Ipsy is a monthly subscription box specializing in health and beauty products. For $10 USD/month, a subscriber can get a monthly haul of a unique-to-Ipsy makeup bag and five makeup items ranging from sample to full-size. The monthly bag and its contents are often gathered around a cutesy theme, and coupled with a plethora of product-specific tutorials or makeup tips and tricks on Ipsy’s website. They can be customized based on skin tone, hair color, eye color, and product preference from step one of sign-up, and can be further tweaked to your liking after every Glambag review. Additionally, Ipsy offers a points system in which a subscriber can acquire bonus items in their monthly haul by linking social media platforms, referring a friend, or by reviewing all individual items found in their bag from month to month. The bags almost always come shipped in shiny pink envelopes–unless of color variation in lieu of contents and promotional changes–and arrive before the 26th of every month.
I have been a customer of Ipsy for four months now–receiving my first, “Funhouse” themed bag in April 2017–and have always been satisfied with both the swift service as well as the quality of product provided by the company. So, with the existence of this review blog coinciding with a Glambag arrival, your girl thought she would, henceforth, provide monthly reviews. That being said, I’m proud to present to you an in-depth review of this month’s Ipsy glambag for July 2017.
This month’s Ipsy theme, “Over Easy,” lends itself to a surprise collaboration between Ipsy and the Japanese-based Sanrio company, the homebase of everyone’s favorite mouthless feline, Hello Kitty.
However, instead of Hello Kitty being the focus of a Sanrio collaboration–as seems to be customary in the makeup world–Ipsy selected a character feature that coincided better with a “lazy July” sort of feel.
Gudetama’s characterization revolves around a lack of “effort” or “spunk.” The etymology of his name comes from the Japanese “gude gude” used to describe a person with no energy and, possibly “tama” taken from “tamago” meaning “egg.” Gudetama came into existence at the conclusion of a contest Sanrio held, the Food Character Election, from 03 September 2013-01 December 2013. He was elected the second place winner behind character Kirimi-chan, and ahead of third place entry, Kashiwankomochi.
In Ipsy’s July 2017 “Letter from the Editor,” Loni Venti, Ipsy’s Editorial Director, elaborates upon her theme choice for July:
I need to chill out. And I know that you could use a break too. You’re also working hard to kill at your job, stay healthy, have a social life, ‘like’ all of your friends’ pics on Insta, have clean clothes to wear, hang out with your family, and be your best self. But I’m slowly learning that being yourself requires carving out time for R&R in that double-booked calendar… This is why we’ve dedicated July to lazy beauty. And who better to be our do-less muse than Sanrio’s Gudetama, the egg who literally can’t even?!
I have always been a sincere lover of the Sanrio cast–being known to some in my high school as “that girl who really likes Hello Kitty–so you can imagine the enthusiasm I had for this month’s collaboration. This cutesy theme, coupled with the down-to-earth explanation of Venti towards taking better care of yourself, made this month’s aesthetic my favorite to date. With such high expectations brought on by the bag, I was honestly expecting to be disappointed by the contents. Instead, Ipsy remains the subscription box that has never let me down.
Pictured on the left is a snapshot of my own glam bag and its contents, which, due to customer customization, varies from person to person.
The Contents of My Glambag:
Seraphine Botanicals Lychee + Gold Healthy Glow Rose-Gold Blush
OFRA Cosmetics ‘Gold Rush’ Eyeshadow
Winky Lux Double Matte Lip in ‘Angel Food’
Hempz Ultra Moisturizing Herbal Lip Balm
Ciate London Wonderwand Gel Kohl Liner in ‘Black’
Although out of the five there was not a product I disliked, let’s go over each products ups-and-downs in debth, shall we?
The rose-gold blush from Seraphine Botanicals is a beatiful, soft-flush sort of shade. Its company of origin was, unfortunately, not one I had ever heard of before this blush. The key word there is, of course, unfortunately, because the quality of this blush has left me curious about what other phenomenal items Seraphine Botanicals has to offer. I used all of my Ipsy products for a full-faced try-on a couple of days ago, its intended purpose was to see me through a long, adventurous day hiking and exploring Natural Bridge State Park with my family. The product was easy to apply, and only required a few swipes for a vibrant application across my cheeks. For application, I used my Glamour Dolls x Lisa Frank Angled Blush Brush. I also did some swatches on my wrist–to be found towards the end of this review–which did not do the pigmentation justice. It swatches way lighter than it applies, and because this is such a vibrant product, a little goes a long way. For best results, I recommend a feather-light application. The blush held up through three medium hiking routes, two meals, and an impromptu car nap. Overall, I gave it 5/5 hearts on the Ipsy review feature, and I highly recommend checking it out for yourselves!
As far as the eyeshadow from OFRA Cosmetics goes, I’m actually not sure which shade I was given. I couldn’t find any indication on the packaging–probably because this product was the only sample-sized of the bunch. Both offered shades, ‘Gold Rush’ and ‘Victory,’ appeared to be metallic goldish-brown shades. In the tin, my shade seemed to lean towards the bronzer side of things. However, the application, done with an E.L.F. eyeshadow brush, came off looking much more gold in nature. Like the blush, this eyeshadow swatched very poorly. This was in stark contrast to the application which was super pigmented–which is a treat for my eyelids which often seem to swallow any amount of pigmentation in a matter of hours, with or without primer. This eyeshadow, put to the test of an outdoor adventure, did not hold up as well as the blush, and was, at the end of the day, hard to remember I had put on in the first place. Overall, although I give it high marks for its beautiful presentation, my main qualms with this eyeshadow were the size of it and the overall confusion over which shade it was supposed to be.
The Double Matte Liquid Lipstick by Winky Lux came in a lovely pinky-nude shade, ‘Angel Food.’ Like OFRA, Winky Lux is a cosmetics company that I’ve never heard of before, and one which I definitely would like to learn more about. This lipstick was destined to be my favorite item this month. The product design is pink–one of my favorite colors, the formula is matte–something I much prefer to satin, glossy, or metallic, the shade falls gracefully into my collection of nudes, pinks, and reds. If all this wasn’t enough, it swatched as vibrantly as it applied–and, the cherry on the cake, it’s the closest shade I’ve ever found to being truly “nude” for the color of my lips. With this in mind, this long-lasting treasure has become immediately a must-have for business occasions and recreational activities alike. Like the rest of my July haul items, I wore this lipstick hiking. For a matte lipstick, it disappointingly didn’t pass the kiss test. However, as far as transfer goes, no matter how much seemed to get on my cups or what have you, it seemed to never fade from my lips. Also, matte lipsticks seem to fall into two categories–drying, or tacky. This lipstick was tacky from start to finish and didn’t exactly feel perfect on my lips in the way a good Lippie from Colourpop always seems to. That being said, I still gave this product a 5/5 heart rating for its pigmentation, shade, and long-lasting nature.
The Ultra Moisturizing Herbal Lip Balm by Hempz was a pretty straight forward product as far as lip balms go. It applied reasonably clear, felt nice when applied, and, overall, seemed to do a great job at hydrating my summer-chapped lips. Unlike the other companies featured in this month’s product pool, I’m rather familiar with the Hempz brand. My parents have always been hippies at heart, so they keep everything around from hemp lotions to energy drinks to breakfast bars. The only real issue I seemed to have–and continue to have with this product–is getting product out of the tube at all. No matter how hard I squeeze the applicator, it’s really hard to tell if any is coming out at all. This means that, annoyingly, you have to work with it and a couple of applications or so before you feel like you have enough on your lips. Since my only qualms with this product can be found in the squeezable applicator tip, I still gave this product a 5/5 hearts for overall quality.
Lastly, the kohl eyeliner stick from Ciate London exists as my least favorite product from the bunch. With makeup products, my niche lies in the liquid stuff–liquid liners and liquid lipsticks, etc. So, I’ll admit I was a bit downcast upon discovering that this glambag would be the first to not have a liquid liner in it. In the past, I’ve been quite happy utilizing whatever felt or brush tip sample Ipsy decided to give me. It’s not that I absolutely hate stick liners, it’s just that I’m not exactly a Beauty Guru, and I can never seem to do much with pencils outside of basic, rushed outlinings. My favorite look is a classic red lip and cat eye combination, so I honestly find myself hard-pressed to have use for this product amidst my cup of liners I like much better. However, upon utilizing it for a full Ipsy face try-on, it worked pretty well at a basic outlining of the eyes. It applied much more smoothly than drugstore pencil sticks, and comes with a secondary side of an applicator brush. So, when I’m not using the eyeliner pencil itself, I can at least make use of its applicator for liquid touch ups. As eyeliners are want to do, this eyeliner lasted the whole of my hiking trip. Under the pressures of sweat and sunlight, it got a little smudged, but when is that ever a complaint with liner, anyway? Overall, I gave this product a 4/5 simply because, whilst its quality is perfectly fine, it’s just not my thing.
Overall, the products in my July 2017 Ipsy bag did not let me down. They performed as advertised and some even went above and beyond–the liquid lipstick was so long-lasting that only a few rounds of Micellar Cleansing Water could remove it. If you find yourself new to the world of subscription makeup boxes, I highly recommend giving Ipsy a spin. If you decide to do so, feel free to use my referral code here. Or, if you’re looking for a makeup box and find Ipsy just not your style, here’s a list of beauty subscription boxes you might want to check out!
Birchbox ($10 USD/month; Product Reviews)
Boxycharm ($21 USD/month;Product Reviews)
Kira Kira Crate ($29 USD/month;Product Reviews)
Sephora Play ($10 USD/month; Product Reviews)
Besides Ipsy’s Glambag, the only other subscription box I’ve tried has been Birchbox–and that was only a 3 month gift subscription purchased for me by my friend, Bobbie. I wasn’t super into all of the teeny-tiny samples that came to me in my three month friendship with Birchbox, but I have seen plenty of reviews that reflect different opinions of their service. I watch tons of subscription box reviews on Youtube that boast highly of all the subscription boxes I’ve listed, and two of my best friends are regular subscribers to Boxycharm, Ipsy, and Sephora Play. As for me, your girl can only afford so many subscriptions per month. So, for now, I’ll be exclusively reviewing Ipsy, and enjoying every minute of it.
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