For starters, if you don't know what ipsy is, here's the basics:
Ipsy creator Michelle Phan, of YouTube fame, launched the company as a way to share with her fans fun and new beauty products. Her team selects deluxe samples and full-sized products, along with a cute makeup bag, and ships them off to subscribers for $10 per month.
As a new subscriber I took ipsy's online Beauty Quiz, designed to help the ipsy team select the best products for my skin tone and personal preference. Then by mid-September my first Glam Bag arrived!
I heard about ipsy from one of the many YouTubers I follow. I knew there where a few companies that offer similar beauty samples through the mail to monthly subscribers, and I'll link those below. I chose to start with ipsy for a few reasons. Number one: ipsy seemed more makeup focused. I was interested in sampling makeup over mostly skincare and hair products. Number two: when I learned Michelle Phan was behind the brand I was intrigued and wanted to give it a try!
So as I mentioned, my first Glam Bag arrived in mid-September, which was later than I had hoped. Maybe it's where I live in the U.S. (the Northeast) but shipping seemed to take a while. I did my best to not sneak a peek at other posts online about what was inside the September bag - I wanted to be surprised!
The morning I opened my mailbox and saw the hot pink, bubble wrap bag I was like a kid on Christmas morning! I first snapped a photo (of course) and then ripped into it in the car before leaving for work. I had to. No apologizes here!
My September ipsy came in the same golden colored makeup bag I'm sure you've seen posted online. It's cute, small enough to fit in my handbag, but big enough to hold all the September products, and then some!
What I was reminded of after seeing others post online about their September ipsy bag, is that what arrives in yours may not be the same as what arrives in mine. Mine included:
- Deluxe sample of Brightening Facial Scrub from Acure Organics
- Full-size City Color Cosmetics City Chic Lipstick in One Night Stand
- Deluxe sample of Bayberry Naturals Rosehip & Hibiscus Moisturizer
- Full-size NYX Cosmetics 3 Eye Shadow Palette in IPSYNYX01
- Full-size Trust Fund Beauty Nail Polish in Elegantly Wasted
That same week I sampled all of the products, and while some I will repurchase, others, not so much.
First up the Brightening Facial Scrub from Acure Organics! I started using this product (image above) in the morning in the shower. I was surprised to see it was a dark muddy color with a lot of grit to it, but after the first use it left my skin super soft, clean, but not overly dry. I will definitely be purchasing a full size after the deluxe sample runs out! Click the Acure Organics link above to learn more about the scrub. A 4oz size is $9.99 on the Acure website.
The City Color Cosmetics City Chic Lipstick in One Night Stand (I swatched above) was one of the first products that jumped out at me when I opened the Glam Bag. The packaging is cute and the fuchsia color looked pretty! It's a smooth and easy to apply lipstick that I have worn since receiving it from ipsy. A friend saw my initial ipsy post online and went online and purchased the lipstick that day! And for only $4.99 you can't blame her! It's a great lipstick and super affordable. I will be trying more City Color products in the future! Click the City Color Cosmetics link to get yours!
When I saw the NYX Cosmetics 3 Eye Shadow Palette in IPSYNYX01 in the September ipsy bag (I swatched above) I was excited! I recently discovered this awesome brand and cannot get enough! NYX sells their 3 Eye Shadow Palettes for $6 online (which are on sale right now for only $3!), but I think this in particular palette was created just for ipsy. I've been purchasing NYX from my local Ulta and CVS stores and the quality of the product for the price is amazing! This 3 color palette for ipsy comes with a metallic gold, metallic bronze and matte black. I have not had a chance to try the bronze and black, but I've worn the gold and love it! From what I have swatched with all three colors, they are buildable with a nice sheen on the metallic shades. I will for sure be picking up some more 3 color palettes from NYX. Click the NYX Cosmetics link above to see all the 3 color palettes on sale!
I was thrilled to see Trust Fund Beauty Nail Polish in Elegantly Wasted in the ipsy bag (above)! It's a new brand for me and the color looked so beautiful! I have been on an OPI kick lately trying out their new Venice collection, but I cannot wait to wear this lavender shade from Trust Fund. If you haven't seen their polish click on the Trust Fund Beauty link above and read some of their color names, they are hilarious! They scream Blair Waldorf! I will for sure be using their nail polish in the future, even if they go for $15 a pop!
Overall, I LOVE having samples arrive EVERY month in the mail, trying out new brands and colors I may not have chosen on my own! I'm so excited to see what ipsy has in store for October!
I feel like September was a good mix of makeup and skincare products that flattered my skin tone and addressed my skin concerns. The products ranged from high-end to drugstore pricing too, which is exactly how my own makeup collection and skincare is. As an ipsy subscriber, I also receive discount codes to buy products from ipsy participating companies!
If you're interested in signing up for ipsy click HERE.
Since signing up for ipsy I have also signed up for Scentbird, a monthly fragrance subscription service (which I will of course be blogging about soon!), and may also try out some of these monthly beauty subscriptions:
Let me know if you have tried any of these services and what you think. Leave a comment below or send me a message on my socials:
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