Ipsy has been all the rage for the last several years. It’s not a surprise that beauty boxes have changed the beauty industry as we know it. For people like me who never seem to have time to go pick out new makeup, subscription boxes have changed my life. In a world where Amazon runs the game, I can’t help but wonder: Are beauty boxes like here to stay?
When it comes to minimalist makeup I am like a golden retriever—Loyal. My makeup bag is filled with a constant rotation of Laura Mercier, Clinique and Nars, but boxes have helped me get out of my comfort zone and into the world of constantly evolving makeup brands. As someone who thrives on routine, getting new makeup every month has been a godsend.
About IPSY
Ipsy was brought to life out of the beauty movement that occurred on Youtube over the last decade. From the Youtube beauty guru, Michelle Phan, IPSY was created to “inspire individuals around the world to express their unique beauty.”
What is IPSY?
Ipsy is a subscription box service that sends you travel-sized versions of five products, including brands like HUDA BEAUTY and Smashbox, for only $12 monthly for the basic glam bag. Ipsy has three options to choose from when it comes to their makeup bags. The most basic and least expensive bag is the Glam Bag. You can also choose from the Glam Bag Plus for $25 and The Glam Bag Ultimate for $50.
How Does IPSY work?
Prior to signing up for Ipsy you are guided through a quiz all about your skin and makeup preferences. The first step is to identify your skin tone, eye color and hair color. You are then asked to identify your comfortability with makeup— to which I answered “somewhat comfortable” when I probably should have said “not very comfortable.” You are then asked what brands you like. I was excited to see brands I loved like Clinique, Too Faced and Glossier. I was also fascinated by the over 20 other brands I had never even heard of before (that should tell you my newbie status).
After that you are asked a series of questions ranging from how often do you like receiving mascara, to what hues do you like in your eyeshadows and lipsticks. You are also asked for your fragrance preferences which I thought was a nice touch because I didn’t expect to receive any type of perfume. Lastly, you are asked where you generally shop for makeup, what type of skin you have and what texture your hair is. Overall, the quiz was fun and seems like a great way to have my bag more personalized to me.
Once you fill out your quiz your subscription bag will be shipped out to you for a monthly fee of $12. A fun feature that IPSY offers is that you receive a travel sized makeup bag each month with your makeup. It is always nice to have extra makeup bags lying around for when you travel or need a new bag.
Another cool feature of IPSY that I haven’t seen in other subscription boxes is that you get to choose at least one of your products each month. You are also able to add any extra products you might want in your bag that month. Although there is an extra cost to add more than 5 products, there are an array of extra options to choose from. For example, if you can’t get to the store to buy new mascara that month and it isn’t already added to your bag, you can get it with ease.
Is IPSY Worth The Price?
Although IPSY was one of my first subscription boxes I ever tried and I enjoy it for the most part, there are definitely some cons. First and foremost, the skin colors they provide when asking what your skin tone is in the initial quiz was not inclusive AT ALL. For people like me, who are at the very end of the color spectrum on the lighter side, I did not feel like they had as many options in terms of foundations and concealers. I am sure as someone who struggles finding colors for extremely fair skin, that it is even more difficult for black women to find darker shades.
Like I previously mentioned, when you are taking the quiz prior to ordering your IPSY bag you are asked what brands you prefer. There are over 20 brands to choose from and as someone who is a loyalist to her favorite brands, I was excited to see some I recognized. I chose around five brands that I love when being asked what brands I preferred. My choices were something like, Clinqiue, Too Faced, Smashbox and more. After having IPSY for a few months I never received an item from one of the brands I chose from. In terms of makeup, I do have a great love for expensive brands—champagne taste on a beer budget, as my mom always used to day. It could be because I only chose to pay for the basic subscription, but I was upset to never receive any of the products from brands I love, especially after being asked what my favorites were.
Final Thoughts
Overall IPSY was a great brand to try for my first continuous subscription box. It introduced me to some great new brands that I had never heard of and I actually found my new favorite lip gloss from one of the monthly boxes. With that being said, the customer service almost makes it not worth it. Other boxes have been about the same price with way better customer service. If customer service is not something you generally worry about then IPSY is a great choice for you. Afterall, it is only $12 a month and you recieve six products including the makeup bag.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is IPSY Glam Bag Budget Friendly?
For only $12 a month for the most basic glam bag, I would definitely say IPSY is budget friendly. If you are someone like me who doesn’t shop for makeup all that often dn has a hard time finding new brands that will stick, IPSY is a great option. You get a ton of variety for a fairly inexpensive price.
Is IPSY Easy To Sign Up For?
If you can sign up for Hulu and Netflix, you will have no problem signing up for IPSY. The website will prompt you to look at your upcoming bag each month, but if you don’t keep track of your bags they will automatically send you one.
IPSY Customer Service
If you go online and type on IPSY’s customer service you will know right away that it is not great. Many of IPSY’s negative reviews revolve around their customer service. The first red flag is that IPSY does not have a help line and only respond to enquiries via Twitter and by email. It generally takes a long time to hear back from someone if you do at all.
How Do You Cancel Your IPSY Glam Bag?
Canceling a subscription box should be easy. Not only have I had trouble cancelling my IPSY, but from reading an array of reviews other people have had trouble as well. The instruction for cancelling are as follows:
-In the ‘Account’ section, go to ‘Edit account settings’.
-Click on ‘Membership’.
-Click on ‘Manage membership’.
-Select ‘Help me stop my membership’.
-Click on ‘Continue cancellation’.
-Provide a reason for cancelling your subscription.
After following all these steps I still received a bag the next month. When contacting customer service, I never heard back which was a major bummer because I actually enjoyed the bag.
What Beauty Products Are Included In The Glam Bag?
The options for makeup brands are seemingly endless and there is definitely something for everyone. Plus, you can see the products before they are shipped to you!
As previously stated, I usually stick to Laura Mercier. Although you won’t find extremely high-end makeup brands with IPSY, you can still find some great options.
Depending on the choices you make in your quiz, you can receive a variety of products. For example, I like minimalist makeup with earthy tones. I’m not very into flashy brands with bright colors and dark shades. As a fair skinned girl with green eyes and bronde hair, who spends a lot of time outside and in the gym, I chose options that I could throw on without a lot of hassle. For my August Glam Bag, I received travel sized versions of a gel moisturizer (which I LOVE), a clarifying cleanser, an eyeshadow in a soft pink/ nude shade, a ligloss and an eyeshadow brush.
