Hi again! It’s time to look at the BoxyCharm for November. I didn’t participate in November’s Mega Drop Shop – partially because I forgot about it, and partially because when I did finally remember it was going on I missed out on all the good drops, and mostly because the last MDS didn’t arrive until two months later and took me ages to sort and photo and try out and review and ::pant::
So this month I opted to just get the five products and be happy with them. Except, one of the items was a duplicate – I had just received it in IPSY a few months ago. I won’t be talking about it, just going to list it and get rid of it since I’ve already made that review.
So four items.
Except
No it’s all good, that was the only thing.
Nice! So two of the items I am talking about are skincare and two are makeup, and it feels like just a good mix of a box.
The first item I want to talk about is the Lush and Plush Hydrating Lip Balm by a brand called Luna Magic. Never heard of this brand, but it’s a dry and cold season right now and lip balm is alright by me.
So it’s a set of two, a cherry one and a mango one. The packaging is cute, very colorful and branded, and the applicator is just that squeeze out and put on thing. They smell beautiful and do have the taste of the fruit they’re made with, and they have lasted me a while. It’s not something I can go on and on about, because…. It’s a lip balm. But I’d look for this brand if I was out to try something else new.
These retail for $16, so $8 each, which is pricey for a lip balm with no tint, but they are good and I’d pick them again.
Next is the Velvet Lip Liner in the shade Coco by Ciate London. I actually really like this product, even though it’s a little different from other lip liners I usually go for. It’s more similar to my skin tone, and it’s waxier and less pigmented, which you’d think isn’t great but actually it’s been a lot easier to work with because it’s not just immense pigment immediately wherever you put it no going back stake your life on it don’t touch it don’t even look at it … O.O
This was just smooth to apply and the color built up slowly, leading to a decent shape on my lips that the other products went over really smooth. First time I used it my boyfriend said he liked my lipstick color, even though it was just this liner and some gloss.
It’s also more of a pen than a pencil, so you roll it up instead of sharpening it. This does make it a little less precise, but again, that works because of the formula.
It allegedly costs $18 retail which is not something I’d pay for it at all. But I’ve been enjoying the products I’ve tried from this brand recently and I’d choose them in the future if they came across box choices.
Also got a palette this month. Usually I don’t bother with the palettes because they’re usually bland and meh, but this one looked really organized and interesting so I figured I’d play with it.
It’s the In My Element Palette by Item Beauty (by Addison Rae). I’ve always thought it was weird that the brand name says the creator’s name too. Like, it’s about the brand. But maybe their fans are just attached idk. Idk who this person is.
But the palette intrigued me at first glance because it was so organized. The top row starts with a reddish brown bright shimmer, then continues on from light to dark very warm tones. Light orange, medium orange, then like brick orange/red. So obviously they put thought into what look you’re creating. And then it ended with a light orange-ish shimmer that compliments the row really nicely. These shimmer shades really caught my eye and were the factor that made me decide to actually try the palette.
The bottom row does the same thing with cool tones; so you have a silvery beige shimmer, then a bright white, a cool lavender, and a deep midnight purple. Then there’s this dazzling pearl shimmer.
And that’s the palette ^-^
So the first attempt was the first row, and it came out very orange. Super orange. It sort of solidified for me that I just don’t look great in orange. It makes the little red spots on my face stand out a little more and I just didn’t feel cute when I saw it in the mirror. That being said, the formulas were very good. The mattes blended really well and I did use both shimmers on the top row for that look, and they were absolutely blinding.
The second go was with the second row and I liked it much much better. Just used the medium color in my crease, the darker one on the outer third, and the white to blend up to the browbone. Looked very cool and smoky. The first shimmer shade went on the inner third and the second one went on the inner corner.
I got so many compliments on this color scheme including from myself. I liked it so much on me and people noticed it at work.
The only thing is, even though I used an amazing eye primer for these looks, the shimmers basically dissolved by the end of my workday. The mattes hung out okay but the shimmers just didn’t make it. I tried layering them on more, I tried patting them in harder, but they just faded away into the creases in my lid by the end. So it’s definitely not a long lasting formula. But just for a date night? OMG I would totally recommend.
The last item (and my favorite) I got in the November box is the Reveal Spa Water Gel Mask by TYNT Beauty. This mask hs been so much fun to use and I was even specifically looking for another gel mask to try out because I feel like I use mud masks too much and should balance out.
The packaging is actually kind of adorable. The body fades from a light mint green to white, like a watermelon rind, and the cap is a beige brown color. It’s a screw off cap and then you just squeeze the product out. It’s pretty easy to interact with.
The formula itself is so nice. It’s a thick gel, kind of like aloe? Smells like watermelon and it’s cooling like a cucumber. I have been using it so consistently and loving it to death. I want more.
THe other thing is it doesn’t exactly “dry down” but it does harden like aloe. I’m thinking there’s prolly aloe in it actually now that I’m writing it all down. It doesn’t. I just checked. Oh well.
Anyway it’s very like aloe. The fragrance is so soothing and I’m just a huge fan. After washing it off (not that you have to, I just do) my skin feels so smooth and bouncy and it’s just really nice. 10/10 and I need to buy more.
And that’s all for BoxyCharm! Unfortunately like I said, the fifth item is a repeat and I wasn’t super thrilled about it, but it’ll go on my Poshmark anyway. I’m really happy with the value of the stuff I got this month and I’m excited for the next one. But I also have a bunch of other November products waiting to get tested. Stay tuned!
Dani <3