Unboxing the BoxyCharm Premium for May 2022

That’s right, all of the subscription boxes seem to be coming in. The Boxy Charm Premium is now $39.99 per month and includes six items. Two of the items you get to choose from a limited number of select items. The rest end up being surprises. I tend not to look at the spoilers for Boxycharm as I kind of like the surprise. But is it worth it?

Let’s start with the two items I chose.

The first is the Tresluce Beauty La Flor De Mexico Eyeshadow Palette (retail $30). I have never tried any Tresluce shadows before so I am eager to dip a brush into them. I chose this because it looks like a beautiful selection of colors. There aren’t a lot of bright shades (at least not that I can see prior to testing, some may apply brighter) but it is an interesting mix of mattes, shimmers and metallics. So that will be fun to play with.

I absolutely adore that the mirror is just held into the palette by a magnet. I love that it can be taken out. And of course the palette packaging is beautiful. And I have to say this is a $30 eighteen pan palette that looks like it should cost more as opposed to a couple of other palettes I’ve had recently in subscription boxes that have higher prices and look like they should be much less expensive.

And yes the thought that it is a good deal does excite me. It is just a legacy of my upbringing.

The second item I chose this month is the Aavrani balance restoring Serum. (Retail $60). It is a toning serum and I am hoping it can be used as a toner. (I will doubly check before using) It contains cucumber, chamomile and witch hazel so I have pretty high hopes. I have an old fondness for witch hazel as it was such a staple in my house growing up. And for some reason toner is the category of skincare that I tend to get less in subscription boxes. I tend to purchase it separately since it is a rare item and I almost never have extra lined up in the drawer. In addition I have never heard of Aavrani before so it is always nice to discover a new brand.

The first surprise item is from Elemis. You know that I am neve mad at seeing an Elemis product in my subscription boxes. This is the Elemis Superfood Midnight facial (retail $50). I’ve never tried it but my skin has really enjoyed other elements of the Superfood line so I am looking forward to it. Plus we are getting into the time of year where I tend to go lighter on moisturizer during the day lest it sweat off and heavier with the night cream. So I am rather happy to have this cream around to try out. And for me, Elemis is always a nice surprise in a subscription box.

And you know what I also like? Lipstick. I know sometimes it doesn’t seem like I am happy when it arrives in the box, but lately there have been a lot of lip balms and clear glosses. Which they are nice, but not very exciting. This is the KVD Epic Kiss Vegan Butter Lipstick (retail $22). To be honest, while I love the KVD eyeshadow and cream contours I have only tried liquid lipsticks from the brand. I may be forgetting something along the way but I can not recall trying an actual KVD lipstick. So I am thrilled to give this one a go. I like the swatch so hopefully it will wear well too.

While not makeup, the next item in my box is makeup adjacent. It is a trio of Laruce brushes in a reusable zippered pouch from @servicedbye. (retail $50). I like Laruce brushes. I generally think that they are a bit over priced, but they are good quality. Admittedly as two of these are face brushes, this trio with the pouch isn’t as pricy as many of their other sets. It is almost $16.70 per brush which isn’t bad actually considering their quality. I am a big fan of their textured handles as they are very easy to grip even when you have slick hands. And the little bag is really nice for travel. I suspect the zipper slide won’t last very long, but it will be nice while it lasts and I like that it is reusable and not an immediate throw away.

Finally we come to the last item in the box. It is the Baseblue Cosmetics Dry and Wet dual action cleansing wipes. (retail $21). They are essentially individually packaged travel wipes. The dry ones are activated by water and they can be used to wash your face and take your makeup off. While I don’t mind keeping one of these in my purse or adding them to my travel bag, I am not a huge fan of the waste that such individually wrapped products create. while I will try them and test them, I think this is a product that I will use sparingly instead of letting it become an everyday thing. It is useful, but to be honest, I would much prefer a cleansing balm or a liquid/oil based makeup remover. But perhaps I will get into the details and there will be a recycling/biodegradable aspect I missed. For now I will go with interesting to try out and leave it at that.

So that was my May 2022 Boxycharm Premium. The retail value of my $39.99 box came to $233. As a return that is a pretty goo value for me. The fact that I will use all of the items is even better. Even though I dislike the waste of the individual towelettes they are useful. I have been needing to replace several brushes so the Laruce is welcome. Elemis always makes me happy and I am looking forward to trying out the KVD lip, Tresluce shadow and Aavrani toner, so for me, this box was a big win.

Unboxing the April 2022 Boxycharm Premium

this month the box looks like a box of boxes. For those that don’t know Boxy Charm Premium is a $39.99 per month box. Inside there are six items. I believe the six description says six to seven full sized items but I can’t remember the last time there were more than six. That being said, this was a good month for me. To be honest, given my two choice items i knew it was going to be a good month. But let’s look into the box.

The first item I chose was the Murad Clarifying Oil Free Water Gel.(retail $46) It is a moisturizer. I received this in an IPSY and while I am a little concerned about seeing repeat items (and think it might ultimately lead to a choice to end one or the other subscription)when I saw this i snapped it up. I used this moisturizer last summer and it was fantastic. Last summer was hot humid and not fantastic for skin. this moisturizer gave me the moisture my skin needed and didn’t break me out. I am a big fan and I am thrilled to have this around for the summer.

The second item I chose was the Herbivore Bakuchiol Serum (retail $54). I am on the fence with Herbivore. The products I have tried have been pretty good, but not good enough to warrant all the hype I’ve seen about them. However I am a fan of Bakuchiol. in the summertime I spend more time in the sun and retinol can make me a little sun sensitive. Bakuchiol is like retinol without the sun sensitivity. So this is the perfect time for it to make its appearance. admittedly given the scandal over this serum I am curious as to how it performs. Apparently there isn’t as much Bakuchiol as they claim and the product has been discontinued. Which I am not so fond of either. So I’ll use it, but I know that it can’t be reordered.

The first item I didn’t choose was the Mitchell and Peach English Leaf Body Oil (retail $68). I will be honest, I have never heard of the brand, but i do like a good body oil. Again for me it is a great summer time product. I use it right out of the shower and it tends to absorb better than a lot of body creams. This has Almond oil and Vitamin E both of which my skin love. The bottle is a nice glass one and the oil itself has a nice light herbal-ly scent to it. when I opened it I noticed there wasn’t a regulator on the bottle it is just an open top so I’ll have to be careful with it, but I think, given the ingredients and the scent i will enjoy trying this out.

The next item I’m not so keen on. It is the My Beauty Brand X By Me black Liquid Eyeliner (retail $20). I’m not opening it, partially because it will dry out and I have several open eyeliners I need to work through and partially because one of the liquid eyeliners I am working through is this one. Or it’s twin i should say. I received it in a different beauty box a while back and used it then. It’s okay. It isn’t a super fab eyeliner but it isn’t horrible. I’m okay with getting another one and I will use it at some point, but it isn’t all that exciting.

I am much more excited by the Natasha Denona Cupid Cheek Duo (retail $42). and in case you ae wondering the swatch is from me, I wanted to see what color the blush was, it didn’t come pre switched. I have one Natasha Denona cream blush that I absolutely love so I look forward to giving this a go.

And finally we have the Endota Organics Hydrating Lip Balm. (retail $25). Again lip balm isn’t something I get excited about, but I will always use it, especially in the summer. I have never heard of endota organics and I am a little surprised that a lip balm is valued at $25. And yes, I know i will pay lots more for a lip stick, but somehow when you put the word balm on there I am always surprised if it is over $15. I don’t know why, but somewhere in my brain that is the max I consider okay for a lip balm. And I think it really is just the word balm. I’m sure there is a reason, but that is for some poor psychiatrist to figure out at some later date. I will use it and I always enjoy finding new brands. and who knows, perhaps after use I too will think the price justified.

So that was my April Boxy Charm Premium. I have to say, scandal aside, I really like the mix of products this month. Some makeup, some skincare, and some body care. Its a nice mix and most of these products arrive at the perfect time to be placed in the soon to be much warmer weather line up. Over all this was a very good month.

Unboxing the March 2022 Boxycharm Premium

My Boxycharm premium has arrived. For those that don’t know this is a $39.99 subscription box that comes monthly and includes six full sized items. I’ve tried pretty much all of the Boxy Charm tiers and this is the one that more often had the products I wanted. Each month you get to choose two products of your six. For a while they started making one choice makeup items and then the other skin care, which I really liked. This month however they didn’t. Two of the products I really liked were in the same category and I could only choose one. which was kind of a bummer as not a whole lot in the second choice category really excited me. However choice aside, I am actually pretty happy with this month’s box.

I should also point out that choice for the April box has begun. It opened up at 1 pm EST on March 14th. They have started migrating several IPSY products and one of my choice items was a <a href=”http://<a href=”https://www.dpbolvw.net/click-9275903-10407838″ target=”_top”>Murad US – Homepage Link</a>Murad oil free moisturizer. I received it from IPSY a while back. While I am still trying to decide how I feel about IPSY items in Boxy, I did select this moisturizer because I used it last summer and for me it was the perfect summer weight moisturizer so I am absolutely thrilled to have another bottle coming my way (especially since I was planning to purchase it anyway). My other choice was an Herbivore Bakuchiol serum and then I went on add ons and picked up a Lorac Primer. I know, I’ve been trying to clear out some primers, but I have been eyeing this one for a while and kept putting off picking it up, so I decided now was the time. But those are future Items to discuss. Shall we dive in to the March box?

Okay the first item I chose (and was super thrilled by) was the Airbrush Flawless Foundation from Charlotte Tillbury. I have never actually tried anything from the brand. I have seen the Pillow Talk adverts a lot. And I know people who swear by the makeup formulas. And I will admit, the products look beautiful. I have just never gotten around to trying them out. I love when brands I just haven’t gotten around to trying but have heard of appear in my choice. And as I have cleared out several foundations, I don’t mind trying out a new one. who knows if i like it, I just might end up trying out some of the other items that interest me from the brand.

The second choice item that I chose was from the Somme Institute. They are exfoliating Glycolic Acid pads. I don’t have anything against the brand, in fact I had not even heard of it until this item appeared in my choice. There are several individual exfoliating pads that I do like. The issue is that once you open it, you have to use them or they dry out and how much I use them depends on the level of exfoliation the provide. So I tend to not gravitate towards them. Since they are here, I will give them a go. It will be nice to try out a new brand. My only issue is that choice was a little thin for the second category while the first category had several exciting items. It is more of a choice irritation than a product one. Unless these pads are overly exfoliating and then it might be a different type of irritation, but I wont know that until I try.

I have to confess to a bit of amusement with the next item. It is the Big Bang Mascara from Athr Beauty. I just recently cleared out several mascaras and realized I was actually running low on back ups so I went out and bought a mascara. Which I can’t regret I love the Big Poppa Mascara from Wet ‘n wild. But I was also thinking, ‘wow it has been a while since we’ve seen mascaras in subscription boxes.’ Because for a while I was nearly buried in mascaras. So right on cue a mascara arrives. I remember trying the Athr Beauty eyeshadows. I wasn’t terribly impressed because they tended to get muddy, but I will keep my fingers crossed that I like the mascara better.

Moving right along we have the Ciate London Dewy Skin Vitamin C infused Primer. You know my love of primers by now. I never mind trying out a new one. I like the brand Ciate too and have many products I absolutely love from the brand. Including their foundation, which is matte and could use a dewy primer underneath. So that might be a fun pairing. And to top it off, I love vitamin C in my skincare so this has the potential to be a real winner.

The Grace and Stella eye masks made me cheer. The gold eye masks are a staple in my skincare drawer. They depuff the eyes during allergy season like no ones business and there were a few weeks in the spring last year where I used a set pretty much every afternoon. Recently I have been trying out different eye masks from my collection to see if any of them perform like the Grace and Stella ones and need to be added to the collection. Thus far Klorane and Grace and Stella are the top two, and the ones I will be reordering before Spring allergy season starts. This however is not the gold eye masks, but a pink version. I’ll have to check to see if they perform as well as the gold ones but I am thrilled to have them here and waiting to be used.

And then there is the final item in this month’s Boxy Charm Premium. And I can smell it through the sealed cap. It is the Aromatherapy De Stress Muscle Gel. The scent is very Aromatherapy-esque. It smells of a combination of lavender and rosemary. I am working on upping my exercise game and hopefully getting myself out of this weight loss plateau so perhaps the muscle gel is a good thing to have around. I suspect i will have ample chances to test it out in the near future. It is one of those things that I will either love or hate. And I can tell you that is mostly to do with the scent. It is pretty strong in the sealed container. So part of my opinion will be based on how long the scent lingers. The other part will depend on how well it works. If I end up sore and this gel works well, then i will forgive the scent. The Muscle gel does seem like it belongs more with the Boxy Luxe items than here, but like I said my exercise is increasing, so if it works well, I will be very happy to have it.

I know that many of you want to know if this box was worth the cost. It has been more of a question since the recent price increase. For me it is worth it if I like the items and will use them. I am looking forward to using the items in the box and honestly every item is something that I can use. So for me, I would say this box is worth the value. If you won’t use the items, clearly that is a different story. If you ae looking for monetary return. For my $40 box I received the Charlotte Tillbury Foundation ($44), Athr Beauty Mascara ($28), Somme Institute exfoliating pads ($65), Ciate London Dewy Skin Primer ($32), Aromatherapy Muscle Gel ($40) and the Grace and Stella Eye masks ($24). The total value of the products ends up being $233. (feel free to check my math. The eye masks I was going to order anyway so that saves me the $24 and I am thrilled that I get to try the Charlotte Tilbury Foundation, which is $44 and covers the cost of the box. So monetarily, I did get my money’s worth from the March Boxycharm Premium.

Unboxing the February 2022 Boxycharm Premium

I don’t know what is going on with the e-mail notifications for Boxycharm shipping but this month I received my tracking information in the morning and while it gave me the number it also had the message to check back again later once it was entered into the system. Then that afternoon the box arrived on the doorstep. which is fine, but not exactly how tracking numbers are supposed to work.

However my Boxy Charm Premium box arrived unscathed and so I was happy. This is the premium box. It was $35 per month and recently went up to $39.99 ($43.89 with all applicable taxes). For this price you receive six full sixed items. For the premium box you are allowed to choose two items.

The first Item I chose for my box was the Huda Beauty Mercury Retrograde Eyeshadow Palette (retail $67). Personally I think that $67 is too much to pay for this palette, but I really do like the Huda Beauty Formula in the other palettes I have from the brand. (actually I feel this is a $35 palette and currently it is on sale for $33.50 if you are interested. The link will take you to the brand site it isn’t an affiliate link) Hopefully this will be a similar formula. This is one of those brands I love receiving in subscription boxes, because I always feel their products tend to be slightly over priced. even though I o like them. So for me the subscription box is kind of a good solution. The colors in this palette are really nice as well. It looks like it should be a good mix of neutral shades for everyday wear plus some pops of color and shimmer to brighten it up. I actually can’t wait to play around with it.

Top: Dime Eyelash Boost Serum, Middle, Moonlit Eye lid primer, bottom Uoma Lip liner

The second item I chose was the Dime Beauty Co Eyelash Boost Serum (retail $44). Now I have used the Grande cosmetics Lash enhancer and really liked it. It has been a while though so it will be fun to give this one a try. I am not a false lash kind of person even though I love the look. I should just not be trusted with glue around my eyes. I end up pulling out all of my natural lashes. So I would rather try out serums and other enhancements for my natural lashes. I’ve never heard of Dime Beauty and I will do a test patch before I start trying out the serum, but if there is no irritation then I look forward to giving it a go. I do like that the package is nice and heavy and feels kind of luxe in the hand.

From here we go to the four products that Boxy Charm decided to pick for me and my box. I’m not entirely sure they even look at the beauty profile any more to be honest. I really think they just alter the variations based on the items you chose. I could be wrong but that is sort of how it feels to me at the moment. If you ae wondering my box variation was C2202201-PM. I’m guessing the 2022 is just the year and the PM stands for premium. (I know, I’m swift with the logic). Which just leaves the C2 and the 01 unaccounted for. Not that it means much but if you are keeping track of numbers, there you go. And if you happen to figure out what the C2 means, let me know. I’m fairly certain the 01 is just the variation.

But on to the items.

First up we have the Christophe Robin Instant Volume Mist with Rose Water. (retail $$38). In general I like Christophe Robin. They are a great brand. Their sea salt scalp cleaner is on my repeat purchase list and I am currently testing out their leave in daily conditioner. I’m not so sure about the volumizing spray though. It isn’t a hair product I tend to reach for often. Mostly because they either tend to make my hair a bit sticky (I like in a humid place) or they make me look like i am going up for a CMA award circa 1983. While I love a volumizing shampoo, sprays for volume aren’t my favorite. I will give it a try, however the Rosy scent is a little off putting as well. It is a strong rose scent. But who knows, maybe I will try it and fall in love. We’ll have to see, after all stranger things have happened. And it is good to see the brand in the box as I really do like the brand as a whole.

Next up we have the Moonlit Makeup Primed for the Night (retail $18). It is an eyelid primer for shadows. I generally only use eye lid primer when glitter is involved. Otherwise it is a category of products I just don’t reach for often. I do like that it is in a wand form and I have several shadows with which to try it out. It just isn’t something I will reach for often and not something I’m that excited about. It feels like a filler item. Maybe it is meant to pair with the eyeshadow palette. I’ll try it out and perhaps it will be fabulous, it just isn’t something I am going to get all that excited about.

I am weirdly excited about the Vike Beauty Makeup Melt (retail $24). It is a makeup removing spray. I’ve used a lot of makeup removers and while some have been pumps, none of them were actual sprays. Maybe it is a common thing i just don’t know about, but I am looking forward to giving it a go. while I love makeup removing balms, it would be nice to have a product that doesn’t need to be scooped out. So this I actually find really exciting.

And finally we come to the UOMA Beauty Badass MF Lip Liner (retail $16). I am on the fence with this. On the positive side I have heard really good things about the brand but never actually tried them so I am glad to see them here and hope there are more products from them in the future. On the other hand this is the third month in a row that I have received a lip liner in my box. It is also a stiff pencil lip liner that isn’t all that creamy. It is strange with lip liners (and eyeliners for that matter). The singe ones always feel like filler items. ‘What do we have that isn’t that expensive that we can chuck into a box so there are six items?’ If it is paired with a lipstick or came in a set of two like the EVIO Beauty pencils then it feels like an item. On it’s own it is less impressive. But I hope it is an indicator that there will be more from the brand at a later date.

This was sort of a mixed box for me this month. I think that because the last two boxes were so good and I wanted to try pretty much everything in them, this one just feels like it fell a little flat for me. Two of the items (volumizing spray and eyelid primer) are simply categories that I don’t use often and the lip pencil just feels like a filler. I’ll still use them, but there isn’t a lot of excitement. I certainly feel like OI got my money’s worth with the two items I chose though so over all I am happy. This was just not a month where I was super thrilled by every item. And subscription boxes are like that. The past two months have been really great, this one not so much. After a few months with the price increase, I find I am okay with the price increase and still feel that the Boxy Charm Premium subscription is worth it. I just wish they’d take a break with the lip liners.

Unboxing the January 2022 BoxyCharm Premium

Once again it is time to look at the monthly BoxyCharm Subscription. They have several tiers. I am subscribed to the premium tier which is now $39.99 per month (it comes to a little over $43 with tax and everything). I have had at least one version of Boxycharm for quite sometime at this point. At one point I had the base box ($25) the premium and the Luxe Box (quarterly). I had them all at the same time to see which one I preferred and as I found I was getting more products that i would use or wanted to try most consistently in the premium category, that is the one I stuck with.

For me this tier just worked. And I couldn’t keep all of the tiers indefinitely. Not only was it costly, but it was far too much product coming into the house at the same time. For the $40 cost, of the premium Box you receive six full sized items. During choice day (which happens to actually be today, January 10th at noon) you get to choose two of the items in the box. We’ll look at the first two items I chose for this box first.

The first item I chose was the bareMinerals Original Mineral Veil. I used to use this all of the time. I love bare minerals, but I did get away from using a lot of their face products. They are a great brand though and I am thrilled we are seeing more of them these days. Their lip products have been popping up more and more often and I absolutely adore their bounce and blur blush. I may have to use that today actually. Seeing the Mineral Veil (finishing powder) on the selection list was like having an old friend pop up unexpectedly. It was nice to see.

The second item I chose is one I have never used before it is the Wishful Clean Genie Cleansing Butter. I’m still trying to figure out how I feel about the Wishful skin care line in general. I’ve received a couple of products in subscription boxes and want to start rolling them in to try out. I’m sure they will be fine it just takes me a minute to think about skincare from a makeup company. Sometimes it is fabulous, sometimes not. (wishful is part of Huda Beauty). But I am always willing to try out a new cleansing balm. I have just opened one though so it will be a little while before I get to this one. But I am happy to have it waiting in the wings.

And now we get into the surprises. And for me they are surprises as I didn’t really pay attention to any spoilers for January. I meant to, I just never got around to it. And honestly, I kind of like the surprise.

The first surprise is a mask from Juice Beauty. It is the Bamboo Pore Refining Mask. I tried a small sample of this before and it made my skin feel amazing. The sample I tried was only enough for one use though so I am interested to see how it performs over time. I find this mask really interesting though. It is designed to be used twice a week but you only keep it on your face for about two minutes. That’s right, a two minute mask. I’ve actually been looking for a mask to use during the week so I may actually choose this one for the week days, using it Monday and Wednesday while still keeping my Friday Face Mask. December was the month of Sheet Masks and I did a pretty good job clearing a lot of them out, but I think I want to focus on one product for a while. But again that is something to think about later. For now, I am just happy to see the mask in my January Boxycharm.

The next item sort of sounds like it is trying to bridge the distance between Makeup and Skincare. It is the LYS Beauty Secure Skin Gripping Serum Primer. It is a primer, and you know, I love a good primer. But this is a serum packed with skincare ingredients ( the little blurb wasn’t specific on what those ingredients were, but I will have to take a look to see what they are before I use it.) The thing is that to see results I would have to commit to using this primer daily for at least a month. And if I’m doing that, it has to be a good primer. I don’t mind the skin care benefits because at the very least it will help my skin out on the days I use it. And the benefits might make me want to use it more. But it will have to also be a good primer. So that will be an interesting test to see how it performs both as a primer and a serum. For now I have to say I do love the packaging. While it is a tube, the top is shaped like a triangle so it stands up on it’s own. I always find the primers that stand upright easier to stash in the drawer and they tend to be the ones I reach for more often. Plus they don’t leak that way. So all in all an interesting product. I’ve also only tried the Bronzer from LYS so I don’t mind trying more from the brand. Especially as it was a pretty good bronzer.

The last two items are both makeup items. The first is a lip pencil from Persona Cosmetics. It is a lovely color and it felt creamy when I swatched it. I’m sure I’ll get a lot of use out of it, but for me lip liners and eyeliners aren’t things I get terribly excited about seeing in boxes. It is a nice lip liner though and I am sure I will use it.

I am more excited about the Ather Beauty Desert Sunset Eyeshadow Palette. I know it is much easier to get excited about an eyeshadow palette than it is a lip pencil. And the sahadows do look nice. I just feel like I have been flirting with Ather beauty for a while. I’ve seen it in other people’s boxes and I know it was a possibility as a brand in mine, but it never actually appeared in any of my subscription boxes. No matter what the Ather Beauty product was, it was never in my subscription box. So it is nice to finally try something from the brand. It is also nice that this was a very makeup heavy box this month. Skincare will always be my first love, but the skin care supplies were piling up. They are now getting back under control.

And of course just to be peevish I’m sure that in a few months (If they stick with makeup heavy boxes) I’ll start to miss the skincare. Everything has it’s rotation. This past skincare heavy turn simply lasted a bit longer than anyone was expecting. I think that is why people have been rather critical. Over all I am very happy with this month’s selection of products. I was happy with the choices I made and I am pleased to try some new things. Over all, January is a pretty good month for Boxy Charm premium and yes, I felt that my selection of products was well worth the $40 subscription fee. I thought about shifting to the base box instead of keeping the premium, but for now, I think I am going to stay with the premium as it still has the type of selectin I want to see.

Unboxing the December 2021 Boxycharm Premium

Hello my darlings. It seems that all of the subscription boxes are arriving at the same time this month. I’m actually okay with that as it is really nice to get all the boxes in before the holidays. Or at least as many in as possible. In addition, with the increased price for the Boxy Charm Premium box, I am trying to decide if it stays in my line up. The price for this box is now $39.99 and I am trying to decide if I want to keep this box, or maybe switch down to the $25 box or simply cancel. The price switched last month (November) and in general I like to give subscription boxes three months of a trial after major changes before I decide what I am going to do.

Plus January is usually a pretty good month for subscription boxes. So it can’t hurt to delay my decision.

But part of that decision is based on this month, soooo let’s see what came in my box this month.

The first item that I took out of the box was one of the two items that I got to choose. It is the Bite Beauty Changemaker Supercharged Micellar Foundation. (retail $44). I have been wanting to try this out for a while and just haven’t gotten around to it. I adore Bite Beauty lip products. Their Agave lip mask is hands down one of my favorite products. It is only the fact that I am working through the Laniege Lip mask that kept me from restocking it this winter. Of course the Laniege one is good too, I just really love the Bite Beauty one and am happy that I get to try out their foundation. I kind of love when items on my list to try out appear in subscription boxes. It’s like someone is helping me with my to do list.

The second item I chose this month was the Byroe Fig Renewal Oil (retail $72). I am still trying to decide how I feel about Byroe to be honest. I loved the toning essence but the bell pepper serum fell a bit flat for me. Still I love figs and putting them in a product is an easy easy to get me to try it. Plus it looked absolutely stunning in the bottle. Over all I am pleased to see the brand back in Boxycharm.

And now we move into the items Boxy Charm chose for me. The first of these is the Stila Extreme Lash Mascara (retail $23). Normally I am not too thrilled by getting mascaras in subscription boxes because I almost always have a stockpile of them. However I looked around and I actually have very few mascaras left. Almost all of the ones I have open are soon to head to the empties bin and I have somehow managed to whittle my stockpile down to only a couple. So it turns out for me this is a very timely product. And I like the brand Stila. I haven’t used anything from them in a while, but I do like the brand.

I had much the same thoughts about the Elaina Badro Luxury Beauty Sponges (retail $34). I usually don’t like getting them on beauty boxes. I tend to only really use the ones with a flat sid that lets me angle into hard to reach spots. However one of these does have that angle and they are of a sort of velvety material I have never tried. In addition my current makeup sponge is about to be relegated to the trash and I needed to get a replacement, so I am more accepting of the makeup sponge than usual. I will probably still only use the one with the angle and not the regular tear drop shape, but I will get to see how the material works. So I’m not mad at it.

The next item I was tickled to see in my Boxy Charm. It is the Viseart Bronze Noix (retail $30). I love Viseart eyeshadows but i have not tried any other products from the brand. I am thrilled to get to try out their bronzer. And I love the little case the bronzer comes in. I know, I shouldn’t judge a product by it’s packaging, but I do like the Viseart packaging. The packaging won’t make me buy the product, but in this case, it doesn’t hurt it either.

And finally we come to the last item, or items I suppose I should say. It is a duo of lip liners from Evio Beauty (retail $24). The lip liners are creamy and in perfect colors for me to use. While I do have lip liners, I tend not to use them. Partially because I like creamy lip liners and some are stiff pencils, but mostly because the bulk of the lip liners I have don’t really match or blend well with my lipsticks. Some I have that I specifically use to change to color of lipstick formulas I like whose color is somewhat off, but that isn’t quite the same thing.

These two are creamy when tried on my hand and they are colors that match a lot of my lip products. So I’m pretty happy with them. Of course I still have to see how they perform. But the same can be said about all of the products in this box.

When looking at this box, I have to say I am very pleased. even the products that I would normally not be terribly enthused by I am actually looking forward to using. Part of that is timing, and part of it is the product. I need mascara and a new makeup sponge. I like the brand Stila and would like to try this mascara out. I am also interested in trying out the velvet type material of the sponge to see how it performs. And I am really thrilled about the bite beauty foundation. For me, this BoxyCharm Premium box was definitely worth the price.

Unboxing the November 2021 BoxyCharm Premium

Good morning my darlings and welcome to the unboxing of the November Boxycharm Premium. I have to say I was sweating on having this one arrive while I was out of town for Thanksgiving. I am so glad it arrived in time. This moth the cost of Boxycharm Premium went up. This box is now $39.99 (with tax it comes to $43.89.) This is one of those things where I can see the reasoning behind the price increase, but I’m not sure what that means for me keeping the box. I want to give it a few months at the new price to see how it settles in and how I feel before I make my decision. Usually I make decisions about boxes in December, but I might actually let this get past the Holiday Boxes (Christmas and New years) before I make my final call on it. Mostly because the December and January boxes of most subscription boxes tend to be really good. But before final decisions can be made, let’s see what the November box holds.

We are going to start with the two items I actually chose during choice. The first is the KVD Vegan Beauty Lock it Powder Foundation (retail $37). I have an older version of this in a shade I can only wear in the summer time so I was happy to choose a lighter shade of this in the new packaging. The new packaging is refillable too, so I am extra excited to see it. I remember this being a good foundation, but it has been a while so I look forward to trying it out again.

The second item I chose was the Sutra Beauty Rejuvenating Hair serum (retail $45). I’ll be honest, I chose this because I forgot about Boxy choice and came in late. Many of the items were already out of stock and this was the best item left. The bottle is lovely and I do like hair serums, so we will have to see how it performs.

The first surprise item is the Peach and Lily Glass Skin Veil Mist (retail $29). I have used the Peach and Lily glass skin Serum before and liked it. I have also used the cleansing balm from the brand and loved it so I am very excited to have another product from them to try out. I love that the bottle is a nice heavy glass bottle too. The spray is nice and the scent is very light, so hopefully it will sit nicely on the skin.

The next item is a makeup item and it is the Rodial Blush Drops (retail $50). Rodial tends to be on the pricy side. I have used their skincare before but I don’t think I’ve tried any makeup from the brand. I enjoy both cream and liquid blushes so this should be fun to try out. And I am glad they are putting more makeup in the boxes now. There are a few items from Rodial that I love, but it isn’t a universal love for the brand. It will be interesting to see which way the blush leans.

The fifth item in this month’s box is the Girlactik Rose Oil Petal Gloss (retail $20). It is a nice lip oil with rose petals suspended in it. It is pretty and the oil feels nice. I also like that while it doesn’t smell overly rose, it also doesn’t taste overly rosy. At least not on a trial test. I tried a rose oil lip scrub a while back that was just horrid due to the rose flavor. This seems to hold the flavor in check, for which I am grateful

And finally we have the Riddle Oil Original Roll on oil (retail $50). This is a small roll on perfume that quite honestly doesn’t look full size. It looks like a deluxe sample. But as this box only has full sizes then I’m going to guess it is actually full size. I love perfumes and lord knows I do not mind spending the money on them I have several in my collection that are in the $120 range so I know that they can be small but expensive. I think because it doesn’t look like a full sized bottle I have a hard time thinking of it that way. Perhaps once I will use it, I will see the value.

Size and price claims aside, I think this was a pretty good box. Was it spectacular? Not really. And I think because this was the month where the increased price kicked in, I expected spectacular. I sort of expected them to prove without a shadow of a doubt that they were worth the price increase. Instead I am still on the fence.

Do I like the box? Yes. Am I happy to have these products? Also yes. Am I blown away? No. Am I certain this box is worth me spending the new increased price on it? Not yet. But this is why I will be giving them a few months. At the moment I know there are shortages. I know shipping isn’t great. So even though I wasn’t blown away, I am pleased with this box and hopefully as things smooth out, Boxycharm will get better. If not, there is an entire list of boxes out there I want to try. I will just pick one from the list and give it a go.

Spellbound by the October 2021 BoxyCharm Premium Box

Good morning my darlings and welcome to a bright and crisp Monday morning. Today it actually felt like October when I woke up. Early October , but still the dew was frosting the tips of the grass so I think we can safely say summer is behind us.

This weekend my October BoxyCharm Premium box arrived and there is a lot to talk about. There are changes with Boxycharm as well as the box. The major change is that this is the last month that this box will cost $35. Starting November 1st the cost will increase to $39.99 per month. I know they are just trying to get around saying $40, but really that’s what it is.

Part of the increase is due to shipping charges being raised. And I get that. They have also promised new changes. At the moment the only official change is the changing of the name Add ons and Pop up to Drop Shop. But I am willing to give them a few months to see what other changes they might come up with. The price increase is not an automatic end for me. Officially I usually make my do I keep or do I let go decisions about subscriptions after I receive Decembers boxes and before I am charged for January. So that gives me two months of receiving Boxycharm at the higher price to see if I still want to keep the subscription.

I’m okay with that. Two months is a decent time to see about possible changes and to listen for some upcoming ones. So I feel I will be better able to make a decision then. While Boxycharm has had its ups and downs, over all it is a subscription I enjoy. If it continues to be one I enjoy, I’ll keep it. It is really a very simple equation in the end.

But what was in this month’s box? Let’s see shall we?

Let’s start with the two items I chose. First off though I would like to mention a change to the premium choice this month. With premium you are allowed to choose two items. Usually the categories are a mix of items, but this month the first category was all skincare and the second was all makeup. Which I kind of liked. I don’t like mentally debating with myself between the skin care item and a makeup item. I like that the choice was separated out.

The first item I chose was a skincare item and it was the 111Skin Antioxidant Energising Essence (retail $100). In general I like 111Skin. Sometimes they are a bit over priced and sometimes I find the price justified. It really depends on the product. For me their worst products still work well with my skin so I never really mind getting something from the brand. And this is somewhat timely as well. I have been using the Missha Time Revolution Artemisia Essence. I love it not only as an essence but as a general skin soother. The bottle I am using actually emptied this morning. Partially because I am now no longer the only person using it. My Babydoll likes it as well. Which is why I went ahead and ordered a second bottle. It will go in the medicine cabinet, mostly because he will uses something to sooth his skin if he can think of it as medicine rather than skin care, but that is a battle I have been fighting for years with him. Now I just put the skin care for him in the medicine cabinet and he’ll use it.

Regardless, I am ready to try out a new essence and am happy to have this one on hand. It will be rotated into the line up soon. Probably this evening, actually.

The second Item I chose was the Lys No Limits Matte Bronzer (retail $18). I really like the sleek triangular packaging and can not wait to give it a go. It just looks so nice in the package. It is also a pretty large pan so it should last a while even if I decide I love it and want to use it every day. And I haven’t tried anything from the brand before. It is always fun to try out new brands. As it seems like it is really well priced, I am hoping I like it and possibly like other items form the brand.

The next item I pulled out of the box was also a makeup item. This was the Benefit Cosmetics Georgia Golden Peach Blush. (retail $30). I have the Benefit Gold Rush Blush and I absolutely love the formula. So for me this was spectacular to see and I am really hoping the color works well for my skin. I will be trying it out soon. I am also happy to see makeup items in this month’s box. While I have a deep love affair with skincare, I have so much of it right now that I really just wanted something new in the makeup category.

Continuing with the makeup, I aloo received the Tarte Maneater Plumping Gloss (retail $19). I love a good pluming gloss and while I have never tried a tarte lip product I do like other products from them And to be honest one of my favorite mascaras from them is from the Maneater line. And if my recent lip declutter wasn’t enough of a clue, I really like lip products. So over all, not a bad choice for my box.

Dipping back into skincare we have the Perricone MD Vitamin C Ester Citrus Brightening Cleanser (retail $35). I can always use a good cleanser. It is the one category I am always guaranteed to plow through as I use cleansers at least twice a day. I also like Vitamin C and I am a fan of the brand Perricone. Their eye cream is fantastic and I really like their no makeup makeup lip gloss line. I’ve never tried their cleanser, but am happy to give it a go.

And finally we come to the Dew of the Gods Filla Collagen Under eye pads (retail $20). I’ve never heard of Dew of the Gods, but they seem to have a lot of products in the Boxy add ons or rather the Drop Shop, this month. I am a fan of under eye masks as they are lifesavers during allergy season. The ones I tend to use are depuffing and a fall and spring staple for me. I’ve not used collagen ones, but i am willing to give them a go. i like that there are ten in the container and that it is a metal tin so that I can keep them together more easily. Also i just like little metal tins.

So over all this was my BoxyCharm Premium this month. I was rather pleased with it. My $35 brought me $222 worth of products if you are looking at a strictly monetary exchange. More importantly to me, the items are ones that I will use and that I am actually looking forward to using. While I do want there to be value for my money the use is the better value for me. I like to see trusted brands and I like to be surprised by new ones. I like to see products that interest or excite me and I like to find things that I might not have found or picked up on my own. All of these are the reasons I buy subscription boxes and this month, Boxycharm ticked all of these boxes for me. It will be interesting to see how things proceed as we move into November, but for now I am willing to keep my subscription and see what Boxycharm has planned.

Unboxing the September 2021 Boxycharm Premium Box

This weekend a lot of packages arrived as the September subscriptions managed to make it through the postal system. For some reason almost all of my packages decide that Smyrna, TN was THE place to be and no one wanted to leave the party early. I’m not certain why, but every one of my packages spent a long time in Smyrna. But thus far all but Glossy Box have made it out of Smyrna. For some reason, despite being the first subscription box I received a tracking number for this month, it is the last one to actually leave Smyrna. According to the post, it is still there. But that is another story.

This is a post about the September Boxy Charm Premium Subscription box. It is the $35 subscription tier. I have actually tried all of the subscription tiers for Boxy Charm. They have the Base, the Premium and the Quarterly Luxe. Over all I decided the box that consistently had the products I most enjoyed was the Premium category. So that is the one I kept. It has been, over all a pretty good category for me. Plus, Boxy Charm has really great add ons and Pop up stores so if there is an item that appeared in one of the other boxes that I am upset about missing out on, I can usually find it in the add ons and pick it up there at a deep discount. In the premium category you receive six full sized items for your $35. You get to choose two of them.

Let’s start with the two items I chose.

The first of these was the bareMinerals Mineralist Hydra Smoothing Lipstick. (Retail $20) I picked out the shade Perception from the shades listed and I think this is going to be a fantastic berry shade to take me into the fall and winter. There is just something fabulous about a deep shade of lip in the colder months. I have a couple to the Mineralist lipstick and I really like the way they perform. It is a bullet style lipstick (as opposed to a liquid lip) but it is long wearing. The best part though is how my lips feel after wearing it. My lips always feel super nourished even when the color wears off. I am a big fan of this lipstick and I am happy to have this in a shade I will use.

I’m also happy I got to pick the shade I wanted. For some reason subscription boxes favor sending light pink shades that just don’t suit me all that well. But this is a fantastic shade.

The second item I chose was the Laura Mercier Soothing Eye makeup remover. (retail $ 27).I am actually almost out of eye makeup remover and needed to reorder. I’ve been stretching the last of my Klorane Coneflower waterproof eye makeup remover as far as it will go because it is currently the only Klorane product I am not well stocked on and I like to place an order for multiple products to save on shipping. I forgot to include it in the list when I ordered several dry shampoos.

I’m kind of kicking myself on that because I actually added an extra dry shampoo to the order to bump up the cost for free shipping when I could have just added the eye makeup remover. Not that the extra dry shampoo will go to waste, but that isn’t the point. Anyway, I hope that this works well. I’ve had pretty good luck with Laura Mercier products before. So hopefully this will work well for me.

The third item in this month’s box is also quite timely. This month I received the Verb Ghost Oil (retail $18). I actually used this all of last winter and absolutely love it. Verb is a really good hair care brand in general, but I really like their Ghost Oil. In the winter, the top layer of my hair kind of dries out a bit due to central heating issues and I get loads of little hairs sticking out all over the place. Just a little spritz and a quick comb and the hair is tamed without looking greasy. It is very light weight and it is a product I was actually getting ready to reorder for my winter supplies. I was actually debating between it and Moroccanoil (the light oil is my favorite, despite having thick hair). Those tend to be the two hair oils I use and I tend to trade off. Since I now have this Ghost oil, I will use the bottle and when it runs out I’ll order the Moroccanoil to replace it.

Next up in the premium box this month is the Bloomeffects Tulip Dew Mist. (retail $34). In the summer time I generally stock up on Avene Thermal water because it is just super fabulous on the skin when I come in from the garden or in from any time out in the sun really. But I tend not stock it as much in the winter. Which is silly, as my skin could really use the moisture in the winter, probably more so than in the summer. This spray has vitamins B3, C, D and E as well as antioxidants mixed in with the moisturizing nature of the spray so perhaps it will be of use this winter. The only thing I have tried from Bloom Effects is the night mask. I tried using it and while I loved it, the mask had too much moisture for my summer skin so I set it aside for when the weather changed. Soon the weather will hopefully be changing and I can get that back out. It will be nice to try something else from the brand though.

This month I received the Milk and Honey Highlighter Palette from Beauty Bakerie. (retail $38). I have seen a lot of Beauty Bakerie Products around and I always like the packaging and the names, but I have never actually tried anything from them before. Even when they were in subscription boxes they never made it into my variation.

I like the colors of these highlighters and they swatch really well. I am happy I get to try out the brand and I am thrilled that there is a second makeup product in this month’s box. Recently all subscription boxes seem to be going heavy on skincare and it is nice to see this month my Boxycharm Premium was not overly skincare heavy.

And now there is one final item in my Boxycharm this month and it is the Complex Culture Beauty Sonic 1-bar facial massager. (retail $58). For those that don’t know, Complex Culture is a brand owned by IPSY and is frequently in IPSY boxes. This past year IPSY bought Boxycharm. So I suppose it is natural that there is a Complex Culture product migrating into Boxycharm. I actually own this product as it came in an IPSY box several months ago. It is a well-crafted skincare tool. The one in the picture is the one I have. The one that came in the box is going to be passed on unopened. (In case you are wondering why the tool isn’t looking perfectly new). To be honest, this isn’t my favorite tool. The powerful vibrations are nice, but that bar is just a little too hard. I much prefer the rounded quartz of the nearly identical tool we received last month from Boxycharm. To be honest, getting this tool kind of annoys me. It isn’t that it is an IPSY brand or that I already have one. It is more that I just received something so similar the month before that kind of bothers me. I think I would be less irritated if they waited a couple of months and then put it into the box.

Still it is a minor irritation and I know exactly who I am going to pass it along to so it isn’t really a problem. It was just the one clunking note in this box. Quite honestly, I really liked this month’s Boxy Charm Premium. The products are ones I will use and that I like. I have a couple of items that I get to try out to learn more about the brands as well as a couple of favorites. The categories varied enough that I don’t feel like I am getting buried under one type of product. Over all I really enjoyed this month.

Today there is a one day sale going on. For today only, because it is Chomps 9th Birthday, they are having a sale. <a href="http://<a href="https://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=hHyMhrojQEw&offerid=813323.24&type=3&subid=0">Chomps Turns 9! Enjoy $9 Off 24 Count Boxes with Code HBDAY9 to Celebrate! 9/20 Only!</a>Celebrate Chomps 9th Birthday with $9 Off 24 Count Boxes! Valid 9/20 Only! It’s an affiliate only link so I think you have to click the above link to get the deal. Personally I really like Chomps. They are a low calorie snack that is very satisfying for the afternoon and feels more filling than it actually is. Plus it is made with only good things so you don’t have to worry and wonder about what you are eating. they are also fabulous when you are on the go as they are super easy to stash in your bag. If you are looking to stock up, today is your day.

Chomps Turns 9! Enjoy $9 Off 24 Count Boxes with Code HBDAY9 to Celebrate! 9/20 Only!

Unboxing the BoxyCharm Premium Box for August 2021

This seems to be the month where subscription boxes just sneak into the house. Maybe they have all decided to go incognito through the mail. As with this month’s Birch box, I didn’t get an e-mail saying that the August Boxycharm was on the way. It just showed up on my doorstep.

Surprise! Boxy is here.

I am currently subscribed to the Premium category of Boxy Charm. They have the Base box which is $25 a month, the Premium (which I get) for $35 and the Quarterly BoxyLuxe which I think is $50. At one time I had all of them and after monitoring the items I received I realized I was most consistently happy with the products in the Premium category so I dropped the others and kept the $35 box. In general I have been pretty happy with it. Occasionally some months are less exciting than others, but you get that with every subscription. But for me the Premium category has been consistently decent.

So let’s see what came in this month’s box.

The first item is one I chose and that is the Wishful Honey Balm Jelly Moisturizer (retail $49). I love so many of Huda Beauty’s products and I really wanted to try out something from their sister skincare line (Wishful) so I was excited to see this as a choice item. I rotated in a sample size of a moisturizer for night time use this week in my skin care line and since it will be an empty container by Friday I have been debating what product to replace it with. I might just add this in to try it out. But I was happy to see it as a choice option.

The second choice was mostly a line of Vesca Products. I had never heard of Vesca, but I am always willing to give a new brand a try. I could have sworn I clicked on the bronzer, but in my box was the Soft Sun Radiant Skin Primer and Luminizer (retail $30). I am never opposed to a primer. I suppose I was thinking bronzer and my hand automatically clicked on primer. (or there was another mix up).

The swatch above the primer is for the Zoeva Lippie below

I tried this on my hand and it looks like it is going to be quite the luminizing product. I suspect I am going to have to pair it with a definite matte foundation to balance it out. But I will give it a shot and see how it performs. It should be fun to play around with , and I am happy there was some makeup in the box.

Speaking of makeup there was a Zoeva Powerful Lip twist in the shade Rhea (retail $$14). I like the size of the lip rayon and I think I can make the color work, but it is a very soft formula. Just trying it on my hand bent the tip of the crayon nearly sideways. So I’ll have to be careful with it. Or possibly put it in the fridge for a few minutes before using it.

This month there was a Rainforest Mist Hairspray from Voir (retail $26). I do not use a lot of hairspray to be honest. I generally keep a travel sized bottle in with my hair products and the trial sized bottle lasts for pretty much ever. I did clear out an empty travel sized bottle from my drawer of hair care items the last time I sorted products so I don’t think I actually have any hair spray in the house at the moment.

Now I suppose I do, for any hairspray emergency that comes up. This one has a nice fine mist of product and has a scent like a high end hair salon. I’ve never heard of Voir before, but this looks like it could be a pretty decent product. Perhaps in the fall when the humidity lowers I’ll come up with some hair style that needs hairspray so I can give it a try. Right now not only is it too hot and humid, but my hair is too long and heavy to wear down. Most of the time when I curl it (and thus using hairspray) I wear it down. So the Voir awaits fall.

ohe last two items in my Boxy Charm this month were both skincare tools. The first of these is the Luxe + Willow Phoenix Rose Gold Quartz Vibrating Facial Massager (retail $79.99). I have a context beauty facial massager that is built along similar lines. The big difference is that the top is a bar instead of a quartz disk. While I like the vibrations of the tool on my face, I don’t like that bar, especially under my eye area. It feels a little too hard and angular. I suspect I might like the rounded disk a lot more. I really do like the facial vibration tools. I enjoy the Fereo as a cleanser and I think I will really like this. I actually can’t wait to try it.

And finally there is a plastic bag filled with three reusable rounds from LaRuce Beauty (retail $24). I have several brush sets form them and they are nice. The brushes are a bit overpriced, but nice enough. These rounds actually seem perfectly priced, which is nice to see. These three are all fuzzier than any of the facial rounds I use. The package recommends that The white be used to remove makeup, the gray for toners and serums and the black for washing the face. I think the black one would be very good for washing the face. I might use the gray with toners, but I would be hesitant to try them with serums as it looks like it might absorb more product than a regular reusable round due to its extra fluffiness. I think the white one, as well as the other two when it comes down to it, would be good at removing makeup. It will be interesting to see how long that fluffiness lasts and what effect it has. I like that they can be added to the washing machine. I’m going to give them a good try with a variety of different uses and see how they perform as well as how they wash. I’ll have to get back to you on my thoughts regarding them after they have been given a fair trial.

So that was this month’s Boxy Charm. My $35 box had $222.99 value to it. For me the value is in whether I will use the items and I have to say I will. I may not get as much use out of the hair spray, but it does fill a gap in my current products list and I would have bought hair spray in the fall once the weather cools down. So it means I don’t have to buy hairspray now. The rest of the items I am looking forward to trying out. All in all I am actually pretty satisfied. There were two makeup items, one hair care item, one moisturizer and two skincare tools. Over all it was a pretty good mix of products. I am certainly happy to keep Boxycharm Premium for another month.

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