Trending lately: monthly subscriptions, where you pay $10-$21 a month for bags or boxes of makeup ranging from samples to full products with values from $50 to over $100. Quite a mouthful.
At first, I thought “why I am paying money for samples when I can get them for free?” but then I saw the big picture.
Ipsy is a brand created by Michelle Phan; a Youtube makeup guru, beauty entrepreneur and my personal hero. Every month, you receive a custom themed makeup bag usually coinciding with the current astronomical or holiday season. Once you subscribe, they personalize your makeup bag to your personal preference with a customizing system called ipsyMatch – a beauty quiz that asks you about your skin type, color of hair, etc. After you finish taking the quiz, they pick out products that usually range from sample products to full size that are perfect for you. The big picture: helping ladies find products that are perfect for them instead of wasting money on products that aren’t.
This month, the theme was “Destination Chic” because of the upcoming summer season. The little bag was covered in different national monuments like The Statue of Liberty and the Taj Mahal, which gives me traveling vibes that I’m totally digging. Of course, the bag was personalized so not every product exactly suits every skin type but if you reeeeaaallllyyy want to explore the glam bag, here you go.
The first item I noticed when I opened the bag was a hydrating face mask by the brand Epice International. I was a little unfamiliar with the brand so I decided to hit the trusty internet and do some research. Founded by dermatologist Michael S. Spice, the brand promises they create their products with your health in mind especially with their mantra, “It’s all about healthy skin.” They sent us a 1 oz tube of their hydrating mask that is meant to exfoliate, detoxify and remove impurities from your skin gently, leaving you with plump, firm and hydrated skin. The retail price of this item is $12.50, already more than what I paid for the bag and it’s a full size product.
Next thing I picked up was the fluffy eye shadow brush from INSPR Beauty. Located in Los Angeles, INSPR Beauty’s message is to motivate women to be creative and have fun with their makeup. The “Eye Fluff Brush” is perfect for blending out harsh lines or bold colors and adding definition to your lid. The retail price for the brush is $12 and it’s a full size product.
It was kind of hard to miss the next thing considering the size. Not gonna lie, I was pretty pumped when I saw these because I just adore face masks. In the bag were 3 different kinds of masks for your skin by the brand SOO AE. One of them is for brightening packed with ingredients to correct hyper pigmentation and brighten skin, while improving overall skin tone. Another helps to restore and improve overall elasticity and firmness. And the last one is for improving the skin’s elasticity and radiance with honey extract, known to fight the harmful effects of environmental stressors. All of them are made with collagen and are incredibly hydrating and nourishing to your skin. This item retail prices for $20 and it is also a full size product.
The next item I saw and got super excited about was the shimmering bronzer by Hikari Cosmetics. I also didn’t know much about this brand so I looked them up. They’re surprisingly inexpensive and sell most of their products in sets for around $50. The reason why I’m so pumped about this is for it’s all around use. Not only can you use this as a bronzer, but you can use it as a highlighter or eye shadow, too, because of it’s four different shades inside. This item retails for $17 and is also a full size product.
Lastly, the fifth item in the bag was the X-Rated mascara by Smashbox. This was the most exciting item in the bag for me, not just because it’s high end but because I just love mascaras and I’ve heard a lot of good things about this particular one. It’s supposed to give you voluminous and lengthening results clump, flake and smudge free. This item retails for $22 and it is in a sample size.
I was unexpectedly pleased with this months bag, the first time I ever received anything from ipsy. I found most of the products surprising, especially having heard negative things from people I knew.
If $10 is gonna get me $80 worth of products, than I can’t wait until next month.
