- October Tribe Beauty Box
- First product: Royal and Langnickel MODA Brushes EZ Glam Duo Smoky Eyes
- Second product: Crown Pro Blush Brush
- Third product: Maskeraide Let’s Face It Purifying Cleansing Stick
- Fourth product: Make Up Eraser: Make Up Eraser Mini
- Fifth product: Bella Pierre Ombré Lip Kit
- Sixth product: The Balm Cosmetics Meet Matte ShMaker
- First product: Briogeo Don’t Despair Repair Strength + Moisture Leave-In Mask
- Second product: IT Cosmetics Superhero Elastic Stretch Volumizing Mascara
- Third product: Dermovia Lace A Peel Black Bamboo Charcoal Peel Off Mask
- Fourth product: Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick
- Fifth product: PUR Cosmetics The Complexion Authority Midnight Masquerade Palette
- Tribe Beauty Box
- Final thoughts on the December Tribe Beauty Box
- BoxyCharm Unboxing
Tribe Beauty Box vs Boxycharm: October Unboxing
If you’re into makeup at all, chances are you’ve probably heard of Boxycharm. But a subscription box that most people haven’t heard about is called Tribe Beauty Box and surprisingly, it’s a box that gives Boxycharm a really good run for its money. Tribe Beauty Box is $40 every two months, whereas Boxycharm is $21 every month.
But, what if you can’t afford both- which is the better buy? That’s what we’re here to find out about today! Today, we’re going to be comparing the October Tribe Beauty box and the October Boxycharm and see how the two compare against each other. Is the Tribe Beauty box a total flop? Is Boxycharm not worth the hype anymore?
We’re going to go into full details of both boxes, look at the brands, quality of products, and overall composition of each box to see which beauty subscription box is a better buy for your money.
Let the battle begin!
October Tribe Beauty Box
How much is it? $40 every two months/ Total value of the October Tribe Beauty Box: $127.49
What I got in my October Tribe Beauty Box:
- The Balm Cosmetics: Mette Matte ShMaker – $29.50
- Makeup Eraser: Makeup Eraser Mini- $12
- Bella Pierre Ombre Lip Kit- $45
- Maskeraide Let’s Face It Purifying Cleansing Stick- $21
- Moda Brushes EZ Glam Dup Smoky Eyes- $7.99
- Crown Pro Blush Brush- $12
Tribe Beauty Box is a bi-monthly beauty subscription box (six boxes a year) and is very similar to the Boxycharm subscription that we all know and love. Tribe Beauty box is $34, plus an additional $6 for shipping, bringing the total cost of this box to $40. Every box is said to contain at least five full-sized or deluxe products that the beauty experts over at Tribe Beauty believe to staple products in your makeup collection. I always love the packaging of the Tribe Beauty boxes, it’s so fun and different!
First product: Royal and Langnickel MODA Brushes EZ Glam Duo Smoky Eyes
Product value: $7.99
Royal and Langnickel is a brand that I never really hear too much about, but I also don’t understand why because I really love their brushes. I’ve had some problem with the bristles on Morphe brushes spreading out after I’ve washed them, to the point where I can’t even use the brush anymore. I’ve also had problems with the bristles on Morphe brushes completely falling out, leaving me with just a ferrule and a brush handle.
The one Royal and Langnickel brush that I owned previously to getting this set, I use every time I do my makeup. The brush that I owned before my October Tribe Beauty Box is the brush that you see on the right side of the packaging; the double sized crease and smudge brush. I’ve scrubbed the bristles on both the crease and the smudge brush onto color switches, makeup wipes, makeup brush cleaning mats, and I’ve never had a problem with the bristles falling out or becoming displaced from their original setting. I’ve had this brush for years now and it’s definitely one of my all-time favorite brushes to use for my eye makeup.
The Royal and Langnickel Smoky Eye Glam Duo was a really lovely product to pull out of my October Tribe Beauty box! Not only is this a brand that I never see in any of my other subscriptions (Crown brushes is all I ever see), but it’s a brand that I already know that I love and trust!
The bristles on both of these brushes are soft and so incredibly precise; not to mention that this brush duo pairs exceptionally well along with something else that I get in my box later on!
Second product: Crown Pro Blush Brush
Product value: $12
The second item that I pulled out of my October Tribe Beauty box is a blush brush from Crown Brushes. In the more recent months, I’ve received several brushes from Crown Brushes in my subscription boxes. I get a ton of subscription boxes every month, so I’m bound to get a couple of brand repeats in my boxes.
If this is one of the only subscription boxes that you have, getting a face brush along with the two eye brushes that you just received is certainly exciting! This Crown Blush Brush has bristles that are packed very close together, giving you an even application of blush wherever you decide to put it on your face. I personally love using this blush for bronzer and contour, because it gives me a wonderfully even application on my forehead that I struggle to get with other brushes.
Comfortability wise, I do think that the Royal and Langnickel brushes are a lot more comfortable to hold, but I think that that is in part due to the no-slip grip available on the Royal and Langnickel brushes. The Blush Brush by Crown Brushes is a very elegant looking brush and has totally classed up the look of my brush collection!
I’m so excited that I got three brushes in my Tribe Beauty Box, but I also think that it’s even cooler that Tribe sent brushes from different brands. It gives you a taste of the quality of product that different companies produce, which I think adds in an extra value to this box. Not to mention, they sent you a variety of face and eye brushes, rather than just shipping out a brush collection from one brand. This makes me feel like there’s a lot of thinking that goes into the creation of this box!
Third product: Maskeraide Let’s Face It Purifying Cleansing Stick
Product value: $21
This Maskeraid Let’s Face It Purifying Cleansing Stick is a cleansing stick that has cleansing, purifying, balancing, and nourishing properties- talk about a lot of power behind one stick! The Tarte Frxxxition stick is the only stick cleanser that I’ve ever tried out before, so the Maskeraid Let’s Face It Purifying Cleansing Stick is so much heavier feeling than the Tarte Frxxxition stick. The size of the stick is about the same as the Tarte Frxxxition stick, but it just feels a lot heavier.
I do feel like this purifying cleansing stick would have been a better fit for a spring or summer box because a cleansing stick is such a wonderful skin care item to have in your workout bag! All you need to do is rub this stick all over your face and rinse off with water to remove your makeup, to clean away any dirt or grime, or give your skin a quick refresh! It’s perfect to run over your skin before your workout (so you aren’t breaking a sweat and opening up your pores with a thick layer of makeup on) or after your workout, to clean away all of the sweat and dirt on your skin!
I’ve been using this purifying cleansing stick as a makeup remover and it lathers us so nice! Don’t get me wrong, there isn’t an excess amount of soap on my face when I am running this all over my face, but there it enough lathering for it to feel like it’s gently exfoliating my skin. It does a wonderful job of gently exfoliating my skin enough to get rid of the dry patches on my skin and getting off all of the waterproof eyeliner that I wear.
The smell isn’t overpowering, I just pick up a faint beet and rose scent from this stick. There is citrus oil in this Maskeraide Let’s Face It Purifying Cleansing Stick, but it doesn’t have any sort of citrus scent to the stick at all. I love the color and have been loving this stick to remove my makeup in the shower!
Fourth product: Make Up Eraser: Make Up Eraser Mini
Product value: $12
I absolutely love Make Up Erasers, they’re so handy to have around! I have six of these in my makeup collection because they literally do such an amazing job of taking off my makeup and they’re environmentally friendly! Before I discovered Make Up Eraser, I used to take off my makeup using around two to three makeup wipes and I would go in after using the makeup wipes with Garnier Micellar Water and cotton pads. I would use between 6-12 cotton pads whenever I took off my makeup, depending on how much eye makeup I was wearing for the day. Even if I didn’t wear makeup every day, doing this 3-5 times a week really created a lot of waste and wasn’t so friendly to our environment.
After discovering the world of Make Up Eraser, I have completely eliminated my need for makeup wipes from my skin care routine! The Make Up Eraser is basically a very, very soft washcloth that was created to take off your makeup. You don’t need any soap or makeup remover, you can use cold or warm water, and you can hand wash it (or through it in with a load of laundry) when you’re done with it!
I don’t like using regular wash cloths to take off my makeup because of how rough they are on my skin; the repetitive wiping motion that I use to take off my makeup around my eye makeup can cause micro-tearing around my eye area, increasing the rate of my skin aging. Plus, it hurts using regular washcloths on my skin, which is why I always stuck to makeup wipes and Micellar water.
The Make Up Eraser is soft on my skin and doesn’t hurt at all when I’m wiping away my eye makeup or when I’m doing a little bit of scrubbing to get off my waterproof eyeliner or mascara. It literally takes off all of my makeup and I don’t even have a need to use any micellar water to get rid of any stubborn makeup left on my face. I’m seriously obsessed and I always recommend the Make Up Eraser to any friends who are looking for less wasteful ways to take off their makeup.
The Mini Make Up Eraser fits perfectly in my purse, so when I’m doing a lot of traveling, I just throw the Mini Make Up Eraser in with my makeup kit and go! I do keep the mini eraser in the plastic packaging, just to keep it protected from the rest of the contents in my purse. When I’m all doing using it, I just soap and warm water to clean off the cloth! Once I’m done handwashing it in my sink, I hang it up to dry and it’s ready to be used again.
I’m so glad that this Make Up Eraser was put in my October Tribe Beauty Box, because it does such an amazing job taking off makeup that I think many people will consider making the switch to just using this eraser, rather than makeup wipes and/or micellar water. It’s an absolutely amazing product and it’s really nice to see a brand and product that I’ve never seen in any other subscription box in my October Tribe Beauty Box!
Fifth product: Bella Pierre Ombré Lip Kit
Product value: $45
Yes, Tribe Beauty Box included another brand that I never see in any other of my subscription boxes! Not to mention that this is a lip kit, with three lip products inside of this one kit, which has me so excited! I’ve tried lip liners from Bella Pierre before, but I’ve never tried any of the liquid lipsticks from Bella Pierre.
This Ombré Kiss Proof Slay Liquid Lipstick Set has a matte gel lip liner to help you line and define your lips, with two Kiss Proof Lip Crème Liquid Lipsticks (one light shade, one dark shade) to help you create the Ombré lip effect.
I really love the packaging of this lip kit and how the printing of the packaging includes pictures of all of the shades that the Ombré Lip Kit comes in, as well as pictures of the lip colors that I have in my lip kit, as well as shade names right next to the pictures of the products I received.
I love how easy it is to apply the gel lip liner, although it is a bit dry feeling. It isn’t as creamy as other gel lip liners that I’ve used, but it does apply smoothly like a gel lip liner. The gel lip liner that I received in my kit is a bright red shade that I absolutely love! I’ve worn this alone, filling in my entire lip with the lip liner and it’s such an eye-catching shade.
The two liquid lipsticks are also gorgeous shades and when applied on my lips for an Ombré look, my lips looked exactly like what the packaging displayed! The finish that I have for my lip kit is matte finish, even though the application of the liquid lipsticks has a very similar feel to a lip lacquer.
Drying down, the liquid lipsticks are very tacky feeling. This Ombré lip kit wasn’t very comfortable to wear, because of how tacky feeling the liquid lipsticks were. My lips literally stuck together because of how tacky the liquid lipsticks were, plus they weren’t transfer proof. Kissing the back of my hand and there was some transfer onto the back of my hand (after everything has dried down). When I started taking sips of my water with a straw, there was lipstick transfer onto my straw.
I really love that Tribe Beauty Box sent out a complete lip kit in their October box, because I’ve never had any other subscription box send that out to me. Bella Pierre isn’t a brand that I ever see in any of my other subscription boxes, so it was really exciting to see a variety of products from one brand in my box. While I’m not in love with this lip kit and I do feel that $45 for this is really expensive, it was really nice to see a unique product in my October Tribe Beauty box!
Sixth product: The Balm Cosmetics Meet Matte ShMaker
Product value: $29.50
The Balm Cosmetics is yet another brand that I hardly ever see in any of my other subscription boxes and I’ve always wanted to try out their eyeshadow palettes. I was so pumped when I pulled this full-sized eyeshadow palette out of my October box, just look how gorgeous this palette is!
I always love the packaging that The Balm Cosmetics has, it’s so fun, original, and this package definitely sticks out from the rest of my palette collection. The names of the shades are so fun and creative, not to mention that you have six shimmer shades and six matte shades available for you to mix and match within this palette.
As you can see from my swatches, this palette is extremely pigmented, but what you can’t see from my swatches is how buttery smooth all of the shades in this palette are. I didn’t have high hopes for Matt Wong being very pigmented, because I always find that the black pans in palettes are patchy or aren’t very pigmented at all. Matt Wong and Matt Campbell are the two shades that struggle the most in this palette, as they are a little patchy. But when I played around with Matt Wong on my eyes (Matt Wong and Jamie Wong are literally relationships goals, they pair so well together for a date night eye look), I didn’t have any problems with patchiness. I was able to build up the depth of Matt Wong no problem at all and was able to achieve a really dark, smoky eye (with the help of my MODA brushes!).
I was almost shocked to see that this palette didn’t have any fallout when I played around with it on my eyes. I think at this point, we all except darker shades to have a lot of fall out. Matt Wong and Matt Campbell didn’t leave me hanging with any fallout, which I was really surprised about considering that the palette that I got in my October Boxycharm left me with a huge amount of fallout.
I also love that this palette is so versatile; you can throw in your MODA brushes in your purse and this palette and you can easily transform your makeup from a soft glam daytime look to sultry and sexy date night glam with the switching of just a few shades! I keep reaching for this palette because I love all of the combinations that it has to offer, not to mention that every color is so gorgeous, has amazing blendability, and I don’t have to worry about fussing around with fall out.
The biggest complaint that I have about this palette is that the pans are a little small, so much so that I have to turn my brush a little bit if I really want to put all of the bristles of my brush into a pan. They are a little smaller than what I’m used to seeing in palettes, but I’ve managed to find a way around it so it doesn’t really bother me. I’m obsessed with this palette and I’m so happy with Tribe Beauty for putting this in my October box!
Tribe Beauty literally killed my October box! Everything inside of my box was so different than what I normally get in my other subscription boxes and I was exposed to brands that I don’t regularly see from other subscription box companies. I’m absolutely in love with everything that I got in my October Tribe box; even though I had some difficulties with the Bella Pierre Ombré lip kit, if I put a lip gloss over top of the liquid lipsticks, I don’t have any problems with the lipsticks feeling tacky.
This was incredibly well rounded, with two makeup tools, four makeup products (lip kit and palette), and two skin care items. My October box was such a breath of fresh air from the majority of my other subscription boxes, which was really nice to see. I absolutely love everything that I got in my October Tribe Beauty box and with a $127 value in my October box, it was well worth the $40 that I spent to get it.
October Boxycharm
(How much is it? $21 a month / Total value of the October Boxycharm: $128)
What I got in my October Boxycharm:
- IT Cosmetics Superhero Elastic Stretch Volumizing Mascara- $24
- Dermovia Lace A Peel Black Bamboo Charcoal Peel Off Mask- $30
- PUR The Complexion Authority Midnight Masquerade Palette- $38
- Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick- $20
- Briogeo Don’t Despair Repair Strength + Moisture Leave-In Mask- $16
Every month, Boxycharm has a different theme for their boxes and send out products in their boxes that pair along with that month’s theme. For October, Boxycharm’s theme is ‘Alter Ego’ which is a creative theme that hints at spooky-ness without being too in-your-face with Halloween. Check out the October 2018 Boxycharm unboxing:
Boxycharm is a monthly beauty subscription box that will run you $21 a month and in each box, you get 4-5 full-sized products. In my personal opinion, Boxycharm is the best subscription box in the world, but I have noticed that in the last couple of months (ever since Boxycharm introduced Boxyluxe), the overall quality of the monthly Boxycharm boxes have gone downhill and have been less exciting.
Boxycharm is a great subscription box to have if you are really interested in expanding your makeup collection. Mostly, Boxycharm sends out products from high-end brands (PUR Cosmetics, IT Cosmetics, MAC, Tarte Cosmetics, Cover FX, just as some examples), but I have received products from indie brands, such as Colourpop! More recently, Boxycharm has also sent out an eyeshadow palette or a contour palette in every single one of their boxes, so if you’re a palette junkie who is looking to quickly expand your collection, I would highly recommend looking into Boxycharm.
First product: Briogeo Don’t Despair Repair Strength + Moisture Leave-In Mask
Product value: $16
The first product that I got in my October Boxycharm was the Briogeo Don’t Despair Repair Strength + Moisture Leave-In Mask, which is a leave-in conditioner that helps to repair and moisturize your hair. The combination of Argan oil, B-vitamins, coconut oil, biotin, and algae extract in this leave-in conditioner is also supposed to encourage hair growth.
It’s been a little while since I’ve seen Briogeo in any of my subscription boxes, but the Don’t Despair Repair mask is a product that I’ve received several times in other subscription boxes. I absolutely love the scent of this leave-in conditioner, it has very bright notes and isn’t powdery smelling.
For this being a leave-in mask, I have never really noticed any difference in my hair after using this spray. This is the first full-sized version of the Don’t Despair Repair conditioning mask, but I haven’t had any success with this working with my hair. I do love the scent of this conditioner, so I will spray it in my hair just to make my hair smell amazing. But in terms of this helping to repair any damage that my hair has, this hasn’t done anything for my hair.
Second product: IT Cosmetics Superhero Elastic Stretch Volumizing Mascara
Product value: $24
IT Cosmetics is a brand that I don’t think I’ve ever seen in any of my Boxycharm boxes, so it’s really exciting that Boxycharm is introducing us to a new brand! I love trying out new mascaras and playing around with different types of applicators, so I was pumped to see the IT Cosmetics Superhero Elastic Stretch Volumizing Mascara in my box!
I tried out this mascara on my naked lashes to see what type of effect this mascara would have on my lashes. The IT Cosmetics Superhero Elastic Stretch Volumizing Mascara is supposed to give your lashes a volume and length boost, with an ultra-conditioning formula packed inside of this uniquely shaped tube.
I applied two coats of this mascara on my lashes and didn’t see too much of a difference in my lashes. Normally, I only apply one coat of mascara on my lashes because I always wear falsies, but I wanted to see if this mascara would give me that false lash look that the model on the packaging had.
I didn’t get too much of a change in my lashes from this mascara; you can definitely tell that I’m wearing mascara, but there isn’t a drastic change in the volume of my lashes. I do have some additional length to my lashes from this mascara, but this is normally what my lashes look like after I apply mascara.
I also found that this formula took a really, really long time to dry. I have very hooded eyes, so when I opened up my eyes all the way after I applied the mascara (I waited the same amount of time I usually wait to open my eyes after applying mascara) and I got smears of mascara on top of my lids.
I’m happy that I got a full-sized mascara in my October Boxycharm, but I wasn’t super impressed with the actual product itself. However, I do hope to see more of IT Cosmetics in upcoming boxes
Third product: Dermovia Lace A Peel Black Bamboo Charcoal Peel Off Mask
Product value: $30
This is the product that I’m the most excited for in the box- it’s such a unique concept and was literally so much fun to use! This is a face mask kit that contains a detoxifying charcoal peel paste and two lace compression masks. On cleansed skin, you apply the detoxifying charcoal peel paste and apply a lace compression mask on top of the peel. There are sections cut out on this lace mask for you to slide the lace mask over the back of your ears, as well as a section for you to strap the mask on the back of your neck, so the mask doesn’t slide around on your chin and neck area.
Putting on the mask was so such a thrill, I have ever in my life ever seen a face mask that looks like the Dermovia Lace A Peel Black Bamboo Charcoal Peel Off Mask. I did wish that for $30, the company sent out a silicone spatula for you to apply the charcoal mask onto your face. Applying the mask was very messy, since I applied the mask onto my face with my hands.
If you haven’t used this mask yet and are thinking about doing so, I would encourage trying it out but I would highly recommend shaving your face before you do. If you have a lot of peach fuzz on your face, this mask will pull at the congestion in your pores and on your peach fuzz, which can be really painful. I shave my face to get rid of my peach fuzz for a smoother makeup application, but I could definitely tell where I had missed some spots in my shaving because this peel off mask pulled hard on my peach fuzz.
When you peel of this mask, you actually peel the lace off of your face and that pulls at the charcoal mask that you had applied to your face. This mask didn’t pull out any blackheads and didn’t pull out any congestion from my pores, which was disappointing. I made sure that I had removed all of my makeup and had clean skin to apply this mask onto before I started my process, so I was definitely hoping for bigger results than what I actually got from this mask.
It did leave my skin feeling a little bit smoother, so at least this mask wasn’t a complete bust. But for one application running $15, I don’t think that this extremely expensive face mask would be something that I would ever go out of my way to purchase. However, it was really fun to see something new and exciting in my Boxycharm! This Dermovia Lace A Peel Black Bamboo Charcoal Peel Off Mask definitely cut through the stale formula that Boxycharm has been sending out in their boxes and I feel like this mask was perfect for spooky season!
Fourth product: Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick
Product value: $20
Every Boxycharm subscriber received one Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in their October Boxycharm (shades options pictured down below). One thing that a lot of Charmers complained about with the shade range that Boxycharm offered in the October box was there were a lot of browns pictured and you didn’t have the option to choose what color you were interested in receiving.
In my personal opinion, I think that the shade range was really great for fall, so I wasn’t too upset about the colors that they offered for the October box. I love how highly pigmented this lipstick is; with just two swipes, I have a full coverage lipstick application! Kat Von D is a cruelty-free makeup brand and is only available on the Kat Von D website and at Sephora.
I love Kat Von D Liquid lipsticks, they have an amazing staying power and aren’t drying or tacky feeling. I received the shade ‘Bow n’ Arrow’ which is a soft brown that pairs perfectly with my every day, natural fall smoky eye.
Fifth product: PUR Cosmetics The Complexion Authority Midnight Masquerade Palette
Product value: $38
Okay, Boxycharm… let’s have a talk. The PUR Cosmetics The Complexion Authority Midnight Masquerade Palette is yet another mediocre palette, one of the several not-so-impressive palettes that you’ve sent out in your more recent boxes. I’ll give you credit, this is a little bit better than the eyeshadow palette that you sent you last month, but this palette reminds me of a palette that I would find in a child’s play makeup kit.
The eye pigments fit perfectly for the Halloween vibes that Boxycharm built in this box, which I totally love! But how glittery the blushes in this palette are, combined with how much fallout there from all of the pans in this palette (face and eyes) makes this palette really not worth $38.
Even if the powders didn’t have these problems, I think that the packaging looks really cheap and that there aren’t enough pans in this palette to make it worth $38. That breaks down to $3.80 for each pan and I honestly think that the highlighter is the only thing that is maybe (heavy emphasis on maybe) worth this.
Let’s just talk about the packaging for a hot second; the exterior of the Midnight Masquerade palette is absolutely gorgeous. But opening up the inside of this palette, the packaging was very cheap looking and in my personal opinion, very comparable to the packaging of a child’s play makeup. It wasn’t anything that made me feel excited and just from the inside appearance of this palette, there wasn’t any ‘wow’ factor.
For the face section of the palette, there are two blush shades, one highlighter, and one bronzer shade. All of these shades have a shine to them, so pairing the bronzer and the highlight shade together in the summer time would give you that gorgeous sun-kissed glow. The blushes are very reflective and have some glitter in them; my fair skin doesn’t pair very well with either of these blushes, even when I lightly apply the blushes onto the apples of my cheeks, they still don’t pair with my skin tone very well.
The bronzer is a little too orange for my personal preferences, but that’s a problem that I normally run into anyway. However, I almost always have blushes pair together well with my skin, so these two blushes are the first blushes that I’ve run into in a little while where I’ve had this problem. In addition, I really don’t like the glitter and shimmer that these blushes have; I feel like the blushes just look cheap and aren’t really wearable shades for a lot of skin tones.
The eyeshadows of this palette aren’t actually that bad at all! I think the shade range for the eyeshadow palette fits perfectly into the Halloween theme; the shade range is really fun and unique, it’s definitely something that I’ve never seen before!
The pigmentation for the eyeshadow formulas has great pigment and didn’t give me too much trouble when it came time to blend everything. I did have a big problem with how much fallout I had with all of the shades, especially the black eyeshadow. While I do think that the eyeshadows are nice, they aren’t nice enough to make this palette worth $38.I also think that either Boxycharm or PUR Cosmetics need to clarify on whether or not the face pigments are eye safe; I looked all over for anything in regard to the face pans being safe for eye use, but I couldn’t find anything. I did have problems with a rash on my arm after swatching this palette, so I would recommend being cautious with this palette if you are someone with sensitive skin.
The PUR Cosmetics The Complexion Authority Midnight Masquerade Palette is just another mediocre, overpriced palette that they sent out in their box. I hope Boxycharm starts sending out good palettes in their boxes again, because this is just going to be another palette that sits at the bottom of my drawer.
The October Boxycharm was another disappointing box from Boxycham. Boxycharm used to be my absolute favorite subscription box but I feel like ever since they introduced BoxyLuxe to the world, the quality of their boxes has gone downhill. There really wasn’t any ‘wow’ factor in this box or any product in here that made me jump for joy. It was cool to see a brand that I haven’t seen before in any of my other Boxycharm boxes, but I really wasn’t too impressed with anything in this box.
To me, it just felt like the October Boxycharm was filled with products that had decent potential, but just really fell through. There isn’t anything in this box that I’m head over heels in love with, which makes me disappointed because Boxycharm used to be a box that I obsessed over. I hope Boxycharm is just going through a rough patch and starts sending out better quality products and new/different brands in their boxes!
Who won- October Tribe Beauty Box or October Boxycharm?
Two months of Boxycharm equals out to be $42, while one Tribe Beauty Box is $40. While Boxycharm is just a little bit more expensive, you ultimately do get a higher value out of two Boxycharm boxes, which is the same price as one Tribe Beauty Box. The total value of the October Boxycharm was $128, so if you got another Boxycharm box that had the same value inside, you would be getting around $256 in makeup for $42 which is honestly so amazing.
So if you completely disagree with every single statement I made about the October Boxycharm and are just wondering which box is the better buy from a financial aspect, Boxycharm is the way to go.
But if we’re comparing the two boxes against each other, Tribe Beauty Box totally kicked Boxycharm’s butt this round. While the value of the October Tribe Beauty Box was $1 less than what I got in my October Boxycharm, I did get more products inside of my Tribe Beauty Box than I did in my Boxycharm.
I feel like I got a better value out of my Tribe Beauty box because everything in my October box is going to be put to use and I don’t feel like anything is the box is overpriced. I feel that with my Tribe Beauty Box, I got a great assortment of products – different types of products that I never get in any of my other subscription boxes. I got products from brands that I have never seen in any of my other subscription boxes, and I got more products in my box, whereas with my Boxycharm, I’ve gotten at now three, maybe four palettes from PUR Cosmetics in the last six months and this is at least the fourth eyeshadow palette that I’ve gotten from Boxycharm that isn’t of great quality.
For this battle of the beauty boxes, Tribe Beauty Box won!
Who do you feel won this battle of the beauty boxes- Team Tribe or Team Boxycharm?
December Tribe Beauty Box vs Glossybox
Today I’m going to be unboxing my December Tribe Beauty Box and my December Glossybox since Boxycharm sent out Boxyluxe for the month of December.
Tribe Beauty Box
How much is it? $40 every two months
- The total value of my December Tribe Beauty Box: $150.99
- What I got in my December Tribe Beauty Box:
- Limited Edition Red Carpet Beauty Blender- $20
- Wander Beauty Exquisite Liquid Eyeshadow- $26
- The Balm Cosmetics Instain Blush in ‘Toile’- $22
- Suva Beauty Liquid Lipstick in ‘Besharam’- $18
- Bella Pierre Glowing Palette- $50
- Kokie Dewy Foundation Mixer- $7
- Sistar Contour Bold Liquid Eyeliner- $7.99
I think that the exterior packaging of the box is really fun and different from all other beauty subscription boxes that I have. This is exactly what the box looks like when it arrives at your door, with the Tribe Beauty Box logo marking the top of the light pink box.
Opening up my December Tribe Beauty Box and I was a bit disappointed at how messy everything inside of the box looked. It kind of looked like all of the products that I had gotten inside of my December box had been thrown inside, but that’s just first impressions of this month’s box. Hopefully, the inside contents make up for it!
First product: Limited Edition Red Carpet Beauty Blender
- Product value: $20
The first product that I received in my December Tribe Beauty Box was this limited edition Red Carpet Beauty Blender! I didn’t know that Beauty Blender had a limited-edition sponge collection, so I was very fascinated to learn that I had received a limited-edition Beauty Blender and that the Beauty Blender that I had received was red instead of the typical black or pink!
This limited edition Red Carpet Beauty Blender has a $20 value, but I normally pay $20 for the non-limited-edition Beauty Blenders that I purchase, so there wasn’t any difference in the value of this ‘limited edition’ Beauty Blender.
I would highly recommend that if you’ve never had success with Beauty Blender sponges, that you try to dampen the sponge to help flawlessly blend out your liquid or cream products. In order to properly use your Beauty Blender, you need to:
- Wet your Beauty Blender with water
- Squeeze out any extra water
- Squeeze your sponge again on a towel, just to make sure that you have gotten rid of all of the excess water
The problem that I had with my Beauty Blender when I went to properly use it was when I wet my blending sponge underneath of water, the red dye washed out of the sponge. Within two uses, the red dye for the ‘limited edition’ Beauty Blender had completed washed out! I didn’t even get to cleaning my Beauty Blender before all of the red dye was completely gone. The first time that I put my Beauty Blender underneath of water, a good portion of the red dye washed out from my beauty sponge and transferred onto the towel that I had use to squeeze out the excess water from.
I know that this Beauty Blender was marked was ‘limited edition’, but it’s literally just The Original Beauty Blender with a layer of red dye over The Original pink sponge. The loss of the red dye didn’t change the quality application of the product that the Beauty Blender gives, but after seeing how quickly the dye came out, I understand that this may be the reason why I never heard of Beauty Blender’s limited-edition sponges.
But if you’re not someone who is makeup obsessed, let me explain why this egg-shaped sponge is such an amazing tool to have in your makeup arsenal! You can use a Beauty Blender to apply the cream, powder, and liquid products. When you apply your makeup, you can use your Beauty Blender to apply foundation, blend out your concealer, cream blush, cream contour, liquid highlighter, and/or primer. In addition, you can use your Beauty Blender with setting power to bake your makeup with or to set your foundation with.
While I am happy to have received a Beauty Blender in my December Tribe Beauty Box, I’m disappointed in the quality of the ‘limited-edition’ Beauty Blender.
Second product: Suva Beauty Liquid Lipstick in ‘Besharam’
- Product value: $18
I was excited to see that I had received a lip product in my December Tribe Beauty Box, especially because the color of this liquid lipstick was such a pretty berry color that’s perfect for winter. I’ve never heard of the brand Suva Beauty and I absolutely love it when subscription boxes send out products from brands that I’ve never had any exposure too!
I’ve seen some brands advertise their liquid lipstick formulas as hydrating, but I’ve never seen a brand describe their liquid lipstick as ‘moisture matte’ as Suva Beauty has. Suva Beauty has described their Moisture Matte Liquid Lipstick as having all day longevity with the comfort of creamy lipstick. I was a bit apprehensive about the formula for this liquid lipstick, as other formulas that I’ve tried that are similar to the way Suva Beauty describes their liquid lipstick had a really long dry-time and just didn’t end up working out for me.
I enjoyed the color of the Besharam liquid lipstick, but as I expected, the formula for this liquid lipstick didn’t really dry down the way that a liquid lipstick does. The Besharam liquid lipstick just stayed on wet on my lips and didn’t dry down the way that a liquid lipstick or even a lipstick does. It stayed glossy on my lips and felt, transferred, and looked like a lip gloss. While I was disappointed that this liquid lipstick didn’t dry down as described by Suva Beauty, I was even more disappointed to find that this liquid lipstick had absolutely no staying power. Within a few sips of coffee, the majority of the Besharam liquid lipstick had gone completely off of my lips, with no pigment or staining left on my lips.
If you’ve ever worn a cheap lip gloss with some color, you probably understand exactly what I’m talking about when I say that this liquid lipstick didn’t have any staying power. The Besharam liquid lipstick that I received is the full-sized product, so with this liquid lipstick being priced at $18, it’s extremely overpriced and isn’t worth the investment. I wouldn’t pay more than $5 for a no stay power formula like this for a liquid lipstick, but with this formula feeling, looking, and acting like a lip gloss, I wouldn’t even waste my money on it.
This Suva Beauty Liquid Lipstick is very disappointing and I’m sad to see that this poor quality of formula made it into the December Tribe Beauty Box.
Third product: Kokie Transformix Dewy Foundation Mixer
- Product value: $7
Kokie is another brand that I’ve never had any exposure to, so I think that it’s very refreshing that Tribe Beauty Box included a sprinkle of underground indie brands in their December box. But, with the product flop of Suva Beauty, I’m hoping that Tribe did a better job with Kokie beauty.
In the December Tribe Beauty Box, subscribers either received the Kokie Blurring Primer (an $11 value) or the Kokie Transformix Dewy Foundation Mixer ($7 value); in my box, I received the Kokie Transformix Dewy Foundation Mixer. If I had a choice to choose between the two products from Kokie, I would have chosen to receive the Kokie Blurring Primer, which would have suited my skin-correcting needs better. However, Tribe Beauty Box doesn’t have the option to fill out a beauty profile and didn’t give subscribers the option to choose what product they would have liked to receive in their box. I wish that Tribe Beauty had given subscribers the option, but I also understand that not all beauty boxes want to give subscribers the option to personalize their boxes, as it may make inventory management a bit more difficult.
With the cover of dry winter air, my naturally oily skin hasn’t been producing as much oil thanks to the new acne treatment I’ve been trying out, so I was very excited to try out the dewy foundation look without having to worry about my skin looking greasy.
As I applied this foundation mixer on the back of my hand, I saw no difference in the dewy appearance of my hand. The feeling of this mixer was a slightly oily feeling, but it didn’t feel greasy or heavy. After seeing no difference in the appearance of the back of my hand where I had applied this dewy mixer, I decided that I would try it out with two different foundations to see if there would be any success when using the foundation with this mixer.
I used the Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay in Place Foundation on one half of my face and I used the Tarte Double Duty Beauty Shape Tape Hydrating Foundation on the other half of my face; the Estee Lauder Double Wear foundation is my holy grail foundation for all-day matte wear and the Tarte Double Wear Hydrating Foundation is the foundation that a lot of beauty lovers with dry skin have recommended I try out. I didn’t use any primer underneath my foundation application, as I didn’t know if a primer would interact with the finish of this dewy mixer during my experiment.
Tribe Beauty Box says that in order to get the Kokie Dewy Foundation Mixer to work, I just needed to add a few drops to my foundation to get a dewy glow to my skin. When applying the foundations to my skin, I put the foundation on the back of my hand, added a few drops of the Dewy Foundation Mixer, and used a clean Beauty Blender to apply to half of my face. In order to make sure that the foundations didn’t mix, I made sure to use a clean Beauty Blender with the application of both foundations.
The Dewy Foundation Mixer did not add a dewy glow to either application; there was absolutely no difference in the appearance of either foundation. Having received similar types of products in other subscription boxes, I know I have used a dime-sized amount of product and gotten results with other products by just using that amount. I used a dime sized amount of Kokie Dewy Foundation Mix and saw absolutely no difference in the luminosity of either foundation.
However, the Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation separated when I used the Dewy Foundation Mixer, across the entire half of my face. I just had used this foundation the day prior and didn’t have any problems with the foundation separating, so I believe that it’s safe to say that the foundation separated because of the Dewy Mixer. I understand that the Estee Lauder Double Wear foundation is a matte foundation, so I’m assuming that the ingredients in the matte foundation and the ingredients in the dewy mixer don’t mix, which explains the separating. If you received this dewy mixer, I would recommend doing a trial run of your foundation and this mixer just to ensure that you don’t have any problems with your foundation separating.
What I’m most disappointed in is that even when I used this Kokie Dewy Foundation Mixer with a hydrating foundation, there was absolutely no difference in my skin’s glow. Even on the back of my hand, which had no other product on it, there was no difference in the appearance of my skin. This mixer is only $7 and I think that this is one of the cheapest products that I’ve ever gotten in my Tribe Beauty subscription, but this mixer absolutely nothing for me. Out of the seven products that I’ve received in my December Tribe Beauty Box so far, three of the products that I’ve gotten have been big flops.
Fourth product: Sistar Contour Bold Liquid Eyeliner
- Product value: $7.99
I’ve gotten a lot of liquid eyeliners in the majority of my subscription boxes this year, so seeing another liquid eyeliner in my December Tribe Beauty box wasn’t very exciting (or creative). However, Sistar is another brand that I’ve never heard of and with a retail value of $7.99, is another affordable indie product.
With how disappointing the rest of my Tribe Beauty Box has been for this month, I didn’t have any hope for this eyeliner to be any good. Upon the first swipe of this liquid eyeliner, I was very surprised to see dark, deep black ink come this pen! I also didn’t notice any bleeding from the swatch of this pen, which was a pleasant surprise. I drew a straight line and a heart with ease, without any problems with the liquid liner bleeding or not applying evenly.
What was even more surprising about this liquid eyeliner was that within a matter of a few seconds, the formula had dried down and didn’t smudge when I ran my finger across it! The only other eyeliner that I’ve had this type of success with is the Kat Von D Tattoo liner, but with the retail of that liquid liner going for $20, this $8 alternative is a lot cheaper!
After wearing this eyeliner several times, I’ve discovered that it doesn’t come off or smudge when I wipe my eyes when I cry when it’s rainy, or when I shower! If I want to remove my perfectly sharp winged eyeliner, I have to go in with makeup remover to get the formula off of my eyes. The simplistic packaging of this eyeliner absolutely doesn’t do the quality of this eyeliner any justice.
I’m so incredibly impressed with the quality of this liquid liner and found that it’s easy to compare the quality of this $7.99 liquid eyeliner from Sistar Cosmetics to the $20 Tattoo Liner from Kat Von D! This is going to be a product that I purchase for myself once I run out of what I got from Tribe Beauty Box.
Fifth product: Wander Beauty Exquisite Liquid Eyeshadow in ‘Lilac Luster’
- Product value: $26
Wander Beauty is a brand that I love getting in my subscription boxes and have yet to have gotten a product from that I don’t like. Liquid eyeshadows are makeup products that I don’t get very often in subscription boxes, so I was really excited to see what this liquid eyeshadow had in store of us!
Just from the price point alone, $26 just a few dollars more expensive than other high-end liquid eyeshadows that you can find at Sephora (Wander Beauty is available on Sephora’s website). Tribe Beauty describes this liquid eyeshadow as an ultra-blendable liquid eyeshadow that can also be used as eyeliner, highlighter, or be layered on top of your day time makeup to transform your makeup to date night makeup look.
I don’t know if Tribe Beauty Box sent out a variety of shades from Wander Beauty’s Exquisite Liquid Eyeshadow collection, but I received a liquid eyeshadow in Lilac Luster. It’s a very soft purple shade, which is a shade that I don’t have in my makeup collection! I’ve been using this liquid eyeshadow as a lip topper and as a liquid eyeshadow, and as far as using this product as a liquid eyeshadow, it dries down quickly and is very easy to blend!
I don’t really have to apply a lot of this liquid shadow to get a good color payoff from this product, which is also really amazing! Currently, all of the liquid eyeshadows that Wander Beauty sells in their Exquisite Liquid Eyeshadow collection are sold out and I haven’t seen anything on Wander Beauty’s social media about re-stocking these liquid eyeshadows, so I think that it’s really nice that subscribers (possibly) got a sold-out product in the December box.
Fifth product: The Balm Cosmetics Instain Blush in ‘Toile’
- Product value: $22
The Balm Cosmetics is one of my favorite makeup companies, but I’ve never tried out any of their blushes. The Instain blush that I received is in shade ‘Toile’, which is a bright strawberry red color. The Instain Blush line is a blush pigment and a cheek stain, which made me a bit nervous about working with at first, especially considering how bright the pigment of this blush is.
The packaging for The Balm Cosmetics Instain Blush is very pretty and fits right in with the packaging that The Balm is known for. The mirror inside of the blush is very clear and easy to see into! I love the floral pattern that surrounds the blush pan and I love how the shade of the floral pattern matches the pigment of the blush! I normally wear a lot of mauves, dusty rose, and darker shades of pink on my cheeks, so this ‘Toile’ shade was very out of my comfort zone.
With a light hand, wearing this blush during the spring and summer will be absolutely gorgeous! This didn’t stain my skin, but stayed on top of my foundation all day! Blush is something that normally doesn’t have an all-day stay with my makeup, but this Instain blush stayed on all day with no touchups needed!
I’m not totally in love with this color for winter, but I know that I’ll be using this blush a lot during the spring and summer, especially with the incredible staying power it has!
Seventh product: Bella Pierre Glowing Palette
- Product value: $50
The last Tribe Beauty Box that I received had a lip kit from Bella Pierre in it, which didn’t really work out too well for me. I’m excited to see that I received a highlighting palette in my December Tribe Beauty box, but I wish I had received exposure to a different or new brand inside of this month’s box.
The packaging for the Bella Pierre Glowing Palette wasn’t anything exciting, fun, or unique. The palette that holds all of the pans is a shiny tan, with the Bella Pierre logo on top of the palette. As I opened up the palette, there really wasn’t anything too impressive about these shades that made me feel like this would be something that I would want to purchase if I saw this palette online or in store.
I honestly was expecting the powders to be really chalky and not be very reflective, but to my surprise, I didn’t have either of those problems with this palette! All of the powders were reflective and didn’t settle into my pores when I applied it onto my cheekbones. This palette didn’t give me the blinding glow that I look for when I wear highlighters, which is a good thing for people who want to go for a more natural makeup application! I also had problems with the powders not staying very long on my face, as my glow game would fade throughout the day.
While I expected this palette to be a total flop and it surprisingly wasn’t, there isn’t anything about this palette that would make me want to pay $50 for it. Anastasia Beverly Hills sells six pans in their highlighter palettes for less money, with cuter packaging, and more reflective powders that last longer. I don’t think that this palette is terrible, but there isn’t anything about it that would make me want to pay $50 for it.
Final thoughts on the December Tribe Beauty Box
This was absolutely the most disappointing box that I have ever received from Tribe Beauty Box. The total value of the December Tribe Beauty Box is $150, but I don’t really feel like this box is worth anywhere near the $150. While everything that I did receive inside of my Tribe Beauty Box was full-sized and I did get a few products from famous high-end brands such as Wander Beauty, The Balm Cosmetics, and Beauty Blender, I don’t really feel like I got anything unique or different inside of this box that made the Tribe Beauty Box stand out from the rest of the subscription boxes that I have.
The Sistar Liquid Eyeliner and the Wander Beauty Liquid Eyeshadow are the only two products inside of my December Tribe Beauty Box that I’m happy with, but everything else just seemed to be overpriced, poor quality product. To me, the December Tribe Beauty box just felt like it was filled with the beauty ‘rejects’ that brands sent out because they weren’t selling very well. I definitely feel like I overpaid for the December Tribe Beauty Box and I’m very, very disappointed in the overall quality of this box.
Hopefully, the December Glossybox has something better in store for us!
BoxyCharm Unboxing
I got bad news, this month we don’t have a Boxycharm unboxing because every four months Boxycharm launches a special box called Boxyluxe (a $49.99 quarterly beauty subscription box with over $300 in every box). December was that month.
Take a look at our Boxyluxe unboxing review here instead!
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I am really happy with what I received in the Tribe Beauty Box. They sent out products that coordinate well, and the variety of eye, face and lip products is nice, too. The only product I didn’t like is the Aphrodite eyeshadow, and I am OK with that, because all the other products work for me.
Awesome! Yes, that’s the risk with these subscription beauty packs — there might be something we don’t love, but I’m so thrilled to hear you liked the Tribe Beauty Box — we did too (and we are very picky!).