January Boxycharm Unboxing
If there’s one thing that drives me crazy in this world, it’s the postal service. Mainly USPS. They’re horrible! My box showed up on time, so thankfully that wasn’t a problem this month. I just don’t understand why it’s so difficult for them to update their systems. When I got my tracking email for my box, it said “label created” until it finally showed up in my mailbox one day. The worst part is that they’re never going to change and there’s literally nothing you can do about it. I don’t understand why companies even use their services anymore. But whatever, let’s get into what really matters...makeup!
~Beauté Basics Bronze Essentials Palette~ Sorry to keep the negative theme going, but this palette was awful. I hated everything about it! The shade range was no good, the bronzer was too orange, there’s no way to get the matte powder without dipping into the glitter also, the glitter is chunky and doesn’t stick to anything, and the packaging feels like it could fall apart at any second. Stay as far away from this palette as possible!
~RealHer Blush Kit~ The packaging is nice on this one, but I still think it’s a little too bulky for what it is. I didn’t use the Fearless shade because it has too much shimmer in it for my preference. The other two shades are easy to work with and look beautiful paired together. The shade Unstoppable is more of a bronzer shade, though, so that’s something to keep in mind.
~Crown Brush Deluxe Blush Brush~ I typically really like brushes from Crown Brush, but this one disappointed me a little bit. I’ve already had a few bristles fall out and the packaging is not near as nice as their other brushes. I don’t know what they were thinking with this one. The shape is nice (a little too dense for blush, it’s better for foundation or contour), the quality just isn’t as good as what I’m used to expecting from them.
~Tarte Tarteist Lash Paint~ I was actually really impressed with this mascara. It adds a good amount of both volume and length, and is super dark in color. Even my husband said my lashes looked almost fake when I was wearing this one day and he had no idea I was using a new mascara. That’s really saying something!
~Pretty Vulgar My Lips Are Sealed Liquid Lipstick (Particularly Sophisticated)~ I love this product, but it really bothers me what they decided to name it. Why does everything have to be a liquid lipstick these days? This is a lip gloss in it’s true form and that’s what it should be called. Either way, I think the color is beautiful but the formula is what really impressed me. It’s super comfortable and soft on the lips, which is pretty rare in lip products lately. I’ve been wearing it constantly!
I had trouble with a few products from last month’s box, but overall I was pretty happy with it. As you might have seen in my recent tutorial, they all worked very well together! The theme for this month’s box is Rock 2018. That’s exactly what I plan on doing, and all of the products line up with the theme nicely which always makes it more fun.
~Beauté Basics Bronze Essentials Palette~ Sorry to keep the negative theme going, but this palette was awful. I hated everything about it! The shade range was no good, the bronzer was too orange, there’s no way to get the matte powder without dipping into the glitter also, the glitter is chunky and doesn’t stick to anything, and the packaging feels like it could fall apart at any second. Stay as far away from this palette as possible!
~RealHer Blush Kit~ The packaging is nice on this one, but I still think it’s a little too bulky for what it is. I didn’t use the Fearless shade because it has too much shimmer in it for my preference. The other two shades are easy to work with and look beautiful paired together. The shade Unstoppable is more of a bronzer shade, though, so that’s something to keep in mind.
~Crown Brush Deluxe Blush Brush~ I typically really like brushes from Crown Brush, but this one disappointed me a little bit. I’ve already had a few bristles fall out and the packaging is not near as nice as their other brushes. I don’t know what they were thinking with this one. The shape is nice (a little too dense for blush, it’s better for foundation or contour), the quality just isn’t as good as what I’m used to expecting from them.
~Tarte Tarteist Lash Paint~ I was actually really impressed with this mascara. It adds a good amount of both volume and length, and is super dark in color. Even my husband said my lashes looked almost fake when I was wearing this one day and he had no idea I was using a new mascara. That’s really saying something!
~Pretty Vulgar My Lips Are Sealed Liquid Lipstick (Particularly Sophisticated)~ I love this product, but it really bothers me what they decided to name it. Why does everything have to be a liquid lipstick these days? This is a lip gloss in it’s true form and that’s what it should be called. Either way, I think the color is beautiful but the formula is what really impressed me. It’s super comfortable and soft on the lips, which is pretty rare in lip products lately. I’ve been wearing it constantly!
I had trouble with a few products from last month’s box, but overall I was pretty happy with it. As you might have seen in my recent tutorial, they all worked very well together! The theme for this month’s box is Rock 2018. That’s exactly what I plan on doing, and all of the products line up with the theme nicely which always makes it more fun.
The first product in the January box is the Dr. Brandt Pores No More Luminizer Primer. This is a full size, containing 1 fl oz of product and it typically retails for $38. I’ve had samples of the Pores No More primer in the past and I really enjoyed it. It claims to blur pores and imperfections while leaving a natural radiant glow to the skin. The fact that this one has the word “luminizer” in it kinda scares me when thinking about putting it on my extremely oily skin, but I’m willing to give it a shot because I know how much I love the original version.
Pür Cosmetics shows up in our Boxycharms a lot and I usually get excited about it because there have been very few things that I’ve tried from them that I didn’t like. I think this is going to be one of those, at least for the way they advertise it. This is their Bronze and Brighten Cheek palette, which retails for $34. It comes with what is supposed to be a blush, a highlight, and a bronzer. The packaging feels very sturdy, there is a large mirror included and no applicator.
The colors look beautiful, but if you take a look at the swatch picture below then I’m sure you’ll automatically be able to notice my issue. These are so shimmery! I don’t know who would put such a shimmery blush and bronzer on their face, but I can tell you it’s not going to be me. The highlighter looks absolutely stunning, I just don’t know how I’m going to figure out what to do with the other two shades. They feel like butter and obviously have a very strong pigmentation, so I’m hoping they’ll maybe look okay on the eyes.
This next product literally made me laugh out loud when I saw it in the box. It is the It Cosmetics Universal Eyebrow Pencil in the shade Universal Taupe ($24). I’ve loved this product for many years and had planned on repurchasing it when I finish other eyebrow products that I currently have open. My parents actually gifted this to me for Christmas and now I received another one. They last me a really long time, so I know I’ll be set with some good eyebrows for a while!
Crown Brush is obviously another brand Boxycharm likes to partner with and this month we received their Glam Metals eyeshadow palette. This palette comes with nine eyeshadows, most of them being shimmers, and retails for $25 which I think is very reasonable. I appreciate that the packaging is compact and I understand that they were trying to do something cute with the mirror, but I kinda wish they didn’t. It’s not very practical to use.
I’m not exactly sure what I’m going to do with this color selection, but I’m going to have to figure something out. I’m such a neutral eyeshadow lover, this will definitely push me to work outside of my comfort zone. Although I do think it’s cute that the shade selection and names match the theme of the palette as well as they do. Upon initial swatch, I think they could be more creamy than they are so I’ll be interested to see how easily they blend on the eyes.
The last product in this month’s box is a Matte Lip Paint by Girlactik. I have mine in the shade Posh ($23). I automatically know that I like the packaging because it’s simple and small. However, I definitely gave it a huge eye roll when I realized it was yet another matte lip product. I am sooo over this matte lip trend, I can’t even explain it! But for review purposes, I will give this a fair try.
It has the same claims that they all do: lightweight, long-lasting, crease-proof, blah blah blah. I’ll have to get back to you on all of that, but I can tell you that this swatch was very difficult to wash off! So as far as long-wearing, that’s a good start. The color and smell reminds me a lot of the Ofra Matte Liquid Lipstick in the shade Americano.
Overall, I’m pretty interested to see what I think of these products. With an exception of a few, I’m not too excited about them as of right now. But you never know! I could come back next month and tell you I absolutely love something I thought I was going to hate. That wouldn't be the first time that's happened. That’s why beauty subscription boxes are so much fun! The total value for this month’s box is $144! If you haven’t signed up yet, I’d really recommend it. I love getting these new surprises every month!
If you have any other questions, please feel free to leave them in the comments section below. Did you get this month’s Boxycharm? What product are you most excited about?
~Christina~
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