Boxycharm August

Another month seems to have passed us by, and it’s Boxycharm time. This month’s theme is “Express Yourself”, based around creativity and emojis. And, as is tradition, I am disappointed in how the products fit the theme. Come on, Boxy. Why bother with the theme if you’re not going to have products that tie into it at all? Zero of these products inspired creativity, as you will see. They aren't bad products, but they aren’t creativity-inducing.

First in the box is the Coastal Scents Blush and Bronzer Mini Palette ($13.95, but usually on sale for less), plus a bonus Angled Blush Brush ($6). Coastal Scents is typically of average quality with a few standouts, and this is no exception. The colors are nice, but the quality isn’t spectacular. The darkest blush shade goes on very powdery and patchy, but can be saved with a good stippling blush. Of the bronzers, one is shimmer and one is matte, giving some variety. One big complaint that I have is the packaging. It’s bulky, and there’s no way that I would reach for it or bring it travelling. I will most likely be popping the pans out and sliding them into a magnetic palette.

The next item in the box was the Aloette Time Repair Serum ($48). Unfortunately, I have so many skin care products that I love, that I’m not really willing to give one up to use this for a while. I’m getting ready to slide back over into dry skin season, so I don’t want to switch out of my tried-and-true products just now. I tried this out briefly, and it smells nice and doesn’t feel heavy, but I won’t be testing it out more fully for a while.

Moving back into makeup, Dirty Little Secret Velvet Matte Liquid Lipstick ($10) also made it into the box. I never need another lipstick, but I’ll always take one. I love the Mickey Mouse-ish packaging. It dries quickly, but very streaky, on the lips. I might experiment with a lipliner underneath to see if that helps the uneven pigmentation. I like the color, but it’s not special. The price is right though, and I found this one less drying than many other liquid lipsticks (Colourpop), so it might be worth trying out.

For the eyes, this box included two products, the first being Doucce Cosmetics Maxlash Volumizer Mascara ($22). Doucce is one of those brands that keeps popping up in these boxes, whether Boxycharm, Glossybox, or Birchbox. They’ve never really impressed me, rather they’ve been a totally average brand. The same thing applies to this mascara. It goes on nicely. The wand is large and fluffy, so the mascara goes on easily and dark, inky black. The wear time sucks. I get about 3 or 4 hours before it starts to flake off. I need my mascara to last longer than that, so hard pass.

Finally, the Beauty for Real Shadow Stx in Ever Starstruck ($19) was probably the product I was most excited for in this box. I love shadow sticks, especially as they are making their way to being available in the mainstream. The color of this one is farly basic. It’s a nude-champagne, but it goes on smoothly and stays put. I find that it gets a little lost on my skin tone, but if you are a little darker in tone, I think it would make a beautiful all-over lid color.

After a lengthy conversation with myself…because people do that, right?...I have decided to suspend my Boxycharm subscription for a few months. It’s not that it isn’t amazing, because I do still honestly love every single box. I have some moving around happening over the next few months as I settle into life as a part-time Minnesotan. It’s been good, but I feel like it’s time to take a little break. Maybe I’ll try out Sephora Play in the meantime?

Thanks Boxycharm, and I’ll see you in a few months.

If you’re interested in getting a Boxycharm box ($21/month), you can check it out here! It’s totally worth the money, as you can see.

Let me know what your favorite item was in this month’s beauty boxes in the comments below!