ipsy has a rating of 1.5 stars from 800 reviews, indicating that most customers are generally dissatisfied with their purchases. Reviewers complaining about ipsy most frequently mention customer service, glam bag, and credit card problems. ipsy ranks 100th among Subscription Shopping sites.
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I joined back up for Ipsy Glam Bag. The price is now a total of $7 more per month and the items were pathetic! I wound up canceling after 2 bags. What a shame that something that I was once so good has gotten disgraceful. A big waste of money!
Products used:
None!! All crap!
Date of experience: October 14, 2024
Be very careful when you sign up for Ipsy. I signed up 9 years ago. I thought that was enough. I called to cancel in July because my renewal came up in September. When I got my credit card statement they charged me another year. I spoke with my credit card company (American Express) there was nothing they could do. Ipsy is very sneaky how they don't allow you to cancel easily. Beware.
Date of experience: September 18, 2024
I set this annual subscription for my step daughter when she was in middle school. She is an adult now. I have tried to cancel this subscription every year and there's no way to reach anyone by phone. If you can't log into your account there is no way to cancel the account. I have disputed this with my credit card every year and finally I just had to cancel my credit. This company is a fraud. DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH THEM UNLESS YOU WANT TO BE BILLED FOR LIFE. RIDICULOUS!
Products used:
Annual subscription
Date of experience: August 27, 2024
They have charged me 3 times to my account, and keep saying they will send me a replacement, and that the replacement has gone out, but it never arrives.
Products used:
See all the communications, back and forth, where they acted like they shipped me things, but nothing arrived
Date of experience: August 23, 2024
The ipsy bag is a joke! Items are tiny sizes you get from free as samples not something one should have to pay for! The value is just not there. The products I received didn't match me or my profile. All items were very similar and would only provide a couple of uses per product /sample. I also had issues later on with customer service lying to me about items from their "shop" being shipped. It was such a horrible experience. I cannot recommend and have canceled my subscription.
Products used:
None
Date of experience: June 21, 2024
I recently reactivated my subscription to give them another chance. I boyices a few of my boxy items were small when they were supposed to be full sized. When I checked the photos I realized some were the same size I would get in the glambag. I emailed back and forth, sent pictures as requested and eventually they decided to give me 100 points which still requires another purchase. It is a SCAM? They know the sizes of their products and the size of what they sent me so having me to gio back and forth was a farce. Service and the lie are why I'm canceling. The products were great but not worth getting them through ipsy.
Products used:
Monthly subscription. Loved the products just was getting cheated with the sizes
Date of experience: June 25, 2024
I came in here to shout out the IPSY customer service. I have been a loyal IPSY user for 6+ years. The basic glam bag is plenty for me since I like to try items before I buy full size. Throughout the years I have had some problems with items (wrong shade, lost packages, late delivery, etc) and they have compensated those issues promptly and with understanding. Just recently was looking through the app and realized I never got my September package. They quickly replied to my issue and promptly sent me a new package with the same (or similar) items. 10/10 on the customer service!
Date of experience: November 5, 2023
Woke up to a notification from my bank this morning - it was right there on my phone too. As if Ipsy's $13.99 price hike was bad enough but now they wanna charge MORE for what is seemingly less? Honestly, it isn't worth it. I loved Ipsy when I first subscribed because all of the products were new and I had never heard of any of the brands, and plus, it was makeup. It was like opening a Christmas gift each month but now I'm not even excited. If anything, they send too much. I can't even use some of the products because of my sensitive skin. And what's with all of the tiny mascaras? They all seem cheap and I used to get like two of them in one bag. The product samples used to be better! Now it's so sad because it feels like they just steal your money. At least I'll be receiving my refund in 5-7 business days. Great! I hope my bank doesn't charge me an overdraft fee.
Tip for consumers:
Customer service is a joke. If you want to file a "ticket" to get to somebody you have to chat with the Ipsybot and even then, you're stuck emailing with their customer service. Also, I have sooooo many brushes now. What the heck?
Products used:
Ended up using some of the sample products like the face primers or chapsticks.
Date of experience: February 8, 2024
This company is horrible. I ordered the Pat mcgrath icon box and my 2-3items came in used/bad. When my replacements came in, one item (Huda cheeky blush) was still twisted to the top and fell out as soon as I opened it (again). My second replacement, same thing. When they said they would send another replacement that was a different brand, I told them not to send me from their cheap line that they owned (complex culture) because it is not a comparable item to the Huda blush.
Well they don't listen for anything bc they sent me the $2 cheap blush instead of the $30 blush I ordered (that they kept sending to me used/bad). This is clearly bait and switch from a higher end brand to a cheap knock off. Complex culture items are pure trash and anytime someone has issues with the higher end items they pay for, Ipsy subs them with this cheap horrible garbage.
Customer service is useless. They don't care about customers or keeping business. I will be disputing the whole charge.
Products used:
Nothing it was garbage.
Date of experience: December 16, 2023
I have never wanted a ion box but somehow they said I order it but didn't pay for it so now I don't get either box or bag this bag isn't worth the money and it got worse when the put the ipsy and boxy charm together
Products used:
Nail polish and hair stuff and gave away the make up all but the massacre
Date of experience: March 4, 2024
I am so sorry that I started with this company, I have been trying to cancel a subscription for months. I lost access to my original email so now l get the "bot" to answer questions. This is the worst company ever!
Tip for consumers:
horrible customer service !
Products used:
mascara
Date of experience: February 22, 2024
I was an ipsey member and their products were cheap, broke me out, and just werent really worth it. Fav. Was always the little purse. I cancelled and went with Boxy Charm a while later and like them SO MUCH BETTER! It is unfortunate that Ipsy bought them out and shut them down since they could not compete because now mostly my boxes suck again. Not really good name brands --I got MAC and other top brands when Boxy ran the show. It is a shame they did not find a way to retain the products/merchants or at least enough of them so we could continue to enjoy. I will give it a couple more boxes...but...
Tip for consumers:
Yes, Please bring BOXYCHARM BACK! the REAL one!
Products used:
Not really any since Ipsy took over with the few exceptions here and there.
Date of experience: December 1, 2023
You can go to Macy's, Sephora, Dillard's or ultra and get samples for free. Compared to $15 for what you get in this bag, (everything is samples in this bag) it is so not worth it. I used to get this years ago and you got a lot more in your bag and better products. I started back up again and NO! I just canceled my membership as soon as I receive this bag I will not continue to do this. Sorry but not sorry.
Tip for consumers:
That everything is a sample in the $15 bag. Just remember you can go to the department store and get FREE samples!!!
Products used:
I sprayed the perfume it stinks. I like the hand lotion.
Date of experience: December 12, 2023
Just got my bag today-total garbage - products are brands I've never heard of and sample sized. I receive better samples at Shoppers or at Sephora. Received 6 weeks late. For what you get, it's not worth it.
Date of experience: February 6, 2023
I ordered my glam bag October 17th, tomorrow is December and still have not received anything. Tracking status has shown its been in NC for a month! There is no phone support only email, no real person to speak to. This company is a joke.how are they around still?!
Date of experience: November 30, 2022
Honestly when they first came out with ipsy i ordered, loved it. Great products. Now all I get is broken cheap junk. And the worst part is, there's no one to call or have replaced. There's no such thing. So today was my last broken item i'm done with Ipsy & Boxy charm.
Date of experience: July 21, 2022
I would not say too much except that if you subscribe to have a lot of back and forth with customer support over missing items in your order/ getting wrong orders/ damaged products/ bad quality products. If you wish to read more reviews I would recommend reading posts on Reddit. You can read more specific complaints from people there.
Date of experience: October 17, 2023
I used ipsy for a while in 2021, honestly I loved the quality and never had any issues. I re-subscribed in 2022 and it was the absolute worst experience I've ever had with a subscription service. Several products came damaged, customer service was extremely difficult in shipping me replacements. A few of my monthly subscriptions never showed up at all, as well as my replacements for the damaged items. They do NOT give you $$ back. I asked to cancel my subscription immediately after being ran around through customer service and to be refunded for what has not been received/ shipped and they refused any refund at all. I DO NOT recommend Ipsy in the slightest. Spend your money literally anywhere else.
Tip for consumers:
Educate yourself fully on their no refund policy. Also their process for receiving damaged items.
Products used:
cosemetics
Date of experience: November 25, 2022
Do yourself a favor and do not get mixed up with Ipsy. Their website tricks you into signing up for things you don't want and you don't realize until your credit card is charged. And they make it impossible for you to cancel. I'm trying to do that now for a third time after receiving another overpriced $13 bag of samples that I did not want and cannot use. With each screen, they try to mislead you into cancelling your subscription. I finally got through all of them (carefully reading what they stated) and my phone app told me I cancelled, but my refreshed desktop is still telling me my subscription is active.) I may have to resort to calling the Better Business Bureau or an attorney. Do not sign up. I promise, you'll regret it! (PS -- The photo makes these products look way bigger than they are. They are tiny.)
Tip for consumers:
Read every single instruction and page carefully, and do not store your financial information on their website.
Products used:
lotion, makeup samples
Date of experience: May 17, 2022
Ipsy charged me a total of $140.05 for ONE single "Glam Bag", and three "refreshments" of razor blades that I never asked for and had no razor for. I was in contact with the company multiple times, and they simply just didn't care. Months after quitting the membership, they have STILL been charging me every month for products that they never even send. They have never offered to refund me, and I think they are crooks. Go with their competitors, as no other business could possibly be worse than this.
Date of experience: January 1, 2022
I do the annual subscription and have been for about 2 years. I live to get a surprise package every month! I especially enjoy getting the add ons. Every month they offer a few products for $12 or $ 18 that are usually so much more at Sephora or ultra. I have found their customer service helpful and quick to respond when I have an issue with a broken or missing product.
Products used:
Make up, moisturizer
Date of experience: February 2, 2021
Cancellation emails go to spam box, which they have to be opened and link clicked to finalize cancellation. Each cancellation page tries to trap you into accidentally signing up for something else or staying subscribed (it's like 3 pages). Customer service IS A JOKE. It's a bot that helps with nothing. I cancelled before but instead they PAUSED my membership supposedly and reactivated it 3 months later and of course, the email letting me know went to spam. Even though every other email (minus cancellation) went to my inbox. The product is crap and tiny. WORTHLESS. Free samples that they're charging you for.
Tip for consumers:
If you’re not into makeup it might help you learn about a few new products just make sure you know how to cancel because it apparently has to be done before 12PM PST the day before you’re charged.
Products used:
I used none. The products that were supposed to be tailored to me were not. I receive lash extensions so I don’t use mascara, that was specified and I still received TWO samples of mascara and 1 sample of lash enhancer. I have combination skin in the summer and the only thing tailored to that was an astringent that was approximately .12 ml. I was able to use it twice and that’s it.
Date of experience: August 1, 2022
Love ipsy! For only ten dollars a month you get a bag full of samples and full size products. There's obviously some months that are better than others but overall I've gotten lots of nice stuff from them
Date of experience: September 7, 2014
I've been an ipsy subscriber for about five months now and I'm a fan. Yes shipping sometimes takes awhile but it's well worth it. The only complaint I have is that they don't take the personal quiz into consideration because since day one I have noted not to receive eye shadow but I receive one in every bad. Other than that, the rest of the products are cute and some are name brand. People complain the products are too small... HELLO they are samples! And for only $10 a month, why not give it a try? Although, I would not recommend for actual make up artists. I think this bag is for people who are experimenting with make up. It's fun and cheap!
Date of experience: February 16, 2016
For the most part I'm satisfied with Ipsy. I get the Glambag Plus so that I can choose 3 full size products. My July bag was missing an expensive Dr Brandt eye cream. I contacted ipsy and was told it would be shipped within 15 days. Perfect, well not so perfect. Two weeks later I receive a cheap makeup brush that I don't like, need or want. Once again I contacted customer service and said I wanted the original product I selected or a reasonable substitute. I get a message with saying the product was out of stock, which it isn't, as I see it offered as an optional purchase, and they offer me 600 points. All that would get me is a sample size product from a pathetically small selection. It's insulting. Maybe it's time to switch to one of the other subscription services, such as Birchbox.
Products used:
It was a missing product and the replacement was completely unsatisfactory
Date of experience: August 14, 2022
ipsy co-founder Michelle Phan has captivated countless viewers around the world through her beauty video tutorials on YouTube. She envisioned a vibrant community where women could be inspired to express their unique beauty, and ipsy is that community!
“ipsy” comes from the Latin word ipse, meaning “sense of self.” By celebrating beauty of all forms in the world, ipsy provides a platform for anyone to express both their inner and outer radiance. With videos from ipsy's well-loved YouTube stylists, including co-founder Michelle Phan, as well as from a devoted and engaged user community, ipsy is changing the way women learn about and experience beauty looks.
When you become a member, you can learn new beauty tricks, participate along with your favorite ipsy stylists in monthly looks, and connect with other ipsters who inspire you.