BoxyCharm Premium is a full-size beauty and makeup subscription box. They always provide a great value compared to the cost of the box. The box costs $35 per month and features 6-7 beauty items that include nail care, skincare, makeup, haircare, fragrance, and more. (If you are a makeup addict - we recommend this box!)
My Subscription Addiction paid for this box. (Check out the editorial guidelines to learn more about how we review boxes.)
First Impressions
Everything arrived in our regular black box with a card detailing the items included.
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Now, on to the items!
ELEMIS Superfood Matcha Eye Dew, 0.5 oz - Retail Value $39
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I tend to like many of Elemis products I end up with in boxes, and this cheery green tube felt kind of exciting. Eye creams can feel quite serious and even dull, in the pots, looking bland and creamy. This one is more of a gel and the green shade of the product itself makes reference to the bold packaging as well as the green tea, kiwi, and honeydew extracts inside. It is an extremely lightweight gel formula which makes it great for daytime use and the cooling sensation felt upon application is energizing and gives it a little zing. This is an eye product aimed at moisturizing and anti-aging, and though it is lightweight, it accomplishes the moisture boost with ease. While this might not be a nighttime cream for anyone who is truly focused on hard-core anti-aging, it makes for a delightful daytime option for sure.
Kenia Ontiveros Glow & Go Kit - Retail Value $48
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These sort of all-in-one face palettes hold a special place in my heart (my favorite ever was a Cover FX one from years ago) but they can be hard to do well. And what I mean by that is that I open them with the expectation that everything inside is pigmented, smooth, and useful to me. Because why else keep it around when I could have singles I prefer of all the items? I found this one a little hit and miss in a few of these requirements. The 6 eyeshadows were nice and neutral, but felt a little bland and repetitive, especially when 2 of them were dead-ringers for two of the face powders that could easily be used on the lid. I know some people don't use powders on the lids unless they are officially eyeshadows, but I always have and for me, it's fine. I was also less crazy about the brow powders because, frankly, I used a gel+spoolie combo for brow styling and powders seem finicky and just too much work. Have a mentioned I can be lazy? As far as the face powders go, that pink shade is a total BABE. It very much has NARS Orgasm vibes and the formula is delightful. The bronzers were too orange for me (not the fault of the palette, I am just wildly pale) and the cream powder didn't show up at all on the skin, though that does make for a great translucent setting powder in my book.
Top to Bottom: Driven, Empower, Captivate, Limitless, Fearless, and the brow colors, called Goals.
And here are the face powders, top to bottom: Joy, Independent, Angelic, and Divine.
stila Huge Extreme Lash Mascara, 13 mL - Retail Value $25
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This is an oldie, but a goodie. If you like lash drama in a cruelty-free formula and decked out in a golden tube, this is a classic for a reason. The hourglass-shaped brush grabs lashes both big and small and I have always found this to be a flake-free mascara that adds loads of volume and length. Do I need more black mascara? No! Of course not. But this was a solid addition.
Epione Skin Care Beverly Hills Flawless Serum, 1 fl oz - Retail Value $195
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I try to be neutral with my words in a review, while still giving you a peek into my feelings on a product. Why? Because My preferences aren't going to match everyone else's and we all love different things. The last thing I want to do is trash a product that a reader loved, then they come to read my review and their experience with that beloved product is ruined, maybe just because I prefer a cream to powder, or I didn't like a smell, whatever it might be. So, I try to explain why I like or dislike a product then keep the actual critiques to the ingredients if necessary. So, without me ripping my hair out here, let's just go directly to the ingredients:
Cyclopentasiloxane, Cyclotetrasiloxane, Dimethiconol.
Do you like the feeling of pure silicone on your face? Because if you do, this "serum" is for you. It contains three types of silicones... and that's it. What do silicones do? Well, they make hair and skin feel silky and slippy. And that is exactly what happens with this $195 trio of silicones. It gives the face the gooiest, slippery, shiny finish. And I don't mean that in a kind way. Silicones in themselves aren't my issue here, though they do give this stuff that rather unbearable texture. It is that this serum is so expensive and the whole thing is geared towards anti-aging which just has silicones inside. And, sure, silicone can make for a good solvent for other performance ingredients, but there aren't any other ingredients happening in here. This leaves me feeling really baffled and just not into this stuff at all, in terms of texture or ingredients. And with so many ingredients on the planet that help with anti-aging efforts, why not include some of them?
ID.AZ Dermastic Water-Fit Mask, set of 5
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Moving on.
You all know I love having a stash of sheet masks on hand. Hot? Sheet mask. Dull and sad? Sheet mask. Want to feel like you are in some random spa from your couch? Sheet mask + lemon water. You get the idea. These masks have a lot of clear squishy serum and are on an incredibly delicate fabric that is (thankfully) backed with a helpful mesh you can remove after you get it on your face. This was a good choice because this material is so thin that I tore through it with a finger. So, proceed gently. I thought these were delightfully cooling and hydrating, and my mom and I enjoyed sampling them together over New Year's.
Evio Beauty 2pc Lip-spo Liner Kit - Retail Value $24
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My final item is a duo of lip liners. Now, I don't often reach for lip liners, but these two are both such lovely colors and the texture is pure butter. I wish the company has designed these as thicker lip crayons because they are gorgeous and I can't imagine not using them as an all-over lip color. I also felt the longevity was better when these are used alone as a balm or gloss kind of broke them down prematurely.
Top: Val, Bottom: Brooke
Verdict
The total value of my BoxyCharm Premium box was $331 without the value of the sheet masks (which I couldn't confirm elsewhere) which sounds like a great value until I remind myself that $195 of that value was from that small bottle of silicone serum. And That doesn't make me smile. In fact, the only real high points of this delivery (for me) were the Elemis eye product and the lip liners. The mascara is a good one (I just have others I prefer) and the sheet masks were welcome, but this box lacked the wow-factor I expect from a Premium box. And since it was the last box of the year, I think I was just hoping to be wow-ed.
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Value – Was This Box Worth It?
The Cost: $35
Cost Breakdown:
The average cost of each item is $5.83.
Other Things You Should Know
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? You have to be an active Boxycharm subscriber to sign up for the BoxyCharm Premium waitlist. An email will let you know if you are receiving the next box!
What do you think of the December 2021 BoxyCharm Premium Box?
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