The other monthly beauty subscription service I belong to (besides Birchbox) is Ipsy. Every month, for a flat rate of $10, Ipsy sends out a “Glam Bag” — a small makeup case filled with 4-5 (maybe more?) beauty samples. Unlike Birchbox, Ipsy features (what seems like) a lot more low-end, drugstore makeup. I joined the Ipsy Glam Bag service mainly because I thought the idea of beauty samples stuffed in a makeup bag was cute and practical. I haven’t been ecstatic over any of the products I’ve received in the last two months’ Glam Bags, but it’s still worth it for me to be a subscriber — I’m excited to see what they have in store for the next couple of months.

Looking through the comments on Ipsy’s website, many subscribers have lamented that the bags “used to be better” or that they are “getting worse.” It seems as though Ipsy takes customer service very seriously — they interact with users on product comments, so I’m sure they see what users are saying about the quality of the products (and even the makeup bags themselves), so they should do something about it.

Ipsy sends their Glam Bags out in this super cute hot pink packaging (the address label is on the other side). I think this has to be the cutest mail packaging ever and I was super excited when I got my first Glam Bag (for February). Just like Birchbox, each month has a theme. For this month, March, the Ipsy Glam Bag theme was “The Great Escape”, featuring travel-friendly products to get you ready for Spring Break, all packed into a Nautical-themed makeup pouch (below).

I really liked the idea of travel-friendly products and Ipsy definitely picked out the exact TYPES of products I would take along with me on a Spring Break, however, I wasn’t thrilled with the specific products/brands they chose. I didn’t hate them either.

The product that I liked the best in my March Glam Bag was Juice Beauty Hydrating Mist ($22 for 6.75 oz.; JuiceBeauty.com). Right now, I am obsessed with any product that will help my dried-out winter makeup issues and this one is definitely on that list. I might even buy the full-sized version of this spray. This is one of those products that I don’t NEED, but it would be nice to have it around as a multi-tasking enhancement to my regular beauty regimen.

I love the smell, it’s crisp and fresh, and I have been using it after showering in the morning (I spritz some on my face and then use just a tiny bit of my tinted moisturizer); on my hair for a refreshing, conditioning pick-me-up; and over my foundation (before blush/bronzer) if it feels like it’s becoming too dry. You can store this mist in the refrigerator for an even cooler blast during the summer months, and it is formulated with refreshing, good-for-you ingredients like rosehip, ylang ylang, resveratrol grapeseed oil and antioxidant-rich organic juices.

The next product in my Glam Bag were LA Fresh Travel Lite Makeup Remover Wipes ($1.49 for 8 wipes; LAFreshGroup.com). A lot of people on the Ipsy website commented that these wipes didn’t do much for them, but I found them to be extremely light and refreshing. I don’t expect much when it comes to makeup remover wipes, especially since I wear a lot of eye makeup that is mostly waterproof. I had to use two wipes to really get all of the makeup off my face, and I added a bit of regular makeup remover onto the wipes as I normally do when using any brand of makeup remover towelettes.

The price is also extremely reasonable — I find that makeup remover wipes  tend to be way overpriced for whatever reason. The only real complaint I have about these is that someone commented on Ipsy.com saying that this product contains a lot of different parabens, and, when looking at the label, sure enough, five out of 11 ingredients are parabens. Ongoing research has shown that parabens may be linked to cancer. I think it’s best to stay away from them wherever possible. They are used in most makeup, so that’s why people are starting to see “paraben-free” everywhere. I just love the idea of products with natural, organic and good-for-you ingredients, so I definitely have been trying to steer clear of products with this many parabens in them.

These little eyeshadows from Canadian cosmetic company Yaby are actually “refills” and great for on-the-go use. Yaby Eyeshadow Refills ($3.29 each; CameraReadyCosmetics.com) are a really cute idea, but I’m not loving these shadows. They definitely aren’t the best quality eyeshadows and the color was hardly buildable — they kind of hardly show up at all, and they definitely didn’t seem to have much staying power. I received the colors “So Vein”, a bright turquoise that would be really pretty if I actually liked the eyeshadow quality, and “Sand Dune”, a more neutral sandy color that would also be cool if I actually liked the shadows themselves. I have to admit, these were pretty disappointing. A lot of people suggested using these shadows wet, so I’m going to try that before I throw them in the garbage.

And the last item in my March Glam Bag: GlamRX Mini Freestyle Palette ($16.50 for full-sized “Touch-Up Palette”; GlamRX.Goodsie.com). Okay so I didn’t understand this product when I first took it out of my Glam Bag; I honestly thought maybe they had left something out. So, after logging into my “Glam Room” on Ipsy.com I came to realize that this is a mini mirror on-the-go compact with a magnetic bottom to put eyeshadows, blushes, or whatever else that’s small enough that has a magnetic bottom.

Okay, I like the idea, it’s cute, but I honestly don’t own anything small enough to put in here. And then, on top of it, I tried to put a mini blush I had in there (a mini NARS compact), but I had to fight with it (the magnet is glued to the bottom of the compact), so I quit before I destroyed the whole thing. Most cosmetics that I have seen that have a magnetic bottom have similar glue at the bottom so that they don’t fall out. Other Ipsy reviewers said they had to “fight” with various eyeshadows in order to get them out so that they could just be loose with a magnetic bottom to put in this compact.

Again, I like the idea, but I’m not about to go buy mini-sized versions of beauty products with loose magnetic bottoms. And I really don’t think many companies make products with loose magnetic bottoms. I know MAC eyeshadows are made like this, but I think the shadow would be too wide to even fit. Oh well.

So that sums up my March Ipsy Glam Bag. I wasn’t overly impressed with this bag as a whole, but I still love the idea of beauty products being packed into a small makeup case and delivered to my doorstep every month. Also, like I said before, a lot of people have been complaining about Ipsy’s most recent Glam Bags on the website, so hopefully Ipsy will listen to their customers and improve future shipments  Thanks for reading!

xoxo,
Amanda