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Ok, so this is the final installment of my three-month Boxycharm beauty subscription box trial. That means I’ll be sharing with you what came in my February box, as well as, provide a final evaluation on if I think Boxycharm is worth it and if I’ll be continuing the subscription! Ready to dive into the Boxycharm February 2018 review? Let’s do this…
As mentioned in my first Boxycharm review, Boxycharm is a subscription beauty box that includes 4-5 (most of the time, it’s 5 from what I have seen) full-size beauty products.
It costs $21 a month, but if you prepay 3, 6 or 12 months at once, you get a bit off. I opted for the 3-month plan for now and ended up paying ~19/month per box, $59 charged upfront.
If you refer friends to Boxycharm and review products in your box on the site, you earn CHARMS. CHARMS end up added up to cash off special beauty items also called CHARMS through the Boxycharm site. Example CHARMS include makeup bags, tools, etc. So far, it hasn’t seemed anything special to me yet but maybe it’s because I don’t have any CHARMS yet!
*Update on CHARMS since December: I have earned some charms (not enough to redeem anything yet), but it seems that charms can be cash off purchases or free shipping from the Charm shop within their site. Last month, I didn’t see any worthwhile ‘charms’ to purchase, but this month, it seems there are a lot more quality options to buy/redeem your charms for! See below:
*Update on CHARMS since January: The lovely photo I was able to share showing some decent-value products last month has since gone away. The options for CHARMS in February was kind of crap. So either CHARMS are hit/miss and/or CHARMS are a bit glitchy on the Boxycharm website.
At this point, I have not cashed in my Charms to know for sure what the heck is going on there.
TOTAL VALUE: $126.99
This box has been my biggest letdown. So much so, that all of the products have essentially stayed in the box since I got it a month ago.
Let’s start from the top. The magnetic palette may be a dream for someone, but I already own 4 Z Palettes and sending one blush refill is just insulting. They were better off sending eyeshadow magnet stickers so you could depot some of your makeup at home and use this palette the way it’s intended to be used.
Now, you have a magnetic palette, but even if you wanted to depot your products, you have to go and buy the magnets so they stay in the damn palette!
Side note, the blush shade is not very flattering on me. It seems like it’d be a great neutral shade but it just ends up making me look ruddy. Not a preferred look.
The CoverFX shimmer veil is – of course – the stand out product from the box, but I’m not a huge fan of purples. Although this is a subtle lilac shade (and maybe this is me being boring, I know), I’d prefer a champagne or bronze shade.
Plus, it’s not very multi-purpose. I’ve tried using this as a highlight and it’s chunky and doesn’t blend easily. Best suited for the eyes only. Even so, I prefer a crayon/stick creme shadow over this formula any day.
[CoverFX will probably never ever send me a PR package ever, but I can’t be a liar now.]
The eyeliner is literally impossible to be worth $21. You must be joking. This is nothing special. It’s not the blackest eyeliner out there, and although it’s creamy, it’s not mind-blowing. Urban Decay eyeliner isn’t even $21. No, thank you.
The PUR lip exfoliator is nice. However, the ELF lip exfoliator is $3 and works EXACTLY the same. Plus, there’s no true plumping action. It’s simply the appearance of plumped lips because they’re smoother and a bit flushed from the scrub.
Lastly, the biggest piece of crap is this $30 Crown Pro brush set. First of all, someone correct me if I’m wrong, but these are private-label brushes (I know that part for a fact). Even worse yet, I’m 99% sure these white/pink brushes are exactly the same as the $1 Wet n Wild brushes you can find at Walgreens (see: $1-5 white handled/pink bristle brushes at the bottom of the page here). So at MOST, this set should cost $10 (that’s me being very generous).
Clearly, this box could take a long walk off a short pier. I was so disappointed. Granted, last month’s box was amazing, so I guess it kind of has to even itself out.
If I was to price this February box out, I’d say:
TOTAL STEFFANIE VALUE: $70.95
So my first box was valued at $130. My second box was valued at $144 and this last box was $126.99.
My personal/’Steffanie’ value for the first box was $65.50, second $122, third $70.95.
Considering you pay $21/month for the box, yes, it’s a good value.
When I look at my current makeup collection, I’m still using the Tartiest mascara from the first box, and the blush/highlight/bronzer trio, brow pencil, primer, and lipstick from the second box regularly.
I’d say that’s pretty awesome considering I have a fairly large cosmetics collection.
Will I continue my Boxycharm subscription? Yes. I am continuing it on another three-month basis ($59 total).
I am thinking that some boxes are going to be knockouts and some are going to be like February’s – total crap.
But if I can continue to discover new, higher-end brands through this box that exceed the $20 charge, I think it’s totally worth it.
You can subscribe to Boxycharm using my referral link here. I don’t get any money, but I do earn CHARMS (joy!) if you use my link.
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Do you get Boxycharm? What did you think of your February box? Was I too harsh? Probably… lol.
-Steffanie
