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I saw in a couple of their bags they sent full sized Urban Decay eye shadows and things like that. Did you never get those?
Is Ipsy Bag Worth It?
- Thread starter ItsMissMathers
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Do they do it kind of like Birchbox does? Do 'spoilers' but everyone has a chance of getting different things, or does everyone get the same items in their bag?
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Ohhh, I've never heard of Starlooks. How does that one work?Originally Posted by yousoldtheworld /img/forum/go_quote.gif
I think it is absolutely worth it. While it may not be many high end brands (though they have sent out Urban Decay, theBalm, etc), it is a great way to try new things and get fun new things to play with. I have several subs and they all serve a different purpose for me!
Birchbox - I like it for the points and to try high end skincare, etc.
Glossybox - For the large samples and the frequent international brands, mostly high end.
Ipsy - for lots of fun makeup, they aren't afraid of sending color, smaller brands I haven't tried
Starlooks - for my real makeup collection building needs./emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />
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I got a mini urban decay eyeliner and a thebalm mascara, but it really isn't enough to be redeeming for me personally. I have almost every urban decay eyeshadow already anyway, lol.
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I personally think it's worth it. It's true (like many others have said) that they don't have the most prestige brands but they tend to give me stuff that I would actually use and it's worth the price I pay. I like to try all sorts of products (drug store brands and all sorts of brands they sell at Sephora and stuff) and Ipsy has definitely opened my eyes to other brands. They send both full sized products AND deluxe size samples. Overall, I am impressed with this.
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Just look at previous bags to get a general sense of their monthly contents. I think it's great if you like actual makeup. The bags have very little variation, so there's not much customization going on (unlike Birchbox--although I reaallllyy don't believe their beauty profiles mean anything); the plus side of this is, you won't get like an $8 bag while another person gets a $40 bag in the same month (i.e. no bag jealousy). The downside is, there's no point in having 2+ subscriptions.
If you get skeeved out by relatively obscure brands like Mirabella, you might not like Ipsy. They do feature a lot of great name-brand products (e.g. The Balm eyeshadow, UD eyeliner, etc), but you'll get more of the obscure brands (obscure doesn't necessarily mean shady or bad). However, you always get makeup, and they're great about introducing a wide variety of products in fun colors (i.e. last month I got a bright blush I would have never purchased on my own, but I ended up loving it). Just a head's up--if you abhor lip gloss, you might get disappointed by Ipsy. I think I have like 8+ different lip glosses from them, over the course of a year or so lol.
If you get skeeved out by relatively obscure brands like Mirabella, you might not like Ipsy. They do feature a lot of great name-brand products (e.g. The Balm eyeshadow, UD eyeliner, etc), but you'll get more of the obscure brands (obscure doesn't necessarily mean shady or bad). However, you always get makeup, and they're great about introducing a wide variety of products in fun colors (i.e. last month I got a bright blush I would have never purchased on my own, but I ended up loving it). Just a head's up--if you abhor lip gloss, you might get disappointed by Ipsy. I think I have like 8+ different lip glosses from them, over the course of a year or so lol.
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April was my first Ipsy bag and like someone mentioned, I was impressed yet a little disappointed at the same time. I'm not a picky person but I also coupon so I get a lot of makeup products for cheap. I do however love the bag that it comes in. I wish Target was still doing those free beauty bags but since they're not, I decided to try ipsy. I'll keep up with the subscription bc I wasn't completely let down (pink is my favorite color!!!) but after a few months, I'll see if I'm actually using the products.
I joined in oct and like others have said its really a matter of personal preference. I love ipsy..yes i have gotten a cpl bags i didnt like but i see it as worth it in the long run. I try brands ive never heard of and am able to decide if i would want full size...plus if you like the product you get a coupon code from ipsy to order..if not you have a cute bag and some knowledge. I love that you can cancel anytime so if you really hate it youre not stuck for months...however i have yet to hate it...the good bags have more than outweighed a few bad items.
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I personally love Ipsy because it gives me an opportunity to try out things I never would otherwise. I like that they pair with smaller companies that I would otherwise never hear about and they work with them to get discounts on full products if you've enjoyed them.
It also depends on what you're expecting. I'm a Birchbox subscriber too, and I always prefer my ipsy bags to whatever Birchbox decides to give me. I signed up for Birchbox before I heard about any of the others (a yearly, so I can't get out of it, sigh), looking forward to playing with makeup, but most months I only get one actual makeup item (the others are perfume (every single box), body lotions, hair products, face washes, etc) (and oddly enough, in my 9 boxes I've still haven't gotten a twistband, which if you go by the internet, everyone gets every other month). ipsy provides me with makeup (and in much bigger sizes than those foil packets I get with my Birchbox) and I happen to like the small selection, since I don't feel like it's a bait-and-switch situation like Birchbox. I do like the Birchbox points system, but I will probably cancel my subscription after it runs out.
It also depends on what you're expecting. I'm a Birchbox subscriber too, and I always prefer my ipsy bags to whatever Birchbox decides to give me. I signed up for Birchbox before I heard about any of the others (a yearly, so I can't get out of it, sigh), looking forward to playing with makeup, but most months I only get one actual makeup item (the others are perfume (every single box), body lotions, hair products, face washes, etc) (and oddly enough, in my 9 boxes I've still haven't gotten a twistband, which if you go by the internet, everyone gets every other month). ipsy provides me with makeup (and in much bigger sizes than those foil packets I get with my Birchbox) and I happen to like the small selection, since I don't feel like it's a bait-and-switch situation like Birchbox. I do like the Birchbox points system, but I will probably cancel my subscription after it runs out.
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If you look at the previous months, there's actually very few variations (you can see the 2013 list here), everyone usually gets the same four items and the fifth might be one of two things (though some products might have up to four different shades). This month got kind of crazy (you can see the May spoiler page in this forum, we got kind of crazy trying to figure out how all the variations might work), since there are 14 different products. Everyone was guaranteed a Zoya nail polish and a Yaby concealer, but the other three things varied. But even so, 12 different items is way less variation than what Birchbox does (I think the only thing I've gotten that was in their spoiler video was the Whish shaving cream, which, let's face it, I'm not going to spend $20 on to get the full size no matter how good it is and I'm getting the Marvis toothpaste this month). But the great thing about having so few variations is that there's bound to be someone out there who wants what you don't want and happens to not want something that you wanted, so you can just swap!
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I got my May bag and I was very happy with it! I loved all my products and they were all full sized! Except for the lip gloss by Juice Beauty, it's half the size of their regular lip gloss they sell on the Juice Beauty site. But hey, I'm not complaining, it's still the same size of most lip glosses.
/emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />
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so they're still gsreat??Originally Posted by MKHeatherM /img/forum/go_quote.gif
I got my May bag and I was very happy with it! I loved all my products and they were all full sized! Except for the lip gloss by Juice Beauty, it's half the size of their regular lip gloss they sell on the Juice Beauty site. But hey, I'm not complaining, it's still the same size of most lip glosses.
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Just for comparison, since I got both today. Below is the Ipsy bag:
cute bag, full-sized Pacifica rollerball perfume, Mirabella lipstick (probably full size), full-size Zoya nail polish, big St. Tropez bronzing lotion (not pictured, but the sample is 1.7oz), mini concealer pan
and this is my May Birchbox:
a rollerball pen, Beauty Protector heat protecting hair spray, a perfume sample, COOLA SPF lotion, Sumita eyeliner.
keep in mind, the mini SPF bottle is literally the same height as the Zoya nailpolish. it's really a matter of personal choice--I think both are great, but Ipsy always wows me with how much they send (much larger samples). Birchbox points are great though; every other month you basically get $10 in credits if you review the products.
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I definitely think so, Ipsy is by far my favorite subscription service. I stick with BB because the points system makes it a good value (3 free months every 4 months or so) but I never get wowed or really excited by the boxes.
I'd definitely give Ipsy a go /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" /> If nothing else it's usually very easy to trade the generously sized samples!
I'd definitely give Ipsy a go
/emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" /> If nothing else it's usually very easy to trade the generously sized samples!
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ipsy is worth it.may was my second time getting it & this month alone I got 5 full size samples .I was previously a subscriber to Birchbox and Beauty Army, but I decided to trade Beauty Army (seriously, they're not worth it) for the Ipsy bag. It looks like they send a lot of good products, and a lot of full sized stuff. I love that they send a makeup bag too! What I was wondering is if they send good products? Is there a wide variety of brands and cosmetics? I get my first bag this May and I'm so excited.
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A warning about ipsy... I went on the mailing list and they charged my card without telling me they were going to. It was a dollar, but still, a company that is so liberal with charging my card WITHOUT letting me know they're going to do it just seems fishy to me, and the address the charge was from was a personal address, so I cancelled right away and let them keep my dollar and nothing else. Charging me for a waiting list when I haven't even gotten a thing from you? It pissed me off royally!
yousoldtheworld
Michaela
That happens with a lot of companies, it's just an authorization hold to make sure your card is valid, and the charge will fall off, you won't actually be charged the dollar...
They do it whenyou sign up for the waiting list that way as soon as there is a spot for you, they can charge your card and you'll be all set.
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This is apparently a common question that comes up, it's on their FAQ page:
Why was I just charged $1? Last Updated: Feb 28, 2013 11:29AM PST
Some of our subscribers may see a $1 charge in their bank records for each subscription they purchase.
The $1 is not a fee from us at ipsy, but rather, is most likely a fee that your bank has charged you for the transaction. Or, it may simply be a hold that your bank has placed. We have seen this most commonly with pre-paid cards or gift cards. You may need to contact your bank for further information on the additional $1 charge.
Please note: Your bank WILL reimburse this $1, usually immediately, and sometimes within a few days. It is not a tax or a fee, but rather, a temporary charge until the actual billing goes through.
If you have questions or concerns, please do shoot us a note by clicking "Email ipsyCare" on the right, and we'll be happy to help!
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I've seen this occasionally from on my credit card in the "Pending" section. It gets refunded in a day or two and it never actually shows up on my billing statement.
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The problem was it came from a company that wasn't called ipsy but rather personalized beauty disco, which I'd never heard of in my life, and confused me. I guess my main problem was it isn't said anywhere on the page, and since my card text messages me when charges are made it threw me off a lot. Besides that I had other problems mostly because I didn't realize the products were drug store brand before I signed up to the mailing list. Now I'm going to join glossy box instead. But I didn't know about the charge and FAQ so thanks for telling me. When I sign up to glossy box I will be more aware of a "test" charge.
