Ipsy Review – December 2015

I loved my December Ipsy bag, and the best thing was the Peter Lamas lotion. I can’t believe only one person mentioned it. I thought I would see all kinds of rave reviews about that lotion. It smells so wonderful. I hate most scented lotions but this is incredible. It smells like tangerines and you can’t believe just how good that can smell. They are pricey but I had gift cards for Amazon and I bought a tube for me and a good friend. She’s in love with it too. I know Ipsy (and all the other boxes, really) can be hit or miss, but you kind of have to take that with a grain of salt. You are always in charge. If you don’t like what you are getting, cancel the subscription. And if you want to give a bad review keep it on point so it really helps. I found all the Pacifica comments interesting. Mine seems like a good one. But as someone else said, these are natural and paraben free products. Paraben is a preservative, and by nature some of the other natural ingredients used to preserve are not always going to smell very good. I received a lip balm as a gift that was ‘lavendar and olive oil’ it was awful.

Okay so I love the makeup bags and I absolutely LOVE the pink bubble mailer it comes in which I reuse all the time. I hate the makeup for the most part. I cancelled for January which made me happy because it was my least favorite bag but resubscribed for Feb since I miss the goodies and all this for $10.

Is that so wrong? 😉

I tried to sub Ipsy, and even tho making a twitter account just for this purpose, they still want me to add post to FB, which I don’t use, Wondering if i’ll ever get off the waiting list? Love your site, btw 🙂

ipsy- hit and miss. but I LOVE this subscription! $10 for a bag & 5 goodies! totally worth it!

I just resubscribed and my bag was not at all what I would have picked out:( I love,love,love nail polish and I did not get any. I stated NO eyeshadow and I got eyeshadow and eyeshadow primer. I will probably cancel if January is a similar experience. Why bother filling out the questions?

I made a comment to ipsy about a couple of the questionable items and this is the response I got

“Hi Kiki. We’re sorry to hear about your experience with the Pacifica lipstick sample. The product was formulated with natural ingredients like coconut oil, shea butter, and vitamin E, without any synthetic fragrances. What you are probably noticing is the scent of rosemary which is the oil Pacifica uses to preserve the lipstick. If you’re not comfortable using the sample, please email ipsyCare directly so we can help you: help.ipsy.com. We work with all of our brand partners to ensure product safety and quality, and appreciate your point of view as we work on future Glam Bags for our ipsters. To clarify your question about tarte, you can find more information in the ingredients section of their product page: http://tartecosmetics.com/tarte-item-Amazonian-clay…”

So I suppose I could contact ipsycare to see what they’re doing about it if they’re really doing anything at all. If I do find something out I’ll be sure to post about it here. 🙂

We mostly received the same items this month – the lipstick, nail polish, and make-up remover. My lipstick doesn’t smell bad but I don’t really like the formula (super dry). The other products I got were a Be A Bombshell black eye liner (boo! it wore right off and I have gotten too many black liners from Ipsy) and a Peter Lamas hand cream (nice!). The polish is the hit for me. So pretty!

I got that Formula X polish and I love it! Perfect for the holidays.

Cancelled my memberships- there were clearly some questionable items in my bag; Tarte Amazonian clay powder is a product made in USA according to the Tarte website but my ipsy sample was made in China. The Pacifica lipstick was rancid and from China; yet Pacifica brand specifically states their products made in USA. Ipsy samples are bogus and worthless

The Aveeno sample was the final straw making me cancel my subscription. The bag is supposed to be inspiring and fun. A common drugstore brand that has been around for years? I’ll spend my $10 on a non-rancid lipstick in a color I choose, instead of yet another shade that doesn’t match my profile.

teehee! my bag was better than your this month Liz, AND it has a value of $58!
sorry, doesn’t happen very often so i have to brag! 🙂

I was happy with everything in my ipsy i received pacifica in tender heart. A peachy beige ( thrilled its not some unwearable pink or orange!!) a caudalie vinosource serum a magenta julie nail polish it mascara and briogeo curl cream ( i have curls so this is great) and i loved the little nag matches my purse perfectly.

I would have been very happy with my bag if the Pacifica lipstick had not been rancid. The smell is really off-putting. That’s the trade-off in natural products, they have a much shorter shelf-life. They should have confirmed freshness on these before they sent them out. Bummed because the color was right up my alley.

I’m so sick of Ipsy. I’ve been waiting to cancel until I receive my bag. I redeemed my 1000 points and I just want to make sure that my reward comes in my bag before I cancel. My main problem with them is that they often off-brand items and items that directly go against my profile. I hate getting nail polish in sub boxes since I buy so much from Julep. They sent out those toxic Be A Bombshell mascaras a few months ago and I’m surprised to see that they are still working with that brand so much.

This was my third and favorite Ipsy bag so far! I didn’t really like the first two, which had (at best) one product I would use, but this bag is a great mix. I rec’d the Tarte Smooth Operator sample, which I wanted to try anyway, so that’s a win. The Aveeno sample is really small but at least it’s something I would use. The Mark Anthony Coconut Oil Shea Butter conditioning treatment is full size (1.69 oz & on sale at Ulta for $5.99) so that’s a big win. After reading how much everyone doesn’t like the Pacifica nudie red lipstick, I’ll just give that one away and skip trying it. The Model Co. Illusion lip liner is not a shade I would wear but I went on the site and saw that it’s full size and it’s supposed to blend with any shade and enhance your lips (not something I look for in a lip liner due to being teased mercilessly about them as a child when thinner lips were in style). That one might be given away. I am very pleased overall with this month’s Ipsy bag and surprised at the value.

Liz, your site is so informative and I’ve learned about so many offers from it and shared it with friends and my sister. Thanks for running this site, it’s a great public service. You’ve made me addicted to beauty boxes!

Glad I made the jump to BB a couple of months ago! I only subscribe to 1monthly box and had Ipsy for 3 months. I was tired of the poor quality and switched to BB. Bags like this make me happy I did!

I’m so happy with Ipsy right now!! They sent me a full size EM Michelle Phan eyeshadow palette along with my regular bag this month! Apparently I’ve been with ipsy for 3 years, and they added a note about my being with them from the beginning. I was blown away. Totally unexpected!

Overall I like my bag. I got the Pacifica in Nudie Red, lip scrub, honey mask, Formula X polish and glamour doll eyes shadow. It feels like Ipsy is starting to feature a lot of boring brands or meh products from otherwise good brands- i.e. that weird sparkle stuff from Pixi?

I canceled Ipsy and don’t miss it at all! Liz always got way better bags than me anyway.

I love Pacifica products, so the smelly lipstick (full size too) really is so disappointing. But…the shiny red quilted bag is cute and I really like my other samples. Overall, I am happy.

Julie G nail polish in Pin Up Girl, a lovely purply pink
Tarte Smooth Operator finishing powder
Lather Honey Moisture Mask (smells great)
Jersey Shore Vanilla Bean Lip and Hand Polish

I like that the bag stands up on its own? I received:
Pacifica lipstick – smells like clay and feels like clay on my lips.
IT cosmetics mascara
Be a Bomshell eyeliner
Nude cosmetics perfume- very strong smelling
Marc Anthony conditioning treatment

I had to drop my ipsy. When I first subscribed a year ago it was AWESOME. I was constantly getting urban decay, too faced, tarte, so many prestigious brands .. And then the quality fell. Not little by little, just all at once. Disappointing it was my favorite.

It looks like a lot of people are unhappy with their ipsy bags especially the lipstick. I got it in the nudie red. I think the color is pretty. I haven’t smelled it and when I opened it I didn’t notice a smell. I also got the floral water makeup remover, formula x, bombshell black eyeliner, and a hand cream. The bag itself is cute for a makeup bag. Overall I’m pleased. Before I subscribed to ipsy and bb I read a ton of reviews. I went into these subs knowing it was a guarantee some months would be disappointing. So far I think I’ve been lucky with both subs though. Nothing too terrible. Bb has shorted me though.

I got the “Nudie Red” too, and there’s nothing red about it. It’s an ugly shade of brown, with a matte finish that feels like cement on my lips. Ugh. My other products were great (Liz gets different products from mine). I thought the little patent red clutch was gaudy and ugly, though, like something a six year old year would like.

This is the second month I have received the exact same products as you! I like them all, but I love the nail polish. I don’t like the bag, but it’s easy to give away.