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BoxyCharm Subscription Box Review + Coupon – January 2020

Megan K.
ByMegan K.Jan 11, 2020 | 133 comments

Boxy Charm January 2019 beauty and makeup subscription review

BoxyCharm
4.3 overall rating
1949 Ratings | 195 Reviews

BoxyCharm is a full-size beauty and makeup subscription box. They always provide a great value compared to the cost of the box. (If you are a makeup addict - we recommend this box!)

open black box with pink interior

My Subscription Addiction paid for this box. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)

group shot of all items

About BoxyCharm

The Subscription Box: BoxyCharm

The Cost: $25 a month. Save with longer subscriptions.

The Products: 5-6 beauty items that include nail care, skincare, makeup, haircare, fragrance and more. (At least 4 of those items will be full-sized).

Ships to: The contiguous US for free, Hawaii, Alaska, and Canada for $5

BoxyCharm January 2020 Review

cover of info card with a white and blue artistic look

Each box comes with a card detailing the items included.

back of card with product list and info

Let's see what I received!

 

Too Faced Cosmetics Diamond Fire Highlighter in 'Fancy Pink Diamond', 12 g - Retail Value $36.00

Too Faced always has over-the-top packaging (which I adore) but this little box feels extra special. It is designed to look like a vintage ring or necklace box, complete with the push-lock closure (though it is actually magnetic!) and fabric-lined interior. I think it is precious! The highlighter inside is also lovely, and quite demure in terms of the sort of highlighters I expect from this brand. This is a good thing though! It is the softest golden pink pearl, with uniform shimmer size and finish. Love!

Subtle, yet so pretty.

 

Dr. Brant Skincare 24/7 Retinol Eye Cream, 15 ml - Retail Value $55.00

FYI: It looks like the product when sold in stores has different packaging. The size is the same though! 

Eye creams can be hit or miss for some people, but I quite like them. The older I get the more sensitive and delicate the skin around my eyes feels, but especially in the outer corners. It sometimes just gets red, inflamed, itchy, and angry! Basically, not cute at all and further exasperated by winter winds. I have been trying to really buckle down and use an eye cream after my serum and before my night cream each evening. This formula has a creamy balm-like texture and pats on very gently. (I tend to use little soft patting motions for eye products because rubbing them makes me paranoid I am creating wrinkles.) It also has retinol which helps to fade wrinkles and brighten skin. This isn't my favorite eye cream ever, but it is a solid choice for anyone wanting extra moisture and some anti-aging benefits.

 

Skin&Co Roma Truffle Therapy Face Gommage, 150 ml - Retail Value $28.00

I received this recently in an Ipsy bag really recently, and again before then in another box. This is kind of a shame because I feel very 'meh' about this product. To rehash my previous feelings, it feels like a much more gentle version of St. Ives Apricot scrub, which is great if you like that stuff! I am not a huge fan of large exfoliators in my skincare routine because I rely heavily on other liquid exfoliators that I find more effective and the combination of the two is just too much for my skin. I passed the first bottle on to my mom who really liked it though, so I am sure she will love more for her stash since she likes using it on the back of her thighs too.

 

Avant Skincare 8 Hour Radiance Renewal Sleeping Mask, 50 ml - Retail Value $106.00 (found on sale for $74.20)

FYI: It looks like the product when sold online has different packaging. The size is the same though! 

I love a sleeping mask and my skin usually likes this British brand, though the price tag always seems insane to me. This was more of a super moisturizing mask to me than brightening or anti-aging for my skin, though it might be different for yours, especially with prolonged use! It is packed with shea butter and moringa oil. It has a great clean scent and layered really well with my other creams, oils, and serums I rotate through before bed.

 

Grande Cosmetics Granderama Intense Thickening Mascara - Retail Value $25.00

Finally, our last item is a massive gold tube of mascara from Grande Cosmetics. I truthfully haven't had much luck with this brand outside of their lip gloss, which I adore, but I went into this with an open mind. The good: it noticeably lengthens my lashes and coats them with a solid black layer of mascara. The not so good: for a mascara called Granderama Intense, there was not a lot of volume here. My lashes actually looked pretty natural, just darker.

Verdict: My BoxyCharm box has an overall value of $250.00, which is insane for a $25 box. That being said, this box didn't really feel very much like "BoxyCharm" to me at all. It actually felt really reserved and serious! Three of the items were skincare related and in minimal white tubes, and the only makeup was a black mascara and a highlighter. I know the value is there (and I absolutely adore that highlighter) but I feel a little underwhelmed this month. I can't decide if that is because I miss the total "fun" vibes of my normal Boxy, or maybe because the products just weren't exciting this month. I know many readers out there might be on palette overload, so not getting one this month is a welcome reprieve, but I missed some color this round for sure.

To Wrap Up:

Can you still get this box if you sign up today? Yes, this box is still available, but there are variations! These boxes do sell out, so if you love it, hurry.

Value Breakdown: At $25.00 for this box, here is approximately what you are paying per product:

  • Too Faced Cosmetics Diamond Highlighter $3.60
  • Dr. Brant Eye Cream $5.50
  • Skin&Co Roma Gommage $2.80
  • Avant Skincare Sleeping Mask $10.60
  • Grande Cosmetics Mascara $2.50

Alternatively, the average cost of each of the 5 items is $5.00.

Check out all of our BoxyCharm reviews and some of our favorite beauty subscription boxes!

Keep Track of Your Subscriptions: Add this box to your subscription list or wishlist!

What do you think of the January 2020 BoxyCharm Box? Which variants are you getting?

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BoxyCharm ($30 per month) is one of the most popular beauty subscription boxes that we review, with lots of loyal customers. They promise 5 full-size beauty products each month from a variety of both indie and... read more.

Megan K.
Megan K.
I love natural/vegan beauty products, Korean skincare, unique jewelry, and weird candies from far away places. When I am not waiting for my next exciting box you can find me painting or taking photographs of interesting people. I never leave home without pug hair somewhere on my shirt and a bold lipstick on my smile.

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133 comments

Meggie

This is my first boxy and i got the skin care items with it and the weight is 1.7. Anyone else get this and have any idea what to expect in the actual box?

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Clover

1.1 pounds. .. what’s that? I know most of you have gotten your boxes already but mine usually take 2 weeks to arrive from the next state…

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Sherri H

The 1.2 pounds is the weight of the box you are getting. You can look on the tracking and look at the details on your box weight.

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Clover

Yes, I got that. My tracking says 1.1 and I was hoping to find out what mine contains. Thanks.

Lauren

I received my box yesterday and received the same variation. I was really pleased. I had canceled and resubscribed after choice, so I was expecting a trash box, but I’m so glad I didn’t receive a palette. I was really hoping to get the glow recipe as that is fast becoming my favorite brand, but oh well. Oh and for anyone who hasn’t received their box yet, mine was 1.2 LBs.

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Sherri

I recieved mine yesterday too and got the same variation that was reviewed. I am very happy with my box, this has been the best box that i have recieved in the four months of me getting BoxyCharm. I was seriously going to cancel my sub if this box would have been as bad as my last three. I actually could not believe i got this box! Only complaint i have is the Face Gommage, i have recieved it in other beauty subs and still have two or three deluxe size Face Gommages that dont get used. It is ok, it is just not one of my favorite exfoileators. I will probably be giving or trading this product. I am glad you are as happy as i am about the products we got in our box!

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Alice

I received myour box yesterday. I got the Petite mascara and tried it this morning. I’m really impressed. It applied great and looks great. It rivals more expensive ‘name brand’ mascaras. My initial reaction to the spoiler for it turned out to be quite wrong.

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Lindsay Bourgeois

Received Variation 1 with Vintage Dawn palette, chose Sunset. If anyone wants to trade…

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Jamie Qualls

Do you mind sharing what else you received in Variation 1?

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Lindsay C Bourgeois

Variation 1 included Too Faced diamond light highlighter (yellow box), Wander Beauty blush and bronzer duo, Avant sleeping mask, Manna Kadar lip whip in dream & Ace Beaute vintage dawn pallet.

A

So I got a very different combination of items. I have variation 34!

Manna Kadar Lip Whip in Faith
Skin & Co Face Gommage
iNNBEAUTY Project Face Mist (never heard of them!)
Dr Brandt Eye Cream
Too Faced Highlighter in Diamond Fire

I am glad I didn’t get the concealer as no color would suit me, but I am a bit disappointed in my box. I really don’t like the gommage (had it before) and the color of the lipstick is just meh.

Be careful if you check out innbeauty’s website. It is very flashy (literally) and made my eyes hurt.

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jayelor

Finally got my box today. Just thought I’d post b/c I know some people wanted the Ace Beaute eyeshadow palette in the Dawn version, and I would be thrilled to trade! I also received: Too Faced highlighter in fancy pink, Wander beauty duo in Bellini/Costa rei, Avant skincare mask, and petite & pretty mascara. Not thrilled with any of it – I very rarely use highlighter or bronzer, so already own enough for a lifetime, and that Vintage Dawn palette has maybe one color I’d use. On the fence about the Avant and the mascara. The Avant is highly fragranced and lots of “unclean” ingredients, so I’m not sure if it will end up giving me a headache. I rubbed a tiny rice-sized amount onto my hand about 15-20 minutes ago and the fragrance hasn’t faded a single bit! Why, oh why do we need such high levels of artificial fragrance in a face/skincare product?!? Willing to trade the too faced, the vintage dawn, and the Avanti.

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Chrystal

Bad news for anyone whose box weighs 1lb:
*Dr. Brandt Retinol Eye Cream
*Pretty Vulgar concealer
*Skin&Co Roma Truffle Therapy Face Gommage
*Avant Radiance Renewal Sleeping Mask
*Qveen Studio Matte Liquid Lip Stain

I’ve received every single box since March 2014. This is by far the most AWFUL box I’ve ever received. Had I received the Too Faced Highlighter or Glow Recipe I would have been ok with just about anything else. This is my first month receiving Premium and I wasn’t expecting much because you don’t get a choice after getting off the waitlist. I have yet to see a variation worse than mine 😩

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Heidi Williams

Oh man I feel your pain I really do! This was my first premium box and what a disappointment. I received the concealer, dr. Brant eye cream, gommage (which I do like but have received multiple times in other boxes), glow recipe sleeping mask (which I’m surprised it’s full size, appeared more to be just a tad larger than deluxe, and I’ve alreayd received this in so many boxes), and the manna kadar lip whip in a color that just doesn’t work for me AT ALL. Total value $151. Nowhere near the $250 value of the box from this review. I would’ve been so happy if I had just received the Avant mask and either of the too faced products even by themselves since those were the two I most wanted to try and together they would’ve been worth more than my entire box combined! I almost cancelled immediately. I’m going to give it one more try but if I get duped like this again, I’m DONE. Just absolutely gutted that I finally got off the waiting list and have received (based on our boxes), one of the two worst boxes I’ve seen, the worst when it comes to value. Not a good way to get customers to remain when we finally make it off the list just to receive such sad boxes compared to everyone else!!’

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April

I got:

Pretty Vulgar concealer
Watermelon sleeping mask
Wander Beauty Blush & Bronzer duo
Grande Mascara
Dr Brandt eye cream

So far, I am the only one I have seen that got this specific variation. I received an email today that said they realized that they had sent me the wrong shade of blush/bronzer and they were going to send me another product to make up for it. Has this happened to anyone else?

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kdh

I received the same email, but my box has not shipped yet, they say.

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Vergina Johnson

I am waiting for my box but I got an email nonetheless just like that but it was about the concealer instead. Sounds to me like they need to get their sh×t together if you ask me! IDK!

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Danielle

I got the same combo and also got the same email about the wrong shade

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Ashley C

I just got my box yesterday and I literally can’t believe it! I got:
Ace palette in vintage dawn (my pick)
Watermelon sleep mask (I really, really wanted!)
Too faced pink highlighter (really wanted too!)
Grande mascara
Wander beauty duo (only product I’ll pass on to a friend bc I don’t wear blush/bronzer)

I’m so pumped! This is my favorite boxy I’ve ever got! I do think they sent out a bunch of good stuff this month though…I would have been happy with any of the skin care I think, the only item I really was hoping not to get was the concealer bc I figured it wouldn’t be my shade.

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Olivia

I agree I get 2 regular boxes and one boxy premium. Out of 16 products total only 5 are all I will use. On my quiz it says I do not want cleansers masks or exfoliates and I got all 3. One of my base boxes was worth more than my premium box. I was very very disappointed this month.

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Steph H.

Boxy unfortunately doesn’t use your profile.

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M smith

I received variation 13 which had watermelon sleeping mask, Gommage, concealer in little white lies which was the shade I was hoping for, dr Brandt and lip whip in faith. I’m happy with all of it and the lip color is better this time I got Faith. But I’ve been getting some really dark lip colors that I cannot wear so hopefully this doesn’t go on too dark.

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Meggie

And now I know which variation i’m hoping for!

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Vicky H

Box twins!

I am happy with everything except the skin Gommage with I won’t use as I still have other exfoliants (including chemical) I use or have as backups. I had more products I liked in the regular base box than my premium but 2 of my 3 overall favs were in premium.

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CJ

Mine is 1.2lb I’m wondering does this mean at this weight I didn’t get the highlighter? Anyone at this weight receive it?

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LaylaB

Mine was 1.2 lbs too. I got:

Dr Brandt Eye Cream
Pretty Vulgar Concealer
Skin & co Face Gommage
Glow Recipe Mask
Manna Kadar Lip Whip

Unfortunately I didn’t get the highlighter!

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Tracy Fanous

Where do you find the weight? I can’t find it on my Boxycharm account or on my FedEx tracking page.

Katya

I got the same thing!

Jenn

Mine was 1.2 lbs I got the dusk palette (when I actually chose the eye cream) the petite and pretty mascara, the watermelon sleeping mask the concealer and the wander beauty blush/bronzer duo. But the bronzer isn’t bronzer at all. It’s a pale yellow, I though it was a highlighter but it was actually nothing.. it didn’t show up as anything.

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Belle

anybody knows the weight and dimensions of this variation? (:

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Aj

Kinda disappointed, I really wanted that highlighter but I got the pretty vulgar concealer, I’m not hating on the concealer but really wanted that highlighter lol also wanted the glow recipe sleep mask but I got the avant . Which I’m using tonight so hopefully it’s a good one .got the vintage Dawn palette which is beautiful. And the facial scrub by skin&co .which I got last month from ipsy and haven’t even open yet. I feel we’re getting to many facial cleansers and scrubs . Idk,instead of the Palette nothing really popped out at me . I’m 41 and obviously I need all the skincare i can get but I’d like to see for makeup for a bit until i catch up on the skincare I have

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Regina

Love the skincare!

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Jennifer

Me too

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Alice

Me, too!!

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Christa H.

Lol…when makeup is wanted they send skincare…when skincare is wanted they send makeup…🙃🤨😁 Very few are every happy. I’m thankful to Boxycharm for being able to put together such expensive high end products for $25 or $35 a month!!! 🤯🤯🤯😳 I love Boxycharm ❤

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Megan K.

I think I was looking for more of a mix? I don’t know. I agree that the value is always present with Boxy. It is by far one of my most reliable subs in that area!

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Sherri

Well, it would not be to bad if Boxycharm at least went by our profiles somewhat! Its very dissapointing when i keep getting brow products that i have put on my profile and reviews that i dont and wont use. I like that we are ablw to get highend products, but unless i get to choose it, they have not sent me any of the better products that i will use. So, even if it is $25.00 or $35.00, if it is products you dont use, the value of the box dont mean nothing. Imo

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Blurryface

I will miss getting Boxy in the mail, have been there from the beginning. Most skincare in those boxes isn’t great quality in terms of ingredients. I miss when it was make up mostly. I’d take brushes over any physical face scrubs…

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BubblyDee

BoxyCharm is not the same. I miss the makeup box. They’d make a killing if they separated the boxes into a makeup box and a skincare box, versus base box and premium.

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WiWah

Agreed, BubblyDee, splitting into the two would be a smart idea and maybe also keep the usual mixed box. I know I would buy both the makeup one and the skincare one, so they’d get double the money from me.

Michele

Well, this was a disappointment. I cancelled my three Ipsy boxes last month and signed up for BoxyCharm, so this is my first box. I received #27. Value is $146.

I picked the Dr Brandt eye cream, so I was happy with that. Then there’s the Skin & Co Face Gommage, which I already have from Ipsy and don’t like. There’s the Glow Recipe Watermelon Sleeping Mask, which I’ve tried before and didn’t care for. Next we have the Petite’n Pretty mascara, but mascaras are one of my least favorite items to get in these boxes. Last we have my absolutely least favorite item, which is something I don’t even use in my makeup routine – Pretty Vulgar under eye concealer in the color The Middle Ground, which is way too orange for me even if I did use concealer.

This wasn’t a good introduction to BoxyCharm for me. I wasn’t expecting unicorns to jump out, but would it have killed BoxyCharm to throw in some shadow, blush, SOMETHING makeup related for the people who chose the eye cream? I think box 27 was really poorly curated.

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June

I totally agree! I have been with body for 3 years and was so upset with this variation this month that I wrote them an email to express my disappointment (which I never do). I felt like by choosing the eye cream I ended up with a skin care box which I did not expect. And that mascara? It’s marketed as a preteens product!! Ugh, boxy, I don’t know what you were thinking! I’m less than impressed with 2020 so far!

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Sherri

I know how you feel! This will be my 4th box from BoxyCharm, my first box was such a let down, i was so dissapointed. I thought Boxycharm would be this amazing box, with all the products that they want you to see for spoilers, but i was completely wrong! I canceled every sub that i had except Ipsy and have had issues with my box every month since i joined. The only reason i stick around is because of the products we do actually get to pick, but if my box is bad this month, i think i will cancel because i am not to excited about the choice items for February. I was doing better staying with Sephora Play! and Allure. I know Sephora is deluxe size products with a bunch of repeats but at least i could use everything i got! And Allure has 2 to 3 full size items almost every month, for $15.00, that is not bad at all! I actually liked all my boxes from them. I just could not afford all of them and really wanted to try BoxyCharm, i should have just stuck with what i was subscribed to., not to be negative and i could be wrong, it dont get any better with Boxycharm!

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Toni Marie

In my box variation 27… I received the
1. Glow recipe mask… which I might pass on to someone because I cant use due to my acne medication
2. The skin & co. gommage.. which I cant use due to my acne medication so I will need to pass the on to someone else

3. Petite n pretty mascara for kids… which I will give to my niec

4. Pretty vulgar concealer… I can use for my eyeshadow

5. Dr. Brandt eye cream.. I can use this product and cant wait because the no more baggage works so well for me..
This box isnt the best for me.. because incandescent only use 2 items, but hopefully I can pass it in to someone who can use it.

Sherri

Whelp, we have the same name, we’ve been subbed to BC for the same amount of time, and it seems our opinions are pretty aligned. My first box was just plain bad. I subbed to BC because all the spoilers looked so amazing and then my first box was a bunch of leftovers, with none of the things I was excited to see in the spoilers. Boxes 2 and 3 were better, but there were only a couple of items I was happy to get. This most recent box was literally all my least favorite items in the variant categories, other than my choice item. While I understand we take a chance with the items we get, it seems like I’m just plain unlucky, and if that continues, I’ll just unsub. Which is disappointing because when I see spoiler boxes, I think BC is awesome, but then when my boxes show up, my reality just doesn’t match.

Kimi

For anyone who got the Pretty Vulgar concealer. Did it happen to look dried out ? Mine just feels as if there is nothing in there.

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Stephanie W

Mine didn’t look dried out but I got The Middle Ground shade & it looks like the lighter shade when I compare it to the blister pack that we received to try. I’m not sure if its mislabeled or each batch looks slightly different but I like consistency. Hopefully they are not old batches.

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Amie

I thought the same thing – it’s way darker in full size than that sample pack was. Bizarre!

Christa H.

My opinion only, but I’m missing the Boxycharm that was more about the makeup aspect than skincare. I get it. New year…fresh skin…all that, but I like the anticipation of recieving makeup over skincare. On a positive note, I now have a ton of skincare to last me a while between my Base and Premium boxes. I’m still waiting on my Boxyluxe replacement 🤞

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Olivia

Good luck I have been waiting over a month I have emailed 3 times all 3 times oh we are waiting on the product it will be 5-10 days 31 days later still do not have it. My friend emails and they are sending her a ND product. I am pisssed. Heck I didn’t even get my August box until after I got my September box and every month I have had a problem. I got mad and tagged Joe asking about it and he fixed my one problem immediately. Guess I am going to tag him again. I am sick of the run around. I pay out $85 a month and every 3 months $100 just for boxycharm.

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Mel

This is the same variation I received, and I really love it. The Avant is amazing (to me) so if anyone doesn’t want theirs, I’d be happy to swap for it.

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Amie B Streckfuss

I don’t want my Avant, if you want to swap something. @amiebps

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Lena

I got the gommage, eye cream, concealer, lip stick and sleeping mask. I’m actually pretty happy with my variation because I don’t use highlighter, don’t want blush, bronzers, or mascara and wasn’t feeling like getting two eye shadow palettes this month (I got one in my premium which I really love). I love getting skin care over makeup these days.

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Lori

Box twins. I didn’t like either of the palettes, so the eye cream was very welcome, but I agree with Megan that it was an underwhelming box. The only makeup –the lip whip- was too warm for me, so that was a bummer.

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Amie

Worst. Box. Ever. Last few have been terrible. I got a bunch of crappy cheap skincare repeats and the PV concealer in a shade waaay too dark for me, not even the one I chose in the quiz. I wish so badly that you didn’t have to subscribe to the regular box to get Luxe because I literally just threw all my money away like every product I received went right in the trash. They really seem to cater to influencers and only report pics of the great boxes apparently reserved for a special group, one that I am not in.

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Crystal

Um my subscription addiction is an Influencer and obviously got a less than exciting box.

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Alice

If you received the gommage, I would have loved to have it instead 9f your trash can!

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Angie

I’m not complaining. I got the dr Brandt, pretty vulgar darker then my skin tone, face gommage, glow recipe, and petite mascara. I love my variation bc I got 3 skincare items but i don’t think they should just guess what our concealer skin color is when we haven’t had a chance to fill it out in our quiz. I would’ve loved the too faced highlighter but I’ll live with it and not complain bc I got the main things I wanted 😊

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