Ipsy is a monthly beauty and makeup subscription box. Each month you get full-size or deluxe-sized products, plus a cute makeup bag.
This is one of Liz’s top recommendations if you are looking for a beauty box - the value and sample sizes are amazing. (Check out our list of the Top Beauty Boxes for 2017 and our reviews of Cheap Subscription Boxes 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).
About Ipsy
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
Visit the Ipsy Swap Page to swap for any of the items you see in this review!
Ipsy May 2018 Review
This month’s bag features makeup, hair care, and nail products. Let’s see what I got!
The theme for this month is “Go There”. The included info card encourages subscribers to plan their next adventure and Go!
Each month, ipsy subscribers get a makeup bag in addition to their 5 items.
This month, the bag is yellow vinyl with cute passport-like stamps on the front. The back is solid coral and the inside is lined in orange. I love that the bags are of a nice quality. They’re great to give as goody bags or to organize my purse or gym bag.
Neon & Co Hair & Scalp Mask, 20ml - Estimated Value $4.80 (Buy 250g for $60)
The full size of this is pricey so I’m glad I got 2 uses out of this sample, but now I want more! It’s not a thick mask and easily combs through wet, detangled hair. It can be left in for 15 minutes or overnight (I left it in while shaving and washing my face). When I rinsed, I could feel that my hair was smooth and hydrated. My frizz was better and my curls bouncier after using this. It smells like sweet flowers too.
Tarte Smooth Operator Amazonian Clay Finishing Powder, 2.2g/.07oz - Estimated Value $8.54 (Buy 8.5g for $33)
I’ve been wanting to try this and it does not disappoint. The super fine powder blends easily over my powder foundation (and/or my tinted moisturizer) and has a blurring effect to make my skin look like ‘butta’. It doesn’t accentuate my dry patches or have any weird white cast.
Sugar Arch Arrival Brow Definer in 02 Taupe Tom, FULL SIZE - Retail Value $12.99
This is the lighter of two shades offered for this product and I think it works well for me. The pencil is wedge-shaped so it is great for filling in and defining brows with natural looking strokes. I like that there is a spoolie on the other end to tame and blend. The formula is long-lasting and doesn’t smudge.
Elizabeth Mott Pop! Goes the Shadow Eye Shadow in Goldy, 1.5g/.5oz - Estimated Value $9.75 (Buy 2g for $13)
While I’m not crazy about this shade, the texture is lovely. It’s silky and blendable and looks great foiled. This little pan can be popped out and put into a magnetic palette. I have received so many gold shadows over the past few months and I’m pretty maxed out on them. I updated my profile to “like” adventurous shadow shades, so we’ll see if that makes a difference next month.
Deco Miami Nail Laquer in Namaste by the Pool, FULL SIZE Small, 6ml - Retail Value $8
Deco Miami offers this smaller option in many of their polish colors. The pretty, small bottles are meant to prevent waste while looking cute. I like the packaging and the color but I’m not crazy about the brush. It’s short and wide which seemed to give me less control during application. Here I have on three coats (no topcoat) in order to get an opaque finish. The shine is pretty good but I had chipping by the end of the day. I’d definitely recommend a top coat.
Swatches of the eyebrow pencil and the eyeshadow.
I’ve used the eyebrow definer to tame and fill in my brows and a light dusting of the shadow on my whole lid. The gold is just a little too warm-toned for me to use it foiled.
Verdict: Wow, this month's Ipsy has a value of about $44.08. This value is significantly lower than last month, but I’m still happy with what I received. I love the finishing powder and the brow definer. The hair mask was wonderful as well, though too cost prohibitive to repurchase a full size. This is the second month in a row that I didn't receive a black liner or nude lip color, yay! I think they have been listening to subscriber feedback. I did adjust my eyeshadow color preference to “adventurous” instead of neutrals, so we’ll see how that is reflected next month. Ipsy is a great way to try new products without much risk and I hope next month includes more new products and brands.
To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? No, if you sign up in this month, you’ll get next month’s box as your first box. (Check out our Ipsy Spoilers to see what’s coming up next)
Good to know: Ipsy sends out variations. You may get a completely different bag than me.
Value Breakdown: At $10 for this box, here’s what you are paying approximately per item:
- Neon & Co Hair Mask - $1.09
- Tarte Powder - $1.94
- Sugar Brow Definer - $2.95
- Elizabeth Mott Shadow - $2.21
- Deco Polish - $1.81
- Bag – Not counted toward value
Check out all of our Ipsy reviews and the Beauty Subscription Box List!
Visit the Ipsy Swap Page to swap for any of the items you see in this review!
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What do you think of the May Ipsy Glam Bag? What items did you get in your bag?
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