What is Ipsy?
Ipsy offers different types of beauty bag subscriptions tailored to each subscriber. In this review of the Ipsy subscription, you’ll learn how Ipsy works, how it compares to other brands, and what customers are saying about Glam Bags so you can decide if Ipsy is right for you. Get ready for glitz and glamour.
Overview of Ipsy
Ipsy was founded in 2011 by Michelle Phan, Marcelo Camberos, and Jaconetti Goldfarb to inspire people and help them express their individual beauty. Ipsy is a particularly popular beauty subscription box because it can be customized to suit customers’ skin tones and comfort preferences, has long been established as a brand, and is very popular with various beauty vloggers.
Michelle Phan was one of the first YouTube beauty vloggers and has over 8 million YouTube subscribers herself. Ipsy itself had 3 million subscribers in 2017. Currently, Ipsy has over 800,000 Twitter followers and over 2 million Instagram followers. That’s what I call influence!
Every month, Ipsy sends you luxurious beauty samples that are tailored to you based on your answers to a beauty quiz. Ipsy asks you the following questions:
- Your skin tone, eye color, and hair color
- Your comfort level with wearing makeup and your favorite beauty brands
- How often you want to receive each type of beauty product and how often you want to receive each type of skincare, haircare, and nail care product
- Which shades of eyeshadow, eyeliner, lipstick, and nail polish you prefer and how often you want to receive them
- Which scents you prefer
- Where you usually buy beauty products
- What your skin concerns are and how you would describe your hair concerns
Ipsy Beauty Profile
Ipsy offers a wide selection of beauty products based on your answers to the quiz. Subscribers receive mascara, eyeshadow, eyeliner, eyebrow products, lipstick, liquid lipstick, lip gloss, lip plumper, lip liner, primer, foundation, tinted moisturizer, concealer, powder, blush, highlighter, bronzer, contour products, brushes, tools, and much more.
As an Ipsy subscriber, you can receive cleansers, cleansing oil, moisturizer, face masks, washable masks, exfoliators, serum, facial oil, toner, facial mist, eye care products, nail polish, hand cream, body scrub, self-tanner, lip balm, acne treatment, perfume, hair styling products, and hair care products.
Beauty Products: Shades
In this review of the Ipsy subscription, we give you an overview of the preferences that emerge in the beauty quiz in terms of color shades:
- Eyeshadow: neutral shades, smokey eyes, blue, green, and plum shades, as well as bolder shades
- Eyeliner: black, brown, plum, gold/bronze, and bolder colors
- Lip liner and lip gloss: red, berry, and neutral shades, as well as bolder shades
- Nail polish: red shades, berry colors, neutral colors, dark colors, pastel shades, and bolder colors
- Blush: pink shades, peach colors, mauve, neutral colors, and bolder shades
The great thing about the beauty quiz is that you can choose your favorite shades for each product. Take eyeliner, for example. If you love classic black and want to receive most of your samples in this shade, you can answer that you wear it “often.”
But what if you want to step out of your comfort zone every now and then and try a colored eyeliner? For this category, there is the option “sometimes.” The same applies to all other beauty products and the available shades.
Fragrance Notes
Once you have completed the beauty quiz, you will be taken to the section featuring delicious fragrances. You can choose the fragrances you like from five categories:
- Fresh: fragrances such as lemongrass, aquatic, bergamot, and citrus fruits
- Spicy: fragrances such as nutmeg, clove, saffron, and cinnamon
- Floral: scents such as violet, rose, gardenia, and jasmine
- Earthy & woody: scents such as amber, sandalwood, cedar, and patchouli
- Gourmand: scents such as honey, caramel, vanilla, and cocoa
These categories are very helpful, as perfume names usually give little indication of their scent. What does “Midnight Summer” mean, for example? Instead of spending time in the perfume department endlessly spraying samples on your arm (which all smell the same anyway), Ipsy does the work for you.
Problem-Focused Products
Parts of the beauty quiz target issues you may have with your appearance, which highlights the functional aspect of the subscription. In the “Hair” section, you choose from a range of issues related to your hair, such as frizz, split ends, and lack of volume. The same applies to the “Skin” category, where you tell Ipsy whether or not you want to receive products for acne, wrinkles, scars, and the like.
Once you’ve completed the quiz, you’ve created your beauty profile! You can update your answers to the quiz at any time. Now that you have an idea of how products are selected, let’s take a look at the pros and cons of the brand in this review of the Ipsy subscription:
Pros
- Ipsy Glam Bag offers products from many different brands, rather than just one brand or a small selection.
- Ipsy Glam Bags offer a wide range of beauty products, not just perfumes or makeup.
- Ipsy Glam Bags include a new cosmetic bag for your products every month.
Cons
- You cannot choose the samples yourself.
- Ipsy’s cancellation policy is very difficult to understand.
- It is very difficult to contact customer service as there is no way to call or email them.
How Does Ipsy Work?
The Ipsy Box subscription includes an Ipsy Glam Bag. Signing up for an Ipsy Glam Bag subscription can be complicated if you are unfamiliar with how subscription boxes work. That’s why we’ll walk you through the sign-up process step by step.
Ipsy Subscriptions
When you sign up for Ipsy, you first fill out your beauty questionnaire. Then your Ipsy Glam Bag, Ipsy Glam Bag Plus, or Ipsy Glam Bag Premium will be delivered to you. You will usually receive your order the following month (patience is a virtue), but sometimes Ipsy may send you a Glam Bag earlier, depending on when you placed your order.
How Much is Ipsy?
Prices for Ipsy vary depending on the option selected. Ipsy Glam Bags cost $12 per month. Ipsy Glam Bag Plus costs $25 per month. Ipsy Glam Bag Ultimate, currently Ipsy’s highest-end option, costs $50 per month.
Ipsy Subscription Review: What Customers Think
To truly evaluate the Ipsy subscription, we need to look at what customers have to say. Women who have submitted Ipsy reviews are very complimentary about Ipsy and the Glam Bag subscription. Ipsy reviews typically highlight the high quality of the products and brands included in Ipsy Glam Bags. Many customers appreciated that the Ipsy Glam Bag subscriptions were more affordable than other beauty box subscriptions.
The main criticism in the average reviews of the Ipsy subscription seemed to be that the Glam Bags contained fewer hair care products or fragrances for some customers, which may be an issue with the options offered in the beauty quiz. Some customers had issues with shipping, and many had difficulty reaching customer service.
Overall, customers appreciated the wide selection and variety of products they received in their reviews. Customers also commented positively on the high quality of Ipsy products and how exciting it is to always try new brands delivered right to their doorstep.
Ipsy Competitors
Ipsy isn’t the only beauty box on the market; there are many other options you can consider. Here are the competing brands featured in this review of the Ipsy subscription:
- Scentbird: Scentbird is a beauty subscription specifically focused on fragrances. New subscriptions currently cost $11.25/month, although they normally cost $14.95/month. When comparing Ipsy and Scentbird, Ipsy offers a wider variety of products. On the other hand, Scentbird is slightly cheaper.
- BirchBox: For $15 per month, BirchBox sends you a box of high-quality makeup, hair, and skincare products. Like Ipsy, BirchBox is curated for you based on a beauty profile.
- TopBox: Another beauty subscription box, TopBox costs only $15 per month, but offers only four samples and few customization options.
- BoxyCharm: BoxyCharm offers full-size beauty products instead of samples for $25 per month. BoxyCharm is not customizable and usually sends the same products to all subscribers.
- FabFitFun Box: Unlike most subscription boxes, the FabFitFun Box is delivered only four times a year. It also costs $49.95 per month, but offers a wide selection of different products, not just beauty products.
Is Ipsy Worth It?
When it comes to this review of the Ipsy subscription, it’s clear that whether or not Ipsy is worth the price depends on your personal preferences. If you’re looking for a diverse selection of beauty products, Ipsy Glam Bags might be a subscription worth trying. Ipsy is in the lower price range for beauty subscription boxes, and customer reviews of Ipsy are overwhelmingly positive in terms of the product selection.
And if you’re impatient and want to know what’s coming next, there’s a way to satisfy your curiosity (more or less): every month, Ipsy gives you a list of 20 to 25 products that could be included in your Glam Bag. These Ipsy spoilers make it a fun guessing game and give you a hint of what to expect.
Ipsy Promotions & Discounts
A review of the Ipsy subscription revealed that Ipsy offers a points system that allows you to get more for your money. You earn points by inviting friends to join Ipsy, following Ipsy creators on social media, rating each product in your monthly Glam Bag, and rating your entire monthly Glam Bag. These points can be redeemed for free Ipsy products. So if you enjoy being active on social media, this is a great way to save money.
Where to Buy Ipsy
If you can’t wait any longer at this point in the Ipsy subscription review to get your Glam Bag as soon as possible, you can sign up via the website.
FAQ
When does Ipsy ship?
Glam Bags are shipped in the middle of each month and usually arrive within 10 business days of shipment. However, shipments are sent in batches that vary each month, so deliveries may arrive in the 2nd, 3rd, or 4th week of the month.
Wait times in Alaska and Hawaii may be slightly longer, and wait times in Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands may be significantly longer.
Tracking codes are emailed around the middle of each month and are also available when you log in to the Ipsy website.
Glam Bags containing products with shipping restrictions, such as aerosol sprays, may also cause shipping delays.
How to cancel your Ipsy subscription
Mistakes happen, and Ipsy understands that. To cancel Ipsy, follow these steps:
- Log in to your Ipsy account.
- Under “Edit Settings,” click “Membership.”
- Go to “Manage Membership.”
- Click “Help with ending my membership.”
- Select “Continue Cancellation.”
You will receive an email link to confirm your cancellation. You must be logged into your Ipsy account to click on the link, otherwise your cancellation will not be processed. You must cancel your membership before 12 p.m. Pacific Time on the last day of the current month, otherwise you will be charged for the next month.
Shipping Policy
Ipsy currently ships Glam Bags to the United States and Canada, including APO, DPO, and FPO mailboxes.
In the United States, shipping is either via FedEx and the US Postal Service or via DHL.
In Canada, Glam Bags are shipped with Landmark Global.
Shipping is free to the United States and costs $2.95 to Canada.
Return Policy
Returns and exchanges are not possible for Glam Bags. Fortunately, with the standard Glam Bag, you only receive one or two samples that you won’t use.
If one or more items are missing or damaged, the exchange policy is valid for 45 days after the shipping date. If one or more items are missing or damaged, you can contact Ipsy via the website.
Contact Ipsy
Ipsy can be contacted on their website help form or through Twitter:
