Ipsy Review – February 2014
Ipsy is one of the most popular subscription boxes, and it’s not surprising – Ipsy is only $10 a month, and with every glam bag you typically get a great mix of full size and deluxe size makeup and beauty products. (And you get a makeup bag every month too!)
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: US and Canada
Check out all of my Ipsy reviews and the Beauty Subscription Box Directory!
POP Beauty Plump Pout Mini in Peony Petal – 4 g Value $8
ZOYA Nail Lacquer in Odette – FULL SIZE! Value $9
ZOYA is one of my favorite nail polish brands – their formula is 5-Free and has great staying power. There were two color options this month for Ipsters, this orchid purple shade, or a light pink shade. I was hoping for the other color, but now that I have this purple shade in my hands I love it. (I still might try to get the pink shade too via swaps though!)
Pacifica Hawaiian Ruby Guava Body Butter – 2.5 oz Value $4.70
Pacifica is another brand I absolutely love -their products are free of parabens, phthalates, petroleum, etc. This body butter is super moisturizing, but I’m not sure if I love the scent yet.
City Color Be Matte Blush in Fresh Melon – FULL SIZE! Value $3
Eyetini Eye Cordial Shadow + Base in Ambrosia – FULL SIZE! Value $18
In my experience Ipsy tends to include a mix of higher end brands and some lower price point brands. It’s a great way to get a lot of full sized makeup every month. (I was a little shocked when I looked up this blush to see the full size version only costs $3!)
Verdict: This month I received about $43 worth of items. (Plus the makeup bag with the cute lining!) I thought all the products were very appropriate for the theme: The Look of Love, and I love that everything was full sized or deluxe sized.
What did you think of Ipsy this month? Which products did you get?
Written by Liz Cadman
So disappointed. This was my first month with Ipsy, after their ridiculous joke of a waiting list that you wait forever on unless you’re willing to turn over your Facebook information. They sent me one of the nasty lip glosses. I contacted them, and they reshipped, supposedly with an Urban Decay lipgloss (presumably as an apology?). The package started out five hours away from me, but their ridiculous DHL service took NINE days to get it to me. When I did get it, you guessed it — the same exact stinky rancid lip gloss, AND they didn’t add the Urban Decay lip gloss that was shown on the shipment manifest.
If you’re like me & like multiple subscription boxes, it might still be worth it, but if you’re stuck on the waiting list or can only afford one, I’d choose something other than Ipsy.
With so many subscription boxes out there, they really need to step up their game. They have two strikes with me already… One more & they’re out.
Thanks for all of your reviews! They have been super helpful in convincing me to subscribe to several different boxes. I really liked my ipsy bag this month. Ironically, I think I may be more addicted to your blog than to the boxes!
More addicted to my blog than subscription boxes?! I think you just paid me the ultimate compliment 🙂
It seems like I get my bag later and later every month. I used to get it on like the 11th, now I am still waiting for it. This DHL they use is a complete joke. It would have been to actually have the bag by Valentine’s Day.
Just an fyi, I have found the tracking to be unreliable, as I received late this month also, I checked the tracking and it showed it was sitting in Maryland waiting for to give to USPS, and I received it that day. Although, that was a good thing, it still shows maybe they don’t update it.
Still love Ipsy even though I got the lashes (really??). Am excited to try the mask – it’s one of the few things where I don’t mind a one-time sample.
I wasn’t crazy about my bag this month either. I’m content with my lip gloss and my nail polish, they were ok. I got the face mask (and I detest foil samples, lol), the eyetini (not into cream blush, but generally I like to receive eye products so I’m not complaining) and lashes (I knew I couldn’t dodge them forever). It wasn’t a bad bag at all, but I wish I could have tried some of the other products that I’m more likely to purchase in the future. Looking forward to next month still. Overall, Ipsy is a great value even when it is hit or miss.
I received the lashes, UGH! The Eyetini shadow tint in Violette, the Pop Beauty gloss in Fuchsia Freesia, the Zoya polish in Dot, and the Skyn two step mask.
I have no clue how to put on fake lashes, so those will be set aside for someone. Love the color of the shadow and polish and will use them both. Even though the two step mask is a one shot deal I am looking forward to trying in.
I can’t even have the Pop Beauty gloss in my house because of the smell of the packaging. Whatever they have used to make the black cap is off gassing horribly. I did smell the gloss itself, and it is pretty overpowering as well.
I know! The lip gloss smells so weird. I do like the color though. I got the fuchsia freesia.
It sounds like you got a bad Pop gloss. I got the identical bag and have no smell issues. Last month’s makeup bag was pretty noxious but no odors I’ve noticed and I’m wearing it now. Maybe ask for a replacement since it does sound like a dud. It’s the first I’ve heard of a bad smell with it. Sorry!
I love Zoya polish! Can’t wait to get my first ipsy next month!!
If this bag was my bag I think I would have been over-the-moon with excitement.
I’m not going to lie, I was disappointed in my first bag. I do not have masks or facial items selected and I received, in my opinion, the worst sample option of the mud mask. It’s the only one in foil. You only get one try. Every other sample for body is in an actual container so you can continue using it. I also received eyelashes which is unfortunate because I have eye spasms and blink a lot lol no good for me.
The bag is super cute and I love the blush, have to be careful because it is very pigmented though.
The meh section for me would be the nail polish, which I am glad I got the purple colour, but I have a Julep subscription and I am so over runny nail polishes as a result. Also the Pop lip plumper. No plumping, which is fine, but the taste! It’s awful. I love the colour, it’s so vibrant so I will use it, but I have to put a dab of buxom over it because of its mint smell and then actually eat a mint. Not what you want from a lip gloss. But I do love the colour, very fun.
I’ll keep getting Ipsy, because the value is great, even if I only like 1-2 items and the bag. It’s about $17 for me in Canada with shipping and when you factor in the opportunity to try new things, the price point of what you like will cover the cost, and the fun community with spoilers and trying to guess what you will get I think it is worth it.
I had such a bad glam room I cancelled. I thought this would be the end but got another sub box that out of all the products there was one I didn’t like and that’s the one I got……I don’t want to give it away but its a sub where you get one thing. I haven’t received my bag but got the eye lashes and purple nail polish, blush, gloss, some gel thing. the thing is everything else I would have really liked. oh well last month I liked everything. Now I just got a notification that PopSugar Must Have has a special resort box coming out….why do they tempt me lol.
The only thing I did not like in my glam bag were the lashes, and I could have done without the nail polish (but I haven’t tried Zoya before so that is fine). Target recently had a 3 pack of Pacifica lotion on clearance for 7.99 (¡n guava, blood orange, and coconut)!
I think I’m getting the lashes, too. I already have a bunch of fake eyelashes from another box that I haven’t used. (Would have preferred the blush, but it doesn’t appear that I’m getting that. Oh well.)
I agree on the lashes–I’ll hang onto them but I’m not sure if I’ll ever use them. Fun to receive this on Valentine’s Day! And I loved everything else.
I’m waiting on my Ipsy bag. I have to say, nothing but nothing beats Ipsy! Where else can you spend $2.50 a week and get such a treasure trove in a cute bag?
That is a great way to break it down!
Instead of the lotion. … I received uberliss rituoil for hair!
I got the pink Zoya in my bag and although it’s ab gorgeous, it’s very streaky! It took me 3 coats and I still have a few streaks in there. But the staying power is great.
Who knows when I’ll get mine? It finally shipped, but with all the bad weather we’ve been having in my part of the country, all packages have been delayed. I’ve got about 4 or 5 boxes coming and I’ll be lucky to get one of them this week!
Hope I get the lavendar nail polish, I’m not much into pink things.
This is a nice box! I unsubscribed a while back to explore some other makeup subscription boxes, but this convinced me to come back.
My main complaint had been all the bright red lipsticks. It looks like they’ve chilled out on the bright red lately.
I am glad I unsubscribed from Ipsy. Also, I did get excited about the low cost of City Color cosmetics initially. I ordered a couple of things with them and only after I ordered I read thr ingredients and they are full of bad ingredients. Off they went, into trash…
Yana, what’s wrong with their products? Have you had a bad skin reaction from them?
I have that body butter and it is strong. I think that if the scent was a little bit lighter I would love it.
I LOVE Zoya too and Pacifica, my fav scent is the blood orange.