May 2026 Ipsy Ultimate Review: What They’re Offering vs. What I Would Actually Pick

May’s Ultimate is one of those months where Ipsy clearly wants to look luxurious without fully committing to the chaos or the thrill. It’s a prestige anchored month with a predictable structure: one luxury makeup item, one luxury skincare item, and one cheap brush everyone gets, whether they want it or not.

I’m not emotionally invested in this box — not the way I was last month — but if I’m going to do Ultimate for a single month, I’m at least going to curate it intelligently.

Below is the full item pool, followed by the eight items I would choose if I had total control.

What Ipsy Is Offering This Month

Prestige / High Value Items

• YSL Candy Glaze Lip Gloss Stick — $43 (universal)

• Sunday Riley Good Genes — $85

• Natasha Denona My Dream Cheek Trio — $48

• Natasha Denona Resurfacing Honey & Charcoal Mask — $69

• Gisou Honey Infused Hair Oil — $46

• NARS Light Reflecting Foundation — $55

• NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer — $36

• Korres Wild Rose Brightening Sleeping Facial — $55

Mid Tier / Crowd Pleasers

• Rare Beauty Find Comfort Bouncy Body Cream — $36

• Murad Superactive Moisturizer SPF 50 — $35

• Makeup by Mario Ultra Suede Cozy Lip Crème — $26

• Bisha Essential Setting Powder — $40

Fake Prestige / Filler

• Dermalactives Resurfacing Honey & Charcoal Mask — $159 (inflated RV)

• Ciele Blush Brush — $32 (universal filler)

What I Would Pick (If I Had Full Control)

1. YSL Candy Glaze Lip Gloss Stick — $43

Everyone gets it, but I would’ve chosen it anyway.

It’s the sensory anchor of the month.

2. Ciele Blush Brush — $32

Everyone gets it, and I would not have chosen it.

This is the tax we pay for the good stuff.

3. Rare Beauty Find Comfort Body Cream — $36

I’m in a body care era, and Rare Beauty tends to nail scent and texture.

A solid, comforting pick.

4. Sunday Riley Good Genes — $85

The prestige skincare anchor.

If I’m doing Ultimate for one month, this is the item that makes it worth it.

5. Korres Wild Rose Brightening Sleeping Facial — $55

Brightening, hydrating, and something I’ll actually finish.

A practical luxury.

6. Gisou Honey Infused Hair Oil — $46

Lightweight, glossy, and fun.

Not a holy grail, but a good “treat” item.

7. Makeup by Mario Ultra Suede Cozy Lip Crème — $26

I’m in my lip era.

This is an easy yes.

8. Murad Superactive Moisturizer SPF 50 — $35

Brightening + SPF is always useful.

Not thrilling, but absolutely practical.

Final Thoughts

This isn’t a “thrill month.”

It’s a value month — and a smart one if you curate it carefully.

My eight picks give me:

• Prestige skincare I’ll actually use

• Two lip products I’ll enjoy

• Body care, hair care, and SPF

• Only one dud (the brush)

• A real value total around $310 for items I’ll genuinely use

For a month I’m not emotionally invested in, this is a clean, efficient, regret proof Ultimate.

IPSY MAY 2026 — The Month of Soft Utility and Scented Rituals

Every Ipsy month has a personality. Some months are chaotic little monsters throwing glitter and indie brands at my face. Some months are prestige heavy flexes. And some months — like this one — are quietly competent, built around things you’ll actually finish, actually enjoy, and actually use.

May 2026 is a Skin First, No Miss Month.

Not flashy. Not dramatic. But deeply usable.

And for me, that made the choice surprisingly easy.

THE CHOICE ITEMS

1. Rare Beauty — Find Comfort Gentle Exfoliating Body Wash

This was my top pick, and honestly? It wasn’t even close.

The scent notes alone read like a miniature perfume:

Top: lemon zest, rhubarb, pomelo

Mid: jasmine petals, violet, black tea

Base: vetiver, tonka bean, cashmere wood

This is not a “celebrity brand vanilla musk” situation. Which is honestly refreshing.

This is bright . Floral tea. Warm-wooded. Which is just up my alley.

This is a story.

It hits every part of my sensory profile: tart fruit, humid florals, vetiver grounding, tonka warmth. And I love body washes — they’re one of the few categories I actually finish. This one feels like a ritual anchor, not a filler item.

This is an easy first pick for me.

2. Saie Beauty — Hydrabeam Concealer

This would have been a contender for #1 if Ipsy let me pick my shade. Hydrabeam is soft focus, hydrating, and forgiving — basically the complexion product equivalent of a warm lightbulb.

But shade roulette is real, and I’ve been burned before.

So it lands at #2: high emotional value, but too risky for the top slot.

3. The Ordinary — UV Filters SPF 45 Serum

A serum + SPF hybrid is always a win for my fair skin. Lightweight, daily use, and practical. This is the “responsible adult” choice.

However, I am deeply into scents right now.

For tha reason, it sits comfortably in third place.

4. Dermelect — Self Esteem Beauty Sleep Serum

A perfectly good exfoliating night serum.

No complaints, no excitement.

This is the workhorse of the lineup — reliable, but not a spark of joy.

5. Smashbox — Photo Finish Original Primer

A classic. A legend.

I have 4 other primers right now. This does not pass the stash test.

There’s nothing wrong with it.

It’s just not what I need right now.

May isn’t a prestige month.

It’s not a chaotic month.

It’s not a “who even are these brands” month.

It’s a use-everything month — and for me, that means leaning into the item that feels good, a sensory moment, a soft place to land.

This month, that’s the Rare Beauty body wash.

And honestly? I can’t wait for my shower to smell like lemon zest, black tea, and cashmere wood.

The City of Good Intentions

Recently, I’ve been doing a lot of fictional worldbuilding. One of the cities I’ve created has a very strict magic system designed to “improve” standard humans for their own good. The mages in charge of this project view themselves as champions for humanity, as good people, as beneficial researchers. They’re wrong.

They don’t see that every “improvement” they impose comes with a cost. They don’t notice how closely they watch their subjects, how they tally their habits, how they quietly adjust the rules without asking. They believe they’re helping. They believe they’re being responsible. They believe they’re preventing harm.

But from the inside, it doesn’t feel like help. It feels like surveillance. It feels like being managed. It feels like your choices are no longer your own, even when the choices are small and silly and human.

And the strangest part is that the mages don’t understand why anyone would mind. They don’t see the imbalance. They don’t see the asymmetry. They don’t see that autonomy is not a luxury—it’s the air people breathe.

I keep thinking about how easy it is, in fiction and in life, for “I’m just trying to help” to turn into “I’ve decided what’s best for you.” And how hard it is to name the moment when care crosses the line into control.

There is something deeply dehumanizing about being watched. Not witnessed. Not affirmed, but watched, scrutinized, assessed, and evaluated. Monitored. It objectifies you. It makes you feel less like a person and more like someone's failing project.

Out of respect, I do my best to go through life ignorant of most people's daily choices. What they eat, what they love, what they cling to, what delights them? That is not my business unless they choose to share it.  That kind of autonomy should not be a luxury. It should be the baseline.

And like I said, the mages in my story aren't evil. They see themselves as helpful. They believe their vision for the world is correct. But here's the thing, they never asked the people they are 'helping' if they wanted that specific kind of help. It probably never even occurs to them that they should.  Instead of giving humanity the room to figure out their own problems, they step in and make decisions for them. It's deeply dehumanizing. 

Maybe that’s the quiet lesson tucked inside all this worldbuilding: even the kindest intentions can warp when they forget to leave room for choice. Even the gentlest “improvements” can feel like shackles when they’re imposed instead of invited. I don’t think most people set out to become mages of control — in fiction or in life — but it happens easily when we stop remembering that other people are whole, thinking beings with their own rhythms, comforts, and ways of journeying through life. That journey is never straightforward. People make mistakes, sometimes massive ones. 

But trying to steer another person’s path — by watching, correcting, or setting the tempo for their growth — is its own kind of misstep. It’s a reminder that even well‑intentioned guidance can become a cage when it forgets that every person’s journey is theirs alone.

Ipsy Original April 2026

 The bag itself is pink with a little fake pearl on the zipper. It's cute. Not really my style, but cute. 

1. BELLÁPIERRE Purifying Milky Cleanser

Will I use this? Yes. I always use cleansers. Eventually.

Excitement level: Mild shrug.

First impression: Neutral. It’s scentless, the milky texture is nice, and it didn’t offend me.

Do I feel cheated? No — the size is fair.

Verdict: The dependable background character of the bag. Not thrilling, not disappointing, just… present.

2. MEMOIRE ARCHIVES First Class

Will I use this? I always end up using scents, even the weird ones.

Excitement level: Low. It didn’t blend with my chemistry at all.

First impression: It sat on my skin like, “HELLO, I AM PERFUME,” and not in a charming way. Strong chemical opening.

Do I feel cheated? No — good size, even if the scent is socially awkward.

Verdict: The extrovert at the party who introduces themselves too loudly and too close. I’ll find a way to make it work, but we’re not friends yet.

3. RUBY ROSE Lip Oil in Watermelon

Will I use this? Absolutely. I’m in my lip‑product era.

Excitement level: High — a good lip oil is always welcome.

First impression: It sits so well on my lips. Smooth, glossy, looks great… and smells like watermelon if watermelon were in middle school.

Do I feel cheated? Not at all.

Verdict: Cute, fun, and easy to love. A little nostalgic, a little silly, very usable.

4. TATCHA Dewy Milk Moisturizer

Will I use this? Yes — it’s so tiny I could blink and it would be gone.

Excitement level: Hard to muster when the sample is the size of a lentil.

First impression: I know the product is good (I own the full size), but this sample is comically small.

Do I feel cheated? Yes. Deeply.

Verdict: Luxury in theory, dollhouse portion in practice.

5. YSL Lash Clash Extreme Volume Mascara

Will I use this? Yes — even though Ipsy needs to calm down with the mascaras.

Excitement level: Surprisingly high once I saw it.

First impression: Substantial packaging, generous travel size, feels like a real product.

Do I feel cheated? Not at all.

Verdict: The unexpected winner. I wasn’t looking for another mascara, but this one showed up ready to impress.

6. SOL DE JANEIRO Cheirosa 76 Perfume Mist

Will I use this? Oh absolutely. It will take restraint not to overuse it.

Excitement level: Deeply excited.

First impression: Gorgeous packaging, stunning scent, only flaw is that it tips over like a fainting Victorian heroine.

Do I feel cheated? Not even a little. Perfect travel size.

Verdict: The star of the bag. This scent sits on my skin like it was always meant to be there. Warm, sweet, confident — it’s a whole mood.

Final Thoughts

This month’s bag was a mix of practical, nostalgic, mildly disappointing, and genuinely delightful. The cleanser will get used, the perfume will need some coaxing, the lip oil is adorable, the Tatcha sample is a crime, the YSL mascara is a pleasant surprise, and Cheirosa 76 is the kind of scent that makes you rethink your entire fragrance wardrobe.

If every bag had one product this good, I’d never complain again.

Ipsy Extra April 2026

 Uggh. I've been dealing with a lot. A lot of drama and car issues and surgeries.  I still wanted to post my first impressions about this, though.

My April Extra Box: A Soft Lip Era With One Rogue Eye Serum

This month’s Extra Box felt like it was curated by someone who knows me very well… and also by someone who wants my eyelids to suffer. Let’s begin.

1. AVANT SKINCARE — Antioxidising Micro Algae Eye Protect Serum

This one stings.

Not a cute tingle. Not a “working hard” sensation.

A sting.

There’s a generous amount of product, which is lovely in theory, but my eyes said absolutely not. This may become a gift for someone whose skin is braver than mine. I have a lot of eye stuff anyway. Seriously, the venom is easier than this. 

2. TARTE™ — Maracuja Juicy Lip Vinyl Gloss

Glorious. Wonderful.

It feels like luxury because it is luxury.

I already had a mini and adored it, so getting the full-sized version feels like a small personal victory. Plush, shiny, comfortable — everything I want in a gloss. It makes my lips look heavenly.

3. GISOU — Honey Infused Lip Oil in Bee llini Peach

A delight in a wavy tube.

The curved doe foot applicator is a tiny ergonomic miracle, and the formula glides on like peach honey silk. I really do love lip oils. I need lip oils. And this one is great. Hydrating, shiny, and effortless. This is going straight into daily rotation.

4. MAISON LOUIS MARIE — Fleur De La Passion Hair & Body Mist

This smells like being cleaned by Spring itself.

Bright, airy, and elegant — the kind of scent that makes you feel like you’ve stepped into a soft breeze. Perfect for layering, perfect for everyday, perfect for me. I paired it (wrists) with my Commodity Juice (sterum) and it was stunning. 

5. BEAUTY VAULTE — Poutastic Lip Liner Trio

Good colors.

Creamy glide.

No tugging.

And I got three.

These are the kind of practical, everyday liners that make glosses and oils look intentional. They’re going to get used — a lot.

This month’s box was overwhelmingly “me-coded”: soft textures, glossy finishes, correct tones, and a bright clean fragrance that feels like a mood.

And then one painful eye serum tried to pick a fight with my face.

But overall?

A lovely box with products I’ll actually use — and a reminder that my skin prefers comfort over chaos.