IPSY Shop Review

I debated writing this blog post as it doesn’t really align with what Margin Of Beauty is all about. My focus has always been on sharing Canadian-friendly beauty deals which means no duties, high shipping fees, or currency exchanges. Well, today I am making an exception and I am reviewing this magical place called the IPSY Shop. The only thing standing in the way of it being Canadian-friendly is that it charges in U.S. dollars. This means you are subject to those pesky exchange fluctuations. The prices and deals are so good though that you may just be able to turn a blind eye. So, let’s get into this IPSY Shop review. I promise it will be worth your while.

What Is the IPSY Shop?

When you hear the word IPSY you probably think of the beauty subscription service that delivers a set of personalized beauty products to your door monthly. Their infamous Glam Bag can be seen all over social media as Influencers and Content Creators share what they receive each month. I have never been a huge fan of these types of subscription programs as I know I won’t use everything I get. What sets IPSY apart in my opinion is the IPSY Shop. It is their online store that is available 24/7 featuring over 1000 beauty products at 30-80% off retail prices. Consider it leftover inventory from their Glam Bags along with strategically curated bundles and mystery bags.

There is one catch though. The IPSY Shop is a perk only for active and past IPSY members within the U.S. and Canada. One loophole that I found to access the Shop is to find a subscriber and have them send you a free Glam Bag. Current members are able to unlock free invites with every Glam Bag they receive. A lot of members end up accumulating these free bags and look to give them away. I am part of a few beauty and makeup groups on Facebook and have seen multiple posts around giving away free Glam Bags. I responded to one and was sent an email with my free bag offer. After filling in my info, I got my bag and then cancelled my subscription. Nothing was charged and voila….I gained access to the IPSY Shop.

What Makes the IPSY Shop Special?

1) The Prices and Deals Are UNREAL!

If I am writing about a site that isn’t Canadian-friendly then there has to be a good reason. That main reason for this IPSY Shop review is to share their unbelievable prices. As previously mentioned, they do charge in U.S. dollars but you will find that the deals are still amazing even at a not so friendly exchange rate. I have included many examples below and this is just a small sampling. There are hundreds to thousands of items in the Shop at all times and new items are added weekly.

They also have a Mega Drop Shop once a quarter where they amp up their deals with their biggest discounts. Oftentimes when brands advertise 30-80% off you can expect only a couple of items to be at the higher discounted rate. With IPSY, most of the products are deeply discounted with very few in the 30% off range. Now that is worth applauding.

2) The Breadth of Brands Is Impressive

I mentioned earlier in this IPSY Shop review that thousands of products can be found in the Shop at any given time. At the time of this post there are over 1500 items and over 400 brands for sale. This includes mainstream brands such as Huda Beauty and Natasha Denona as well as indie brands such as Ace Beauté and KAB Cosmetics. You will also find a mix of higher end brands such as Elemis and Algenist as well as drugstore brands like Pacifica Beauty and Winkey Lux. I should note that you won’t find dozens of items from any one brand but rather a small offering as this is leftover inventory from their Glam Bags.

One observation that I have made is that items sell out quickly given the limited inventory on each sku. I have built a cart before and waited a day only to find that the items I wanted had sold out. The point is that there is no shortage of what to pick and I would confidently bet money that no one is leaving empty handed. This means you need to act fast if you have your eye on something.

3) It Includes New Releases and Brands Not Available in Canada

I am a longtime fan of the skincare brand Algenist and I have been patiently waiting for their latest release, the GENIUS Liquid Collagen® Essence, to come to Canada. The Algenist website doesn’t ship to Canada so I rely on Sephora for purchases from this brand. It still has not made its debut. Upon browsing the IPSY Shop, I was blown away to see this Essence available for sale. Now here is the best part. This Essence retails for $95 USD on the Algenist website. It was available in the IPSY Shop for $36 USD! The reality is that even if this Essence was availble in Canada at Sephora the best discount I would have gotten is 20% during a Sephora Savings Event. Not only did I finally get my hands on this Essence but I got it for 62% off!

Aside from this Algenist example, the IPSY Shop is a great place to find brands that don’t ship to Canada or that charge exorbitant duties and shipping fees. I have always wanted to try the Laura Geller brand but they charge $17 USD to ship to Canada. This charge has always stopped me from placing an order. I was pleasantly surprised to see 10 items from the brand in the IPSY Shop. This included their best selling Baked Balance-n-Brighten Color Correcting Foundation. This will be in my next IPSY Shop haul.

What are the Cons of the IPSY Shop?

Up until this point, I have only sung the IPSY Shop’s praises. This wouldn’t be a proper review without pointing out some of the cons of shopping on this site. I have already mentioned that they charge in USD but there are a few more points worth highlighting.

• They do charge a $4.95 USD shipping fee for all Canadian orders. There is no minimum to get free shipping so whether you are placing a $20 order or $200 you are charged this fee. My recommendation is to build up your wish list so you only get hit with this charge once. So far, the deals I have gotten are still well worth it even with this fee.
• The shades ranges are quite limited. There are a lot of complexion products in the IPSY Shop but you will notice that they only offer one or two shades. For example, Fenty Beauty, Rare Beauty, and Natasha Denona all have foundations in the Shop but you will find that they come in very limited shades. Again, this is likely due to leftover inventory from the Glam Bags.
• Products sell out very fast. I mentioned this earlier in this post. If you sit on your cart for too long then it is likely that some items will sell out. New items are added to the IPSY Shop weekly but older items are also coming out daily.

I hope you found this IPSY Shop review helpful. Just a warning – the IPSY Shop site can become addictive. I think I am on my fifth order already. Happy shopping!