Ipsy

Experimenting with different makeup brands gets expensive if you’re forever paying for full-sized products you might only use once.

Ipsy is a beauty box subscription company that sends you deluxe-sized sample products that are tailored to your preferences.

Each month, subscribers receive an Ipsy glam bag in the mail filled with five beauty products worth at least $50. If you like what you receive, it’s possible to purchase full-sized versions from the Ipsy website.

Those that don’t want to limit themselves can sign up for bigger Ipsy subscriptions and receive only full-sized products or up to twelve products (eight full-size and four sample-size) per box.

Is Ipsy worth considering for those interested in expanding their makeup collection without spending too much money? Learn from our analysis whether the brand makes sense for you.

How Does Ipsy Work?

To get started with Ipsy, you need to create an account and fill out an online beauty profile.

This profile lets you share your product preferences and priorities, and it includes questions about your skin tone, eye and hair color, your comfort level with makeup, how often you want to receive specific products (mascara, eyeshadow, lipstick, makeup brushes, etc.), and your preferred shades for eye, lip, and nail products.

Ipsy personalizes your product selection through a process called Ipsy Match, which takes input from your beauty profile and your past product reviews, to choose items that will interest you. Even so, there’s no guarantee that your selection will always match your beauty profile answers.

Every month, you’ll be able to hand-pick one of the products in your subscription. Quantities of these choice items are often limited, so the sooner you make your selection, the more likely you will receive it. We recommend logging onto your account shortly after you get a confirmation email from Ipsy about that month’s selection.

What Comes in an Ipsy Subscription?

Ipsy promises to send you a combination of high-end and affordable brands from both well-known and up-and-coming cosmetic companies.

Here’s an example of the products that were available at all membership tiers in December 2019:

Glam Bags ($12/mo)

Each Ipsy Glam Bag order will contain five deluxe-sized products and is guaranteed to have a value of at least $50. We have included the pricing for the full-sized versions of each product.

Your order will include a five-product assortment from these items.

December 2019:

• Pure Brazilian Leave-in Conditioner ($26)
• Belief Moisturizing Bomb ($38)
• Benefit Cosmetics Face Primer ($13)
• Juliette Has a Gun Perfume Sample ($4)
• Thrive Causemetics Lash Extensions Mascara ($24)
• H20+ Oasis Hydrating Treatment ($38)
• Hey Honey Retinol Eye Mask ($58)
• Space Case Cosmetics Blush ($9)
• Jlii Cosmetics Luxe Crème Matte ($18)
• Benefit Cosmetics Eyebrow Gel ($24)
• Colored Raine Glowlighter ($14)
• Luxie Beauty Blending Brush ($15)
• Fluide Nail Polish ($15)
• Phase Zero Shimmer Eyeshadow ($5)
• Skin Regimen Night Detox ($95)
• Naturelab Tokyo Hair Oil ($16)
• Raeka Turmeric Skin Polish ($32)
• Cake Beauty Body Milk ($9)
• Avon Glimmersticks Eye Liner ($9)
• Tarte Amazonian Clay Waterproof Bronzer ($30)
• Small silver zip bag

Glam Bags Plus ($25/mo)

Each Glam Bag Plus order includes five full-sized products collectively worth at least $120.

December 2019:

• 111Skin Cyro Activating Hydra Gel ($200)
• Evolue Skincare Super Oil ($68)
• Evolue Skincare Hydrating Serum ($68)
• Verso Skincare Eye Cream ($65)
• Illamasqua Liquid Eyeliner ($22)
• Morphe Meta Matte Lipstick ($9)
• Feel Brillant Bamboo Charcoal Facial Sheets ($35)
• Noyah Organic Lip Balm, vanilla and peppermint ($8)
• Complex Culture Bronzer Brush ($35)
• Noyah Organic Lip Balm Set ($13)
• Tarte Double Duty Beauty Shape Tape Spray Set ($25)
• Ittse Magnetic Eyeshadow Quad ($36
• Silver and navy cosmetics bag

Glam Bag Ultimate ($50/mo)

Receive eight full-sized products and four deluxe-size samples with a total value of over $250.

December 2019:

• Skin&Co Roma Truffle Therapy Face Grommage ($28)
• Girlactik 3-in-1 Lip Sparkle Balm ($34)
• Space Case Cosmetics Highlighter ($9)
• Merci Handy Hand Cleansing Gel ($4)
• Pixi By Petra Mesmerizing Mineral Duo ($10)
• Color Club Nail Polish ($8.50)
• Delectable by Cake Beauty Hand Cream ($6)
• Brooklyn & Bailey Nash Next Door Mascara ($18)
• Fluide Liquid Lipstick ($16)
• 111Skin Cryo Activating Hydra Gel ($200)
• GlamGlow Daily Exfoliating Cleanser ($34)
• Banila Co Cleansing Balm ($19)
• Illamasqua Liquid Eyeliner ($22)
• Complex Culture Blush Brush ($35)
• Gigi Gorgeous Get Lit Highlighter ($20)
• Morphe Sculpt and Shimmer Highlighter ($25)
• Pacifics Beauty Cherry Lip Balm ($3.50)
• Too Faced Cosmetics Kissable Body Shimmer ($32)
• Feel Brilliant Bamboo Charcoal Facial Sheet Mask ($35)
• Silver zip cosmetics bag*

Note: The included cosmetic bags increase in size and quality based on your membership level

What Is Ipsy Shopper?

Beyond its subscription glam bags, Ipsy offers daily promotions designed to help shoppers discover news brands. These offers are currently only available in the U.S., and you must be an active subscriber to take advantage of them.

You can purchase these deals and other products through the Ipsy Shopper marketplace, which is a platform that allows you to buy full-sized versions of many of the sample products you received. In many cases, these products will qualify for a 10% discount and free shipping.

Ipsy Points and Add-Ons

Ipsy Points is the company’s reward currency, which customers earn by referring new subscribers to Ipsy, reviewing their subscription experience and the products they receive, and following the company’s founders on social media.

These points can be redeemed for free products, and they expire twelve months after you earn them. Any products that you redeem will arrive in your next month’s Glam Bag order.

If you want more samples in your order, you can purchase Add-Ons. These are a special selection of products from the monthly assortment that you can add to your subscription for $3 each for deluxe samples and between $12–$18 for full-sized products.

Not all products qualify as Add-Ons, and these products are non-refundable and non-exchangeable.

Cancellation and Refunds

When you purchase an Ipsy Glam Bag of any size, you are automatically signing up for a monthly subscription. You can cancel at any time by logging into your Ipsy account and confirming the cancellation. All cancellations must occur by 12pm PT on the last day of the month to prevent the next scheduled delivery.

If you cancel your account early as an annual member, you will still receive the rest of your Glam Bags for the remainder of the subscription.

It’s also possible to pause your membership for up to three months in a row if you merely need a break from the deliveries.

Ipsy promises to replace any missing products as well as those that arrive defective or damaged. This policy is good for up to 45 days after the shipment date, and you can contact Ipsy Care to initiate the process.

Analysis of Customer Reviews

Forty Ipsy customers have left reviews on HighYa, and they average two stars out of five. Comparatively, the brand has more than 140 reviews on ConsumerAffairs, for an average of 2.3 stars.

Below are some of the key takeaways from their comments:

High-Quality Samples and Service

Many reviewers shared that they loved Ipsy Glam Bags because the company nailed almost every product it sent them. They wrote that they enjoyed trying out brands and products they otherwise wouldn’t purchase and found that the value of each order was often close to $100.

Though many noted that there was usually at least one item that wasn’t their preference, they always found a friend who appreciated it.

Products Didn’t Match Customer Preferences

Not all Ipsy customers loved their product selection. Some wrote that they consistently received makeup colors that went against their beauty profile requests and that they received too many similar products so that after a few months, they were overrun with mascara and makeup brushes.

Low-Value Samples

One common complaint against Ipsy concerned poor sample quality. Many subscribers shared that they received only low-quality drugstore brands and that the sample sizes were too small to get a good sense of the products and that they didn’t think they were worth the subscription fee.

Difficult to Cancel Memberships

Some Ipsy users struggled to cancel their membership and shared that the company billed them for an annual membership even after they received an email confirmation for the cancellation. Though customer service refunded their money, Ipsy members didn’t appreciate the inconvenience.

Key Takeaways

Ipsy subscriptions are hit or miss for many people. You’re more likely to enjoy your order if you are open to receiving products you have never tried before and are comfortable occasionally getting items that you will want to regift.

The Bottom Line: Is Ipsy Worth It?

Ipsy subscription boxes offer an appealing way to build up your makeup collection. For just $12 a month, you can try five new products a month and receive a reusable makeup bag in the process.

You’re guaranteed to receive products worth several times what you paid for them, but that doesn’t do you much good if they aren’t items you actually want to use.

That’s where Ipsy loses some points from us. Many subscribers shared that they often received items that weren’t even close to their preferences in their beauty profile, and they resented receiving too many similar products each month.

For this reason, we think it’s best to commit to Ipsy for a few months as a test run before you sign up for an annual subscription. That will give you a chance to see whether you like the selection and use most of the items you receive.

If you’re trying to decide between Ipsy and other beauty box subscription services, then check out our guide to the best beauty box subscription services. There, you’ll learn how Ipsy compares to other popular brands like Boxycharm, Allure, Birchbox, and Glossybox.