What’s better than beauty delivered right to your door? Um, nothing!
I discovered Ipsy a few months ago from two of my roommates who subscribed during the summer. They showed me the small cute cosmetic bags they received as well as the awesome brand name products that came in them! Thanks to them, this is now my third month as an Ipsy subscriber.
For those of you who haven’t heard of Ipsy before, once a month you receive a beauty bag with five products – makeup, nail polish, skincare and hair related goodies. Ipsy picks the items you recieive, but you get to take a beauty quiz so that all of the items are personalized for you! It’s similar to other beauty subscription services – Birchbox, FabFitFun, and GlossyBox.
Unlike a couple of these other beauty subscription services, Ipsy is very affordable- just $10 per month and free shipping. With it’s low price, Ipsy promises sample and deluxe-sized, decent quality beauty. But does it actually deliver?
To help answer that question, I would like to give you a peek at was inside of my January Glam bag, the effectiveness and quality of each item, as well as how much each is worth.
1. MR. WRITE (NOW) Eyeliner Pencil
TheBalm Cosmetics
Retail Value : $17.00
Ok, so not everything about an Ipsy Glam Bag is completely personalized. This month, everyone received a full-sized eyeliner from TheBalm Cosmetics. The one I received is in shade Jac B. Bronze.
I was super excited to receive this product because I LOVE TheBalm Cosmetics. Great brand, great quality. I usually only use black eyeliner, so this isn’t a color I would normally pick for myself. HOWEVER, this product is such a gorgeous shade of goldish brown and I think it would be perfect for a soft or sultry eye look.
This item retails for $17.00 You can, however, purchase it for just $13.60 now on Lovelyskin.com.
2. Advanced Peptide Eye Complex
Tucker Ashley
Retail Value: $20.36
I received a sample size (0.34 oz) of this eye cream by skin care brand Tucker Ashley. They are known for selling high-quality face masks, moisturizers, serums, etc. This particular product is supposed to help fight wrinkles (which I don’t have yet), dark circles, and puffiness.
I applied the product under my eyes as directed, and it felt light and refreshing and had a very nice scent to it. I unfortunately didn’t notice any difference in the appearance of the skin under my eyes.
The full size is 0.5 oz and retails for $29.95. You can purchase it here.
Advanced Peptide Eye Complex – for dark circles & puffiness
Personally, I’ll stick to my Baggage Handler Eye Gel by Bliss, which has an instant cooling effect when applied and is very effective when it comes to soothing that pesty under-eye puffiness.
3. Pearl Shadow Angle Large Brush
Coastal Scents
Retail Value: $2.49
When I first pulled this out of my Ipsy bag, I was a little upset.I definitely do not need another makeup brush, especially not an eye shadow brush.
Turns out; I was completely wrong! I was pleased to discover that this brush is perfect for adding depth to the crease of your eyelid and it also works extremely well for contouring. I found the angled tip especially helpful for contouring and highlighting my nose. The bristles are also super soft and don’t fall out – like many cheap makeup brushes often do. I have been using this brush every day since I received it.
Coastal Scents sells a wide range of makeup brushes, contouring kits, eyeshadow palettes, and so much more. Their products are similar and quite comparable to BH Cosmetics. Both of these brands are known to sell good quality yet affordable cosmetics.
Because this is a limited edition brush, you cannot purchase this exact one from the website. However, you can purchase the Classic Shadow Large Angle brush which retails for just $2.49 and is identical to the one I received in my Ipsy bag. The only difference between these two brushes is the color of the wood.
http://www.coastalscents.com/brushes/eyeshadow-brushes/classicshadowanglelargenatural-1.html
4. Eyeshadow Trio – Falling Leaves
City Color Cosmetics
Retail Value: $5.99
I also received an eyeshadow trio in shade Falling Leaves by City Color Cosmetics. I really liked the idea of this product – it’s travel friendly, cute, and the colors looked nice. I really wanted to like this product too.
I don’t really know a lot about City Color Cosmetics, but I have seen their products sold at Sally Beauty . They also have a full online store where most of the products are under $10.
I would not recommend this particular product. You would have to apply and reapply these shadows over and over in order to achieve the look you want – Ain’t nobody got time for that! But, if you do, you can purchase it here. http://citycolorcosmetics.com/featured/eyeshadow-trio/#.VqHEN1nj-7o
5. Ultra-Moisturizing Argan Creme Facial Lotion with Olive Oil
Promise Organic
Retail Value: $4.41
This 0.5 fl oz sample I received is made for normal to dry skin and is great especially during the winter time when your skin needs some serious TLC. This product makes my skin incredibly smooth. It also has a light lemon scent. I wasn’t super excited to receive this product only because I have plenty of facial moisturizers, but I like how it contains Moroccan Argan – something that I usually only see in hair products but is very moisturizing fir the skin as well.
Promise Organic is a skincare brand sold exclusively at CVS Pharmacy.
You can purchase the full-sized product for $15.00 here.
Ultra Moisturizing Argan Creme Facial Lotion with Olive Oil
The total value of my January Ipsy bag (not including the cosmetics bag itself) is approximately $50.25.
Some months Glam Bags are better than others. Each month, you are guaranteed to find products you may love or products you might not be too crazy about. Although there were only two products in my bag that I really loved this month, it doesn’t necessarily mean I will never use the other products. I actually like the surprise element of Ipsy and not knowing what I am going to receive. It encourages me to try new things!
If you truly enjoy discovering and experimenting with new beauty products and brands, then Ipsy is for you!
Here is a picture of various products I have received in past months Ipsy bags. They include moisturizers, primers, perfume, eyeliner, exfoliating scrubs, nail polish, lip stick and more. I can honestly say that I love Ipsy and I think you will as well!
