December Boxycharm Unboxing

December 19, 2016

December Boxycharm Unboxing

This is my last Boxycharm of the year!! It’s really starting to sink in now how close we are to the end of the year and I can’t even believe it. Everything is happening so fast, I can’t keep up! But my Boxycharm has arrived, which means we need to take some time out to appreciate the wonderful subscription service that they are. It’s been over a year that I’ve been subscribed to them and I still get just as excited as if it’s my first box! As usual, let’s quickly review last month’s products before getting into what was included in this month’s box.

~Patchology FlashMasque Trio~ I honestly completely forgot about this product until just now. I put it away in a drawer full of other samples just so that it wouldn’t be sitting out and it slipped my mind. I’ll try these when my skin isn’t acting up and report back then!

~StudioMakeup Soft Blend Blush (Wildflower)~ I mentioned in my unboxing post that I already own this exact same blush because I received it in last year’s November box also. So I passed this on to my sister, but she has let me know that she loves it!

~Crown Brush C513 Pro Detail Crease brush~ I really do not think this is a crease brush, even if it is “pro detail.” I think it is 100% the same shape as most pencil brushes I have seen. It is really great quality and I’ve been enjoying using it a lot lately. If they’d change the name, then I wouldn’t have anything to complain about.

~Vintage Cosmetics Illuminating Face Highlighter (Rose Gold)~ I had a feeling I wasn’t going to like this from the beginning and I was right. I don’t usually use highlighter anyway thanks to my natural oils, but I was especially not looking forward to having a pink highlighter. It just accentuated my blush and looked like I didn’t know how to apply makeup. On the right person, this might be okay. Although that still doesn’t justify it’s price.

~StudioMakeup On-the-Go palette (Cool Down)~ This has the same amazing quality as the other On-the-Go palette that I cannot stop talking about. I do prefer the shades in the Warm Up palette more for everyday use, but still definitely recommend this palette. Check out Friday’s tutorial to see what some of the colors look like on the eye.

Last month’s box was kind of exciting, but there have been many other boxes that I’ve been more impressed with in the past. But for the price of the box, I still think it was totally worth it just for the StudioMakeup palette alone. The theme for December’s box is Makeup On Pointe and the little notecard had ballet slippers on it. I guess last month’s bubble wrap was only temporary because the little black paper shreds are back!

The first thing is a Butter London nail polish. These usually retail for $15 and this particular one is in the shade Ruby Murray. It looks a lot like the nail polish I had on last week. It’s still in the same cranberry family, but on the more deeper side. I’ve only tried one other Butter London nail polish before, which I also received in a Boxycharm and although I loved the color, I hated the formula. It chipped within just a few days and for $15 each, I need it to be much better than that. Hopefully this one will last longer!

I have wanted to try one of the Makeup Eraser towels ever since they were released, but there was no way I was spending so much on one towel...to remove my makeup. So I’m super excited that they included a mini version ($12) in this month’s box. I do have a somewhat small face, so I don’t think the size will be a problem for me. I’m not sure what’s in this that will take the makeup off, but I can’t wait to see whether or not it really works and what it’s all about!

I was just introduced to the IBY Beauty brand a few months ago when I received one of their eyeshadow trios in my October Boxycharm and I absolutely loved it. I was really impressed with the quality on that palette, so I’m excited to be able to try something else from their brand. This is their lip liner in the shade Cocoa. It’s a soft brown that’s supposed to contour the lips and provide some extra definition. It is a traditional pencil, but it felt really smooth. My only concern is sharpening it. I’m not very good at that!

Next is an Ofra Long Lasting Liquid Lipstick in the shade Napa Valley ($20). I think the shade name is super cute, but I honestly have no idea what in the world to do with this color besides keep it for Halloween. I know crazy colors are popular right now for lips, but I just can’t get on that trend. I like my pinks, berries, and reds. I also haven’t been a fan of this formula in past shades that I’ve received. This will probably sit in my drawer and just get pulled out for giggles.

The last item in this month’s box is a eyeshadow palette from Pure Cosmetics. This is their Buff Collection palette and it looks like another attempt at a dupe for the Urban Decay Naked 3 palette. I’ve been wanting some more rosey shades in my eyeshadow collection, so I’m happy to add this in. For $50, this palette comes with 12 shades, a mirror, and a double-ended brush. The first thing I noticed is that they are all labeled with shade names. My favorite!

The cover on the mirror does come off, but it is a little difficult. I only swatched a few shades in the picture below because I do plan on doing a separate review and tutorial with more details as I get to use it more. Of the 12 shades, only three of them are completely matte. All of the others have some sort of shimmer, glitter, or satin finish. During my initial swatches, I can tell that they are very soft and pigmented, although they are also a little powdery.

I’m really happy about this month’s box. Aside from the liquid lipstick, I can’t wait to try out all of the other products. The total value for this box is $111, which is amazing considering you only pay $21! If you haven’t signed up for Boxycharm yet or if you would like to find out more information on their subscription service, you can create an account and read all the details over on their website. I highly recommend it!!

~Mani Monday~

Christmas is this week!!! I wanted to do something festive, but since I have done both a silver and a red the past two weeks I decided to go with a deeper blue. This one isn’t too dark, but does have some beautiful sparkles in it. I’m wearing another Sinful Colors polish in the shade Kissy. If you haven’t seen yesterday’s Instagram post, you definitely need to go check it out! I showed what my nail polish looked like after seven days of wear with one of these Sinful Colors polishes to prove just how long they really last and the quality that you’re getting for paying only $1.99 per bottle!