May Boxycharm Unboxing

There are a lot of uncertain things in life, but one thing is for sure - new surprise makeup products will always be exciting! After being a Boxycharm subscriber for almost five years, the excitement is still there and every month’s box feels like Christmas. Before we get into all of the new goodies included in the May box, let’s quickly review last month’s products first.

~Tony Moly Sheet Masks~ Although these did leave my skin feeling refreshed, they’re not something I could see myself repurchasing in the future. Besides it not being the right type of product for my skin’s needs, these (along with most other sheet masks) didn’t fit my face very well which made the whole process pretty uncomfortable.

~Hank & Henry Beauty Sponges~ For not ever being impressed by any products I’ve tried in the past from this brand, I was pleasantly surprised to see how wonderful these sponges are! They’re super squishy, they get much larger when dampened, I love the bright color of them, and the two sizes made it easy to blend makeup around all areas of the face.

~Benefit Cosmetics POREfessional Hydrate Primer~ This is very similar to the original POREfessional primer. It has the same scent and color, but this one has a slightly more smooth consistency. It does blur my pores nicely, though it’s one I’ll have to save for specifically dry days because it doesn’t always pair beautifully with my already extremely oily skin.

~Ace Beautē Vintage Dawn Eyeshadow Palette~ As you might have seen in my recent tutorial, this palette definitely took me out of my comfort zone. However, as mentioned in my full review, the quality is amazing and the shadows are incredibly pigmented.

~Iconic London Plumping Lip Gloss (Peek-A-Boo)~ I love that this leaves more of a clear finish on the lips rather than the bright pink that is shown in the tube. It’s not sticky or heavy feeling at all, but there is a significant tingle from its plumping formula that I’m not super excited about.

Last month’s box is exactly what I like to see in a subscription service. There was a good mix of skincare, tools, and a variety of makeup products for different areas around the face. Even though I might not have found a new favorite product, the variety of products is what made testing for much fun. The theme for this month’s box is Mother Nature. I, once again, didn’t receive a notecard in my box which is pretty annoying considering how helpful it is.

The first product in this month’s box is a shampoo bar by a brand called Daily Concepts. This bar retails for $24 and includes ingredients such as Avocado Oil to improve hair’s elasticity and shine, Nopal Cactus to nourish and protect the hair, and Aloe to moisturize, balance, and soothe the scalp. It’s marketed as a plant based bar that eliminates the need for plastic bottles.

I’ve never heard of this brand before and I’ve never even seen a shampoo bar, so I’m not really sure what to expect with this. The instructions say to wet the hair and the bar, swipe the bar several times down the hair from root to tip, lather, and rinse. I’m interested to see how much it will foam, but I can already tell I really do not like the scent. It has a very strong, almost overpowering, earthy scent that I’m not sure I want lingering in my hair.

The second product in the box are these Dead Sea Minerals + Vitamin C Makeup Removing Wipes from a brand called Ayam Beautycare. This package comes with 25 wipes and retails for $17. These claim to gently remove all traces of makeup to leave skin looking hydrated and luminous. The Dead Sea Minerals and Vitamin C ingredients are supposed to fight the look of dark spots and discoloration to instantly increase skin’s radiance and brightness.

This is another brand I’ve never heard of before and although I don’t typically use makeup remover wipes very often, I am interested to see how well these work. I’m also really curious about their brightening effects since I’ve had some good luck with other Vitamin C based products in the past.

Next are the Elemis Dynamic Resurfacing Facial Pads. This container includes 60 pads and is listed for $59! These are supposed to cleanse the skin of dead skin cells in less than one minute, act as both a chemical and physical exfoliant, and even out skin’s complexion to promote radiance. Some of its key ingredients include the Elemis patented Tri-Enzyme Technology, a mild Lactic Acid, and a Probiotic Ferment Complex which all work together to leave the skin smoother and more visibly luminous.

While I’ve never tried anything from this brand before, I’ve heard nothing but wonderful things about their products so it’s actually one that has been on my radar for a while now. These pads came just in time because I was about to reorder my favorite facial pads from Nip+Fab. I can’t wait to see how these compare!

Concealer is something Boxycharm just started including in their boxes and this month I received the Trèstique Concealer Crayon in the shade Bisque ($24). This has the concealer on one end and a small, antibacterial blender sponge on the other. The blender sponge is very dense and rough feeling, so I’m not sure how much use I’ll get out of that. And although it’s marketed as an antibacterial sponge, they do recommend that it be removed and washed frequently.

What’s really impressive is this formula! It’s infused with Coconut Oil, which makes it glide on easily and blend effortlessly. It swatches super smooth, so I’m really interested to see how well this covers and lasts throughout the day. 

The last product in this month’s box is the Studio Makeup Ease to Wear eyeshadow palette ($35). The packaging looks super simple and although the inside looks like many palettes we’ve seen before, this color selection has my name written all over it! As long as the quality is good, I know I’ll get a ton of use out of these neutrals and even that pretty pop of pink!

There seems to be a good mix of mattes and shimmers in the palette, which adds to its versatility. From what I can tell from the formula so far, these have a buttery smooth texture and seem to be highly pigmented. I’ve loved multiple Studio Makeup palettes that I’ve received in past Boxycharms, so I can’t wait to start playing with this one!

This month’s box wasn’t as versatile as last month’s considering I did get multiple skincare products, but the value is just as impressive as always. The total retail value of all five of these products is $159, which is much more than the $25 that the box actually  costs! Although I am really excited to try the Elemis facial pads, I think I might be most excited about the buttery smooth formula of the concealer and the neutral colors in the eyeshadow palette!

If you enjoyed this post, please feel free to share it using one of the buttons below. If you have any questions, leave them for me in the comments! Did you receive this month’s Boxycharm? What products are you most excited about?

XO ♥ Christina ♥

 

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