Oh Boxycharm, how I love thee. Let me count the ways! Boxycharm (find it here) is an “online beauty subscription that surprises you each month with 4-5 full-size and luxury-size products from popular and upcoming beauty brands.” But to put it in simple terms…IT IS AWESOME. It will cost you $21 per month if you pay each month. However, if you pay for multiple months up front, you can snag it even cheaper. And what’s the best part of Boxycharm? Each box is valued at at least $110. I don’t know how they do it! In my humble opinion, it is the best beauty subscription service. It’s consistent in providing high-quality products for you to try. You can also earn “charms” by reviewing products and referring people to subscribe and those charms can be redeemed for products. Not too shabby
Around the first of each month, I start sneaking a peek online to see what products will be included in the upcoming box. I try to resist the urge to find out early what I will be receiving but clearly I have no patience. So if you’re a lucky duck who gets your box early each month and post it on social media, chances are that I am trolling you.
OK! Enough with all of that. Here’s what I snagged in this month’s box:
Crown Brush – Round Contour Brush
Value: $24.99
A few of my makeup obsessed friends have been recommending oval brushes to me for a couple of months now. I am more of a sponge gal for foundation and concealer application so I have been dragging my feet purchasing more brushes. So it was good timing that Boxycharm included one in this month’s box.
I already own a few Crown Brush brushes. They are good quality brushes that are affordable. I’m assuming that the brush is a Boxycharm exclusive as it has the Boxycharm logo on the handle. It comes with a plastic cover that protects the entire brush head that I must admit was quite a bugger to remove. It has super soft, yet very dense bristles that feel smooth on the skin. I tried out the brush with liquid foundation and I was surprised with how easily it blended the product. It left the finish streak-free and had zero shedding. It can also be used for powder but I will most likely end up using this more with liquids and creams.
I like it for contouring as it’s the perfect shape. I must say I am impressed. I try to take products that are hyped up to crazy status by the beauty community with a big grain of salt (I’m looking at you, you evil little silicone blender that looks like a bra chicken cutlet). But it’s refreshing to find a hyped up product that actually delivers on its promises.
IBY Beauty – Highlight and Contour Palette
Value: $40.00
As I mentioned in my Ipsy review post, I am very pale. Often I see beautiful contour palettes floating around that just don’t work on fair-skinned folks. In the past, I have tried to make it work but the contoured parts of my skin end up looking like I tried to blend cocoa powder on my face. Not a good look. I personally like to create a very subtle contour. Instead of using traditional contour shades, I will often reach for a cool toned eyeshadow that mimics a natural shadow. You fair peeps know what I’m talking about.
As for highlighters, it often is challenging to have them appear on my skin. They either have to have a hint of champagne or gold with a bit of shimmer to do their job. All of these concerns came to mind when I saw that Boxycharm was including and highlight and contour palette. I previously had received an IBY Beauty eyeshadow palette in a previous box. The shadows were good quality so I was hopeful that the contour palette would work for my skintone.
I applied the contour shade first and then blended and blended some more to ensure I didn’t have a cocoa powder incident. “Contour 1” added some depth to my features without looking muddy. The texture is very soft, almost like velvet, which helped it to blend out easily. It didn’t add extra texture to my skin and appeared smooth.
When I swatched the highlight shades, sure enough, they are almost the same shade as my skintone. The highlight is intended to be one or two shades lighter than your skin. While this will create a natural highlight that is intended to be used on many sections of your face, I will probably use it more as a setting powder. It did blend nicely with the contour powder.
It lasted throughout the day and I was a happy bunny that I could make this palette work!
The BrowGal – Convertible Brow 02
Value: $35.00
You’ve heard it a million times “The eyebrow frames the eye”. Eyebrows are a make or break feature of the face that really can impact how you look. You catch my drift?
The BrowGal is already a favorite brand for my brows. I own the clear brow gel by The BrowGal and I absolutely love it! So when I saw two goodies from their brands were coming my way, I was a happy lady.
Since my hair is black and I need to fill my brows with darker shades. The darkest shade in the Convertible Brow allowed me to build up color that filled in my brows while still looking natural. It’s a powder/pomade combination so there’s no need to use a separate wax. My brow hairs held in place and I topped it off with a clear brow gel. This formula is long-wearing and didn’t budge all day. Another awesome product from The BrowGal.
The BrowGal – Brow Brush
Value: $14.00
Yippee! The perfect pairing with their Convertible Brow. This is a double ended brush with an angled brush on one end and a spoolie on the other. The brush has bristles that are stiff enough to maintain their shape yet flexible enough for detail work. The brush width is the perfect length for precision application. The spoolie is not too big or too small and helped to brush the product through my brows.
Temptu – Liquid Glow
Value: $29.50
As soon as the weather turns a little warmer and Summer approaches, I long for dewy skin. My matte foundations take their places on the shelf as I start reaching for hydrating potions. This limited edition Boxycharm collaboration illuminizer is B I G! Temptu makes airbrush machines and a line of makeup that can be used with our without the applicator. This gold luminating liquid can be mixed with your foundation or applied to the places you would typically apply your highlighter.
A little bit of this magical sauce goes a long way. It isn’t glittery but leaves a stunning dewy finish. I like to tap it on the skin gently with my fingers but you could apply it with a brush or a sponge. The formula is buildable and I didn’t find it to be patchy. I will be dabbing this on my chest, legs and arms in the summertime for a touch of glow.
There you have it! Another amazing month of Boxycharm. The value of this box is around $144! That’s crazy. Crazy awesome. If only all things in life could be this fabulous.
Lipstick and Nachos 