Blogmas Day Eleven: BoxyCharm, A Year In Review

Hi everyone,

Welcome to Blogmas Day Eleven! Today I’m going to be doing a BoxyCharm Year In Review. I got a lot of great boxes this year and had a ton of favorite products, so I thought it would be good to put them all together and share what I really loved.

January:

The January box was a strong start to the year, and my favorite from this box was the Ace Beaute Bronzed In Paradise Palette. It didn’t feature in any of my recent looks posts, but I do like it and I do use it, it tends to fall to the back of my bronzer drawer, so I need to make a spot for it towards the front.

February: 

Ace Beaute made a really great impression in BoxyCharm this year, at least for me, and one of the things I loved in February was the Ace Beaute Nostalgia Palette. I use this all the time, I think it’s a super fun and versatile palette, in fact I talked about it in yesterday’s post. The other thing I loved in February was the Wander Beauty Double Date Lip & Cheek in Rendezvous/Swipe. I use Rendezvous solely as a lip product and I like it a lot. It’s a very pretty shade of pink. 

March: 

The March box had three items in it that I either loved already or have become staples in my makeup collection. The first of which is the Lime Crime Venus III Palette. This palette is super cute, it has some super pretty shadows in it and I love the versatility it affords. Then there’s the Too Faced Damn Girl Mascara which I’ve loved pretty much since it came out, it’s so good and always does my lashes good. The last product is one that I was initially unsure of because I don’t love rose in beauty and skincare products, but it’s turned into one of my favorites and it’s the Maven Beauty Rose Water Setting Spray. This locks in your makeup and you don’t feel sticky. Because of the rose water, it’s actually kinda refreshing. 

April: 

In April I received the Flirtacious Looks Monarch Lash Pack and these lashes are SO good! It came with two pairs, Baby Girl, an angled lash and Charmer, a round lash. The second thing I loved from the April box is the Eloise Beauty Get Gleaming Body Glow Illuminator in Champagne Rich. I used this a lot during the summer and it gives a great glow but is also buildable so you can have your desired level of glow. 

May: 

The May box saw me receiving two things that I have since repurchased and have talked about so many times since. The first is the Sophia + Mabelle Hydrating Hybrid Lipstick in Topless. This is a nude lipstick with the hydration of a balm and it’s so, so good. I honestly recommend, especially if you’re a nude lipstick fan. The second is the Murad City Skin Overnight Detox Moisturizer. I mentioned this in my Winter Skincare post and it’s an excellent moisturizer because it not only moisturizes, but it protects against blue light which is perfect for me because I do spend a bit of time on my computer. My skin definitely likes Murad. 

June: 

The June box had two things that very much screamed summer to me, a bright lipstick and glowy skin. The bright lipstick came in the form of the Nars Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Famous Red, which has become a go to of mine in my red lipstick collection. The glowy skin came from the Touch In Sol Pretty Filter Glowdient Palette, I talk about this all the time, you guys know how much I love it. 

July: 

In July I got a great mix of great makeup and skincare. The Ofra Mini Mix Palette in Good To Go is something I already loved, so when I saw it was a choice item for July I picked it and it turned out to be a great choice because I just hit pan on the bronzer and because these are magnetic pans, I can just swap out the new and old ones. The BellaPierre Cosmetics Liquid Eyeliner in Black has become something I reach for a lot in my eyeliner drawer and I like it a lot, you have a lot of flexibility so you can do the thin precise line or you can do a thick and dramatic wing. On the skincare side, this is when I got the Mudmasky Vitamin Infused Eye Serum, I also talked about this in my Winter Skincare post and I love it, I can see a difference since I started using it. 

August: 

The August box featured what as become a go to eyeshadow palette for me, the Dito Cosmetics Venus Palette. I used this palette a lot during college football season and when I did my gold eye look for yesterday’s post, this is what I used to do it. I’m also a space nerd, so that made this palette extra fun for me. My second August favorite is the Volition Hibiscus Unspottable Correcting Oil. I have a couple of dark spots on my face, and this has helped tremendously, it’s a great product. Definitely recommend it you’re looking to get rid of any dark spots. 

September: 

I’m gonna be honest, this was not my favorite box of the year. I did and do like the GlamGlow YouthMud Glow Stimulating Treatment. This is the OG GlamGlow product that made it what it is today and when you use it you can see why. Obviously the more you use it, the more results you see, but when in the 10 or so minutes you have it on, you can tell a difference. The exfoliating properties give you smooth, glowy and soft skin. The other thing I liked in this box is the Half Caked 813, Duo Fiber Brush. I use this for blush, and it gives you an airbrushed finish. It’s also super soft and I like the colors, I don’t have a lot of brushes in this color. 

October: 

The October box was fantastic. I feel like as we got closer to the end of the year, the boxes got better and better. I’ve talked about this palette a number of times since getting it, but the October box gave me the Ace Beaute Falling For You Palette and I still love it so much. I used it yesterday and it’s still great, the color range, the mix of mattes and shimmer, the color payoff and the formulation are all top notch. This box gave me something I had never tried before, and that was the Appeal Cosmetics Adhesive Liner. I’ve worn this a few times and I do like it, I find it to be quicker and easier than messing around with lash glue, and we all know how much of a mess that can be. I also received a set of lashes that I love, they’re from Camara Aunique Beauty and they’re the Mary Lash. They do give you volume and that oomph that you want from a false lash, but it’s very natural. The last thing in this box that I love is the Tresluce Beauty Like An Artista 4 Piece Brush Set. I know that at the time I received this set the brand was fairly new, but for a new brand they seriously smashed it with the brushes. They’re all super soft, blend nicely and they’re nice to grip. 

November: 

In November I genuinely loved everything in the box, and I don’t know if that’s happened in the time I’ve been doing BoxyCharm. It started with the Ace Beaute Eyeshadow Amplifying Base in Light, I talk about this all the time, it makes your shadow last all day and it amplifies both mattes and shimmers without being too sticky and tacky. Then we have the Violet Voss Violet Sunset Palette. For being a smaller palette it has a lot of versatility and the colors are so, so pretty. I’ve been using this a lot recently. The Hanalei Beauty Company Matte Bronzer is one that has quickly made it’s way into the front of my bronzer drawer, I love that it’s on the lighter side so you can build it up as much as you want and you get that nice Hawaiian glow. The Luxie Pautips Por La Noche Brush Set was nice to see because I really like Luxie brushes and this came with a cute little pouch which is currently holding these brushes and all the random single brushes I had. The last product in this box is the Bodyography Makeup Brush Cleanser. I used this recently when I cleaned by brushes and having it in the spray bottle was so much quicker and easier and I feel like it didn’t take as much to clean them as it usually does. 

December: 

I won’t be revealing my thoughts and favorites from the December box in this post, but I will be doing so in my monthly favorites like I always do. 

That about wraps it up for this post, if we had any of the same overall Boxy favorites let me know and if not, I’d love to know what you loved from BoxyCharm this year. 

Until next time, enjoy your products, I can’t believe Blogmas is almost over and I can’t wait to see what I get next year in BoxyCharm :). 

BoxyCharm Referral Link: https://www.boxycharm.com/refer/Kyra-SVHKSETS 

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Blogmas Day Three: Winter Skincare Routine

Hi everyone,

Welcome to Blogmas Day Three! Today I thought it would be fun to share my winter skincare routine with you guys. I used to do a skincare routine post every season because I was changing and trying new products all the time, but my skin got very mad at me for doing that. I had to strip it back to very few things and once that started working I added a few things here and there and that’s where I’m at with it right now.

So the first thing I do is take off my eye makeup and lipstick and to do that I used the Clinique Take The Day Off Makeup Remover for Lids, Lashes and Lips. This is a product I’ve been using for ages and I really like it. It has a gentle formula but it’s super effective so you’re not scrubbing and accidently ripping out your lashes.

The next thing I do is take off the rest of my makeup with the Tarte Rainforest of the Sea Deep Dive Cleansing Gel. I’ve also been using this for a really long time and I still like it a lot. It takes off all of the long wearing makeup and doesn’t leave anything behind. 

From there I move to the Volition Hibiscus Unspottable Correcting Oil. This is to help reduce the appearance of dark spots and discoloration along with hydrating and helping with moisture retention. I have a couple of dark spots and I can honestly say that this has helped tremendously with getting them to go away. I’m a little weary sometimes of correcting oils and such because I have used some that have done nothing, but this is not one of those. This is one I highly recommend. 

The next step in my routine is serum and for that I use the Mine Tan. Body. Skin. Hydra Glow Sleep Serum with Triple Action Hyaluronic Acid. This serum is so good! It’s fast absorbing, it’s incredibly lightweight and says it’s anti-inflammatory. Because it’s a triple action Hyaluronic Acid you get the instant hydration but it’s also time release so you get that as you sleep giving you hydrated and glowy skin in the morning. 

After serum comes moisturizer and for that I use the Murad City Skin Overnight Detox Moisturizer. This is more than just your standard moisturizer. It does have nourishing botanicals to moisturize and plump while helping to reduce fine lines and wrinkles, but it also detoxifies the skin by neutralizing daily damage caused by pollutants and blue light. Which I really like because I spend a lot of time on my computer. This is also a slightly thicker consistency, which I like for winter and the colder months. 

The second to last thing I do is eye cream. I’ve been using two as of late. The first is one that I’ve been using for a while and really like, the Murad Hyrdo-Dynamic Ultimate Moisture for Eyes. This deeply quenches and nourishes the under eye area, seals in moisture to restore smoothness and helps to reduce fine line and wrinkles along with dull and dry skin. The second is the Mudmasky Vitamin Infused Eye Serum. This has Vitamin C which is very refreshing and has an antioxidant effect. This also feeds, nourishes and firms the skin under the eye along with giving a vitamin boost and moisture boost. I like it a lot. 

And the last thing I do is apply a lip product. Right now, and for a bit, my go to lip product has been the eos Natural & Organic Lip Balm Stick in Sweet Mint. I find the eos lip balms to be super hydrating and this one smells really good. 

That about wraps it up for this post, if we use any of the same products in our winter skincare routines let me know and if not I’d love to know what products you do use. 

Until next time, enjoy doing your skincare routine and I’m glad you’re all liking Blogmas :). 

-K 

Twitter: @KNSage

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August BoxyCharm Unboxing

Hi everyone,

Yesterday I received my August BoxyCharm box and I thought that today would be the perfect day to go through it. The theme this month is Go All Out, basically embrace the summer, enjoy it and do all the things.

So the first product we have is actually two, and it’s Vitamasques Face Masks. The first is a Glow Juicy Berries mask that is a natural probiotic and adaptogenic sheet mask with Vitamin C, Niacinamide and a Super Berry Complex that has raspberry and blackberry to brighten and improve uneven skin tone. The second is a Nourish Flower Nectar mask that is a natural probiotic and adaptogenic sheet mask with Multi-Peptides, Ceramides and Flower Extracts including Cherry Blossom, Hibiscus and Orange Blossom to nourish and repair the skin. Both of these masks are vegan, animal cruelty free and have allergen free fragrance. The masks themselves are biodegradable and come in eco-pouches. I love a good sheet mask, and these sound nice, so I’m excited to try them out. 

Next we have the Volition Beauty Hibiscus Unspottable Correcting Oil. So this is an oil that is supposed to reduce the appearance of dark spots and discoloration, soothe the appearance of stressed skin, hydrate and help improve moisture retention and minimize the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Hibiscus is in a lot of skincare right now, it’s supposed to be incredible for your skin and have a ton of benefits, and I like the sound of this oil, so I’m interested to try it out. 

Moving on we have the Purlisse Ageless Glow Serum BB Cream with SPF 40 in Light Medium. This is a serum infused beauty balm that has Bakuchoil, Algae Collagen and Vitamin C to firm, brighten and moisturize while giving you full, natural and glowy coverage and protecting you with SPF 40. This is my choice item for the month and it’s funny because I’ve been so busy recently that I forgot to choose an item so BoxyCharm just picked one for me. I was actually excited when I saw it because I’ve heard so many great things about the Purlisse BB Cream, people love it, but when I swatched it I found out that it’s a shade too dark for me. I’m going to buy one that is my shade because I do want to try it out. 

The second to last item we have is the Dito Cosmetics Limited Edition Venus 12 Shade Eyeshadow Palette. This palette is inspired by the planet Venus and the 12 shadows in the palette embody that. There are 5 different finishes, matte, shimmery, creamy, ultra-shiny glitter and shimmer with sparkle. All are supposed to be highly pigmented.

You get a decent size mirror with this palette as well, which is always great. 

The space nerd in me really love the layout of this palette and the names of all of the shades. I think the space theme was really well done and I like it a lot. 

Because I did take pictures of this palette outside, I took pictures of the swatches outside and inside as well so you could see both. The first shadow we have is Venus and it’s a very light and opaque pink, I had to swatch it multiple times, I think it would be a great topper. Next we have Mercury, a nude shadow that would be a great base or transition shade. Then there’s Earth, a bronzy/copper shadow. Next to that is Moon, which is a pinky red, this one also didn’t swatch the best, I had to swipe it a few times to get a real nice result. The second to last shadow we have is Jupiter, a gorgeous gold that I like a lot and the last shadow in this row is Io, which is a really pretty brown with some gold shimmer. 

The second row starts with Deimos, a bronzy/copper glitter with silver and brown glitter as well. It’s super pretty. Next to that is Phobos, a matte medium brown. Then we have Mars, a light brown/light gold shadow that again, I had to swipe a couple times to get a good swatch. Next to that is Europa, a matte dark purple shadow. The second to last shadow we have is Ganymede, which is a  really dark purple/black and the last shadow in the row is Kallisto, which is that burgandy that’s been a really popular shadow color in palettes recently. This shadow was super crumbly when I swatched it which I wasn’t expecting, but it’s really pretty so I definitely want to see if I can make it work. Overall I think this is a nice palette, not all of the shadows swatched that great, but I’m still excited to try it out and create some fun looks. 

And the last product we have is the Jecca Blac Play Pot in Pink Pearl. These Play Pots are cream pigments that can be used on your eyes, lips and cheeks. They’re supposed to be effortless to blend out and give you a ton of pigment. They have a vegan and cruelty free formula and this one in particular has a shimmer finish. We’ve having a bit of a heatwave right now, so when I got this after it sat in the mail truck and my mailbox, it was sweating a little bit, but I put it in the fridge for a bit and that solved the problem. It’s quite a nice shade, and I think that I would use it more on my lips and maybe my eyes than my cheeks, but I’m excited to try it. 

That about wraps it up for this post, if you got any of the same products in your August BoxyCharm box let me know and if not I’d love to know what you did get. 

Until next time enjoy your products and I can’t wait to see what I get in my September box :). 

-K 

Twitter: @KNSage

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