Dr. Brandt: Pores No More Luminizer Primer / Retail $38
I’m a little mixed on the specific formula of this primer (I don’t love glowy primers), but when it comes to receiving primers in subscription boxes, I really can’t say no! I think they’re one of the easiest products to give in subscription boxes because almost anyone can use them and you don’t have to worry about it not matching your skin color. I have an exfoliator from Dr. Brandt that I absolutely love so I know this primer is a high quality one!
It Cosmetics: Brow Power Universal Eyebrow Pencil / Retail $24
I’m honestly so impressed by the brands represented in this month’s Boxycharm. I already love the IT Cosmetics CC Cream and have always wanted to try more of their products, so this brow pencil is perfect! The spooley is incredibly soft and the shade (universal taupe) is a good fit for my brows. I love that this brow pencil isn’t too pigmented since this makes the brow strokes look a little more natural.
Pur: Bronze and Brighten Cheek Palette / Retail $34
This bronzer, blush, and highlighter palette is absolutely beautiful and so pigmented. If you love palettes that are glowy, then this is the palette for you! Although I'm definitely a bigger fan of matte bronzers and blushes, this palette will be absolutely perfect for the summer months.
Grande Cosmetics: Grandelips Hydrating Lip Plumper / Retail $27
This lip plumper doubles as a lip gloss with a little bit of color and claims to improve lip volume in 3-5 minutes. Although it seems like lip plumper are all the rage right now, they just really aren't the product for me. I find that they seem to do very little and are usually in more of a lip gloss formula. This was one of the varied items in this month's box and I would have much rather received the other item, a matte lipstick. This one was a dud for me :(
Crown Pro: Glam Metals Palette / Retail $25
One of my biggest motivators for trying out Boxycharm was the fact that they are known for giving out palettes! I loved receiving this item and seeing what Boxycharm sends out to its subscribers, despite the fact that this really isn’t the product for me.
Products Mentioned:
My overall impression of this month’s Boxycharm is that it really just wasn’t the right theme for me. With a “Rock 2018” theme, most of the products were all about being glowy and glossy, whereas I tend to prefer matte foundation, matte lips, matte eyeshadow - pretty much matte everything. Although this month’s box wasn’t a great fit for my personal preferences, I’m still incredibly impressed with the value of the box and I’m super excited to see what next month’s box has in store!
Ipsy Glam Bag: January 2018
The Ipsy Glam Bag is a monthly beauty subscription box that gives you a personalized bag of full-size and sample size beauty and make-up products for $10 a month. All of their products also come in a cute, handy little make-up bag!
The Balm: Mary-Lou Manizer Highlighter | Full-Size $24
This little highlight is so cutely packaged (I appreciate the fact the The Balm still makes an effort in packaging their samples!) and the highlight itself is a beautifully subtle shade. I’ve been using it to highlight both the cheekbones and brow bone and love its versatility!
Dermelect: Microfacial Exfoliating Masque | Full-Size $38
Another item that I was thrilled to receive - especially since I’ve noted in my ipsy profile that I love receiving skincare products! I’ve been a huge fan of exfoliating products lately and this one is no different - it leaves the skin feeling so smooth!
Lue by Jean Seo: Balance Hydrating and Calm Serum
Always love receiving a good skincare product in my subscription boxes! This serum feels so nice and gentle on the skin and has one of my all-time favorite skincare ingredients - hyaluronic acid! Although I've never heard of the brand, I tend to be pretty clueless when it comes to skincare brands so part of the reason I love beauty boxes is the opportunity to discover new brands!
Seraphine Botanicals: Raisin + Cream Long-Lasting Lip Stain | Full-Size $24
I love experimenting with lip colors so this product was a perfect fit, plus, the rich mauve-y shade is perfect for winter. Although this product’s staying power was not quite as good as the liquid lipsticks I tend to favor, it has an extremely light-weight, moisturizing formula!
SLMISSGLAM: L36 Tapered Highlight Brush
I love how unique this brush’s design is! I’m 100% a girly girl and I think a pink, sparkly brush is every girly girls dream. I’ve specified in my ipsy profile that I enjoy receiving make-up tools and brushes, so I love that Ipsy has actually listened and now sends me more brushes! I’ve been using this brush as a highlight brush but love the fact that it’s a versatile size and could easily be used for eyeshadow or blush as well.
Overall, I’m really happy with this month’s ipsy bag! I love that they are truly sending me products that I enjoy testing out. Although no subscription box will necessarily be perfect at predicting each person’s preferences, I think my ipsy bags have continuously improved over time and I definitely appreciate that about them! What did you think of your first ipsy bag of the new year?
![My Monolid Lash Extension Experience [Updated]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/55f5b873e4b0f6a6215b1d53/1599505418634-MOBJC6DLHKI54WEX7ZY0/monolid+lash+ext.PNG)
BeautyFix: December 2017
BeautyFix is a monthly skincare, makeup, and haircare subscription box created by DermStore. A monthly subscription is $24.95 per box and a one-time box purchase is $34.95. Most items in the box are either full or deluxe sample size products. On to the December box!
Eminence Organic Skin Care: Bamboo Firming Fluid | Full-Size: $58
I’ve been using this fluid before bed the last few days and have really enjoyed the formula and its feel on the skin - however, this is again one of those occasions where the sample is so small that I really can’t tell if the product is actually working for me!
Erno Laszlo: White Marble Double Cleanse Travel Set | Full-Size: $28
Although this travel set is adorable, the first thing I always think when I see sets like this is how impractical they are for actual flight-based travel! I prefer to travel with only carry-on bags and that means that any liquids have to be separated into a different bags, pretty much making this little set moot. I love the idea of double cleansing and think this is a very effective set for in the home - I just won’t be using it as a travel set.
Lancer Skincare: Volume Enhancing Lip Serum | Full-Size: $42
As someone who has pretty large lips, a volume enhancing lip product isn’t something I’ve ever thought to try! I was both excited and nervous to try this product since I’ve heard that plumping lip products can sting! I didn’t notice this one stinging much at all, but at the same time, I also didn’t notice any difference in the lip plumping department either. :P
First Aid Beauty: Facial Radiance Pads | Full-Size: $28
BeautyFix is probably the reason I’ve become a little bit obsessed with First Aid Beauty! I’ve just found their products to be so effective, yet not too harsh on the skin. These gentle exfoliating pads are just another example of this! They aren’t irritating and are full of natural ingredients which is doing a world of good for my skin. If you’re looking for gentle skincare products, First Aid Beauty is 100% the way to go.
Juliette Has a Gun: Not a perfume Eau de Parfum | Full-Size: $100 (1.7 oz)
My least favorite thing to receive in subscription boxes is always perfumes!! It’s always frustrating to me that perfumes are included in these boxes so often. Despite this, I can’t deny that I actually love the scent of this perfume :P 90% of the time I receive a perfume sample it ends up being too strong for my taste but I was pleasantly surprised by this one! It’s light, not too strong, and good for people who want a subtle scent.
Trufora: Triple Action Exfoliator | Full-Size: $45
My favorite high-end skincare products tend to all be exfoliators and this one is no different! A lot of times in skincare products, you can’t always tell the difference between a drugstore and a high-end formula but with exfoliators you can almost always tell the difference. This exfoliator has a high concentration of very small beads that leave your skin so smooth! I’ve enjoyed this so much I might even splurge on the full-size product!
Bioderma: Hydrabio Serum & Cream | Full-Size: $25 each
The BeautyFix box tends to send a lot of Bioderma products and honestly, I can’t complain! So far, I’ve really enjoyed Bioderma’s products. This serum and cream both feel so smoothing on the skin and despite being moisturizing products, do not leave skin greasy at all - which is more than I can say for most moisturizers out there. Again, this is a product I might be purchasing in a full-size soon!
Lilah B: Divine Duo Lip & Cheek | Full-Size: $46
This lip and cheek duo included three beautiful colors: a pink, red, and a nude-y coral. I enjoyed all of the shades and have really enjoyed their creamy formula but I find that the pigmentation on these is a little too strong to serve as a cheek product. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, however, since I’m thoroughly enjoying using them on my lips! They act as nice lip stains that you can easily build to a fuller color.
At first, I wasn't super impressed with this month's BeautyFix but after using the products for a couple of weeks, I've grown to love a lot of the products from this month! If you are someone who doesn't want to splurge on high-end products without trying them first (me!), then BeautyFIx is the perfect box! Although it's a little more pricey than other beauty boxes like Birchbox and Ipsy, it's worth its price tag for the higher quality products you receive. Have you ever tried BeautyFix? I'd love to hear your thoughts!
