June Boxycharm and Ipsy Bag review

I wanted to take a quick minute to talk about my subscription boxes. I was subscribed to 4 different beauty boxes at one point, but after having tried all 4 out for over a year, I finally decided to narrow it down to my favorite 2. The 2 that I chose to keep were Boxycharm (my favorite) and Ipsy Bag (a very close second). 

First up is Ipsy

Ipsy is 10 dollars per month, and is a great value for the price, in my opinion. Was this my favorite Ipsy bag ever? No, it was not. I haven't tried all of the products in this bag yet, so I can't judge it 100 percent fairly, but based off what I see, i'd give this a solid B rating. 

I did try the lipstick, and it was ok. I have tried a bunch of sheer-type lippies, and this is pretty similiar to other ones that I've tried. It reminded me of the Tarte ones, but I like the Tarte ones a little better. 

The green shadow stick, I haven't used. I probably won't use it, to be honest. It's not my style. That's not to say it's a bad product, just that it's not my style. I did swatch this one, and the color payoff was decent. 

As far as the Smashbox primer, I am excited to try this one out. I've heard a lot of great things about it, so I'm hoping that it lives up to the hype. 

The pore refining mask is pretty good. I've had this sample in other subscription boxes before, and I like it. I may repurchase this once my samples are gone. 

Lastly, we have the leave-in conditioner. I haven't used it yet, but i did spray a little pump into my hand, and I think i'll like it ok. It smells decent, and the texture is nice. Nothing out of this world, but it's nice. 

Next up, we have Boxycharm

Out of any subscription box that i've tried, this is my favorite. This box gives you 5 full-sized products for 20 bucks. The box always ends up being worth at least 100 bucks more than I paid for it.  This month's box wasn't my absolute favorite, but there were a few products that I have been enjoying. 

The star of the box, in my opinion, would have to be the highlighter. It's the one in the white tube. This highlighter is gorgeous! I used it at first just on my cheekbones, and that was super gorgeous, but I also tried mixing it in with my foundation, and that's the way I prefer to use this product, I found. This gives your skin the prettiest, most radiant glow. So nice for the summer. 

I also really enjoyed the nail polish. If you can't tell from the picture, it's just a pretty, dusty rose/nude pink type of shade. Really pretty, and lasts about a week. I'm wearing it as I type this :)

I was sad to see that my Cargo eyeshadow was broken, but I'm sure Boxycharm will put a replacement in my next box. They've done that for me before. Boxycharm has great customer service, in my experience. I did swatch this, and it swatches gorgeously. 

The kabuki brush wasn't my favorite. The brush was very soft, to the point that it wouldn't apply my bronzer super evenly. I'd recommend the elf kabuki over this one. 

Lastly, I got a face mask. I haven't tried it yet, but it seems gentle and moisturizing, which I'll like.

over all I'd give this month's box an A- because 4/5 products were good. I just didn't care for the brush. Still an insane value for the price though. 

Bottom line: If you're going to only go with one service, get Boxycharm. If you'd like 2 services, Get Boxycharm and Ipsy. 

Hope you enjoyed this post. 

Have a fabulous week!

XOXO

Drugstore Haul!!!

I love makeup shopping! It brings me so much joy. This weekend I decided that I "needed" a better selection of drugstore makeup in my collection. These are the products that made the cut. So sit back, relax, and enjoy!

First up... Blushes!!!

(from left to right: Maybelline Master Hi-Light Blush in Pink Rose, Nyx Blush in Terra Cotta, Loreal True Match Blush in Barely Blushing, and ELF blush quad in Light)

I have an obsession lately for blushes. It's my thang. These are a few blushes that i've heard great things about, and have wanted to try for a while. 

The Maybelline is technically a highlighter, but it's a blush topper for a fair fairskinned gal like me, so that's how I will be using it. This has a gorgeous shimmer to it. Not opaque enough to use alone as a blush, but gorgeous as a topper. 

The NYX blush is my favorite out of the ones pictured. This color is so pretty for summer. This will give you the most gorgeous bronzy glow. Formula isn't super intense, so it's easy to work with as well. This is a must have for summer. 

The Loreal blush is really pretty, really creamy and soft, and VERY blendable. This stuff is super easy to work with. It is just the tiniest bit chalky, but not enough to bother me. 

Last up is the ELF blush. I am a big fan of ELF products. They are very affordable, and they are usually great quality. I like this little quad for traveling because the shade selection and packaging are ideal for that. Are these the greatest blushes I've ever used? No. They are a bit on the chalky side, and you need to go back into the product a few times to build up the color.  All of the shades are matte, which I love, because I have mostly shimmer shades in my collection. Overall, I still like this for traveling, but I certainly wouldn't reach for it when i'm at home.

Here are swatches for your viewing pleasure :)

Next up... Lippies!!!

(from left to right: NYX Megashine Lipgloss in Tea Rose, CoverGirl Outlast Longwear + Moisture Lipstick in Pink Shock, Rimmel I love My Lips Lip Balm)

The NYX Megashine Lipglosses are fantastic. They are my favorite drugstore gloss for sure. I have a few other colors, but didn't have this one, so I decided to pick it up. These are so smooth and shiny, but not super sticky. This color is so gorgeous on the lips, and of course, it smells so good. 

The CoverGirl Lipstick surprised me. It is very pigmented and not drying on the lips at all. It smells a little funky, but not as bad as the regular cover girl lipsticks. Overall though, this is a great lip pie for summer, and the color is so freakin gorgeous. Paired with the NYX gloss, it's a perfect combo. 

The Rimmel lip pies are just whatever. They're kind of similar to baby lips by maybelline, but not as good. They're a little tinted if you're just looking for a light wash of color. They don't smell like anything, really, which is what i'm a little disappointed about. Packaging is a little cuter than baby lips, i'd say, but I would definitely go for baby lips in the future. 

Next up: Eyeshadows!!!

(From left to right: Loreal Infallible eyeshadows in Iced Latte and Eternal Sunshine, Maybelline Color Tattoo in Bold Gold and Painted Purple)

The infallible shadows I was very impressed with! I have been meaning to try these out for a long time, but haven't for some weird reason. I'm so glad I gave them a go. I actually was trying to get Amber Rush, but somehow grabbed Iced Latte. I do like Iced Latte, but I'm definitely going back for Amber Rush. 

The Tattoo shadows were ok. I do like the Bold Gold color. I wore it today as my base color, and it held up pretty well throughout the day. No creasing. The color was a nice base for the Infallible shadows. I didn't like The purple one at all. As you can see from the swatch, It's very patchy. That was a few swatches just to get it to that color. I honestly can't see myself ever using it. 

Next up... Face products!!!

(from left to right: CoverGirl Outlast Stay Luminous, ELF Hydrating Face Primer, Maybelline Fit Me Concealer in 01 and 02) 

I tried the foundation yesterday, and I liked it. I wasn't over the moon about it, but it was nice. I did set it with a powder so that it wouldn't move, but before I set it, it was very luminous on me. The elf primer is really nice. I used it yesterday. It has sort of a silicone feel, but it's hydrating also. I like it. I also got a couple shades of the Fit Me concealer because I'm almost out. I've been using 01, but thought i'd try 02for summer as well. I love this stuff. It's my favorite drugstore concealer. 

Lastly... CoverGirl Intensify Me Liner

As you can see, this liner has a wedge looking tip. The idea is that you can create a thin line or a thick line, depending on how you hold the pencil. I have used this one time. It was ok. It goes on pretty smooth, and has a nice black color. It does dry shiny, rather than matte. I prefer matte liners, myself. This is a felt tip, which I like ok, but I prefer brush tips. I would use this one again as a drugstore alternative, but I prefer my current daily liner, which is the Kat Von D tattoo liner.

That's all folks! I hope you enjoyed my haul and my insights. 

Have a fabulous day, and feel free to subscribe or leave a comment!

XOXO