Update 5/31: images of the eye palette ingredients and eyeshadows modeled added.
Love Tetris? Me too! ipsy recently collaborated with the iconic NES game to bring us an incredibly colorful makeup collection celebrating 35 years of tile-matching magic!
This box was sent to us at no cost for review. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)
About the Tetris x ipsy 35th Anniversary Makeup Collection
The Box: Tetris x ipsy
The Cost: $39.99
The Products: An exclusive collection of eyeshadows, lipglosses, lip balm, and a highlighter, all Tetris themed!
Ships to: US
Delivered via: USPS
FYI: This collection has launched! If you are already an Ipsy or Ipsy Glam Bag Plus subscriber you can expect to see some of this collection arriving in your June bags! The entire collection set will be available for sale in the Ipsy Shop!
Our Review
I can't claim to have played Tetris when it first launched. That was back in 1985 and I hadn't quite been born yet. My memories of this game are directly tied to my oversized grey brick of a Gameboy and playing it sneakily in church. There was something so soothing about the different shapes and the concentration it took to play out a strategy and maximize the number of lines you could clear per piece before you ran out of space and had to start all over again. I remember arguing with my mom about what song we preferred to play in the background as we cleared line after line. She has always been better than me and is our family's reigning champ.
There was something so blissfully nostalgic and yet totally unexpected about this collaboration. Tetris + makeup? What?? Would it be good? Would it stay true to the heart of this iconic game? Could a video game beloved by so many and an incredible makeup brand truly have a meeting of the minds?
Well, friends, they totally did.
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Tetris x ipsy Lip Gloss in 'Tetrimino', 4 g
This lovely lipgloss is as demure as this kit gets. (I figured I would start off easy!) 'Tetrimino' is a soft champagne with sparkles for days! Beautiful on its own, or over a favorite lipstick, this is an easy to love gloss. The formula is smooth, not overly sticky, and the scent is some sort of mixture of beachy coconut vibes and sunshine. All of the lip products in this collection share this scent.
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Tetris x ipsy Lip Gloss in 'Matrix', 4 g
The icy-silver counterpart to the golden gloss above is 'Matrix' a flash of silver and shimmer. Like 'Tetrimino', this gloss is incredibly subtle and can be worn alone or layered. Because it is such a cool shimmer, I found that this one had a more mirror finish.
Top: Matrix, Bottom: Tetrimino
The picture doesn't really do justice to the amount of shimmer and shine these glosses have!
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Tetris x ipsy Lip Balm in 'l33t ', 2.8 g
This collection comes with three lip balms. The first 'l33t' is an orange/red with a hot pink core. On the lips, it is super sheer and gives a natural flush of red, like you have been eating a cherry popsicle. The formula is very, very sheer, but super hydrating.
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Tetris x ipsy Lip Balm in 'n00b ', 2.8 g
This is another incredibly subtle lip balm. The outer is a sheer beige which looks like naked lips on my face. The core is an iridescent blue shimmer which gives the lips just the smallest amount of dimension. Because this is by far the most demure item in this collection, I could see some people being underwhelmed. I personally think it is excellent for those makeup-free days where you still want to put something fun on your lips and feel fancy.
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Tetris x ipsy Lip Balm in 'm4d sk1llz ', 2.8 g
Lastly, 'm4d sk1llz' is a pinkish shade that can't decide if it also wants to be purple or not. Like the other balms, it is very sheer and natural looking and has that same beachy smell. This one had the most staying power of the trio.
Top to bottom: l33t, n00b, m4d sk1llz
At this point, you are probably thinking "But Megan...where is all the COLOR?"
Buckle up!
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Tetris x ipsy 'Tetris Life' Highlighter, 3.8 g
Wow. This is one metallic highlighter! I am going to admit right now that this is far too warm for me to even consider using, but that shouldn't detract from its 'WOW' factor. A true honey gold, this highlighter defines what it is to shimmer. Apply with a light touch and you are rewarded with sheer, gilded cheekbones. Applied with more drama and you have a borderline chrome level of intense reflective coverage. If you love a bold, warm, metallic highlight, this one is for you. And hey, if you are like me and think it might not work as a highlighter with your skin tone, try it out as a shadow!
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Tetris x ipsy 'Game On' 6 Eyeshadow Palette, 13.5 g
This palette is everything. I want these colors on my face, in my home, in my closet, everywhere!! What a curation! There is a true mustard (Game Changer) and it works SO well with the more neutral shades of pink champagne (Game Day), rose gold (Block Party) and the matte shell (Stack It Up). Those four alone would be incredible but also included is a bold metallic moss (Game Night) and the most incredibly saturated navy (Game Over). If you read any of my beauty box reviews you know I tend to lean more towards natural makeup looks, but even I can't help but get incredibly excited by these bold shades. The pigment is fantastic and the fallout isn't bad! They all blend very easily.
From top to bottom: Game Changer (matte), Game Day, Game Night, Stack It Up (matte), Block Party, Game Over (matte).
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Tetris x ipsy 'Block Party' 6 Eyeshadow Palette, 13.5 g
More color! This second palette is a little cooler than the first and is a healthy mix of wild colors and a few basics. My eye first went to the shimmery hot pink (Line Clear) and then to that bold, true purple (High Score!) They are both beautifully shimmery and pigmented. Top Out is a gorgeous metallic teal and the mercury metallic T-Spin is a dream. These bolder colors are cleverly anchored with the versatile brown and neutral (Skyline and Back-To-Back) shadows that give this palette a very well-rounded feel. Like the other palette, all of these shades have great pigment and are velvety smooth.
Top to bottom: Skyline (matte), T-Spin, Top Out, Back-To-Back (matte), Line Clear, High Score!
You can also experiment with using them wet as a liner. (The navy shade works so beautifully.) Top to Bottom: T-Spin, Game Night, Game Over, Top Out, High Score!, Line Clear
Tetris x ipsy 5 Piece Brush Set
Finally, finishing this collection is a really fun synthetic brush set. Including a variety of shaders, fluffers, and angle brushes, these are perfect for applying your next Tetris shadow look flawlessly. The handles are slightly square in shape instead of round, which makes holding them really easy and prevents them from rolling off your vanity. Each one has a different color metallic neck and iconic Tetris shapes going down the handle.
Want a closer look at the brush tips? Peep below!
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Here is a closer look at the ingredients for each item!
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Per a reader request (thanks Karen!), I wanted to also add some images of these shadows on my actual eye. I am not even CLOSE to a makeup artist and while I would normally feel totally comfortable with the neutral shades on both of these palettes, I really wanted to try out some of the bold shades!
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Here is a quick look I put together with the 'Game On' palette. I used 'Game Over' as a liner and used a blend of 'Game Changer' and 'Game Day' on my lid and into my crease. I did have to use a tarte shade 'Gleam' on my brow bone because I am fair and the 'Stack It Up' shade wasn't light enough for me to use here. I have a little bit of 'Game Night' in my inner eye. Mascara is BADgal BANG!
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Next, I tried to create a look with the 'Block Party' palette. This one reminds me of Lisa Frank! Under my lower lash line, I have a blend of 'Line Clear' to 'High Score!'. I used 'Back-to-Back' all over my entire lid, up to my brow. My lower lid is mostly 'Top Out' with 'T-Spin' blended in towards my duct. I used 'Skyline' (which was so pretty!) in my crease. I also have a little bit of the 'Tetris Life' highlighter on my upper cheek. These were really fun to experiment with, especially for someone like me who usually avoids brights. Mascara is W4NDER Mile High Club.
Verdict: I absolutely loved this collection! When I first heard about this collab I was a little confused, but they really nailed it! Both of the glosses are beautiful alone or layered and the sheerness makes them incredibly versatile. The lip balm trios were also understated, but utterly wearable! I thought the different colored cored were visually brilliant. The palettes were by far the highlights for me because the color combos were just insane in the best way, a careful mixture of bold and bright, with grounding neutrals to give balance. Including a little brush set was as thoughtful as it was practical because you can immediately start experimenting with those incredible shades. Though the highlighter is not something I think I can wear, I am still so impressed by it! My only complaints were that the names of each lip product were not on the bottom info sticker, making it hard to figure out which shade was which if you open a few items at once. I do wish they had also included a few super bold/crazy lipsticks and eyeliners, but maybe that is something that could happen someday in the future. For now, I am pretty smitten with all of the different pieces of this collections that seamlessly fit together. (See what I did there?)
To Wrap Up:
When will this collection launch? It is active as of June 1st!
Good to know: If you already subscribe to Ipsy, you can expect to see a lip product in your June bag and a palette in your June Ipsy Glam Bag Plus.
Value Breakdown: This box costs $39.99 + free shipping, which means that each of the 9 items in the box has an average cost of $4.44.
Want more Ipsy info? Check out all of our Ipsy and Ipsy Glam Bag Plus reviews and our favorite beauty and makeup subscriptions!!
Keep Track of Your Subscriptions: Add this box to your subscription list or wishlist!
What do you think of the Tetris x ipsy collection? What is your favorite Tetris piece?
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