Ipsy Review – March 2019
Ipsy is one of my favorite beauty subscription boxes of all time. I always recommend it to anyone who is new to subscription boxes and not sure where to start. It’s only $10 a month, and you’ll get a makeup bag and a mix of full-size, deluxe-size, and sample-size beauty products. You can also let ipsy know what types of products you like in your profile quiz, and by rating each of the products you receive, so you’ll get products that are a good fit for you.
Here’s my review of the March 2019 Ipsy Glam bag:
(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 List!
Visit the Ipsy Swap Page to swap for any of the items you see in this review!
Each month, ipsy subscribers get a makeup bag in addition to their 5 items. This design has imprinted text that says, “and off she went to change the world.”
Very appropriate for National Women’s History Month – ipsy dedicated the March glam bag to strong women everywhere. (And this month features many female-founded brands.)
The material is like faux leather in rose gold with a bright blue zipper accent and a blue star zipper pull.
And the inside is lined with a pop of pink!
And this bag came with a card detailing all the items in my bag this month – info about the brands, and tips for using the products.
Now, on to the items!
tarte Maneater Mascara – 4.5 ml Retail Value $12
Tarte’s Lights, Camera, Lashes is my #1 mascara of all time, so it’s no surprise that I like this formula, too. I still prefer Lights, Camera, Lashes in part because of the brush – this one has a short silicone brush that allows you to get really close to the lash line, but my personal preference is the standard brush.
I was able to build volume and length without clumping issues – definitely a solid mascara formula. (I’m starting to think tarte can do no wrong when it comes to mascara.)
Ciate Lip Lustre in Kiss Me – 2 ml Value $12.59
This formula looks pink in the tube but it has just a hint of color when it goes on. (I’ve swatched it in a lower picture, but you can barely see it.)
The formula is high-gloss with a ton of micro-shimmer, so it makes your lips look so shiny. It wasn’t sticky for me, and I love that the flavor was sweet!
PUR Skin-Perfecting Powder in Afterglow – 2.5 g Value $2.92
This pressed powder highlighter has gold tones and blends out beautifully. (I could achieve a very subtle highlight or layer it for more drama.)
Here it is swatched above the lip gloss:
Farmacy Deep Clean Makeup Meltaway Cleansing Balm – 12 ml Value $5.28
I’ve sampled this before, but I was excited to see it in my ipsy bag because it is AMAZING!
If you aren’t familiar with Farmacy, it’s an ingredient-conscious skincare brand. So far, I’ve been impressed with all the products I’ve sampled from them!
And this cleansing balm is definitely one of my top favorites. It’s a solid balm in the jar but it melts into an oil once you apply it to your skin, and it removes all makeup (even waterproof makeup) so easily. It’s also a super hydrating cleanser, and the subtle natural scent is lovely, too. (It smells like a lime popsicle to me!)
I Dew Care Disco Kitten Illuminating Diamond Peel-Off Mask – 10 g Retail Value $3.99
OMG I was so excited to try this just based on the name alone! (And I’ve heard good things about this brand.) The formula has a metallic sheen, and it’s a little sticky to apply with your fingers, but it dries down and is easy (and fun) to pull off. (If you have extra makeup brushes from subscription boxes, I recommend using them to apply masks!)
This mask has pearl powder to help exfoliate your skin, and diamond powder to help brighten skin. It left my skin feeling so soft and smooth. (And I just love a mask that tightens/hardens/etc while one – this was fun to remove!)
Verdict: This box has a value of about $36.78 (not counting the makeup bag). I think that’s a great value, and that’s on the low end for ipsy! Usually, I end up with at least one full-size item in a bag, but I’m happy with getting several travel sized samples. And every single product was a hit for me. All great brands!
To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? As of publication, your first month will be the April bag if you skip the waitlist. Click here to see skip the waitlist
Good to know: Ipsy sends out variations. You may get a completely different bag than me.
What do you think of the March Ipsy Glam Bag? What items did you get in your bag?
Did anyone else get an extra item in their ipsy March bag? On to of my 5 items and the extra brush I chose as an add on I also received a 9 color eye pallet from Huda(Smokey eyes)… gorgeous colors!
I loved this bag. I got first aid beauty moisturizer, tarte eyeshadow, ciate wildfire gloss, disco kitten mask, and the estate dew me highlighter.
Then I ordered 3 add-ons: both space case eyeshadows, and the ciate lipgloss in call me. (I had really wanted those eyeshadows, so it was so great to be able to order them.)
The only item I couldn’t use was the highlighter (beautiful color, but I just don’t have smooth enough skin for highlighters). Beautiful bag too.
I do every Ipsy quiz and product review I can. It seems to make a difference.
I didn’t get anything but I frequently don’t get any or only a few items that are in the spoilers.
Royal & Langnickel Chique blush brush (I prefer my Firma from Dec’s bag)
Skyn Iceland berry fix, it burned my lips?!
IBY beauty eyeshadow (not a great fit)
Ofra highlighter in star island (I don’t think I will ever run out of highlighters)
And I added on Illamasqua veil primer and bum bum cream, which were the only 2 that I enjoyed lol
Has anyone else not received their bag yet?
I haven’t received mine yet either. It’s been in “pre-shipment” since the 13th.
i love my ipsy bag…its like they know me..i got everything I wished for..and bought a couple of things too…great bag ipsy…
I want to love the Farmacy balm and Clinique and they do work but I wish they’d remove the polyethylene. I’ll finish the ones I have but probably won’t buy again. I like the products but feel conflicted and think they’re are probably better options.
The gloss is nice for a light shine or to top matte lipstick (we’ve all received a lot of in boxes)
This was a fairly good month for Ipsy & Ipsy Plus was great.
*There are probably better options.
The ability to edit typos would be nice.
I plan to use my gloss for that exact same thing… topping matte lip products 🙂 I received a darker shade, but the color was still hardly noticeable on my pale hand when I swatched it, so I’m sure it’ll just look like I have Vaseline on my darker lips. lol
I was super excited to receive that Farmacy balm (I have never tried it before), but I was a bit disappointed at how small the sample was. The bottom was rounded, so it looks like I’ll only get two uses out of it. I’m still happy I got it though.
Are there no spoilers for the April Glam Bag Plus?
There was a post on the 3rd with 3 potential spoilers – Goldfaden eye cream, another IT brush (yay!) and FEEL balancing cream.
Thank you! I was hoping for more spoilers lol.
This was my least favorite bag out of 4 {?} years. I got the mascara, the Disco kitten, a pencil eyeliner, red lipstick and something else I can’t even remember. I put it all up for swap including the bag.
I really hope the in depth questionnaire makes a difference going forward.
Click on my name if anyone wants to swap.
Received my bag & loved it! The Huda add-on is so lovely, I’m feeling regret not getting all of them.
I loved the bag as well (great for traveling, toothbrush/paste). I prefer these over the (maxi pad) cloth bags. Ipsy should do add-on for the bags to get rid of old bags 😉
Where are the April spoilers for GBP??? I want to see the possible add-ons!
Just received an email to purchase past GB with 5 samples at $12! I wished theyd reveal the 5 products OR at least a list (like the spoilers). Link didnt work for me, shopper link/tab always goes into error: “oops… blah blah blah”
I received my bag yesterday and I was very happy because all 3 of my add-on items were in the bag in addition to the item I redeemed with points. Yay! If you notice you can now see your add-on items in addition to the other 5 items you’re getting for that month.
I too received the Maneater mascara and I’m looking forward to trying it since I love Lights, Camera, Lashes as well.
I received the Mini Lip Lustre in Call Me and it’s too light on its own. However on the card it said to use it over a matte lipstick for shine and that’s what I did and it’s perfect that way.
Ipsy is beta-testing new features faster than I can keep up with everything!
I finally got the new version of the beauty quiz (that I’d been hearing about from others for months!), & I think those preferences will go into effect for April, so I’m excited !
I also saw on Reddit that some people were emailed with 4 items that were to be in their bags, & they were given a choice between 3 different items as the 5th item they’d receive. Pretty cool!
Another feature some people got, including myself, was a “last chance” type of email asking if we wanted to get up to 5 add-ons from the leftover add-ons. This order would have free shipping & ship separately from the Glam Bag. I did end up buying 2 things from this offer. I’ve already received my glam bag from this account & am waiting for the extras to arrive.
My bag was slightly different and I loved the products. I got a full size Helios nail polish in a beautiful lilac color. Haven’t tried it yet. Also got a sample of the First Aid Beauty Coconut Skin Smoothie Priming Moisturizer.
I wasn’t a fan of the Disco Kittens take off. Results were great but it was hard to remove I will try using a brush to apply next time
That Helios nail polish is beautiful. I just used it last night.
Happy with my bag but finally got my Feb. Plus and it had 3 little items in it. Mascara, lipstick and lxmi balm that i already gotten. and guess I’m getting a 21 dollar refund 😞 so bummed I was billed on Feb 1st for that box but at least i got some of my money back
I am sort of new to Ipsy. I have received only a couple of bags. I know I read here somewhere that there was one day a month when you can pick one item that goes in your bag and you can add on something extra for $3.00 additional.
Can someone explain that to me better? I cant find where I saw that on here before
Thanks
You can’t pick a specific item anymore but the day of the reveals (I think it’s usually the 5th of the month…and MSA posts about it) you can log into your account, see what’s in your bag and they give you options to add on other items for $3 for sample sizes or a bit more for a select number of full size items.
It’s the 2nd of the month now. Used to be the 5th though. They constantly change things. But if you want add ons for 3 a piece or full size for 12, Def log in on the 2nd cause they’re gone by the 3rd
Thanks for the correction! I didn’t even realize they changed dates…I can’t keep track as it is so I just rely on MSA to tell me. LOL.
I also received the Tarte Mascara and was wondering what the wand looked like, but I didn’t want to open it. Now I know! 🙂
If you ever have any questions about your specific Ipsy items, a good resource is Madison Miller’s YouTube channel. She’s one of the influencers employed by Ipsy, so she often has a video where she talks about every. single. item. that ipsy sends out that month.
I decided to add on 2 items based on info from her latest video — the Disco Kitten mask (I initially thought it was a wash-off mask, but a peel off mask is fun!) & the Ciate lip gloss (I was sold as soon as she said it smelled like strawberry).
Actually this month has been the first major screw up for Ipsy for me. I have three regular bags because I save the make up and do gift bags for all my younger cousins for their birthdays and holidays. There are a lot of girls in the family. It works out great, and saves me a lot in the long run. This month two of my Ipsy bags were not sealed so all of my addons were missing. The last bag they not only forgot my addons but it was a completely different bag of products then what was listed. Only one thing matched. That has never happened before. This was a huge mistake. I hope this all gets resolved. Because my addons were not cheap.
But at least I got the bags, I still don’t have my boxycharm box yet. It hasn’t moved for over a week. I think UPS is playing hockey with my box.
I didn’t get disco kitten or the green whatever. But did get good items in mine.
I am still waiting on my March bag. I am also getting that mascara and the face mask. I am also getting the lip lustre but I think/hope to be getting it in a darker shade. I am also getting Estate pearl highlighter and FAB coconut priming moisturizer. It is not my most thrilling bag but I will hopefully use everything in it.
oh this is the first time in which my bag shared items with the reviewers! besides the farmacy, pur and tarte mascara, I got the FAB moisturizer and space case shadow in alien love child.
and so glad i added the disco kitten, can’t wait to try it.
This is a great bag! I’m happy with my bag too but I’m not so happy to see the printed cards with the info- to me that means much less actual customization since there would be a million of combinations and a nightmare to try to arrange, print the cards and get them into the right customer’s bag.
This means basically there are going to be a lot more ‘bag twins’ happening. Ipsy has been the best of all the companies out there in terms of variety and customization so I wish they weren’t doing the printed cards, they could use that cost elsewhere.
Exactly! I knew as soon as I started seeing those printed cards in the bags the awesome customazation that Ipsy had been known for would be out the window. And I was right. 🙁
I get two bags each month (and 1 GB plus) and for March I got EXACTLY the same bag for both my accounts. There IS something to be said about the fact that it’s still stuff I enjoy (mostly) so I think they are still somewhat using our profiles but I miss that thrill of 2 bags and double the chance of something awesome. I may just have to stop one bag if this keeps up.
Ohh AND Glam Bag Plus is also getting printed pamphlets which means that great customazation is going to go downhill fast too. Quite the bummer!
I’ve gotten printed pamphlets for my Glam Bag Plus since I started in October….or shortly after. They have a lot less product options anyways so that wasn’t surprising. So far I’ve been content with the products they have chosen for me based on my profile but not necessarily the shades. I keep getting red lipsticks and I have neutrals only marked. But they recently updated the quiz attached to your profile so if you haven’t heard yet, go in and retake it. They go into more details on a few things and ask about how often you’d like to receive certain products. So I’m holding out hope that the shade matches will improve for GBP….
I did the new quiz and marked “no” and even opt out with customer service and still get those items.
Ugh, didn’t finish my thought, I am hoping though they are rolling out better customizations that take into account that not everyone wants bronzer, tanning products or garish colors that looks out of place with their complexion.
Yep me too and the same with the double bags, there’s only.so many combinations they’re actually putting together and with the gla.m bag plus it’s awesome but the combinations are very small because the pool of items they’re choosing from seem to be pretty small. So far we’ve totally been spoiled of course so not complaining!