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BoxyCharm Subscription Box Review + Coupon – October 2020

Megan K.
ByMegan K.Oct 21, 2020 | 30 comments

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!)

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

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 U.S. for free, Hawaii, Alaska, and Canada for $5

BoxyCharm October 2020 Review

My variation is #38.

Let's see what I received!

 

Pretty Vulgar Nesting B!#%h Face Palette, 15.5 g - Retail Value $32.00

I always really want to love face palettes but so often the contour shades are just too warm or dark for me. This palette was designed in collaboration with TikTok star Madi Monroe, a fact that makes me feel... kind of old. BUT that's ok.  No one needs to see me dancing on TikTok. I was pleasantly surprised with these shades. Both of the contours weren't nearly as warm as I thought and they were both on the buildable side. Even if you didn't want to use them for contouring, they are very soft and pretty eyeshadow options. I thought both of the highlighters were quite lovely too, my favorite being the lighter shade named 'Glimmer of BS'. This set also has both as matte and a shimmering blush, both of which were very pretty on. Worth mentioning as well was the full-size mirror inside the lid.

Top to bottom: Glimmer of BS, Hush Blush, Ego, Sun of A B, Mirror Mirror, and Sunkissed Snitch.

 

tarte Maracuja Miracle Mist Setting Spray, 85 mL - Retail Value $23.00

Hmm, I didn't love this mist. I think a lot of that has to do with how the nozzle on mine just didn't create a super fine mist and I felt like it was on the heavy side. I tried cleaning the nozzle, thinking maybe it was a little clogged, but this didn't really fix it. Aside from this, I think this is a fine setting spray. It doesn't have much of a scent and really does lock makeup into place for a long time. It boasts 16 hours which makes my inner esthetician very nervous but if you are out for a long time and need your makeup to stay put, this is the mist for you!

 

Murad AHA/BHA Exfoliating Cleanser, 6.75 oz - Retail Value $40.00

I am all about this cleanser! In peeking at the ingredients, I am seeing some favorites, like salicylic acid, glycolic acid, and lactic acid. I am kind of an acid freak (that might not sound right...) because they do so much for overall skin texture and also help with the little spots and bumps that have been a major feature of 2020 for me. This cream feels great on my face and lathers nicely. I like to massage it on my face then count to 30 before washing it off, just to give all of those delightful acids a little extra time to work. This formula also makes quick work of makeup and dirt too. As with any exfoliating product, make sure you moisturize properly after use and wear your sunscreen!

 

Sol de Janeiro Brazilian Kiss Tinted Cupuaçu Lip Butter in 'Keep it Rio', 0.11 oz - Retail Value $20.00

Sol de Janeiro is a brand that just makes me feel good because it brings my mom a lot of joy every Christmas. I try to treat her to some Bum Bum Cream because she loves the scent and the smell. This is my first lip item from this brand and the first thing I noticed was the cute packaging! I know packaging doesn't have anything to do with performance, but who doesn't want everything to be cute AND functional? This lip formula comes in three different tints which are meant to enhance your natural lip color. This is the lightest shade and I actually couldn't tell a huge difference in color on my lips. I do have pinker lips naturally though, so they might have been drowning out this soft nude. The texture is super smooth and this balm has a scent I just can't place. It smells nutty and also sweet and creamy. It kind of smells like cereal milk? I swear that's a good thing!

Here is a shot of the sheer color!

 

Ace Beauté Draw It Lip Liner Duo - Retail Value $16.00

My last item was a set of two lip liners. These have a kind of gel texture that made them very smooth. They were also really nicely pigmented too! This sort of liner is exactly the sort I would use to cover the entirety of my lips and then wear solo as lipstick or under a balm or gloss. The 'Be Peachy' shade is a natural nude that should work for nearly anyone and the 'So Gorgeous' shade is a brighter pinkish red.

Top: Be Peachy, Bottom: So Gorgeous

Verdict: My BoxyCharm box has an overall value of $131.00 which is great for a $25 box. I liked the majority of my assortment this month. I think the highlights were the Sol de Janeiro balm and the Murad cleanser. Delightful! I was also pleasantly surprised by the shades and quality of the Pretty Vulgar palette and have used it more than I expected to over the last week. The liners were two great shades and even though I wasn't crazy about the mist, I really like the tarte brand and my mom gladly took it off my hands.

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 what you are paying approximately per item:

  • Pretty Vulgar Palette $6.11
  • tarte Mist $4.39
  • Sol de Janeiro Balm $3.82
  • Murad Cleanser $7.63
  • Ace Beaute Liner Duo $3.05

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 October 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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30 comments

Jamey

I feel like a review should be more than swatches…would be nice to see like others do and actually wear the products

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Megan K.

Hey Jamey! I hear you. I have started to add some shots of products being used to reviews. My recent IPSY Plus has some products on my face if you want to check it out! It can be tricky because I review so many things at once (and often palettes have 12-20 shades) and it is always a balance between getting the review up quickly so that (hopefully) readers have a chance to order the box and taking the extra time to put on a full face. We have also received feedback in the past that swatches are actually more helpful because they show the nature of the item itself alone which makes it much easier to see the pigment and texture of a formula than say, looking at it on my eyelid. Our goal is to give you an overview of the box itself and the contents, though I think tutorials could be really fun someday. We do have an awesome reviewer, Desiree, who does a Boxycharm tutorial each month too! I will drop that link below. I think there is certainly room for both and I am going to try to include more and more! Thanks for the feedback. ♥️

https://www.mysubscriptionaddiction.com/author/dqueen

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Kat in CT

So go find one of those reviews…

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tammy g.

i don’t understand why boxy keeps sending me emails about how good or bad there service is…i mean they were supposed to send me my missing items from a box..a month ago..still have not received them..and when they send out my box no shipping numbers..it just comes and fed ex leaves it on the ground behind my gate…but nothing i ask them to do gets done…but yet they want me to rate them…how stupid..i’ve already canceled one box…thinking should i just cancel all..sorry needed to vent..

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NannyNancy

I love the Sol de Janeiro lip butter. It’s crazy to hear all the different opinions regarding the scent! To me it smells exactly like a warm glazed Krispy Kreme donut🍩! Someone else said Play Doh!

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Teresa

The only thing my box had from this one was the Sol de Janeiro lip stuff. I’m soooo bummed, I really wanted to try the Tarte spray.

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Lynn

The palette is for the face, and you suggested using it on the eyes. It may contain ingredients that are not safe and not tested around the eye area, so please reconsider suggesting something that may be unsafe. There’s a reason it is called a face palette and the two are not necessarily interchangeable.

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Megan K.

Hi Lynn! The product website states it can be used on the eyes. “TIPS & TRICKS BONUS: All the shades double as eyeshadow, making this super travel-friendly. Mix and use these shades as shadows to create what works best for your skin tone!”

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Lynn

Hey both Megan and Joy! I actually did my own research and I am aware that some ingredients that are deemed ok for use on the face are not approved for use near the eyes. To quote from EWG and the FDA, you can find this warning for certain colors, such as Red 7 Lake CI 15850 and Red 28 Lake CI 45410, both of which are in the palette: “Violation of government restrictions – Restricted in cosmetics; use, concentration, or manufacturing restrictions – Color additive not approved by FDA for cosmetics used around eyes”. It is irresponsible for the company to have put that on their website and they are asking for a lawsuit. Obviously you can put whatever you want on your eyes but I prefer not to suffer a nasty allergic reaction thanks to off label use.

Joy

Thank you Megan! Lynn assumed you had not done your research in writting this article! You go girl!

Just Me

The Sol De Janeiro Lip Butter smells like Honey Bun grease to me, lol!

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Megan K.

YES! Maybe this is the smell I keep trying to think of. Either way…. I love it 😂

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Just Me

I love me some Honey Buns, but I’ve cut most sugars out of my diet, so I get to live vicariously through the lip butter 😂

Rose

Mmmmmm…Nothing says “nude lip” like diarrhea brown (at least that what this looks like on me).

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Nadia Deza

Not worth it planning to cancel my subscription after getting left over boxes

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Angela DeSilva

I love this version and hope I get it! That cleanser has such great exfoliating ingredients is let it sit for five min before washing it off! That pretty vulgar face palette is super pretty! I just hate that I don’t get my boxes til the last couple days of the month though!!

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Jody

Megan I don’t see the Rio lip shade anywhere. Would love to see a swatch. Thanks.

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Megan K.

Yikes!! Sorry about that Jody! I forgot to attach it. It will be up in a few minutes!

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Angela

Interesting, I loved the spray mist from Tarte it was my favorite item. I wanted so badly to love the lip butter from Sol but I found the smell and taste to be dreadful, like a burnt Carmel corn. I got the pallet from bakery beauty and it was so disappointing no color pay off. Overall my box was good though. keep some, gift some, as with every box.

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Megan K.

I still kind of wonder if the nozzle on mine was irregular somehow. It was pretty aggressive. 😳

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Kat in CT

Help! I placed 3 separate add-on orders, have not received any tracking numbers but just got what must be someone else’s box. Just to be sure, boxy can’t or wouldn’t substitute items for things I actually chose and purchased, right? Do I even bother contacting them or just keep it and hope that my items arrive?

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Just Me

KAT in CT, I find email to be the best way to contact Boxycharm. You’ll receive a BoxyBot reply so you’ll have to reply the same thing back to it. I always copy and paste my original email for that reason. They’ve always fixed any problems or concerns I’ve had.

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Kat in CT

Ok thanks so much I finally found the email and they asked for pics so fingers crossed!

Marion

Boxycharm does mess up a lot. The good news is that I have had great customer service with them lately on a pop-up order, so I think you’ll get it resolved pretty easily with customer service.

It might be kind of crazy right now because a lot more add-on orders than usual went awry. Duplicates were sent out of many products, allegedly due to a system error. For example, I had accidentally purchased 2 of the Sol de Janeiro lip balm in Teeny Bikini because I checked out in a rush to make sure that nothing I wanted sold out. Well, when my box came, it had FOUR lip balms in it, as well as 2 of the KVD highlighters that I had only bought 1 of.

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Kat in CT

Oh cool thank you! But what’s the best way to get in touch with them? Twitter, insta, email, phone?

Angela

Contact them they’ll most likely tell you to keep but you want to make sure you get your items. I never get a shipping notice my stuff just arrives without notice.

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Kat in CT

Thanks, now I have to contact them because I just realized it is my order, I just can’t believe it. The Benefit Gimme Brow for $4 which they said was down from the full size of $24 is so small that I thought it was a sample. I just checked and luckily it is the full size. The big problem now is that my $99 PMD that i paid $18 for has turned into their $6 Sutra mini curling iron that retails for $49. This is beyond unprofessional. What is the best way to contact them because the chat was nothing but automated replies.

Brenda Rodriguez

I got the lip balm too in a different shade though and I loved the smell too! I think it smells like oatmeal lol

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Deb

Great review – thank you ! I enjoyed everything in my box this month with the exception of those lip liners. Its such a treat to receive this every month. What I like the best about Boxycharm is being able to shop the add ons. They seem to offer the most economical pricing out of all the subs I deal with.

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Gwen

Boxycharm has real turned around completely for the better. I left out of frustration with the product choices and repeated website crashes during sales but all that is fixed!! Their sales now beat FFF imo. Lower prices, fantastic choices. Now, where am I going to get the money for the big December sale? Time to ebay some products I don’t use…

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