Something I’m going to start doing monthly is reviewing my Boxycharm box! I’ve been subscribed to this box since about May, so I might as well review the contents each month and spill the tea on the products one might encounter if they purchase a Boxycharm subscription (the value is seriously insane).

For those of you who are unfamiliar, Boxycharm is a monthly subscription service where you receive a box filled with makeup, beauty, skincare, etc. products.

There are a few different tiers that have recently become available, but the standard box (the one I receive) I believe guarantees 5 full sized products at $25/month. The value is usually well over $100. Crazy right?

My boxes usually get here early-middle of each month and so it takes a minute for me to test out the products and review, but I’ve finally gathered my thoughts! So let’s jump right in.

1. Storybook Cosmetics- Fairy Tales Red Riding Hood Palette (MSRP: $35)

First of all, how CUTE is this palette! The packaging is for lovers of all things quirky. I mean, the thing looks like a freaking book. Adorable. That being said, adorableness risks convenience. While it is small, it is an unnecessarily awkward and bulky shape. This might bother some, but it’s not necessarily a bad thing – just something to keep in mind.

It’s a very cohesive palette and fairly simple to create a full look with. It’s filled with warm tones and a mix of mattes and shimmers. You get your neutrals but also your deeper, shimmery shades that can add a little more glam to any look. A good gateway palette for the neutral girl looking to get her foot in the door and play with more color?

The quality though! Swatches beautifully. The matte shades had a bit of kick-up in the pan when I took a brush to them, but nothing to crazy or over the top. Just something to keep in mind. The shimmery, metallic shades felt like butter when applied to the lids with a finger. The color pay off is top notch. Here’s the look I created:

With six shades, the price is kind of steep, but the shades do deliver on quality and the packaging is very detailed and throughout. Overall, I was happy to receive this in my box!

2. Saturday Skin- Waterfall Glacier Water Cream (MSRP: $39)

This was the product I was most excited to receive. As a self-proclaimed skincare junkie and oily girl extraordinaire, any type of “water cream” gets me way more hype than I care to admit. But I guess I just did?

Sure enough, I wasn’t disappointed. The gel texture is everything I personally look for in a moisturizer. It’s quite lightweight but packs a lot of hydration. It is a little on the thicker side? Kind of unique because it is a gel texture but… a thicker gel? I’ve really been liking it at night. Genuinely excited to use it more and it’s something I could see myself actually purchasing on my own.

3. Ciaté- Marbled Light Illuminating Blusher (MSRP: $26)

This blush is beautiful. Don’t be scared by the word “illuminating”. It isn’t a highlightery or overly shimmery blush. It gives your cheeks a beautiful flush and slight sheen. The formula’s pigment is spot on. Easy to build up a color without depositing to much and having to blend it out. While it didn’t blow my mind by any means, I was very happy with it and will continue to use it.

4. Seraphine Botanicals- Daikon + Dreams Lip Exfoliator with Radish Extract (MSRP: $24)

I will say out of all the products I received this month, this is the most disappointing one. It’s not necessarily a bad product, it’s just not my cup of tea when it comes to lip scrubs. It wasn’t gritty enough for me and didn’t exfoliate as much as I would have liked. I prefer a scrub with a heavier concentration of sugar granules and less of the hydrating base (I follow up with a lip balm anyways). This scrub felt like the physical exfoliators were few and far in between and felt more so moisturizing.

Maybe I’m just crazy and want to feel like I’m removing an entire layer of skin off my lips I don’t know… I will say that if you are looking for a moisturizing and gentle lip scrub, you might very well like this! If you’re looking for something a little more intense, probably not.

5. Brow Bar- Brow Makeover Kit (MSRP: $30)

This is literally the cutest thing? Adorable gold packaging aside, this is an all-you-could-need brow kit, complete with two shades of brow powder, a waxy cream base (I used it in conjunction with the powders to make them more pigmented and increase longevity but it may serve as a highlight/ sculpting shade), tinted brow gel, and dual-ended brush. Travel friendliness? A+. The quality is really nice and it reminded me of how much I used to love using brow powder instead of a pencil.

If I am going to be picky, I will say that the spoolie on the brow gel is awfully large, especially considering how tiny the product itself is. I prefer a smaller brush to give me more precise of an application. Also, the packaging exposing the brow gel (there’s a hole in the actual lid so you can actually touch the brow gel component) is a little weird and makes closing the palette kind of annoying. Overall, decent brow product and love having a palette among my collection now as opposed to my singular brow products.

All in all, pretty happy with this box! This was my first time trying products from all five of these brands and it’s always fun to discover new things. The Saturday Skin moisturizer is the highlight of the box for me. The retail value of the entire box totals to $154. Crazy considering what I paid for it!

Stay tuned for my January box review and remember to follow me on Instagram @heyitsjessnicole.