Ipsy - Review of a Year - Part 1

This May marks my one year anniversary as an Ipsy subscriber. I thought this would be the perfect time to look back at what I’ve gotten in the in my Ipsy bags for the past year and see if the subscription is really worth it. I’ve gone back in forth over the last year as to whether to cancel or not because of a handful of months of not so great bags and other issues I’ve had with Ipsy. This is going to be a three part series with check points due to the length, so stay tuned for the rest.

If you do not know what Ipsy is, it is a monthly beauty subscription service that sends out 4-5 samples/deluxe samples/products in a specially designed reusable makeup bag. The cost is $10 a month for a monthly subscription or $110 for a whole year paid up front. If you are interested please click on my referral link: http://www.ipsy.com/r/2kc3 

All of the Ipsy Glam Bags I have 

Without further ado, let’s jump in and see what I’ve gotten in the past year…

***Items in Plain test are items I rarely use or haven’t used yet, Bold Items are items I love, Italic Items are items I have up for trade, Italic Items in Red are items I’ve traded. Also, It cost about $3 in shipping to trade an item. 

May 2013

Originally Received:

Yaby Concealer refill - $2.77
Zoya Nail Polish - $8
Mirabella Colour Sheers Lipstick - $22
Pacifica roll on Perfume - $12
1 oz Macadamia healing oil treatment - $13.50

Able to Trade for:

Pacifica Coconut Crushed Pearl Bronzing Body Butter Mini - $7

This month had a lot of nice stuff to offer, and I was so excited to get my first Ipsy bag. I ended up trading most of the stuff from this month’s bag. The Yaby concealer was in the wrong shade, so I traded that for a different shade. I didn’t like the Zoya color, so I traded that for a different color. I didn’t like the scent of the Pacifica, so I traded that for the other scent. I don’t really wear lipstick, so the Mirabella was traded for a Pacifica Coconut Crushed Pearl Bronzing Body Butter Mini ($7). This bag introduced me to both the Pacifica and Zoya brands and now I love them. I have bought several Zoya nail polishes since this bag, and I also look forward to everytime Ipsy sends out a Pacifica item.

Ipsy Glam Bag May 2013

June 2013

Originally Received:

Starlooks Lip Pencil - $12
NYX Blush - $5
J.Cat Beauty Sparkling Cream Palette - $4.49
Cailyn Cosmetics Gel Eyeliner - $21
J.Cat Beauty Eyelashes – $3.99

Able to Trade for:

Chella Ivory Lace Highlighter Pencil - $18

This month was a very controversial month among Ipsy subscriber due to the extreme differences of value of certain items. Some people received the $21 gel eyeliner and a Chella Ivory Lace Highlighter Pencil with an $18 value, while others received $4 lashes and a small sample of Psssst! Instant Dry Shampoo with a $3.50 value. I was able to trade both my J.Cat products for the Chella Ivory Lace Highlighter Pencil ($18), and I also traded my NYX blush, but that was at a later month and I don’t remember what I traded it for. Even though this was kind of a disappointing month for me with Ipsy due to all the J.Cat products, both the Cailyn gel eyeliner and the Chella highlighter have become stapes in my makeup collection and that is all thanks to Ipsy introducting these products and brands to me. I now look forward to every time they send out Cailyn and Chella products. On the other hand, I cringe every time J.Cat is mentioned. 

Ipsy Glam Bag June 2013

July 2013

Originally Received:

POP Beauty Pouty Pop Crayon - ~$4
BH Cosmetics California Collection Eyeshadow Sample - $1.50.25 oz COOLA Mineral Face SPF 20 Moisturizer - $5
Sexy Hair Humidity Proof Spray - $6
derma e – Microdermabrasion Scrub – $16.25

This was another controversial month among subscribers due to the Benefit Benetint sample that only some subscribers received. For me personally this was a so-so month for because I really only loved the derma e scrub, and that was a product that I already knew about and loved. I really do not use the POP crayon very often because the color is a color that I can only really wear in the summer, and I honestly wish I would have tried to trade it for a different color. I did think that the bag for this month was extremely cute and wish they would have more bag like this. 

Ipsy Glam Bag July 2013

August 2013

Originally Received:

Pixi Beauty Lash Booster Mascara - $8
Michael Todd Jojoba Charcoal Scrub - $10
Chella Dazzling Eyebrow Pencil
Noya Lip Balm - $3.99
Pacifica Alight Multi-Mineral BB Cream -$5.50

Able to Trade for:

Another Michael Todd Jojoba Charcoal Scrub - $10
Another Pacifica Alight Multi-Mineral BB Cream – $5.50

This was yet again another controversial month among subscriber for two reasons. First, subscribers would either get the $3.99 Noya lip balm or a sample of the new Urban Decay Revolution lipstick valued at $8. Second, because some subscribers received a Smashbox Primer sample valued at $10.  For me this was another so-so bag for me. I was disappointed I didn’t get the Urban Decay or Smashbox. I really love the Michael Todd scrub, but that’s the only product I’ve really enjoyed out of this bag.

Ipsy Glam Bag August 2013

Check Point One:

As of August 2013 I've spent $40 on my subscription and I also traded 8 of items are received costing about $24 in shipping charges, so at this time Ipsy has cost me a total of $64. I have about $89 in products that I LOVE and use all the time and another $42 in products I either haven’t used or don’t use too often, which totals about $131 in products. At this time my Ipsy subscription in defiantly worth it :)

I will have the next part up on Wednesday, so stay tuned :)