Boxycharm September 2019 Subscription Box Review

Boxycharm

Cost: $21

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 the reasonable price of $21 which is usually less then the cost of one item in the box.

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.


This was a really nice box this month I am super happy.

Dr. Brandt Hydro Biotic Recovery Sleeping Mask

Full Size: 1.7 oz

Full Size Cost: $52

I love calming masks like this when my skin is irritated which it isn’t right now, just broken out yay. I don’t know why this is in a tube when it is supposed to be in a jar it is a full size amount so I don’t know what that is about. This is so expensive as all the Dr. Brandt products are and honestly I find alot of them to be not worth the price but well see this feels nice at least.

Royal & Langnickel Moda Pro 5 pc Deluxe Eye Kit

Full Size: 5 Brushes

Full Size Cost: $19.57

This set contains the BMX-466 Shader, BMX-430 Crease, BMX-420 Detail, BMX-402 Smudger, BMX-498 Liner. So they have sent us a set that has the crease brush in it but I don’t care because I LOVE these brushes. They are so soft they are so easy to work with they wash well. They are great I love Royal & Langnickel brushes especially the ones from this line. the texture on these handles is that soft matte and they have those bumpy grips that make them super easy to hold. I just love these.

Hank & Henry Stick With it Long Wear Liquid Eyeliner in Blickity Black

Full Size: 0.55 ml

Full Size Cost: $17

I am always curious about this brand probably because their logo is an owl and I love owls. This is not as matte or as black as I would like from an eyeliner but it is pretty easy to get a line so I am not complaining too much. I am complaining about the size this is full size but 0.55 ml is like half the normal amount you get in an eyeliner so this will go really fast. It does have a bearing inside it to keep the eyeliner fluid and mixed well which I do appreciate. I just don’t think it is worth the price. The card also says this is $20 but it is only $17 and I don’t like when they fudge the prices on card and Boxycharm is guilty of that alot.

Billion Dollar Brows The Microblade Effect Brow Pen in Dark

Full Size: 0.7 ml

Full Size Cost: $18

I can’t comment on the size because I don’t really know brow product sizes. I am super excited to play with this because it seems fun but I have enough brow hair of my own that I don’t know that you will see this in my brow at all but it could be fun for designs like this is going to be a totaly knock around playtime type of priduct for me. I feel like if you wanted to use this seriously though there would be a big learning curve because even swatching it the angle and pressure really changed how it looked.

I guess it kinda looks like hair?

Violet Voss Essentials Eyeshadow Palette

Full Size: 13 g

Full Size Cost: $29

I actually got my first choice palette I think that is a first for me. Any way this is not as bright and vibrant as I was expecting but they really pack a color punch like you don’t need to build them they are smooth so I am happy enough with it but now I sorta wish I had gotten the Too Faced face palette but this will probably get more use that that would have. I am a bright colorful eyeshadow collector so this does fit in my collection super well.

You can always judge a palette by its black and that is just one swipe which is good.


I actually will keep and use everything in this box its a Boxycharm miracle. I am actually really happy with this months box The five brushes are the start for me because I will get the most use out of them. Hurray this is so rare with this box for me lately.

Total: $135.57

Total Value to Me: $135.57

<3 Nightmare Before Makeup

Ipsy September 2019 Subscription Box Review

Ipsy Bag

Cost: $10 monthly, $110 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.

Though that is changing now so I’ll talk more about that later and next month.


The bag this month is so so cute I love the constellations on it and the fake quartz zipper pull and that it is a nice canvas. This will be the first bag in a while that I am keeping.

Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Sleeping Mask

Full Size: 80 ml

Full Size Cost: $45

Sample Size: 10 ml

Value: $5.63

I love this sleeping mask but it is so expensive. It really does leave my skin looking glowy and and hydrated and soft when I use it.

L.O.C.K. COLOR Unicorn Glow Hydrating Primer

Full Size: 30 g

Full Size Cost: $12

Sample Size: 10 g

Value: $4

This is supposed to be a collagen infused primer that makes your skin look plumper and I would say it did do that but it is nothing particularly spectacular.

111 Skin Space Defence Bright Eye Lift Gel

Full Size: 15 ml

Full Size Cost: $190

Sample Size: 7.5 ml

Value: $95

I fucking choked when I saw the price of this. For that price it better do some magic. I tried it before looking at pricey and didn’t feel like it was all that special but um maybe it gets better with time. Because for that pricey it better do magic for my eyes and cook me dinner too.

Ofra x Madison Miller Long Lasting Liquid Lipstick in Oh My Ry Ry

Full Size: 8 g

Full Size Cost: $20

Sample Size: 6 g

Value: $15

I feel like every Ofra Liquid Lipstick I have is in this same mauve color. The formula on these is pretty light and mousse so they aren’t too uncomfortable to wear.

The Beauty Crop Eyeshadow in Seren

Full Size: 3 g

Full Size Cost: $?

Sample Size: 3 g

Value: $?

So they don’t seem to sell single eyeshadows anymore so I don’t know how much this is but it is full size. This is a pretty metallic plum color. Very smooth and creamy.


So i got a full size eyeshadow and a crazy expensive eye cream that is almost worth what i spend on the this whole subscription each year so that is a win.

So starting next month the Ipsy bag is going up to $12 a month, $132 a year. The bag will now be worth $50+ a month (which it almost always was anyway…) and you will get to customize one item each month starting with the October bag so I will see how that goes next month and talk more about it then.

Quick Summary:

Total Value: $119.63

Skincare: 2

Makeup: 3

Tools: 0

Hair Care: 0

Perfume: 0

Other: 0

And as far as sizes:

Full Size: 1

Deluxe Sample: 2

Sample: 2

<3 Nightmare Before Makeup

What’s In My Trash? August 2019

Well this month has been better but I am so sad summers at an end. 🙁 I thought I was using up a ton this month but it turns out I really didn’t which is kinda unfortunate. I did use up alot of lip balms and hair products for me so that feel slike a big accomplishment so maybe that is why it felt like so much.

Skincare (8)

NuFace Prep-n-Glow Dual Sided Cloth I have gone on and on about these I love them and I save them for a special treat because they are pricey.

Repurchase: Yes

Blaq Mask I liked this my skin felt really soft after I got two uses out of this little tube. I don’t feel like the ingredients in this are the greatest for skin so I would not repurchase.

Repurchase: No

Garnier Skinactive Refreshing Remover Face Wipes I like these face wipes a lot I will probably repurchase they are soft enough I would like softer ones but I don’t know it that is realistic. I don’t find these are harsh or drying or irritating as a lot of wipes are.

Repurchase: Yes

Wander Beauty Baggage Claim Gold Eye Mask I thought these would be totally gimmicky but they actually really worked. My under eyes were looking wrecked from stress and not sleeping and I was dehydrated and so everything was all lined and dark and I looked like I had recently died and I needed to go out. So I whipped these on while I was applying my makeup just for any kinda moisture I could get and they were great. They stuck on my face really well while I did my makeup I even cheated and used them to get a really pretty wing without struggling because the seal on my face was that good. When I took them off my under eyes were so much more hydrated and less lined and felt softer and better. The dark circles were lessened but not totally taken away which makes sense that’s internal and external treatments can only have so much effect.

Repurchase: Yes

Clinique Smart Custom-Repair Eye Treatment I hated this I felt like it did nothing it wasn’t moisturizing enough it did nothing positive for my under eyes.

Repurchase: No

Lancome Bi-Facil Eye Makeup Remover this was totally great too my eye makeup off easily didn’t sting it was great and identical to the Sephora Bi-phase eye makeup remove that I have used for years. The Sephora one is half the price and is identical and I love it. So while this was great did everything it claimed save your money and get the Sephora one.

Repurchase: No

Shiseido Ultimate Sun Protection Lotion uh this might be the best sunscreen I have ever used. It is matte and nice feeling on it doesn’t feel sticky or weird it doesn’t make my skin look a weird color. I wish it wasn’t so expensive.

Repurchase: Yes

Urban Decay Quick Hydra-Charged Fix Complexion Prep Priming Spray I got this with Sephora Points and I loved it so so much it made my skin feel so hydrated and soothed and I loved every minute of using it but it is so expensive for a facial mist. I really have to think about if I would want to spend that.

Repurchase: Maybe

Home Scents (5)

Victoria Secret Pink Body Mist in Citrus & Mint I mostly used this as a car air freshener and I really enjoyed the light minty smell. I don’t think this is sold any more they change the scents so frequently and this is so old.

Repurchase: No

Columbia Candle Supply Bubblegum Wax Melt not my favorite scent and not a great throw.

Repurchase: No

Swan Creek Candle Company Break Apart Drizzle Melt in Cherry Almond Buttercream these are my favorite brand of wax melts they have such a good throw and some really amazingly yummy and unique scents. This smells like a warm cherry icing but not sweet the almond really cuts the sweetness and the fruitiness so it is a very warm yum scent. I found and won all mine at an arcade and they are a whole selling website so a bit of a pain to buy from but I recently found a store that sells then so I can buy more in the future.

Repurchase: Yes

Air Wick 4 in 1 Air Freshener in Fresh Waters this was meh I like other scents more than this one.

Repurchase: No

Fortune Cookie Soap Company Almost Alice Fortune Cookie Soap this was ok it smelled nice but at the end it sorta lost its scent. It takes so long to use up a bar of soap I get really really bored with them.

Repurchase: No

Lip (5)

Laniege Lip Sleeping Mask in Grapefruit this was nice like really nice but not nearly as life changing as every youtuber says it is. Like it don’t think it is worth the money there are much cheaper balms that feel just as nice. The nicest part about it was that it was quite thick (because it is a mask) that it would really cling and stay on my lips for a while and sink in. I got a gift set of this so I have a good supply of this in a few flavors to last me.

Repurchase: Probably not

Softlips Tropical Lip Balm in Peach. These tropical ones were ultra soft so it felt like they melted on to my lips which I like but it means you go through these so fast. I used the Coconut one from last month in like 2 weeks or a little less. This I had in my car and maybe got 6 weeks of off and on use. So these are not a good value I feel. This also smelled really artificial compared to the scent of the Coconut one that I really enjoyed.

Repurchase: No

Fresh Sugar Rose Tinted Lip Treatment I have a weird relationship which these I don’t like them but they feel nice but I don’t think they do much for my lips. I find the tinted ones to be really patchy and gross looking on my lips and to wear off weird. But they keep turning up in packs and in my subscription boxes so I just try to get through them. They are also so freaking soft that they melt and break and get messy as you are using them.

Repurchase: No

Sol de Janiero Brazilian Kiss Cupuacu Lip Butter this kills me beacause this is a fucking $18 lip balm and no lip balm has the right to be $18 dollars. This smells like delicious heaven though it is so coconutty and a amazing and is so thick and soft and nice feeling on my lips. I wish the lotion smelled like the lip balm.

Repurchase: I don’t know

Carmex Medicated Lip Balm pretty much my favorite drugstore lip balm I love the menthol tingle and the really thick feeling on my lips when they are chapped. I only like it in this chapstick form though not the pot or squeezy tube.

Repurchase: Yes

Makeup (1)

Smashbox Photo Finish Primerizer this did nothing and was just meh.

Repurchase: No

Lotions (1)

Bath and Body Works Body Butter in Vanilla Bean Noel I do like the Bath and Body Works Body Butters they are thick and moisturizing (not as much as a fancy body butter though) they smell nice too. This was the typical vanilla scent from Christmas. I don’t think this is worth the full price at almost $20 just wait for the 75% off sale that is how I got my back up one.

Repurchase: Maybe

Perfume (1)

Givenchy Dahlia Divin Perfume I love Dahlia Divin I have a full size version and these samples are good for keeping in the car or your purse since there is no chance they can leak. Even though perfume in a foil packet it pretty awkward to apply.

Repurchase: Yes

Haircare (4)

Dry Bar Triple Sec 3-In-1 Texture Spray I like pretty much everything I have ever tried from the Dry Bar line. They all smell good and leave my hair feeling soft and hair like rather than stiff and gross. I don’t have a ton of use for texturizing spray in my routine like it legit took me 3 years to use this tiny can. SO for that reason only I wouldn’t buy it but it is great.

Repurchase: No

Keracolor Color Care Conditioner in Hot Pink I used this to try to keep up with the color in my hair it did work but it was hard to get an even application since it was so thick and so the color was still kinda uneven. If you are looking for like a glaze this might work out or if you have like only one or two really chunky strips of hair to dye. The conditioning part of this was great though it was a really nice hair conditioner.

Repurchase: Maybe

dp Hue ACV Hair Rinse this smelled like apple cider vinegar which I love but if you don’t, don’t get this. This was like a rinse to get product build up off your scalp I guess. It was ok I think it worked it was kinda hard to tell.

Repurchase: No

Madam CJ Walker Scent & Shine Coconut Oil they don’t sell this anymore and I am not surprised because it was not good it was really greasy looking in my hair and it smelled like fake coconut in a bad way.

Repurchase: No, obviously

Random (3)

Elf Flat Foundation Brush this served me well a brush to apply my mask but it is not falling apart after like 2 or 3 years of use which is very serviceable for the $1 this brush cost.

Repurchase: Yes

Pacifica Underarm Deodorant Wipes these are sorta touch up deodorant wipes that smelled like coconut they were super nice I kept them in my car and they held up well to all the temperature changes in a car. These worked well to touch up when I felt gross from being outside or what ever all day.

Repurchase: Maybe

Degree Motion Sense Deodorant in Fresh Energy this is my preferred deodorant even though it is expensive I like it and it works without having a strong smell. I like my deodorants to smell pleasant for like the first few minutes I have it on while I’m getting ready and then I don’t want it competing with my perfume all day.

Repurchase: Yes

Declutter (14)

Too Faced Hangover Rx Replenishing Face Primer (2) I tried a sample of this like 2 months ago I think and I didn’t  like it I found it to sticky and heavy for me and I was trying to pull a few things out of my primer drawer that was so over crowded and these had to go.

AOA Studio E103 Brush this was non stop shedding the whole time I was using it and it just won’t stop. Absolutely terrible.

Tarte Tarteist Lip Paint in Delish this is a pretty color but super uncomfortable to wear. It was peeling off and I could feel it on my lips all day.

Coola Mineral Sun Silk Creme Sunscreen this broke me out which a lot of sunscreeens do so it has to go it also left a heavy white cast on my face that did not want to sink in and it was thick and uncomfortable as well.

Sol de Janeiro Coco Cabana Cream (2) I love the scent of this but the lotion leave my skin so sticky and uncomfortable. I am giving these to my gf who loves them and they don’t leave her skin sticky so I will enjoy the scent vicariously through her. Not picture because they are already in their new home.

Clinique Chubby Stick Intense in 01 Curviest Caramel this is all gunky and chunk and smells a pit weird so I think it went off and needs to go. I don’t love these they are weirdly dry but still only a little more color then a tinted balm they are just kinda weird.

Sephora Velvet Eyeshadow in Creamy Green 10 this was like a weird cheap cream shadow I picked up once to get free shipping at Sephora and it was always terrible. It is a shimmery green cream shadow but the cream and the shimmer kinda separate on your eye and go in two differet directions not a good look at all. It also doesn’t come off very green either. It is also far from creamy it is very dry feeling and hard to work with.

Aurora Intensely Precise Eyeliner in Espresso this was a good eyeliner pigmented and smooth but the color is too light for the types of look I do and I don’t really like brown eyeliner.

Ciate London Eye Lustre Cream Shadow In Cupid this is nothing like the Stila liquid shadows this is mostly glitter and pretty quickly it broke up on my eyes and as highlighter leaving no color and a lot of glitter just kinda sliding around.

Morphe Liquid Lipstick in Bloodshot gorgeous color but patchy and smeary and wore of weirdly from just talking super unfortunate I loved the color and packaging.

Apocalyptic Beauty Holographic Warpaint in Sleek White Gold this was just ok and then it dried out. It was pretty like a cool shimmery gold veil of highlight but wore off very quickly this was like cool photo highlighter and not like do your makeup and go out kinda highlighter. I did use about half before it dried out which I still think is a pretty good accomplishment.

Ulta Professional  Flawless Prime I am pretty sure this isn’t sold anymore and I have no interest in trying it and it was one of the primers keeping my drawer from shutting so it got booted. It is also green and I don’t love green primers.


I am proud that I used a bunch of chapstick and full size products this month and got a bunch of things I don’t need or like out of my life.

Total This Month: 42

Total: 365

Approx Value This Month: $240.86

Approx Paid This Month: $32.64

Approx Total Value: $2,004.44

Approx Total Paid: $508.44

So I’ve only spent about a quarter of the value of the stuff I used and that is a pretty consistent statistic over the whole value of my collection and I am pretty proud of that statistic because when I look at my collection it can be like woah overwhelming but knowing I didn’t spend the full amount on most of it makes me feel better.

<3 Nightmare Before Makeup