Ipsy Glam Bag Ultimate July 2020 Review

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Ipsy Glam Bag Ultimate is a super-upgraded version of Ipsy’s monthly glam bag! The 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. \

See our Ipsy Glam Bag Ultimate explainer for all the details on how this subscription works!

My items were cushioned with egg crate foam. The bag was on top and folded flat.

Everything arrived in perfect condition!

I received a brochure from Ipsy. The theme for July is Take A Break!

I received tips on how to have a spa day during staycation. You can find info on all of your Ipsy products, including ingredients, under your account on the Ipsy website or app.

The back of the card had a few tips and reminders for subscribers.

Here’s everything in our box this month!

Ipsy Glambag Ultimate Bag My bag this month is pretty much the exact same colors as my Caboodle makeup box, which I bought in 1988! It’s been 32 years and I still use my Caboodle every day, only now most of the products inside are from Ipsy!

The back of the bag says Ipsy on the bottom, while the front of the bag says “Now Boarding”.

The plane zipper pull is adorable!

The inside isn’t lined and the bag is made of polyvinyl, so it should be easy to clean. It’s about 7″ across and 6″ high, 3″ across the bottom.

Belif The True Cream Moisturizing Bomb (Travel size, $7.60) is from a popular K-beauty brand and can be used before applying makeup and again just before bed, and is supposed to keep skin moisturized for up to 26 hours.

It’s also supposed to fight dull skin and leave it smooth. It has an herbal scent and didn’t leave my skin greasy, but then my skin is kind of dry to begin with. It’s pretty thick and oilier skin types might want to look elsewhere.

Ciaté London Watermelon Burst Hydrating Primer (Full size, $28) Here is another product available from Sephora, and it’s a primer that smells sweet, like watermelon candy! Please note that the gold cap needs to be pulled off, not twisted; I was confused when I saw the giant opening but when I figured it out I was like, a-ha! There are dark “seeds” of extract that should break open when applied to the face. Niacinamide and hyaluronic acid are supposed to help treat skin and keep it moist. The product was non-sticky but I wish it wasn’t quite so fragrant.

Awake Glow Pill Super Serum (Full size, $39) Guess what? This serum also contains niacinamide and hyaluronic acid, my skin is going to be dewy like a waterfall! Also, am I the only person who thinks this looks like Love’s Baby Soft?

One pump provided plenty of product and I give it extra points for being fragrance-free. It left my skin glowy: use this to go for that glass skin look that is desired by some, I guess shiny skin is youthful in a way. Kudos to this brand for using models who are more mature, I’m ready to give them all my money now! If you have oily skin then this might be all the moisture you need, but for dry skin go ahead and put it on first, then follow with your usual cream.

Jayjun USA Green Tea Eye Gel Patch (Travel size, $4.80, buy a 10 pack for $16) Face masks are not for me but eye masks? Please send them by the boatload, I can’t get enough!

Niacinamide is right up there at the top of the ingredients (it’s in the first 3!) and helps fight inflammation. Green tea and coconut are also in there, and luckily fragrance was the last ingredient.

Here is what they look like! I placed them under my eyes but you can also place on laugh lines or wherever you think you need extra help. I liked that the scent was extremely low (it smelled like green tea perfume) and they weren’t messy at all. I could place my glasses over top and get on with my morning while letting them set a bit. I didn’t have any leftover serum to pat in as directed, but that is ok by me. Did they make any difference in my appearance? Not really, but they felt relaxing and soothing.

The Coffee Scrub in French Vanilla (Travel size, $4.75) I’m not a coffee drinker but I love the smell of coffee, and this smells just like its name, French Vanilla! If you love this product then I want to let you know that they have a subscription on their website.

It looks like damp used coffee grounds: it’s not super oily and the product is loose. I grabbed a handful and rubbed it on damp skin and it felt scrubby. It makes a mess so maybe take a plastic cup in the shower to rinse it off the walls. The ingredients include coffee, grapeseed oil, and several other oils. I didn’t feel too greasy afterwards but I also felt like I could skip using moisturizer afterwards.

Catherine Malandrino Special Moments Eau De Parfum (Travel size, $10.38) According to Ipsy this is a gourmand but it smells more like a fruity floral to me. It starts out with lots of sweet fruit notes and then some floral scent turns up next. There is a base of light musk for some depth and then it fades away. I think it’s a good scent for summer, not too strong or heavy.

FoxyBae Replenishing Hair Mask (Full size, $23.98) I received the travel size of this item in my $12 bag back in March, so now I have 8 travel-friendly individual packs!

I have short hair so one of these packs can be used at least three times, although my daughters might need a whole pack for their long hair. I like the scent, Birchbox used to send something that smelled similar (Beauty Protector). I used a clarifying shampoo, which always leaves me with tangled hair, and then followed with about 1/3 of the pack. I left it on for the rest of my shower before rinsing. I had no problem combing out those tangles and my hair didn’t seem to be weighed down afterwards. Still, this is a once a week treat for me, but someone with coarser hair or who has a lot of damage might need to use it more often.

Laruce Essentials Brush Set (Full size, $154 if bought individually) Laruce sells both sets and single brushes on their website. This particular combo isn’t available, but for the same price you could get 14 brushes, or pick up a similar 6 brush set is only $65, so I feel like the value was inflated.

The brushes are made of vegan bristles and have textured plastic handles and metal ferrules.

There are two brushes for the face, and three for the eyes. As for the quality, I will say that they are very soft. Unfortunately, that means it was hard to pick up and apply product. I think the Kabuki brush was my favorite, it was the densest of the brushes. I didn’t have any problems with bristles falling out, so that’s a plus.

Beauty For Real Shadow STX 24-7 Eyeshadow Duo (Full size, $38 listed value, buy a 3 stick combo for $45, singles are $19 each) I was hoping I would get this product, I love to try shadow sticks!

I didn’t know it until later but the bottom can be removed and has a sharpener inside!

The darker color is called Midnight Marathon and is described as a reflective topaz shade. The lighter color is called Ever Starstruck and is described as a shimmery champagne.

I applied the lighter color over my entire lid and was disappointed to see that the color payoff wasn’t really there. I used the darker color in my crease and again, not much to see here folks. I went over the crease with a darker powder color and it seemed to provide a good base and stayed on all day long. Smudge it quick because once it dries it will not budge. Swatched below.

Ofra Cosmetics OFRA x NikkieTutorials “Glazed Donut” Highlighter (Full size, $35) Glazed Donut is correct, this stuff is very light, white, and full of shimmer for those who want a cool-toned highlighter.

It goes on easily and is fairly easy to blend. Be careful though or you will end up looking a little like the Tin Man. I learned my lesson the first time around and subsequent applications went on with a lighter touch. Swatched below.

Tarte Cosmetics Tarteist Double Take Eyeliner in Black (Full size, $24) I was also excited about getting this eyeliner, although mainly for the pencil part, as I don’t wear liquid liner.

Here’s the pencil side. Sadly it broke as soon as I swatched it. I tried using it a couple of times, and it skipped a lot but looked better when I blended it with a makeup brush. The third time I used it it broke again, so I don’t anticipate having it around for very long. It did last on my eyes, and I even found some in the corner of my eyes the next morning, it’s kind of hard to remove.

I had better luck with the liquid eyeliner side, but it still wasn’t my favorite. It was very damp and I could feel it seep into my actual eye while I was applying. Some of it made its way into my crease too, but overall it wasn’t bad and stayed in place all day, but I’m just not a liquid liner lady.

Swatched from top are Beauty For Real shadow sticks, Tarte pencil and liquid liner, and the highlighter.

Seraphine Botanicals Sakura + Sage Vegan Eyeshadow & Brush Palette (Full size, $42) Here is another item I was super excited to receive, and in fact, it was my Sample Choice!

Ingredients were listed on the box and this palette is vegan and cruelty-free.

There are two blushes and six eyeshadow shades.

Two of the eyeshadows are matte (Pecan and Chicory) and the others are shimmers. I can’t see myself using Silver at all until maybe the winter holidays but I have been wearing Sparkle on my lid with a blend of Filigree and Chicory in the crease. I apply Sparkle with my finger, it seems to stick better that way and I get less fallout than if I use a brush. Azalea is a good color for my cheeks and is bright but blendable.

Here’s the swatch! The blushes are on top, and then I swatched the palette in the order from left to right, starting with Filigree and ending with Silver. Silver wasn’t cooperating, it took 3 swipes to make that sparkle and it didn’t go as far as the others.

July was such a fun month, and my Ipsy Glam Bag Ultimate products were exciting to try, I was so looking forward to my box after I saw the bag reveal! My box got here really late, like the last day of July, but everything was in perfect condition. I thought the assortment was wonderful, with hair care, makeup, brushes, perfume, and skincare. I even had a body care item in there! The value was crazy, over $411, but I do think the brushes were overvalued a bit. It was still a fantastic value considering the box is $50, and some of the brands were new to me and I wouldn’t have discovered them otherwise. Some of the products are available at Sephora, so there is a good mix of brands in this beauty box.

What do you think of the Ipsy Glambag Ultimate? Tell me your thoughts! 

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