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IPSY Glam Bag Plus Review – January 2021

Megan K.
ByMegan K.Feb 4, 2021 | 23 comments

Ipsy Glam Bag Plus
4.3 overall rating
242 Ratings | 28 Reviews

IPSY Glam Bag Plus is a $25 per month subscription box from IPSY. Every month you’ll receive 5 full-sized beauty products. The box will have a retail value of at least $120. (This box was voted as a best makeup subscription box and a best beauty subscription box by MSA readers!)

FYI, COVID-19 Update: Keep up-to-date on Ipsy shipping delays right here.

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 Plus

The Subscription Box: IPSY Glam Bag Plus

The Cost: $25.00 per month (with free U.S. shipping)

The Products: Full-size makeup and beauty products every month.

Ships to: The U.S. for free

Our IPSY Glam Bag Plus January 2021 Review

 

Here is our info card for the month. No specific item list this time.

My drawstring bag arrived in a light blue color with a cute DREAM print.

Now, on to the items!

 

Kate Somerville Goat Milk Moisturizing Cream, 50 mL - Full Size! Retail Value $70.00

IPSY chose this item for me!

I actually can't believe it, but I don't think I have ever gotten this in a box. It isn't a new product but it has always been something I wanted to try, so I am happy to welcome it to my stash. Alas, it does have some ingredients I am less than thrilled with inside, especially for oily or acne-prone skin. The second and third ingredients are ethylhexyl palmitate and myristyl myristate, both of which have pretty high comedogenic ratings. I wish those ingredients weren't here, because otherwise I really like this cream! It is a super liquidy texture that does indeed look like milk. It has a soft finish on the skin and absorbs easily. And there was some good stuff in there too, namely loads of fatty oils and lactic acid, but this isn't one I can recommend, sadly.

 

Pixi by Petra Nuance Quartette in 'Honey Nectar', 4 shades - Retail Value $16.00

IPSY chose this item for me!

So... I should be totally sick of highlighters. I complain about black eyeliner and mascaras in my boxes but every time a new highlighter arrives I am almost clapping. This palette at least also arrived with a pretty pink-peach blush and soft bronzer that I could use to contour my cheeks (though I won't). The two highlighters inside are also quite different from each other, one being golden champagne and the other a pink with a gold shine. I love them both. They work perfectly with my favorite big fluffy brush to give a radiant finish to any look, makeup or makeup free.

Top to bottom: Nectar, Honey, Syrup, and Ambrosia.

 

Vitabrid C12 Daily-C Balancing Foam Cleanser, 120 mL – Retail Value $32.00

This was my choice item!

I am kind of going through a cleanser sort of fixation right now as well, as I have recently run out of my go-tos in the shower. I don't know a ton about this brand, which is exactly why I grabbed it. I was really impressed with the super thick cream texture. Just a little really coats your face and when you massage in circles with water, it starts to foam. It also smells creamy and clean, with a hint of citrus zing. I found it did a great job of cleansing my face without stripping it (it has some clay inside so I was worried) and altogether I really liked this stuff.

 

Complex Culture Good Lighting Highlighter Duo – Retail Value $30.00

This was my choice item!

Ok.. so I picked another highlighter palette. I kind of just got excited and snagged it, not remembering that IPSY picked the Pixi one for me. I have no regrets. Complex Culture is an IPSY brand but I have liked and loved everything I have tried from them. And this might be an unpopular opinion, but I liked this highlighter even better than the Pixi ones. The sparkles themselves were just smaller and more natural, and on my face it created a perfect little halo of light wherever I applied with that fave big brush. I also thought including these two colors together was really smart, as you can use the lighter shade for a high beam highlight (I use it on my nose and right above my cupid's bow!) while using the darker shade for cheekbones, forhead, and chin. It kind of keeps the radiance demensional rather than looking like chrome or frosting. The texture here was bittery soft, and I have nothing but good things to say about these highlighters.

Top: Lucid, Bottom: Afterglow (these are heavy swatches!)

 

buttah. Cleanser, 100 mL – Retail Value $15.00

This was my choice item!

Ok, apparently I was just not thinking when I put this bag together because in addition to two highlighter palettes I also selected two cleansers. Again, not a bad mistake! I liked this stuff too! And since this is a gel and the other cleanser this month is a heavier cream, together they make for a great double cleanse. I liked the texture and scent of this cleanser a lot and thought it did a great job paired with another as well as solo on my skin.

Verdict: I kind of chose some product type duplicates this month in my IPSY Glam Bag Plus,  but I have no regrets. Highlighters and cleansers are some of my favorite things and I will always use them! I actually think the only slight disappointment was the Kate Somerville cream because I love the brand and I expected better in terms of ingredients. Regardless, the total value this month was a nice $163.00 for a $25 bag. I will take those savings any day! And going into spring with my highlighter and cleanser levels high feels pretty pretty good.  

To Wrap Up:

Can you still get this box if you sign up today? You'll likely start with February as your first month. As of publication, there was no IPSY waitlist!

Value Breakdown: This box costs $25, meaning you are paying approximately the following per item:

  • Kate Somerville Cream $10.75
  • Pixi Palette $2.50
  • Vitabrid Cleanser $5.00
  • Complex Culture Palette $4.50
  • buttah. Cleanser $2.25

Alternatively, each of the 5 items has an average cost of $5. 

Check out all of our IPSY Glam Bag Plus reviews and our favorite beauty and makeup subscriptions!

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

What do you think of the January IPSY Glam Bag Plus? Which items did you get?

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Megan K.
Megan K.
I love natural/vegan beauty products, Korean skincare, unique jewelry, and weird candies from far away places. When I am not waiting for my next exciting box you can find me painting or taking photographs of interesting people. I never leave home without pug hair somewhere on my shirt and a bold lipstick on my smile.

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23 comments

Mountaineer95

“This palette at least also arrived with a pretty pink-peach blush and soft bronzer that I could use to contour my cheeks (though I won’t).”

I’m sorry, I don’t understand this comment. It sounded as though you liked this palette, even saying that you love the two highlighters, but saying you won’t use the other two squares (without offering a reason as to why) seemed to express to me that you did NOT like this item. I love your reviews and I think I’ve read most of them, and I’m not trying to be mean here, I just truly don’t understand this particular comment. It’s a pretty palette at a good price and I’d consider buying it but I’d like to get a clear understanding of what you think of it (and why you won’t use half of it) before I do. Thank you!

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Elle

I think she was trying to say that she doesn’t often contour her face, so she won’t get much use out of the bronzer. She uses blush and highlight all the time, though

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Donna

Really disappointed with the Kate Sommerville Goat Milk Cream. It is very very thin and not what I would call a cream at all. It is so thin as to be a problem – you have to be so careful with the jar or else it will spill, especially since it is filled up to the very top of the jar. It would have been better to have been packaged in a pump bottle. Thank you for a great review, especially about those ingredients. I will use this cream on my hands or body and not on my face.

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KateM

I agree with both Megan’s review and your review on the Goat Milk “cream” by Kate Somerville. I have heard good things in the past and have never received it in any of my boxes. Well, the second I opened the container and went to remove the plastic seal…my thumb ended up tipping the whole container and cream dripped everywhere! I’d almost say it is a light water cream or low fat milk vs heavy cream, lol.

My box for January ended up being: Ipsy selected the Goat Milk Cream and Wonder Beauty Brow pencil. I chose VitaBird C12 Cleanser, VitaBird C12 Serum, and the Navy Blue Brushes. I’ve tried the VitaBird serum in an Allure box, so I was excited to try more of the line. I also bought a three pack bundle of a cleansing balm, eye/face cream, and something else as I’ve loved this brand. I hope my skin does too with the whole lineup!

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Tanya

I think I might just be done with Ipsy. I seem to only like what I choose from them. I’ll spend the money on FFF or Boxy add-ons instead.

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Hadiyah

Oh black history month moment buttah is actually a black owned brand and the cleanser is formulated primarily for melanated skin.

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Renee

I got both cleansers too. I always need them and am hoping to find one I love a lot one day.

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Lisa

I missed the choose your own period so Ipsy so chose for me. I received the Mills peel mask, BBB kit, Source D’Adage fragrance, Purlisse Blue Lotus moisturizer, & Wander Beauty Lip Oil.

Mills mask – doesn’t come with the spatula which is $10 on its own on the site. I used a tiny silicone spatula from my kitchen. This mask did absolutely nothing for me so I’ll be pawing it off on a friend.

BBB Kit – not terrible. I probably won’t ever use the scissors or double ended brush tool (already have one I like), but the tweezers did a good job removing a splinter lol.

Source D’Adage fragrance – a lot of people hated this on the app. I was excited to get a fragrance, but it’s very piney, strong smelling, and masculine. I gave this to my husband would said he’d wear it sparingly.

Purlisse Blue Lotus moisturizer – I like that is has no fragrance and has a nice texture and emolient quality. However, I have incredibly sensitive skin and dermatitis so this actually (and surprisingly) irritated my face. For neck use in the AM only.

Wander Lip Oil – this stuff in general is pretty nice feeling, but the ingredients were unfavorable – mineral oil, phthalates, and parabens. The last two chemicals particularly being things you probably don’t want in or on your body.

My overall review of the bag is so-so but I also didn’t get to make my own choices. I avoid cleansers, face moisturizers, serums, and oils because I already have a regimen that works for my persnickety skin.

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Makeup86

Not all parabens and preservatives are the same and I would prefer my products to have effective preservatives rather than having something on my face or lips spoil or grow mold.

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Stacy

Thank you! So over the (unnecessary) paraben and preservative hate. One stupid and incorrect post viralized into this nonsense

Carol

I’m so drawn to Pixi products for some reason, and now I want this palette too. The other highlighter palette looks good too. I’m pretty sure I have every possible shade of highlighter, but oh well.

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Donna

Thank you for all the reviews but especially of the goat milk moisturizer ingredients. I had used it for a few days/a week and noticed that I was getting more blackheads on my nose. I didn’t make the connection until I read your review! I will be on the lookout for those ingredients in other products as well, but as some of the other ladies commented, I will be using it as a body lotion or hand lotion. I count on you to have our backs and you have not disappointed.

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Megan K.

That means a lot to me, Donna, thank you! I try to be careful with my words because not every comedogenic ingredient is going to negatively affect everyone, but from my clients, I have learned that having them avoid certain things does help if acne is one of their main concerns! If you ever want to ingredient check something it is super easy to copy the ingredient list from an item’s page and drop it into my fave tool: https://incidecoder.com/ This site gives you a quick rundown of all the ingredients and what they do. It also has an icky rating for each. It is a great site for breaking down ingredients and I still use it daily because even after this long there are so many confusing ingredients or multiple names for the same thing. I also have a handy ingredient dictionary that I keep closeby. Thanks for reading and leaving me such a nice comment. ♥️

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Snow

Ummmmm thanks for this!! 👆

inkchick

My bag arrived with THREE items (the Pixi palette, Purlisse moisturizer, and perfume) completely destroyed! Luckily, they sent me replacements, but they were out of the Pixi palette so I got a very boring Ofra highlighter. *sigh* I did get the goat milk moisturizer and I actually like it as a daytime product. I also got the High Eye Q eye gel and I like that as well.

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Dawn

I have received the goat milk moisturizer in several bags. Since I’m not really crazy about putting it on my face even with my super dry skin, I have come to use it on the backs of my hands. I tried to unload it on a couple of the selling sites, but it really doesn’t come in any price. But it really does a good job on the backs of my hands.
I got the vita see cleanser as an add-on in my last regular Ipsy bag.Happy with that one. I tend to rotate cleansers quite a bit.

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Dawn

I have received the goat milk moisturizer in several bags. Since I’m not really crazy about putting it on my face even with my super dry skin, I have come to use it on the backs of my hands. I tried to unload it on a couple of the selling sites, but it really doesn’t come in any price. But it really does a good job on the backs of my hands.

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Snow

I tried to get into highlighters but after a few hours on, it seems to separate from my face and look “textured.” I’m starting to realize more and more as I get older that less really is more.

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Dea

Amen. It used to be that a shiny face was considered to look oily and something to avoid. Yet the highlighter fad endures.

A testament to the great power of choice and profiles: my bag did not have any products in common with Megan’s. And sometimes, I take two of the same type in one month, like eye cream and moisturizer. All get used daily and used up rapidly.

Note that we voted GBP the best skincare box in the MSA survey. The personalization now makes it a better skincare box than Beautyfix.

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Snow

I have an obsession with eye creams and moisturizers as well. For some reason I like trying a bunch lol (especially moisturizers, I love discovering new and old favorites.) I do like the ultra personalization of GBP, but just can’t justify signing up right now when I got so much I still need to use up. But definitely on my radar ☺️

Lola

I also chose that Buttah cleanser before I realized it’s meant for people with melanin rich skin. I was going to pass it on before even trying it. Have you been happy with it?

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Bethany

I did that too, Lola. When it arrived, I had just used up my current cleanser, so gave it a try. Been using I’d say a couple weeks now and really like it. Cleans without over drying and lathers well. I’m white, fairly pale and have super dry skin.

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Megan K.

I’ve been totally happy! Based on the ingredient list it is a good cleanser that should work for anyone. ♥️

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