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 Catch The Light Mystery Bag, which is no longer available for purchase (but don't fret, plenty of other mystery bags still are!).
This box was sent to us at no cost to review. (Check out our editorial guidelines to learn more about how we review boxes.)
First Impressions
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This mystery bag comes with five items and a beautiful holographic 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.
The Breakdown – What’s Inside My Ipsy "Catch The Light" Mystery Glam Bag
Bali Balm Lemon + Black Pepper Lip Balm, 15 mL - Retail Value $9
This isn't my first lip balm from Bali Balm, but I was stoked to see the brand again. They make some mega-nourishing lip balm formulas that drench my lips in moisture while leaving a glossy finish that's quite pretty. I didn't really pick up any lemon or black pepper notes, but my lips loved the castor oil, shea butter, coconut oil, and cocoa butter this is formulated with.
Seraphine Botanicals Pumpkin + Silk Luminous Pre-makeup Base, 15 g - Retail Value $34
I've tried a few Seraphine Botanicals products before, but this primer was new to me. It really gives your skin a bit of luminosity that dull skin may be lacking that looks really natural under foundation, and I like that it's formulated with skincare ingredients like hyaluronic acid and pumpkin seed oil. I do see this being more for those who have normal-dry skin rather than oil skin, which is probably why I liked it so much. It's not life-changing, but it's certainly nice to use.
Dr. Brandt Eye Cream, 0.5 oz - Retail Value $82
I've tried quite a few Dr. Brandt products before, but never this eye cream. It was nice enough, but honestly all I really found it to be was hydrating, and I can get that same results with a much more affordable product. This is formulated with skin-loving ingredients like squalene, aloe, hyaluronic acid, and green tea extract, and it didn't irritate my sensitive eyes. Dr. Brandt says that after two weeks 84% of users in a clinical study showed an improvement in under-eye discoloration, but I'm not sure which ingredients in the formula would specifically target discoloration- usually I can pinpoint niacinamide or vitamin c, but I don't see that here.
Yensa Super 8 Vibrant Silk Lipstick in Free Spirit - Retail Value $29
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I've tried skincare from Yensa before, but I believe this is my first makeup product from the brand. Right off the bat I loved the packaging- the black and gold is sleek, and this would be a good lipstick to store in your purse because the cap can't accidentally come off; you have to press down on it to for the lid to pop up and become removable. The shade Free Spirit is beautiful, and absolutely perfect for me- it reminds me of Charlotte Tilbury's Pillow Talk lipstick, only with a little more pink in it. The lipstick is formulated with a "super 8" blend of nourishing oils, and I like how comfortable this was to wear.
Violet Voss Violet Sunset Eyeshadow & Pressed Pigment Palette - Retail Value $36?
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Violet Voss can make a pretty eyeshadow palette- I was pleased as punch to see this inside of my mystery Glam Bag Plus. I am a sucker for a shimmery purple, and this palette has one (along with some gorgeous golden shimmers). It looks like this palette has since been discontinued by Violet Voss because I couldn't find it for sale from any standard beauty retailer, but when it was for sale it retailed for $36. The shimmers in this palette are absolutely stunning- creamy, blendable, packed with gorgeous pigment that looks so pretty on the eye (and applied best with fingers). The mattes were a little patchy and left something to be desired- I would honestly only really use them if I planned on using them as a base and applying a shimmer completely on top.
Here is the palette swatched underneath a swatch of the Yensa lipstick.
Value – Was This Box Worth It?
The Cost: $30
Value Breakdown:
- Bali Balm: $9 → $1.42
- Seraphine Botanicals: $34 → $5.37
- Dr. Brandt: $82 → $12.95
- Yensa: $29 → $4.58
- Violet Voss: $36 → $5.68
Everything in my Catch The Light Mystery Bag adds up to $190, which is below the promised value of $227, but more than six times the mystery bag cost.
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). This is the fourth and final mystery bag of the bags I checked out, and I think it was my favorite of the bunch. The Bali balm lip balm is super nourishing to my lips, the Yensa lipstick is beautiful, and I love the shimmers of the Violet Voss palette. It doesn't really bother me that the Violet Voss palette appears to be discontinued, because that's a risk I knowingly accept when I venture into mystery box territory (if you didn't know that, consider that to be a general rule for mystery boxes across the board). The value, while technically short of what the webpage said it would be, is still very high considering the cost of the bag, and I love the actual bag that the products came packaged in.
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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 Catch The Light Mystery Glam Bag?
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