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GlossyBox vs. BoxyCharm: Battle of the Beauty Boxes

glossybox vs. boxycharm
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Disclosure: The following product(s) may have been sent to Earn Spend Live in exchange for a review. All opinions are the author’s own.

With so many beauty boxes available, it can be difficult to decide which ones (if any) you should subscribe to. A long-time lover of Ipsy, I never thought that I would ever need another beauty box. However, something that sample boxes like Ipsy and Birchbox lack is exactly what GlossyBox and BoxyCharm are offering: exclusively deluxe and full-size beauty products delivered directly to your door every month.

Not only is this great because you don’t have to track down your favorites after you run out of the sample, but it also makes it a lot easier to re-gift the products that you aren’t as into. However, one (slightly disappointing) difference is that these particular boxes are not personalized and curated specifically for your taste and style like Ipsy and Birchbox are. All subscribers receive the same box every month and the cost is $21 for both.

So which is better?

GlossyBox: First Impression

glossybox

When I received my first GlossyBox in the mail, I’ll admit it: I totally judged that book by its cover. I couldn’t help it, it was just so beautifully wrapped — it felt like I had just received a present just for me. After you open the black polka-dotted shipping box, inside is an adorable little pink (and yes, glossy) box. Take off the lid and inside all of your goodies are wrapped in pink tissue paper tied with a little black ribbon. I seriously just stared at the perfection for 10 minutes before touching it.

Eventually, I couldn’t contain myself and I ripped open the tissue paper to find three travel/”deluxe”-sized products, two full-sized products, and a little info card about the box. I liked that the card had general information about each item, but also included either “tips” or “tidbits” for each product, which is a useful addition.

January GlossyBox Total Value: $48

glossybox

The Products

I was mildly disappointed that there were only two full-sized products in this box, since I was under the impression that most (or all) of the products would be full-sized. With that being said, the travel/”deluxe”-sized products did contain much more product than a typical sample, so I appreciated that.

From hair treatment to makeup to foot cream, there was a nice variety of products in this box. I’ve already added the Emite base primer to my daily makeup routine, and the Royal Apothic hand cream is now one of my favorites because of its light, flowery scent and thin texture. The MeMeMe lip color was a bit bright for me, the Beautiful Nutrition hair rinse didn’t seem to make any difference, and I haven’t gotten around to trying the -417 foot cream yet, but these products would be easy to give to a friend or family member who might be more interested in them.

For spending only $21, finding two new products that I love isn’t too bad. On the other hand, a $48 value may seem like a lot on its own, but this number is the same as the average value that I have received for the past few months in Ipsy — which only costs $10 a month.

BoxyCharm: First Impression

boxycharm beauty box

BoxyCharm is a lot simpler in presentation, so it didn’t wow me as much at first look. However, once I broke into the simple black box, I was amazed at what was inside. With the theme of “Eyes on January,” this month’s box focused exclusively on eyes and gives you everything you need for completing (and perfecting) your eye makeup look. But the best part? All of the products were full-sized. Every single one. If BoxyCharm would have come in before GlossyBox, I probably would have been even more disappointed in GlossyBox’s lack of full-sized products.

January BoxyCharm Total Value: $109

january boxycharm beauty box

The Products

Looking through the products at first glance, I was definitely impressed. I couldn’t wait to get home and try the eyeshadow brush set with the extensive Coastal Scents palette — it was the size of my tried and true Urban Decay Naked 2 palette, but with twice as many choices! I was also intrigued by the mascara, because Blinc is a brand I have never heard of before — and the tube was different than anything I had ever seen. The Starlooks eyeliner pen was nothing special, but if you know me, you know how much I love plain black eyeliner, so I can never have too much.

Not to mention, a value of more than $100 is much more impressive than the $48 value of GlossyBox — especially considering they cost the same monthly ($21). After trying the products, I wasn’t as completely over-the-moon about it (they’re all a solid okay), but regardless, it’s safe to say that BoxyCharm definitely exceeded my expectations.

GlossyBox vs. BoxyCharm: The Verdict

Since this is the first time I’ve received both GlossyBox and BoxyCharm, I went into this review with a completely open mind. Though GlossyBox had a solid 10/10 for first impressions and did contain some really good products, I’m inclined to say that it may be a little bit over-priced. I would be much more impressed with GlossyBox if it were a $10/mo subscription like Ipsy or Birchbox.

BoxyCharm is much more in line with the expectations I would have for a $21/mo beauty box — a step up from the sample world and providing quality full-size makeup products. The only thing that would make it better is if it had the option to be personalized to your own tastes and preferences.

Last modified on September 16th, 2020

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