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 December 2018 Review #2
My bag this month features a hair, nail, and makeup products. Let’s see what I got!
A little card is included with some info about products available in the Ipsy shop. This month's theme is "Be merry. Be bright. Be bold. Be you."
Each month, Ipsy subscribers get a makeup bag in addition to their 5 items.
This month, subscribers will receive this gold sequined bag with a pebbled faux leather back, hot pink lining, gold zipper, and tassel pull. Super cute!
R+CO High Dive Moisture + Shine Creme - 15ml Value $2.96 (Buy full-size 147ml for $29)
This is a nice, lightweight smoothing cream with a bright, clean scent. It does contain silicones (which I try to avoid) but I've found that they help tremendously for the times I want to wear my hair straight. It works as a leave-in or as a blow dry cream.
IT COSMETICS Superhero Elastic Stretch Volumizing Mascara in Black - 5ml Value $13.33 (Buy full-size 9ml for $24)
I'm impressed with this mascara formula! It's super black and gives my lashes length and definition without clumping or flaking. The wand is big and has short, flexible bristles to help coat every lash without getting it all over my lids.
BEAUTY CROP Lip Brulee in Rhubarb Custard, 4ml - FULL SIZE! Retail Value $12.95
Woop for a non-matte formula! I love this berry-red shade and the thin, easy to apply formula. It goes on like a thin gloss, has lots of shine, and leaves a beautiful stain as it wears. Here's my tip to avoid bleeding: apply a coat, blot, then apply another thin coat for shine. I can't believe how long the color lasts!
TRUST FUND BEAUTY Nail Polish in Zero Carbs, 15ml - FULL SIZE! Retail Value $15
Subscribers could have received 1 of 2 shades of this 10-free nail polish. I received the cool-toned, purple-gray shade Zero Carbs and Liz received I Kaled It (check out her review!). Both shades are pretty but I think I'll get more wear out of this one, so I'm happy. Two coats give me opaque coverage and a glossy finish. Like Liz said, it does take some time to dry, but a quick-dry topcoat helps.
F.A.R.A.H BRUSHES Tapered Blending Brush 35E - Estimated Value $10
This must be a special edition of this brush because the one on their site doesn't have this beautiful shiny gold finish. The synthetic bristles are long and fluffy which makes this perfect for blending and diffusing powder or cream shadows. I like to use it clean (aka, without any color on it) to help make my transitions seamless between colors.
DR.LIPP Moisturising Colour Tint in Sweet Potato - 5ml Value $5.50 (Buy 8ml for $8.80)
This lip tint is made from only 4 natural ingredients: medical grade lanolin, edible plant pigments (this particular shade gets its color from sweet potatoes), distarch phosphate (a pigment disperser), and glyceryl caprylate (natural preservative). That means that even if you chronically lick your lips, you won't be ingesting anything dangerous. I think this is more like a glossy balm than a tint since it applies super sheer.
Here are swatches of The Beauty Crop Lip Brylee and the Dr. Lipp Lip Tint.
Here I've used the shadow brush to apply a shimmery green shade to my whole lid. It does a beautiful job of evenly blending the shadow. For my lips, I used a nude liner to line my lips then filled them in with the Lip Brulee. I LOVE the shade but had some issues with bleeding. I'm pretty sure it's because I used one thick layer instead of blotting and using thin layers. After several hours, the stain that was left looked fresh and bright like I'd just applied it.
This month, all Ipsy subscribers received a bonus item which is why there are 6 items instead of 5 this month!
Verdict: This Ipsy Glam Bag has a value of $59.74 which is amazing for $10! Besides the fantastic bag this month, I loved all of my products! This may be the best Ipsy Glam Bag I have received thus far. This is one of the best, inexpensive beauty subscriptions if you want to try new items and play with new colors.
To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? Possibly! As of publication, there was no Ipsy waitlist. Check here to see what month you’ll get first.
Good to know: Ipsy sends out variations. You may get a completely different bag than me.
Value Breakdown: At $10 for this box, here’s what you are paying approximately per item:
- R+CO Hair Creme - $0.50
- IT COSMETICS Mascara - $2.23
- BEAUTY CROP Lip Gloss - $2.17
- TRUST FUND BEAUTY Polish - $2.51
- F.A.R.A.H. Brush - $1.67
- DR. LIPP Lip Tint - $0.92
- Makeup bag - n/a
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 the December Ipsy Glam Bag? What items did you get in your bag?
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