Macy’s Beauty Box December 2019 Subscription Box Review

Macy’s Beauty Box

Cost: $15

Cycle: Every Month

What is it: Every month you will get a bag, a $5 off coupon (sometimes $10), 5 deluxe samples and 1 bonus sample. Why not just say 6? I don’t get it.

All the brands will be brands you can find in Macy’s which is cool since they sell Mac and a lot of other brands that are never to rarely in subscription boxes.

The cool thing about the coupon is that it is good in stores and online also Macy’s does have sales and $5 products so if you are strategic you can score a free product every month. Depending on your state you may still have to pay tax but it is still basically free.


Who’s not ready for it to be 2020? Me!!! So Macy’s sent a really gross feeling glittery bag this month. Its that kind where you can feel the glitter and it is all hard and scratchy. I don’t like.

Makeup Drop Original Silicone Beauty Applicator in Glitz

Full Size: 1 Blender

Full Size Cost: $20

Sample Size: 1 Blender

Value: $20

This is one of those weird silicone gel blenders. I don’t like these I think they just smear makeup around rather then blending anything in. This one is cute with some glitter in side it. But I will be passing it on because this is just not a great way to apply makeup.

Paco Rabanne Invictus Legend Cologne

Full Size: 100 ml

Full Size Cost: $96

Sample Size: 1.5 ml

Value: $1.44

I love that they send men’s cologne and this is a nice smelling one. My gf really likes it and I like having little bits to share from boxes.

Carolina Herrera Good Girl Perfume

Full Size: 50 ml

Full Size Cost: $79.90

Sample Size: 1.5 ml

Value: $2.40

I don;t like this perfume I find it to be quite heavy and not my cup of tea.

Pur Highlighter in Afterglow

Full Size: 8 g

Full Size Cost: $26

Sample Size: 2.13 g

Value: $6.92

This is a really smooth gold highlighter with alot of shimmer in it. This is alot more intense than I would have expected from Pur which I usally think of as a pretty plain tame brand. Swatched below.

Grande Cosmetics Grande Lips Hydrating Lip Plumper Gloss in Midnight Shimmer

Full Size: 2.4 g

Full Size Cost: $27

Sample Size: 2.4 g

Value: $27

This color really photographs badly it looks pretty and rich and sparkely in person but the pictures make it look like a weird brown. This is not a sticky gloss which I appreciate but it is also not the kind of product I use but I plan to keep this because it is so different then anything else I have. The listed color was different than the one I received so I guess I got a substitution. This is also a pain in the ass because you have to click it up so many times. There is a definite tingle when I applied it but I don’t think it plumped. It was just shiny and thick. Swatched Below.

Girlactick 3-in-1 Lip Sparkle Balm in Twinkle

Full Size: 2.8 g

Full Size Cost: $17

Sample Size: 2.8 g

Value: $17

Always seems to me such a cheap brand gimicky brand and then every time I see the prices I am shocked at how expensive they are. This is such a weird product that seems more fitted for a kid then an adult. This is a glittery lip balm that is super glittery and frosty on the lips. It is comfortable and you can’t feel the glitter but it is just such a weird product I thought it was like an eye gloss at first. I don’t know really what to make of this. Swatched Below.

Elizabeth Arden Vitamin C Radiance Renewal Serum Capsules

Full Size: 30 Capsules

Full Size Cost: $48

Sample Size: 7 Capsules

Value: $11.20

I love this because I will be able to bring a vitamin c serum with me next time I travel. I use a vitamin c almost every night and if I miss it to many days I can see a difference in my skin but it never makes the cute in the skincare bag for travel because I have no travel size ones. I like the idea of these little capsules too because they wont spill.


Weird for Macy’s to send 2 glittery lip products but I applaud them on sending stuff that no one else is sending. High value with 3 full size products this month it is hard to be disappointed.

Total Value: $85.96

Skincare: 1

Makeup: 3

Tools: 1

Hair Care: 0

Perfume: 2

Other: 0

And as far as sizes:

Full Size: 3

Deluxe Sample: 0

Sample: 4

<3 Nightmare Before Makeup

What’s In My Trash? November 2019

I can’t believe it is December and Christmas is in 20 days like where has the time gone.

I don’t have a group shot this month I couldn’t get a nice shot of them it was a mess so oh well.

Skincare (10)

Lancome Genifique Youth Activating Eye Cream this was ok but I used it for nearly a month and didn’t see any “youth activating” so I think there are better eye creams for less.

Repurchase: No

Up & Up Refreshing Wet Cleansing Towelettes these were terrible I kept these as car wipes but they don’t take any makeup up off and they dry out quick. They are soft though.

Repurchase: No

Soo Ae Donkey Milk Skin Gel Mask this is a very wet mask. Like dripping in my eyes wet. Also very thin so while it fits my face well it is not the most comfortable because of how wet and kinda slimy it feels. It is also pretty tacky so it did stay on my face well but I am not the biggest fan. It is moisturizing though did leave my skin tacky. I don’t hate this so much that I won’t use the other 4 I have (where did they all come from I don’t know because I didn’t buy them) but I don’t recommend them.

Repurchase: No

The Body Shop Pomegranate Invigorating Toner I wanted to have a non drying toner but this just left me feeling sticky. It wasn’t drying so I guess it did its job but this is a step I don’t need or want and this was not the product for me.

Repurchase: No

Private Doctor Define Minus Serum this did nothing and a it needed a lot to spread it around.

Repurchase: No

Earth Therapeutics Collagen Cleansing Facial Towelettes I really like these they were gentle and felt nice I think I might like these more then my green Garnier ones but I just opened a new pack of those so we shall see. But these were good. And I loved the packaging because since it had a an actual lid to seal.

Repurchase: Yes

My Clarins Re-Charge Relaxing Sleeping Mask I didn’t like this at all for starters the tube only had two uses and I expect more from Macy’s second this was sticky and did not feel hydrating at all.

Repurchase: No

Double Dare OMG! 2 in 1 Detox Bubbling Microfiber Mask this is a fun mask but it isn’t something I am running to purchase. The bubbling mask leaves my skin feeling like squeaky clean and tight so the second hydrating mask is essential to adding moisture back into the skin.

Repurchase: No

Laneige Water Sleeping Mask this will never be my favorite I don’t like the scent and I don’t feel like it does much I used it up as a neck/chest moisturizer.

Repurchase: No

Dermadoctor Kakadu C Amethyst Clay Detox Mask I love the purple color of this. It is heavily fragranced though it legit smells like purple. It isn’t a bad scent just strong. This is a very drying tightening mask but my skin does look and feel softer and cleaner after I use it. It is expensive so I don’t know that I would invest in it when other cheaper masks also work for detoxing my skin. I had some congestion going on i think from trying the First Aid Beauty face oil I got in Ipsy this month so I used this to try and help get rid of that.

Repurchase: Probably Not

Random (4)

Fortune Cookie Soap Company OCD Hand Sanitizer in Weapon of Choice these are my favorite hand sanitizers I use them pretty much exclusively this one had a bit of a rum scent I loved it it was from a zombie themed collection awhile back.

Repurchase: Yes

Sweet & Shimmer Face and Body Mini Wipes in Frosted Berry these are my favorite for swatches they are cheap smell good and are decently soft for cheap wipes. I pick these up at Ulta every Christmas and use them all year. They have different scents each year but they all smell pretty similar especially the non berry ones.

Repurchase: Yes, It is that time to stock up again.

Degree Motion Sense in Stay Fresh I saw this new citrus Bergamont scent and thought oh I’ll live that I love citrus and bergamont scent but this smelt kinda weird on me and I have another one to get through.

Repurchase: No

Earth Therapeutics Foot Peel not the greatest foot peel. The peeling started like the next day just about but it was a very slow tiny little pieces at a time and not like a deeply penetrating peel only the very surface layer. Not a greatest one but much cheaper than a lot of other ones I have tried.

Repurchase: No

Home Scents (4)

Columbia Candle Supply Brow Sugar & Fig Wax Melt I love the wax melts from this company they are really great and I love that they do mystery packs because it is more fun that way. They are cheap and you can get at least 2 or 3 melts out of one ounce so I like them. This was a just generally warm sweet scent.

Repurchase: Maybe

Bath and Body Works Pumpkin Peanut Brittle Candle this was very peanut and a bit caramel I really enjoyed this candle. It had a really good scent throw as well.

Repurchase: Yes

Bath and Body Works Orange Truffle Candle this smelled reasonably good but had a very average scent throw I prefer a stronger scent throw. The orange and the chocolate mixed nicely (shocking really lol) and didn’t smell fake at all but it was just not strong enough for me.

Repurchase: No

Bath and Body Works Lemon Mint Leaf Candle this had a good scent throw and was nice and bright and clean and fresh smelling I liked this a lot.

Repurchase: Yes

Makeup (3)

Maybelline Master Precise All Day Liquid Liner in Black this wasn’t that great I found it hard to line my eyes with and get a good flick and I didn’t find it black enough or opaque enough without multiple coats.

Repurchase: No

Too Faced Shadow Insurance Anti-Crease Eye Shadow Primer I really like this it has more color to it than the Urban Decay one and it really holds on to shadow really well. This will probably be the primer I purchase when I next need one.

Repurchase: Yes

Urban Decay Naked Skin Beauty Balm this is unfortunately discontinued which is so fucking sad since this is my favorite foundation every I bought a few of these when they were being discontinued for dirt cheap so I have a stock but I love this it’s the right tone the right color it so light and comfortable on my skin no matter what the weather it and it has the light but blurring type of coverage I look for.

Repurchase: All of them if I could

Lotion (1)

Hempz Toffee Butter Crème Triple Moisture Herbal Whipped Body Crème I like Hempz lotions quite a lot but this one was a miss for me the scent was way to buttery and I don’t go for that type of scent. The lotion quality was good but I would go for a different scent.

Repurchase: No

Bodycare (6)

Fortune Cookie Soap Company Party Bath Salts in Sprinkles this didn’t have enough scent to it and it kinda dried my skin out a bit. Not a fan.

Repurchase: No

Lush Butterball Bath Bomb this left my skin super soft but it didn’t turn the water colors or smell strongly it was pretty meh.

Repurchase: No

Target Beauty Bergamot & Blood Orange Bath Salts these were unimpressive they didn’t have a lot of scent and they only preformed marginally well at Epsom Salts so I wouldn’t recommend. I grabbed these because they were on sale for 90 cents but they weren’t really worth it.

Repurchase: No

Fortune Cookie Soap Company Aloe-lujah Skin Gel in Free Spirit this had such a nice bright fruity scent that I loved. I don’t love Aloe though I find it a bit drying on my skin. But this is nice for burns and scraps and anything like that. And it does absorb into my skin quickly.

Repurchase: No

Fortune Cookie Soap Company Solid Sugar Scrub in Sugar Rush this is one of those products that I savored every use and tried to make last it was a great body scrub but the scent is want made this so special. It smelled like sweet tarts and was so yummy and strong I loved it and you love to have more in this scent.

Repurchase: Yes

Fortune Cookie Soap Company Body Wash in Regenerate this didn’t have much of a scent and there is some stuck in the bottom I can’t get out but it was fine for a travel body wash wouldn’t recommend it though they have much better body washes.

Repurchase: No

Perfume (1)

Zoella Snow’ella Perfume I am so glad to be done with this. I never liked any of the perfumes in this set they all smelled like Claire’s like little girl perfume. I used this up by every time I used it on myself I also sprayed my sheets with it.

Repurchase: No

Haircare (3)

Shea Moisture Jamacian Black Castor Oil Strengthen & Grow Treatment Masque this is a really nice hair mask it makes my hair feel smooth and strong but it takes a lot of product to coat my hair so I don’t know that I would purchase.

Repurchase: Maybe

Keranique Micro-Exfoliating Follicle Revitalizing Hair Mask this was kinda like a scalp scrub and I really really liked it. It was easy to get through my roots and on my scalp unlike other scalp scrubs I have tried and it felt really nice and invigorating. My scalp felt cleaner and lighter after I really liked this.

Repurchase: Yes

Garnier Fructis Smoothing Treat Avocado 1 Min Hair Mask I have liked the other hair masks I have tried in this like but the Avocado one left my hair feeling a bit dry. I like how easy and quick these masks are and they smell nice. This one was just not for me I prefer the other ones.

Repurchase: No

Declutter (7)

Pretty Vulgar The Ink Gel Eyeliner in 01 Black List ugh this liner I tried so hard to love this because the bottle is so cute looking like a little ink well but liner sucks. It is so smudgey it never sets down and the staying power is terrible. If I am going to go through the trouble of a potted gel liner I want it to be bullet proof. This is also really hard to get out of the bottle since you have to go through a longer thinner neck to the bottle and you can’t see what you are picking up.

Anastasia Beverly Hills Liquid Lipstick in Crush this was just too ballerina pink and I couldn’t darken this to a place where I would be willing to wear it. Unfortunate because I love this formula.

Billion Dollar Brows The Microblade Effect Brow Pen in Dark this is supposed to give you hair like strokes in your brows and it does. It takes practice though. This ended up making my brows look much fuller then I like so I am passing it on to a friend it just isnn’t my personal preference for my brows.

La Ritzy Cosmetics Lip Stix in Plum this is one of those things in theory I should have loved this it was easy to apply I loved the color even though it got all over my coffee cup it didn’t slide all over my face and it was comfortable but I was super aware that it was on my mouth like it felt heavy and every time I looked in a mirror I just wanted to wipe it off so this should just go to a better home. With someone who can love it properly.

Luscious Angel Eyes Eyeshadow Primer this is just an average eye primer and I have plenty that I love so I see no need to try and use up one I don’t love since eye primers take years to use up. This is really thick so a little goes a long way and it’s like halfway between translucent or being a color and blanking your lid out and I need it to do one or the other.

Colourpop Crystal Liquid Highlighter in Amber this liquid highlighter would separate and come put chunky as well as look chunky on the skin and slide around this just didn’t really work out for me. Maybelline Color Tattoo Metal in 60 Silver Strike this is super pretty and metallic but I never use it so it can go.


I really wanted to get through more products this month and Dec is starting off slow which isn’t the greatest.

Total This Month: 39

Total: 512

Approx Value This Month: $220.27

Approx Paid This Month: $72.42

Approx Total Value: $2,748.38

Approx Total Paid: $789.45

<3 Nightmare Before Makeup

Boxycharm November 2019 Subscription Box Review

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 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 is the first month where you get to pick an item and the price increase is in effect. I pick an interesting looking serum. The choice for December was also skincare choices. While I like that because we all have different skincare needs I would like to see other categories as well.

Kypris Antioxidant Dew Quench & Glow Serum

Full Size: 47 ml

Full Size Cost: $90

Good on me for choosing a $90 item that’s more then I pay for Boxycharm each quarter. This i believe is supposed to be a day serum I think. It is supposed to be really glowy and have lots of antioxidants in it. It is quite tacky and a bit smoothing so I could see it being good under makeup but it takes so long to sink in that I don’t think I will ever have that kind of patience.

Dose of Colors Liquid Lipstick in Nude Mood

Full Size: 0.16 oz

Full Size Cost: $18

I do love the packaging on these they feel so nice and lux. This is a very pink nude almost as pink as Crush from ABH but a little darker and it darkens on the lips as it dries so I can get away with wearing this. This is not my favorite formula it stays pretty sticky which I don’t prefer but it isn’t as drying as other liquid lipsticks.

Boxycharm 2 Piece Brush Set

Full Size: 2 brushes

Full Size Cost: $35

These brush handles look so medieval or something I love them so much. They are also shaped in such a way that you can pinch them up near the heads or hold them far back for totally different looks. I like very dense oval shaped brushes so I really like these they are great for costume highlights or intense contouring these are very up my alley. And they are very soft.

But as you can see here there were quite a few uneven bristles that needed to be trimmed and there were some wonky hairs I think these are going to shed massively the first time I wash them. I would not pay $35 for these two brushes I don’t think they have the quality of brushes of that price but I do really like them for the roughly $4 per box item I spent on them.

The pouch them came in is a pretty good bonus too because I can pack travel brushes in that and keep them safe and not taking up room in my toiletries case.

Dominique Cosmetics Celestial Thunder Eyeshadow Palette

Full Size: 12 Shades x 1.2 2

Full Size Cost: $44

Sample Size: 8 Shades x 1.2 g

Value: $29.33

This is a condensed version of the Celestial Storm palette you can’t buy this Celestial Thunder palette. The full size palette is a but more cohesive then this one this palette won’t be for everyone with the really intensely dark shimmer shades that are in it and the more bright mattes. I like the colors though. I found this formula pretty hard to work with the shades don’t blend well into each other so I had to put alot of work and layering in to get a good look but it still came out looking a but muddy.

Vitamasques Duo Pack: Morning and Evening Eye Goggle Masks

Full Size: 2 Masks

Full Size Cost: $12

I love eye masks so I am excited to give these ones a try. I usually save all my eye masks for day time so it’ll be cool to have a night time version to try.


I am super happy with this months box. The first in a while where I genuinely will use everything even if the lipstick wasn’t perfect for me.

Total: $184.33

Total Value to Me: $184.33

<3 Nightmare Before Makeup