IPSY Glam Bag January 2022 Review

Ipsy is a monthly beauty and makeup subscription box. For $13 per month, you get five full-size or deluxe-sized products, plus a cute makeup bag.

This is one of our top recommendations if you are looking for a subscription box - the value and sample sizes are amazing. (FYI – 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 our editorial guidelines to learn more about how we review boxes).

First Impression

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Your Ipsy Glam bag will come in their standard pale pink bubble wrap mailer. When you open it up, you can always expect to find a makeup bag storing your new beauty products and an info sheet with additional details. Every month you receive a makeup bag in addition to your five products. This month everyone was supposed to receive a fun rainbow tie-dye bag, but somehow I got a metallic silver bag I've actually received before. I reached out to Ipsy customer service to try to figure out why, and while I never learned the "why," they did say they'd send me the correct bag.

The Breakdown – What’s Inside My January 2022 Ipsy Bag

Essenherb Black Tea Peeling Gel, 20 ml

I'm happy that Ipsy is sending more K-Beauty brands and products, but I personally just don't love peeling gels. They're a gentle way to exfoliate your skin, and they're formulated to pick up dead skin when the formula balls up under your hands when you massage the product into your skin. I don't enjoy the process, thus why I don't enjoy the product. I like the Essenherb brand, though, and I did appreciate how gentle this was on my skin.

GOLDFADEN MD Light Treatment Dark Spot Corrector, 10 ml - Estimated Retail Value $26.67

This serum has some fun ingredients like alpha-arbutin, seaweed extract, red tea extract, two types of hyaluronic acid, and squalane. This is designed to reduce the appearance of dark spots and skin discoloration, and it's paired with hydrating ingredients for your skin too. A lot of serums like this one that are designed to help fight skin discoloration have antioxidants in them, so I like to use these serums in the mornings when antioxidants work double-time with my sunscreen to protect my skin from external environmental stressors while also doing whatever they're designed to do (in this case, correct skin discoloration).

Purlisse Beauty Ageless Glow Serum BB Cream SPF 40 in Fair, 7 mL - Estimated Value $6.65 (buy the 40 mL version for $38)

Okay, for a BB cream I was expecting something a lot more lightweight and sheer in coverage than what this is- this is dang near a foundation. I learned this the hard way by applying too much the first time I tried it out, and I realized my mistake once I started to rub the product in with my hands.

I have some trepidation about letting this photo go on the world wide web, but it's such a funny face I knew y'all would probably love it. I had been recording the application for a video, so this is a screengrab from the exact moment I realized I had way too much on my face. I definitely wouldn't say this has a "serum" consistency the way the name implies, but I am happy to report that it blends out really well and looked really nice on my skin. I could definitely tell that I overapplied, but some setting powder helped me out here. The second time I use this I won't make the same mistake, and I did like this enough to keep using it.

Tarte™ Shape Tape™ Ultra Creamy Concealer in Fair Neutral, 1.5 mL - Estimated Value $4.50 (buy the 10 mL version for $30)

I am a fan of the OG shape tape and have personally purchased it a few times, so I was interested in trying out the ultra-creamy version. I wasn't expecting the sample to be quite so small, but I find the tiny bottle to be tiny- especially since I don't need much of this to get plenty of coverage for dark circles or acne marks. This has a matte finish but I didn't find it to be drying, and while I did find that it creased a tiny bit under my eyes, I think that may have been user error rather than something everyone will experience (I had applied too much of the Purlisse BB cream, and I didn't set under my eyes with setting powder because I was running short on time).

Here I am with both the Purlisse and Tarte concealer on my face.

The Saem Bio Solution Hydrating Hyaluronic Acid Mask + Bio Solution Radiance Multi-Vitamin Mask Duo - Retail Value $7.48  ($3.74 each)

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In case you're new here, I love sheet masks. And I love that when Ipsy sends sheet masks, they send two instead of just one. These two masks from The Saem were nice if a bit plain. Though one mask features hyaluronic acid and the other vitamins as featured ingredients, I found both of them to be very similar in performance (and that's not a bad thing). These checked the boxes I look for: hydrating, comfortable to wear, and a good fit for my face. At this price point, I'm happy if those boxes are checked, and don't look for more bells and whistles unless a mask has a price that indicates they should have them. When I removed the masks, my skin was hydrated and there was no sticky residue left behind, which I always appreciate.

Value – Was This Box Worth It?

The Cost: $13

Value Breakdown:

• GOLDFADEN MD: $26.67→ $7.65
• Purlisse: $6.65 → $1.91
• Tarte: $4.50 → $1.29
• The Saem: $7.48 → $2.15
• Essenherb: N/A

This month everything in my Glam Bag except the Essenherb peeling gel added up to $45.30, which is pretty solid for a $13 subscription box.

Key Takeaways

January was a good Ipsy month for me. Specifically, I liked how well the Tarte concealer and Purlisse BB cream worked together on my skin, and I am genuinely always happy to receive more sheet masks. I'm a little more "meh" about the remaining two products, but I can see why Ipsy would send them to me based on the reviews I've given on the products sent in previous glam bags. Ipsy is one of the most affordable subscription boxes out there, and I love being able to look forward to getting my new bag every month (and being able to select one item in each month's bag, too).

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

Other Things You Should Know

Can you still get this box if you sign up today? No, but sign up now to get the February bag!

Am I able to customize my bag? Yes, towards the end of each month you are given the ability to choose one product to be included in next month's Glam Bag!

What do you think of my January 2022 Ipsy Glam Bag?