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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First they went from $12+ tax to $13+ tax, now they're charging a handling fee of at least $1.49 (don't know if it raises the more you buy) when you do any sort of add-on, flash sale, etc... which was a big draw previously. You could add on or buy anything on their sales for free shipping and at a good deal. Now with the "handling fee", it's not even worth it. Plus you can't actually decline any sort of product as not wanting at all. The best you can do is tell them you hardly use something. Means they'll still end up sending things you hate, and there's no option for sensitive skin, so for anyone with allergies or sensitivities, you're just going to have to hope the product's good.
Date of experience: November 19, 2021
Want to pay a monthly membership for disappointment, increasing anger and impatience? Ipsy! It takes a literal month to get your products, and when they do finally come, there's broken, half empty or just would never use stuff packed in an alright makeup bag. Hated it so much I declined the offer of a free month... I think mostly because it gives me heartburn to see it just sitting a couple states away for weeks in the tracking status. Cheap, unwanted products that take longer than shipments from China. No thanks.
Tip for consumers:
Don't expect much. Also probably don't track your package if you value your sanity.
Products used:
I am still waiting for my first and last bag, but I ordered some perfumes that came half empty/missing caps. 2 of the 12 are pretty nice. Out of $45, I was refunded $13, due to lack of replacement.
Date of experience: December 17, 2021
After having two recent back-to-back issues I have decided to cancel my ipsy subscription. 1st, smashed make up arrived and no way to get in touch with anybody to get it replaced and number 2, with the slip of the finger I
Cannot choose the products I want in my ipsy bag. The ones that were chosen for me from Etsy are nowhere near what I wanted.
Date of experience: November 2, 2022
They show you great products but send crap. The send a full size product of something like lip oil that I get at least every other month and says it's 17$ hilarious as I can get lip oils for a few bucks and who wants them anyway. So the rest are deluxe samples. So so tiny, barely enough for one use. Also the other full size product is usually a face sheet mask or eye patches which they state are 20$ again I can get a sheet mask for 3 $ at a discount store. It seems like all these subscription Boxes have gone down hill. Sadly I will be cancelling them all for a while.
Date of experience: June 12, 2023
When they first started it was a great idea and I loved it. Over time it began to degrade. Now it's really, really bad. The price is too high, products are inferior and the packaging stinks. All the boxes arrived crushed. U have to deal with a bot for customer service it takes almost a month to get the order too. The day of the sub beauty box is definitely dead.
Date of experience: May 18, 2022
Shop 'sale prices' are an outright lie. I purchased something for $50 which was supposedly reduced from $100. Minutes later found the item for $39 (regular price). So disappointing!
Date of experience: January 15, 2024
Everything was fine as long as they kept sending me monthly reminders that my account was going to resume since I would pause every month since reactivating. The promotional photos would always show better products than the junk they would send you. This month, I received no email that my account was going to "un-pause" and got charged for another bag of junk. Customer service maintains I must have received the email and to check all my folders. I know some companies are getting desperate to achieve their profits but this is ridiculous. Account cancelled and warning others now to be aware of their business practices.
Tip for consumers:
Incredibly annoying once you create an account and will constantly spam your email
Date of experience: April 4, 2023
I received an email for a glam bag plus for $13. However, upon check out, saw that it was only a glam bag. Instead of the 7 full sized items, it was 5 sample items. I contacted customer care via email (there is no phone number) and was told that they are aware of the mistake in the email. However, they would not honor it. Instead, they offered 600 points which is only enough to choose between 4 crappy samples. I told them I wanted to cancel repeated for 4 days and never got a response. Then, I got an email from IPSY saying they put an item in my bag that doesn't match my shade on my beauty profile and offered 600 more points. Redeemed the points. Then, I finally heard back from customer care just for them to tell me if I cancel for April then I forfeit the items I used the points for! Such a shame. Also, my "March bag" won't get here until the first week of April. Just horrible. I would absolutely not recommend.
Date of experience: March 25, 2022
This business was absolutely horrible, it started out great but my daughter didnt once get a product she wanted but products she said she never wanted, I couldnt handle the monthly cost and i cancelled it, i got money pulled out of my acccount from ipsy after i had cancelled it, so i had my daughter go in and cancell it on her end. I ending up having to cancell again and they are repeatedly taking money from my account and now i have to get a new card, do not get ipsy, it is a scam literally.
Products used:
Normally only 1 or 2 products per month out of 5
Date of experience: February 2, 2024
Got my first box today and my eyeshadow cheek blush was all crushed broken and powder all over place which is ridiculous how they would even pack that.
Date of experience: February 20, 2024
Terrible site. Everything is about you sharing their crap on social media. Product reviews are joke. Limited products and can only shop temporary deals or sampled items. All these mystery beauty boxes are bit of a risk and you'll never be happy with every sample, but I got 2 products I don't even use (made sure not to check them off on the beauty quiz). Boring shades too, just beige and gold.
If you want a monthly beauty boxes, do Birchbox. It has problems, but at least you get a real website.
Date of experience: January 13, 2016
Absolutely no customer service. They don't have a phone, will not answer emails... all I want to do is cancel. Got the glam bags again this month. I am going to contact Better Business Bureau and see what can be done.
Date of experience: January 22, 2015
Honestly, there are so many other subscription boxes out there for makeup. Ipsy gives you indie brands that you've never even heard of, small sample sizes. They also don't seem to use the preferences that you set. I had it for 2 months, hated both months. I subscribe to Boxycharm and have been a subscriber for almost 3 years, it's WAY better. More bang for your buck in my opinion
Date of experience: August 13, 2018
Ive been a subscriber to Ipsy for 6 mos now and I absolutely LOVE this. Its $10.00 per month which is perfect. I've stopped spending tons at Ulta and Sephora because with Ipsy I get a makeup bag with 5 different sample sizes of products. Which is just enough. These consist of cosmetics, skin care products and sometimes brushes are in the mix.
If you're thinking, Oh, I don't need brushes,
Then when you sign up you will answer a short questionaire profile, don't check off brushes.
I definitely recommend trying them out. It's become my new splurge.
Date of experience: July 17, 2016
I have been trying to get a hold of somebody about my bag that still has not been delivered. I signed up for this last month picked up my bag it said it was getting ready at the beginning of this month, and it's still saying that. I talked to a friend into signing up because I was super excited, she signed up three weeks after me and she has already received her bag. I am not very happy with the customer service that comes with this company
Products used:
I am still waiting on products
Date of experience: May 20, 2021
Here is the YouTube video of my Glam Nav review ;). https://youtu.be/w0crka47vJ4
Honestly I liked all the products I got, very neat, and it comes with its own makeup bag, very cute! One pleased customer. Also I like basics subscription as for now, gives me freedom to try out new stuff without being committed to it.
Tip for consumers:
Make sure you get their app, it’s very useful.
Date of experience: May 2, 2021
They obviously do not read your profiles. I didn't get anything that matched my profile. The products I did receive were super small and poor quality. The only reason I gave it a one star was because the only thing I semi enjoyed was the bag it came in. The packages always late too. I've tried to cancel several times but they keep taking money out without my permission and I haven't received anything I can return back. I will have to close my bank account in order to stop the auto withdrawals. I hope this company goes under. Lol. As a matter of fact. 8 think I will just start my own, then they will be out of business. Bye Felicia.
Date of experience: December 16, 2016
I had a whole bunch of add ons I wanted to buy already in my cart. Then they were just gone. I've been an Ipsy subscriber for years. I also miss Boxycharm and their drop shop. I think it's time to finally cancel now.
Date of experience: April 3, 2023
My daughters subscription was decent at first. Missed a product one month, it was difficult but wr finally got it fixed.
We moved & now our products are 2 months behind, but they certainly did get their money.
They offer no phone support, so I challenged the charges at my bank. This company sucks!
Date of experience: April 27, 2016
I've been a subscriber for years and am tired of the poor choices and variety as well as the crap shipping. Several of my recent pop-up and flash sales orders have been lost in the void that is DHL. Ipsy won't do anything about it other than to refund your money. Customer service gives you some crap about the items no longer being available, but will be seen in the same sale the following month. This month my bag itself has been stuck at a DHL facility 3.5 hrs from me for 3 days!
I stuck with IPSY over Birchbox b/c I prefer getting make up over the endless shampoos Birchbox gives you. IPSY is skimpy with the make up (unless it's a highlighter) and just focuses on skincare. Definitely ready to cancel.
Date of experience: November 11, 2021
So I saw someone on youtube get this box, so i thought what a cute idea for my gonna be 16 year old daughter at 10 bucks a month. Sounds like a deal huh,,,, no. Bad idea. They kept giving me the run around, and that if i choose another option from one of there other paid ad company they'd put me up front. Wrong. I cancelled it right away. Its a Gimmick, they trick you, they try and attract attention, publicity to get you to sign up but really they don't have a box to send you.
Date of experience: March 11, 2019
My 1st sample Box contained a sample hand cream that I liked, but the other products didn't reflect what I had answered in the Introduction survey, so I cancelled. My credit card was also closed because of fraud, yet Ipsy ignored my cancellation, which they had confirmed, and continued to try to bill the old card and ignored the cancellation. Seems poorly managed.
Date of experience: May 3, 2021
I have been an ipsy subscriber for over a year now. Everything has went smoothly! I love most of the items, I love the bags! The value is amazing! I had an issue last month where my pink envelope showed up empty! I don't know if it was shipped empty or, stolen on the way. I immediately contacted their customer service via email and they responded very quickly! They apologized and sent out another bag almost the next day! I am so thankful and grateful for the great customer service! This is one of the reasons why I continue to sub from them!
Date of experience: July 19, 2017
Love tipsy! It's like getting a present in the mail each month. You never know what to expect, but let me tell you - they include some amazing products! The items are typically a little larger than travel size, but since you get stuff each month, your beauty supplies are seemingly endless! Can't wait for March's bag with Spring goodies! :)
Date of experience: February 18, 2014
We did a change of address in August 2016 and EVERY company except IPSY changed our address as our mail was being forwarded. I have credit card that is charged monthly. I rarely use it and just pay it off each month. They have delivered ALL my bags to the old address for 7 months now. I'm pretty certain it's a felony to get into other peoples mail and not return it. This company is the worst. No customer service.
Date of experience: May 20, 2017
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.
Hi Lisa. We're so sorry to hear that you haven't been loving the products you've received. We have a few new personalization features, and our ipsyCare team would be happy to consult with you to make sure you get products you truly love.
Also, apologies for the trouble cancelling! Cancellation is a 2-step process. To cancel your subscription, please log in to ipsy.com and click on your profile picture in the upper right corner, then go to the "Subscriptions & Purchases" section to find the cancel button. You'll receive a confirmation via email, so just make sure you're still logged into your account when you open that email and click the link inside to finalize your cancellation.
If you're unsure if your cancellation was successful, just email our customer service team! You'll receive a response in less than 24 hours. support@ipsy.com