Ipsy August 2020 Subscription Box Review

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Ipsy Bag

Cost: $12 monthly, $132 annual

Cycle: Every Month

What is it: Every month Ipsy sends out a cute makeup bag of samples and full size items. You can review your bag for points that you can trade in for reward items. The rewards change often and the range between 300 points and 1000 points. You can get around 95 points every month.

If you want to subscribe you can subscribe HERE and skip the waitlist. That is my referral link so I do get points to spend but I’m not an affiliate I don’t make any money or anything it’s just one beauty junkie to another.

You can now customize your bag and pick out one sample per month that will get to be in your bag which is a pretty nice change even though it came with a price increase.

Another month another ugly bag. I am sorta interested in that new Ipsy option where you choose a few items and they choose a few items. I think it is like $25. It is something I am considering switching to.

Royal & Langnickel Moda Angled Blush Brush

Full Size: Yes

Value: $3.50

I love these brushes this might be my favorite brand of brushes or at least top three. This was my pick for the month. It is soft and dense, will be great for blush or even contour. I love the soft touch matte that it on the handle of these brushes plus they are so soft.

Glamglow Bright Eyes Illuminating Anti-Fatigue Eye Cream

Full Size: 15 ml

Full Size Cost: $39

Sample Size: 3 ml

Value: $7.80

This is a very thick eye cream. I don’t like eye creams that are just supposed to be anti-fatigue because that to me is a morning eye cream and I rarely put eye cream on in the morning. It is is a cute little jar though.

Briogeo Be Gentle Be Kind Avocado + Kiwi Mega Moisture Superfood Mask

Full Size: 240 ml

Full Size Cost: $36

Sample Size: 30 ml

Value: $4.50

I have never had good luck with this brand but moisture is sure something my hair needs desperately so I am game to give this a good and see what it can do for me.

IBY Beauty Lush Eyeshadow in In Bloom

Full Size: 20 shades x 1g

Full Size Cost: $25

Sample Size: 1.5 g

Value: $5

So this size and packaging sells for $5 but not all shades are available this shade is from the palette linked. like all IBY eyeshadows I have tried this has that smooth thick feel that is super nice and really lays on well. This is a metallic like shade that isn’t as opaque or easy pack on as their other formulas but is pretty metallic. The pink with the gold isn’t my color preference but objectively it is pretty. Swatched Below.

Pixi by Petra Endless Silky Eye Pen in Matte Mulberry

Full Size: 1.2 g

Full Size Cost: $12

Sample Size: 1.2 g

Value: $12

This is a really dark plumy shade that I have from quite a few brads but the Silky Eye pens are really smooth and soft even if I don’t think they are worth $12 dollars. Swatched Below.

I feel like Ipsy is just so random lately I really am missing a curated feel with my boxes. Or a wow factor of any kind.

Quick Summary:

Total Value: $32.80

Skincare: 1

Makeup: 2

Tools: 1

Hair Care: 1

Perfume: 0

Other: 0

And as far as sizes:

Full Size: 3

Deluxe Sample: 0

Sample: 2

<3 Nightmare Before Makeup

Boxycharm August 2020 Subscription Box Review

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Boxycharm

Cost: $25

Cycle: Every Month

What is it:

Boxycharm sends out 4 to 5 full size items every month which makes it really unique among the  boxes I subscribe to. It is a nice change to get all full size products especially for $25 which is usually less then the cost of one item in the box. Boxycharm also joined the customization train and you can choose between a few items to have one in your box for the month. I really like that because Boxycharm was getting to the point where I was only liking one thing in my box and even though the value was there the fun wasn’t anymore.

If you would like to subscribe you can use my referral link HERE. I don’t get anything other then points but would really appreciate it but do as you feel comfortable you are also welcome to use the link in the header that leads to the regular homepage.

You can also review your products and get “charms” which are their versions of points that you can use as money off in their shop.

I once again wasn’t given a choice option this month so everything was a surprise this month.

Butter London Teddy Boy Palette

Full Size: 7.9 g

Full Size Cost: $28.00

This is the worlds most neutral cool toned boring palette they have ever sent. I am not going to swatch this sorry. I will be passing this on. That said most things from Butter London are nice quality and the packaging of this is really nice. It you like cool toned neutrals this could be a hit for you.

ESW Beauty Raw Juice Cleanse Face Masks

Deep Detox Pore Control

Full Size: Yes

Full Size Cost: $6

Pineapple Bliss Revitalizing

Full Size: Yes

Full Size Cost: $6

The Pink Dream Moisturizing

Full Size: Yes

Full Size Cost: $6

I like getting sheet masks so much so that I have an entire mini drawer system dedicated and stuffed to the brim full of sheet masks. I won’t keep the pink one since it has rose in it but I am really excited for the other two those are the main types of sheet masks I really gravitate too and feel like improve my skin.

QMS Medicosmetics Active Glow Tinted Day Cream

Full Size: 50 ml

Full Size Cost: $105

Oh I just have so many thoughts on this product and its inclusion in the box. These weird sketchy brands that charge astronomical prices for very basic products is not what I expect in and mainstream box it makes me feel like I am being cheated in multiple ways first by Boxycharm being able to inflate the value of their box and again by the company masquerading as being something better than they are.

Second thing we have going on her is when you find this product on the site it claims to have spf 15 this is on the packaging and in the description. The one we have here does not which leads me to believe this is older and they have since repackaged. Now for an spf 15 you don’t actually legally have to prove it does anything buy sunscreen standards so I would guess there is no difference between this one and the new one just more claims that are not really supported and alot of misdirection. I just don’t like it don’t bullshit me. Don’t try to trick people out of their money.

This is a lightly tinted day cream that really doesn’t do much. It isn’t moisturizing or matte it is sorta just nothing feeling. I don’t really get it. I will probably use it because that is the kinda stuff I like. but uh it sure isn’t a $105 product.

Aesthetica Sunset Bronzer

Full Size: 8.2 g

Full Size Cost: $24

I love the color of this bronzer in the pan it really does look like tanned/bronzer but it shows up very light on my skin it really needs to be packed on and blended alot so that’s a challenged but not the worst thing. Swatched Below.

Clarins Velvet Lip Perfector in 02 Velvet Rosewood

Full Size: 12 ml

Full Size Cost: $26

This is my favorite thing in the whole box. I know alot of people really hate lip products like this but they are like some of my favorite kinds of lip products. This has one of those soft fuzzy tips that the product comes out through and gives you that very blotted soft matte look that I just adore. This is like a mute strawberry color and I really like it. Swatched Below.

This box was a whole ride. I do like the idea that we got a whole look though we got a skin thing a bronzer eyeshadow and a lip product I wish they would have a bit more of a theme and cohesiveness to the boxes, it would feel so much more curated and valuable rather then feeling like a weird T. J. Maxx haul.

Total: $201

Total Value to Me: $62

<3 Nightmare Before Makeup

What’s In My Trash? July 2020

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Well this is super late because I have been intensely busy I had about 4 days off in the past 6 weeks and that trend is about to continue for at least the next 6 week so so yea my life is like just a busy trainwreck right now. And these empties really show it I only used up 16 things that’s probably the lowest I have ever used up. I did use up alot of high value items though so I’m still ahead of the game for my goal but the amount of items coming in is way exceeding what is moving out right now. But that seems like a problem for some time in the future when things are less insane.

Skincare (6)

NuFace Prep-n-Glow Dual Sided Cloth I love these wipes they are so good and they don’t feel like they are wrecking my skin when I use them they feel like they are doing something good for my skin.

Repurchase: Yes

Sunday Riley C.E.O. Glow Vitamin C + Tumeric Face Oil very much loved this but I love vitamin c oils in general. I don’t know that I loved this more than cheaper vitamin c oils. It was brightening and just makes my skin glow but without being super oily and greasy.

Repurchase: Probably Not

Elemis Superfood Cica Calm Hydration Juice another thing I really loved but I don’t think is worth the steep price for how fast I went through it. It was a really hydrating gel I really liked it it was a bit cooling I liked it a lot but it only lasted like a month and it is expensive. It broke down in cost to like a little over a dollar a day.

Repurchase: No

Fortune Cookie Soap Company Afterparty Walnut Body Scrub so I know this is technically a body scrub but this is really a rebrand of a face scrub they used to make years ago that I loved to death. I know you aren’t supposed to use walnut shells on your face because they can cause micro tears but my skin responds so well to them and is so soft and clearer after that I feel like as long as I’m gentle it is fine and it is my face my rules.

Repurchase: Yes

Dr. Brandt 24/7 Retinol Eye Cream this did nothing? Like I really expected to see a difference with this and I saw more of a difference with the ROC eye cream that is half the price of this. Also I cut this open because expensive thinking there would be like one or two more uses stuck in the tube and there was like 2 weeks of eye cream in there.

Repurchase: No

Belif The True Cream Moisturizing Bomb this is ok it’s a fine moisturizer but it is nothing special equal to its price.

Repurchase: No

Random (1)

Forever 21 Cotton Rounds these are great cotton rounds, cheap and not linty or scratchy but they don’t make them any more.

Repurchase: Guess not

Home Scents (5)

Bath and Body Works Firecracker Candle this was pretty lackluster. It really didn’t smell much like a rocket pop like it was supposed to and it burned really fast.

Repurchase: No

Swan Creek Candle Co. Herbal Melts in Saturday Morning Cereal & Milk these are some of my favorite wax melts. This really did smell like cereal but it wasn’t as strong as a lot of their other wax melts.

Repurchase: I don’t know

Bath and Body Works Wallflower in Fresh Sea Walk I liked this it was strong and very beachy.

Repurchase: Yes

Bath and Body Works Fresh Orange Candle I liked this but it wasn’t strong enough.

Repurchase: No

Ulta Beauty Foaming Hand Soap in Citrus Fizz I like the Ulta soaps they last forever like they just last and last and last I also really appreciate the pumps on them you can actually get every last bit of soap out with out struggling. This citrus scent was fun I liked it, it was limited edition so I don’t think you can get it. But I will buy more soaps from Ulta.

Repurchase: Yes

Lip (1)

Fortune Cookie Soap Company Lip Scrub in What’s This? I wasn’t keen on this flavor. But I used it up it was a little dry for my liking.

Repurchase: No

Lotions (2)

Bath and Body Works Body Lotion in Clementine & Mint Leaves I am slowly getting through my BBW collection I do really want to limit what I buy from them to just really special things. They keep raising the prices and lessening the sales and coupons and I feel like the quality isn’t worth what they are now charging. Either way this was fine the scent was nice it was the main reason I bought it.

Repurchase: No, because reasons

Fortune Cookie Soap Company Whipped Cream in Aqua Scum I like the whipped creams and this scent was nice very sea like and summer and nice.

Repurchase: Yes

Bodycare (1)

Fortune Cookie Soap Company Third Times The Charm Bath Fizzy this was a very relaxing scent I enjoyed it and it turned the water a very pretty mostly opaque grey another plus. It lose marks for leaving a glitter ring around my tub that I had to clean off.

Repurchase: No

It was a rough July and it is a rough August and I anticipate a rough September. Stay tuned and join me on the struggle bus.

Total This Month: 16

Total: 245

Approx Value This Month: $223.30

Approx Paid This Month: $48.76

Approx Total Value: $2164.05

Approx Total Paid: $467.78

<3 Nightmare Before Makeup