What is Ipsy (formerly MyGlam)?

What is Ipsy?

Ipsy is the beauty product sample service that was started by YouTube guru Michelle Phan along with the “stylists” Promise Phan, Jessica Harlow from MissJessicaHarlow, Andrea from AndreasChoice, and Bethany of MacBarbie07. Together, the girls combined their knowledge of beauty and created Ipsy.

Previously, Ipsy was formerly known as MyGlam and earlier this year MyGlad underwent a huge rebranding overhaul and became Ipsy.

While registering, you take a style quiz much like that of Birchbox. While taking the quiz you answer questions pertaining to your personal style (club-goer, natural, sporty, etc), which stylist you best relate to, how comfortable you are with makeup, how adventurous you are with makeup, which brands you love, which products you love the most and the typical skin/hair questions you would expect to answer. The quiz is available on the website to be retaken any time you'd like to change up your answers.

Now, Ipsy uses a program called IpsyMatch that works with algorithms to put together bags that match your product reviews and style quiz. With some bags, some Ipsters aren't too convinced IpsyMatch is working 100% due to receiving items they said they didn't like but at the same time, it could be due to how adventurous you said you were in the style quiz. So far, my bags have been greatly catered to my likes and style and I have zero complaints about it. Then again, I'm pretty easy to please as long as I know I'm getting my moneys worth.

For only $10 a month, or $110 a year, paying subscribers get mailed a cute makeup bag full of 4-5 deluxe samples and sometimes even some full size items. Each month's products get mixed reviews, especially as they've started to do more and more "either-or" products. In the beginning everyone got the same products only some may have gotten different colors. As Ipsy gets bigger and bigger with more companies to work with, they've been doing more "either-or" products in each bag. Usually, there's 5 or so products and each subscriber will get 2 of those products. There are no guarantees to which products you will get but that's were IpsyMatch supposedly comes in to play.

After their rebranding, Ipsy's website is much more interactive. You still have your "Glam Room" that lists out that month's bag and the items you received in your bag but now you can review each item individually  and give your input on how interested you are in receiving product similar as well as that brand and color.

As far as a points/referral program goes, they have finally started to give you points for each referral you get. For each referral, you get 250 points. When you save up enough points  you can earn an extra item in your next monthly bag. Personally, the items are kind of ridiculously priced in points currency (an OPI Nicole nail polish for 1000 points) and unless you manage to get a ton of people to sign up, you'll never get a bonus item, let alone two or more. I'm sure this system will work itself out in time and get better.

On the new interactive website you can also make "looks" for others in the community to like using products from that month's bag. Each month, you also get discount codes for each company that is in the bags. The codes can range anywhere from free samples, free shipping, and a certain percentage off of your purchase.

All in all, I absolutely love Ipsy. I highly recommend them and love watching the company grow. I've been with them since their first month (Dec. '11) and now we're nearing their two year mark and it's so incredible to see how much they have grown.

Overview:

• $10/month or $110/year (1 month free)
• No online shop, does give discount codes, link to shop
• Points/referral program
• 4-5 Deluxe samples. Occasionally a full size product
• Ships between the 10^th and 15^th of every month

        -Great product/sample sizes
        -Good mix of samples

        -Cute makeup bag

        -Fun community on FB/Ipsy.com

www.Ipsy.com

January 2012 Beauty Army

If you don't know what Beauty Army is then go check out my post What Is Beauty Army?

January was Beauty Army’s first month and they sure held themselves together quite nicely! Up until their opening, potential customers were able to submit their e-mail address in order to be notified of when Beauty Army officially launched on January 1^st, 2012. When they finally opened their website to the public I don’t think the company was ready for the huge amount of traffic that was swarming the URL almost immediately. The servers actually kept shutting down and the company had to install a new server just to accommodate all of the visitors! Talk about overwhelming. They started out with only offering an initial 300 kits to whoever was lucky enough to get through on the website first. I’m extremely happy to say I was one of those 300 :)

The box everything comes in is so flippin cute and useful! It’s got a flip open top and it’s extremely sturdy. Needless to say, I’ll be putting these boxes to good use around my house! My fave products from January’s kit were the lip balm and the eye cream (eye cream? I feel like I’m getting old now!)

This month I chose for my kit:

• Cellceuticals Neocell Micro-Resurfacing Skin Treatment
• Chella Anti-Fatigue Eye Mask Kit
• Lift Lab Lift & Firm Eye Cream
• Shea Terra Rose Hips Black Soap Deep Pore Facial Cleanser
• LaRocca Skincare Shield Multi-Active Lip Balm in Proseco
• MyFace Cosmetics Blingtone Eyeshadow in Sp’ice’y

Cellceuticals Neocell Micro-Resurfacing Skin Treatment

• Received Size: 0.33 oz.
• Full Size: 2 oz.
• Full Size Price: $47.50
• Sample Worth: $7.92-ish
• This stuff is very gentle and leaves your skin feeling soft and fresh! I actually used it on my lips and it got all that nasty dead lip skin gunk off.

Chella Anti-Fatigue Eye Mask Kit

• Received Size: 1 Eye Zone Matrix Mask, 1 Anti-Fatigue Mask Activator
• Full Size: 4 Eye Zone Matrix Mask, 4 Anti-Fatigue Mask Activator
• Full Size Price: $45.00
• Sample Worth: $11.25
• This eye mask kit is a great little idea. It was nice and refreshing to try out during my spa day. I couldn’t really tell too much of a difference after I used it but My eyes weren’t as puffy as they were so that’s a good thing!

Lift Lab Lift & Firm Eye Cream

• Received Size: 0.17 oz.
• Full Size: 0.5 oz.
• Full Size Price: $95.00
• Sample Worth: $32.37-ish
• Honestly, I feel extremely old now saying that I like and use an eye cream on a regular basis but boy, oh boy is this stuff incredible. I use it nightly before bed and have already noticed it starting to help the two fine lines I have under my eyes. Although, my mom who has very oily eyelids to begin with tried this cream out for a week and she said it made her eyes even more oily, causing her mascara to bleed under her eyes. I would say, if you don’t have too oily of eyelids then give it a try and if your eyelids are oily? Stay away.

Shea Terra Rose Hips Black Soap Deep Pore Facial Cleanser

• Received Size: 1 oz.
• Full Size: 4 oz.
• Full Size Price: $18.00
• Sample Worth: $4.50
• At first, this stuff smelt a little weird to me and I felt REALLY weird having a black soap on my face but it did the job! It’s got tiny srubbies in it to make your skin feel all smooth and soft and your face really glows afterwards! I really appreciated being able to try this stuff out and think it’s great for a once-a-week deep scrub.

LaRocca Skincare Shield Multi-Active Lip Balm in Proseco

• Full Sized Product Received
• Full Size Price: $15.00
• This stuff is great. It’s got a very sheer tint to it and it makes your lips feel AMAZING. For a lip balm/gloss-ish it’s got a pretty decent wear time too. I make sure to carry it with me everywhere.

MyFace Cosmetics Blingtone Eyeshadow in Sp'ice'y

• Full Sized Product Received
• Full Size Price: $12.73
• You wouldn’t think so, but this shadow is actually very creamy when you put it on. I actually found it a lot easier to use my fingers to apply it rather than a brush. It’s also very pigmented so you really almost don’t even need a primer underneath it!

I was actually really pleasantly surprised after I calculated how much all of the samples would be worth. All together, my kit this month came to around $84. Considering I only paid $12, this is an outstanding deal! Can’t wait for February’s box :)

Go sign up and get your own kit to report to duty! www.beautyarmy.com

*Disclaimer: All of these opinions are my own and I did not get paid or endorsed in any way to write these reviews.
**All photos belong to me.

What is Beauty Army?

What is Beauty Army?

Beauty Army is a new beauty product based monthly subscription service that let’s YOU choose up to 6 deluxe or normal size samples (and sometimes there’s even some full size products in the mix!) out of 9 products that are chosen by the results of your beauty profile. (You can also re-take your beauty profile as many times as you want to get more desired products but sadly you can’t pick and choose from multiple results)

This has to be one of the best monthly beauty sample subscription services out there. Their customer service is not only incredible but the samples are pretty darn good, too! Whoever is in charge of BA’s Facebook and Twitter pages is constantly on top of their posts and always replying quickly to whoever Tweets them or posts on their FB page. Also, the e-mails get answered unusually fast. Normal response time from a business is at least 24-48 hours but these guys get back to you in a matter of hours!! Now THAT is impressive.

Beauty Army has two shipping times. Depending on when you register and select your samples, your kit will either be shipped in the beginning of the month, or in the middle of the month. The first day you sign up is the day you will be able to select your samples again in the coming months. They send you an e-mail reminder stating that you have a window of 5 days to choose that month’s samples or your samples will be chosen for you by a style expert based off of your beauty profile. (Sign up Jan 1^st, pick samples again on Feb 1^st-5^th, then again on March 1^st-5^th, etc)

Overview:

• $12/month
• Online shop
• No point/referral program
• YOU get to choose up to 6 deluxe or normal size samples each month. Occasionally there will be a full size product in the mix!
• Ships either at the beginning of the month or the middle of the month

Pros: -Outstanding customer service

          -Affordable monthly price

          -A nice mix of new beauty product companies

          -Ships in a timely manner

          -Freaking adorable packaging

Cons:-Some people may not be happy with the lesser-known or completely new brands of beauty products they offer

          -You can’t choose your 6 samples from a list of all available samples, only what your beauty profile shows you

www.beautyarmy.com


*Disclaimer: All of these opinions are my own and I did not get paid or endorsed in any way to write these reviews.

What is Birchbox?

What is Birchbox?

If you guys haven’t heard of Birchbox before it is a monthly (or yearly) beauty subscription service that sends 4-5 deluxe samples based on your profile right to your door for only $10 a month (or $110 a year, you get one month free!)

As a whole, I think the company is great. Their customer service is up to par with quick responses and not to mention their points/referral program is awesome!

For every subscriber you refer, when their first box ships you receive 50 points. Also, any time you make a full-size purchase in their online store you get points! Plus, after you get your monthly box you can go to the Birchbox website and write a review. Each review earns you 10 points. What do you do with all of these points you ask? For every 100 points you acquire, you get $10 off in their online shop (you can also save up points for more $$ off your purchase: 200 points = $20 off, 300 points = $30 off, etc). Their shop has some pretty good stuff and with discounts like that you just can’t say no.

Birchbox sends out their boxes on or around the 10^th of every month and the owners are great about keeping up with shipping mishaps and making things up to their subscribers when something goes wrong. (Last month some boxes were not shipped anywhere near the ship date so they gave those affected 100 points to use in the store.)

Overview:

•       $10/month or $110/year (1 month free)
•       Online shop
•       Points/referral program
•             4-5 Deluxe or normal size samples. Occasionally a full size product (Stila Smudge Stick)
•       Ships on or around the 10^th of every month

Pros: -Great customer service

         -Affordable monthly price

         -Good mix of beauty products (lotions, washes, cosmetics, hair, perfume, etc)

         -Awesome points program

         -Ships in a timely manner

Cons:-A wide range of beauty products may not be everyone’s cup of tea

         -Somewhat small-ish sized samples but still good for the price you’re paying

www.birchbox.com


*Disclaimer: All of these opinions are my own and I did not get paid or endorsed in any way to write these reviews.

January 2012 Birchbox

I know it’s a little late but it took forever to get the pictures taken/edited.

If you don't know what Birchbox is then check out my post What is Birchbox?

Out of this box my favorite items had to be the Juicy Couture Viva La Juicy perfume sample and  the Stila Smudge Stick Waterproof Eye Liner. Why the perfume sample? ‘Cause Viva La Juicy is my favorite perfume and I needed a little container of it to carry in my purse! ;)

This month my box had:

• Birchbox Magnet
• Juicy Couture Viva La Juicy
• LARABAR Mini Bar in Coconut Cream Pie
• ORIGINS Checks And Balances Frothy Face Wash
• VMV Hypoallergenics Re-Everything Face-Hand-Body Lotion
• Stila Smudge Stick Waterproof Eye Liner

Birchbox Magnet

• Not too sure why they gave us a magnet but oh well, now I can hang something else on my fridge!

Juicy Couture - Viva La Juicy Perfume Sample

• Received Size: .05 fl oz
• Full Size: 3.4 fl oz
• Full Size Price: $89
• Sample Worth: Free at a department store
• I actually was really excited that this was in my box this month. This is one of my favorite perfumes and now I have one to carry in my purse without having to tote around a clunky glass bottle with a pink bow on it. This perfume has such a light, sweet scent to it. I always make sure to spray a tiny bit in my hair after I shower before it finishes drying so every time I shake my head that day I get a whiff of the sweet scent. Ugh, I absolutely love this stuff.

LARABAR Mini Bar in Coconut Cream Pie

• Received Size: 0.78 oz (mini bar)
• Full Size: 1.6 oz (full size bar)
• Full Size Price: Roughly $1.75/bar
• Sample Worth: $0.88-ish
• To be honest, I didn't even eat this. I'm not a fan of coconutty things other than lotions but I HAVE tried the LARABAR full bar in Cherry Cobbler and it was good. The Cherry Cobbler bar was very sweet; I could only eat about half of it at one time then I would have to eat the other half a little bit later. I did notice a little boost of energy after I ate half of the bar. It was just enough to push me through the day but wasn't too much to where I felt like I had the jitters all day.

ORIGINS Checks and Balances Frothy Face Wash

• Received Size: 1 fl oz
• Full Size: 5 fl oz
• Full Size Price: $19.50
• Sample Worth: $3.90-ish
• This face wash is very creamy and leaves your skin feeling very clean and refreshed. I've only used it once because I have really sensitive skin and don't want to risk getting it off kilter from my Clinique but the experience I did have with it was very refreshing.

VMH Hypoallergenics Re-Everything Face-Hand-Body Lotion

• Received Size: 1.02 fl oz
• Full Size: 4.06 fl oz
• Full Size Price: $45
• Sample Worth: $11.25-ish
• This is a great lotion for just all over. It was a great item to include during the cold weather months because it definitely knows how to nourish dry skin! I used it on my elbows and knees and they feel brand new! No more dry, ashy (yeah, white girls can get ashy too!) elbows or knees!!

Stila Smudge Stick Waterproof Eye Liner in Peacock

• Full Size Product Received
• Full Size Price: $20
• When they say waterproof, they mean it!! In the image above, the left shows a fresh mark on my hand while the right shows the smudge after I rubbed it like crazy and even rubbed it under running water. That stuff did not want to go ANYWHERE. If you're looking for an eye liner that won't leave you hanging then definitely look into the Stila Smudge Stick. They have a nice array of colors that will make any eye color pop. 

After calculating about how much the samples are worth, this month's box comes to a worth of about $36. That's well over the $10 a month fee. I'd say that's a pretty good deal to me!


Now, go sign up and get some goodies! :) www.birchbox.com


*Disclaimer: All of these opinions are my own and I did not get paid or endorsed in any way to write these reviews.
**All photos belong to me.

Monthly Beauty Subscriptions

Any ladies (or fellas?) out there looking for some monthly beauty subscription services to join? Here's a list of some that I've found. (These are for the U.S. only that I know of)

• Birchbox - $10/month
  www.Birchbox.com
• Ipsy - $10/month
  www.Ipsy.com
• Beauty Army - $12/month
  www.BeautyArmy.com
• Eco-Emi - $15/month
  www.EcoEmi.com
• Julep Maven - $19.99/month
  www.Julep.com