IPSY is a monthly beauty and makeup subscription box. For $13 per month, you get five full-size or deluxe-sized products, plus a cute makeup bag.
This is one of our top recommendations if you are looking for a subscription box - the value and sample sizes are amazing. (FYI – 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 our editorial guidelines to learn more about how we review boxes).
First Impressions
1 of 3
Your IPSY Glam bag will come in their standard pale pink bubble wrap mailer. When you open it up, you can always expect to find a makeup bag storing your new beauty products and an info sheet with additional details.
1 of 2
Every month you receive a makeup bag in addition to your five products. This month's bag is a pretty light silver bag with a rainbow pearlescent sheen and a purple zipper pull.
The Breakdown – What’s Inside My September 2022 Ipsy Glam Bag
Callyssee Smooth Gel Lip Liner in Bite, 0.9 g – Retail Value $12
1 of 2
A full-size eyeliner that costs almost as much as this entire subscription? Yes please. The formula of this Callyssee lip liner is a really smooth gel texture that glides with no tugging, and the shade "bite" is a really pretty berry. As we head into the cooler months I reach for deeper shades like this more often, and I thought this was comfortable to wear.
Here it is swatched.
Glow Recipe Avocado Ceramide Recovery Serum, 5 mL – Estimated Value $7.33 (buy the 30 mL version for $44)
This was my choice item this month, and I am happy to see it. I actually really like this serum from Glow Recipe, but wouldn't repurchase it due to a design flaw with the packaging that prevents the pump from being able to get all of the product out of the bottle. A squeezable tube like this, though, means I can get every last drop out. This serum is formulated with five different ceramides, avocado butter, avocado extract, allantoin, and rice milk, and it has a nourishing finish to my skin that didn't feel heavy. Since my skin can lean sensitive, I love reaching for products that work to maintain a healthy moisture barrier (where ceramides are perfect for), and I like that this layered well with other skincare products.
Hempz Sweet Pineapple & Honey Melon Herbal Body Butter, 1.8 oz – Estimated Value $3.36 (buy the 8 oz version for $19)
The packaging of this body lotion threw me off because I expected a vibrant orange tube of body cream sent during autumn to smell like pumpkin, and sweet pineapple and honey melon is a very different scent profile. It kind of reminds me of the classic Bath and Body Works cucumber melon scent, only taken up a notch with the cucumber being replaced by pineapple. It smells good, and this absorbs into my skin quickly without leaving me sticky.
Laruce Beauty LR117 Angled Shading Brush – Retail Value $28
1 of 3
Laruce brushes have been appearing pretty frequently over the past few months in subscription boxes. I like them, but I don't feel a lot of excitement about receiving a new one. I definitely wouldn't pay $28 for it outright, but it does a good job placing eyeshadow into the crease of my eyelids and the synthetic bristles are soft rather than scratchy.
Murad Retinol Youth Renewal Eye Serum, 0.17 oz – Estimated Value $30.26 (buy the 0.5 oz version for $89)
Raise your hand if you would choose this sample of eye cream over receiving an Ipsy Glam Bag Plus shipment? The value of this eye serum is about the same as what one month of IGBP costs, but I am sure most people would choose the Glam Bag Plus. Jokes aside, Murad is one of those brands I am always happy to see in subscription boxes. We frequently receive "pricy" samples in our boxes, but oftentimes it feels like there's a sense of inflated markup and no one would ever pay that much for the product in real life.
Murad, though, is a brand I have seen sold in spas for as long as I can remember, and over the years of trying their various products I have also found their formulas to be pretty effective. This eye serum uses Murad's special technology to make a retinol for the delicate eye area that isn't too drying, and it's formulated with hyaluronic acid and marine kelp extract. I didn't experience any redness or sensitivity using this, and this is a sample I can easily see myself finishing.
Value – Was This Box Worth It?
The Cost: $13
Value Breakdown:
- Callyssee: $12 → $1.93
- Glow Recipe: $7.33 → $1.18
- Hempz: $3.36 → $0.54
- Laruce: $28 → $4.49
- Murad: $30.26 → $4.86
This month everything in my Glam Bag added up to $80.95, which is pretty great for a $13 subscription box. Alternatively, it breaks down to paying $2.60 per item, not including the actual bag.
Key Takeaways
This was a really good IPSY bag for me. Last month's bag felt a little lackluster, but this month took it up several notches. It's hard to go wrong when you include samples from both Glow Recipe and Murad in one Glam Bag, and the lipliner and body butter were great too. Even the makeup brush wasn't a miss- it just wasn't as awesome as some of the other things this month. I made sure to review all of the items sent this month in the hopes that the Ipsy algorithm continues to send good bags like this one- for the price, this is tough subscription to beat.
Keep Track of Your Subscriptions: Add this box to your subscription list or wishlist!
Other Things You Should Know
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? No, but sign up now to get the October bag!
Am I able to customize my bag? Yes, towards the end of each month you are given the ability to choose one product to be included in next month's Glam Bag!
What do you think of my September 2022 Ipsy Glam 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.