Hi! As a proud Gemini, I was very excited for the June Boxycharm to come out. Summer is intoxicating and it’s also a time to change up my skincare and makeup routines to account for the heat. I will admit, the add-on section of this box was full of items I love, so I did take the opportunity to stock up on a few really great deals. But the choice and default items look exciting to me, so let’s talk about them!
Glow Recipe
It seems like I get one of these products every month, but summer is an especially good time to receive them. Their products give juicy, fruity, summertime vibes. They’re lightweight with good ingredients and colorful packaging. This product is the Avocado Ceramide Moisture Barrier Cleanser. It comes in a sage green bottle with a cap to squeeze through instead of a pump.
It retails for $28, which is a little high for a cleanser. The website claims that it has a gentle gel-to-foam texture, and that it’ll melt away both dirt and oil but also makeup. It also lists that it contains avocado oil, hyaluronic acid, and something called colloidal oatmeal that is supposed to help your skin retain moisture. So good stuff. I’m skeptical of any cleanser that claims to remove makeup as well, because no face wash has ever come close to the Juno Co cleansing balm, specifically for the eye area. But I certainly gave it a try.
The formula is very gel-like and doesn’t foam up much, which I like for hot summer days. It doesn’t have a very strong fragrance and I didn’t need much to feel like I had covered my whole face. Because it’s a gel, it kind of feels like rinsing off a moisturizer. So it did take me longer to wash it off in the sink by splashing. This is also fine for summer because I take more showers in the summer, and in the shower it would just melt away.
I think this cleanser will probably go in my fridge due to its gel texture and the current heatwave, and I can use it to help cool down my face. I don’t think I’d buy it in the future just because I don’t really use cleansers, but I am excited to try it out as a brush cleanser because I can always use more of those!
Il Makiage
This is weirdly a brand I think of as being unattainable, despite the fact that I’ve received a few of their products before in IPSY. I think a lip gloss is the only one I can remember. But I see them and I’m like oh, that foundation I can’t afford but everyone says matches perfectly every time…. I wish I could have some…
This is the Color Boss Squad Eyeshadow in the shade Real Deal. It’s been a while since I’ve received a little eyeshadow palette, but I usually don’t use them and end up throwing them away. I also just tend to do less with my eyes in the summer because I’m so oily.
The shades do make sense. There’s a midtone, a contour shade, a bright shimmer and a rosy shimmer. It retails –
OH MY GOD you guys this quad retails for FORTY-EIGHT DOLLARS. FORTY EIGHT. What? That’s $12 per pan! That’s insane! There’s no way!
Anyway, there are some things that I do really like about this palette. The packaging is very luxurious and feels very heavy and elevated. The shades are also very pretty; there are two matte shades, one a nude beige and one a deep purple. There are also two shimmer shades, a bright pink rose and a light champagne.
The nude matte is an excellent midtone and there is little to no fallout on the brush when dipping in. I did a pretty standard look with this midtone and then the purple in the outer corner with the bright shimmer on the inner third. The shimmer I applied with my finger, and it transferred to my finger easily, with a very buttery texture. It showed up very well and the midtone got lost in my skin color, which is exactly what I wanted.
I would never in a million years purchase these quads at this price, but if you happen to get one on a gift you should absolutely keep and use it, it’s very good quality. If you are someone who has money to throw around, you should buy these.
Grown Alchemist
I have a love/hate with this brand. Some of the products are incredible, and some absolutely flop (I’m looking at you, day cream). But I do really love facial exfoliants, particularly in the summer when I’m oilier: this is the Polishing…Facial…Exfoliant. Hmm okay they need a little bit of a better name.
The packaging is like those old-fashioned metal packages that you need the turnkey to turn – except it doesn’t come with a turnkey. You just have to squeeze it really hard with your hands, and it sort of hurts. But the formula is excellent and really nice and rough. It comes out like a cream and the exfoliating bits are very small, so I really feel smooth and clean after. I’m glad to have another bottle, I went through the first one so quickly last time.
Lunar Beauty
The formula is gorgeous on these. No time needed for the product to “warm up” – you know like, when you have to over it a bunch to get the product to transfer. With this formula, it goes right on. The colors, like I said, are way too light for me. The nude specifically won’t probably do anything to line, and I might just use as a color. It also comes with instructions to use my favorite beauty sharpener, so I guess I’ll try that. I just never have a good experience when I try to sharpen with it. Maybe I need a new one.
Lip Liners! I don’t know why I chose these. Don’t need more lip liners. Never use lip liners. But we’re gonna give it a go! The shades are Blushing and Doodle. One is a dusty nude, and one is a brighter pink. They’re both a little light; I tend to prefer a darker liner, but I’m happy to have a shiny new pair to give a try.
If I saw these products in the future, I’d definitely get them in darker colors for more contrast. This is probably fine for the summer because I don’t use a lot of lip products besides gloss, and then in the winter I can play around with the
Steel Skin
I’ve never seen this brand before and I’m excited! Their website is SOOO iGen and so summer! It’s bright blue and it looks like they gave a lot of thought to it. There’s no muss or fuss spent on the “About Us” section. I can’t find an “Our Story.” Just right to the products, look what we have. However, the buttons don’t all work and it might be a new site.
Anyway this is the Power Retinol Renewal Eye Mask Set. It contains 5 sets and retails for $25, which is $5 per. That’s even more than the Wander Beauty Baggage claim if I recall correctly, and it’s a ton more than the Evio Tear Catchers.
The first thing I noticed was they don’t dry up as fast as the Evio ones. If I wear it for an extended amount of time, these ones stay juicy longer. The packet also comes with more serum inside it to drip everywhere. Also, since the packaging has retinol stated as an active ingredient, I plan to use them more overnight. They’re also thicker, blue, and sparkly, which means they stand out a mile away. I would definitely choose these again, although the Evio ones are a bit of a better deal and I’ll still get those for daytime wear.
[Edit: and I’ve run out of these already. They just stay so juicy so long! How am I going to resist the urge to buy more of these when they’re so expensive!]
BoxyCharm vs Choice vs Add-Ons
So that wraps it up for items IPSY chose for me and that I chose for myself. The next bunch is from add-ons. I maxed out my add-ons (and it’s a good thing there’s a max, I would be in financial ruin by now). I want to start doing a section here about the choice options and how it looked, and whether I felt I was able to get items I was really into.
So first, the Boxycharm items were a cleanser and an eyeshadow palette. On one hand it’s a good mix of item types, but on the other hand, they aren’t items I ask for or use. Then from the choice options, I was able to grab two makeup items and one skincare item that I genuinely wanted to try. I wish there had been more complexion products in the recommended. I struggle to always find makeup items I want to try since I don’t really use lashes or eyeliner or lipsticks and there’s a lot of those in choice.
Skincare is really easy to find in IPSY choice so there’s never a struggle, and I was able to prep for summer exactly how I wanted. I was pretty happy with the options. The add-on selection coming up though, was one of the best I’ve ever seen.
Neogen Dermatology
This brand rings a bell, but I haven’t tried anything from them that I can recall. This is their Real Hyal Panthenol Serum. The first thing I noticed is that it was very difficult to find this item online compared to other items I have to search up. I always pull the item up on its actual website to look at pricing and check the vibe, but this one I couldn’t just google. I had to first open up the brand site, and then search the item on their search function.
The packaging is a dropper bottle, and the dropper works very well. It’s a bright blue formula and goes on a lot like the Alo serum. It has a subtle formula and feels very refreshing. I have to go easy with it because of all the other serums I already use, but a few drops a day and I already feel more hydrated. I do think it is also what’s causing the little bit of pilling on my neck after I do my makeup, but it’s totally manageable.
This serum retails for $38 – and this is about right, honestly, for a serum with hyaluronic acid. I’d pay that price, and I’d definitely get it at a discount if it’s available in the future.
Byroe is Back
I have been obsessing over this brand and so excited to try a cleanser to use over the summer! This is their Chamomile Tea Face Cleanser. The packaging is absolutely beautiful, and I love the tea theme! I hope they stick with it. and it has a pump! I love a cleanser with a pump, it makes me think it’ll be foamy and luxurious. Hopefully it’s not just another whatever cleanser that ends up washing my brushes instead of my face, and I can use it over the summer.
I have mixed feelings about this product. Even though I was excited that it had a cap, the formula is so thick and heavy, like honey, that the pump is not effective and it’s a little difficult to get the product out. But the product itself is heavenly. It’s a yellowish green and foams up into a perfect lather, and it smells like green tea and – you guessed it – Chamomile.
I do wish, now that I have the product, that this cleanser came in a squeeze tube. I know it’s not as glamorous, but it would be a lot easier to use.
This item retails for $40, which is a ton of money for a face wash. I’d pay maybe $26-32 for it. I know, I rave about this brand, but there is still the matter of money. I am going to try this out with my brushes and beauty blenders and see how it does in that department as well, since as you know, I actually don’t double-cleanse or often wash my face in the morning. I just go through a lot of my Juno. A lot.
Evio Beauty
I became hooked on these undereye masks in my April Boxycharm box when I received a pack. They’re called the Tear Catchers. I noticed right off the bat that they have more in common with the Wander Beauty eye patches than the other ones I use from Aceology. These ones are dripping in serum, and they feel like jelly under the eye, and they’re incredibly cooling. These two packs I added on were only $6, so $1 each, as opposed to the $18 that they are on the website.
I use them way too much, like way too much. Most nights I put a pair on after my skincare and just sit in bed until I fall asleep. They feel cooling and hydrating and I love them, it’s an amazing feeling to have them on in the summer.
Mi-El Skincare
This is a totally new brand to me – and it looks like it might be a totally new brand! I checked out their website, and it looks like she was inspired to start the line from her athletic lifestyle. The brand seems targeted towards shaving and irritation, and a lot of the products have “honey” in the name. The Photos are beautiful and seem very geared towards summertime and sunshine and vacation.
The item I received is called the Honey Infused Hydration Mask. It’s valued at $45, which is not bad for a mask with hyaluronic acid in my opinion. The other prices for the other items are very high, but it does seem like they’re specifically designed for certain concerns.
I was a little confused though when I tried this out. It applies a lot more like a clay mask than a cream mask. It even dries down and washes off like clay. I was expecting something very hydrating, which this still might be, but more liquid. I gave it a go for maybe an hour and a half, and by the time I was taking it off it was dry. Not like oh, my skin had absorbed a lot of it, it was just dry and cracking like clay.
It did feel very nice going on, although it did sting my skin pretty severely for a few seconds … but I’m still a little confused, and I think I might have used it the wrong way. I’m going to try again and maybe add more, and maybe it won’t dry out so fast?
I wouldn’t probably pay $45 for this item when there are cream and honey and hydrating masks all over the place, and they really can hydrate you all day.
Koa Life
Another new brand to me. Their website is huge already though, so I know it’s been there a while. They even have several sales going on. The item I chose from this brand is the Detox Face Mask. From the marketing, it gives Glamglow. It also retails for $50, so they have similar pricing, which does make me think it’s supposed to be a similar product.
The color and texture of this mask is very similar to GlamGlow except it doesn’t have the bits in it. Remember how GG used to have these hard bits in it? The smell is also similar but not exactly the same. It smelled like the 90’s? I don’t know how to describe it. It smelled like the best memories I have. Like relaxing by the pool.
It dried down just like Glamglow but didn’t do the thing where it circles your pores, it just dried down as a sheet. It also does that thing where it gets like air bubbles under it and you can press on it and feel it move on your face after it dried.
I actually really like it and can’t wait to use it this summer to help with my oil levels. I would definitely choose/buy this again in the future. It retails for $40 but it’s on IPSY’s site for $10 in the shop right now so I’ll pick another one up if it’s still there when I run out.
Byroe, Fenty, and BeautyStat
In addition to the above products, I also stocked up on some of my favorite products, which I’ve already sung the praises of in my previous posts. Byroe’s Peony Tea Facial Oil is an absolute staple for me that I cannot stop buying. The Thicc n Smooth eye cream from Fenty is so nice and heavy for overnight, but no grease or stickiness. The Beautystat Pro-Bio Moisture cream? Chef’s kiss. A little heavy for this deep in summer, but still excellent.
This wasn’t my favorite BoxyCharm/IPSY but I did find items that I’ll use regularly. Nothing stood out like a new staple but most of it I’ll probably use up.
I cannot wait to talk about July and the rest of summer! Some amazing things coming.
Talk then,
~Dani