IPSY is a monthly beauty and makeup subscription box. For $13 per month, you get five full-size or deluxe-sized products, plus a cute makeup bag.
One of the perks of being an Ipsy subscriber is access to their shop- along with discounted products and bundles, you can also shop mystery bags! This is a review of the Ipsy Modern Edge Mystery Bag, which is no longer available for purchase (but don't fret, plenty of other mystery bags still are!).
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First Impressions
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This mystery bag comes with five items and a beautiful tortoiseshell makeup bag to store all of your loot. This bag is bigger than your standard-size Glam Bag, and it's a sort of vinyl material that would wipe away easily if something spilled.
Here's a screenshot of what the description looked like from my personal Ipsy account. Based on the description, I expected to receive products from Kate Somerville, Rare Beauty, and Tarte.
The Breakdown – What’s Inside My Ipsy "Modern Edge" Mystery Glam Bag
Chella Divine Purpose Eyeshadow Palette - Retail Value $35
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Oh boy, this palette truly felt like a tale of two shadow formulas. The shimmers here are absolutely beautiful- pigmented, gorgeously sparkly, buttery smooth when applied. The matte shades are... an other story. I found them to be patchy and difficult to work with, which is a bummer considering there are only 8 shades in this palette and five of them are matte.
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Here I am wearing the shade Pure with Authentic applied on top. You can see full swatches below, too.
Kate Somerville Exfolikate Glow Moisturizer, 1.7 oz - Retail Value $76?
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I really like Kate Somerville, but I do wish we received a moisturizer with the same exact packaging as the moisturizer sold from the Kate Somerville site directly. I don't know if it's old packaging or if Ipsy specifically got sent different packaging from what the brand sells, but even when the amount of the product is the same it just feels... different to me because they don't match. Is that just a me thing? The product itself, though, is fabulous- if you're a Kate Somerville fan getting this probably makes the entire mystery bag worth it for you. It's a lightweight moisturizer made with glycolic and lactic acid, but it doesn't irritate my skin even with regular use (I've actually gone through a full jar prior to receiving this one in this mystery bag). To me personally, I find this moisturizer better suited for the summer months, but overall it's a good product.
Feel Vitamin E Balm, 0.67 oz - Retail Value $24
This is a multi-purpose balm made with vitamin E, castor seed oil, and carnauba wax. The castor oil and vitamin E nourish and protect your skin while the wax adds a glossy finish that lends this to being more of a lip balm than a truly multi-purpose balm (for me, at least). This does also have peppermint oil which gave my lips a refreshing tingle, and overall I liked the way this felt on my lips and how it made them feel hydrated.
Karmela Cosmetics Lipstick in Enchanted - Retail Value $28
Enchanted is a deep wine-stained red lipstick that, honestly, I just don't really see myself wearing. I am much more of a deep pink berry person than deep red if we are reaching for vampy colors this fall, and a color like this with brown undertones tends to wash me out (but looks gorgeous on those with complexions different from mine). This matte formula was pretty comfortable and not too drying (likely due to the lanolin and castor seed oil this is formulated with), but I did find that it didn't have the best staying power.
Beauty For Real Eyeliner in Heaven's Door and Beauty For Real Eyeliner in Night Fever - Retail Value $32 ($16 each)
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These are some pretty great gel eyeliners. While I prefer liquid eyeliners to pencil, these have the texture that I wish all pencil eyeliners had- creamy, pigmented, glides across my eyelid with no tugging. The shade Night Fever is your typical black while Heaven's Door is a very pretty rose gold metallic pink, and I really liked the way it looked when I applied Heaven's Door to my lower lash line- I felt like it made my eyes look more wide open and awake.
Here are the eyeliners swatched below the lipstick and above the eyeshadow swatches.
Value – Was This Box Worth It?
The Cost: $30
Value Breakdown:
- Chella: $35 → $5.38
- Kate Somerville: $76 → $11.69
- Feel: $24 → $3.69
- Karmela Cosmetics: $28 → $4.31
- Beauty for Real: $32 → $4.92
Everything in my Modern Edge Mystery Bag adds up to $195, which is below the promised value of $230.
Key Takeaways
After an MSA Forum user asked a question about Ipsy's mystery bags, I knew I wanted to revisit them (I've reviewed them before, but it's been a few years). The first two (you can check them out here and here) were great, but I think some wires got crossed in the creation of this one. This is the only mystery bag I received where it didn't come with all of the brands mentioned in the bag description (there were no products from tarte or Rare Beauty like I was expecting), and it also didn't hit the promised value which isn't like the other mystery bags I've reviewed, either.
Honestly, on its own two feet, I think this is a pretty solid bag between the Kate Somerville Moisturizer and the Beauty For Real eyeliners, but it feels a little lackluster when you compare it to the expectations that were set by the description. I do think this is the exception rather than the norm when it comes to the Ipsy mystery bags, but it is good to know that it's not a guarantee to receive the products in the description.
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Other Things You Should Know
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? No, but other mystery bags are available for purchase.
Am I able to customize my bag? N0- you can customize your monthly Glam Bag, but not this mystery bag.
What do you think of my Ipsy Modern Edge Mystery Glam Bag?
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