BoxyCharm - September 2014: value breakdown, swatches & mini reviews!

Hello, Beautiful!

This is my September 2014 BoxyCharm! Check out everything I received in my box!

BoxyCharm is a monthly subscription service where you receive a box filled with FULL SIZE and luxury size beauty samples from a variety of brands - including well known high end brands! The amount of items varies month to month, but it's usually between 5 and 7 items per month. The cost of BoxyCharm is $21 a month with free shipping.

If you want to sign up for BoxyCharm just click here or follow the link below (it's my referral link). Sign-up link: https://www.boxycharm.com/rewardsref/index/refer/id/10912/

September 2014 BoxyCharm

 

Shipment Quick Stats:

• Value of this month's BoxyCharm: $77.95 (value is approximate)
• Total # of Items Received: 5
• # of FULL SIZED items: 5
• # of makeup items: 3
• # of beauty tools/brushes: 0
• # of nail items: 1
• # of hair care items: 0
• # of skin care items: 0
• # of body care items: 0
• # of fragrance items: 1

Now I'll talk about each product...

tarte LipSurgence Lip Gloss
Shade: Tipsy

 

• MY THOUGHTS: Earlier this month I posted a review on the tarte LipSurgence Lip Glosses in shades Flush, Blushing Bride, and Park Ave Princess. I really like these lip glosses, even though they are on the sheer side. When I saw there would be one in this month's BoxyCharm I got a little worried I'd receive a shade I already had, even though there are 10 shades currently in the line. Then I saw somewhere (I think BoxyCharm's Instagram) that there was 4 shades going around in the boxes, and 2 of those 4 shades were ones I already have. Luckily I receive a shade I didn't have, Tipsy. This shade in particular has to be the one that is least noticeable on my lips. It's described as a sheer coral but on my lip it hardly changes the tone and looks more like a glossy clear shade. But I did find it makes a great topper to other lipsticks that need a slight boost in tone.
• FULL SIZE VALUE: $19.00

NCLA Nail Lacquer

Shade: Catwalk Queen

 

• MY THOUGHTS: I've always wanted to try NCLA polishes because I've heard they are really good, but I hated the $16 price tag. I did get a set of NCLA Nail Wraps in my February 2014 Blush Mystery Box (and come to think of it, I still haven't used them). The nail polish shade I received in my BoxyCharm is Catwalk Queen, which is a cream nude shade. The shade is just eh, okay to me but what I LOVE is the formula! It went on so perfectly and was opaque in ONE COAT! It's not often that you find a creamy nude polish to be opaque and not streaky in a single coat. I'll certainly be wearing this shade, paired with other polishes (I already have a mani in mind that involves this shade and a gold glitter polish). 
• FULL SIZE VALUE: $16.00

Coastal Scents Go Palette

Shade: Cairo

 

• MY THOUGHTS: This arrived broken, and of course it was a dark shade that broke (why does that always seem to happen; it's always the darkest shades that break?!). But I was able to clean it up a bit and swatch it out. It's your standard Coastal Scents shadow quality; pretty good but nothing amazing. The shades are pretty, but I have so many neutral palettes that this was honestly a bit of a boring palette to receive. There were three going around in the boxes and I really wanted one of the more colorful palettes to play with. Ah well, I think I'll try to get some use out of this or I'll likely pass it onto my nieces. 
• FULL SIZE VALUE: $12.95

Tarina Tarantino Fleur de Lash Mascara

Shade: black

• MY THOUGHTS: I have to say, I was expecting the Tarina Tarantino Hyperdream Eye Brightener (or whatever it's called) because BoxyCharm had posted (or emailed; I can't remember where I saw it) that if you were a newer subscriber - aka me, since this is only my second box - then you'd get the eye brightener since newer subscribers missed out on it. Older subscribers - anyone that already received that product in their past BoxyCharm boxes - would receive the mascara. I was so excited about the eye brightener only to find the mascara in my box. I really shouldn't complain though, because it is full size and I will eventually give it a try. I'm not opening it yet because I have so many open mascaras at the moment, but I'm looking forward to trying it out. Love the packaging, as always, on Tarina Tarantino products!
• FULL SIZE VALUE: $19.00

Harvey Prince - Hello

• MY THOUGHTS: I'm really, really, really not a fragrance/perfume person so I'm always bummed out/let down to receive any kind of fragrance in my subscription boxes - especially because my nose is so picky when it comes to smells. Everyone seemed to rave about this scent though, but I wasn't wow'd. I thought it was just okay; it wasn't an offensive scent or strong scent - which is good - but it also wasn't a scent that I was sniffing over and over again out of pure love for it. I did spray some on one of my arms to see how the scent would wear on my skin and I didn't even notice a scent after awhile. I'll likely give this another go in the future. It's a great size though (10 ml).
• FULL SIZE VALUE: 1.7 oz @ $55 -- this is 10 ml, making it an $11.00 value. For whatever reason, BoxyCharm lists this as $29.00 (and in my quick Google search I couldn't find this listed for $29 anywhere)

My Thoughts On The Entire Box...

• VALUE: The value was approximately $77.95
• USAGE: I've already used the tarte LipSurgence Lip Gloss and have plans to use the NCLA nail polish very soon. I'll try out the Tarina Tarantino mascara in the future, and probably use the Harvey Prince perfume. I honestly don't know if I'll use the Coastal Scents shadow palette, only because the colors don't excite me at the moment. Maybe I'll use it to try and find dupes of some higher end palettes/shades. 
• FINAL THOUGHTS: I think this was a good box. Not as high of a value as last month (although they did list the perfume as $29 instead of $11, which would make the value $95.95). I think there was a great mix of brands and products in this box. I can't wait to see what October's box is filled with!

Let me know what you think...

Did you receive a Boxy Charm this month? If so, what are your thoughts on your box? If you don't receive a Boxy Charm box yet, click here to sign up! Discuss in the comments below.

Blush Mystery Beauty Box - February 2014 & why I'm unsubscribing!

Hello, Beautiful!

This is my February 2014 Blush Mystery Beauty Box from Dermstore! I know it's March now, but I didn't get this until the last day of February and didn't open it until March 1st. I said I would start posting my subscription boxes on my blog again, so that's what I'm doing with this one. Again, I only have my Instagram photo go use, as I'm not anywhere near my photo set-up and won't be for a few days, so figured I'd at least get this up in a similar way that I did my Ipsy Bag for February.

So why am I unsubscribing?
I do want to mention that I noticed other people had gotten an extra full sized item - mostly I saw the Jonathan Product hairspray or the Vichy Spa Water. I thought mine just didn't include it until a follower left a comment on my Instagram alerting me that her box didn't include it either, so she called customer service and they were great about sending a replacement. Since I've had the flu for 7 days now (ugh, it's awful), and I'm just too tired to actually talk on the phone, I emailed them about it. Well I got a reply - and they told me that no two boxes are alike and "we apologize that you did not get exact item you were hoping for this month". Um... I wasn't hoping for anything. I was just trying to get a replacement for the missing item - and since the follower on my Instagram had called and they sent her a replacement, it's clear that was supposed to be included. Really unhappy with their customer service to apologize not for the missing item but to apologize that I didn't get the exact item I was hoping for this month. Really? I mean, REALLY? That's not even an apology. That's them saying "we're sorry YOU feel that way" type of thing. Maybe I've just been fed up with a lot lately, especially with my personal situation that has caused me a great deal of stress, but I can't stand a company who won't stand behind their product. Plus, for $25 a month, I'll give my money to someone else. Unsubscribed again from this service!

Check out below to see what I received, a little about each product and my thoughts, as well as a break-down of the value of this month's bag!

Blush Mystery Beauty Box is $24.95 a month if you are a subscriber, or $34.95 for a one-time shipment. Each month you'll receive full size and deluxe/travel sized products - there is no set number of products each month, but they say each box will be worth at least $100. If you want to sign-up for your own Blush Mystery Beauty Box, click here to go to their webpage.

February 2014 Blush Mystery Beauty Box

Shipment Quick Stats:

• Value of this month's Blush Mystery Beauty Box: $120.82 [$142.82 if they send the hairspray out] (value is approximate)
• Total # of Items Received: 10 (would have been 11 with the hairspray)
• # of FULL SIZED items: 4 (would have been 5 with the hairspray)
• # of makeup items: 2
• # of nail items: 1
• # of hair care items: 1 (would have been 2 with the hairspray)
• # of skin care items: 5
• # of body care items: 0
• # of fragrance items: 1

Now I'll talk about each product...

Klorane Dry Shampoo with nettle - Oil Control

• MY THOUGHTS: I love dry shampoo, but not a lot of them actually work in my hair for one reason or another. Either they leave a white/gray cast that doesn't brush out, or they don't do anything and end up making my hair look even more oily. However, I gave the Klorane Dry Shampoo a try, and this one is specifically for oily hair. You spray it on and leave it on for 2 minutes, then brush it out. It did make my hair white but it brushed out with ease. Not only that, my hair looked clean again. The smell wasn't bad - it kind of reminds me of the scent that the Batiste Dry Shampoo for Dark Brown hair smells like. It does a nice job at controlling oil too. It may just be one I re-purchase in the future!
• FULL SIZE: 3.2 oz @ $19.50
• SIZE I RECEIVED: this is a full sized product
• VALUE: $19.50

NYX Are You DeprEYEved Of... Long & Full Mascara
Shade: Jet Black

• MY THOUGHTS: Without opening this first, I was a bit confused because I don't think the packaging was 100% correct. On the front it appears to be a mascara, but when I turned it over to read the back it lists pretty largely the following: "One product with dual purposes! Define your eyes with long lasting liquid liner while conditioning your lashes to appear thicker, fuller and more beautiful!". When I read that, I thought that maybe a liquid liner was included as well, but no, it's just a mascara - which apparently has ingredients to enhance lashes giving them a thicker, fuller appearance. Not sure if it actually has anything in it to help grow your lashes, as that wasn't mentioned. Everything seemed to lean towards the word "appearance". Well I tried it once, and wasn't that impressed by it but I will give it another go. I mostly hated how much it flaked. I almost never have issues with mascara flaking and this one did. Getting it off wasn't easy and it created even more flakes coming off, that went everywhere on my face. But like I said, I'll give it at least one more try!
• FULL SIZE: 0.27 oz @ $13.00
• SIZE I RECEIVED: this is a full sized product
• VALUE: $13.00

NCLA Designer Nail Wraps
Design Style: Pizzo

• MY THOUGHTS: I love nail wraps/nail stickers because I hardly have time to actually do my nails, so they've been my go-to choice lately. I've never tried the ones from NCLA, so happy to give these a go. According to the package, you get two applications with these. I hope that's true because it says there are only 26 wraps in there, so hopefully the sizes match up well with my nails. The actual name of the design I received was not written on the packaging, and I haven't opened them up yet, so I went to their website to find out what they were called, which is Pizzo. Seeing some of their others, Flash Fete looks pretty cool too.
• FULL SIZE: 1 package of 26 wraps @ $16.00
• SIZE I RECEIVED: this is a full sized product
• VALUE: $16.00

Bioxidea Miracle 48 Excellence Gold
Face & Body Treatment

• MY THOUGHTS: I'm a mask type of gal, so always happy to get a mask anytime - and sheets masks are fun to use because they look creepy, haha. This one, however, seems a little more cool because after you've used it on your face you can put the mask into a warm bath until it completely dissolves, then you get into the bath and it's now a body treatment. Now that's what I call double-duty! Usually you have to throw away sheet masks after a single use, so it's great that you get double use of this. On the package it says this is for all skin types, but according to their website, their Gold version of their face mask is specially formulated for those with oily and acne-prone skin. I haven't tried it yet, as there is just one mask in the packet, but I fully intend to try it out soon!
• FULL SIZE: 3 masks @ $74.00
• SIZE I RECEIVED: 1 mask
• VALUE: $24.67

DHC Deep Cleansing Oil
Shade: 

• MY THOUGHTS: I do like cleansing oils, but I have a few cleansing products I'm trying to work through so I ended up giving this to a friend. I heard this is a good product though, so I hope she likes it!
• FULL SIZE: 1 oz @ $5.50 -- 2.3 oz @ $14.00 -- 6.7 oz @ $28.00
• SIZE I RECEIVED: 1 oz
• VALUE: $5.50

vbeaute Rub Off Gentle Facial Exfoliator

• MY THOUGHTS: I love exfoliators, so was of course happy to try this out. I did use it twice already and it does a decent job but when they say gentle, they're not kidding. It may be too gentle. It's not the most effective I've used but it does work. This would be best to use in between the more get-r-done exfoliators. The weird thing is, Dermstore has this listed on their website for $18 for 0.5 fl oz - which is crazy because on the vbeaute website you can get the full size, at 3.4 fl oz for $24.00. Why you would pay $18 for a trial size, well I don't know. Maybe that is a website error? Because if you do the math, the 0.5 fl oz size value comes out to around $3.53.
• FULL SIZE: 3.4 fl oz @ $24.00
• SIZE I RECEIVED: 0.5 fl oz
• VALUE: $3.53

Elizabeth Arden - Untold
Eau de Parfum

• MY THOUGHTS: I'm not the biggest perfume fan; a lot of them give me a headache - even scents I like. I usually dislike getting perfume in subscription boxes, but I can appreciate when you don't get those stupid vials! This one comes in a really cute miniature bottle with a pull-off lid (no-sprayer). The scent isn't bad, but not my favorite or one I would likely wear - but my scent preference changes. I'm not a floral person and you can definitely smell some floral in this, so maybe that's why it's not the most appealing to me, but it certainly wasn't overly floral.
• FULL SIZE: 1.7 fl oz @ $59.00
• SIZE I RECEIVED: 0.17 fl oz
• VALUE: $5.90

Epionce Renewal Eye Cream

• MY THOUGHTS: This was just a little sample thrown in the box - not actually part of the bag. It actually feels very empty. The tube says it has 0.14 oz in it but he tube itself seems much larger. I haven't used it yet, but can always use an eye cream - especially one that retails for $70! It's even more impressive that this little tube has such a high value!
• FULL SIZE: 0.53 oz @ $70.00
• SIZE I RECEIVED: 0.14 oz
• VALUE: $18.47

Vichy ProEVEN Daily Dark Spot Corrector

• MY THOUGHTS: This was another sample that was thrown in the box, not part of the actual bag. Honestly, I hate foil packets of this kind of product. This foil packet may give me one use, maybe two. Obviously in that time frame I would never know if this does anything for my dark spots. It's just enough to let me smell it, feel it and see how it feels on the skin - but honestly, I will throw this in one of my skincare drawers and probably won't ever use it.
• FULL SIZE: 1 fl oz @ $45.00
• SIZE I RECEIVED: 0.05 fl oz
• VALUE: $2.25

Dermstore Lip Quench

• MY THOUGHTS: This is always the kind of free gift thing I tend to get in my Blush Mystery Beauty Boxes, or with any Dermstore order for that matter. I think I had 5 or 6 of these, but had given some away because I can't ever use them all and I know I'll get more. I actually gave this one away to the same friend that I gave the DHC Deep Cleansing Oil to. 
• FULL SIZE: 0.28 oz @ $12.00
• SIZE I RECEIVED: this is a full sized product
• VALUE: $12.00

My Thoughts On Entire Bag...

• FULL SIZE/DELUXE SIZE: Like I said towards the beginning of this blog post, I was missing the Jonathan Product Hairspray, which I would have really enjoyed getting because even though I already have one or two, I really do like it -- not to mention it would have added $22 onto the total value of this months box. I got my first box in July, and then every month through October. Didn't get it in November through January and re-signed up in February. I unsubscribed from this service and so happy I did. I'll subscribe to Boxy Charm next -- cheaper and I hear their customer service is actually outstanding. 
• VALUE: The value was approximately $120.82 --- although again, if they send the hairspray then the box's value is $142.82 (amazing considering you only pay $24.95 a month - and I actually got a deal so I paid $19.99).
• USAGE: I love the dry shampoo - that will get used till the end. I can guarantee that. The mascara I'm still on the fence about. I didn't have the best first impression but will give it a second try at least. The face mask I'm excited to try, also in the bath (even though I don't really take baths). Excited to try the nail wraps! The exfoliator will get used, but it won't be what I reach for when I need a really deep exfoliation. The cleansing oil and Dermstore Lip Quench I gave away, so won't use those. Don't know if I'd use the perfume - may just keep it for the cute little bottle to display. The other samples I may or may not use - not certain yet. 
• FINAL THOUGHTS: I've been happy with past Blush Mystery Beauty Boxes, but February's wasn't a super wow. I'd love to see more makeup! Can't wait to see what March's box brings!

Let me know what you think...

What are your thoughts on this month's Blush Mystery Beauty Box? Do you get this subscription service? If so, what are your thoughts on this month's box? Discuss in the comments below.