March 2018 Boxycharm Unboxing

This was a fun month! Boxycharm kicked off Summer makeup the right way with their "Baecation" themed box. If you're new to makeup, looking to expand your collection, test new products, etc. Boxycharm is arguably my favorite subscription box. For $21/month you get 5 full sized products, and those products often retail for over $100. 

The first product I received was Butter London's Double Decker Lashes Mascara. I really enjoyed this! The wand and formula reminds me a lot of Too Faced's Better Than Sex Mascara/L'Oreal Lash Paradise Mascara. This does end up smudging, but only if you've worn it for a very long time (more than 8hrs). But it doesn't claim to be waterproof so this will fade if worn too long. Because L'Oreal makes a mascara just like this at a drugstore price (this is $20), I wouldn't repurchase. But I do recommend if you've ever wanted to try it. 

A favorite of mine in the box is this Make Them Blush in the shade Hush Blush by Pretty Vulgar. I absolutely love this blush! It is a beautiful warm peach, which goes with virtually every makeup look. This blush is also very pigmented, so a little goes a long way. Using a light hand is key - but Make Them Blush will last a long time before hitting pan. The blush retails for $26 and is worth every penny. The formula is silky and doesn't look powdery or cakey on the skin. So nice! I recommend. 

I LOVE LOVE LOVE getting makeup brushes in subscription boxes! And this Smokey Eye Makeup Brush Set from The Vintage Cosmetic Company is so essential. You get every brush you need to complete any eye look. A shader brush, a blending brush, and a small smudge brush. Adding brushes to my collection gives me life, and this trio will be well loved. The complete set retails for $21.76 which is a little pricey for brushes, but The Vintage makes high quality products. 

Something I'm not too keen on receiving are masks. Whether it's for hair, skin, eyes, body, etc. I have wayyy too many masks. So I have to be honest, these will sit until other masks I own are used up first. And under-eye masks aren't something I reach for. I get bags under my eyes but they don't get puffy or dry. So two of the claims for the eye masks will be lost on me. I am interested to test how they reduce dark circles though. If an under-eye mask like this is something that interests you, South Mane Beauty sells these Eye Gels for $9. 

Boxycharm partners with PUR quite a bit I've noticed. Not a bad thing because I am growing to love this brand! PUR isn't a brand I would normally shop for myself, so I'm glad receiving it via Boxycharm has made me try them out. This PUR x Boxycharm Eyeshadow is so perfect for summer. I still have love for peachy shades and this has many! It also has a fun pop of blue which is very on trend right now with eyeshadow palettes. The shimmer shadows are super creamy, and the matte shades blend easily so this is a fun palette to reach for. For $36 you can purchase this from PUR which is nice that it's not exclusive to Boxycharm.

If I've convinced you to subscribe to Boxycharm, feel free to use my link! https://www.boxycharm.com/refer/Chand-QNKQBANJ

February 2018 Ipsy Unbagging

I absolutely love beauty subscriptions! Especially if you are trying to not spend too much on makeup, they are the perfect solution. With Ipsy you get a cute makeup bag and 5 beauty products for just $10 a month. February's bag was pretty impressive! And the blush pink bag with a lace trim is very in-theme for Valentine's day. 

The first item I got was Pur's Mini Fully Charged Mascara. I am very picky about mascaras that I use because my eyelash routine is pretty involved. And this mascara is just OK. I prefer my mascaras to be waterproof (helps longevity if you're oily like me), and to give a very dramatic effect. This just didn't give me enough oomph. I'm not sure if it's the formula or the wand, but it's just an average mascara to me. If you like a softer look on your lashes though, I would recommend giving it a try.

The next item in the bag was Marsk's Loose Eyeshadow in Foiled Again. The color is a stunning silver. Perfect for any dramatic eye look, smokey eye/cut crease/etc. The color payoff is great. The only thing to look out for when using this is fallout. Any loose pigment will have this problem, so I don't count it against this particular eyeshadow. Just do your eyes first, wipe away any fallout, finish the rest of your face and you're good to go!

My favorite product from February's bag is definitely this Baked Highlighter in Electra made by Luna by Luna Cosmetics. I could see this working for so many other skin tones, it is so versatile. The formula is perfect, it's not too intense where any texture is emphasized. It looks almost wet, which is great considering it's a baked powder, not a liquid. This highlight is STUN-NING so I would highly recommend.

My second favorite item from this month's bag is the Blending and Shading Eye Brush (No. 249) from Luxie. Luxie is in a number of beauty subscriptions and I recieve brushes from them often, which is awesome if you are trying to build your brush collection. The 249 brush is probably my favorite dual-sided brush ever! I use this thing nearly every day. I'm the type to only use a couple brushes when doing my makeup, so if it is multi-purpose I love it even more. If you use a lot of brushes, I still think you would like this if you are travelling since it's pretty convenient to use.

 
The last item in the bag is Naked Cosmetic's Vanilla Creme Lip Scrub. I love lip scrubs! So I was happy to get this at first. But the smell is off-putting. It smells almost chemical-ly. And when using it, it's not gritty enough to lift dead skin off the lips. I think it's because it's formulated with a bit too much balm. For those with lips that get irritated easily, this might be a good thing if other scrubs are too harsh. For me, I need the grit.

If you are expanding your makeup collection or just experimenting with new beauty products you wouldn't choose for yourself, Ipsy is one of the most cost effective options out there. And they make it easy to review products so future bags are better curated according to your likes and dislikes. 
I do have a referral link if you are interested in signing up: https://www.ipsy.com/new?cid=ppage_ref&sid=link&refer=xym9i.