Do you wish for a subscription service that gives you more control over the items you get each month? Ipsy Glam Bag Plus is a beauty subscription service that lets you choose 3 items each month, and the other 2 are selected based on your beauty profile. This is the second tier of the Ipsy subscription service, and each bag contains 5 full-size beauty products. There’s a huge range of possible products, and you can get nail polish, skincare, eyeshadow, contour powders, or other items. This subscription is an excellent way to build up your beauty collection at a discounted price.
This month, I received a bronzer and brush set, black liquid eyeliner, a rose toner facial mask, a small eyeshadow palette, and an eyeshadow stick with a blending sponge. I especially loved the rose toner facial mask, because it has a noticeable effect on my skin and it smells great. I recommend this box to any beauty fanatics, because you can discover new products at a hugely discounted price.
What We Like About IPSY Glam Bag Plus
Each Glam Bag Plus order comes in a cute pink mailer.
Inside, the items are packaged into an equally adorable drawstring bag. Each month has a different bag design, and this month’s design is a colorblocked design. The back of the bag is a solid navy.
All the items in your Ipsy Glam Bag Plus order are full-size, and they should all last you at least a month. Most of them will last longer. The total value is at least $120, but it often ends up being more than that. When I finalized my bag, Ipsy showed me the total value. The $161 value is a great deal for a subscription service that only costs $25.
You get to choose 3 out of 5 items you end up with, and I haven’t yet seen another beauty subscription service that gives you more say in what you receive.
There were a few items in here that were a little outside my comfort zone, but I had fun experimenting with them.
When I filled out my beauty profile, I had the opportunity to mention the colors and product types I like. I like to use warm, natural colors and golds. My final product selection definitely reflects the colors I like and my minimal makeup style. The options I was working with also fit my color preferences, and you can see them in the next section.
What We Don’t Like About IPSY Glam Bag Plus
I was a little disappointed that my Glam Bag Plus didn’t come with an insert explaining the products. When it comes to beauty boxes, I really appreciate an information card or a pamphlet with details about each product and how to use it. The text on boxes tends to be tiny, and I usually end up looking at the product information online for more detailed instructions and ingredient lists.
One of the main highlights of Glam Bag Plus is that subscribers get to choose 3 of the 5 items in their bags. There are three product slots, and you have limited options for each slot. You don’t have quite as much control over your final bag as you might think. I still appreciate the ability to choose some of my items, though.
High-value or popular items tend to sell out quickly. There was originally a brush set option, but it sold out about an hour after I first saw it. When you click on each item option, you can check the retail value, if that’s a factor in your decision.
Here are the options I had for November:
Yensa Silk Bronzing Base
I have to say that bronzer has never been part of my makeup routine, so this was an interesting item to receive in my bag! This product is certified cruelty-free.
This cream bronzer is subtle enough on my skin to add a slight sunkissed glow without contrasting too much with my own skin color. The matte finish probably helps. The instructions suggest adding to the cheekbones, temples, and jaw. I did as they suggested and the result was in fact a subtle tanned look.
When you blend this bronzer out, the color’s a lot less concentrated than in this swatch. I think this could also be used for a contouring effect, if you prefer that over bronzing.
I like that it came with a large brush, which made it easy to blend. I liked the cream formula, because powder concealers and bronzers are generally too dry for my skin.
Harmony Rose Petal Facial Mask by Feel
This is one of my choice items. I wanted to try this one because the other options were mostly makeup items, and I get more use out of skincare. This is a rose toning mask, and it contains rose petals, essential oils, and extract. This mask is filled with vitamin E and vitamin C.
The instructions say to apply this after cleansing your face and leave it on for 10 minutes. This isn’t the kind of mask that hardens or dries, so you’ll have to rinse it off your face.
The texture and color of this item make me think of a rose jam. The smell is nice, like a sweetened rose scent. I’d skip this if you aren’t a big fan of rose, because the smell is pretty strong the entire time you wear it, and it linger for a little while afterwards, too.
After using this mask, my skin felt noticeably softer, and it also cleared up some dry skin on my face. I was impressed with the results, and I’ll continue to use this on a regular basis.
High Line Liquid Eyeliner in Runway by Wander Beauty
This liquid eyeliner is one of my choice items. I don’t wear eyeliner every day, but the tip looked so easy to use that I decided to give it a go. This item is both vegan and cruelty-free, which is awesome.
This eyeliner has a thin, easy-to-use tip that’s especially helpful for adding dramatic flair. It goes on smoothly as a deep jet black, and it’s one of the easiest eyeliners to apply that I’ve tried. I tried applying it over the bronze eyeshadow pencil also in my box, and it went on easily without any smears.
It does seem to bleed or smear a little over the course of the day, so keep that in mind if you usually have trouble with products smearing.
You can see a thicker and thinner line in the swatches here. Excuse the wiggly lines; that’s what happens when I use my left hand!
Eyeshadow 101 Creme to Powder Eyeshadow Stick in Bronze Shimmer by Julep
This cream-to-powder eyeshadow is one of my choice items.
It’s a cream eyeshadow stick with a sponge smudging tool on the other end, to help with blending. This eyeshadow contains vitamin C and E, which contribute to a smooth application.
The color is a rich bronze, which I love because I tend to stick with browns and golds for eye makeup. It’s the top swatch in that picture of my arm.
The eyeshadow applies as a cream, but once it’s on your eyelids, the formula dries into a powder. The idea is that this unique formula will allow it to apply easily, and the powder texture will give it more staying power. I did find that it stayed on well, while most cream eyeshadows tend to smear easily and fade throughout the day.
Coral Pop Eyeshadow Palette by Violet Voss
This eyeshadow palette is full of warm, wearable colors. They went on very pigmented, even without any kind of primer. All of the colors here except for Champagne and Silk are nice and matte.
Here they are in order of how they appear on my arm:
Silk is a light, shimmery peach, Coral Pop is a reddish orange, Pretty Peach is a pale orange (not so much a peach color!), Champagne is a gorgeous metallic gold, Teddy is a medium brown, and Choco Latte is in fact a coffee color.
It was very difficult to get a picture of the Silk color. The swatch blended in with my skin completely, so in the last photo you can see it swatched on someone with a slightly darker skin tone. Do you see that shimmery pale color? It almost looks like a reflection of the light.
I really liked the color payoff of these shadows. Even Silk showed up well on my eyelids. They wore well for hours without fading or getting dull like I sometimes experience. I’m glad Ipsy chose this color scheme for me, because it fits into the realm of eyeshadow colors I’d actually wear.
Final Thoughts
Ipsy Glam Bag Plus is a subscription box that’s well worth the money. The items they send are valued at several times the $25 price tag, and you can choose 3 of the items for yourself.
Glam Bag Plus tends to be heavier on makeup than skincare, so this box is best for people who want to try a lot of different makeup products and build up a collection.
Even though I’m more of a skincare person, there are definitely some items here I’ll use on a regular basis, like the eyeshadow stick and rose toner mask. All the items included reflect the preferences in my beauty quiz, and I have fairly specific tastes.
I definitely recommend this beauty subscription service, because it’s a great value for the price point. Ipsy has access to a huge variety of brands and product types, so you can expect exciting new products on a regular basis.
