Comparison between the standard ipsy Glam Bag subscription and the new ipsy Glam Bag Plus.

Subscription beauty boxes are all the rage, even for older women. It is a convenient way to try new products you may not have known about otherwise.

Last month, I received an email from ipsy asking me to sign up for their new ipsy Glam Bag Plus. I have been an ipsy subscriber for a few years. I did leave for a short while to try a different subscription service, but I was not pleased with it and came back to ipsy. I thought this new ipsy Glam Bag Plus sounded interesting and so I signed up for it.

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What is ipsy? Ipsy is a subscription service that delivers you different beauty products each month, based on the profile you establish. You select the types of products you want to receive, and then once a month, an unmistakable pink shipping package arrives with 5 sample sized beauty products along with a make-up bag.

The new ipsy Glam Bag Plus offers 5 new beauty products to sample, the same as the standard Glam Bag….but the Plus gives you full-sized products, instead of sample.

When my upgraded ipsy subscription box arrived, I was excited to open it to see what new products I would get to try!

The first impression I had was a little underwhelming, to say the least. The blue foam seemed out of place in this box, coming from a company known for their bright pink color. Not that I expected something fancy to pop out at me, but I did think the presentation could have been a little better.

After I removed the beauty products, I saw that the empty box read:

Don’t be pretty like them.
Be pretty like YOU.

I thought that was really cute. I have come to look forward to ipsy’s inspirational sayings. I just didn’t care for it on the inside of the flimsy box itself, which was a far cry from a Birchbox.

Have you tried Birchbox? It’s the same type of subscription service as ipsy, but instead of receiving your products with a glam bag, you get a decorative box. Previous glam bags have included inspirational sayings on business cards. My favorite sits on my desk.

This box, however, won’t be sitting on my desk. It will be sitting in the recycle bin because I’ll have a hard time re-purposing it, unlike a sturdy Birchbox.

*I am not reviewing the products that came in the ipsy Glam Bag Plus today. I haven’t even opened or tried any of them yet. The box just arrived and this is simply my review of the upgraded service. It’s also just my opinion.*

Having stated that I am not reviewing the products, please know that I am comparing them against what I have received previously in the standard ipsy Glam Bag.

In the photos below, I have included the flowers so you can see how the sizes relate to each other.

The top photo shows items I have previously received from ipsy. The bottom photo shows what I got today in the upgraded Glam Bag Plus. Again, I am underwhelmed. Many times in the past, I have received much larger than a sample size. Perhaps that will come to an end now that they are offering upgraded subscriptions containing only full-sized beauty products. 

I have discovered many of my favorite go-to beauty products that I use regularly through the standard ipsy subscription. I sampled them and enjoyed them enough to buy in full-size. There have also been quite a few items that I’ve tried and not cared for. It was never a big deal, since they were only sample sized anyway. I might not be so forgiving with receiving full-sized products that I don’t care for, as they would go to waste collecting dust at a higher price tag.

I’ve mentioned the glam bag that is included in the standard service. I didn’t get one in the upgraded service. Did they forget to send it? I don’t really know. I’m not sure how they can call it Glam Bag Plus and not include a glam bag! Below are some of the glam bags I’ve gotten in the past.

Sorry, ipsy. I just don’t find this new Glam Bag Plus to be a great value. I do love receiving the standard ipsy each month in the mail, and will be going back to that service ASAP.

Have you tried the new subscription box? What was your experience? Let me know in the comments below.