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Ipsy Review #2 – August 2017

Jira Sai
ByJira SaiAug 16, 2017 | 56 comments

Ipsy Glam Bag August 2017 Beauty Subscription Box

Ipsy
4 overall rating
1814 Ratings | 301 Reviews

Ipsy is a monthly beauty and makeup subscription box. Each month you get full-size or deluxe-sized beauty products, plus a cute makeup bag. I think Ipsy is perfect for anyone who likes to discover and try new beauty items before committing to full-sized products!

(FYI – Just like BirchboxIpsy 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).

Ipsy Glam Bag August 2017 Beauty Subscription Box

The Subscription Box: Ipsy

The Cost: $10 a month (free shipping) or $110 for yearly subscription

The Products: Full-size and samples of makeup and beauty products (including makeup, skincare, hair care, and nail care), plus a makeup bag!

Ships to: U.S. and Canada

Delivered via: USPS

Check out all of our Ipsy reviews and the Beauty Subscription Box List for more makeup boxes!

Keep Track of Your Subscriptions: Add this box to your subscription list or wishlist!

Visit the Ipsy Swap Page to swap for any of the items you see in this review!

Ipsy Glam Bag August 2017 Beauty Subscription Box

Ipsy Glam Bag August 2017 Beauty Subscription Box

Ipsy’s theme for this month is ‘Good Vibes Only’. On the back of the card, they mentioned a new service called ‘Ipsy Shopper,’ which provides personalized shopping recommendations and provides 10-30% cashback on every purchase. More details about the brands they partnered up with can be found in the attached booklet.

Ipsy Glam Bag August 2017 Beauty Subscription Box

Ipsy Glam Bag August 2017 Beauty Subscription Box

Ipsy Glam Bag August 2017 Beauty Subscription Box

Ipsy Glam Bag August 2017 Beauty Subscription Box

Ipsy Glam Bag August 2017 Beauty Subscription Box

Ipsy Glam Bag August 2017 Beauty Subscription Box

Subscribers will be receiving their bag in one of the three designs this month. I was hoping for the peachy-red bag that says ‘Peace Love Lipstick’ when I saw the designs, but I received this purple-red one instead (so I’m not particularly excited about it). The bag seems to be made of faux leather with a purple lining and gold tassel.

Now, onto the items!

Ipsy Glam Bag August 2017 Beauty Subscription Box

Ipsy Glam Bag August 2017 Beauty Subscription Box

Yadah Silky Fit Concealer BB Power Brightening in Light Beige - 10g Value $5?

I can’t find the exact product on their website so I’m using an estimated value from Amazon instead.

I honestly thought that this product was a concealer at first - in that case, it was a really thin concealer, however, when I used it as a BB cream, it did a good job of brightening up my skin, and saved me some time because I didn’t have to apply any sunscreen or primer. This BB cream has a watery texture and it’s lightly scented. It gave me light to medium coverage, and I can get by without applying concealer under my eyes. Since my skin is oily, I didn’t have any problem with this product, but some online reviewers stated that this BB cream dried out their skin and emphasized dry patches, so be careful if you have dry skin!

(Swatched in lower photo)

Ipsy Glam Bag August 2017 Beauty Subscription Box

Ipsy Glam Bag August 2017 Beauty Subscription Box

Pacifica Coconut Blush Duo in Beaming & Tenderheart - FULL SIZE! Value $10?

Pacifica is a cruelty-free and a 100% vegan brand, and this product is formulated without carmine, parabens, and petroleum. The blush is very pigmented and these two colors go together beautifully. However, there was a lot of fallout, so I would suggest tapping the brush to get rid of excess powder before applying.

Ipsy Glam Bag August 2017 Beauty Subscription Box

Here are the swatches of Pacifica blush duo and the Yadah BB cream.

Ipsy Glam Bag August 2017 Beauty Subscription Box

Ipsy Glam Bag August 2017 Beauty Subscription Box

Good to know for swaps, this product has an inner foil seal!

Gavee Gold Heart of Gold Elixir - 8 ml Value $28 (Full Size 50ml, $175)

I can’t get over how cute the packaging is! This jar made me feel like I’m using a skincare fit for a princess! This luxe moisturizer has purified liquid gold as its second ingredient! I’m not sure that gold actually benefits skin, but this product claimed to "fight oxidative stress, reduce the appearance of wrinkles, balance skin hydration, and brighten skin" - none of which showed up after my limited usage (I’ve been using it for three consecutive mornings and nights).

I didn’t read the instructions at first and used this product on my clean, dried skin, so it was quite sticky. Please make sure that your skin is moist before using this product (whether it’s from water, facial oil, or serum) because this moisturizer glided and absorbed so well afterward. It has a light floral scent which did not bother me, so I will use up this sample, but probably not going to get the full-size version.

The last two products are my favorite discoveries from this month’s Glam Bag!!

Ipsy Glam Bag August 2017 Beauty Subscription Box

Ipsy Glam Bag August 2017 Beauty Subscription Box

Ipsy Glam Bag August 2017 Beauty Subscription Box

Eyeko Black Magic Mascara Deluxe - 2ml Value $6.50 (Full Size 8ml, $26)

This mascara did an amazing job separating my eyelashes, increasing length and volume, and above all, it did not smudge ALL DAY! It worked well without using an eyelash curler and I can remove it easily using my Muji cleansing oil. My only wish is for this deluxe sample size to be bigger because I totally fell in love!

Ipsy Glam Bag August 2017 Beauty Subscription Box

Ipsy Glam Bag August 2017 Beauty Subscription Box

Firma Beauty 103 Angled Contour Brush - Value $14.99

I always love the brushes that Ipsy sends me, and this one is no exception! The design is clean and classic. The bristles are dense and soft. This brush is perfect for highlighting and contouring, especially in smaller areas like the side of my nose - if I’m going for the full makeup look.

Ipsy Glam Bag August 2017 Beauty Subscription Box

Ipsy Glam Bag August 2017 Beauty Subscription Box

Here is the look I completed using everything from my August Ipsy bag (a BB cream, mascara, and blush - I also used the Firma brush for highlighting) and a zoom-in photo of how this mascara worked on me!

Verdict: This box has a value of about $64, which is on the higher side of Ipsy. While the value is high, I felt like most of the products were ‘just OK’ for me. I’m glad to finally discover a mascara that won’t smudge on my oily skin though!

What do you think of the August Ipsy Glam Bag? What items did you get in your bag?

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IPSY Glam Bag is one of the most popular and affordable subscriptions around, and our readers have selected it as one of the top beauty boxes for the last 5 years running! IPSY Glam Bag connects members with five makeup, skincare, hair care, and other beauty sample... read more.

Jira Sai
Jira Sai
Jira discovered the world of subscription boxes when she first moved to New York in 2017 (subscription box is not a thing in her home country!). Thanks to MSA, she's now subscribed to almost 10 beauty and lifestyle boxes, with FabFitFun, BeautyFIX, and Clean Beauty Box as her favorites. Ps. Her boyfriend thinks that she's only subscribed to Ipsy, so please keep this a secret between us ;-)

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56 comments

Anita

Here’s what I got in my Aug glam bag:

The Wild & Free bag: Out of the 3 bags I was hoping NOT to get this particular bag. From the pics available I really wanted the Peace, Love Lipstick because I am obsessed with lipsticks. BUT, once I saw my wild & free bag I totally adore it. Perfect for transforming from summer to fall, the purple is a very deep color, & the purple lining is even gorgeous. From looking at posts on Instagram (I know filters/lighting change how the colors appear) I got a better sense of the true colors of the bags from subscribers than from Ipsy itself so thanks to all who share their bags online. I do think the good vibe bag is pretty also.
Firma Beauty Brush: I love this brush. It’s big, long, love the white color & it’s soft. I’m using it for brush, bronzer, powder (til I figure out which it works best for). No probs with fallout so far. I am obsessed with the brushes but I’ve gotten 3-4 in the 9 months I’ve subscribed but I’m one of those who thinks you can never have too many brushes especially with the variety of brands.
The Balm Willkommen (brown) eyeshadow. Good coverage, cute packaging, small sample. I have dark brown eyes & I’ve gotten so many brown shadows I could open a pop up store. The color is a little light for me compared to the photo but I will use it. In my reviews I always mention how I would love to try some pinks, violet, greys so we’ll see.
Air Repair Eye cream: smaller sample but as another subscriber pointed out, you don’t need much. After a week of using it I’ve noticed a slight improvement in the under eye puffiness. Not sticky, goes on easily, not greasy. Juries still out on this but so far I’m on the “would purchase” side of this product.
Paula Dorf Brow pencil in Taupe: perfect size for makeup travel bag. Color is a little light for me but blended in it’s useable. To me it’s too soft. I had to use it at an angle so the tip wouldn’t break. The color reminds me of a brown Crayola crayon. This is my least favorite item in this bag.
Belif Aqua Bomb moisturizer: Love this. Not sticky, no weird smell that some ipsters have reviewed it to be. No noticeable difference in pore size but after wearing it all day, I did notice my cheeks felt less dry compared to previous & other current brands I’m using. I would buy a full size version of this.

Overall, I’m happy with 4 out of my 5 items this month. I also got the gold bag with the Ipsy cash back offers. I have ordered 2 Ipsy offers since joining but I don’t think that influenced my receiving a gold bag, I think it’s random. This is my 9th month as a subscriber. I haven’t read through the fine print but from what I’ve looked at, it seems like I would have to purchase quite a bit of makeup to get cash back & on initial impression I don’t see myself using or benefiting from this. We’ll see. I don’t know, maybe it’s going to be a good incentive but I’m hoping they don’t phase out the Ipsy offers in favor of this program.

Loving this website & all the opinions, tips & experiences of other subscribers.

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Karly

I subscribed to Ipsy this month. Supposedly there was no waitlist and they charged my card on the 15th it still no package. Do they take that long to send your first package???

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Amber Malm

Same here! And I subscribed like 3 weeks ago! It’s Aug 27 and still nothing. Money has been withdrawn from my account so where is my bag?!?!

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karly

I saw on my Ipsy account that the next billing date is 10/01/17 so maybe I got charged this month for September, now i have to check i don’t get charged in September again!

Julie Tomlinson

Wasn’t crazy about the August products. I liked the polish from July bag. Mine was a very nautical blue. Would love more lIp color products than treatments.

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Jodi

This is the 2nd “ehn” bag I’ve gotten this summer: EYEKO Black Magic Mascara (I hate curved wands), Seraphine Botanicals Liquid Coal Eyeliner (I got a liquid liner in June too but I only use pencil), Promise Organics Nourishing Coconut Milk Face Lotion (I hate the smell of coconut). I liked the Naked Cosmetics HD Finishing Powder (but it gets everywhere), and the SLMissGlam Blending Brush, brushes are always appreciated. I get the feeling if you’ve been subsribed for a while the quality of products goes down because they think you’re “hooked”. I’m seriously thinking of switching to Boxycharm.

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Lisa

Seems like we should be seeing new spoilers by now.

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Leanna

I have only gotten mascara once and I really wanted the gavee gold but didn’t get that either. Maybe I should change my profile preferences… I am getting a little disappointed with what I receive.

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Theresa

This is my first month with Ipsy, this is also the first time I’ve ever gotten something in a sub that left me clueless.

The box just says Sundays, the ingredients say “may contain” before listing them and there’s an Instagram.

Perhaps, those are all signs I am just to old for this sub?

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Jessica

its nailpolish… I got the purple color…

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Michelle

Does that brand have decent coverage? I like to explore different nail polish brands and formulas.

Jess Balliet

I wanted Wild and Free but got Good Vibes Only for BOTH of muy bags…blah

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Candy

I got Wild and free, but wanted good vibe only. Funny how these things happen…
If they just gave us the option of choosing…

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Julie

I got the Peace Love Lipstick bag and it’s much better quality than I expected. Love my ipsy this month. But I always think, if only there was a way to get two ipsy subs a month with a guarantee of no repeats…would it really be that hard for ipsy to do?

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Judy B Neale

I just received my August ipsy bag. Everything was wonderful EXCEPT the mascara was completely dried out. Looked like it had baked in an oven.

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Joelle Sierra

I got the shipment confirmation last week, but the shipment hasn’t left their facility yet! I’m so envious of all your bags! Anxiously waiting for mine!

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Cat

The mascara looks great and works great on you! I love the curved eyeko wands. Have you ever tried their liquid eyeliner? I wonder if they make gold, it would look so good on you!

I got the wild and free bag as well, and the blush duo (which I think is more of an $18 value based on two colors and size, I could be wrong, not sure). I also got two $5 sheet masks, a $2 eyeshadow/illuminator from the balm, the naked cosmetics translucent hd powder and a turquoise blending brush. It’s not my favorite month, but I don’t dislike anything either. I think I would have been more excited with a lip product instead of the translucent powder.

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Cat

Also got the gold outer bag, I am thinking they did gold this month because of the new ipsy cash program?

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Lisa

Ipsy responded to someone on Facebook they only sent it to some. If thats the case I feel bad they wasted it on me. I don’t spend more than $5 on a single make up item so even with 30% back I won’t spend 20-25 dollars on that make up. Now if you want to give me back 30% on colour pop I am on that!!Lol

nancy

does anyone have the gavee gold coupon code?

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Caligirl

It is IPSYGOLD

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Nancy

Thank you!

Vic

I received the good vibes only bag with different items. It’s my first subscription box, that’s was a birthday gift. Looking forward to trying out the items.

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LB

I finally just got my bag (seems like I’m always late to the party) and I also finally got a chance to cash in some points for a ceramic nail file this month. When I opened my gold envelope, the nail file and a SkinFix cleanser came tumbling out with my Good Vibes Only bag. At first I was mad because I assumed the SkinFix was a replacement for the First Aid Beauty red clay cleanser I requested this month but that was in my bag along with everything else! I guess the SkinFix was a happy accident or bonus for some reason! Yay! Finally I get GOOD luck instead of bad all the time! LOL.

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Lisa

Mine just came today too I always get mine week 2 or 3.

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Anie C

Oh my! Bag twins! I got the exact same items, and a gold envelope as well!

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monah

Did you get a code for the liquid gold?

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Lisa

I got the blush mine is pigmented. I also got brown balm,
Purple nail polish ,
Juliette Not A Perfume,
Naked powder ,
and the wild and free bag.

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Katie

I got a brush for August as well! I received the Glamour Dolls Romantic Rose blending brush and it’s super soft. After thinking about it for a while I’ve decided to skip the September glambag and cancel my birchbox subscription so that I can try out Boxycharm. I’ve been really envious of the last several boxes and can’t wait to try them out.

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Janice

I received the glamour dolls brush but the bristles were all bent. The brush was the size of the zippered opening. There it was destroyed while packing. Did anyone else have problems with their brush?

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Apricot

I received this brush in an Ipsy offer buy and while it was sent in perfect condition, the brush is constantly dropping bristles during use — not nice. Too bad because it’s cute enough to buy more from the line if it were better quality.

Joles

I got this brush as well, but it was fine. Maybe if you wet the bristles and straighten them with your fingers, it will help?

Christine

The lotion with liquid gold seems a bit gimmicky to me. I still wish I had gotten it though for the packaging alone.

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JuJu

I am sure it is. 🙂

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JustJese

Liz got the Pacifica Coconut Blush and hers wasn’t pigmented at all. Jira’sreview was very favorable. I wonder if Liz just got a bad batch or if the product works differently on different skin types.

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judith

I got the blush and it is not pigmented. Very subtle. I have medium skin tone.

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jira

Hi Justjese
My doesn’t swatch well, but when I applied onto my face with a brush – it was quite pigmented. Maybe because of my foundation routine? I always spray some mist to fix my foundation before applying eyeshadows / blush. I hope that helps!

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Joy

I think you might be right about differences in production batches. I received the Pacifica blush and it was far from pigmented and, like Liz, I experienced major fall out. I have super fair skin and generally prefer less pigmented blushes (lowers the probability that I’ll look like a clown on any given day); however, the pigment is too weak even for me.

Though I have to say: the brown blush might work well as a bronzer on extremely fair skin tones!

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JuJu

Jira also mentioned a lot of fallout.

VPowers

Sometimes with baked products, I find the product to work better if you scrap off of the top layer.

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JuJu

It doesn’t look pigmented to me here in the swatches either.

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Angela Wheeler

I used the pink blush for eyeshadow & it was pretty. Tapped & didn’t have fallout. Got the brush and some masks, too.

Kaye

I did not receive all of the items shown here! My bag was cuter but didn’t get two of the items!

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JuJu

You do realize everyone’s items are different, right?

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Apricot

Sometimes I wish we could upvote replies. ;D

Lori

Great review! Nice to see something from another ‘oily skin’ Ipsy girl like myself! ❤️

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jira

Thank you, Lori!

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Barbie

Am I the only person who thought the girl on the bag insert was Liz? Lol

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JuJu

I was also hoping for the “lipstick” bag and also got the “wild & free” one. 🙂
Oh well, doesn’t really matter, I doubt I’d have kept either one.

Great review!

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