Ipsy Glam Bag Ultimate is a monthly makeup and beauty subscription box. Each month includes 8 full-sized items & 4 deluxe samples, in addition to a beauty bag!
My Subscription Addiction paid for this box. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes).
About Ipsy Glam Bag Ultimate
The Subscription Box: Ipsy Glam Bag Ultimate
The Cost: $50 a month + free US shipping. Save with an annual subscription.
The Products: 8 full-sized products & 4 deluxe samples
Ships to: The US for free and Canada for $2.95
Our Ipsy Glam Bag Ultimate July 2020 Review
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It looks like this booklet is, again, not a list of items. I do miss those because they give so much info! I am guessing because there are more and more custom variations, they might just not be including specific product booklets anymore. Only time will tell!
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This month, our bag is a pastel box shape with a '90s palm tree illustration.
Now, on to the items!
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Awake Glow Pill Super Serum, 40 mL – Retail Value $39.00
This was probably the item in this month's box that I was the most curious about. Aside from the adorable pill-inspired packaging, the ingredient list was stellar! Inside there is hyaluronic acid for hydration, niacinamide for brightening and balancing, and panthenol to soothe skin. This clear gel doesn't really have a scent or change the way my skin feels immediately after application, but I am hopeful that with time I will see smaller pores and better texture. If you have oilier skin, this might be enough for a daily moisturizer within itself, but if you are dry, try this before your moisturizer!
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Beauty for Real SHADOW STX 24-7 Eyeshadow Duo in 'Midnight Marathon' and 'Ever Starstruck' - Retail Value $38.00 ($19.00 each)
These sticks are nice, though not terribly exciting. I feel like eye crayons are always a chance for some bright or unusual color since they aren't bound to a palette and I would have been happier with a random teal or lilac maybe. Those feelings aside, these shades are undeniably wearable. Midnight Marathon is a shimmering bronze while Ever Starstruck is a soft champagne. They didn't quite last 24 hours (honestly, that would be too long) but they did stay very pretty on my lids for at least 6 with minor creasing.
Top: Ever Starstruck, Bottom: Midnight Marathon
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Ciaté London Watermelon Burst Hydrating Primer, 40 mL - Retail Value $28.00
I liked the way this primer felt, but absolutely hated the scent. It smelled like a watermelon and a bottle of hairspray had a baby (probably because this primer does have alcohol). Not for me. It did make my skin feel very nice and certainly hydrated, but I couldn't get past the scent to make this a regular-use item in my collection.
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FOXYBAE Replenishing Hair Mask, Set of eight 15 mL packets - Retail Value $28.95
I am used to hair masks making my hair super slippy which I don't always love. I have a coarser texture that I like because if I just leave it alone, I often have almost decent waves! I also have loads of greys that are thicker and more unruly, but I have embraced them. This mask didn't really make my hair feel very sleek. This is a plus on my end, but if you are expecting this mask to make your hair feel like silk, maybe leave it on extra long. What it did do for my hair was add luster, manageability, and a great scent. I also noticed that even though my hair wasn't weighed down by this mask, I still had fewer flyaways and frizz. Surprisingly enough, each packet was enough to coat my long strands (I ignore my scalp when I mask) and I actually liked that the portions were individually packaged.
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Laruce Essentials Brush Set
This is a new brand to me, and I loved the beautiful paper packaging they arrived in. They feel like pretty standard synthetic brushes with nice density and they are all vegan, cruelty-free, and hypoallergenic. I really like the matte-finish rubberized handles with the studded texture. They just look really cool and feel great in my hands. This set includes a flat foundation, angled contour, mini kabuki, shadow, and tapered blending brush.
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Purlisse Beauty BLUE LOTUS 4-in-1 Cleansing Milk, 150 mL – Retail Value $36.00
I liked this cleanser so much more than the Purlisse watermelon version. It has a very soft creamy scent that isn't overpowering. It also has a nice heavier cream/gel texture that really lathers well on my face. I thought it did a great job of washing my makeup away without stripping my skin, which is important to me because I am on the drier side and I often double cleanse with an oil-based cleanser before a cream.
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Seraphine Botanicals Sakura + Sage - Vegan Eyeshadow & Blush Palette - Retail Value $42.00
What a pretty palette! It contains a blush, golden highlighter, and six shadows. The blush and highlighter are dreamy. They both have such a subtle but impossible to ignore glow. Application is a dream with a larger fluffy brush and it is super easy to get a naturally diffused finish from both. The eyeshadows are a little more hit or miss. Filigree and Carob are both dreamy. They apply with ease and have such an incredible shimmer! Sparkle also performs well but is a bit too '90s frost for my taste. The mattes work better with a fingertip. I think they need to be warmed up to really shine, though Pecan was gorgeous on. Silver was the big let-down in this palette because it really didn't want to leave the pan by finger or brush. Literally, I rubbed my finger on it over and over and barely got anything out to swatch, as you can see below.
Top: Azalea, Bottom: Dawn
Top to bottom: Filigree, Carob, Pecan, Sparkle, Chicory, and Silver.
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Belif The True Cream Moisturizing Bomb, 10 mL - Estimated Value $7.60 (Buy a full-size 50 mL for $38.00)
I am a big fan of this cream. It is actually one of my faves for winter when my face is all sad and wind-chapped. It has all sorts of delights inside: panthenol, calendula, and soothing willow bark. It is certainly on the heavier end, but if you have dry skin that needs a calming and super hydrating cream for day or night, you are in for a real treat.
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Catherine Malandrino 'Special Moments' Eau de Parfum, 0.34 fl oz - Estimated Value $11.00 (Buy a full-size 3.4 fl oz for $110.00)
I did not like this perfume. It smelled much more like a hair product than any scent I would ever wear. The notes are citrus, peaches, pink blossoms, and white musk but I ended up scrubbing this off my arm. I did mark my IPSY profile preferences to see perfumes frequently, but if they are going to be scents like this, I might reconsider.
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JAYJUN Green Tea Eye Gel Patch, 3 pairs - Estimated Value $9.60 (Buy 10 pairs for $32.00)
JAYJUN is a brand I tend to really enjoy, and I also love eye gels! This trio was a welcome addition to my bag this month. Green tea has so many antioxidants which makes it ideal for skin. You can see little green tea leaf particles inside these gels and they immediately give such a cooling effect when applied. As usual, I stashed these in my fridge for even more chill and depuffing action.
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The Coffee Scrub in 'French Vanilla'
The last time I used this I had to deep clean my shower out after. It is a good exfoliator (especially on legs!) but the mess factor really gives me pause. I think I would feel differently if I were a coffee fan, but I am not. The smell here is yummy: pure coffee and sweet sugary vanilla. Does anyone ever exfoliate outside? Asking for a friend.
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OFRA x NikkieTutorials "Glazed Donut" Highlighter, 10 g - Retail Value $35.00
FYI: This was my choice item this month!
I keep an OFRA highlighter in my school kit and I love the ridiculous glow it gives any look with very little product. When I saw this pearly white shade was a choice item, I pounced! This highlighter is A LOT. Seriously, go in lightly or end up having to remove the makeup off of one cheek because you suddenly look (quite literally) liked a glazed donut. I found this stuff is so reflective that it is actually easier to apply with light fingertip tapping instead of most of my brushes. When used lightly, I adore this highlighter so much! I am very happy with my choice this month.
I would really like a donut now.
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Maëlle Filmstar Eyelash Curlers - Retail Value $9.00
So these weren't in my IPSY app as something I would be getting this month. Not sure if they were just an extra or what was going on there. I don't use eyelash curlers too often, but these feel sturdy and have a cushy silicone pad, so when I do I will happily reach for them.
Verdict: Whew! That felt like a lot of stuff this month. My total tally arrives somewhere around $284.15 even without the brush or the coffee scrub values. That is a lot for a $50 box. Granted, there were some misses this month. I did not like the perfume or primer, and the eye sticks were a little sleepy for my taste right now. Even without those items there was still plenty inside this month to feel like a pretty decent Ultimate bag. I plan on reviewing all of my items in hopes of even further customization next month.
To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? No. The next Ultimate shipment will be in August! As of publication, there was no Ipsy waitlist. Check here to see what month you’ll get first.
Value Breakdown: This box costs $50 so each of the 13 items has an average cost of $3.85 (this calculation does not include the bag!).
Check out all of our Ipsy Glam Bag Ultimate reviews and the best beauty subscription boxes of 2020, as recommended by our readers!
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What do you think of the July Ipsy Glam Bag Ultimate? Which items did you get?
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