Ipsy Review – February 2016
Ipsy is a monthly beauty and makeup subscription box. Each month you get full size or deluxe-sized products, plus a cute makeup bag. I think it’s one of the best value beauty subscriptions and a great way to build out your makeup collection on the cheap!
This is one of my top recommendations if you are looking for a beauty box – the value and sample sizes are amazing. (Check out my list of the Top Beauty Boxes for 2016 for more recommendations!)
(FYI – Just like Birchbox, 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 the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes).
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
Delivered via: USPS
Check out all of my Ipsy reviews and the Beauty Subscription Box Directory!
Visit the Ipsy Swap Page to swap for any of the items you see in this review!
First, how cute is the bag this month? Here is the other side of the bag:
Now onto the items!
Trust Fund Beauty Nail Polish in I’m Kind of a Big Deal – FULL SIZE! Value $15
The first item out of the bag and I’m already over the $10 this bag cost – love it! I’ve sampled Trust Fund Beauty polish before thanks to subscription boxes and I like the formula! It is 5-free, vegan and cruelty-free, too. (And this is the tamest name I’ve seen for their polishes!)
Jersey Shore Spa Anti Aging Lip & Hand Polish – FULL SIZE! Value $25
(Good to know for swaps – comes with inner foil seal)
I just tried this as a hand polish/scrub and it left my hands feeling super soft and moisturized – all good stuff! The scrub has a good amount of oil, so it will leave a slight sheen after using it, too. The only thing I thought was a little strange about this scrub is that it doesn’t smell like vanilla at all to me! It actually reminds me of a cherry cough drop! (I loved the taste Luden’s cough drops as a kid, so that isn’t an insult!)
If you got this in your glam bag please let me know what it smells like to you!
Paula Dorf Enhancer in Baby Eyes – .5 g Value $9
(Good to know for swaps – plastic seal)
This shade of eyeliner is designed to be used to line the lower rim of the eye and/or above your lip line. I’m happy to see a liner in a beauty subscription that isn’t black or blue, but this shade just didn’t work for me. (Plus I don’t really like lining my waterline anyway).
Smashbox Photo Finish Primer Oil – 4 ml Value $5.50
It felt weird at first putting oil on as my primer before foundation, but this formula almost immediately absorbed into my skin. 2 tips I followed for applying this with makeup:
- Let it set for a few minutes before applying foundation/concealer. (I saw some recommendations for 10 min, but I’d say I only waited 5 min).
- A little goes a long way – try applying with a cotton swab to not over do it!
I like the results, but I’m not sure I noticed anything different from the other primers I’ve used.
Bellapierre Cosmetics Mineral Blush in Desert Rose – 6 grams Value $30
This is pretty close to full-size! (The full-size version is 9 grams). I’m really glad it is such a large size too – because this shade of blush is perfect for me! It is great for everyday looks, and subtle enough that I don’t have to worry about accidently getting too much on the brush and having instant-clown-makeup. Here it is swatched with the Paula Dorf eyeliner:
Verdict: This box has a value of about $84.50! That’s amazing for a $10 subscription box. (And that’s not counting the value of the makeup bag!) I’ll use everything with the exception of the eyeliner, too. What do you think of the February Ipsy Glam Bag? Which products did you get this month?
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Written by Liz Cadman
Did anyone else who received the Vintage Lip Gloss by Jessica Liebeskind not like it? It looked iffy by the image but when I actually tried it, it was AWFUL. It was pretty much a clear gloss with sparkles and I ended up giving it to my six year old sister who loved it.
I didn’t like it at all either! So thick, and sticky feeling, not a fan at all.
I didn’t like it either. It is so sticky and thick and like you said it’s pretty much just clear gloss with sparkles. It was really hard to put on too. I don’t know if it was just the brush or if it was the formula or both.
Lol I didn’t like it either. It reminded me of the 90s lip gloss i used to wear when I was a tween lol
Such a cute bag
Here’s what I got
Luxie flat definer 221
Mor candied vanilla hand body lotion
(Smells good but Small sample)
Chella passionate pink lip pencil
1/2 size
Naked cosmetics mica eyeshadow in sierra nevada
Smashbox primer oil sample
( excited to try)
Don’t know if I will keep this sub or not , Because I have so many and Allure is becoming my fave too!!?
I think the Ipsy is a great value no matter what you get. The bags are cute and a nice little extra. But I am excited for the next Allure box. I signed up for the March box after seeing the full spoiler review.
Stupid question but if anyone see this…Is the Chella lip pencil sharpenable? a friend gets ipsy and gave me the pencil but I don’t have a large sharpener and the pencil outside looks so plasticy I didn’t wanna go buy one if it was just a teeny sample.
This is the first month I’ve been completely disappointed in my Ipsy bag, however the last 2 or 3 months I’ve gotten bags that were worth $30 or less and some of my Birchboxes have actually had higher value. This month I got:
Luxe Small Tapered Blending Brush-I like this and this is probably the only product I’m happy with this month.
Smashbox Primer Oil-Tiny, tiny sample and I could care less about this kind of product since I have a primer that’s not oil that I like.
Trestique Blush Crayon-Didn’t care for the lip crayon I received in November, reviewed it poorly and yet they send me more of this brand over a brand like Trust Fund which I reviewed very positively in the past.
Vintage by Jessica Liebeskind–I like lip products but I’m not crazy about this gloss. It seems really sticky and thick. At least it’s from a category of products that I like.
MOR Candied Vanilla Lotion–Another product I do not have checked on my quiz which baffles me why I got it over say one of the eyeshadows or one of the Ciate or Trust Fund nail polishes they had this month. I have both of those products checked on my quiz. I do not like this lotion and the smell is nauseating to me.
The envelope my bag came in was so flat and light weight I actually thought I was going to open it to find products missing, but nope, everything was just ridiculously small. This is the only time since I’ve had my subscription that I’ve emailed them to complain about products I’ve received. I can usually find at least 3 things in my bag that I like.
This is the second or third month in a row where my bag’s value is less than half of Liz’s (and other subscribers) – it’s a bit frustrating. Last month was okay as I actually liked and had a use for most of the products, but I’m not super happy this month.
I got:
Trestique baby blush stick in Bora Bora Coral. I don’t wear blush, but I’ll give it a shot as I love my other Trestique products. (worth about $6.50)
Dr Brandt PoreDermabrasion (worth about $7.25 but it’s pretty empty)
Cake Beauty hand lotion, which is such a boring item for me though someone in my house will use it (worth about $6.50)
Smashbox Primer Oil – I like Smashbox but am wary of oils for my face. (worth $5.50)
Luxie blending brush (worth $12).
So a total of about $37.75, give or take. If it was all great stuff (like my same value bag last month), no big deal, but pretty blah in comparison to bags with lots of full-size products. I am starting to feel like I should take an Ipsy break – does anyone know if you stop and resubscribe with the same account later if your previous reviews still count at all toward how they build your bag?
I received…and happy with:
Bellapierre Cosmetics Mineral Blush in Desert Rose
Vintage by Jessica Liebeskind – Sparking lipgloss in pink sequin
It Cosmetics ByeBye Undereye
Ciate Mini Nail Polish in Sundays ‘my off duty nude’
Skinfix Ultra Rich Body Butter
And I love the bag
Hi, does anybody know the value of the Trestique blush or the nail file? I’m having trouble estimating those. I wasn’t impressed with Trestique last time around, so we’ll have to see on this one.
The full-size Trestique blush stick is .21 oz and $34, so the 0.04oz baby blush stick would be worth approx $6.50. I finally found the full-size weight in the Birchbox shop.
I got the same bag as you Liz. I loved everything.
Woo hoo! Bag twins! 🙂
Finally got my bag today! I am not excited about perfume samples but the one I received from iPsy is so great. It’s a little roller ball style, came in a box. If I don’t like the scent it’s something I can re gift easily. Way better than the little ones that are in BB. I love the tre’stique blush stick! If anyone doesn’t like theirs I’d be so into trading something for it! IPsy has been so,good to me the last few months.
Hi BonBon, did you happen to receive the trust fund polish or it cosmetics byebye undereye? I have the blush stick never used or even swatched!
I did get the trust fund polish, but not sure if I want to get rid of it. Are you on the swap site?
No, not yet. I usually just gift all my extras to my sister. I guess I should look into it though!
Yes you should! then maybe we could swap for something else you’d like!
I received none of the above items – I was slightly disappointed at first but overall happy about my bag. I’ll give it a few more months before I cancel. I got:
Paula Dorf – Baby eyes Ehancer
Curology lip balm and a coupon for a $25 off a curology first treatment
Vintage by Jessica Liebeskind – Sparking lipgloss in pink sequin
theBalm Cosmetics – Mary-Lou Manizer
Ciate London – Olivia Palermo x Ciate London paint pot
I have so many nail polishes and never paint my own nails. Sigh. I’d totally use the $25 for curology although only untyil I’m sure I can cancel right away. Lip gloss is nice as well as the highlighter but so small.
I decided to cancel ipsy and go with Allure instead. It was becoming really inconsistent! So right now I have Boxycharm and Allure. Hoping this combination will work!! 🙂
I’m super sad I didn’t get a TrustFund Polish in mine. I’m addicted to those! I didn’t love my bag much. I canceled this one (in favor of Allure) as I get a TON of lip/eye pencils I don’t really use & I love that I get tons of different items in my Allure box I enjoy so much.
I was also incredibly bummed that I didn’t get the nail polish. It was the whole reason I purchased this bag 🙁
I received:
Smash Box Primer
The hand polish (sealed)
Full Size Pink Lipstick Pencil (sealed)
Mica eye shadow (sealed)
and an eye shadow brush (sealed)
I have everything listed to swap if someone wants to trade items with me. I’d still really like the nail polish 🙂
I got the exact same thing! It was really not the best IPSY has ever sent…glad to know I wasn’t the only one!
Misery loves company. Oh well, at least the bag is cute 🙂 Fingers crossed that we both get what we want next month.
Which eyeshadow brush is it? (I got the Trust Fund Beauty nail polish in my bag!
It was the flat definer brush, I already swapped with someone on the swap site for the nail polish. I still have all of the other items listed on the swap page 🙂
I was bummed about that too. But I ordered a Glossybox when they had the prior boxes on sale for $15 and a blush arrived broken. I emailed Customer Service and they didn’t have the blush anymore, BUT one of the items I was offered to replace it was Trust Fund nail polish in rose gold. So hopefully I will be getting one anyway!
Did anyone else receive their Margaret Dabbs nail file broken? I guess I need to reach out to Ipsy support though I’m not sure if it’s even worth it. I like everything else in the bag so it’s not a loss.
I loved my bag this month! Even though I probably won’t use the Smashbox primer oil (I thought it would irritate my sensitive skin), but I did get a Luxie brush, a coating gel for strengthening nails (I saw this at Sephora for $10), a pretty pink lipgloss, and the Jersey Shore lip & hand polish (I still can’t believe this is worth $25! and I thought it smelled like vanilla bean!). I’ve been subscribing to Ipsy for over a year and I’m always blown away by the amazing products and value!
The blush is bigger than I thought! Also is the lip and hand polish good?
wait sorry I just realized that i have a browser extension that changes hand to sheep.
Overall, I liked my bag better than expected. I got the following:
*Seraphine Carrot + Rose Hydrating Cream – Full Size $19
*Luxie Eyeshadow Brush $12
*Smashbox Oil Primer $5.50
*Naked Mica Pigment (Sierra Nevada – looks like a goldish champagne shade) $15
*Chella Lipstick Pencil (Passionate Pink)- $9? (appears about 1/2 size 0.4 oz; full size is $18 but I can’t tell how big the full size product is)
The primer oil and Chella pencil both worked better than expected for me and I love the shadow brush. I have not tried the moisturizer yet. The eyeshadow looks like a good usable shade but I have not tired it yet either. I just got a big Colour Pop order in so don’t really need more shadow right now. Overall, I am pleased with the value of my bag, but I like some of the products Liz received better.
i have not got any kind of bag, and I’m Trying to get my money back! i have no clue who to talk to. anybody know a phone # or address for Ipsy?
Try [email protected]
It’s on the website. But that happened to me, my first bag took 3 weeks to get to me, they ended up sending me a 2nd bag with extra stuff in it.
Just reach out to their customer support, I want to say I had it fixed the day I called.
I’m debating on re-subbing to Ipsy since I’m looking to replace BB. I always LOVED the bags, I think I cancelled though because I felt like I was just getting the same cheapy make up over and over again. However I did get some really great tools out of it (some nice brushes) and other items that I still use that I typically wouldn’t have ever purchased myself (highlighters, shadow pallets).
This particular bag seems like it would’ve been a hit for me, but it’s clear they don’t take into account your survey answers and I remember some months being a huge disappointment for me.
I’m also so overloaded with make-up I’m not sure it makes sense to sub to a make up heavy subscription.
Decisions, decisions…
I got the Josie Maran illuminating wand and it is incredible. I’ve used it twice and I’m already dreading the day it runs out. I don’t know that I will ever use another highlighter again. I was super bummed about getting a nail file as one of my items but the highlighter more than makes up for it. I also got the inner rim liner but it seems awfully hard to be putting in such a delicate area and the trust fund polish and another scrub. The past two months have been great and I’m excited for March. I haven’t been excited about ipsy in quite awhile. It’s nice.
This is my second bag and it is super cute. This time I didn’t receive any full size products, but the samples I did receive are pretty cool.
*treStique (Bora Bora Coral) .04 oz – Full size is $34
*Model Co. Lip Lacquer (Morocco) .05 oz – Full size is $24
*it Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye (Medium) .11 oz – $9 Value
*Theorie Argan Oil Ultimate Reform Hair Serum .34 oz – $3 value?
*Ciate mini nail polish (Hutch) .17 oz – $3 value
It amazes me how many different items they ship out. Still fun to get in the mail and see all my new goodies.
I got the same thing!
I literally just finished cancelling my ipsy bag (again). I resubscribed when I saw February’s spoilers and again only received one makeup item (an ugly orange blush crayon). I promise I’m sticking to this cancellation! Moneywise it does add up and not to mention all these samples I’m stuck with or giving away. I loved your bag! I wanted that nail polish so bad. And yes, my beauty profile was checked off accordingly. Oh well 🙂
I got the lip.pencil too, it looks iffy but actually goes on a nice smooth pinky color . I ended up liking it a lot
Mine was valued at around $60, and I got the same exfoliator and primer oil. I have to say… Ipsy has been hitting it out of the park lately!
Liz, or anyone who can help me…I paid for and got a look at my JANUARY Glam bag, and I never got a tracking number or have received it. I wrote to them, tried to get in contact with them via Instagram & Twitter, but nothing! I don’t care which bag they send me, as long as I get my money’s worth! You know? I cancelled that month bc I was moving and needed badly to cut back on my sub boxes, I was in deep!! I re-subbed in February to see if that would help, but no, it has not. I’m very lost & not sure what to do. If anyone has any advice I’m very happy to take it!! Thank you ?
Did you email [email protected] ? Sometimes direct email works better than writing to them through their customer care portal.
If you’ve already done that, try messaging them through facebook. So sorry about this! 🙁
Thanks for getting back to me Liz. I did email them there first. No response.
But out of no where I received a February bag today! So by writing to you last night, I must have jinxed myself or something!! The contents are pretty bad, but I’m glad to have something ? Thank you so much!!
I love your reviews. Such helpful details in each review. I don’t subscribe to Ipsy but I want to now! (Also have a friend who is trying to select a sub to start with and this helps) Thanks.
Thank you so much, Beth! So good to hear! 🙂
Oh, what a lovely bag! Mine was my first Ipsy bag and very disappointing. When I was doing my reviews and seeing all the samples available, I basically would have wanted everything BUT what I actually got!!
I’m hoping next month will be better, that retooling my profile and my reviews will help me get more things I am excited about. We will see. Seeing bags as nice as this give me hope!
I just resubscribed (I got november, was less than impressed and cancelled) and I got the exact same bag as posted in the review and I’m thrilled!! The lip polish works like a dream on my dry lips and the blush really works on my fair skin. I’m really impressed by the overall value of the bag! I’ll use every item :). Guess this showed me that you need to give subs more than a month before cancelling 🙂
Such a wide variety of items received by all! I received the following:
* It Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye (.11 oz) – $10
* Perfect Formula Pink Gel Coat (.17 oz) – $8.50
* Vintage Lip Gloss by Jessica Liebeskind (.14 oz) – $21 (surprisingly, this is full size lip gloss)
* Josie Maran Argan Enlightenment Illuminizing Wand (.17 oz) – $14
* Ogx B5 Weightless Oil Mist (4 oz) – $5.75
Almost $60 of products – with new brands that will be fun to try….
My gloss says it is half sized.
This was my first Ipsy bag. I got a perfume sample when I checked all the boxes but perfume and nails. I was a little disappointed that in my first bag I got something I really didn’t want when there were so many other choices available.
I received the baby blush stick in bora bora coral, pure Brazilian masque, mr. Write eyeliner, jor’el perfume, and an eyeshadow brush.
How do you figure out the cost of the items you received? I’ve tried, but when I go to look up the products, I can’t find out how many oz the full size is? 🙁
This was my first ipsy bag and I have to say I am happy with my choice to subscribe! I have both Birchbox and now ipsy. I love the Birchbox for the quality products and skincare items, but I was looking for more makeup/nail polish too, thus I subscribed to ipsy. 🙂
My first ipsy bag contained:
– Smashbox primer oil (I love anything smashbox so I hope this oil pairs well with my sensitive skin)
-Trust Fund nail polish (I’m on Kind of a Big Deal- Full size!! Yay!!)
-MOR hand and body creme (vanilla scent, which was really loud for me) I’m sure between Birchbox and ipsy I have enough lotion to last for the next year)
-Naked Cosmetics loose eyeshadow (Mica Pigment- which I’m absolutely in love with! Beautiful color and sheen!)
– Jor’el Parker Perfume (Eau so Divine Fragrance- which smells okay, but I really am set on my perfume I wear now, so I most likely won’t use this, or just keep it as a spare in my car or purse)
Overall, I am pretty pleased with my first ipsy experience! 🙂
Bag twins 🙂 I love this month!! I usually do not like perfume, but this scent has got me! I just love it. May have to join the swap board to get some more, lol! I’ve received two different Trust Fund nail polishes in a few months and love them. Hoping to receive more! Liz, thanks for your reviews!!!
This is my first Ispy bag. I received
-dr. brandt PoreDermabrasion 0.25oz $7.25 (Full Size is $ 58.00)
-OGXArgan Oil of Morocco Extra Strength Miracle In-Shower Oil (Full Size) $8.99
– theBalm Mr. Write (Now) Scott B. Bordeaux (deep purple) (Full Size) $17.00
– ModelCo LIP LACQUER Lip Gloss in Morocco .05 oz $8.50 (Full size of this lip gloss is $17.00)
– Perfect Formula Pink Gel Coat .17 fl oz $8.50
(Full size $30.00)
Even though I did not care for the purple eyeliner, $50 worth of products (not including the bag) for $10 is a great deal. I can’t wait for next month’s bag!
Yay! Glad you liked your first bag!! 🙂