August & September Boxycharm 2022

Hey guys! Today we have two boxes in one post! I got my August box late and I was busy so I never got the chance to write about it. So I thought might as well combine it with my September box! I got my September box late as well, which is why I’m posting this in October. I’m going to review my August products first and then we’ll get into my September box.

The first product is Glow Recipe Avocado Melt Retinol Eye Cream. I like Glow Recipe products so I was excited to see this product in my box. This eye cream has retinol, avocado and coffeeberry this is meant to firm, smooth lines and reduce the appearance of dark circles. I like the consistency of the eye cream and found it absorbs quickly. I didn’t see a difference in the firmness or smoothness of my under eyes but I haven’t used it consistently. Overall I like this so far! Price: $42 US, $56 CAD

The next product is the Alleyoop Stack The Odds. This is a stack that includes a cream highlight, blush and bronzer. I got the shade Sunkissed which includes a champagne highlight, coral blush and a light-to-medium bronzer. I think how compact this stack is, which would be great for travelling. I do like both the blush and bronzer. The highlight is okay. It’s pretty stiff and a little on the glittery side. I prefer liquid highlights over creams but if I brought this stack while travelling I would use the highlight. Overall I like this stack and I see myself using it. Price: $38 USD

I decided not to try the Girlactik Metallic Eye Sparkle Shadow. While it looks gorgeous, I just don’t wear metallic eye shadows that often anymore and I already have a few so I don’t need any more. So instead of opening the product and only using it once, I’ll be donating this product instead. Price: $20 US, $31 CAD

The next product is the Luxie All-Purpose Sponge Set. It seems that these sponges are only available in a set, which honestly I would just skip because I’m not a fan of these sponges. I find that these sponges soak up all the product and leave my skin looking splotchy. This set was priced at $40 for two sponges and I would say it would be better to just get on Beauty Blender. What a shame because I love Luxie brushes. Price: $40 US

The final product in my August box is the Tanais Sunset to the Stars Lip Oil. When I think of a lip oil my mind immediately goes to the Dior Lip Oil formula, something on the thicker side that is nourishing, slick and glossy. This lip oil is much stickier and more opaque. It reminds me more of a lip gloss than a lip oil. It’s a nice shade, a pink with some gold running through. But it’s not the best lip oil that I’ve tried. Price: $22 US

The overall total is $167, which is pretty nice. I like the eye cream and the cream stack. Everything else was okay. Not the best, not the worst box.

Now onto my September box! The first product is the Avant Skincare Deluxe Hyaluronic Acid Vivifying Face and Eye Night Cream. This is expensive. At £98.00 this is a very pricey night cream. I like it, but it’s not worth that much. It has a very nice texture, not too heavy which my oily skin appreciates. It’s nice that it’s a face and eye cream because sometimes at night I’m too lazy to apply a different eye cream. But so far I haven’t noticed anything special that would make it worth the price tag. Price: $134 US, $150 CAD

The next product is another pricey one – the Natasha Denona Cupid Eyeshadow Palette. I really like this colour story but it’s a shame because I can’t seem to find the palette for sale anywhere! The Natasha Denona eyeshadows are great so I’ve very excited to lay with this palette! Price: $48 US (I think this price is incorrect but the mini palettes on Sephora sell for $34 CAD)

The next product is the Ciate London Dewy Highlight Glossy Cheek Glow. I did a double-take when I first saw this product because the packaging is identical to their Dewy Blush. This is supposed to be a champagne colour but I find it to be much deeper and almost pink. It reminds me more of a blush topper shade than a highlight. Because of the colour, I’m unsure of how often I’ll use this product. Price: $24 US

The second skincare product in my box is the Glow on 5th Bye, Bye Puffy Eyes Cooling Eye Balm. The first thing I noticed is that the opening for this eye balm is quite large so I often squeeze out too much product. I don’t suffer from very puffy eyes so I can’t confirm that claim. But I will say that I don’t notice much of a cooling sensation. It’s a nice hydrating eye cream but nothing special. Price: $24 US

And the final product in my box is the Pinklipps Cosmetics Lumi Balm Lip Tint. I got the shade Fantasy which is brown. Sadly this shade isn’t for me. It’s not quite sheer but not quite fully opaque. Combined with the shiny finish it looks like I have a light layer of chocolate all over my lips. If you have a darker complexion I think this would be a gorgeous nude. But for me to wear browns it needs to be either very sheer or very opaque. This is a pass for me but I think it would work well on others. Price: $12 US

The final total of my September box is $242 US which is insane! I think this box was really good! Some very expensive products and the majority of the products were really good. Let me know in the comments which of the two boxes you think is the better box!

xoxo

Lea

May Boxycharm 2022

Hey guys! Sorry, it’s a little late but here is my May Boxycharm review! I got the box this month in decent time so I did a thorough testing of each product. Let’s get into it!

The first product is the Skin Inc Serum Glow Filter. The brand claims to be the first ‘skincare makeup’ which I don’t necessarily think is true. The Glow Recipe Dew Drops immediately come to my mind when I think of skincare makeup. Anyway, this is a primer with skincare ingredients that should give a glowy, pearlized finish to the skin and reduce the look of pores and redness. I like this primer but I don’t think it does all that it claims. My skin looks dewy and smooth but I don’t see a pearlized finish nor and reduction in redness. It’s nice and I’ll continue to use it but I think there are better and cheaper options on the market. Price: $50 US

The next product is the Farmacy Honeymoon Glow Body 12% AHA/BHA Resurfacing Body Serum. I was happy to receive this body lotion because I was on the market for another one! I don’t suffer from any bumps on my body so I can’t judge that aspect of the product. It has a serum-like consistency that absorbs quickly into the skin. The smell of the active ingredients is quite strong, giving the body serum a medicinal-like quality along with a honey scent. Also, I rubbed this on my legs right after shaving and it slightly stung anywhere I accidentally knocked myself. The scent does fade once applied. If you’re looking for a product to help clear bumps, I would recommend checking out other people’s reviews since I can’t attest to that claim. Price: $40 US, $52 CAD

Cream blush is one of my favourite products right now so I was very excited to try the Ciate London Dewy Blush. I received the shade Coconut which is a nude shade. I was a little hesitant because I was unsure how the gel-like formula would work with my oily skin. But it was great! It’s very easy to apply and can even be blended out using just fingers. It is a subtle formula but I prefer that because it’s so easy to overdo blush. My only complaint is that it does fade pretty quickly so it’s not the longest-lasting formula. If you like a dewy and subtle blush check this one out! Price: $22 US, $26 CAD

The next product is the Basic Beauty Eyeshadow Primer. I haven’t been wearing a ton of eyeshadow recently so I haven’t used this product a lot. The few times I have used the primer it’s worked well. I find that setting the primer helps the shadows blend better whereas not setting the primer helps the shadow pop and look more saturated. As the name of the company, it’s a pretty basic primer. Helps prevent creasing but doesn’t do anything special. Price: $18 US

And the final product is V Kosmetik Creamy Liquid Velvet Lipstick. I decided to not test out this product in order to donate it. I don’t often wear liquid lipsticks anymore and if I do I have a few that I know that I like. I much rather pass this product along to someone who could get good use of it instead of just letting it sit in my makeup drawer. Price: $22 US

The total of the box is $152. This box was alright. None of the products were horrible but I’m also not immediately in love with any of the products. Let me know what you guys think in the comments!

xoxo

Lea