My second Boxycharm* was just as delightful as the first--I am finding that the value is WAY OVER the $21/month that the box costs, and they are all products that I will use, so far. This month's box included the following items:
Small Z-Palette with custom Boxycharm branding, $14.00 value
Sedona Lace Trio Eye Kit (brushes), $39.95 value
Japonesque Pro Performance Lipstick in Shade 04, $20.00 value
Dr. Brandt Microdermabrasion Age Defying Exfoliator, $79.00 value
Total Boxycharm February 2017 Value: $164.95
I really like the Z-Palette! I have a larger custom Glam Tech magnetic palette that I like very much, but it is too big to really travel with. The Z-Palette is a coated cardboard with a magnetic base and a magnetic closure, and it will hold 9 standard eyeshadow pans. The closure seems sturdy, but if I were to travel with this I would put a rubber band around it to make sure it stayed closed. This isn't a drawback--I would do the same with any of my high-quality palettes that have magnetic, rather than click, closures. It comes with round and square metal stickers so that if your eyeshadow pans aren't magnetic, you can still use them in the palette. I'm going to see if I can get my UD singles out of their packaging and put them in here.
One of the things I have enjoyed about Boxycharm is that it gives me the opportunity to try online-only brands that have great reputations but without paying shipping costs for a small order. Makeup Geek is one of the brands that I've wanted to try for a while but never pulled the trigger.
The two eyeshadow singles seem nice, I haven't tried them on my eyes yet but in swatching they seem comparable to MAC, maybe a little better. Beaches & Cream barely shows up on my skin--it will be a perfect base color. Glamorous is a shimmery warm golden light brown; the swatch was very pigmented and I love the shimmer.
The Sedona Lace Trio Eye Kit includes an eye blending brush, an eyeliner brush, and an angled brow brush with a spoolie on the opposite end. They all have really pretty synthetic bristles, kind of a purple ombre. They are soft and the ferrule and handle seem sturdy on each brush. I am looking forward to comparing the angled brow brush to my go-to Anastasia Beverly Hills #12 Duo Brush.
It looks very similar but the Sedona Lace brush seems softer. I like the stiffer brow brush, so I'm curious how this one will perform. The brushes seem to be good quality, so that would just be a matter of personal preference.
I really like the tube that the Japonesque lipstick came in! It's glossy black, with the color of the lipstick on one end, and a pretty pattern on the other end. I have to admit, I was hoping that in my box I would get the Real Her lipstick that some other boxes came with--simply because the shade names are so great and empowering (Women Rule the World, I Am Powerful, I Define Beauty Myself). Aren't those wonderful? But I have honestly had no experience with that brand so I don't know if the lipstick is great or not (I hope it is though)!
Shade 04, the one I got, is a glossy coral/orange/red. I have recently discovered how much I love orange lipstick so I was pleased with this shade choice. I also was pleasantly surprised by the glossy finish because matte has been the order of the day for so dang long. It's very pretty! As far as performance, the lipstick feels comfortable and moisturizing, and has good pigment, however, it lasts about as well as any other glossy/moisturizing lipstick does (not super long) and transfers very significantly. If you are accustomed to long-wearing or liquid lipsticks, it may not work for you. I don't mind retouching this type of lipstick so I was fine with it.
I have not yet tried the Dr. Brandt exfoliator but I am looking forward to it. I couldn't believe that an $80 product was included, and that the value was not inflated--it retails on Sephora.com for that price, and it has 900+ reviews with an average of 4.7 stars on their website. There are also 20 reviews averaging 4.4 stars on MakeupAlley.com, and that site tends to have really unbiased reviews. I am currently using COSRX AHA and BHA as chemical exfoliants, and Clarisonic with the "cashmere" brush head or a konjac sponge for gentle physical exfoliation. This product has both chemical and physical exfoliants--it is a scrub containing lactic acid--so I didn't want to try it right now, my skin is all jacked from having been sick this week. Especially around my nose--can you imagine this stuff scrubbing and acidic on my poor red peeling nose? YOWCH. So, I haven't tried it yet but I have high hopes.
So far, as I've said, I definitely feel that the value is there for Boxycharm, and I will continue to subscribe. I like that it is all full-size products, and that the products are mid-range (not drugstore) and generally from brands I have heard of (either available in local retail stores, or popular online-only brands). I enjoyed Ipsy, but it was often brands that were unknown to me, and mostly drugstore-level. Of Ipsy, Allure, Sephora Play, and Boxycharm, so far Boxycharm is my fave.
If you enjoyed my review, and you want to try out Boxycharm, you can use my referral link. It just gives me points towards a discount if you do--no biggie either way! :) Have a great week, darlings!
*I purchased the Boxycharm subscription with my own money and did not receive any financial compensation, products, or promotional consideration for this review. The only referral link included in this post is for Boxycharm.
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