Review: IPSY Glam & Glam Plus Bag (December 2021)

I don’t usually do subscription boxes as they tend to be the worse bang for your buck. Back in 2011, I did Birchbox for 3 months. It was mostly skincare samples, makeup brushes, and perfume samples. In late 2013, I did IPSY for 6 months. IPSY was mostly makeup. I remember getting makeup brushes, eyeliners, and nail polishes among other samples. The bags they put the items in weren’t of very good quality and they piled up. I believe I had only recently donated them when I did my big clean out late summer.

However, recently I decided to give IPSY another go. One of the things I did notice about myself is that I am more interested in skincare products than makeup. I’m at a stage in my life where I know what makeup style looks best on me. I have my true and tried products and occasionally will introduce new products that are within the color spectrum that I normally wear (which also means that I have a million lipsticks in the same nude color I like, almost always matte).

Before I begin, I do want to say that I forget how many emails these kinds of companies send out. It hasn’t even been a month since I signed up and I already have 25+ emails from them trying to upsell me.

IPSY Glam Bag

When I subscribed to the IPSY glam bag back in 2013, it was $10 even per month. Now the price of the glam bag is $13/month plus taxes. For me, it ended up being $13.94. With 5 deluxe sample items, this is around $2.79 per item.

What I received in my December 2021 IPSY glam bag:

• First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Oil-Control Moisturizer, 0.34 fl oz
  • The full size version has 1.7 fl oz which is 5x more than the sample.
  • The full size cost $32 so this sample would be $6.40.
• LYS Beauty Speak Love Glossy Lip Treatment Oil, 3 ml
  • The full size version has 12 ml which is 4x more than the sample.
  • The full size cost $12 so this sample would be $3.
  • Honestly, I wouldn’t have known this was a deluxe sample as it felt like it would be full size.
• Love+Craft+Beauty #1 Blending Brush, full size
  • This blush brush is already full size and is listed for $16 on the Love+Craft+Beauty website.
• Ofra Cosmetics Pressed Blush in Cosmetics, 4 g
  • This is listed on the IPSY website as being a deluxe sample but the full size version listed on the Ofra Cosmetics website is also 4 g. The only difference is the container (circle vs square).
  • The full size cost $15.
• Skyn Iceland Glacial Face Wash, 15 ml
  • The full size version has 150 ml which is 10x more than the sample.
  • The full size cost $30 so this sample would be $3.

You can also add additional products at no extra shipping cost and so I went a little crazy, adding 5 products at $3 per item plus tax. My total additional cost came down to $16.10 which is $3.22 per item.

Add-ons:

• Tonymoly Watermelon Dew All Over Serum, 15 ml
  • The full size version has 120 ml which is 8x more than the sample.
  • The full size cost $15 so this sample would be $1.87.
• IT Cosmetics CC+ Cream with SPF 50+, 4 ml
  • There are two full size “sizes”. The smaller of the two has 12 ml which is 3x more than the sample.
  • The 12 ml version cost $16 so this sample would be $5.34.
• Tonymoly Moisture Boost Cooling Algae Eye Serum, 10 ml
  • The full size version has 15 ml which is 1.5x more than the sample.
  • The full size cost $22 so this sample would be $14.67.
  • The container for the full size version is much cuter.
• Kaleido Cosmetics Lip Mask Gel, full size
  • This is already full size and listed for $24.
• Tatcha The Rice Wash, 20 ml
  • The full size version has 120 ml which is 6x more than the sample.
  • The full size cost $35 so this sample would be $5.84.

Despite the numbers looking like you would have gotten a great deal, I don’t know if it was worth it as the containers are so small. It definitely didn’t leave me feeling like I got a good deal or I score something. I would never have spent $16 on a makeup brush. The only product that I thought was worth it is the LYS Beauty Speak Love Glossy Lip Treatment Oil. Which I love to pair over a matte lip stain. I don’t know if I would pay $12 for a full size version though, especially when I thought what I received was already the full size version.

The makeup bag for December wasn’t too bad. It’s pretty cute.

I purchased a subscription on November 30th. I received an email on December 2nd to pick my add-ons at $3 each. The glam bag shipped on December 11th and I received my package on December 21st. I’m not too crazy about their new packaging with the pink color and IPSY logo (which is pretty ugly and does not match the pink background).

IPSY Glam Bag Plus

This is something new that they didn’t have back in 2013. With this subscription, you get 5 full size products and you get to choose 3 out of the 5 products. This subscription cost $28 per month plus tax. For me, this came out to be $30.02 which is about $6 per product.

What I received in my December 2021 IPSY glam bag plus:

• ClarityRX Daily Dose of Water Hyaluronic Acid Hydrating Serum, $72
• Kate Somerville ExfoliKate Glow Moisturizer, $70
• My Pick: Somme Institute Boost Warming Mask, $45
• My Pick: Sur.Medic+ Super Hyaluronic 100 Amino-Acid Cleanser, $20
• My Pick: Maapilim Eye Cream, $39

Add-on:

• Oryza Royalty Shimmer Palette, $20

I only did one add-on as I had already added many to my glam bag. The eye shadow palette above was $3 plus tax. This is actually pretty small, about the same size as the pressed blush I received in my glam bag.

Again, despite how expensive these products were listed at, I still didn’t feel like I got a steal. I think it’s because these are not items that I would have been interested in otherwise. For example, I’m not familiar with the ClarityRX brand and would never have spent $70 for that serum. It’s about the same size as my current hyaluronic acid serum that I got on clearance for way less at TJMaxx. But who knows, maybe when I get around to using it, I’d be pleasantly surprised.

The items I picked were simply because they were skincare products. There were makeup, nail polish, and makeup tools options which I didn’t care for. My big regret is definitely the Maapilim Eye Cream. I got it because I don’t currently have an eye cream. I hated the smell of the cream and it irritated my skin. I stopped using it after 2-3 times.

The products came in a good size drawstring bag. This month’s bag is pretty nice. I already re-used it to put someone’s Christmas gift inside.

As a bonus, I also received the self-care starter kit for Refreshments with an automatic opt-in for the Refreshments subscription. The free starter kit is considered the first month free. So for example, I received the Luscious Hand Cream in Citrus Spritz and the Cleansing Face Wipes. If I didn’t cancel the subscription, I would have been charged $6 for the same hand cream and $7 for a new pack of the cleansing face wipes plus tax the next month. You can choose how often you want to receive it, every 1, 2, or 3 months. Amazon at least gives you a 6 month option. I really don’t know who uses up a hand cream within 3 months. And if you’re only washing your face with cleansing wipes and would need a new pack every month, I don’t know what to say to you. Refreshments seems to be their brand of toiletries: shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, razor/shaving cream, lotions, etc. You can add or remove these products from your subscription. I’m sure there are people who loves the Refreshment subscription but it’s not for me, especially with their price point ($12/shampoo, $9/deodorant, etc).

I purchased the Glam Bag Plus subscription on November 30th. I received an email from them requesting me to select my picks on December 2nd. My Glam Bag Plus and Refreshments starter kit shipped together on December 6th. I received the package on December 11th. The packaging was awful. The package came partially open as it wasn’t sealed correctly. A few of the products also fell out of the drawstring bags.

Although I’m not 100% impressed, I’m going to give it a few more months to see what other products they’ll offer and if its worth continuing.