Ipsy Glam Bag Ultimate is a new super-upgraded version of Ipsy’s monthly glambag! The new Glam Bag Ultimate is $50 per month, and will have 12 products – 8 full-size and 4 deluxe samples, plus a makeup bag every month. Ipsy promises a value of $250+ each month. This was the first installment of the highest tier of Ipsy’s subscriptions, and based on customer feedback Ipsy has made some changes to next month’s Ultimate:
As soon as November you can expect:
No identical products if you subscribe to more than one Glam Bag.
Each and every bag will have 8 full size and 4 deluxe samples worth at least $250—no exceptions.
High-quality products from a mix of beloved and emerging brands, along with Ipster cult favorites, so you can continue to explore and discover new go-to’s.
One large, super stylish makeup bag to stash all of your new goods.
Plus, your November Glam Bag Ultimate could include coveted must-haves from BENEFIT COSMETICS, IT COSMETICS, ORIBE, JUICE BEAUTY, VIOLET VOSS, MURAD, TRÉSTIQUE, and more!
See our Ipsy Glam Bag Ultimate explainer for all the details on how this new subscription works!
My items were cushioned with egg crate foam.
A lot of my items were in their own boxes.
Here’s everything in our box this month!
I found a leaflet with info on my products!
One thing I want to point out here is that you can choose an item for your Glam Bag (no matter which level you receive) on October 23rd!
Ipsy did a collaboration this month and they themed it around Betty Boop.
There is a silhouette of the iconic character on the bag, which has a faux leather front.
The back of the bag has black sequins.
There is a heart zipper pull.
The inside is lined with red fabric. The bag measures approximately 8.5 x 5.25″. Ipsy sent the same bag to Glam Bag Plus members but will send a totally different (and bigger) bag starting in November. If you get all three tiers, you should get three different bags.
Coloured Raine Cosmetics Eyeshadow in Glamour ($6.99, full size) I found one busted item in my box and immediately reached out to IpsyCare and they are sending a replacement. They got back to me quickly, and on the weekend!
Farmacy Green Clean Makeup Meltaway Cleansing Balm ($34, full size) I picked an item for my bag and this cleansing balm was what I went for, and was actually something I needed, too!
I noticed that most of the products had wording that said “not for resale”. I am guessing that this keeps people from taking it to Sephora or somewhere like that to try to get an exchange or refund.
It had a plastic spoon that can be used to remove the product from the container.
It melts almost as soon as you put it on your fingers to spread to the face. I liked the way it felt on my skin, it was very silky. I used this on a dry face and then added water and it changed to a milky consistency and rinsed away with water and a washcloth. I then went over it with my usual cleanser but I didn’t experience any oily after feel at all.
HUDA Beauty Obsessions Eyeshadow Palette in Warm Brown ($27, full size) I found a description for this palette on Sephora, yet I couldn’t find how to choose this particular set of colors, maybe they changed them recently? It mentioned that this particular palette is a favorite of Huda herself!
It has 9 shades, and I’m kind of happy that only one of them was metallic (I tend to wear mattes). Some of these colors are too intense for the look I usually go for, but luckily there are a few that I can wear. My style isn’t to go all out glamour girl, but is a step above natural.
Here are the colors swatched in the same way they are presented in their box. I used the three colors in the middle for an everyday kind of look – I used the cream color on my entire lid, the deep purple in my crease, and a touch of the metallic bronze at the inner corners. The purple (and by the looks of the swatches, most of the colors) should be applied with a light hand, although I was able to tone down my crease by wiping with a fluffy brush. I did experience some fallout but I never know if that is the fault of the shadow or the brush.
Biorace L’eau Hydrating Treatment Serum ($62, full size) I am not familiar with this brand but it is made in Korea, which is a country known for their amazing skincare and 10-step skincare routines.
Pump a bit out and apply to face and neck twice a day after cleansing. It has a floral scent and turns clear and runny as you massage it in. One of the ingredients is hyaluronic acid, which is supposed to help keep skin moist.
L.O.C.K. Color Unicorn Glow Longwear Primer ($4, sample size) Primer may help keep your face makeup from melting off by lunchtime. This one is meant to go on after moisturizer but before foundation. I forgot to moisturize so it didn’t spread as easily as I would have liked but it did a pretty good job of helping create a blank canvas.
IBOM Lemon Verbena Clay Mask ($4.84, sample size) is a clay based mask that has silica, red bean, and rice powders to give some grittiness.
Apply to a clean, wet face and wait 5-10 minutes before gently scrubbing it off with water. The gritty stuff provides exfoliation while the clay draws out impurities. I gave it a try as a scrub, and it didn’t work very well – I could feel exfoliating particles, but they didn’t actually feel like they touched my skin at all.
Cela Skin Creme de la Creme The Very Best Cream ($11.21, sample size) I love getting body care in beauty boxes and this cream is just the type of stuff I like!
Although the website calls this a body butter, it is a fast absorbing cream that didn’t leave my skin greasy. Coconut oil, shea butter, and sunflower seed oil do a good job of softening skin. It smells like creamy orange and vanilla and the scent fades quickly.
Betty Boop x Ipsy Cheek To Cheek Blush Palette (Full size) I can’t really tell the value of this since it is made by Personalized Beauty Discovery Inc., which happens to own Ipsy, so this is their in-house brand. The entire Betty Boop collection is $39 for 10 items though.
There are three shades, with two of them better for highlighting.
Here they are swatched, although I had to run my finger over the palette several times. They actually went on my face easily and seemed to be buildable. I used the matte shade (bottom) on my cheeks, the rosy gold (middle) on my nose, and the pearly pink (top) above my cheeks.
The Saem Natural Avocado & Shea Butter Sheet Mask ($1.15 each, buy a set of 13 for $14.99) I usually pass these along to my daughters, they love to wear masks when they have a few extra minutes for self care.
After cleansing and toning, remove the mask from its plastic backing and place on the face. Leave on for about 20 minutes and then pat any remaining essence into the skin afterwards.
Kaleidoscope Cosmetics Obsidian Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner ($8, full size) I usually wear pencil liners but every now and then I get a liquid and it helps me make a more dramatic sweep at the outer corners of my eyes.
It is supposed to be waterproof and smudge-proof but I came home from work with raccoon eyes happening. I thought it was easy to apply and it didn’t smear while I was putting it on. Swatched below.
C’est Moi Beauty Reflect Lip Gloss in Opulence ($7.99, full size) C’est Moi is a beauty line targeted towards young people (from the website: “ages 8 years and up”) with sensitive skin, but gloss is pretty good for people of all ages.
This shade doesn’t really change the lip color at all, just adds a bit of shine.
Here are the liner and lip gloss swatches.
F.A.R.A.H. Brushes Midnight Trio ($48, full size) I received a trio of brushes that are meant to be used to apply face makeup products.
F.A.R.A.H. brushes are vegan and have soft touch handles, plus check out the cool midnight blue bristles!
Left: Straight Brush Use to apply foundation. I thought the bristles felt funny on my skin, and it left me with a streaky base. I will repurpose it for some other use.
Middle: Stippling Brush Use with cream or dry products such as highlighter or contour. To use with wet products, dip in product and then dot it on the face, aka stippling. I used it with the dry Betty Boop highlighter and it worked well.
Right: Cheeky End Use with cream or dry blushes or contour. I used it with the Betty Boop blush and had to sweep it across the palette several times to pick up enough product.
Overall, I thought the brushes were ok. They were very soft so that might be a plus for those with sensitive skin. The stippling brush was my favorite of the three.
Wow, that was a lot of beauty products in my very first Ipsy Glam Bag Ultimate! Ipsy promised 8 full sized and 4 sample sized products and that is what I received. Ipsy sent an assortment of brands, some of which I have heard of (Huda, Farmacy) and the rest are independent brands that you probably won’t find at Sephora. I was pretty excited that I got to choose one of my items, Farmacy Green Clean, and the rest of the items were supposed to be chosen based on my profile and for the most part I think it matched well. There were some hiccups with this first box (they sent the same bag as GB Plus) so Ipsy clarified that future boxes will have a bigger bag and guaranteed value of $250. They also went on record as saying that the products will continue to come from a mix of big beauty hits and lesser known brands. My first box was worth around $216.33, which is way above the cost of the box but falls short of the promised value, unless you think the Betty Boop palette and bag are worth a combined $33.67.
What do you think of the Ipsy Glambag Ultimate box? Tell me your thoughts!
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