow in Cahoots, .042 oz. - Estimated Value $3.50 (Buy the full 12 color palette for $34.00, found here for $17.00)
When I saw "foiled", I was hoping for something suuuuuper shiny, as there are some really impressively metallic shadows out there. (The Urban Decay Moondust shadows come to mind.) This palette isn't quite that luminous, but I did like the metallic shimmer this gunmetal shadow does have. It has a note of brown in it so that the silver color has a natural quality to it—it can be a subtle mushroomy shimmer in an otherwise simple look, or an all-out-glam statement eye. Nice pigment and only a little fallout so far.
Marc Anthony True Professional Strictly Curls Perfect Curl Miracle Treatment, 1.01 fl. oz. - FULL SIZE Retail Value $2.99
When I don't style it, my hair actually has a slight natural curl to it. But because I'm always hitting my hair with the blow drier right out of the shower, when I do let my waves set in, they tend to be on the frizzy side. I've never actually tried a curl-boosting product my hair since my curls are so gentle, but I'm glad I got to try this one! It legit makes a difference—if I use this cream and then let my hair air dry, I've noticed that my waves are much more refined and purposeful-looking even before I do any styling of my own. Nice!
Here are the swatches of everything swatchable (excluding the setting powder, as it's so translucent that it wouldn't really show up on camera)! The top is the lip color, followed by the brow pencil, and then the eyeshadow.
Verdict: I was really pleased with this bag, as it's exactly what I was hoping for going into Ipsy—new brands to discover and high-quality products I might not have thought to pick up on my own. I loved that I got 2 full-size products in this month's bag, and I'm happy about the rest of the samples, too. Since I'm in this to learn about new items, I'm perfectly happy receiving small samples that I can either use now and then or easily replace when new products arrive for me to try.
To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? Check here to see what month you’ll get first.
Good to know: Ipsy sends out variations based on your preferences. You may get a completely different bag than me!
Value Breakdown: This month's estimated value totals $31.03. At $10 for this box, here’s what you are paying approximately per item:
- Skone Cosmetics Brow Wand: $5.80
- Ciaté London Translucent Setting Powder: $0.71
- Peripera Ink Velvet Lip Tint: $1.40
- Foiled Again Foil Eye Shadow: $1.13
- Marc Anthony Perfect Curl Miracle Treatment: $0.96
- Makeup Bag: n/a
Learn more here!
Check out all of our 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!
Keep Track of Your Subscriptions: Add this box to your subscription list or wishlist!
What do you think of my November Ipsy Glam Bag? What items did you get in your bag?
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.