Ipsy Review: Thoughts on The March Glam Bag

I’ll be doing an Ipsy Review each month, detailing what I received in my Glam Bag and an individual review of each product. If you’ve ever thought about subscribing to Ipsy and you’re trying to decide if it’s worth it, give this Ipsy Review a read (*spoiler alert: there was one specific product included that I will absolutely be repurchasing- it’s that good!).

I’ve always considered my true passion to be with fashion, but in recent months, I’ve become absolutely obsessed with all things beauty related. I could watch makeup tutorials all day. And boy, don’t even get me started on my ever-growing list of makeup, skincare, and hair treatments I want to try.

With my list growing by the day, I realized there was no way I could actually financially support such a constantly expanding wishlist. Sephora may appreciate the love, but I knew my bank account wouldn’t.

I decided I really need to try out a beauty subscription. I figured this way I’d be able to test out new items without investing all my savings into products I potentially didn’t even like.

Ipsy Review: What I Received in My Ipsy Bag

Would you believe my first bag actually showed up promptly on my birthday? Yeah, I was pretty excited about it. So excited, in fact, I felt compelled to take a picture with my bag (insert an eye roll directed at myself).

So let’s break it down for this Ipsy Review. Here’s exactly what I received in my first ever Glam Bag:

1. Marc Anthony True Professional Deep Repair Aloe Vera & Jasmine Oil Deep Repair Conditioning Treatment

2. Tarte Cosmetics Tartiest Quick Dry Matte Lip Paint (shade: rose)

3. First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Face Moisturizer

4. Skone Cosmetics Luxe Pro Blending Brush

5. Dirty Little Secret Cosmetics Blush (shade: kitty pink)

Ipsy Review: Do I Like My Ipsy Products?

I’ll answer this question right off the bat: yes.

Will I continue to subscribe to Ipsy? Yes.

Will I be repurchasing any of the products myself? Yes.

Am I in love with every product included? Yes.

For this Ipsy Review, I’m going to go through each product and I’ll give you my brief opinion on whether I think it’s worth purchasing or not.

Here’s the Ipsy Review summary for those looking for a quick answer:

	Worth Repurchasing?	Happy With Product?	Retail Price	Available in Canada?
Marc Anthony True Professional Deep Repair Aloe Vera & Jasmine Oil Deep Repair Conditioning Treatment	No	No	$2.99 USD	No
Tarte Cosmetics Tartiest Quick Dry Matte Lip Paint	No	Yes	$24 CAD $20 USD	Yes
First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Face Moisturizer	Yes	Yes	$30 CAD $24 USD	Yes
Skone Cosmetics Luxe Pro Blending Brush	No	Yes	$18 USD	Yes
Dirty Little Secret Cosmetics Blush	No	Somewhat	$14 USD	Unclear

But for those of you wanting the details, read on…

1. Marc Anthony True Professional Deep Repair Aloe Vera & Jasmine Oil Deep Repair

In my Glam Bag, this treatment came in a tube form, but from what I can tell, it is now only sold in a small packet form, and isn’t even available in Canada. I could only find the shampoo and conditioner version at Walmart, but not the actual treatment.

This isn’t too upsetting to me, though. It definitely wasn’t my favorite item in my bag, that’s for sure. I feel like I can get the same results from putting some coconut oil in my hair. Actually, the results really didn’t vary too much from simply conditioning with my regular Panete products. I’ve used this product twice now, and my hair might feel a little softer the day after of use, but nothing spectacular. It’s definitely not an expensive product, but I’m still going to recommend saving your money for something better.  

Ipsy Review Rating: 2/5 

2. Tarte Cosmetics Tartiest Quick Dry Matte Lip Paint

To be honest, I’m not a huge lipstick wearer. I tend to have very dry lips, and I just can’t stand having to worry about lipstick smearing everywhere, but I of course still have an opinion for this Ipsy Review.

The colour is okay. For me, it’s a little too brown toned, but that’s obviously a preference thing.

In terms of formulation, I applied a swatch to my wrist and it actually was quite difficult to get off, which probably means it has staying power. However, because I’m not the best person to review a liquid lipstick, I went on Sephora to see what others were saying about the formula. From what I can tell from reading reviews, I think you’ll find the product stays in place all day and dries very quickly (woohoo!), but it’ll probably dry out your lips (boo).

Basically, you solve one problem by making the product last all day with a lightweight formula, but your lips will likely look like a dry, cracked mess a couple hours in. For $24, I personally think you can find something better. I love the NYX soft matte lip creams ($9 CAD; $6 USD)

Ipsy Review Rating: 4/5 

3. First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Face Moisturizer

Out of all the products in my Glam Bag, this is the one that I was most impressed with. I will for sure be purchasing this face moisturizer myself. Why? Because all I used was the sample size, and I instantly noticed a difference in my skin.

I generally have a combination skin type, but when my skin does get dry, it tends to get quite red in pigmentation (sensitive skin means a tomato-like Andrea). When I started using this product, my redness instantly went down. Not only that, but I noticed a difference in my skin’s texture. With just a couple uses, I had the most baby soft skin. Seriously, it blew my mind.

The product itself also feels so lightweight and hydrating when you’re actually applying it! If you’ve ever used this product from First Aid Beauty, or you have other First Aid Beauty recommendations, let me know! I was completely impressed by this one and would love to discover some more gems.

Ipsy Review Rating: 5/5 

4. Skone Cosmetics Luxe Pro Blending Brush

Until I really started becoming interested in makeup, I never paid much attention to my brushes. And to be honest, I’m still not someone who will go out and spend a lot of money on them; however, I do see the value in investing in a few. With this particular brush from Skone Cosmetics, I happened to get lucky since a good blending brush was actually something I needed.

Do I like the way this brush blends shadows? Sure. Do I like the rose-gold accents on the brush? Again, sure. But, like I said, I’m not hugely particular with my brushes. There’s obviously some that are better than others, but depending on your needs, I really think there are better ways to spend your money when investing in beauty products.

I feel the Skone brush fits within the run-of-the-mill, good brush category. It gets the job done, but am I about to go on the Skone Cosmetics website and purchase a set of brushes from them? Nah. I suggest buying a set from Sephora that you can actually see and feel, especially for you Canadian girls who will have to pay $9 for shipping from Skone.

Ipsy Review Rating: 4/5 

5. Dirty Little Secret Cosmetics Blush (shade: kitty pink)

First off, can I just say the website for this brand is absolutely awful, and the actual product photo for this blush doesn’t accurately depict it whatsoever. Ok, rant done.

The product itself was a relatively good blush. I wouldn’t say it gives me amazing color. In fact, I actually felt like it didn’t last on my cheeks very long (and that was with a primer).

The shade is all right. It’s on the somewhat dusty rose end of the blush spectrum, with a little bit of a peach undertone. I personally like a more pink shaded blush.

Ok, actually, the more I think about it, the more I realize this probably wasn’t my favourite product. I’ve still been using it, and I would say I’m relatively happy, but don’t expect me to be hopping on their (awful) website and purchasing it myself anytime soon, especially because I couldn’t find any information on shipping costs or whether or not they even ship to Canada. Annoying.

Ipsy Review Rating: 3.75/5 

Ipsy Review: Is an Ipsy Subscription Worth The Cost For Canadians?

If you’re American, the cost of your Ipsy bag is $10 plus free shipping. Definitely worth the price! In Canada, our bags are $15 and we have to pay $5 shipping. For this Ipsy Review I wanted to address any concerns about the Ipsy bag cost for Canadians. 

Do I love the $10 price increase? It’s definitely not my favourite thing, but as a Canadian consumer, I’m pretty use to this.

The big question, though: do I think what I received in my bag was worth $20 this month? Definitely. That Skone brush alone was $18 USD, plus I discovered an amazing moisturizer that I’m really excited about.

But, do I think everyone would feel this way? Potentially not.

I think whether or not you should spend $20 on the Ipsy bag really just depends on whether you A) really enjoy trying new products, and B) you have some disposable income.

When my bag arrived, it literally felt like Christmas for me. I get really excited about beauty products, especially new ones. If my excitement levels were just average, I’d probably just go out and use my $20 to purchase a product I already knew I loved.

Even though you’ll notice there’s only one product that I actually think I would spend my money on, I was still happy I got to try all the other products, even the Marc Anthony hair treatment. It was my least favourite of the bunch, but for me, testing new products is such a joy. If this is you and you have $20 to spare each month, I say go for it! Be sure to let me know what you think!

Oh and if your received a March Ipsy bag, let me know! I’d love to hear what you received and what you thought of the products. Let’s compare notes.