Ipsy Glam Bag X is a quarterly upgrade for Ipsy members. It costs an additional $43/shipment for Glam Bag members and $30/shipment for Glam Bag Plus members. It replaces your usual monthly bag in February, May, August, and November. This bag "includes seven to eight full-size products specially curated by beauty’s biggest tastemakers and celebs" and allows subscribers to pick three items.
My Subscription Addiction paid for this box. (Check out our editorial guidelines to learn more about how we review boxes).
The Items
My box arrived in its normal pretty lilac box. This delivery was curated by Huda of Huda Beauty and included a newsletter-type info booklet with details on featured items.
HUDA BEAUTY Haze Obsessions Eyeshadow Palette in 'Purple' - Retail Value $29.00
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This was my choice item!
Of course, I had to pick a Huda square palette! Is there anything that summarizes this brand so well as these quad-shaped sets of 9 themed shades? This is from the 'Haze Obsession' collection which is meant to be a softer and more modern take on the smokey eye. I find that plums and purples work really well for me so this was an easy choice. There were two shades in particular that were disappointing (5 and 8 below) but they were gorgeous on even though they needed a little extra work. The shimmers were a mix of bold metallic as well as a sheer topper (the last shade) and truly the color story is beautiful here. I wish all of the shades were exceptional in terms of formula, but there is certainly enough here to make me want to keep it in my collection.
CÉLA Masque De Glacier Clay Mask, 2.5 oz - Retail Value $50.00
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IPSY chose this item for me.
I am always skeptical of clay masks because they always end up feeling tight on my face which is a sensation I just don't love. I will say that this mask felt a lot more gentle and didn't have that itchy tightening effect. It was actually a very mild and pretty mask filled with nice ingredients that benefit different skin types. I always like to run ingredients through INCIDecoder (this is a really great way to unpack what's in products and also start learning more about ingredients in general). Since this has a couple that left me scratching my head to remember (hello hydroxyethyl urea and Chondrus Crispus Powder) I ran the whole list to take a closer peek. It is no wonder this feels great and isn't super drying. It contains moisturizing glycerine, calming licorice root and chamomille, clarifying salicylic acid, and more. These all come together to create a very pleasant mask that soothes as well as helps fight congestion. And I love the deep green color from the sea silt!
WISHFUL Thirst Trap Juice HA3 Peptide Serum, 30 mL – Retail Value $47.00
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IPSY chose this item for me.
First things first: I love the cheeky name of this serum and the iridescent bottle! And the rainbow holographic ring around the dropper top! I am a sucker for cute packaging and, well, this bottle is way cute. Inside is a watery clear serum with a slight perfume scent (I liked it personally). And, expectedly, this serum is aimed at adding hydration to the skin, which is speaking my language. It has moisturizers like hyaluronic acid (3 types!), aloe, and niacinamide (also a brightening ingredient). It also has caffeine which gives skin a tightening and firming sensation and makes it perfect for AM wear under makeup or on a bare face. I also noticed multiple peptides and antioxidants which makes for a very well-rounded serum. Another plus is that this absorbs easily and doesn't leave a film behind! This serum is also manufactured in South Korea for all my K-Beauty lovers out there! All in all, I know it can be easy to form opinions on celebrity skincare lines, and that is valid. But I am pretty impressed with this one so far.
PATRICK TA BEAUTY Major Glow Softening Lip Masque in 'She's Juicy', 8 g – Retail Value $22.00
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This was my choice item!
I love any lip product that performs like a sleep mask, especially in the winter. My only issue with this is the package design. How am I supposed to get into the corners? I mean I guess I could use a brush or scoop, but this seems like something that can be improved upon. Other than that, this mask was an instant love. It has a very mild minty scent and tingle, a little shimmer, and coats my lips even through sleeping. If you want instant softness and smoothness, this is wonderful. Aside from the corners.
HUDA BEAUTY Legit Lashes in 'Vanta Black' – Retail Value $27.00
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IPSY chose this item for me.
So the name of this shade of black immediately grabbed my attention because Vantablack is actually a very specific shade of black paint created to be the blackest in the world. Art geeks will recognize this as the pigment exclusively licensed by artist Anish Kapoor in an agreement that effectively prohibited any other artist from using it. This caused quite a stir in the art community about pigments and colors and if anyone could truly OWN a color or shade. In fact, some artists were so upset, they reacted by creating colors like Pinkest Pink and banned Kapoor from being able to buy it in retaliation. Seriously, this is the disclaimer from their website:
By adding this product to your cart you confirm that you are not Anish Kapoor, you are in no way affiliated to Anish Kapoor, you are not purchasing this item on behalf of Anish Kapoor or an associate of Anish Kapoor. To the best of your knowledge, information and belief this paint will not make its way into the hands of Anish Kapoor.
Spoiler alert: Kapoor got his hands on it and wanted the world to know. This is actually one of my favorite art controversies of all time because it just spirals into something more and more ridiculous. Ok, back to the mascara...
It looks like this shade has been renamed 'Extreme Black' (the word "Vanta" seems to have disappeared from the Huda site, which makes me wonder if there were copyright issues. And this shade is black-black! But it looks like any other truly black mascara. It is also double-ended, with one side for volume and the other for curl+length. Each side has a different shaped brush and since I am someone who never really makes it to the bottom of a tube of mascara, I am kind of approaching it as two different mascaras I can use independently depending on what look I want that day. Especially since I didn't notice a huge difference in the formulas and I found the volumizing side actually added more length and curl than the side that was meant to do that.
The left side here is actually the volume formula. Also, excuse the Cela mask on my nose. It's called self-care, ok?
RARE BEAUTY With Gratitude, Dewy Lip Balm in 'Honor', 2.8 g – Retail Value $16.00
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IPSY chose this item for me.
I have loved every single thing from Rare Beauty. Again, it's a celebrity line and I know lots of people aren't into that. But if the products work, they work. And, sure, I wish this lip balm wasn't clear. It seems like a missed opportunity. But it feels and smells great on and I love the ivory plastic packaging. It leaves my lips feeling great and protects them from the chilly air.
PMD BEAUTY Clean Smart Facial Cleansing Device in 'Warmth' - Retail Value $99.00
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IPSY chose this item for me.
I certainly don't need another one of these. Arguably, they are plentiful in subscription boxes! But they make GREAT gifts and 'tis the season. Tools like this are great for gentle exfoliation that stimulates your face but doesn't scratch it. The reverse side is meant for massaging serums into your skin. And this color combo is gorgeous.
FRECK BEAUTY Rich Bitch Cactus + Vitamin C Moisturizer, 1.7 fl oz – Retail Value $32.00
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This was my choice item!
Can you believe this is my first FRECK product? Again, I got sucked in by the cute name and packaging. And this cream has a lot going for it! I actually have a friend who swears this is her favorite item from this IPSY X delivery. And she is really picky. She also managed to nail my hesitation about it: coconut oil. Luckily for Mindy, she has dry skin that isn't acne-prone at all. She is still raving about how it helps protect her face from her kid's cold, windy elementary school football games (something I know nothing about). That sometimes pore-clogging coconut oil is #13 on the list of ingredients though, which means there likely isn't a huge amount inside. And I personally didn't notice anything spotty after using it for a week. I do personally wish there was less alcohol in here (there are three types and all are fattier but still have slight irritancy and comedogenicity ratings) but that boils down to personal preference. It also has vitamin C, jojoba, and prickly pear oil. All in all, I think this is a great cream for drier skin and absolutely arrived at a great time in the year.
Verdict
So I think this IPSY Glam Bag X is a great example of the power of the curator. I know so many readers (and myself!) were stoked to see Huda as the curator this quarter. She has multiple brands with incredible formulas! And I know we were all hoping for the perfume (it's actually one of my favorite vanilla scents ever). So I think there was a ton of hype here for loads of the more exciting Huda products. And, sure, I loved the palette and thought the serum was also great, but the mascara was a little blah and I think in my head this was going to be over the top Huda, you know? I don't want to minimize the value of this box though. It comes out to $322 which is bananas for the cost of the box. And the majority of the items were pretty great and if I didn't personally love them, they are still giftable.
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To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? Yes, but you better hurry!
Value Breakdown: This box costs $55 and here is how that cost breaks down per item:
- Huda Beauty Palette $4.95
- Céla Mask $8.54
- WISHFUL Serum $8.03
- Patrick Ta Beauty Lip Mask $3.76
- Huda Beauty Mascara $4.61
- Rare Beauty Lip Balm $2.73
- PMD $16.91
- FRECK Beauty Cream $5.47
Alternatively, each of the 8 items has an average cost of $6.88.
What do you think of the November Ipsy Glam Bag X? Which items did you get?
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