Boxycharm Unboxing & First Impressions | July 2020
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After one year, I'm excited to be getting into Boxycharm again!
For those who don't know what Boxycharm is, it's a monthly subscription box where you pay $25 and get 5 full-size beauty products to try. (This is for the regular box, not the upgrades). The collective retail value of the items in the box is ALWAYS at least 4-5x the price you pay, so you get your money's worth!
I've been subscribing on and off for YEARS—no joke, since I was like 14. Around a year ago, I unsubscribed again because 1) I wanted to start saving money to buy a house, and 2) the box was getting raised from $21/month to $25/month. I decided to cancel and be a little more frugal.
Fast forward: we have now purchased our home, so I joined the Boxy crew again! Plus I've been eager to introduce subscription boxes into my blog, giving me a work-related excuse to buy it too.
Keep reading to discover what I got in my July 2020 box & how I liked the products!
Please note: this post contains affiliate links. This means if you purchase a product I link to, I will receive a small commission at NO additional cost to you! Affiliate links are one of the few sources of income that allow me to run this blog. :)
1. Bronzed in Paradise Palette | Ace Beauté — $30
To start off, I got this bronzing palette (arguable a contouring palette as well), and right off the bat I loved the range of browns and how it's a more versatile product for people of all skin tones. I love inclusivity.
The down-side to this is that few skin tones can use all four shades solely for bronzing. That doesn't mean you can't USE all four colors, though. For example, a woman with darker skin could use the 3rd or 4th shades and the lighter two as an inner-corner eye or brow highlight. A person with very lighter skin could use the 1st shade for bronzing and the darker colors for a smokey eyeshadow look. (No one ever said every product has to be used EXACTLY as it's marketed).
I was able to use all four shades in the look I did by slowly (& with a light hand) building up the color. For my light to medium skin tone, this was the best approach:
Use the first two colors for bronzing (just to warm the face and give an all-around sun-kissed glow).
Use the 3rd shade for contouring to accentuate the cheekbones, slim the neckline, and outline the nose.
Use the last shade as a transition between my contour and blush. It's got such a strong rose color that I arguably can't use it as bronzer or contour, but I CAN use it either as blush (though it would be pretty dark) or, as I mentioned, a transition into my blush.
The camera may not reflect the true depth of colors here but you can see how I made it work.
I'm pretty happy to have received this product. It's something I will get a lot of everyday use out of.
⭐ 4/5 stars ⭐
2. Morphe x Manny MUA Glam Palette | Morphe — $20
Even though I've got an excessive collection of eyeshadow palettes and certainly don't need any more, I was thrilled to receive another in my July box, especially by one of my favorite eyeshadow brands, Morphe.
Unfortunately, this is what I grew to notice with the colors in this palette:
The shimmery shades don't have very impressive pigmentation, even when directly rubbing your finger in the pan.
The matte shades have a lot of fallout.
I was most disappointed by the shade "Aries," which is a super cool brown & blue duo-chrome shadow that I was stoked to try but quickly found it not-so-easy to work with. It seemed a little chunky on the eye and definitely weak in vibrancy. (It's a little out of focus, but you can see "Aries" in the photo below).
HOWEVER, I did eventually have a reality check; I was too busy comparing it to my other, well-loved Morphe palette that I wasn't letting it shine for what it was intended to be, which is a palette with 12 wearable eyeshadows.
I still don't 100% love the formula, but I DID achieve a very pretty, everyday wearable look, as I was promised. And to me, as long as a product allows you to create an end result you're happy with, the product can be deemed a success.
I appreciate the fact that this palette also included two highlighters. PLUS, $20 ain't a bad price. Not to mention it got brownie points with me just for having marble packaging. 😏
⭐ 3/5 stars ⭐
3. Everyday Vacay Coconut Setting Spray | Ciaté London — $22
The description of this product says, "Set and refresh your makeup with Ciaté London's Everyday Vacay Setting Spray. Infused with coconut, this luminous ultra-fine mist holds makeup while micro pearls add a delicate glow over the skin."
The packaging of this product is so chic. I love it.
Two things I'm going to call it out on:
I wouldn't call the mist "ultra-fine."
I didn't notice any particular glow over my skin.
Both are trivial though. I never have a problem with my face not being dewy enough, as my natural oils progressively come out throughout the day, so the "glow" aspect wasn't too important to me.
What I liked: the coconut smell was divine, and the setting spray seemed to work! (Hard to tell if it was that though because the foundation I use is awesome and keeps my makeup from sliding around).
I probably wouldn't go out of my way to purchase it again—only because I think $22 isn't cheap for an everyday setting spray when there are less expensive ones that do the trick. But since I did like the product, I give it...
⭐ 4/5 stars ⭐
4. Quick Color Switch Dry Brush Cleaner | Lavish — $20
My opinions did a total 180° on this product—or tool, being the more apt word.
At first I opened it up and saw that it was literally just a sponge, somewhere between the coarseness of a stainless steel scouring scrubber and a typical soft sponge. I was hesitant; how was a sponge supposed to take off all the product from my brush? A tissue wouldn't!
Plus, it's $20. And there must be no actual product contained within the sponge because it's washable and reusable, thereby making it the most expensive sponge I've ever seen!
But you guys, it works. I tested it out three times and the sponge "absorbed" the makeup on my brush and left it perfectly usable again. It must be the texture of the sponge and how it can get in-between each brush hair to remove all makeup particles. So cool!
That made me wonder what kind of damage it could do to my brushes over time, but the tin container specifies that it won't ruin your brushes.
This is something I will use all the time. I don't think it replaces cleaning your brushes every so often, but it definitely 1) extends the length of time between cleanings, and more importantly, 2) allows you to use your favorite brush multiple times for the same look or for consecutive days of applying makeup.
Just as the name suggests, it's a QUICK way to switch colors with the same brush. So $20 for something I'll use, haven't seen before, and is washable & reusable? Worth it in my book!!
⭐ 5/5 stars ⭐
5. Babe Lash Essential Serum | Babe Lash — $59
OMG. That price!!!
The problem is, even if this product does work, I don't know if I could justify buying it again when I run out! (However, you can click here for a smaller version for only $28!).
Since this product is intended to enhance the length and volume of your eyelashes over time, I can't give a review on it just yet. Perhaps I can do a 21-day trial and show you the results in a separate post?
Unrelated: look how thin that brush is! I was expecting a mascara wand. It says one dip in the tube is enough for both eyes, so I'm sure the product can last you a while.
This was definitely a summery box, from the "Sunshine" theme on the product card to the products themselves—the bronzers, the coconut spray, etc. I'm all for it!
Here's a before & after applying my makeup and using some of the products:
Both pics were taken on accident, so excuse the lack of smiling. 🤣
I'm content with the products I received. I actually needed and wanted a lot of them, like the setting spray and the lash serum. I can tell the Beauty Quiz I took on the Boxycharm website affected what I got, and I love that they include this feature so they can cater toward your individual likes/needs.
The grand total of the items in the box came to $151. That's over 6x the value of the box itself. Tell me that's not fantastic!
LAST TIP:
If you subscribe to Boxycharm, don't forget to leave reviews for each item on the website! You get Charms for them, which you can trade for FREE products!
Until next time...
