IPSY Glam Bag Plus is a $28 per month subscription box from IPSY. Every month you’ll receive five full-sized beauty products. The box will have a retail value of at least $120. (This box was voted as one of the best makeup subscription boxes and best beauty subscription boxes by MSA readers!)
My Subscription Addiction paid for this box. (Check out our editorial guidelines to learn more about how we review boxes).
First Impressions
As always, my goodies arrived in the pink IPSY bubble mailer and a drawstring back. The December design is light pink with golden stars!
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Also included was an info card, though individual items inside this month were not featured.
Now, on to the items!
CLARITYRX Daily Dose of Water Hyaluronic Acid Hydrating Serum, 1 fl oz - Retail Value $78
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This is a serum that provides a big dose of hyaluronic acid, but not much else. That isn't a bad thing at all because hyaluronic acid is a great addition to any skin routine, especially one for dry skin. It can hold 1000 times its own weight in water and is great for holding moisture in the skin like a sponge. This formula is super simple: water, hyaluronic acid, phenoxyethanol (preservative), and ethylhexylglycerin (another preservative). I think this is a great HA serum, but the price is really high for what it is. A lot of skincare already contains HA too, which makes this maybe a little superfluous to some routines, but it certainly can't hurt anything! It is a lightweight serum that absorbs in a snap with no real scent to speak of.
ELEMIS Peptide4 Eye Recovery Cream, 15 mL - Retail Value $49
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The ingredient list on this box appears to differ from the lists on the brand's site and other retail sites I have seen. Which is.. confusing.
Here they are if you want to run them through your fave decoder:
Aqua/Water/Eau, Glycerin, Coco-Caprylate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glyceryl Oleate Citrate, Buglossoides Arvensis Seed Oil, Bettis Perennis (Daisy) Flower Extract, Hieracium Pilosella Extract, Mica, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Panthenol, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Hydroxyacetophenone, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Hydroxide, Xanthan Gum, Tocopherd, Disodium EDTAI Perilla Ocymoides Seed Oil, Tocopheryl Acetate, Sodium Citrate Citric Acid, Sodiuth Benzoate, Matthiola Longipetala Seed Oil, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Hydrolyzed Yeast Protein.
The biggies here are glycerin (moisturizer), jojoba oil (moisturizer), vitamin E (antioxidant), and panthenol (moisturizer). I liked this cream because I want lots of moisturizers in an eye cream, but it wouldn't be a favorite for me or a repurchase. And whenever ingredient lists change, I always wonder why?
UOMA Badass Icon Lipstick in 'Maya', 0.12 oz - Retail Value $24
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UOMA Beauty is an inclusive Black-owned brand and I have really enjoyed their products whenever I am lucky enough to score one in a subscription. This matte lipstick is everything I look for in a matte formula: highly-pigmented, smooth as butter, and non-drying while still looking flat. I am also really into this muddy pink shade. It isn't a color I would have chosen for myself but it is really flattering on and the sort of nude I can get away with without looking washed out. All of the lipsticks in this collection are named after WOC in a really cool tribute to the badass women these tubes are named after.
TARTE SEA Jelly Glaze Anytime Lip Mask in 'Toasted Coconut', 10 g - Retail Value $16
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This is not my first tube of this jelly mask and it won't be my last. It lives in some sort of balm/gloss/repair treatment combination and if you like products that are minimal but work really well, this is one of them. You can swipe it on bare lips for just a little gloss, wear it over your favorite lipstick to make a glossy finish, or sleep in it for an overnight moisturizing treat. It has a sweet scent that I love and gives just a little bit of color to my smile.
COMPLEX CULTURE Nail Polish Duo in 'Dream + Thrive'
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I feel like it has been a long time since I had a nail polish delivery, and I didn't realize how exciting good color choices could be! This pair is pretty darn perfect together. The first is a grey-green shade with wonderful coverage (you could get away with one coat, IMO) and the second is a glittering dark gold that applies a little sheer but is pretty solid by the second coat. Both have a super shiny finish and wear on my nails for about 2-3 days before chipping. I like that these shades will work from winter into spring.
Verdict
This month's IPSY Glam Bag Plus bag had a total value of at least $167 not including the nail polish which I couldn't verify online. It is pretty rare that the makeup portion of a delivery is my favorite over the skincare, but that is what happened this month. I just wasn't wow-ed by the serum or the eye cream. I mean, both are totally fine and very useable. But both were also very 'shrug emoji' for me. Both of the lip products were awesome though, and I think the nail polish is some of the prettiest I have ever gotten from a subscription.
Keep Track of Your Subscriptions: Add this box to your subscription list or wishlist!
To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? You'll start with January as your first month. As of publication, there was no IPSY waitlist!
Cost Breakdown: This box costs $28, meaning each of the 5 items has an average cost of $5.60.
What do you think of the December IPSY Glam Bag Plus? Which items did you get?
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