Hello shiquers and welcome back to Nerdy Shique Universe! Even though it is time for Ipsy and BoxyCharm since I just got my Ipsy bag for April but waiting on my BoxyCharm box which is supposed to be here this Friday, but with Florida shipping it is pretty much on the Road Runner express due to it being from Florida. So, in the meantime…it’s a rant!

I ranted about cosplay and of course fan fiction with the problem I went through with Fairy Tails a few months back but this time it deals with box subscriptions, especially in the beauty realm! I don’t want to take one huge paragraph in my next post in what I got I decided to make it a separate post. As you know I am part of both BoxyCharm and Ipsy and get them both each month and I feel as though that I do pay for what I get, as in $10 for Ipsy and the $22, since I live in Florida it gets taxed, for BoxyCharm and do get what I get in each box but with other subscribers there are the ones that do complain about what they get and it’s been irritating for the past few months I’ve been with these guys, especially with Ipsy! Even the complaints started when the theme for April was revealed for Ipsy, which is even incredible and I seen complaints about the people who complain about it. Yeah, it is sad. Let’s continue!

The Appeal: The appeal of both which caught me to subscribe in the first place are different. Yeah, I heard about both through YouTubers I subscribe to but the stories are different. The prices are different for reasons on their own. First Ipsy, which was started back in 2011 and heard of it through the girls of Eleventh Gorgeous with their Ipsy vs. Birchbox videos which are now up against Beauty Box 5 and what really got me to subscribe with the idea of getting samples from different make up companies I heard of and seen in Ulta and Sephora or none I heard of due to being online only and they come in a make up bag for every month! I liked the idea because I always like to switch up my make up bags and I do use them for cosplay make up kits and now have a make up kit for interviews so I won’t get confused. I also got turned to it due to NYX being a company in these bags and you know me, I am a NYX lover, plus itt gave me an open mind in trying new things along the way with samples from other companies. While Boxy, on the other hand, despite it being $10 more and taxed here, it gives me more of a higher end look. Ipsy does dabble in higher end make up yes, but Boxy does it more with brands like Ofra, Model Co., Beauty for Real, and more. It also gives me full size and deluxe sizes in other items to try out and of course I don’t have to pay the high end prices for most products along the way with this box. I seen so many videos with what everyone got and had to try it out for myself with what is included each month. On top of that, what is a greater appeal is that since you get sample sizes sometimes, they do last for a long time! Usually samples run out depending on what it is while others last longer than a month and it gives you enough time to try them out. On top of this, you can trade items if you don’t like them with other people. I will mention that next! Plus, what is great, especially with Ipsy that got me into them and don’t tend to use them and that is the coupon codes that come with each product. Make up does get pricey and I know from my experience in going into Mac and waiting on prices go down on certain Urban Decay items, prices do rack up and it is good to get discounts! Even the Ipsy Me offers where you can get the item you didn’t receive in your bag also has discounted items for people to buy, for instance I got the Pacifica Solar Pallet, which has the Coconut Mineral Shadows from January, for $20. BoxyCharm does have coupon codes that they send in e-mails for people to get, even some of them are credit codes, like with Previse as an example, I think you can find them on the products, but mostly e-mail codes get to you and Ipsy does the same at the end of the month in case you can’t find them on the items. Now, let’s see what are the complaints  besides the appeal!

Complaints: Mostly I see the complaints on Ipsy but with Boxy I only see complaints with not getting the box or not getting sneak peeks, which I am guilty of doing that, which I found out that they only reveal two to three items a month and send the box so everyone can be surprised. Okay, that’s brilliant! I do understand the whole not receiving boxes and bags since there are times stuff does get taken in the mail or gets lost, which I had that happen with packages from different parts of the US and overseas through EBay, here is the thing, boxes and bags get replaced by the company. As in, they tend to send replacements of the entire thing, which I seen a lot through Ipsy, or the individual item, which I only had that once thus far. The only complaint I have with BoxyCharm’s replacement policy is the picture thing, due to being blind and not being around sighted people all the time due to different schedules I can’t take a pic on my own. I admit I traded the item before it got replaced. I did apologize to the person who got it in the end. I do notice how Ipsy does have new envelopes because there are times when items do go missing and these newer envelopes prevent that and are getting better by putting liquids in little ziplock bagies to send to people and I saw that in one of my items this time around, which is a nice step up.

Now onto the most known complaint and that is “I didn’t get what I want!”  This is something is expressed always on the boards on the Ipsy site and on the Facebook and man it’s annoying! Especially when they point out about how they didn’t mark it on the quistionaire! Let me say these points!

1. The survey that gets taken at the beginning along with the reviews ARE GUIDELINES! As in they use it as way of seeing who you are and what is your style and do their best in matching that with items you get in the bag. Even with the reviews at the end it asks to help cater the future bags in if you like it or not with products and shades, but again they are just guidelines and you don’t not get the item you hate or you do in future bags. They do say that.
2. They don’t guarantee what you get is what you marked! I learned this after knowing why I’m not getting nail polish much anymore, which I only got it once and that is whatever you marked on the quiz is not a full guarantee is what you’re going to get in every bag and on top of that…
3. YOU CANNOT OPT OUT OF SAMPLES! Why the caps? Well, this is why, every month Ipsy gets a set of products from different brands and it says when you first register that with signing up that you can’t opt out of them, which is what you get is what you’re going to get that month! I do admit I get disappointed sometimes but I deal and still keep an open mind and willing to try out some things because I understand what they do is what they do! There are solutions with these products..

Solutions to not getting what you expected:

1. Swap items! Everyone on every board stresses this and that is that you can swap the items that you don’t like and didn’t wanted for something you may want or wanted. I did this in the past with some Ipsy items for other items I didn’t get and that included two skin care items I couldn’t use to sensitive skin for other Ipsy items and still have and of course did swap two of my Boxy items that I diwouldn’t use, which were lashes and the Mistura C to P concealer, for other Ipsy items. Another good thing is that there are Facebook pages for Ipsters and Charmers to trade with each other and I am a part of the Ipsy one but there are times where they can be picky in my opinion, watch out for that.
2. Ipsy Me Offers! There are times where if you don’t get something from a brand you wanted, such as nail polish by a brand that was given that month or the previous month for example, Ipsy does have their offers thing where they do sell the brands they tend to give out at lower prices than the list price and normally as bundles. I do love these things because I may not get the products they offer that I wanted at first place but they do sell them later. For instance, I just got the Bonita Beauty Lips and Tips set since they were giving Bonita Beauty nail polishes this month and with my luck my bag didn’t get one but I did like the set, which came with two lip glosses and two nail polishes for $8 and glad to get that. That was not the only offer I got, I did get the Rob Sheppy pallet from Tini Beauty, which everyone got the Pearl Fizz shadow in February, the Pacifica Solar Pallet, which featured a lot more items than the shadows, and of course the very first Ofra item I ever got and that is the Ofra eye set. BoxyCharm also put up the products from each month to review and for you to buy since there are some things they do give at random which you can click on the item and buy it from the site or see if it’s up for points which makes it greater.
3. Buy Them In Stores! Like a lot of brands, there are times you can find what you don’t get in stores! Trust me, I had this happen where I want something and didn’t get in my bag, it can be easily found at Ulta or Sephora. For instance, I didn’t get the NYX Hot Pot Eye Shadow they gave out in October’s bag and was able to find it in Ulta! What if the locations don’t have it or the color I wanted? There are times that you can just order it online which makes it easier. Plus, even when you like the item you got you can also pick up its full size counterpart there instead of having it in another bag. In the end, if there something you didn’t get in the bag at first, you can just buy it in stores, so please save some timeline space in case this happens.

Latest Complaint: Neutrals! ::record screech:: I know, SAY WHAT NOW!? The latest complaint I seen right as the bag was announced was about neutrals appearing in every bag and asking for colors! I know a lot of us girls like the colors and the neutrals but we can’t always do the color thing. I do admit I have pallets and make up sets with the colors but I do reach for neutrals due to smoky eyes and of course doing neutrals for workplaces are the best thing. I am not bashing on colors but the thing is that this is a sampling service when it comes to Ipsy and Boxy does a lot of neutral stuff too, you can’t really bash on it. I did mention coupon codes and going to buy the products, if you get a product in a neutral color and try it out first and like the feeling of it, you can just go to the website for the make up company or the store it’s carried at and pick up the colors that are made. Plus, the Ipsy Me Offers do provide the full size of other colors of the company’s other items, such as the City Colors set with the 72 shadows and other things as an example and their Golden Girls pallet was sold later on with another range of colors. As said, don’t knock the product due to color, just try it out and if you like the product, buy it in a different one with the coupon code or go to Ulta or Sephora where it might be sold and pick from the color range that way. If the product is not liked, then swap.

Conclusion: In the end, box subscriptions when it comes to beauty is a sampling service. There are some where someone can pick what they want but with Ipsy and BoxyCharm, I do like the idea of trying out higher end stuff and drugstore stuff I haven’t tried before or explore the rest of the range with items I did try before. I also get to see other things that brands make or even brands that I never tried before. If I don’t get something I can just go and buy it, no big deal, especially in another color. I would say, don’t knock unless you try if it’s something you can use or don’t like it. If not, just swap with others they may have it.

What is next for Nerdy Shique Universe? Well, since I got my Ipsy, I will talk about that with BoxyCharm since I’m waiting on that now! And of course, waiting on news about Earth Day Birthday if I get the media passes, which I am still crossing my fingers on it! Til next time!