This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at SAU chapter.

I had been wanting to try a monthly subscription service for quite some time now, and after seeing ads for them on practically every media platform, my curiosity only increased. After some digging and a recommendation from a friend, I decided to join Ipsy. Ipsy is a monthly subscription service, and they send beauty products to you based on a quiz, your preferences, and how you review the products they send you. My subscription package is the smallest one; for $12 a month, I get five beauty products mailed to me to try out and keep. I subscribed in November, and over the past three months, I’ve been introduced to some of my new favorite brands and products! In this piece, I’m going to be sharing my January glam bag, what I liked, and products I would recommend to you!

First things first, the bag itself; this month’s bag was a simple white marble with a pink zipper and a smooth texture. It’s probably one of my favorite bags I’ve gotten so far and I’ll probably end up using it as a pencil bag or something similar in the future!

First up the JJ Young Pore Glow Mask; I’ve gotten a mask with all three of my glam bags so far, and while this one wasn’t my absolute favorite, I did enjoy it. This menthol infused mask definitely helped my face’s redness and added some moisture to my skin, but the mask itself was rather thin when I applied it. Nevertheless, this mask is one I would recommend using – especially during the winter. And a hint I was given with this mask; keep it in the fridge until you use it to help calm your skin down, even more, when you apply it!

And just in time for the winter, a killer hand lotion! This product was probably one of my favorites this month! I hate dry hands and elbows, and this especially comes into play during the winter, and this lotion definitely became one of my new favorites this month. It’s deeply moisturizing, smells good and doesn’t leave your hands feeling greasy! Also, this brand is exclusively vegan, cruelty-free, and paraben-free, which means this product is made with natural and safe ingredients that are of amazing quality.

This product was the one that surprised me the most this month. I don’t really go for reds when it comes to lipstick, but for this one, I’d gladly make an exception. Bellápierre®️ is another brand I was unfamiliar with (and is also vegan), and this shade dubbed ‘Ruby’ certainly lived up to its namesake. It is profoundly red, applies extremely smoothly, and is pigmented from the first swipe on. Once it is on, I honestly forgot I was wearing lipstick until I took a drink and left a mark; it’s very light and comfortable, and I look forward to wearing it in the future.

This highlighter/blush combo in shade ‘pinch me’ from Ciaté London was something that I was unsure of at first, but now that I’ve used it more it’s grown on me. The first time I used it, I thought it was a bit sheer, but every use after that one it’s pigment has been more noticeable. Another huge plus though is the formula, it is extremely buttery and smooth, and applies like a dream. I’ve also taken to applying this on my eyelids or crease when I’m going for a subtle eye look, it’s just enough pink coupled with a bit of shimmer that adds to any neutral look.

Lastly, the Too Faced ‘Hangover’ primer; this primer is moisturizing and provides an excellent base for full faces of makeup. Too Faced is another cruelty-free brand that’s well known, so needless to say I was pretty excited when I saw this in my package. This is obviously not the full-sized product, and I am considering buying a new one once I’m out of this!

One more thing I wanted to point out regarding this service, none of these products (save for the lipstick) are retail size. All other products come in mainly sample sizes, and you can purchase these products full size after testing them via Ipsy. That being said I did receive 5 makeup products that if I had bought at full size and price would have cost me roughly $119 for $12. If you’re considering trying Ipsy, I highly recommend it, it has an extensive amount of brands, products, and is extremely easy to navigate online. Overall I have nothing but positive things to say about my experiences with this brand and look forward to the upcoming months!

Walk through my January Ipsy bag With me!

We wanna slide into your DMs