Starting with the August Plus bag that I received a few days ago, Ipsy has made some changes to how the bag is put together. First thing, they got rid of the cardboard box that it arrived in
and substituted a large padded envelope.
Because I was able to recycle the cardboard box, I preferred that option. Plus the box looked nicer.
Next, instead of a makeup bag, this month’s bag is a relatively large drawstring bag.
Because I received two large-ish tubes in boxes, a makeup bag wouldn’t have fit the items. I’m wondering if the drawstring bag is permanent or just for this month? While this drawstring bag would be useful for travel for stockings, panties etc. or storing things at home, it’s not as cute or creative as their makeup bags. I guess I’ll have to see what happens with the bag next month.
Ipsy Plus started out with Ipsy choosing the items in the Plus bag based on the survey about one’s preferences. By and large, I was very satisfied with the items I got in almost every bag since I subscribed to the Plus bag. Then they changed it so that you could choose one of the items in your bag. OK, I did that, and it was fine. Now they are changing to what they call Ultra Personalization. On the 2nd to the 3rd of every month, you are supposed to go to the Ipsy website or use the Ipsy app to select 3 of the 5 items that you want. For the August bag, it appeared that they chose 2 items for me, and I chose the rest.
To be honest, I kinda liked the surprise factor because it was more like getting a gift. But that’s just me. I am guessing that enough women must have complained about the items they received, so they are changing it to be more personalized. Because of that, they do not provide a product card with the information about how to use each item and its price. Boo hoo, I liked the product card. As a blogger who writes about the items in my bag, now I have to go to the website for the information. So I will have to see what I think about this going forward. The value of the items in the bag seems to still be there, and if I don’t want to pick out my items but go with a surprise instead, I will just skip going to the site at the beginning of the month and choosing my items.
I still like the extra items/Add-ons that I can add at a much lower price. They have new items every day called Flash Sales that you can choose or you can add items when you pick your bag items. This month, I bought two Add-ons that I will talk about at the end.
So what did I received in my August 2020 Ipsy Plus bag? Here you go:
- Murad Hydration Perfecting Day Cream Broad Spectrum SPF 30 PA+++: I love Murad skincare so this was a good item to receive especially since it would be expensive to buy it. Relatively lightweight, this fragrance-free hydrating moisturizer with chemical-based SPF 30 is comfortable to wear. I like it a lot! For me, this would be a good year-round daytime moisturizer. $58
- Dermedicine Weightless Face Moisturizer SPF 25: Now how did I manage to get two daytime moisturizers with SPF in my bag? According to Ipsy, I picked this one, and they must have chosen the Murad. My bad. Anyway, I had never heard of Dermedicine before so it was interesting to try it. The word “Weightless” on the tube caught my eye. I wish it was at least SPF 30 instead of 25, but whatever. The front of the tube flags some of the key ingredients: sage leaf, grape stem cells, green tea, and vitamin E. Nice. It contains both a chemical and a physical sunscreen ingredient. Dermedicine Weightless Face Moisturizer SPF 25 is fragrance-free. It goes on with a bit of a white cast (due to the zinc oxide) and is initially a little greasy looking, but after less than 5 minutes, that goes away. I wouldn’t describe this moisturizer with sunscreen as “weightless” but it isn’t heavy either. It’s about the same as the Murad daytime moisturizer. I will most likely save this daytime moisturizer for winter. $60
- Wander Nude Illusion Liquid Foundation, shade Light: This full coverage foundation is probably the winner so far of the items in this month’s bag. I wish that I were wearing foundation more often these days because this one is a terrific discovery for those of us who like medium to full coverage. My skin looked so good to me because my freckles and dark spots and even my under eye discoloration were gone without having to wear any concealer. Plus, even with full coverage, the foundation feels lightweight. It also has hyaluronic acid and it feels hydrating. The Light shade is perfect for my summer skin tone that, in spite of wearing sunscreen, has a bit of a tan. I haven’t tried wearing this foundation with a mask yet to see if it comes off on the fabric or paper yet. At any rate, great discovery! $40
- Beauty For Real Hi-Def Defining Volumizing Mascara, shade Just Black: Although I didn’t really need another black mascara, I chose this item because I wasn’t interested in the other product choices. I haven’t tried it yet because I already have a few mascaras open. $19
- Beauty For Real Eye Crayons Shadow Styx, shades Midnight Marathon (topaz) and Ever Starstruck (champagne): I like eyeshadow sticks because they are so easy to use. We’re going to visit some friends at a distance outdoors this afternoon (Sunday), so I will wear these. The topaz is good for all over the lid, and the champagne is a good shade for the inner corner. These shadow sticks comes with a built-in sharpener in the lid that is very convenient. $38
The value of this month’s Ipsy Plus bag is $215. I paid $25 plus MA tax. Good deal.
I bought two Add-ons, one full size for $12 and one travel size for $3.
- Laura Geller Kajal Longwear Eyeliner in shade Gilded Bronze Kohl: I am tired of black eyeliners so I decided to try this shimmery Bronze eyeliner crayon from Laura Geller. It is surprisingly fat, more like an eyeshadow crayon than a typical eyeliner pencil. It’s a twist up pencil with a built-in sharpener like the Beauty For Real Shadow Styx. It’s very pretty and it was easy to apply. It also stayed put till I took it off. I paid $12 for it, and the regular price is $22.
- Skin Regimen Microalgae Essence: I decided to try a travel size tube of Skin Regimen Microalgae Essence because I am a fan of algae in skincare products and I love essences. Plus it only cost $3 for this sample. It’s a good one, a relatively lightweight, fast absorbing liqui-gel. Not sure that I would buy a full bottle since it costs $75, but I am enjoying the sample.
BTW, Ipsy has given me the opportunity to send out 3 bags (not sure if they are Ipsy bags with samples or Ipsy Plus bags with full size items) to 3 friends who are not subscribers. The deadline on this is August 18, meaning Tuesday. I assume that Ipsy will contact you afterwards and try to get you subscribe, so you may consider that a downside. But if anyone is interested if a free Ipsy bag, let me know ASAP since the offer expires tomorrow! And if you do want to subscribe to Ipsy, Ipsy Plus or Ipsy Ultimate, please consider using my referral code and thanks. xo
City Beauty InvisiCrepe Body Balm Sale
On a different topic, if you are a fan of City Beauty InvisiCrepe Body Balm, there’s a sale going on today and tomorrow (ends Tuesday, 8/18 at 11:59pm). The rich, hydrating body cream that helps to rebuild sagging, crepey looking skin on upper arms, legs, all over. And it helps to stave off crepey skin, so start now!
Benefits:
- Improved moisture retention in the skin’s barrier for supple, plump-looking skin
- Natural collagen support for a smoother, healthier look & feel
- Dermal matrix restoration so skin appears firmer & more elastic
Here are the sale details. The regular price is $69 a jar, so this is a good deal!
1x Jar = $39
2x Jar = $69 + Free HydroMask single
FREE US Shipping on all orders! Check out rich, cruelty-free, fragrance-free City Beauty InvisiCrepe Body Balm while it’s on sale.
Why would they put in two sunscreen/moisturizers?! That just makes no sense at all! I would love to try that Wander Beauty Foundation!
Lola Seicento recently posted…3 Graces Beauty Radiant Lip Scrub Review: Exclusive 20% Off Discount for Lola’s Secret Beauty Blog Readers
Actually, it turns out that the 2 moisturizers with SPF was my fault rather than Ipsy’s. The 2 products that Ipsy chose for me were the Murad daytime moisturizer and the Beauty For Real Shadow Styx. The products we had to choose from weren’t as good as usual, and I chose the second daytime moisturizer because I thought it was a better choice than the other options. I hope next month’s choices will be better!
I am actually ecstatic that I got to choose because I had TERRIBLE luck with their choices. While the options this month weren’t exciting, at least I got setting powder and an eyeliner that wasn’t black (I have enough black eyeliner to create smoky eyes for every man, woman, and child on the planet for the next 5 years). I am eager to see what September will bring. Oh, and they do give you the option to be surprised if you want to as well, so since your luck is better than mine…(Do agree about the drawstring bag… not as cute as the makeup bags.)
Gabrielle, I am so happy you weighed in on the Ipsy changes! In fact, I was going to email you to find out what you thought. I am glad that being able to select 3 of the 5 products will make things better for you. I think I was just lucky in the past that I got bags that were pretty suited to me. As you said, I wasn’t so pleased with the choices this month which is why I ended up with two moisturizers with SPF. There wasn’t anything else that I wanted so I chose the Dermedicine Moisturizer. Hopefully, next month’s choices will be better. I am so curious to see if they will stick with the drawstring bags or go back to makeup bag. I’m hoping for makeup bags!
I got two SPF moisturizers as well! But after my sunburn at the storage unit, I’ve been slathering the stuff on like crazy, so it’s probably a good thing I got them. Like you, I’m hoping to be dazzled next month (and get a makeup bag).
Here’s a link to some September spoilers. We’ll be getting another drawstring bag. *sigh* https://www.mysubscriptionaddiction.com/2020/08/ipsy-glam-bag-plus-september-2020-spoilers.html
I can’t decide whether I want to look at the spoilers or not yet. But boo, I am really not happy with nothing but drawstring bags, if that’s where they’re headed. I may send them an email, not that it will probably make a difference. I think they must be on a cost-saving mission with the changes to the shipping packaging and the bag. 🙁
Id be annoyed with two moisturizers with SPF in my package, too. But i do like the drawstring bag you got. I feel its more versatile than getting another makeup bag. I remember being subscribed before and ended up with a drawer full that I ended up giving away, haha! Those eye pencils sound gorgeous and something I would use!
I have so many subscriptions I think I’m going to cancel them all for a while.
Cindy Ingalls recently posted…MasqueBAR Gold Hydrogel Eye Mask!
I just have the one subscription now. I understand what you mean: it can get overwhelming!
I’m impressed with your bag this month. It’s a true bargain with some excellent items. Two SPF products is too much but since we wear sunscreen year round it’s not a bad thing to have. I got so tired of the makeup bags. I once gave 25 of them to a charity. At least with the drawstring bag I could store socks and things.
MarciaF recently posted…10 to enjoy from Fashion Flash
Yes, I know I will use up both daytime moisturizers as time goes on! I do like the drawstring bag this month, and I will probably use it for socks or stockings or underpants. But I hope it’s an occasional style and not what we get every month, like Sephora Play’s bag was.
I think it’s a good box despite getting 2 moisturizers. You can always use it or in my case, give it to a relative or friend. I canceled 2 beauty subscriptions recently because I can’t keep up anymore
I have just this one subscription, and I am still good with this one. What I have a lot of and need to gift are shadow palettes – I can’t believe I’m saying that but there it is
I actually really like the drawstring bag, I think it would be nice for traveling. And thank you for sharing your thoughts on Wander foundation, I was curious about it!
Glamorable recently posted…Golden Moon Tea Premium Loose Leaf Tea Sampler for $3
Loving that Murad!
Courtney recently posted…Miracle Mornings