BoxyCharm Subscription Box Review – April 2016
BoxyCharm is a full-size beauty and makeup subscription box. They always provide a great value compared the cost of the box.
This box was sent to us for review purposes. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes).
The Subscription Box: BoxyCharm
The Cost: $21 a month
The Products: 5-6 beauty items that will include nail care, skin care, makeup, haircare, fragrance and more. (At least 4 of those items will be full-sized).
Ships to: US
Check out all of my BoxyCharm reviews and the Beauty Subscription Box Directory!
Each box comes with a card detailing the items included. (Last month’s card didn’t include product info, but it looks like they are back to normal now.)
Pur-lisse Daily Lip Nourisher – Value $16
This lip balm is paraben and petroleum free, and it is high shine! If you are looking for a glossy look without any stickiness, this is perfect!
AndersonLilley Manhattan Beach Butter Hand Cream -Value $24
(Good to know for swaps – inner foil seal).
This hand cream is free of parabens, artificial colors, petroleum, etc. The hand cream took a second to absorb, but as soon as it absorbed it felt great – no greasiness.
The scent wasn’t what I was expecting for a beach scent, but I like it. (I was expecting something with a coconut, suntan lotion vibe, but this is more of a sea salt scent.)
OFRA Long Lasting Lipstick in Honolulu – Value $19.90
(Colors will vary)
This is a very long lasting liquid lipstick – AKA tricky to remove when I try it on and see it is way too dark for my lips! The pigment is great (swatched below), and the finish is matte, but not drying. And it smells like cupcakes! So – the formula is great, but the color isn’t for me.
YourMinerals Eyeshadow in Brown Hypnotic – Value $23
(Colors will vary)
While the lip color wasn’t a hit for me, this eyeshadow shade is perfect! It has great pigmentation, and a subtle shimmer. Swatched here:
Blinc Black Lash Primer – Value $26
I have tried the Blinc mascara before, and I prefer regular mascara formulas. The Blinc mascara creates “tubes” around your lashes instead of just coating them. So, I wasn’t expecting to be wowed by this primer, but it is awesome! It is not a tube formula, and it coats and lengthens lashes without any clumping issues. It is actually enough to wear on its own, but I paired it with mascara and really like the results.
Verdict: When I first saw the spoilers for this box, nothing really excited me, but I definitely like the box a lot more now that I’ve tried all the products. The lash primer and eye shadow are my new favorites, and the Pur-Lisse lip gloss and the hand cream are great staples. The only thing I won’t use is the OFRA lipstick. The value of this box is about $109 – amazing for a $21 box. And I’m happy that everything is full size again this month. (The past two months have included some single pan items that didn’t feel full-size to me.)
What do you think of the April 2016 Boxycharm Box?
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Written by Liz Cadman
So this month I got Allure, Ipsy, Walmart, Target and Beauty Con, this is my first time with Boxycharm and I was super excited because I’ve read good things, but it ended up being the worst one 🙁 The cream smells horrible!, and everything else is just blah. The Ofra seems like a beautiful color, I’ll probably give it to my sister since I don’t wear lipsticks. But for double the price of Ipsy, I’ll probably give it one more month and if Im not happy Ill just cancel and maybe try out Birchbox :(((((
I have a question about the size of the Ofra liquid lipstick. I got Pasadena, but my tube is about 3/4 the size of Liz’s tube. I’ve previously gotten another color and it was the same size as Liz’s so I was expecting a longer tube. The odd thing is that they’re both marked as the same size. It’s possible that the Pasadena tube is slightly fatter, but it doesn’t seem like it’s enough to make up the difference that they’re both the same size. Does anyone have any insight? I love this lipstick and am interested in swapping for other colors. 🙂
I think the tube is shorter but contains less plastic so the “fill” amount is the same.
I bit the bullet and resubscribed. I REALLY hope I get the Ofra lipstick in the shade Pasadena. I already own Manhattan, and it’s a little out of my comfort zone. Honolulu is WAY out of my comfort zone. If I don’t get the shade I want, I really hope someone will swap!
Where or how do you swap items? I have some items I’d like to swap
Look up at the upper right corner of the menu and there is a “SWAPS” tab. You can sign up for the swap wait list. You can only list items from sub boxes. I have done nearly 80 swaps in the last 5 months with no issues!
I got my boxy box today and I got Pasadena,love it so maybe everyone is getting this color hope so for your sake
Thanks! I’ll keep my fingers crossed!
I got my box today and I got exactly what Liz got, except for the color lipstick I received was the Pasadena! Hopefully, this will be a great sign for everyone who is waiting!
Disgusted! The hand cream I received was old, dirty and the label was peeling off. The scent was too flowery for me as well. I just couldn’t get over the packaging so it went in the trash. The lip color was WAY too dark for me, also won’t be using it. I like the eyeshadow and lash primer though. The lip nourisher is also a keeper. I live in the desert so you can never have too much moisture on your lips! I may cancel this subscription, I’m on the fence still…
Omg my label was peeling too ,I was like I’ve never seen a label on lotion do this its too weird and it was really heavy and left a funk feeling on my hands.I will say after about thirty minutes it felt a little better
???
This was my first boxycharm. My lotion looked dirty too and the label was wonky. Kinda a weird impression. The label on my ofra is a little peeled looking too.
I wasn’t wowed when I first opened it, but this turned out to be a great box! I love the eylash primer the most. I also like the hand cream, and I think the scent is great for the upcoming warmer months.
I received the Ofra liquid lipstick in ‘Padadena’, which is a pinkish brown shade to me. I don’t usually use browns, but I put this one on and I actually like it as a change from what I usually wear.
I listed the Purlisse lip nourisher and the eyeshadow up for swap, but now after seeing your reviews, I’m thinking I may need to unlist them! I love lip treatments that make my lips look glossy, and the eyeshadow color looks so gorgeous in your swatch.
Pasadena*
Absolutely love that eye shadow shade! This was what I was most looking forward to trying in the box, but when I received my box yesterday there was no eye shadow. 🙁 Just four items even though five was listed on the card, including the eye shadow. When I logged onto Boxycharm, I see that they are now advertising 4-5 items (with value of at least $95).
I’m not crazy about the eye shadow. e-mail me at mimiretzkin-at-hotmail-dot-com (with the usual symbols in place of at and dot) and I’ll send mine to you.
I love everything else in the box ,the shadow the lippie the eyelash primer all were excellent.I was worried I wouldn’t get the shadow after some of the comments.
I am starting to think that you didn’t get it by accident. I would email the company and let them know that you didn’t get it. (On a just because purpose).
This box is a bore. Honestly, Boxycharm has started to bore me in general as of late. I think I am over it. I may scale back for a few months while I look for the next thing I “need”.
Right now, I get Boxycharm, Glossybox, and Box of Style. I have one more BOS on my year sub and after that, I am going to cancel and play it by ear. The first ones were great, the last one was yawn worthy…though I will most likely use all the items.
In the past, I got Birchbox and Ipsy. I was with both for about 18 months before they became lackluster. I am still working my way through the samples I accrued then, though I have scaled way back on everything except eyeliners, mascara, and hand cream – I still have those coming out my ears, but use them and will slowly run out of all…I do still usually snag the Target Box.
I receive Kiwi Crate for my son (just moved him up from Koala Crate). I used to receive Kiwi Crate for my daughter, but just moved her over to Boodle Box.
We love our subscription services here! I just think Boxy has become dull and it is time to look for something fun again…
Time to cut the cord.
They didn’t respond to my request to cancel and charged my card anyway. When I checked my statement there was the charge. I contacted Boxycharm a second time and woke up this morning to find out they are shipping the box I asked to not receive. Still no response to first message I sent. A complete waste of $21.00. So unhappy with customer service. Such are stark contrast to the other boxes, Birchbox and Le Tote have amazing customer service. I’ve not needed to contact customer service for Allure or Ipsy but have been supper happy with my products from all of these companies.
Have you ever chat with them on their site? They never answer my emails, but the chat someonone always answered buut only during certain hours
I didn’t see how to I just emailed them.
I am getting where I cannot stand customer service from Birchbox, I’m glad you had a good response! They won’t let me out of the 1 yr pd ahead thing I did. I only received one free box for doing it!
PopSugar lost me because of their lack of customer service. It was during the November deal thing. It was half way through December before I got my November box.
I have never had to contact customer service on Boxycharm, they usually are worth the gamble.
Gamble is what you are doing when you get a sub box anyway
Some of the full pallets of eyeshadow that I have received in this box are amazing!
To play devil’s advocate: why should they let you out of a contract (which is what a one-year prepaid subscription is)?
Because their product/deluxe sample size has become a joke! It’s horrible. Used to be able to use the samples a few times. Now, good luck getting one that works. The sizes and quality of the sample brands have decreased. It was Estee Lauder and Clinique when I joined. Now it is tiny bit of brands I have not heard of and are no where close to the size of IPSY.
File a CC dispute. Those emails are all the proof you need!
Once again I dodged a bullet. I don’t like anything in that box. It is gamble but ipsy, Birchbox that’s 10 bucks I would waste that on junk so I don’t feel bad if it’s not great. Plus the points I get with Birchbox I like. I did GlossyBox 1 month, Allure and decided against theme I picked Popsugar in place of the Glossy Box & Allure. Oh and I get scentbird too. I think I will do Boxycharm & Wanted next month Oh and I just subscribed to a monthly sunglass box. So I’m all over the place
Pretty glad I cancelled prior to this month. I do like Boxycharm and the value is great, but recently it hasn’t been blowing me away. Since the cancelling process is super easy, as well as resubscribing from the same account, I can see the spoilers and sometimes even the full reviews from people before committing. Takes the surprise out, but then I at least know what I’m spending my money on and if I’ll like any of the products. This month seems very repetitive for me and the colours I either have or don’t like for the pigmented makeup, and the rest I just have too much of.
What I want to know is, how did you get your box already? Lol!
Canceled after February’s box, which I found lackluster. Did not regret missing March’s box fiasco. Probably would have been bummed to receive 2 regular MUG shadows instead of the Duochrome, they originally said everyone would get. And the complaints of burning on the eye stuff scared me.
This box however is almost tempting, but not quite. I never tried a Lash primer so that would be nice and the Purlisse lip product looks to be amazing But the fact that I may get that dark shade of lip color is a turnoff. I also do not like loose eyeshadows. (too many mishaps with those jars will do that you!!) I’ve got so many hand creams, that I need to use up. I think it will take me 5 years to use up what I already own.
Looks amazing, can’t wait to get mine.
That OFRA “Honolulu” would look gorgeous against my complexion! Can’t wait to spot that in swaps!
I’m just glad to see they’ve returned to 5 TRUE full-sized items. If I receive the lip stain and eyeshadow in flattering shades I will definitely use all 5 of the items. None of them are giving me that WOW of Boxycharm boxes past, but this is a vast improvement from the February and March struggle boxes!
I agree. I do love the “Beauty for Real” blush and contour stick. That was a month or two ago. I use it all the time. Full sized items is what I loved this box for!
The Beauty for Real duo stick was by far the best item in the February box! It was the first time I’ve received a Beauty for Real product from Boxycharm. Definitely a big fan 🙂
I think this looks like a great box! I love Boxy and I didn’t like the path they seemed to be going down with the variations. Glad this seems a return to form. Can’t wait to try the primer!
Definitely! I was worried they were about to go in the direction of Ipsy and perhaps they were and saw the amount of discouragement from the subscribers! I’m already subbed to Ipsy and I’d have to unsub from one of them if they evolved into the same thing.
Liz,
Do you have any coupon codes for boxycharm? I really want to sign up, but if I can get some sort of deal, even better!
Also, I can’t figure out how to get to the forum, but I was just wondering if you have tried Lookfantastic beauty box? They’re from the UK and you recieve “6 premium products worth over £50.” With the price conversion on their site, its $22 for 1 month subscription, $19.50 a month for 3 months, $18.50 a month for 6 months, or $16.50 a month for 12 months. I think it’s cool how Lookfantastic charges monthly instead of all upfront. There’s also free standard delivery or you can choose to pay $9.99 for tracked delivery.
They also have 3 limited edition healthy skin boxes right now for $51 that are “WORTH OVER £95″…however much that is lol. I wish the site converted that into USD too, but I know the £ is worth more than the $ so I’m guessing it’s a pretty good value.
Haha I’m going through a serious subscription addiction. I just want them all! Maybe I’ll just sign up for it and let you know how it is and then you can decide if it’s something you want to try out ☺
Boxycharm almost never has coupons the last one I know of was after Black Friday, it was 20 percent off. I would love to subscribe but I’m in a very tight budget presently. I will definitely get this once my financial situation improves 🙂
Boo ? I’d like happy even with a $5 off coupon for my first box or if they included an extra item, but unfortunately, we can’t always get what we want!
I’ll probably still get it. I “need” it lol. I emailed them to see if they had any just in case Liz didn’t have one
Haha I no longer have a social life. All my money is going towards these boxes and my baby (my chihuahua) nowadays lol, but it makes me feel somewhat happy (well as close to happy as I could ever get) despite having severe recurring major depression
I wish there was a subscription box strictly dedicated to dog clothes. I’d be all over that for my little fashionista?. The regular dog boxes come with too many treats that Lily will never finish and some of the toys are too high pitched when squeaked and scare her
*I’d be happy
Sorry, I have chronic insomnia plus somniphobia…I’m so sleepy & clearly proof reading didn’t work the first time
My sister and I make dog clothes.
My niece has a Chihuahua and he’s so adorable! I get to dog-sit for him again in May and I can’t wait. 🙂
I wish you the best with you depression and sleep problems. I had to look up somniphobia – sounds awful! 🙁
Aww, thank you so much. That’s very kind of you!
Their response was they didn’t have any right now, but keep checking back and to check blogs because there should be some coming up
Does ANYONE know where I can get the MARCH BoxyCharm Box ????? I tried to sign up in March but it said it was SOLD OUT Ugghhh ! I would be willing to buy it from someone IF the items are not opened 🙂
It looks like March isn’t one of the past boxes that are still available:
https://boxycharm.com/shop/past-boxes/
Hello,my name is Toni and I have an addiction to beauty boxes(I blame Liz since I came across this site and learned there were more boxes than Ipsy) This month my list is as follows Ipsy,Birchbox,Beauty fix ,Boxycharm,Glossybox,Beauty Box Five,Joy beauty box,Allure,Target box,Walmart box,and a new one this month joyful bag,oh I forgot lipstick monthly .Donations are excepted
Hi i really want to know if this box is usually only makeup items? I’m not great at follow through with mAkeup, but will use creams and hair beauty items , please advise if this may suitable for me or a different one besides birchbox, only look for 25/mo or lower
I personally recommend Allure beauty box. It’s $15 a month. Everyone is different in what they like and dislike but I love skin care and hair care products with a little makeup here and there. Allure gives usually higher end brands. You should at least check out their past boxes to see if it looks like something you’ll like.
Sounds like BeautyFix would be a a good box for you. Almost all skincare products, some haircare, & very little makeup so far in the last 3 boxes that I have received. Check out April’s box spoilers. It’s $25/mo. plus tax.
I’m thinking about going with beauty fix, have you been happy with the product sizes? I just don’t want to spend that much for samples.
I cancelled BeautyFix as they had too much I wasn’t using. That being said, everything was full sized the few months I got it. I currently get Boxy and Glossybox, but I think Boxy is going to disappear from my mailbox. I also sub to KiwiCrate for my son and Boodle Box for my daughter, so I think I need to scale mine back for a few months. I used to get Birchbox and Ipsy. Liked Birchbox better, but wanted the larger items. Was pleased with Boxy for several months, but is has become so boring…
Unicorn Tears is good. Lipstick Queen has Ice Queen which also adds shimmer to dark matte colors. I use it in the middle of my bottom lip and on my cupid’s bow sometimes.
As far as this box, I can always use more hand lotion. Not sure about the lipcolor or eye shadow, but will see. I really don’t need mascara primer, but if it works by itself it might be worthwhile. I already have the Pur-lisse, so that’ll go up for swap.
I am hoping that I get the same color as Liz for the OFRA lipstick! I have dark hair with light skin and think this would be a great color for me! It’s beautiful as well 🙂
Wow this scares me I don’t remember if I subscribe to this box or not. Subscription addictiction has set in…
I’ve been there. There are times I get a shipping confirmation in my email and I completely forgot I signed up. I like to try a lot of different boxes so I rotate between some of them. It is hard to keep them straight.
What, we don’t all keep subscription spreadsheets?
Lol!!! I love your comment!!!! My list is too long for the site’s “have it” feature! ? And, Yes, I’m going to admit it out loud! (1st step, right! ?)
(That and I keep praying for a side job reviewing sub boxes for MSA!!!)
????????
I was just “okay” with the last 2 boxes and this has become in my top 5 boxes. But this month is awesome!!!!!
(FYI If you know someone who has dry eyes, the Blinc mascara is actually really good [gentle on] their eyes).
** Can someone please tell me where to find the magnetic pan to put the loose refill pans we received over the past few months/boxes???****
Thanks!!!!!
Kim
?
You can get a Z pallette on Amazon fairly cheap.
Susan, Thanks for the info on the magnetic pan!!!!!
Going to order now!!
Sephora sells them for $10 in store and at Sephora inside jcp! They’re small but at least you wouldn’t have to pay for shipping or get a giant pan you don’t have any use for! They’re called Z palettes, by the way!
OMG, I thought I was the only weirdo that did that!
Too funny!! I’m glad I’m not the only one. 😀 I have different tabs for 1) listing all beauty boxes sorted by frequency, then how often I pay for them along with each month listed so I know how much I’ll spend each month (most are prepaid, but some are month-to-month) (huge eye opener when I saw the year’s grand total, but still totally worth it!); 2) sorting beauty boxes by type (i.e. general, skincare, makeup, K-beauty, natural, hair, etc.) with same info as above; 3) listing the value of each box (ka-ching!!! makes that grand total completely worth it), then 4) tabs for each individual box listing their monthly “cost” (most are prepaid), and comparing it to the box value and ROI. I guess I should note I’m in finance so I love spreadsheets and analyzing data. 🙂
On a side note, one thing I would love to see is if there was a way to look up which boxes certain brands or products from those brands were featured in.
Wow, that sounds amazing!
I think there is a free app for apple products that keeps track of your subscriptions. lol I’m getting it…
Much better than the last two months. I almost cancelled this month because the past two disappointed me so much. I’m most excited about the lash primer. I actually really like the Blinc mascara on, but I hate taking it off.
YES! That’s the part I don’t like, too! I think you will love the primer, though!
I’m excited to try it! I always feel like I’m going to lose some eyelashes when I take off the mascara.
Does boxy charm have box variations? Or does everyone get the same thing?
Variations most months.
Liz – try adding a swipe of highlighter stick on the middle of your lips after you have the dark lipstick on. It makes it so much more wearable. OR get Too Faced Unicorn Tears for the same reason. It’s a game changer and I can now wear all of my lipsticks, etc
Even the ones that are too bright on their own. Try it! 🙂
Jen – thank you so much for the tip! I love Too Faced and can’t believe I didn’t know there was a shade named Unicorn Tears! Amazing 🙂
Ohh I’ve never heard of Unicorn Tears, but now I’ll have to look.
However I do mix and blend my lipsticks to get my perfect shade. A dark shade that doesn’t flatter can be layered under a shade that doesn’t have the right component to it. Example – reds are very skintone specific but you get the orangey red that is awful on you, put a blueish purple that you didn’t love but layered together they work great.
NYX makes a “lipstick shade saver” but I can’t recall the name offhand. I love it because it literally has saved many colors I would have given away and made them wearable. It looks almost black in the tube but doesn’t wear that way. It just tones down colors that otherwise look garish or too bright on me.
What’s the name of that product?