BOXYCHARM “SPARKLE AND SHINE” NOVEMBER UNBOXING: AWESOME OR AWFUL?

While not so patiently awaiting delivery of the November French Box tomorrow, today the mail carrier put into my awaiting hands the November Boxycharm “Sparkle and Shine” box.

FULL DISCLOSURE: I’ve seen multiple unboxings of this box and am on the fence about whether I like it or whether I find it geared towards a younger demographic. A lot of shine is always a good thing, but a little sparkle goes a long ways. At a certain point in life, it can be a fine line between throwing on some classy shimmer and looking like a leftover from New Year’s Eve in Times Square, so let’s check it out and see if this box is awesome, awful…Or a little of both.

And there it is, just begging to be opened.

And, as everyone probably already knows, the theme this month is “Sparkle and Shine.”

“Now, pop open your box, Charmers, and get your sparkle and shine on!”

Whatever you say, Boxycharm.

RETAIL VALUE: $20.00 – $25.00 (must depend on which color one chooses?)

First up is this Color Bug by Kevin Murphy. It’s a similar product of the As-Seen-On-TV chalk highlighter for hair. We received the purple color. Not something I’d probably ever use (I was hoping for the gold), but my daughter did swatch it onto her dark brown hair and the color amazingly enough was actually detectable.

Well, that was underwhelming. Moving right along.

RETAIL VALUE: $16.00

Here we have a Tarina Tarantino Eyelicity eyeliner in the color in Glitter Mist. Although it looks white in the tube (and in the picture), it is actually an amazing opalescent, leaning to pink, color that is really gorgeous. This stuff has some staying power, too. If you’re in the market for a festive, long-lasting eyeliner for any upcoming holiday events, this is a product you’d probably love. Boxycharm was also giving a black version of this eyeliner, but we’re happy with the white.

RETAIL VALUE: $24.95

This shock of color blush is from Ofra in Paradise Pink. Although it looks pretty intimidating in the compact and in the pictures, it actually blends out really lovely to a subtle shimmery pale pink, kind of the same color pink one’s cheeks naturally turn when out in the cold. It’s a lot more wearable than I was expecting.

RETAIL VALUE: $14.99

A little more shimmer, this is by Bella Pierre and is their shimmer powder in Sensation. This is really lovely and really versatile, whether it’s on the eyelids, on the inner eye corners, or even on the cheeks. It’s a keeper.

RETAIL VALUE: $44.95 (and a great big knee-slapping chuckle at that…See below)

And here we have an overly inflated retail value for MicaBeauty Eye Primer.

It’s an eye primer. NYX makes an excellent one that appears pretty much identical in texture and does an amazing job. For $7.

Interestingly, this purported retail value of $44.95 is on sale for half price right now on the MicaBeauty website.

Color me skeptical, but there is no way MicaBeauty is selling ANY of these primers at $44.95. That is an absolute insult to any beauty maven’s intelligence. I’m even going to go out on a limb and say I highly doubt they’re moving many units at even the “sale” (snort) price of $22.50.

Honestly, it just infuriates me when retailers heavily inflate the retail value of a product just to up the value of a subscription box. No fault of Boxycharm, the onus for this type of bait-and-switch is totally on the supplier of the product.

In fact, here, ladies…Here’s a link to go get yourself a good quality NYX eye primer for $7 and spend the difference on something else nice for yourselves:

http://www.drugstore.com/products/prod.asp?pid=466013&catid=183538&cmbProdBrandFilter=47708&aid=338666&aparam=466013&kpid=466013&CAWELAID=120142990000071289&CAGPSPN=pla&kpid=466013

So there we have it, the much-awaited November Boxycharm “Sparkle and Shine.”

Was it great? Eh. Was it good? Yeah, but in my humble opinion, it’s not nearly as good as the previous few months have been. That Color Bug is definitely an odd choice, as it has rather limited appeal to various demographics and really isn’t something most subscribers would consistently use. Maybe once or twice a year and then it goes to the Haircare Graveyard.

I’m a bit disappointed but hoping that they’ll step the game back up for December.

I’m also obviously somewhere between amused and annoyed at the overinflated retail value of that MicaBeauty eye primer. I’d balk at the “sale” price of $22.50, forget about $44.95.

Anyway, if you’d like to check out Boxycharm further, here are some links to get you started:

WEBSITE WITH REFERRAL CODE: https://www.boxycharm.com/rewardsref/index/refer/id/9718/
FACEBOOK PAGE: https://www.facebook.com/Boxycharm

As always, feel free to follow what I’m up to on the following social media:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Beholding-Eye/683364698413511
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheBeholdingEye
Instagram: https://instagram.com/thebeholdingeye

Until next time, stay beautiful…And stay tuned for tomorrow when THE FRENCH BOX arrives!!!

IPSY NOVEMBER UNBOXING: “GIRL MEETS GLITTER” – SPARKLY OR DULL?

And the second unboxing (or, in this case, unbagging) today is courtesy of Ipsy. The previews for this bag (and the bag itself, actually) had been pretty intriguing. Although I had peeked at my glam room (I have absolutely zero willpower when it comes to these subscription boxes, obviously), it’s still not as exciting as actually having that bright pink bubble wrap envelope in my hot little hands.

So let’s rip this baby open and see what awaits.

The bag this month is seriously adorable. Metallic silver trimmed out in pink? Yup, no way to go wrong with that combo at Casa Beholding Eye. We’re all over that. This is even cute enough to carry as a clutch to more casual holiday gatherings. Color us impressed, Ipsy.

Now to what’s actually in the bag…

This is by Marc Anthony and is their Oil of Morocco Argan oil hairspray in a great travel-friendly size. Big enough to get multiple uses, no detectable fragrance, and has gotten really good reviews at other sites. Oh yeah, we’re very happy with this product. Off to a good start, Ipsy!

As predicted, out of all of the possible choices, yours truly did indeed receive the lilliputian-sized Temptu highlighter. Well, at least it’s in a different color than the one I received in Birchbox 2 months ago. Tiny but a little goes a long way, this is in Pink Pearl. It really is a lovely color. Just keep it away from small children, for safety’s sake, because it’s definitely small enough to be considered a choking hazard.

Moving right along…

Now we’re talking, Ipsy. This is a full-sized eye shadow base/primer by Be A Bombshell in the color “Submissive,” which is a seriously gorgeous bronze shade. Actually, I love the sheerness and ability to build with this product (swatch below). I think it would work quite well as just a simple shadow as well. Loving this one, Ipsy.

Next is the J. Cat version of the OCC Lip Tar, this one in Red Potion. This is apparently the J. Cat equivalent to OCC’s Black Dahlia. It’s a really bold and lovely color and, as you can see in the swatch below (to the right of the lip color is the bronze-colored Be A Bombshell “Submissive” described above). We’re loving that Red Potion can be blended out to a lovely sheer tone or applied normally for a bold lip. While I prefer the quality of the OCC Lip Tar, this seems to be a very decent product as well. My daughter immediately fell in love with it (she had desperately wanted Black Dahila in Glossybox a couple of months ago but received Authentic instead – which yours truly immediately confiscated). Full-sized and a welcome collection to the lip arsenal, Ipsy!

SWATCHES:

Moving right along…

And here we have yet another full-sized product from Ipsy, this being the Elizabeth Mott waterproof eyeliner in Glitterati. This is really lovely, a deep jet black with just a hint of sparkle. Very subtle and definitely doesn’t scream LET’S DISCO!!! After the hand swatch dried, it was extremely difficult to make it budge, so it looks like this will definitely be long-wearing and help to avoid the dreaded raccoon eyes at the end of the night. I love a good liquid liner on occasion, as does my daughter, so this will definitely be put to good use.

All in all, a pretty great bag from our friends at Ipsy…Although after receiving 2 of the tiny Temptu highlighters now, I’m hoping to NOT receive a third one from my subscription boxes. Everything else in the Girl Meets Glitter bag receives a pretty enthusiastic 2 thumbs up, though (well, okay 4 thumbs up, since my daughter concurs).

If you’d like more information about Ipsy and would like to sign up for your own little monthly treat, here are some links to get you started:

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/ipsy
WEBSITE AND REFERRAL LINK: http://www.ipsy.com/r/jk7y?sid=ipsypoints&cid=general

As always, feel free to follow what I’m up to on the following social media:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Beholding-Eye/683364698413511
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheBeholdingEye
Instagram: https://instagram.com/thebeholdingeye

Later this week we’re hoping to receive Lip Monthly, French Box, Glossybox, Lip Factory, and more, so stay tuned!

Until next time, stay beautiful…

XOXO