In July my friend and co-worker Erica sent me a free Glam Bag from Ipsy! I’m subscribed to Play! by Sephora and she’s subscribed to Ipsy, so I was overjoyed at the opportunity to try out a new subscription. Ipsy has been around far longer than Sephora (founded in 2011), and after seeing Erica’s glam bags, I was excited to get in on the action.

I’ve included a screenshot of the email invitation in case anyone is curious how it looks and what the terms are.

Once I accepted, I was prompted to fill out a beauty preferences profile to help Ipsy figure out what products to send me. I really like that they offered an evaluation like this.

Sephora’s evaluation asks for your concerns and asks you to describe yourself. But it doesn’t ask you what products you like best, and wastes your time with steps like this.

Moving on, let’s jump into what I received in my first ever Ipsy glam bag!

I accidentally forgot to include one of the five products in the lineup of all my products, but I did include it below. What do you think of the bag? Would you be excited to open your package and find this inside?

To be honest I was a little disappointed. I’ve seen plenty of bags that they’ve sent Erica and this one was a little lackluster. My bag (and its contents) could have been worse, but could also have been better. It still outdoes the first Play! by Sephora box I received. Let’s dissect the bag, shall we?

This bag… it’s very youthful looking. I feel like I’d buy a bag like this at age 11 from Claire’s. Even the phrase “Wild & Free” seems kind of pre-tween. But it is certainly a portable makeup purse that I wouldn’t be ashamed of using. It’s a big step up in comparison to the majority of the Sephora bags I’ve received (here are one, two, three examples).

SLMissGlam T35 Precise Blending Brush

One of my five products was this teal accented blending brush from the brand SLMissGlam. I felt that this product was a little random, but who couldn’t benefit from adding a brush or two to their collection? Brushes are universally useful, and I think Ipsy stands out from Sephora in terms of providing tools and brushes.

Makeup Forever Excessive Lash Arresting Volume Mascara

Mascara? ✔ Prestige brand? ✔ I’m never appeased without one high-end product, so this was it for me. I was excited by the presence of this mascara because I’m always looking for the next miracle product for my lashes, and I would never have tried this mascara if not for this glam bag.

Juara Skincare Rice Facial Cleanser

I’m wary of cleansers because my skin is very very sensitive. The slightest chemical or ingredient can cause bumps, itchiness, pustules, redness, inflammation, etc. My ride or die is Purity by Philosophy, and I think the reason is the ingredients. It actually helped calm my skin during the worse outbreak of my life. I’m hesitant to try this, but I’m sure I will at some point.

Seraphine Botanicals Ginger + Gold

Could this product be more ambiguous? It appears to be a blush, but it looks a little too frosted and peachy/glitter-packed for my liking. I wish I got what my friend Erica received in her glam bag, which was this:

(You can view all of the products that were sent in the month of August here)

Finally, our last product is a tiny little eyeshadow from theBalm! I love theBalm, their packaging is so adorable and retro, and their products are amazing. Once upon a time, Sephora carried them.

I love that I got something from theBalm, but I have a bunch of bronze-y browns already. Still, I’m not complaining! If I was a beginner I would have loved it, and it’s a great portable product to take on the go.

RATING: B

After receiving my free Glam Bag, I’ve decided to stay subscribed to Ipsy. Now I’ll be reviewing two beauty subscriptions each month – Play! by Sephora and now, Ipsy.I’ve decided to start rating the boxes I get each month from both Sephora and Ipsy.

Ultimately I give my August Glam Bag a B because I wasn’t blown away by my glam bag, but I didn’t hate it either. I received products from two major brands (Makeup Forever and theBalm), including mascara, and eyeshadow, and a blending brush. However, I wasn’t thrilled about the cleanser and the blush.

Please check out my August Play! by Sephora box if you haven’t already! Be sure to come back to see the goodies I get in September! ❤