This might be my favorite box I’ve ever gotten. I have been immensely looking forward to going over all the items I got/picked and continuing to use them over the course of the winter.
First though, I just want you to picture this: Sitting on my couch, with a cup of coffee, at 8am on a Saturday, in my nightgown and warm socks, watching my favorite streamer, working on my blog 🙂
So November’s box is ICON. In case you didn’t know, when you subscribe to BoxyCharm through IPSY you can opt in for the ICON box. Four times a year your usual $35 or whatever it is you spend on BoxyCharm gets swapped out for about a $55 charge, and you get an ICON box instead.
ICON is supposed to come off like it’s more carefully curated and intentionally created, which so far I actually do think it is. They pick a celebrity known in the beauty space or just a popular brand owner and make them the face of the box. They add two or three items from that person’s brand into the box, or they let that person pick a few of their absolute favorite products to put in, and they add more in the choices.
I look forward to the ICON box. The choices are better and there’s more of them, and the savings are even bigger too.
So let’s dive in! This month’s curator was Pat McGrath. So two of the main items are from that brand. There are five items that just came with the box and that I have no control over, so those are the most indicative of what IPSY wants for me this month.
First up on IPSY’s pick is the Superfruit Body Lotion from Alo. I have really liked this brand since I first tried their Radiance Serum. Since then I’ve also tried the Luminizing Face Moisturizer which I also really enjoy – and this body cream really takes the cake.
The packaging is their classic white, and their logo, the alo in that font is basically symmetrical. It’s really a good look and it all goes together. It’s the kind of brand you want to build a whole routine out of but you don’t have that much money :3
What hit me first about this moisturizer is the smell. It smells just like those chocolate oranges we used to get for Christmas. You know the ones! You had to hit them really hard against a surface to get a piece. Putting it all over my skin made me so hungry.
The formula was also really nice. The texture was not super thick like a body butter but not so thin that it would spill everywhere while squeezing. So I just sort of held it over each leg and squeezed and it came out but not all over the place.
It left me feeling covered but not greasy. Like I didn’t go to bed sticking to my clothes. It’s also a very good amount for the price, I think I saw $28 at Sephora. I’d almost buy it at that price but I’d definitely get more from IPSY during a sale.
So it’s a good start! Next is the Bobbi Brown Highlighting Powder in the shade Pink Glow. I went to the website to see the shade range and there are actually a lot of these! But they are also on sale, for something like 50%. The original price looks like $54 and the sale price is $27. So when IPSY says $54 value… well…. Sort of.
And it’s … just okay. I have to really go in with my brush and then spritz setting spray all over it to get a good sheen that’ll stay put. If I just dip and go, it’s hardly noticeable and blends into nothing. It also does leave a slight silver pink cast on my face when it’s not at the right angle.
The compact is really cool though, it has a little button you push to open it. And the product does look unique, with the wicker basket layered look. I think if I play around with it more I’ll figure out how to make it blinding. Maybe it’s not supposed to be blinding …? I guess I’ll find out.
And next up for IPSY’s picks is the second item from Pat McGrath Labs called the Divine Rose Luxe Quad Eyeshadow palette in the shade Eternal Eden. This is a really pretty, very rose-toned palette with two mattes and two shimmers.
It’s intimidating, using a palette like this. The shadows can smell your fear. You feel like you have to go at them with your finest brushes lol.
So there’s a dusty, purpley rose color that seems like an excellent shade for a smokey eye, and then a light pink. Those are the two matte colors. Then there’s a bright pink and gold shimmer, and a deeper purpley pink shimmer. Both mattes are incredibly pigmented. My look today I did a tapered blender with the deeper grayish tone and tapped and tapped and tapped and tapped and just lightly dusted it over the lid and damn did the color still stick like I had licked my finger and applied it straight 😬
So I went in with a clean brush to get the harsh lines and that brush came off looking like I had dipped it too! So that’s all to say, these colors are incredibly pigmented and you have to be so so careful with them. But once they’re there, they’re there. They ain’t going anywhere. Good luck getting them to move.
Also, there’s no real fallout in the pan. I can tap tap tap all I want and it just gets enough on the brush, not too much.
The shimmers are excellent as well. The pink one actually comes off more golden when it’s over the lid, so for example on my lid right now I have the dusty rose and the golden pink shimmer. So what happens is you have this golden color on the inner half, and it slowly fades to grayish on the outer half. I think it’s very pretty. The shimmers, unlike the matts, are incredibly easy to use and it just works like any other shimmer except the mixed tones in the shimmers work just as intended.
I haven’t used the darker shimmer as much but it is definitely still pretty. This is an excellent palette to receive. I do wish it wasn’t so pink toned, I don’t do a lot of pink I’d rather yellows or browns. But it is still nice to use and the pink-gold shimmer does meld with my other preferred tones so I’m sure I’d still use it even if it’s just for that color.
This palette and others like it on their website retail for $62. That’s SO MUCH MONEY for four shadows in a quad. But having used the shadows and seen how much pigment they’re packing, I’m not completely appalled. The shades really do create a cohesive look for day or night, and the pigmentation is absolutely some of the best on the table.
Next! My box contained the Rapid Collagen Infusion from Murad. This is just a moisturizer. I don’t know. I have zero hype for this brand, I’ve never tried anything from them that I really fell for, and often their products have stung. This moisturizer is pretty smooth but very thick. I just don’t reach for it. The pump is kind of cool it doesn’t pop out from the packaging, it’s part of it. So it would be hard to spill this.
Alright! Last from PM is the Dark Star Mascara in the shade Xtreme Black. I’m not 100% clear on why it has a shade name, because when I went to the website it didn’t offer any other shades. Maybe it’s intentional, but it did disappoint me a little. I’m hopeful though because it does appear to be new. Maybe they will come out with other shades if this one does well. I don’t know why because I don’t even wear colored mascara, but I feel like I want this in electric blue or like dark purple or something.
Anyway. The packaging is pretty, it’s just a gold stick. It’s not incredibly heavy or notable but it’s easy to hold.
The formula is nice, and I like the brush. It did go clumpy on me yesterday but that also happened to be the day I didn’t wipe the end off. I don’t know if you do this, but when I take out mascara I give it once around the opening just to wipe off the edge since that’s the part I use for my outer lashes and I try to go really light. So with this wand I didn’t do that, and my lashes turned out very clumped. But I do think it was user error. All the other days it does a great job. It’s not revolutionary in my opinion, but I do really like it and will reach for it over my others for sure.
It’s on sale right now on their website from $34 down to $30 so another item that’s not exactly full price right now. But maybe it’s just a Black Friday thing. So yeah, happy to have gotten it. I’ve been able to try a lot of great mascaras this year.
Edit: Still struggling with clumps. I think it might be due to leaving it in the car overnight in the cold? But I really have to wipe off a lot of product to keep it from clumping.
And that’s the five products that IPSY (And Pat lol) chose for me. It’s a good mix of skincare and makeup, for sure, which is something I need to work on in my own choices. Obviously I don’t get to complain that two of the items were from the curator’s brand, since that’s the whole idea. So I don’t have any real feedback about these choices, they’re mostly brands I love or brands that are very pricey and that you’d want to receive.
Alright! Let’s talk about the items I chose for the box. With ICON you get three choices and looking back I am so glad I made these ones. So let’s go over them.
First choice is the Cheeky Tint Cream Blush Stick from Huda Beauty in the shade Perky Peach. I have really enjoyed this blush tone on my skin during my low makeup days ( I don’t have “no makeup” days) because it’s more like a sunburnt type of blush than a natural blush. I don’t know, I just have this feeling that it looks better and more natural when I’m not doing a full face.
The packaging is nothing revolutionary, it’s just a little push up stick like a deodorant. I’ve applied it a few different ways, mostly taking it on my finger and then applying it from there. I either blend it with my fingertips or the foundation brush or sponge I used. It’s just a nice cream blush, nothing to scream about. I still prefer my Lucky Chick one. But I do enjoy this.
They retail for $25 but are on sale right now on HB’s website for $17.50 so it looks like they might be phasing out certain shades or maybe the whole line. I wouldn’t probably pay either of those prices for this but I’d like to get more shades if they go on sale at IPSY maybe.
Next I chose the Commodity perfume in Gold, strength level Expressive. This is that brand of perfume that has multiple different strengths for each fragrance. If you watch Robert and James Welsh’s channels one of them brought it up.
This is not the travel size 10ml by the way, this is the 30ml. It’s an actual bottle, worth $75.
Anyway. The packaging is stunning, classic, and to the point. It has a lil black cap that matches the lil black bottle, and the spritzer is easy to use. I pump 3 times in front of me, walk through it, and then do a few sprays above me and spin. I don’t know why.
It has a smell that I don’t know how I’m going to describe, it’s warm and makes me feel like snuggling up in a bed with some hot drink. I guess it reminds me of like, honey? Or syrup.
Okay I looked it up online and it says it is a warm scent with notes of “Molten amber, creamy sandalwood, and sweet vanilla.” So that all checks out.
I’m extremely glad I chose this. If there are other products of theirs in the future on the site I cannot wait to have the option to buy them! Even a travel size would be cool to try.
My last choice was the Here We Glow Berry Mask from the brand that’s slowly becoming my favorite for masks, Aceology. I have been really enjoying all the masks I’ve been getting from them, which I’m pleased about because if you remember, last year I received my first one and I hated it. It was some kind of golden peel mask, that I didn’t realize was a peel mask.
So I’m extremely relieved to have found some other masks that I do enjoy. This one is in the same packaging as the others, the white bottle with a cap and one color for all the text. It gives collect us all.
The Here We Glow mask is a clay texture in a lavender color. If you’re familiar with the Fresh Umbrian Clay, imagine that but just a little more whipped. It’s very cool when it goes on and I like applying it out of the fridge. It’s also the most lightweight clay mask I’ve ever worn – like once it dried down last night, I left it on for a few hours and then forgot it was on. I was about to like go to bed and went to do my skincare and I was like oh right. So it’s not at all uncomfortable or invasive. And it’s not like I applied a small amount.
I’ve been using it a few times a month so I can’t exactly say long-term what it’s doing, but I do feel very refreshed after applying it, and my skin doesn’t feel tight or stripped. Actually it feels pretty conditioned and smooth.
This item retails for $69, which part of me is like that’s crazy but the other part is like, I’ve spent that on Glam Glow, right? I went to look at the website and it looks like all of their masks have that price, and there are bundles available. But the quality is really good. I wouldn’t probably buy it at those prices, but if they did a B2G1 maybe I’d get a handful. Otherwise I might actually repurchase this one off Mercari, I found a few for $35-40.
That wraps up the base of the box, the ones IPSY chose for me and the things I chose for myself. The next handful of items are add-ons, things I paid extra to put in the box. These ones are a good mix of hits and misses so we’ll go over it in order.
First up is The Theory moisturizer from Dew of the Gods. This brand is relatively new to me but I did have their face wash earlier this year and enjoyed it a lot. My biggest complaint is the packaging. It’s a big, heavy, rectangular bottle so it’s hard to hold with one hand and impossible to hold and also pump with one. Moreover the pump is also very small and easy to slip off of, and doesn’t pump out much at all. Maybe I’m supposed to go easy on it because it’s a retinol moisturizer, but it’s very annoying.
Because of these reasons I honestly don’t reach for this product and can’t speak for it to any real extent. Once you’ve gotten the product out, it’s a thick night cream that goes on smooth and doesn’t have a strong fragrance.
I’m aware that it is a retinol moisturizer and so I can say that it is working to break down excess oil and dirt in my pores overnight while I sleep. I already use an overnight retinol serum so this will probably just help.
This moisturizer retails for $42 but it’s on sale at almost half the price on Ebay and even less on Mercari, so I’m getting the sense that other people also do not like it.
I still plan to use it overnight because even though it’s not my favorite, it’ll still help with exfoliating overnight.
[Update: I have made a point of trying this more and yeah, the pump is still so frustrating. I have to go eight or nine pumps to get any substantial amount of product out. But I also wanted to say that I havebeen really liking the fragrance. It’s a very relaxing, evening-esque fragrance and I enjoy using it even if it’s just for the smell.]
My next add-on is a lipstick from Pat McGrath. It’s the MatteTrance Lipstick in the shade 1995. I added it on to stay on trend with the rest of the box, but unfortunately this one had issues.
When I first uncapped it, there was about a third of the tip missing and it was stuck to the inside of the cap. Since the packaging indicates the correct closure, I know I didn’t accidentally roll it up before opening it to cause this issue. To add on to that, even after I smoothed it out by applying it, the actual product isn’t properly attached to the base. So if I apply it, my lips push the product to the left and right and it further wears down.
I did contact IPSY care and they were able to refund me for the lipstick, so that was nice. But I was disappointed.
I haven’t used it much since then. It retails for $39 but it’s on sale right now on their website for $12, which is the massive sale they were on on IPSY’s site. So I feel a little silly and fooled. If IPSY has a sale going on that the retailer is also having, that’s not really an exclusive IPSY sale.
I won’t buy these lipsticks again, but there is another style on Pat’s website that looked a little glossier/smoother that I might try at another time.
My next add-on actually got me excited. It’s the Youth Preserve Moisturizer from Fresh. There’s no way you’re not familiar with this brand. Somehow they’ve caught in my memory as a brand like Glamglow, just really pricey but really good and you want to snap them up when you can.
This moisturizer is one of the best moisturizers I have ever tried. I don’t even know why I love it so much, maybe because it smells like cucumber? Or maybe because when I put it on I feel like an ancient princess applying handcrafted potions and elixirs to stay as young as possible. Or maybe because it’s in a frosted glass jar. I don’t know. I love it. And I added it on to the box because it was in the $18 choice batch and that was just such a good idea because it retails for I believe $54.
I didn’t even plan to do a whole section on it because for me, it’s a repurchase and was just convenient. But I can’t not talk about it at all. So just snap this one up if you see it and it’s on sale. Absolutely excellent product.
Next I added the Peony Tea Glow Oil from Byroe. This is one of the most amazing products I’ve ever discovered and I have been using it religiously.
So Byroe isn’t a brand I’m incredibly familiar with and actually I believe the last product I got from them was a no. But I added this because the packaging and name just grabbed me as soon as I saw it.
It’s a beautiful, pink bottle with a white and gold dropper. It looks stunning. Also, the name, with “tea” and “glow” I don’t know I am just captivated.
The product is a facial oil that Byroe claims can be used three ways; one, you can use it as a facial oil in your skincare routine. To do this, you’d apply during your serums but before your moisturizer. Second, you can use it as a primer. To do that, you would moisturize and then go over top of that with this oil and let it warm up and sink in and smooth the skin for makeup.
Both of these I’ve tried and I’ll go over the results.
The third way is to mix it in with your foundation as like a brightener, but I haven’t tried this yet. The packaging only says the first two ways, but the third way is on their website.
The first time I applied this, I didn’t want to do any makeup. I was just stunned at how beautiful, smooth, and radiant it made my face look. Just a few drops and my skin has this gorgeous sheen and it looks like I’m wearing some kind of invisible makeup which is completely ridiculous. But it really does. My skin looks like I just bathed in an ice-cold spring and used flowers to wash my face and then applied nectar as my serum.
I’m not exaggerating.
So I’ve tried it both ways. A few times I applied it during my serum step and put a lightweight moisturizer on top of it. This worked fine and basically just gave me a really pretty glow like I said.
As far as using it as a primer, I’ve had to play around with it more. I do my routine, let my moisturizer sit for a little bit, then go over it with a few drops of this. It’s notable that from just looking at the oil, you can’t see any kind of sparkles in it or anything like that. So the glow it gives is straight up the formula, not just shimmery sparkly.
The only thing with using it as a primer is that there are some products that gel up on it. So the KVD liquid contour I use unfortunately will gum up if I put it on with this oil. And the Fenty Beauty Eaze Drop tint also sort of gathers. I’ve decided I’ll call that effect where your foundation webs out over your skin but doesn’t stick everywhere “lichen.” Because it looks like lichen across the face.
Anyway, I plan to try the third method of actually mixing a drop in with my foundation tomorrow. If there’s anything fun I’ll definitely write about it here. But so far, I’m just really excited to have gotten this product and would probably pay the $50 for it in a month when I get a large work bonus or something.
[Update: I have tried mixing it with foundations with mixed results. The Fenty Beauty Eaze Drop Tint doesn’t mix well with it and started to gum up and stick. But it mixes really well with the Kevin Aucoin tint I have. It does add a really nice shine and glow to the look.
The next item I added to the box is the Satin Lipstick from ABH in the shade Taupe Beige. Unfortunately IPSY didn’t send this one to me so I can’t review it. They did send out a replacement package, which I’m hoping to receive before I wrap up this post.
Almost finished with my add-ons! The next item is the Water Bank Moisturizer by Laneige. I’m actually not sure if this is the first item of theirs that I’ve received. I obviously recognize the name and the brand, but this might be my first encounter with it.
I love the packaging for this moisturizer. It’s a little blue box, completely symmetrical, with a lid that’s half of the package. So you feel like you’re opening like a fruit or something that you cut in half. Maybe.
The product itself is really interesting too; it’s a gel cream with a very thin consistency with little white pearls in it. I looked on their website, and they’re ceramide beads. I looked that up and ceramides are allegedly the thing that holds your cells together.
The gel formula feels so cooling and soft, and as soon as the little ceramide capsules come into contact with the skin they burst and just seem to become part of the mixture. It’s a lot like other gel creams where you just feel like your skin has had a drink of water. I like it so much I decided to get another one from my next box as an add-on. They’re not on sale or anything, and they retail for $40 which means I got it for over half off.
I wouldn’t probably purchase at full price but if I see it on the choices I’ll continue to get it, I like it a lot.
And last but not least! The brand that brought me my favorite eye cream also had a serum for me 🙂 Olehenriksen’s Truth Serum is one of those serums that has like aloe in it, or that ingredient that makes it slipppppppppery. You know how you put some things on and they only go so far? This is one pump and it stays slippery the entire time. I have to fan it on my face for a good minute or so before it starts to sink in.
The pump also has one of those functions where you can twist to lock it shut, which is super helpful to me because this time of year I bring my makeup and skincare in a bag with me to work and apply in the parking lot. So it’s nice to be able to lock it so it doesn’t spill or get pushed accidentally.
As far as long-term effect, I feel that it’s definitely added that aloe-like effect of tightening my skin and my hydration through the days stays very consistent. I wouldn’t pay the retail price of $56 for it, but if it were an add-on I’d snag it in the future.
And that’s the November ICON box! This is probably one of my top three boxes I’ve designed and created with IPSY’s help. It is still a little heavier on skincare than makeup but I do feel like I still got a good amount of cosmetics, like the highlighter, blush, eyeshadow, and mascara.
I’m sure everyone’s already seen how the December box choices were a huge letdown. I’ve already placed that order and it shipped out, so I’ll be posting again in a few weeks. Also in late December look for my 2023 recap with the top stuff I found this year.
Talk soon,
Dani