April 2014 BDJ Box: A Pixy Exclusive!

It's been a while since I've done an unboxing. Ever since my unexpected late-2013 hiatus, the boxes piled up and I felt too overwhelmed to continue. The queendom suffered. It pained me so much not to share the latest boxes, as it was what got me into blogging in the first place, but you know how when things pile up you get less motivated to get them out of the way? That's what happened.

So instead, I tried to get back into the blogging groove by writing about the first few things that came to mind, as they came to my mind. It's been a slow trickle but I've been a bit more consistent the past few days. Now I'm feeling much more like myself again, having all this time and energy to blog that finally, yes: the SBQ is officially back! Let the trumpets ring, raise the flags and open the gates! We gon' party tonight!

First order of business: a box I got two days ago. Friends and readers, meet the April 2014 BDJ Box:

 

A Pixy exclusive!

I have not heard anything about Pixy Beauty beforehand but the curation card says it's Indonesian-based and Japanese-formulated. I thought it was purely Japanese so I was a little bit confused: the aesthetics didn't really look like the stuff I'd seen from Japan, i.e. Majolica Majorca and Canmake.

Back and Front of the Curation Card

I loved getting a complete box from them. This is a great way to find out the best items the brand has to offer. Is their lipstick worth anything? What if only their foundation is worth my money? Does the mascara seem promising? This way, should I encounter their stall in the future, I'd know which new releases are worth my attention. Getting a whole beauty kit from one brand is just a side bonus :P Just a little bit.... Mmmkay it's a huge deal, too, hahaha!

April 2014 BDJ Box: A Pixy Exclusive

Also completely worth its own mention: I love that this is a relatively unheard-of brand. Ultimately, beauty boxes shouldn't just be a way for us to get freebies of our loved and tested beauty products. I know some people are more obsessed with the thought of paying Php 580* to get thrice of it back through product and somehow "cheating the system." It's not wrong, but this isn't a group-buying program. The main purpose of beauty boxes is to try new things and the true makeup addicts will get disappointed if they keep receiving the old favorites. A good balance of the two should keep both sides pretty happy :)

Here's What's Inside (Sorted by Favorites):

Pixy UV Whitening Two Way Cake Perfect Matte Refill Php 145 / 12g.

Despite being only a refill, this really caught my eye. It's my favorite, mostly because I feel like color cosmetics such as blushes and lipsticks are relatively easier to formulate, and base products like concealer and foundation are much more indicative of a brand's capacity to create good makeup.

I have not swatched this yet so I won't be able to give you guys any impressions, but I love that Pixy cared enough to house the refill in what could pass off as its own compact. I also think that of the three differing foundation shades offered, this should come closest to my own skin tone.

Pixy Waterproof Mascara, Php 260 / 7ml.

Didn't crack this open either, but mascara is also one of my favorite things. I feel pressured having too many mascaras open at once so I try to limit it to two. Currently I'm on Avon Supershock and Fairy Drops. I'm stoked for this one because the curation card previewed the wand and I work best with puffed wands, as opposed to straight wands.

Pixy UV Whitening Two Way Cake Perfect Fit in Golden Beige (SPF 15), Php 275 / 12.2g.

Coming in a close second to matching my shade, I had to relegate the Two Way Cake to just the third spot because I'm pretty certain it'll be too dark. Objectively though, I like the casing, I like the SPF and I like that it's a two-way cake, which can be used damp to achieve more coverage, or powder-dry for more convenience. The shade just kills it a bit, but that just means it could be perfect for someone else!

Pixy Silky Fit Lipstick Satin in 203 Rosy Pink, Php 245 / 3.8g.

I don't need to go overboard with words here. The Satin lipsticks have a perfectly satin finish, and I happened to get the shade Rosy Pink, which is so wearable and looks like a light nude pink against my skin!

Pixy Lasting Matte Lipstick in LM309 Be In Love, Php 325 / 3.8g.

This is a perfect, basic pink, and it applies true-to-shade. I'm having trouble with the camera so it's coming off a little fuschia, but it's really not! I swear it's pink. However, it's not really matte and the finish is pretty similar to the satin variant. I'm not a big fan of mattes but I think if you're going to label it a matte, it should be matte.

Pixy Silky Fit Lipstick Semi Matte in 111 Red Chilli, Php 265 / 3.8g.

Calling it Semi-Matte solves my issue on the three different lipsticks: they all have the same finish. Still, semi-matte is so close to satin that it's almost forgivable. I just don't appreciate the blue-toned red. I'm deathly afraid of them seeing as how warm my skin is. But I'm not afraid to give it a try and am hoping it will open the door to enjoying blue-toned reds :)

Here's all the lipsticks swatched together:

L-R: Rosy Pink (satin,) Be in Love (matte,) Red Chilli (semi-matte)

Pixy Eyeliner in Brown, Php 265 / 1.14g.

Nothing remarkable. I didn't swatch it because I have a lot of pencils right now and am more in need of liquid pen liners. It looks a tad dry but I wouldn't really know 'til I open it up. Either way, brown is a nice, safe color. I especially love brown in pencil form because it's perfect for that can't-place-my-finger-on-it facial improvements.

Pixy Blush On in Carnation Bloom 06, Php 285 / 3.5g.

On the pan, this looks like a punchy coral but it spreads an almost imperceptibly light peach on the skin. It's not obvious just looking at it but it came up really shimmery when I swatched it. I loved that! I find that the tactic of overdosing on shimmer whilst holding back on pigment is perfect for that ethereal Korean flush.

Thin swatch (top) and thick swatch (below) of Pixy Blush in Carnation Bloom

The blush is a little chalky though, and the stiff brush provided makes things worse. Still, I appreciate the compact design. Whether on my vanity or in my retouch kit, I like everything to be cute and tiny.

Pixy Ultimate Makeup Cake, Php 445 / 12.5g.

Description and price-wise, it seems to be the best among the three foundations in this month's box. I just couldn't bring myself to pretend that I liked it enough because it looks so deep on the pan. I didn't even touch it 'cause I'm pretty sure I'll end up giving it away. To whomever it ends up with, hope you can tell me how it fares!

RECAP:

April 2014 BDJ Box ft. Pixy: Curation Card

Box Value: Php 2510 for a subscription fee of Php 580*. That's 4.3x* the subby fee! Beyond the hard numbers though, this box also feels like a success! Everything's in full size, all of the items are manufactured 2014, and the shade selections of the redundant pieces fall into average tastes of a diverse set of people. For foundation, there's light (UV refill), medium (UV full size) and deep (Ultimate Cake). For lipstick, there's pink (matte,) peach (satin) and red (semi matte.) I think it's smart to at least vary the shade selection whenever you have redundant or similar pieces- never hand out two reds or two pinks if there's two lipsticks in the box.

Interestingly, Pixy products are very affordable. Everything in this box is generally in the Php 250 - 300 range, with the most expensive at Php 445 (Ultimate Makeup Cake) and the most affordable at Php 145 (UV Refill.) I'm guessing Pixy is drugstore, supplemented by my observations that most of the items have lightweight packaging and that the pressed stuff is generally chalky. Still, it would be amazing to single out a great find among these items. Who doesn't love discovering over-performing drugstore products?!


*April 15, 7PM: An earlier version of this post misrepresented the sub fee at Php 590. I changed the value ratio to indicate the change. Sorry for the confusion!