What’s in the Bag: November Ipsy Glambag Review

Another month, another adorable bag. Before signing up, I heard a lot of negative things about ipsy… especially the makeup bags their products come in. But so far, I’ve loved every one.

This month’s bag had a space print, which was really cool. As for the products inside, they were more face-focused than bags in the past. Some of the items were hits — but others were way off. Here’s what I got.

Crown Brush: Deluxe Pointed Crease Brush

This was one of the best things I’ve gotten in a subscription box, simply because it was a new brush (and I desperately need new brushes). It seems like every month I’m getting a new eyeshadow, but never anything to help me apply it. This brush is soft and fluffy, so it works well for adding a base color to your eyelid. I also love that it came with the matte eyeshadow because it made application of such a dark color so easy. Definitely a keeper.

Jelly Pong Pong: Liquid Glossamer

This was okay. It’s a tiny tube of a highlighter-type product. It comes out a shimmery rose-gold color, which is very pretty once you put it on. But putting it on is the hard part. Every time I open the lid, the formula is so watery it comes bubbling out with a tiny squeeze. I’ve used it on top of my blush so far, and thought it added a nice, pretty glow, but dear God was it a process just to get it on there right. A creamier formula would make all the difference.

 

Luxie Beauty: Matte Eyeshadow Pan No. 20

First off, I love the color of this eyeshadow, and I love that the bag came with a brush to make applying it easier. It’s great for blue eyes and a cross between a dark brown and eggplant. Overall it’s really lovely.

But the packaging sucks. It’s a single pan, which is great if you have a Luxie Beauty palette, or any other open palette for that matter, but if you don’t, you’re forced to keep it in its original, cheap plastic covering. It’s a great shadow, but it seems like the bag’s curators forgot about looking at the products’ practicality (especially for ipsy, since it seems to pride itself on building up makeup novices’ collections).

Figs & Rouge: Mattifying Emulsion & Pore Refiner

I wanted to love this. And who knows? I might if I got to use it more consistently. It’s meant to be a primer for oily skin, which fits my needs well and, from my 2 applications, seemed light and pretty effective at minimizing shine.

However, within a day or so of using it, my face started breaking out like crazy. Now, I can’t say that it was this for sure, because it’s been about a week and I’m still having issues, but that also meant I couldn’t really test it as much as I wanted to. If I do use it in the future, I’ll add an update because I really, really wanted to like this stuff. It’s just hard to tell you how it works with a face full of zits.

 

Smashbox Cosmetics: Full Exposure Mascara

This was the item everyone got in their bag. I was psyched — I never buy expensive mascara, but I do love trying them out. Recently I’ve been using a free sample of Urban Decay’s Perversion, which I really like, but sadly it’s on its last leg. When I saw that I was getting Smashbox, I hoped it lived up to the hype. Sadly, it didn’t. It’s not a bad mascara, it’s just not what I like in mine. Its coverage is much more natural than I expected for being something called “Full Exposure,” and while the brush is huge (I love big mascara brushes), the formula was too thin or weak or something. I have to put on 3 coats just to see it. I’ll keep it around for a while, but I wouldn’t say it’s any better or worse than drugstore brands — but it is triple the cost.

 

Overall it was a so-so month for ipsy. A lot of the products seemed great, but just didn’t live up to expectations. It’s not enough to make me cancel my subscription, but another month like November, and I’d definitely consider it.

What did you think of your ipsy bag? Let me know in the comments!