BOXYCHARM 🌴AUGUST 2017 🌴

BOXYCHARM 

AUGUST 2017

August box contains 5 products this month, check out the info card for the product description and price points.

1. Royal & Langnickel - Moda pro 3 piece brush set.

The Brush set consists of 3 pieces, a big pointed blush brush, chisel brush and a crease shadow brush. The bristles are soft and synthetic. Personally i feel like the pointed brush is a bit big and slightly long for blush, but i would use it for face powder. 

The chisel brush is similar in shape to my bh cosmetics angled contour brush except that bh is thinner while R&L is thicker and has a slight tilt at the end.

The crease eyeshadow brush is great for blending out the crease line. These brushes have minimal hair fall out and the matte handle with the ridges makes it nice and easy to hold on for grip.

2. Gel effect nail polish by Adesse in shade Suzannemi.

Im not mad at receiving nail polish like some people are however i do not like to receive weird or hard to wear colours, like this red hot pink? It doesnt match my personality nor is it easy to match skin tone and outfits with. I would love to get experimental shades like holo/chrome something that is salon style but achievable from home too. I also prefer darker gel colours. Hence i will be giving this away to someone who likes pink.

3. PÜR pro eyelashes.

This lashes are cruelty free, paraben free and also vegan friendly. It doesnt come with the lash glue hence you would need to get that yourself. 

I like that the lashes are natural and not too fancy looking. Honestly i do not wear falsies at all, even on special occasions i would rethink again and again because i can't get the hang of wearing it and applying it on so i fear half of the day it might drop off from my eyes (happened once before! Lol). So i will save this ok the next occasion that i have, maybe? perhaps? i might use it.

4. Aloette face paint - lip & cheek tint.

This is a cream tint in a paint-like tube, i assume the colour on the tube will represent the shade. Above is the swatch before and after blending. I find that the shade is just nice for a natural looking cheek and lip tint because it is quite easily blendable. You can wear this alone or layer powder blusher on top for maximum wear. 

5. Tarte Rainforest of the sea palette vol II.

Now this is the most anticipated product in this month's box (i believe all subscribers will receive this). If you look at the value of this palette alone it already pays for the overall box cost. And getting a full size eyeshadow palette from tarte is like a dream come true already. 

There's a tutorial card to complete two eye look for a head start. 

In natural lighting for the shades:

The lighter shades such as pearl & conch were actually a bit light in pigmentation and had to be swiped a few times in the palette to get a stronger colour payoff. The darker shades such as siren, breezy & riptide were the most pigmented and one swipe is enough tk cover a swatch. While sunset, marina & seaside is still easily buildable. 

The mattes:

Conch, marina, siren

The satin:

Pearl, seaside, 

The metallic:

Riptide, breezy, sunset, 

Okay! So that is all for August boxycharm. I love the value of the products in this month's box as i think it is highly worthy of what you pay. Of course, the palette is my favourite item. And i love the brushes and the cheek & lip tint too. The lashes might/might not be used. As for the nail polish nope on the colour. 

ALLURE BEAUTY BOX 🌞 AUGUST 2017 🌞

AUGUST 2017

ALLURE BEAUTY BOX

August beauty box consists mostly of skincare products with only one makeup product included. There is also a haircare product. I usually like a balance of skin and makeup mainly because skincare products take time to show results and if there's too much it takes a longer time to trial. As for haircare, they're not of much use to my dreads hence would've wished i didn't receive any.

1. Skinfix Face cleansing cloth. 3pcs individual packets.

I really like this handy wipes for days where i come back home late from work and am too tired to wash all the makeup off. I wouldn't use this to remove all out heavy make up tho as i would still need a good foaming cleanse afterwards. But for the lazy party girls out there, this might be your skin saviour. Compact and easy to use for travelling too as it saves space the more you use. 

2. Vichy mineral 89 skin fortifying daily booster. Deluxe size 5ml.

This transparent gel is supposedly unique due to the minimal clean ingredients list. Its in a gel form, but once applied to the face it instantly absorbs to the skin without feeling sticky (2 pumps is enough for the face). It also disperses a nice amount hence not overflowing with product. It is a daily booster that helps hydrate and give you the moisture your skin needs daily. There is no scent to it either so the clean ingredient list plus scentless would work quite well for sensitive skin. 

3. Caudalie instant detox mask. Deluxe size. 

I love this type of wet to dry products! It reminds me of neutrogena charcoal mask where it applies wet and then it soaks up the oil in your face and turns chalky dry. These are recommended to be on the face for only 5-10minutes until you see the colour change to a lighter chalkier shade as if left too long it will dry out the skin. Once dried, the interesting thing is that you can see the pores will be darker dots where the oil is absorbed by the clay. Fascinating. You do need to wash this off tho. 

4. Rodial black smokey eye pen. Full size.

Yet another eyeliner pencil received. This will make it into my giving away box because i do not like pencil eyeliners. They smudge no matter what brand and they aren't as sharp as liquid liners to get a proper clean cat eye, they make a mess to be sharpened etc.

5. Ouia haircare finishing cream.

Unfortunately this is never gonna be used as i have dreadlocks instead of normal flowy hair. Full stop.

6. Hey honey I peel good! Biomimetic Honey Peel Cream.

(Biomimetic = is the imitation of the models, systems, and elements of nature for the purpose of solving complex human problems.)

This product claims to deep-cleanse, purify and resurfaces your skin to reveal a smooth, radiant texture. Also helps in retaining skin elasticity. 

On first squeeze, you can smell a nice subtle honey scent. At first, it has a gel like texture and looks like a gel, upon massaging and smoothing it out, it melts and turns into an oil form, at this point you have to massage in circles continuously for about 2-3minutes to remove the impurities and to get the best impact on your skin. After washing, it leaves a really smooth finish to your skin and none of the tight and dry feeling after exfoliating. This is a nice peel to substitute your regular exfoliator for when you dont need the abrasive beads/scrub against your irritated face. I could see myself using this again 2-3 times a week.

Finally this is the end of the review for August's Allure beauty box. Although this is a skincare heavy box, i do like the Caudelie mask, the Hey honey peel, Vichy mineral 89 & also the skinfix wipes. So 4 out of 6 is not bad. Its unfortunate the hair product is unusable, would be better if it was a makeup product that i could use (other than the pencil liner). 

Boxycharm ⭐️ November 2017

BOXYCHARM ⭐️

NOVEMBER 2017

#sweaterweather

Boxycharm monthly subscription box:

1. Usd$21/Month (shipping included)
2. Includes full sized items in each box.
3. Features well known brands + indie brands.

November box:

This month there are five items received in my box which are three full sized products, one travel sized set and one 3-pack mask kit. 

1. Starting with the most anticipated product first is the Cover FX illuminating setting spray. (Full sized 120ml, Rtp USD$31.)

This is an interesting setting spray as it is meant to illuminate and glow the entire face up while also setting your makeup to last the entire day. There is a metal ball inside that rattles when shaking means you do need to shake before every wear to mix the components together. The spray particles however is super fine and smooth and like a mist it slowly falls on the skin. It does leave some shiny residue on the clothes tho so it will leave you with a shimmering top by the time you're done with the last step. 

Throughout the day i do notice my blush and bronzer intact until the end of my work shift, and i do notice a bit of glow on my face then before due to the light reflecting the particles of shimmer. This product is also given the stamp of approval by Tati glamlife guru on youtube in one of her setting spray comparison vid. 👍🏾

2. Luxie Quad eye travel set. (Consists of 4 travel sized brushes) 

Each brush is labelled by the number with a T at the back assuming that it represents the tiny version of the actual brushes. 

For easier reference this is the brush labelled by name and numbers (as does the 2nd brush pic): 

Luxie 213T-Eye shading brush

Luxie 227T-Blending brush

Luxie 207T-Angled shading brush

Luxie 221T-Flat definer brush

Luxie brushes are great, i have received a few of their brushes before and I absolutely love their blush brush. Made out of synthetic hair hence no animals are harmed nor are they crazy expensive (looking at you kylie brushes). This is literally named the travel set hence its the perfect size to stash in a travelling makeup bag.

3. Laqa & co, Cloud lips airy matte lipstick in the shade Storm. (Full sized, Rtp USD$17.)

Claims to deliver full coverage colour for a pillow soft pout due to the avocado oil in the ingredients, putting it to test for 8hours of work wear plus eating my lunch, here's my thoughts:

-pigmentation lasted around 5hours.

-fades after eating.

-afterwards became slightly drying to the lips leaving a ring of colour around the lips. 

-touch up is definitely necessary. 

4. KNC beauty lip masks. (Rtp USD$24.99/5pcs)

This jelly like lip mask is a fun way of moisturising and plumping up your lips before you start your makeup routine and applying your lipsticks. It is an all natural collagen infused lip mask, also contains the well known hyaluronic acid & rose flower oil. 

First thoughts: 

-Slightly sticky and hard to stay in place on the lips. 

-The slit was rather small and the bottom lip keeps sliding away.

I had to lie down, press the top and bottom parts out of air bubbles in order to get it to adhere. Once attached, it doesnt move, within 5-10minutes there is a tingling cool feeling on the lips. Not as bad as a lip plumper's sting but you can still feel some action going on. I removed it after 20minutes and sensed that my lips were slightly redder than before because the tingling got the blood flowing in, in terms of size, there wasnt much difference. However, the moisturising rose flower oil really helped to make my lips a smooth base for a matte liquid lippy application. I saved the remains of the packet to use the oil for overnight use too. 

5. Winky Lux Kitten Palette. (Full sized, Rtp USD$25)

Here are the swatches of all the shades in the different finishes:

Matte shades

-Duchess

-Strut

-Cheshire

-Boots

Satin shades

-Purr

-Romeo

Glitter shades

-Cateye

-9 Lives

Duo-chrome shade

-Holographic

The matte shades are a bit more powdery than the rest however, they have good colour pay off as seen in the swatch it pops out even above the tattoo. They are also easily blendable when applied with brushes. 

The satin shades are the easiest to swatch as they are soft and buttery. The glitter swatches smoothly too and they are not too chunky, the pigmentation pops out the most too.

The back packaging states the other finish as holographic and so is the shade name, however, i find that it is more of a duo chrome that shifts from silver to pink shimmer. (Simply nailogical's Cristine will not agree its holo!)

But all in all, i think this month's box is super cute. I love the travel brushes from luxie. And the new palette to play with. The most awesome item would definitely be the cover fx setting spray! ✨✨

Facetory 🍓Korean sheet mask monthly subscription 🍓November Kit

FACETORY

🍓OCTOBER🍓

#BCA FOUR-EVER FRESH KIT

I subscribed to Facetory in November, however since there were still some of the October breast cancer awareness pink kit i opted to receive that instead hence this is actually still part of the October Four-ever fresh kit. You get 4 sheet masks of cotton or cellulose quality which costs $8.90 per month (including $2.95 shipping). With a total retail value of up to $12.50. In terms of savings wise, the 4 pieces would probably cost cheaper if i choose to purchase from local stores like innisfree or etude house, however i wanted to see what was available from the US market hence the subscription. 

There is also another option available which is the Seven Lux Box, you get 7 sheet masks of higher quality  such as hydrogels and multi step masks. Costs $19.90 per month (including $3.95 shipping) with a total retail value of up to $32.

All 4 sheet masks received have a pink theme in support of breast cancer awareness. Majority will be in korean writing hence i cant really read them all except the basic of what it is and the steps. 

1. Jeju marine plants whitening & anti wrinkle face mask.

2. Dmask Rose water revital mask.

3. Beyond Intensive ampoule collagen mask.

4. Sweet dream deep sleeping mask. 

I personally use sheet masks about once a week when i have time on an off day from work. Hence this will suffice for a month use. Next month will be the December four ever fresh kit coming in. 

Ipsy Glam Bag 💫 August 2017 💫

IPSY GLAM BAG

AUGUST 2017

"Good Vibes Only"

August's bag has 3 different variations and I've received the ombre orange-red with Peace, love, lipstick declared. (Quite right about the lipsticks)

5 products:

-Seraphine botanicals liquid coal eyeliner. 

-Aurora x Ipsy green colour corrector concealer.

-Cliv hyaluronic mask x 2 sachets.

-The balm voyage shadow/luminizer in shade "kuwakaribisha"

-Hikari shimmer bronzer flush

1. Seraphine botanicals liquid coal eyeliner.

Liquid pen eyeliner with a felt tip brush is forever the best form of eyeliner you can ever get, it is the most precise type of brush if ever you need a winged liner or a sleek cat eye. So i really love receiving this type of eyeliners compared to getting a gel/kohl/crayon type of liner that i will never ever use. This is well pigmented and non watery, does not tug and has a smooth felt tip applicator. 

2. Aurora x Ipsy green colour corrector concealer.

Yes i do use colour correctors because i have alot of red/pimple marks on my skin. I'm currently using L.A girl cc concealer pen and its the best so far. Was hoping that this product would work well howeverrr, it applied nicely at first, with enough pigmentation covering the spot, but once you try to blend it out, it starts to crumble and disappears. Almost like it instantly dries when applied, it has a doe foot applicator so it does tend to pick up a lot of product so i definitely have to blend it out but its just impossible. I have never heard of this brand before but it looks alot like something nyx would make. This product is a nope for me.

3. Cliv hyaluronic mask.

Received 2 packs of this to try. I like the mask, it was filled full of the serum hence i had leftovers to use my daiso blank sheet mask to soak in the extra solution. Watery serum, easily absorbed and the mask size and shape fits as per normal without issue. I usually use masks at night as thats the only time i have to rest my mind and body. After use, face does feel more cool and replenished. 

4. The balm voyage shadow/luminizer in shade "kuwakaribisha"

In my ipsy profile it states that i will be receiving a dark brown shade, however upon receiving the bag i realised ive received something else which is this light champagne gold shade. I personally love this more as it works as an eyeshadow and also subtle enough as a highlighter. This is not a very unique shade tho, most palettes do have this highlight colour. Very pigmented and easily blendable, see swatch below. I like this product.

5. Hikari shimmer bronzer flush.

Right off the bat there are a few things that i do not like from this combo.

-Firstly, the 2 blush shades imo are much too pink to wear alone.

-Secondly, the bronzer shades are almost the same but with shimmers. Id prefer matte bronzers.

-Third, the pan is small, means i have to swirl everything in and that is gonna create an overwhelming blend of colours. 

Hence, i decided to give this away without hesitation.

Overall this bag was a meh, as i only liked 3 of the products and the other 2 was a nope for me. Looking forward to the next month's bag! 

ALLURE BEAUTY BOX 🌊JULY 2017 🌊

JULY 2017

Allure beauty box

The first box i received, came with a complimentary freematic eye shadow palette. Allure beauty box is pretty straightforward, there isnt much personal customisation but they always bring in the best in beauty for their boxes. 

8 items in total: 

-Burt's bees facial oil

-Beauty for real lip scrub

-Cargo blush in Bali

-Wander beauty bullet lipstick

-Redken sea salt spray

-Briogeo Rosarco blow dry perfection & protection creme.

-Feel bamboo charcoal facial sheet mask.

-Freematic eye shadow doucce

1. Cargo blush in Bali.

Most of cargo cosmetics blushers/eyeshadow/bronzers comes in the signature metallic tin. Bali is a Rosey pink with a satin texture, it is mot matte nor is it too shimmery which is why it is currently my favourite blusher to go for. It gives a very natural glow and highly pigmented. I really do love cargo cosmetics, i discovered the brand purely from subscription boxes and is one of the brands that i look forward to receiving. 

(Swatches in pics below)

2. Wander beauty lipstick in Barely there.

I notice this brand coming out often in beauty boxes such as sephora playbox. Ive yet to see it instores, so my first view is from allure. This is a rosy mauve shade thats a natural mlbb look. Highly pigmented and leaves a satin sheen, not matte nor too creamy. (Swatches in pics below)

Down here are the swatches for the blush and the lipstick:

3. Beauty for real lip scrub. 

This is a really fun scrub to use on the lips, the sugar granules are not coarse yet it doesnt easily melt into softness either. It has a strong scent of cinnamon tho it also has orange and vanilla in the ingredients list. After using, lips do feel softer and smoother, but i still had some dead skin hanging so you might still want to use a toothbrush to brush off. 

4. Burt's bees complete nourishment facial oil.

This is a product targeted for dry skin, it has vitamin E for nourishment and also Jojoba oil and evening primrose oil which helps in hydrating. I am personally scared to use oils due to the fact that i have oily-combi skin hence it might really break the heck out of my face. So i do not plan to keep this for myself, however reviews from allure editors says its a really good product for people with dry skin or if you've just cane back from cold dry winter countries. 

5. Redken sea salt spray.

Now this is one of those products that i wished i got earlier on at the start of the year where i still had my mid shoulder length hair. Now that i have pixie hair, i honestly cannot try to make a beach wave with my non existence locks. So instead i tried it on my girl who has curly hair and truly, sea salt does help enhance the curl and also helps in taming the waves. This is a good product!

6. Briogeo Rosarco blow dry perfection & protection creme.

Based on the web, the key benefits of the product is to protect against heat damage up to 425°F, smooths hair and tames frizz & enhances shine and softness. It is also meant for all hair types and is perfect for blow dry users and if you live in extra hot humid weather.

7. Feel bamboo charcoal facial sheet mask. 

This is an all black charcoal mask which claims to have pore minimizing properties and acts as a powerful detoxifier. I like the colour difference of the mask as it makes it seems more real like it really is full of active charcoal goodness. After using the mask, i dare say that it does tightens and face feels detoxed after use. It doesn't have a sticky residue after wear which i like. 

8. Freematic eye shadow doucce

This is a bonus free item uthat i received for signing up as a new subscriber. It is a magnetic palette that has changeable eyeshadow units inside. The case comes with 4 shades below:

A shimmer rose, matte black, pearlescent white & shimmer grey. Swatches here:

Based on the first swatches, the shimmer grey is much more pigmented compared to the matte black at the last swatch which is really patchy and does not glide on well and not as pigmented. The shimmer rose and pearlescent white works well, are soft and also easily blendable. I have never heard of this brand before, maybe it is only allure exclusive. But i doubt that subscribers would be missing much with this palette. 

Overall thoughts on my first Allure beauty box:

Priced at $15/month i think its still a cheap subscription box and an alternative for a most recent box that i quit on (lip monthly $12.95/month).

I get more products inside, roughly 5-6 products minus the free gift. Great information booklet on each product and uses! 

Allure has an outstanding beauty news department and articles on various beauty product hence its a learning experience trying out the products they rave about. 

I like the box packaging that it comes in, simple yet easily contained the products without flaps and fuss. 

I can easily see myself still subscribed for at least a year as the products are worthy. Hence i highly recommend normal everyday makeup/skincare enthusiast to give Allure beauty box a go. 👍🏾