Ipsy Reviews in 2023 — Pros and Cons of Subscribing

Ipsy is a personalized makeup and beauty subscription service. Ipsy reviews are mostly positive, which isn’t a surprise since that’s one of the first and most experienced companies on the market.

The subscription service sends items based on your information about the products you like or might want to try.

So let’s take a deeper look into Ipsy — its prices, offers, how it compares to others, and whether it’s worth it. 

All About Ipsy

With so many options on our list of monthly subscription boxes, we need to break things down. But before we dissect all the Ipsy bag reviews, let’s see how it all started.

Overview and Highlights

Established in 2011 by Michelle Phan, Ipsy began as a way for customers to try new products without going out or buying full-size items.

After all, it’s pointless to spend money without knowing whether the products would work for you. That inspired the idea behind the sample beauty subscription box. The bonus was getting it delivered straight to your door every month. That’s how Ipsy grew into one of the most customizable and popular subscription services in the US.

The company’s mission is to help you on your beauty journey. Ipsy reviews confirm that you won’t just get one bag but an entire selection based on your budget and needs. 

What Does Ipsy Offer?

Before you sign up for a subscription, you must first fill out the Ipsy quiz with details on who you are and what beauty products you like. 

Then, you can select products depending on your subscription. And what truly sets this brand apart from the rest is the customization.

On Ipsy, you’ll find well-known brands like Morphe, Sigma Beauty, Smashbox, Tarte, and Too Faced Cosmetics. 

Glam Bag

The OG subscription bag is where it all began. More than one Ipsy glam bag review mentions that for $12 a month, subscribers receive five personalized products in a beautifully designed mini makeup bag. You can even pick one of the deluxe-size beauty samples yourself. On average, you’ll get around $50 worth of products.

Glam Bag Plus

The bag costs $25 a month and comes with five full-size personalized items. Ipsy Glam Bag Plus reviews like that you get to pick three out of the five items. Plus, they come in a lovely drawstring bag that you can repurpose. We’ve seen some fantastic ideas like a purse, jewelry storage, or even a clutch for a night out. The total worth is over $120, so it’s a bargain.

Glam Bag X

Here’s a fantastic addition to the other subscription options. The Glam Bag X is a quarterly upgrade for Ipsy members. At the price of $55, you receive eight full-size products worth as much as $350. 

Trending celebs and influencers curate the box. It usually contains the must-haves that everyone’s talking about. If you sign up for this option, you can expect your upgrade instead of your regular subscription in February, May, August, and November. 

Ipsy Add-ons

More than one Ipsy subscription review points out that if you love any of the products in your bag, you can find the full-size package on the Ipsy website. Also, you might even get them at a good discount. 

Ipsy Pricing, Discounts & Options

The Ipsy cost ranges depending on the subscription. The Glam Bag costs $12 a month, Glam Bag Plus — $25 a month, and the Glam Bag X — $55 every quarter.

You can also choose the yearly subscription, starting at $143 with the Glam Bag. You’ll be charged when you sign-up in full.  

Compared to similar services, Ipsy has very competitive prices, and the value for money is pretty fantastic. Plus, the customization gives you a lot more bang for your buck.

Your add-ons will come off the same account as your subscription and arrive with your monthly goodies. 

Glam Bag by Ipsy reviews show that you’ll be charged for monthly subscriptions on the last day of the month. 

Please note that all subscriptions renew automatically. So if you want to cancel, you need to do it in time.

Saving Opportunities

If you’re an Ipsy member over the age of 13, you can get a referral code. For every customer you bring within 24 hours of getting your code, you’ll receive 600 points. What’s more, you earn 10 points for every Ipsy creator you follow on Twitter and Youtube.

Another tip from Ipsy customer reviews is that you can get 15 points for every product you review from your online Glam Bag. Plus, if you leave an overall review each month, you’ll get another 10 points. You can keep track of the points and use them from your profile.

Be sure to do that as they expire in 12 months. 

Ipsy often has discounts and promotions for a reduced subscription fee, so keep an eye out for those on its social media pages. For instance, as of January 2022, you can get an Ipsy offer for a free month of Ipsy Refreshments — the company’s new personal care subscription service.

Website Experience 

We love that the Ipsy website is easy to navigate. Still, the home page features a large advertisement, so you need to scroll down to see the rest of the content. 

Ordering Process

Ipsy reviews confirm that the ordering process is simple. Here’s how to get your first order set up:

• Go to the Ipsy website or download the app. Both are user-friendly, and you can make changes on the go using the app. 
• Click on “Get Started.”
• Next, you’ll need to fill out the quiz, so you can get more suitable products in each bag. 
• Sign in to your account.
• Enter your age.
• Create your profile.

What to expect from the quiz? Here are some types of questions that you’ll answer:

• What’s your skin tone, eye color, and hair color?

• How comfortable you are with makeup?
• Which stores do you usually buy from?
• How often do you want specific products?
• Which shades do you prefer for blush or eyeshadow?
• What scents do you prefer?
• What brands do you like and enjoy?
• What are your skin concerns?
• How would you describe your hair?

Once you create an account you can make changes to your subscription.

Managing Your Subscription

More than one Ipsy Glam Bag review mentions that it’s super simple to manage your subscription. Plus, you can cancel it directly from your profile at any time. Just go to “Manage Membership” and click on “Help Me Stop My Membership.”

Once you’ve selected your reason for leaving, Ipsy will send you a link. Make sure you click that link, or your subscription will continue. Also, you’ll need to email a cancellation confirmation by 12 pm PT on the last day of the month if you don’t want the upcoming bag. If you don’t do this, your cancellation will occur at the end of next month.

Ipsy makeup reviews confirm that you can pause your subscription and skip a month from your account. 

You can return orders from Shop IPSY. But this doesn’t include any add-on, pop-up, or flash event purchases. You need to send back the product within 30 days to get a refund, and Ipsy will cover the shipping cost. A $5 restocking fee will apply.

Shipping & Packaging

You can get Glam bags throughout the US and Canada. But the Glam Bag Plus and Glam Bag X are only available in the US. 

A Glam bags review notes that shipping is included in the US subscriptions but costs $2.95 in Canada. Also, the Glam Bag and Glam Bag Plus are monthly subscriptions, while the Glam Bag X comes quarterly instead of your usual bag.

Customer Service

An Ipsy beauty subscription box review praises the in-depth FAQ section. Also, the search bar is nifty to find the info you need. 

A chatbot is available but essentially covers the same information as the FAQ. What’s more, there’s no direct phone number. 

Your best bet to reach the customer support team is to email IPSY@e.IPSY.com. The team also responds to Facebook Messenger and Twitter but might not help with account-specific questions. 

Getting a response seems a big issue, with many Ipsy cancellation reviews complaining about the customer service.

My First Ipsy Glam Bag

I received my first Glam Bag near the end of the month. You can easily spot Ipsy because it’s shipped in an adorable bright pink bubble mailer. The makeup bag was inside – this month’s bag had three stripes in different shades of blue.

There was also an information sheet about their monthly theme, which was focused around Pride month!

I’ll start off my Ipsy bag reviews by sharing the products it came with. My first bag had five items: a makeup brush, a lip treatment, a mini eyeshadow palette, a facial scrub sample, and a pore primer sample.

I’ll be reviewing each product in further detail below.

Firma Brush 102

Makeup brushes are the main thing I need more of at the moment, which is why I made sure to select this when filling out my Ipsy profile. Even so, I was surprised when my very first Glam bag came with this Firma makeup brush! It was wrapped in protective plastic to avoid any dust and damage.

It’s a full-size blush brush, but would also work for highlighter or bronzer. Plus, it’s cruelty-free which is a crucial aspect when I’m the one writing an Ipsy review. I love how soft it is – I hate makeup brushes that poke my face. None of the bristles have fallen out either, even after I washed the brush. This means it’s good quality. The retail value of just this brush is more than a month of Ipsy costs! I’d say this subscription is off to a great start.

Pacifica Tomboy Vibe Natural Mineral Eyeshadows

This small eyeshadow palette from Pacifica is next up in my Ipsy reviews. These eyeshadows are gorgeous! It’s a small palette, however, the eyeshadows themselves are fairly large. It’s also 100% vegan and cruelty-free! It has a great variety of colors. I’m not sure if they’d look good in the same look, but each shade is beautiful in itself.

I prefer small palettes like this because they’re travel-friendly and I’m always on the go. There’s no retail value listed, but I’d guess that it’s worth around $10. It’s always interesting to see the retail price since most people wonder – “is Ipsy worth it?” According to this month’s box, you’ll definitely get your money’s worth.

Hey Honey Come Clean Propolis & Mineral Facial Scrub

I’ve used a few different products from this brand and loved them. This facial scrub is exfoliating and feels amazing. It’s not too rough like some exfoliants tend to be and it does a good job cleansing my skin.

I couldn’t find this product for sale in their shop for some reason. However, I was able to find it at Ulta (online only).

Benefit The Pore Fessional Pore Primer

This product is a fairly common sample, I’d actually seen it in some past Ipsy bags. This isn’t a complaint though – I love this primer!

It makes my skin soft and, somehow, it manages to make my pores look smaller. It works great before I put on makeup and even made it last longer.

I’ve also used it on top of makeup to get rid of shininess that sometimes occurs throughout the day. This is a pretty small size, but you only need a little for each application. I’ll be able to get a few uses out of it. I haven’t purchased a full-size yet because the price is pretty steep, but I’m glad Ipsy gave me the chance to use this product again.

Hanalei Lip Treatment

The final product I received in this Ipsy review is a Hanalei lip treatment – a Hawaiian product that uses pure kukui oil, agave, grape seed oil, and shea butter to moisturize and soften lips. I love this natural formulation! It also gives a bit of a rose tint to my lips, which makes it look like a pretty lip gloss. This would be perfect for days when your lips are extra dry but you still want to wear makeup. It’s not sticky either and left my lips feeling hydrated.

I won’t be using this product daily since my lips don’t get too try, especially during summertime, but it’s great to have on hand for the occasional dry spell!

Ipsy Reputation & Customer Satisfaction

Ipsy has many famous representatives that review the brand regularly. Most customers that enjoy the service are also quite devoted to it, looking forward to their bags each month like Christmas has come early. Many like that they can pick some of the items, and others prefer keeping it a surprise.

But the subscription service isn’t without downsides. A few Ipsy complaints seem to come up frequently. Some customers have a serious issue with canceling their subscription. Others got a bill for items that never arrived. 

All of this is made worse as customers can’t get hold of Ipsy for a refund. Some also say that the products they received aren’t based on the quiz. 

Also, Ipsy ratings don’t paint the best picture, ranging from 1.4–4 stars. Still, many users are happy with the service.

Ipsy Alternatives — How Does It Compare?

In a world filled with makeup subscriptions, how does Ipsy compare to the rest? 

Ipsy vs Birchbox Reviews

The general Ipsy Glam bag includes at least one full-size product, whereas Birchbox rarely offers the same. 

Birchbox is solely focused on sample products. If you like any of them, you can purchase full-size products from its website. While Ipsy has the same option, it also gives you more subscription choices to fit your needs. 

One massive difference is the packaging. Ipsy sends a beautiful makeup bag each month, whereas Birchbox sends a box that you can recycle.

Ipsy vs Allure

These services are pretty different when you get down to brass tacks. The original Ipsy Glam Bag costs $12 a month, while the Allure box is $23. Still, there’s a reason for it. 

Each month, Allure editors curate the boxes, and you receive at least three full-size products. All together, you get six or more products. But the drawback is that you don’t get a chance to customize your box.

Ipsy vs Fabfitfun

Fabfitfun is a seasonal subscription service, arriving once every four months. The products are full-sized and cover categories like health, beauty, wellness, and fitness. 

Fabfitfun costs $49.99 every four months or about $200 a year. In contrast, Ipsy is only $12 a month, working out to around $156 a year. That said, Ipsy products are smaller.

What’s more, you can customize four out of eight products in your Fabfitfun box, but you can only choose one in the Glad bag. 

If you’re looking for more in-depth beauty subscription comparisons, we recommend checking out the Glossybox ratings.