Category: cosmetics

BoxyCharm Premium Review – February 2020

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Hi all! I’ve just received my February BoxyCharm Premium! This is a fairly new subscription from BoxyCharm.  It’s a little more products than the regular and a little less than the BoxyLuxe.  Here’s the details:

  • It’s $35 a month
  • 6-7 beauty items a box
  • $175+ Value
  • You get to pick one of the items
  • The items will be different from BoxyCharm/BoxyLuxe – you can subscribe to both with no product overlap.

I’ve been receiving this box since it launched last November. The products I received are:

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My total this month is $259 — Amazing for a $35 box!

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This is the item I chose this month.  It was between this and a hair straightener.  The photos I saw of this made the palette look so bright, but in real life it’s a lot more wearable.  I’m excited to test it out!

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I’m very excited about this blush!  I don’t have any Hourglass Cosmetics products and I’ve heard their blushes are gorgeous. This is in Dim Infusion – A subdued coral blush fused with Dim Light to add warmth.  I’m trying it out soon!  I’ve been sick the last few days and haven’t been wearing makeup, but I have lots of new makeup to play with, so I’m getting up and putting makeup on!

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This is the skincare I received.  I love Glow Recipe and am looking forward to use this mist, but I’ve never heard of Faccia Skincare before, but I’me game to try this spendy face cream. I have a few moisturizers open right now, but I’ll put it in my stash for later.

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I have heard good things about this Tarte primer.  I love all types of primer, so I will use this, too.

The packaging of this Korres Body Butter is gorgeous.  It’s very floral, but I will keep it in my office and use it when I need some hydration.

I am quite happy with this month’s BoxyCharm Premium!  I plan on using everything that I got in the box this month!  Amazing!  Next month’s Premium is all Fenty Beauty products and I’m looking forward to that box as well!

I also just received my regular BoxyCharm for February and will be reviewing that in a couple of days.

Do you get BoxyCharm or BoxyCharm Premium?  What did you get this month?

 

 

 

Ulta Haul — Treating Myself for Valentine’s day!

Hi All! January was a looong month!  I’m glad it’s over and we are well into February. So I decided to treat myself with an Ulta Haul. This is a Valentines to myself.  It helped that I had a 20% off coupon and a Christmas gift card I hadn’t used yet!

Here’s what I picked up:

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I fell for this palette as soon as I saw it online, and love it even more in person! I’m excited that there are neutrals along with the pinks and purples.  It will be so wearable for every day as well as special occasions.IMG-2749IMG-2761

Sorry this is a bit dirty, but that’s how it came to me.  Maybe the trip was too rough for it! I ams looking forward to using it.  It’s so pretty and soft.  I think it will be lovely for the spring as well as now!

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I have just finished my Farmacy Honeymoon Glow AHA serum and I really loved it.  But I decided to try something new.  Lactic Acid is supposed to be more gentle but still resurface the skin.  Hopefully I’ll love the Ordinary Lactic Acid.

This Milani blush is new and I’m looking forward to trying it out!

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My skin has been really dry and I need a new body cream.  The Unicorn Fruit Body Butter looks like fun and smells really nice.  Plus, I just wanted a new bath bomb and thought this one seems calming.

The NYX lip liner is a favorite of YouTuber Allie Glines, and I really need a new nude one.

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So, there’s my haul.  Have you picked up any new makeup or skincare?

Shop My Stash — February 2020

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Hi all!  Happy Superbowl Sunday.  I live in Kansas City, so it’s a pretty exciting day! Plus, it’s time for my February Shop my Stash! Win win!

I’m always excited to play with new (again to me) color cosmetics that I either haven’t used in a while or haven’t used much at all! My goal is to get more use out of the products I have and to see if they are something I want to keep.

This month I have chosen products that I have only used a few times, but I am excited to see how I really feel about them. I’ve picked out two palettes, a blush, a highlighter and a lip gloss.  You can probably tell that I chose lots of pinkish tones.  I love wearing these shades in February!

Here are the palettes open:

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So many pretty shades to play with!  I have already used them today and loved playing with something I haven’t tried in a while.

Here are close ups of the products:

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Anastasia Beverly Hills x Carli Bybel Palette — This is such a pretty palette.  I got it last fall with my Ulta points (LOVE Ulta’s reward system).  The shades are gorgeous, but I haven’t used it more than a few times.  I’m excited to really give it a try!

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Dose of Colors Eyeshadow Palette in Marvelous Mauves — I received this in a BoxyCharm last year.  I really love the tones in the palette and the shades are so soft and buttery, so they blend so well!  This is an all matte palette, but I can use one of the ABH x Carli Bybel shimmers on top if I want to add some sparkle to the look.

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Makeup Geek Highlighter in Lit, Nanacoco HD Pressed Blush in Shimmery Dusty Rose and Milani Keep It Full Nourishing Lip Plumper in Soft Rose

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I love the formula of the lip gloss, but it’s a bit dark of a shade for me.  I want to use it more to see if I like it.

The Makeup Geek highlighter looks golden in this photo, but it has a bit of a pink tint to it.  It’s pretty.  The blush is pretty, too. It has a bit of a shimmer.  I have been wearing matte blushes lately, so this will be a nice change.

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I’m excited about his month’s Shop My Stash!  Do you do a Shop My Stash or Project Pan to use up your products?

Shop My Stash January 2020 Results and Monthly Empties

Hi All! Happy Saturday! I’m back with my January Shop My Stash results!  I enjoy dipping into my collection and using products I haven’t used in a long time, or just haven’t given much of a chance.

My rule with this is if I don’t like the item after the month, I will move it out of my collection to make some room and let someone else enjoy it! You can check out my first Shop My Stash post for January.

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I’ve had a lot of fun playing with these products this month!  And I have decided to keep all of these products for now.

The Colourpop blush and Milani blusher are both amazing products! They are still fairly new to me, but I now have a good idea of how they perform, and I love them.

I’ve found that I don’t really wear lipstick any more, just liner and gloss.  I did wear my MAC Creme in Your Coffee lipstick once or twice.  It is nice and I’ll keep it, but I now want to go through my lipsticks and get rid of most of them. I did a pretty big declutter last year of my makeup, but I really want to pair it down to just what I use.  Would you be interested in seeing that on my blog?

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I used this palette a lot this month!  I tried every shade.  I’ve found that I like it okay.  Many of the shades have to be built up, especially the shimmers.  I am okay with building up mattes, but I like my shimmers to be soft and very blingy.  I do like the variety of the shades and I made a lot of varied looks with it.  I think I’ll keep it for now, but I might pass it on when I declutter.

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Urban Decay On The Run palette in Detour  – I really love this palette.  It’s the opposite of the Emily Edit palette in that it’s very pigmented and easy to use.  The shimmers, especially Dash, are creamy and are very blingy!  And the mattes are so easy to blend.I am very happy to keep this in my collection.

On to my empties:

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I had a lot more empties than I thought I would this month, but I have been trying to go through my products more.  So I’m proud of these.

For skincare, I finished the PIXI Jasmine Oil and the PIXI Collagen & Retinol Serum.  I’ve had the Jasmine oil for a while, but I concentrated on using it the last few months.  I love the scent.  I also liked the serum, which was unscented, but I don’t know if it did much to my skin.  The Glow Recipe Pineapple Bright Serum was very scented like extremely ripe pineapple.  I didn’t care for the scent  but I loved the serum to brighten my skin.  I would repurchase the PIXI Jasmine oil and the Glow Recipe. 

The Laneige Choco Mint lip mask was amazing! I got it in a holiday set with a full size of the berry and another little one.  I use the lip mask every day.  And I will continue to repurchase them so I always have one on hand. I also used up the Body Shop Fall For Pumpkin body butter I purchased in October and two hand creams, Juicy Pear and Mango, from my The Body Shop advent calendar.

For Makeup, I finally used up the Tatcha Silk Canvas Primer.  I’ve had it for about 18 months and have been working on using it up.  It’s okay.  It works fine, but was really expensive.  I don’t know if I’ll purchase again in the future.  I also finished my L’Oreal Lash Paradise primer, a deluxe size of the Too Faced Damn Girl Mascara and the Pop Beauty lip liner.  I would purchase the lip liner again, I loved it.

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I had fun playing with the products in my Shop My Stash last month.  I’ll be posting my new one hopefully tomorrow.

January 2020 Beauty Favorites

Hi all! I hope you had an amazing week!   I don’t know about you, but I am so glad that January is over.  Bring on a fresh new month!

Below are my beauty faves for January. I didn’t purchase much this month, so these are mostly older items to me. As usual, If I have reviewed them before, I will include the link, if not, I will link to where you can purchase:

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Pixi Beauty Retinol Jasmine Lotion — I use retinol products a few days a week and love using this as my last step at night.

Mario Badescu Facial Spray with Aloe, Cucumber and Green Tea — This is cooling and smells amazing.  It also helps to brighten my dull winter skin.

StriVectin Peptight Tightening & Brightening Face Serum — I received this from BzzAgent a couple of weeks ago and have been using it every day (review to come).

Urban Decay Stay Naked Weightless Liquid Foundation — The shade I have is 20CP.  It’s a bit light for me except for right now when I’m at my palest. I love how this makes my skin look, very smooth and youthful!

Urban Decay The Ultimate Brush Off Translucent Loose Setting Powder — I have the Universal Translucent shade of this.  I love the texture of this powder.  It’s very finely milled and doesn’t make my aging skin look textured! I do really use the brush that’s in the lid, but I can use it in a pinch.

e.l.f. 16HR Camo Concealer — This is in my 2020 Project Pan this year.  I got this last spring and liked it okay.  So I thought I should give it some love and use it up. I have found that I am really enjoying it. It’s full coverage and easy to blend.

Milk Makeup Mini Bronzer in Baked — I received this in a holiday gift set and was so excited to try it.  And, it doesn’t disappoint!  It’s easy to blend and the shade is so pretty on.  This is the first cream bronzer that I have really enjoyed using.

Farsali Rose Gold Skin Mist — I received this in my November BoxyCharm.  This was my first Farsali product, and I really love it.  It has a fine mist and gives a light glow to the skin.

And…

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Colourpop Going Coconuts Palette —  I love this palette!  It’s an amazing everyday palette that is more cooler tones.  This has made me want to purchase more Colourpop palettes and I have!  Colourpop releases so many palettes that I was kind of overwhelmed last year and only purchased a couple.  But I’m really loving some of their current neutral collections.

I have enjoyed using what I have this month!  I’ve really been going through my skincare, too.  I will have my empties in my January Shop My Stash results coming up next.

What are your current favorites?

 

 

 

Colourpop Eye Shadow Palette Haul!

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Hi all! I hope your week is starting off well!  I was so excited because a ColourPop order I made came in!

The ColourPop website had a 25% deal, and I picked up a couple of palettes I had been eyeing:

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The palettes I picked up are the Bare Necessities Shadow Palette and the Flutter By Shadow Palette.

I’ve been wanting both of these since they were released. I love neutrals shadows and mauvey purples.  Both are so gorgeous!

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This 30-pan shadow palette has mattes, metallics, and shimmers. Create any look from your everyday look to a sultry glam look.  I’m excited to play with this and see what type of looks I can make with it!

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This 12 pan palette is stunning — I love these shades! Cool mauves and rich purple, in matte, metallic, and Pressed Glitter finishes, create the dreamiest soft glam look.

I’m super excited to play with this.  I’ve used it once already and loved it!  The only shade I’m not crazy about is Overpacked, the pressed glitter.  I’m glad that it’s the only one in the palette!

I’m going to be reviewing these soon (I hope) with swatches.  I want to get some use out of them first.

Do you have any Colourpop’s palettes?  Which ones do you love?

 

20 Palettes in 2020 — Colourpop Going Coconuts

Hi all!  I’m starting a new series this year.  I’m reviewing 20 palettes that I purchased or received last year (and maybe previous years) that I haven’t reviewed yet.  I might also include palettes from this year if I don’t get around to reviewing them right away.  These will include eye shadow and face palettes.

The reason I started this was as I was doing my Shop my Stash last year, I realized that I hadn’t reviewed a lot of the palettes I featured (check out my January Shop my Stash here).  I’ve used them, of course, but haven’t given my review.  So this year, I’m going to get that done!

The first palette I’m going to review is the Colourpop Going Coconuts ($12 USD) eye shadow palette.  I picked this up a couple of months ago.

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Going Coconuts is a cooler toned neutral 9 pan palette. I picked this up , perfect for your every day look. This super wearable palette is cute and compact.

The shades are:

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Shredded: creamy vanilla with silver pinpoints
Palm Reader: white with gold flip
Coolada: cool taupe brown
Lovely Bunch: mid tone yellow brown
Coco Crush: icy pale champagne
Shell Yeah: neutral ginger brown
Get Crackin’: cool brown with silver flecks
Da Coco: icy bronze with violet pinpoints
Nutty: deep umber

Here are swatches of the whole palette:

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From Left to Right — Shredded, Palm Reader, Coolada and Lovely Bunch, Coco Crush, Shell Yeah, Get Crackin’, Da Coco and Nutty.

I dip into Shredded every time I use this palette. It’s a great base color.  I also really love the matte shade Coolada for cooler looks, which is what I usually do with this palette.  My very favorite shade is Coco Crush.  It’s a beautiful lid color and I apply it every time I use this palette.

My least favorite shade is Palm Reader.  It’s chunky like a glitter and sheer.  Da Coco, the other shimmer in the palette, is dry and doesn’t blend easily.  The mattes all work well.

I have to say I really like this palette.  It’s compact and easy for travel, and it’s great for everyday looks.  But, I do create the same look each time I use it.  It’s a pretty look, but the same each time, LOL!

I do recommend this palette if you like a basic neutral look and something that you can use everyday.

 

Do you have this palette?  What is your favorite Colourpop palette?

 

10 in 2020 — Rolling Project Pan

Hi all!  I’m back with my first Project Pan in a year!  I took a year off, but have decided it’s time to use up some makeup.

The Project Pans I did in 2019 were mostly skincare.  This year I’m starting with 10 makeup products and once I use one up, I’ll replace it with someone else.  In the case of pressed powder products, I will probably keep them to see how far I can pan them this year.  Here’s what I’ve chosen to start off with:

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I have close up photos of the powders and stick products.  I can’t really tell how much of the liquid products I have, but I’d say they are all half to 3/4 full.

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Here’s the starting photo of my Butter Bronzer.  I’ve had this for a year and a half.  I use it consistently, and it’s crazy that I haven’t hit pan!  I’m hoping to make a big dent in it this year!

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I’ve had this powder foundation for a couple of years.  It’s starting to get a little dry, but it still works well.  I’m hopefully going to pan it this year and at the end of the year (or sooner), I’ll decide if I want to keep it.

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I purchased this last spring and used it a lot in the spring and summer.  I haven’t used it for a few months, but I wore it today and remembered how amazing it makes my skin look!  I’m sure I will use it up this year.

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I have been using this pencil since fall, but I thought I had more left in it!  It shouldn’t take me long to use this up.

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I’m excited to see how this project pan goes!  Hopefully I’ll use up some of my products this year.  Also, check out my monthly Shop My Stash results to see my mostly skincare empties.

Are you doing a project pan this year?

 

 

 

BoxyCharm Premium Review – January 2020

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Hi all! I’ve just received my January BoxyCharm Premium! This is a fairly new subscription from BoxyCharm.  It’s a little more products than the regular and a little less than the BoxyLuxe.  Here’s the details:

  • It’s $35 a month
  • 6-7 beauty items a box
  • $175+ Value
  • You get to pick one of the items
  • The items will be different from BoxyCharm/BoxyLuxe – you can subscribe to both with no product overlap.

The products I received are:

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The total this month is $221 — good for a $35 box!

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This is such a gorgeous palette in person.  This is what I chose this month, and I’m so glad I did.  The packaging is stunning, and so are the shades!  I am going to try to review this sometime this month and I’ll do swatches when I do.

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I was very surprised to see this in the box!  I heard that a single Kat Von D shadow would be included, so I was very excited to see the Natasha Denona top coat shadow in my box! I love anything purple, too, so that made it even better! IMG-2605IMG-2607

This is a close up of the shadow and a swatch.  It’s just a wash of shimmer, but it looks gorgeous over shadows!  Since it has gold and silver in it, it can be used in both cool and warm toned looks.  I’ve used it with a purple look, but I’m going to keep playing with it.  Stunning!

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I’m always on the lookout for new brow products.  I think 2019 is the year that I started getting my brows together and I hope to perfect them in 2020!  The brow pencil in this kit is more of a medium brown, and I have dark brown hair.  But, I might keep this in my stash and try it when I finish a pencil or two.  I think the concealer/highlighter stick looks pretty nice.

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I’m very excited for this.  I’ve already used it a couple of times and love it! I’ve been using it as a primer. It sits nicely over my sunscreen and makes a gorgeous base for makeup.  I also layer a pore filling primer in my t-zone over this serum and my makeup looks amazing with it.  I have just started trying out Farsali products and have been loving them so far.   I received the Farsali Rose Gold Skin Mist in my November BoxyCharm and I purchased the Farsali Skin Goals – Blur, Prime, Hydrate & Soothe Set for myself and have been trying those serums and primers.

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I was so excited to see Tula in the box until I realized that it’s an acne cleanser.  I haven’t had acne for years, so I’m wondering if BoxyCharm uses our beauty quizzes at all!  It’s the only type of skincare I can’t use.  I will have to pass it on to someone else.

I do think I’ll keep and try the bliss mask.  My pores are large and look congested, even though I don’t have oily skin.  So, I’ll test it out and if it’s too harsh for me, I’ll pass it on.

 

I’m pretty happy with my box this month. I love the Farsali serum, the eye shadow palette and the Natasha Denona eye shadow topper.  I won’t use the Tula cleanser and I might try the mask and brow kit.

I’m still trying to figure out how I feel about this box.  It’s $10 more than the regular BoxyCharm. In the last few months, I have loved about half of the box and felt meh about the other half.  So is it worth it? Maybe?  I’m going to keep getting it at least for a few more months.

Do you get this box?  What do you think?

BoxyCharm Subscription Box Review — January 2020

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Hey all! I have just received my first BoxyCharm of 2020! I love receiving this box each month.

I’ve been subscribed to BoxyCharm for over two years now and really enjoy it. BoxyCharm is now $25 a month plus tax for 5 full-sized beauty items. The value is at least $125 each month.

The only subscription boxes I’m currently getting is this box, BoxyLuxe four times a year and the new BoxyCharm Premium.  I think Boxy has been doing an amazing job curating their boxes lately.

The theme this month is Breaking The Ice. My version is 6. This month I received:

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Total — $133.99.  I think that’s good for a $25 box.

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This was my choice item for this month.  I could have chosen this,  Ace Beaute Vintage Dawn OR Dr Brandt 24/7 Retinol Eye Cream

I have tested it out last night and I think the shadows are really pigmented and bright.  Maybe a little bright for me!  It might be a palette that I use with a more neutral palette.  I’ll play with it a little more and see.  I might do a review on it as well.

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I am really happy I received this.  When these cheek palettes were released last year, I really wanted to try them.  I’m a fan of Wander Beauty.  I haven’t tried this on my face yet (there is a swatch below).  Bellini is a really pretty shade, but Costa Rei may be too light even for my fair skin.

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Petite n’ Pretty is a brand sold at Ulta.  It’s makeup for kids, tweens and teens so I’m not sure why it’s in a BoxyCharm.  This is one I might pass on to one of my daughters.

I was sent a sample pack of the Pretty Vulgar concealers to match my shade a month or two ago.  This is the lightest shade we were sent to test, and it might be a bit dark for me.  I’m going to test it today.  Here’s swatches of the Wander Beauty palette and the concealer:

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The peach blush is gorgeous, but as you can see the bronzer is very light.  The concealer is very creamy which is nice, but I usually like a little bit lighter shade for brightening.  This may be good for me in the summer, though.

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Las but certainly not least is the Glow Recipe mask.  I have been wanting to try this! You can use this at night, or use it as a days mask.  I might try it as a day mask and keep it on for 10 minutes first to see how my skin reacts to it.  I do love the Glow Recipe watermelon moisturizer and pineapple serum.  I’m very excited to try this product!  It is in a smaller 1 oz size, but that’s fine!

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I’m pretty happy with my January BoxyCharm!  I’m excited about the Glow Recipe mask and the Wander Beauty face palette.  I will be testing out the eyeshadow palette and the concealer.  And I’ll probably be passing on the mascara.

Did you get BoxyCharm this month?  What did you get?

I just received my BoxyCharm Premium a few minutes ago, so I’ll be posting that review in a few days.