Ipsy Review

Ipsy is a monthly makeup and beauty subscription plan in the same vein as Birchbox. For $10 per month, Ipsy sends out either full or sample-sized versions of various beauty products in an effort to help you find your new favorites.

And they send them in a cute makeup bag…

While I guess I can appreciate the aesthetics of that purse-sized zip bag, that’s really the review from my daughters, age 15 and 17. I’ll venture a guess that most dads both don’t wear makeup and aren’t well-versed in vanity-mirror-area lingo, so, as a dad, I am depending on my daughters to help me with this review.

How Does It Work?

The subscription process begins with the obligatory subscription plan survey---de rigueur in this product space because these companies need to know about you so they send products that are useful and meaningful. Otherwise, people would be canceling left and right. Nobody is going to pay for a box of stuff they have no use for, no matter how convenient it is to pick it up off your front porch.

Anyway, I had my daughters take the quiz together, and luckily, they are toned and colored and hued similarly (go genetics and heredity). I saw questions like, “What is your skin tone?” and “What color are your eyes?”

The questionnaire also got into what type of looks are they trying to create (Hip/Edgy, Sporty, Professional, Worldly…to name a few).

Next, my daughters were shown pictures of stylists and asked which ones they relate to most.

Then came questions about their comfort level with makeup application and how adventurous they are with trying new products.

Yay for Make up! 

And then (yes, there’s more) which brand would they like to try (from what appeared to me must have been a rather exhaustive list of makeup brands).

Next, what kind of makeup products do they like? Mascara? Blush? Lipstick? Etc.

Then, what kind of skincare, haircare, and nail care products? Mask? Exfoliant? Serum? Etc.

And then…Where do you shop? Target? Sephora? Etc.

Yes, there’s still more…Skin concerns? Redness? Wrinkles? Acne? Etc.

And finally, a description of their hair…Needs volume. Extreme Curl. Etc.

I listed all of that because I wanted to paint (nails? No…no) the picture of how thorough Ipsy is. 

They really make an attempt to provide their customers with both value and products they can use.

My Experience With Ipsy

Here’s what my girls got in their first cute makeup case…

A full-sized Mellow Cosmetics Baked Eyeshadow in Plum (retail price $8). The gals said they loved the color and the way the eyeshadow had a “low-key shine to it.” I’m going to interpret “low-key” as subtle. Needless to say, they loved the eyeshadow.

Next, bareMinerals Gen Nude Matte Liquid Lipcolor in Swag (2 ml, retail value $8.30). It looked pink to me, but the girls said mauve. We all agreed that it smelled like chocolate cake. Back to the girls: this Swag color went well with the Plum eyeshadow, and would work well in various other makeup situations.

The next products were Shray Queen Bee Mask and Shray Ms. Amazing Mask (retail value $6 each). The Queen Bee mask was made with honey and designed to treat acne and redness. My older daughter tried it and liked it, especially the fact that it only requires ten minutes to do the job. She has things to do…

My younger daughter tried the Ms. Amazing mask and enjoyed it as well. It hydrates just like the Bee Mask, and has a nice fragrance as well.

The next product in the bag was a full-sized Trust Fund Beauty Nail Polish in No Filter (retail $15). My girls said it went on really well, providing great coverage after one coat. And the color, although neutral, was a pretty, light lilac.

Finally, also included was Not Soap, Radio Joy Inducing Hand and Body Lotion (20 ml, value of $1). Smells like lemon meringue pie to me. The girls said it absorbed well, didn’t feel heavy and greasy. They went through the trial size lickety-split. 

The Verdict

The box had an overall value of $44, which is amazing for a $10 subscription, especially considering that my daughters liked every single product. Definitely a thumbs up for Ipsy (https://www.ipsy.com) I’m going to get a subscription for each both girls, instead of making them share one.