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I've had a BoxyCharm subscription for over a year now and it is still the highlight of my month, every month. Honestly there aren't many products that I've gotten in this subscription that I haven't used.
BoxyCharm does a fantastic job of curating products each month. What I mean by this is: you don't get two eyeliners (or similar products) in consecutive boxes or in the same box. Much of the time, there is a full face worth of makeup in each box.
Not to mention, every month, the retail value of the products is well over $100, making the $20ish box well worth it. Especially because I use and enjoy almost all (if not all) of the products each month.
My February BoxyCharm included a trio eye kit, two eyeshadow pans, a lipstick, exfoliator and a Z Palette. I will go through each of these products and give a mini review about their quality/how I personally liked them, pricing and where to find these products.
First is the trio eye kit from Sedona Lace. These babies retail for $39.95. Depending on where you buy your make up brushes, that might seem a bit cheaper or crazy expensive. For me, I am a Morphe brush kind of girl, so the price of these three small brushes is a bit much. I was most excited for the EB-17 Brow Spoolie Duo. This has a small angled brush on one end and - you guessed it - a spoolie on the other end. I wish the brush bristles were a bit more stiff, but I will still get a lot of use out of this brush. The other two brushes, the EB-16 Synthetic Eyeliner Brushand the EB-13 Synthetic Blender Brush are a bit lackluster for me (keep in mind that everyone is different and looks for different things in both brushes and makeup). I don't wear much eyeliner, but when I do, I like it to be a thin, subtle line. I don't think the EB-16 will achieve either of those things. As for the EB-13, I think it would be a great blending brush. The shape and softness of the bristles is impressive but the brush itself is fat, much too large for my eye shape. This brush doesn't fit into my eye crease without completely blowing out the crease above and below the socket. I think this brush would be better suited for a nose contour (which BoxyCharm does suggest).
Next are the two eyeshadow pans from Makeup Geek, which retail for $6 each. I received the shades "Beaches and Cream" and "Barcelona Beach." As with many Makeup Geek eyeshadows, these are buttery, smooth, pigmented and beautiful. Tell you the truth, I was SHOCKED I received such popular shades (I've heard both Manny MUA and Jaclyn Hill speak highly of these Makeup Geek shades). I expected to get reject shades that BoxyCharm could buy for extra cheap and turn over for a major profit, but instead I got shades that are very popular and have looked into buying on my own.
Of course BoxyCharm can't curate a Galentines/Valentines box without a bold lip color. This month I got a classic red color called "Gorgeous Red" by Doucce in their Mineral Matt Lipstick formula. This product's retail value is $20. I loved the velvety matte finish and the cool red is just stunning! It is one of those red shades that make your teeth look extra white instead of yellow. I tried mine with a lipliner (as I would any lipstick) and it didn't feather, fade or slip off my lips.
This next item is a GAME CHANGER. The Microdermabrasion by Dr. Brandt retails for $79; the price tag does not surprise me because the product is so luxurious and works better than any exfoliator that I've ever used. When trying out this product, I used about a dime sized amount, worked in circular motions around my face for a minute or two, then rinsed. When I was done... my face felt like baby skin. There is a reason they recommended only using this product 1-2 times a week, its because it really does feel like you're polishing away dead skin to reveal the happy, healthy, new skin cells. (Side note: use a GOOD, non-fragranced, hydrating moisturizer after this treatment.)
Lastly, the small Z Palette, which retails for $14. This was a good and necessary product to receive because I've gotten so many pan eyeshadow/blushes/powders in this subscription box, so now it is nice to have somewhere to put them all. Plus the size of this Z Palette is perfect for travel, it can fit 9 regular sized eyeshadow pans.
Overall, this month's BoxyCharm would retail for $164.95. WOW! Not only is this an impressive box value, but I truly see myself using all the products that I received, even the brushes that I'm not crazy about will find a nice home in my collection. If you get a BoxyCharm or any other makeup subscription box, let me know what you got this month! I am always on the hunt for new, awesome products.
By Kait, with love.