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 August 2020 Review
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Our info booklet has a few tips and tricks on how to get a perfect glow.
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This month, our bag is a rose gold metallic material with a rainbow holographic finish and a grey interior.
Now, on to the items!
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111SKIN Cryo ATP Sports Booster, 20 mL – Retail Value $135.00
111SKIN always seems to arrive with a staggering retail value but leaves me feeling rather 'meh' about the actual formulas. This is a serum designed to mimic cold therapy on the skin, but doesn't actually feel like anything, at least not to me. It is super thin and watery, and leaves just a little bit of stickiness. Notable ingredients inside include niacinamide, amino acid betaine, and glycerine. I didn't notice much difference after a few uses with this one.
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Beauty for Real Hi Def Mascara in 'Just Black', 9 mL - Retail Value $19.00
Another month, another black mascara! Ok, I really disliked this stuff... sadly. The brush was actually really bizarre. The bristles were very short and there were the wells between each row where pools of liquidy mascara would collect. There simply weren't enough bristles to separate my lashes and the thin mascara just kind of saturated my lashes in multiples, creating very unattractive super lashes that looked very odd and never dried.
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Complex Culture Plush Powder Brush - Retail Value $35.00
This was my choice item in my IPSY Plus bag.
I have been lowkey adding to my Complex Culture collection every few months when one arrives in an IPSY delivery. I really, really like these brushes! They have such dense and fluffy heads and soft bristles that grab lots of powder in a really good way. This is a pretty massive one, but it is perfect for translucent and finishing powders. I love the matte grey handles too because they look very chic.
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Feel Vitamin E Balm, 20 mL - Retail Value $24.00
This is a new product to me and I happen to love basic balms in cute packaging. This balm can be used on your lips, eyes, hands, really anywhere that feels chapped or needs moisture. The formula feels pretty simple: castor oil, peppermint oil, vitamin E. This balm is also cruelty-free and vegan. It did wonders for my chapped lips and I can see myself using this until the cute little tube is empty!
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Payot Paris Hydra 24+ Crème Glacée, 50 mL - Retail Value $48.00
Everything about this French-made cream and its packaging felt fancy! It is a pale blue cream in a glass pot, and it smells great! The texture is also pretty nice too, fast-absorbing and smooth like velvet. I do think this cream might be better suited to dry skin like mine, because it is totally on the thicker side. This formula has some seriously nourishing elements inside such as shea, hyaluronic acid, glycerine, vitamin E, and fig extracts. I think for myself this is probably more of a moisture bomb than something that will transform skin issues over time, but sometimes an extra high rise of hydration is all I need.
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SOAPBOX Coconut Milk Hair Mist, 2 fl oz – Retail Value $9.99
I wish I could opt out of anything coconut scented. I know, I know, it's summer. It's coconuts on the beach season. But I just don't like smelling like a place I didn't make it to this summer 😂 . ANYWAYS, this is a hydrating and shine adding sort of spray that you can really use as much as you want to without it getting too much on your hair. It's a nice treat for sun-soaked hair too because it has panthenol, vitamin E, and coconut milk inside. Ultimately, this is a nice spray. Just not my sort of thing.
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THANN Hydrating Emulsion, 40 g - Estimated Value $19.20 (Buy 100g for $48.00)
I immediately liked this product. It has loads of my favorite dry skin things inside: shea, camellia seed oil, squalane, jojoba, hyaluronic acid, and brightening vitamin C. The downside is that this stuff also has quite a few fragrancing agents inside, which is fine for me, but not great for those out there who might be sensitive. The texture here is awesome. It's like a gel-cream hybrid that feels super lightweight but makes an immediate moisture impact. And, for what its worth, it does smell pretty awesome! You can use this as a normal moisturizer or save it for a sleep mask sort of deal if it feels like a little too much for you during the daytime.
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DR. OHKIMS+ Cleansing Gel Foam, 15 mL
I don't often see this brand but I am happy when I do because it is a TONYMOLY brand, and I always enjoy those cute Korean products. My first thought on this cleanser was how invigorating the scent was. It's sharp and herbal, but also a little floral and clean. It also brags a rather short ingredient list of only 15 items. With a little lather, a nice foam forms on your hands and this feels like it reaches deep into pores without bringing too drying or aggressive. I wish this had been full size!
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GENERATION CLAY Detoxifying Charcoal Australian Clay Mask, 0.51 fl oz - Estimated Value $7.28 (Buy a full-size 2.1 fl oz for $29.99)
I have tried a few Generation Clay formulas and this might be my favorite. It is a nice blend of clay, botanical extracts, witch hazel, vitamin E, lipids, and purifying charcoal. Still a maskne queen over here, so twice a week I spray a clay mask "beard" on to help keep that very touchy area under control. I also loved this as a spot treatment for pesky blemishes that might try to make my face their home. If you are less dry, you will probably love this all over your face! It goes a long way to cleansing my pores and calming zits.
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Wander Beauty Skyliner Automatic Gel Eyeliner in 'Jet Black'
Though I can't really muster any excitement for another black eyeliner, I do think this one is pretty great. The longevity here is top-notch. The tip feels a little more clunky than your liquid options, but sometimes that is exactly what you need for a smoky eye. The built-in sharpener on the end is also a lifesaver for making sure your line never gets too dull!
Here it is!
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Kokie Cosmetics Mini Fix It Up Setting Spray, 0.6 fl oz - Estimated Value $2.22 (Buy 2.02 fl oz for $7.49)
I did not like this spray very much at all. It didn't feel unlike spraying alcohol on my face, but that might be because alcohol is the #4 ingredient here. I try to avoid alcohol since my skin is dry, though I do make exceptions when there are other ingredients in a formula that balance it out. For me, that just isn't in this bottle. It seemed to extend the life of my (admittedly simple) makeup noticeably, but this isn't for me.
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Sunday Riley C.E.O. 15% Vitamin C Brightening Serum, 10 g - Retail Value $85.00
FYI: This was my choice item this month!
Of course, I had to snag some CEO as my choice item! This formula pairs the very potent combo of glycolic acid and a super stable form of vitamin C, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate. Together, these ingredients promote cell turnover and brightening, so this is a great sort of product for anyone who had anti-aging concerns or uneven skin tone. This serum is on the creamier side and does a fine job of also being moisturizing.
Verdict: When I was first collecting my thoughts on this month's assortment, I felt rather blah about a lot of it. Am I so conditioned to seeing a colorful palette inside each month?? Sure, there were some duds in here. I was pretty unimpressed with the 111SKIN serum, the setting spray, eyeliner, mascara, and hair mist. Those items make up a pretty large portion of this box. BUT the items I did like still more than felt like they were worth the $50 price of this box. I mean, the Sunday Riley serum is $85, which is significantly more than the cost of the whole box, alone. So in terms of value, I am pleased this month and my calculations land somewhere around at least $377 even without the things I couldn't track down online. In terms of assortment, this month could have used a little more work.
To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? No. The next Ultimate shipment will be in September! 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 12 items has an average cost of $4.17. (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 August Ipsy Glam Bag Ultimate? Which items did you get?
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