I had heard of Ipsy before, but just hadn’t gotten around to really looking into it.  The little research I had done told me that there was a “waist list”.  Ain’t nobody got time for that.  It reminded me of when Pinterest tried to be super exclusive in the beginning.  When you either had to be invited by somebody or request an invite.  It was just kind of like… Hi, Pinterest, just let everyone have access to all your Pumpkin Spice Everything recipes and impossible hairstyle tutorials glory, okay?

My friend Casey texted me last month and said, “Hi, you’re living your life wrong.  Forget Birchbox and get Ipsy!”  Now, I wasn’t sure I could emotionally make the switch.  I love getting my little pink box each month.  And I am hoarding my points to save up for my beloved magical airbrush foundation machine, after all.  I couldn’t bring myself to say “Sayonara, Birchbox, AND YOU CAN KEEP ALL OF YOUR HUNDREDS OF BODY LOTION SAMPLES, K!”.  I realized that for $10 per subscription each month, I could afford to have the luxury of both.  So now I do.

I bit the bullet and signed up for Ipsy.  I can say that signing up for Birchbox is much more cut and dry than signing up for Ipsy.  Ipsy is all about the exclusivity factor.  When you sign up, it will tell you that you’re on a wait list.  But really, your subscription is likely just sitting there until the next billing cycle begins for everyone.  I’m sure their process is not to send bags randomly throughout the month.  Then, they tell you that you can skip the wait list by sending invites to your Facebook friends.  I didn’t like this one bit.  It reminds me of that horrible feeling you get when you click send on those Candy Crush invites so you can get to the next level.  You know you’re spamming your friends but you MUST get to Candy Cane Canyon/get your hands on an Ipsy.  I opted out of this because I figured it was unlikely that they could charge my card and not actually send me a bag when the next round is sent.

Other than the iffy, icky wait list situation, signing up for your preferences is kind of fun.  In the Beauty Quiz, they ask you about your skin, eye, and hair colors.  About your experience and level of comfort with makeup.  What kind of products, looks, and brands you like.  Then the waiting begins.

The shipping is much more efficient than Birchbox.  They send the bags a little later into the month, but it is better than stalking your tracking for nearly two weeks.  I ended up receiving my Ipsy and my June Birchbox on the same day.  I felt like I was cheating on Birchbox and then was caught as I pulled both from my mailbox.  Then I realized that I now had 10 samples/treasures to enjoy.  This was going to be a good night!

I do have to say… I was thrilled to see how sparkly the Ipsy packaging was.  This made my inner-Barbie-loving-child’s heart skip a beat.  I thought hard for about two seconds about which one I would open first.  I snatched up the Barbie wrap and tore it open.  I mean, I had been on a wait list for this one so it should probably get priority… right?

Before we get started… If you are interested in receiving your very own Ipsy Glam Bag each month, then pretty please use my referral link!

The products were waiting for me inside of this little pouch.  From what I understand, they sent your products in a different themed bag each month.  Personally, getting one of these every month will be a waste for me and will probably end up in the trash unless I love it.  I’m sure all of you fellow makeup lovers can agree that we all probably have about 500 of these things lying around.
 I was really excited about the majority of these products!  I would say 2 out of the 5 I could do without, but I’ll explain in more detail below.  One thing I do want to point out before I start reviewing the products is the purchasing process.  You cannot buy the products directly through Ipsy’s website.  If you want to purchase a product you received, Ipsy will direct you to their website and will sometimes provide a discount code*.

IT Cosmetics Brow Power Universal Eye Pencil

What I didn’t realize, until I began compiling this post, is that this is a “universal” color.  Now, this is a pretty bold assumption to make.  It is very difficult to create a “universal” shade of anything, I’m sure.  Personally, I felt like even though I could pull it off, it is a little darker than I typically like to go (now that I am a blonde again).  As far as the product goes, I did like it.  I always love when a brow product has a good eyebrow comb.  I liked the width/fatness of the pencil as far as the ease of application.  I definitely didn’t have to pencil in every hair like some products.  The only downside to the width of the pencil is trying to draw your inner brows.  This part is definitely done more easily with a thinner pencil.

*Ipsy provided a code for 20% off orders of $40 or more + Free Standard Shipping

2/5 would buy

Aurora Gel Effect Nail Polish

*Sigh*… nail polish.  The only product I dislike receiving as much as body lotion.  I explained in another post that my chewed up nails are not worthy of wasting nail polish on.  I was even more disappointed to receive this since I indicated that I do not want to receive nail polish in the Beauty Quiz.  I will give this one a try since it is supposed to have a different finish than your everyday nail polish.  The downside is that it appears that Aurora strongly recommends using their top coat for the best finish.

*Ipsy provided a code for 30% off

1/5 would buy

Smashbox Photo Finish Primer

YAY!! MY FAVORITE PRIMER!!  I was so happy to receive this because you can never have too much of it on hand!  And who doesn’t love a travel size of their favorite makeup?  I have used this primer before in some of my tutorials.  It has been a favorite of mine for years.  There are some foundations it doesn’t work well with, but goes on smoothly under most liquid foundations.  Ispy did not provide a discount code for this product.  This didn’t surprise me as it rarely goes on sale.  I know the Smashbox website sometimes has discount codes for orders over a certain dollar amount, but your best bet is to hold out for a Birchbox 20% off code and purchase it on their website.

5/5 would buy

Altcheck MD Eye Gel Pads

I was not generally excited about this product as I typically do not get puffy eyes.  This morning, however, was the exception.  My boyfriend came home late from a guy’s night out and woke me up.  I could not go back to sleep until 4am and had to be at work at 8am.  This morning was the optimal morning to give these babies a try.  I wore these for the first 30 minutes of my normal morning routine.  They are kind of like Crest Whitestrips but much thicker and look more like something football players would wear rather than some sort of dainty alternative to putting cucumbers on your eyes.  The only makeup I could do while wearing these was my eye makeup… which turned out to be an interesting task.  My boyfriend jumped back when he woke up and saw me wearing these.  He did not ask any questions, so I’m not sure what he thinks wearing these will accomplish.  Overall, I would say that I think they helped with the puffiness?  But they were not some sort of magical miracle workers for my obvious tiredness.  They did not make me look like I had any extra hours of sleep on top of the 3-4 I actually had.  That, my friends, is what a good concealer is for.

*Ipsy offered a code for 35% off orders of $30+ & Free Shipping

1/5 would buy

treStiQue Mini Shadow Crayon

This was the product I was probably most excited to try. I excitedly searched for it in my pile of goodies the following morning and could not find it.  It was missing.  Both my boyfriend and my coworker blamed my Golden Retriever.  I gave my girl the benefit of the doubt.  Sure enough, I found it in my Birchbox trash that I had already thrown away.  I think the Birchbox Gods were trying to tell me something…

Anyway, the color was gorgeous.  I am anxious to try it again without primer.  I put it on over my go-to MAC Painterly Paint Pot, but it didn’t go on as smoothly as it did on the back of my hand.  Perhaps this product doesn’t need any primer.  I don’t typically prefer shadow crayons, but I really like this one.

Be sure to check out their website.  Their on-the-go concept and style is pretty unique.  Everything is fairly pricey, but I am definitely curious about some of the other products they sell on their website.  I can see myself going down a rabbit hole with this stuff fairly quickly, though.  It all looks so sleek.  I will want all my makeup to be in stick form and match.  And then I will need all the tools and the travel case!  Fortunately for my bank account, it looks like a lot of the products are not available yet.

*Ipsy provided a code for 15% off Orders of $35+ & Free Shipping

5/5 would buy

Like Birchbox, you are able to rate and review the products you receive in exchange for points.  With Ipsy, you cannot use your points on purchasing the products since they don’t actually sell the products on their website.  They do have a rewards section where you can choose to redeem your points for a selection of makeup bags and a few makeup choices.

They do have discounted offers that come available every Thursday.  You can get discounted bundles of products in these deals.  You’ll want to be sure to act fast if you really want something as they appear to run out fairly quickly.

I would say that this was overall a super fun experience and I am looking forward to seeing what they send in the future!  Plus, receiving my Ipsy and Birchbox on the same day is definitely double the fun!

Thanks for stopping by!  See y’all next time…

Marissa