Looking for IPSY reviews? Check out my honest thoughts after trying this service for several months! You can also scroll to the bottom of this post for an IPSY coupon!
{Find all my other honest product reviews here!}
What is Ipsy? How Does Ipsy Work?
IPSY is a monthly beauty subscription bag that, according to their website, “delivers a set of personalized beauty products straight to your door, making it easier to discover your new go-tos, feed your passion for beauty, and try your favorite brands at an incredible value.”
I tried IPSY out and here are some of my thoughts on it…
How Does It Work?
To get started with IPSY, you head to their website and fill out a Beauty Quiz. This quiz goes over your skin tone, eye color, and hair color. It also asks you about your confidence level with makeup, where you shop, and what kinds of makeup you love, wear, and use.
One of the things I didn’t like about the quiz was that they don’t have an option to say that you don’t wear a certain kind of makeup. For instance, I don’t wear eye shadow or eye liner — ever. I’d love to have the ability to put this on the quiz and then have them remove that from ever getting sent to me. But, unfortunately, that is not a quiz answer they offer.
After you take the quiz, you then sign up for which IPSY beauty bag you want to get each month and wait for an email telling you that your first bag is ready to preview. If you choose the Glam Bag (which is the only one I recommend — see below), you’ll get to choose one item in your bag. Everything else is chosen for you.
What is a Glam Bag?
The Glam Bag is IPSY’s flagship product. It is $13 and contains five personalized, deluxe-sized beauty samples sent in a cute makeup bag each month. The value of the contents is around $50. Each month, you get to choose one product for your bag from a few different options.
How Much is Ipsy?
The Glam Bag is $13 for five large samples. (They call them deluxe samples, but some are close to full-sized and some are enough for 5-10 uses.)
IPSY also has two upgraded options — Glam Bag Plus for $28 month that gives you five full-sized beauty products or Glam Bag X which is $55/quarter and gives you seven to eight full-sized products every quarter.
Ipsy Reviews: Is Ipsy Worth It?
That depends upon your personality and your makeup use. If you are very minimalistic in your makeup use, I can tell you that it won’t be for you. It’s also not for you if you have sensitive skin.
If you love trying new products and you are the kind of person to prefer lots of different makeup options to choose from, then it definitely could be worth the cost — especially to get to try out higher quality products at a big discount.
That said, I heard from many people that they found that getting a Glam Bag every month was a lot and they couldn’t use the products fast enough. However, some people told me they shared them with friends or even gave their extras as gifts or stocking stuffers.
Another thing to keep in mind is that I’ve heard from many people that they often sent similar products (people mentioned lots of mascara) and they would sometimes send the same product in more than one bag over a year’s time. It seems that their claim of it being the “most personalized beauty bag on the market” didn’t necessarily hold up for some people. Or, at least they felt like what they were sent wasn’t in line with the Beauty Quiz they had filled out.
Ipsy Reviews: Pros and Cons
There are so many pros of Ipsy — especially if you are a makeup-loving person. It could also be a fun gift subscription for a fashion-loving person in your life.
That said, if you aren’t big on makeup or personal care products, an Ipsy subscription box might quickly overwhelm you with products you don’t really need, use, or want.
You can cancel at any time, so if you’re curious, you could always try it for a month and see what you think.
Get Your Ipsy Coupon
If you want to try out IPSY right now, they are offering a rare deal right now!
When you sign up for IPSY as a new customer, you’ll also get a FREE month of Refreshments — IPSY’s new personal care bag.
This is an $18 value freebie!
Sharing a tip I learned from a makeup artist…even if you don’t want to wear eyeshadow, putting a concealer over the eyelid evens out the skin color. I do like to wear eye makeup but sometimes don’t have time or feel like it but just putting the concealer over the lid and a tiny bit under my bottom lashes makes a HUGE difference!
YES! That’s what I do and it makes such a difference!
Definately worth $13. I share the products with my teen daughters and have put aways some products to give as gifts. I have donated the small bags to my school for the nurse to make little bags for girls that need feminine
products. It is a great way to try a new product without make a hugh financial contribution and later finding out you don’t like it or it agitates your skin.
I have been getting Ipsy for years and love it! It’s just a fun little surprise each month for me. I don’t always love every product, but I can just pass those on to someone else. I enjoy trying out new makeup, face care, and hair care. Also, after doing the quiz about what I like in beauty, I really get the type of items I want most. I’d encourage anyone to at least try Ipsy out for a year!
Thanks so much for your honest review. I’m glad you love it! -Meg, MSM Team
I signed up for a year of glam bag plus recently. I am at an age where I need better skincare. The brands I was looking at would be $300-$500 per year, but I also get bored easily. I thought this would be a happy medium – price wise, it was at the lower end of what I was considering, but I get to try lots of new things. I asked my husband for the year as a birthday gift. I have received my first bag and chose my products for the 2nd bag this morning. It looks like it’ll check the skincare box for me, but I’ll also get some extra fun things that I normally would never treat myself to. I have a hard time spending money on myself. Paying for the year up front helps me enjoy setting up my bag, because the money is already spent. If this wasn’t a gift, I’d have a harder time with it. I get 5 full sized products, and get to choose 3 of them. My first bag had a gentle face cleanser (clean ingredients), serum (also clean), gel moisturizer, liquid lipstick, and a lip mask. 2nd bag will have another serum (chosen for me, a little bummed at the repetition), hydrating face mask, lip gloss, repairing moisturizer (apparently worth $280!!??), and perfume. So far I’m happy with it, but I’m not sure if I’ll stick with it for a 2nd year, because at some point I’ll run out of bathroom storage or decide to spend money elsewhere. Time will tell.
My 12 year-old daughter has been receiving a bag a month for about a year now. She absolutely loves it and I feel it has been worth the investment! She looks forward to it every month!
I really like Ipsy. I use the glam bag plus for $28 but have it set for every other month. That seems to work out well for me. The main reason it works for me is because I hate spending money on myself for this kind of thing. I would easily go without beauty products so this subscription kind of forces me to spend money on myself. The products may or may not cost more but I simply wouldn’t buy them if I didn’t have the subscription. It is a forced treat!
I’ve been an Ipsy member since close to its inception, so nearly 10 years. And I LOVE it. I like being able to try products I wouldn’t normally look at and I enjoy being able to try new things without having to commit to a large size just to find out that it doesn’t work with my hair type or skin tone. The only thing that I would say is a problem, that really isn’t, is what to do with all of the glam bags once the makeup is out. I have so many! 😬. I’ve given them away, use them to organize my purse and gym bag and recently found an organization in the area that uses them for emergency period kits for girls in the local school district.
I purchased the glam bag for my 17 year old daughter. It has been something she really looks forward to getting every month. Initially I ordered it because we were in a hard lockdown during the pandemic & she was so lonely missing school that year & missing her friends. It didn’t replace that, but it gave us something to look forward to. It was like a giant bundle of joy & smiles when it arrived in the mail.
So far she has enjoyed everything, especially the perfume. It is very nice, high end items so I definitely feel like we are getting a good deal. I paid for the year & was able to cancel with no problem.
I recommend it, it has been something fun for us to do together. It comes in a beautiful bag, along with a card so you can read all about each item. I’m glad I got it for her.
If I didn’t have a teenage daughter who typically likes what I do not in my bag, I probably would have cancelled over the last few months. But there’s is usually at least two things I really like and at least one dud.
I receive one every other month. For me it’s been a great way to try new products and it really feels like a treat when it arrives!
I love IPSY. I started almost two years ago and even though the price has increased I look forward to it every month. I have found fav products because of it. I think it’s silly to say you get too much of something, you’ll always use it. I love how you can purchase add ons for cheap to try new things. It’s really broadened my make up supply and gotten me to try new things. Since I started I’ve rarely had to buy any makeup products outside of Ipsy so I think it’s saved me money.
I get mine delivered every other month, and found that I don’t get many things I don’t like. I feel like “never” was an option when I took the quiz! Maybe my memory is just terrible – lol! Since I only get it 6 times a year, it’s a splurge that I appreciate!
I have received it for several months. Tons of mascara and similar shades of eye shadow. Lots of moisturizers….I just changed my status to every other month and will likely cancel by end of year. Disappointed. And not a fan of watching men show me how to use my new items….
I ordered the Ipsy glam bag for my daughter when she turned 14 yrs – but we get it every 2nd month. We go through the products (she did the quizz with input from me, when she wasn’t sure) that she receives. She decides if it is something she will use – if she doesn’t want it – I get it. We have similar skin tones.
I told her upfront, she can keep 2-3 bags and then the rest we empty and donate to their Middle School & High School with “emergency items” for girls. Prior to placing the sanitary pads in these bags (we also place some wipes, ziplock bag & an encouraging note in the bag) – the girls would be handed one by the front office staff (no school nurse) & sometimes that person was a male. If a new bag comes along that she likes more than one she previously kept – she swaps it out. She also collects Ipsy bags/makeup bags locally to donate to her cause at school. The girls definitely feel a lot better and more confident leaving the front office with their emergency kit these days.
I love your idea of donating the zipper bags at school! In my area, a local organization that supplies hygiene products to a women’s shelter is happy to get them.
My daughter requested getting the glam bag subscription when she was 14 and we have been getting it for about 6 months. We share the items, which usually means she gets the bag and at least 3 items and I get 1-2 😁. But I have gotten some really nice makeup brushes and face products out of the deal and I kept one of the bags. I think it’s a pretty great deal and gives her a chance to try out some more expensive products than she or I would typically buy.
Our daughter turned 12 a few months ago and had recently begun experimenting with makeup. ( We limit her on what products and colors she can use at this time) We purchased her a year subscription to Ipsy for her birthday. I took the beauty quiz and picked out her first item since it was a surprise. She was ecstatic when she opened her first bag on her birthday! She loves that she gets a new bag and surprises every month. After her birthday, I had her take the beauty quiz herself to make sure it was best suited for her. Every month we go through the choices and she gets to pick her item. When her bag gets here, she waits for me to open it and we go over the items and she asks me questions about the products she is not familiar with. It is great bonding time with my daughter. She gets to grow up a little and I get supervise and offer advice with her makeup and we both have fun. She doesn’t use every product that comes each month, but what she doesn’t use I usually do. I agree with you that it would be better if you could list items that you never use so you could ensure that you never get those but so far that hasn’t really been a problem. I think it is a great deal for $13 a month. She has already said that she wants the subscription again after the year is done. The bags that you get every month are cute too!
I love this so much! What a great idea!
My teen enjoyed it for a couple years but has recently left for college and we have been unable to cancel it. I regret now signing up and giving them my payment information.
Oh yikes! I’m so sorry! We had signed Kaitlynn up a few years ago and we canceled at the end of the year without any issues. Can you email me and I’ll put you in touch with my contact there and they should hopefully be able to help you? moneysavingmom@ gmail.com
I have been receiving the Ipsy glam bags for about 4 months. For $13 I have been happy with the samples I have received and some I wish I could get again because they have been my favorites. I wish I could get them in the store, but some are not in stores like Ulta or Target. This is the downfall because if you find a product that you really like, you might not be able to get it again and have to settle for something else that isn’t the same. Overall, I get excited to get my samples every month. 🙂
Thank you so much for sharing this perspective and your experience! I really appreciate it!