August Boxycharm Unboxing
Boxycharm has been my favorite beauty subscription service for the entire two years that I’ve been subscribed to them, but right now we’re having a few issues. I already discussed one problem in my last unboxing and I’ll be getting into more issues as we get into what was included in this month’s box. Before we get into that, though, I’ll be quickly reviewing how last month’s products worked out for me.
~bareMinerals Prep Step Mineral Shield Lotion~ I wasn’t sure what to expect with this one, but I actually ended up enjoying it a lot. It’s probably my favorite item from last month’s box. It feels very lightweight on the skin and provides the slightest amount of coverage. It’s perfect for beach days!
~WinkyLux Uni-Brow Universal Brow Pencil~ I thought I was really gonna like this, but it wasn’t as impressive as I was hoping. The triangle tip on the pencil isn’t very precise, which makes it easier to make a mistake if you have thinner brows. I also wasn’t a fan of the color match, but that’s something that varies by person.
~Ofra Body Illuminizer~ I didn’t get around to using this one just because this month has been so busy for me. When I initially swatched it, the color was much more orange and shimmery than something that I would typically put on my body. I was also too worried it’d transfer on my clothes. When I don’t have anything important to do, I’ll make sure to try it.
~Blinc Electric Eyes Palette~ Although my palette came broken, I left it sitting on a tissue on top of my desk so I could still use the colors that weren’t shattered. The quality of it is very nice and I love the looks I was able to create with it, like the peach toned combo that I featured in my last tutorial. I was told by Boxycharm’s customer service that I would receive a replacement palette in this month’s box, but that didn’t happen. I just got an email saying that it shipped separately and I'll receive it by next week. Problem number 1...
~ColourPop Ultra Matte Liquid Lipstick (Monday)~ The color that I received is beautiful and the formula is a lot more lightweight than other liquid lipsticks that I’ve tried before. I was worried it’d be sticky like the Ofra Liquid Lipsticks, but I didn’t feel any texture to these at all. It dried immediately after application and felt like nothing on the lips. The only negative I have to say about it is that it looks extremely unattractive because it is so incredibly matte. I definitely recommend layering some type of gloss on top otherwise you’ll end up with a Grand Canyon type of effect.
Last month’s products were just okay. I was impressed by most of the items more than I was disappointed, so that’s always a good surprise. The theme of this month’s box is Beach Please. I think that’s one of the cutest sayings, but I have to say I was expecting something with a back to school theme since Summer is almost over for a lot of people. I’m not complaining, though, I’ll take the beach any time of the year!
~bareMinerals Prep Step Mineral Shield Lotion~ I wasn’t sure what to expect with this one, but I actually ended up enjoying it a lot. It’s probably my favorite item from last month’s box. It feels very lightweight on the skin and provides the slightest amount of coverage. It’s perfect for beach days!
~WinkyLux Uni-Brow Universal Brow Pencil~ I thought I was really gonna like this, but it wasn’t as impressive as I was hoping. The triangle tip on the pencil isn’t very precise, which makes it easier to make a mistake if you have thinner brows. I also wasn’t a fan of the color match, but that’s something that varies by person.
~Ofra Body Illuminizer~ I didn’t get around to using this one just because this month has been so busy for me. When I initially swatched it, the color was much more orange and shimmery than something that I would typically put on my body. I was also too worried it’d transfer on my clothes. When I don’t have anything important to do, I’ll make sure to try it.
~Blinc Electric Eyes Palette~ Although my palette came broken, I left it sitting on a tissue on top of my desk so I could still use the colors that weren’t shattered. The quality of it is very nice and I love the looks I was able to create with it, like the peach toned combo that I featured in my last tutorial. I was told by Boxycharm’s customer service that I would receive a replacement palette in this month’s box, but that didn’t happen. I just got an email saying that it shipped separately and I'll receive it by next week. Problem number 1...
~ColourPop Ultra Matte Liquid Lipstick (Monday)~ The color that I received is beautiful and the formula is a lot more lightweight than other liquid lipsticks that I’ve tried before. I was worried it’d be sticky like the Ofra Liquid Lipsticks, but I didn’t feel any texture to these at all. It dried immediately after application and felt like nothing on the lips. The only negative I have to say about it is that it looks extremely unattractive because it is so incredibly matte. I definitely recommend layering some type of gloss on top otherwise you’ll end up with a Grand Canyon type of effect.
Last month’s products were just okay. I was impressed by most of the items more than I was disappointed, so that’s always a good surprise. The theme of this month’s box is Beach Please. I think that’s one of the cutest sayings, but I have to say I was expecting something with a back to school theme since Summer is almost over for a lot of people. I’m not complaining, though, I’ll take the beach any time of the year!
The first item I received is a set of Pro Eyelashes from Pür Cosmetics. The only eyelashes I’ve ever used are from Ardell, so I’m excited to try a different brand and compare the quality. These are handcrafted with natural-looking luxury silk to provide an ultra-lightweight feel and make the lashes appear fuller. These retail for $14 and are cruelty free, paraben free, and vegan friendly. They are safe for contact lens wearers and claim to be reusable for up to 30 wears. I’m not very good at applying lashes, but maybe after a little trimming and some practice I’ll get better at it.
Next is the Moda Pro brush set from Royal & Langnickel. We’ve received a few of their brushes before and I’ve always been impressed with the quality. This set retails for $26 and comes with a pointed blush brush (BMX-130), a chisel blender brush (BMX-250), and a crease brush (BMX-430). They’re extremely soft and I think they did a great job with the brush selection. These are also 100% vegan and cruelty free. The brush handles all have a rubber grip, which I think will be super helpful for allowing more control.
The third item I got, and the one that created my second problem with Boxycharm, is the bellápierre Cosmetics Gel Eyeliner Pencil in the shade Ebony. My problem is that I’ve received this item in a previous box before. Don’t get me wrong, it is a really great eyeliner and I use it pretty often. As you can see in the swatch picture below, I probably need to sharpen mine from using it so much. I just feel like I’m wasting my money when I get the same exact item twice. This has happened once before with a blush and I just let it go, but now I feel like it’s something that Boxycharm needs to be paying more attention to. Their customer service told me they can confirm that I didn't receive the same product, but here are the pictures of both. It might not have been recent, but I definitely have two of the same eyeliners. If it were a different color, that’d be fine. But getting the same exact product is not.
One thing that did make me happy was to see a Tarte eyeshadow palette included in the box. We’ve gotten products from Tarte before, but it was always small items like an eyeliner. Eyeshadow palettes are one of my favorites and I’ve never used a Tarte eyeshadow before, so this is really exciting. This is their Rainforest of the Sea Volume II palette that retails for $36, which isn’t too bad considering the price point of other Tarte products.
It includes eight shadows, all of which seem to be shimmery or have some sort of glitter flecks in them. Shimmers aren’t my favorite, especially in the crease, but I’ll play around with them and see how I can get these shades to work together. I only swatched a few in the picture below because I do plan on posting a separate review and tutorial of this in the future. They also included a coupon code in the box! You can use the code BOXYAUGUST between now and September 15th to receive $10 off your order of $60+ on the Tarte website.
The last item I received in the box is by a brand called The Beauty Crop. I’ve never heard of them before, but this is their #GRLPWR Liquid Lipstick in the shade Date Night ($14.95). This is another matte liquid lipstick and is a very similar shade to the Colourpop one that I received last month. Not only do I not like liquid lipsticks, especially when they’re matte, but I’m just not a big lip product junkie. That’s one of the main reasons I cancelled my ipsy two years ago. I’d like Boxycharm to start switching it up again. I know liquid lipsticks are really popular right now, but this is becoming way too repetitive.
It does dry down completely matte, as you can see in the picture above. However, that section of my hand felt extremely stiff after it had dried so I’m a little concerned as to how it will feel on the lips. This is my third big issue with Boxycharm this month. Yes, I received another liquid lipstick and no, I’m not happy about it. But what I’m even more unhappy about is that it looks like mine was already open and used! The crusty residue of the product that you can see in the picture below is exactly the way it was when I opened it out of the box. They say they're gonna send a replacement next month so we'll see about that. But until then I will not be putting this around my mouth area. That’s just gross.
Usually this is the part where I would go on and on about how great Boxycharm is and how you need to go sign up right now, but I’m a little hesitant to do that this time around based on my recent experience. I haven’t experienced anything like this in the past 2 years, so I’m confused as to why it’s happening now. Their customer service is definitely not what it used to be before they got really popular. I need brands to be able to handle that kind of exposure while maintaining their credibility. Come on, Boxycharm, get it together!!
~Christina~
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