LipMonthly October 2015

I've been shopping around for subscription boxes and decided to give LipMonthly a try.   I was reluctant at first--my lipstick drawer is overflowing--but it's such a low pricepoint ( $5 for the first month!) and you receive full sized products.   I couldn't resist.  

Lipmonthly is a monthly subscription box that costs $12.95 month-to-month  ($5 for the first month, discount for purchasing six month or one year subscriptions).   They send 4-5 full sized products and a makeup bag each month with a focus on lip products (from what I can find online, there's frequently one non-lip item included).   There have been some reports of double billing in the past, but I haven't seen that particular complaint recently and (so far) have not experienced it myself.

In my October 2015 Lipmonthly bag, I received three full sized lip products, an eye pencil, and a bag:

 

 

 

 

 

 

They also included this card:

 

 

I compared their prices to the same/similar items on amazon.   I couldn't find the Hikari crayon, the Lord & Berry crayon was on sale for $9.90, and the other two items were both significantly more expensive on amazon, so I'm going to say their listed retail values are fair.

At first glance, I thought I had gotten three lip products that were all similar (non-wearable, for me) shades of red.   For someone who is embracing her inner goth this October, I was seriously disappointed.   I was hoping for purples or other interesting shades.

When I swatched the colors, I realized they weren't quite as similar as I had at first thought--still similar, but at least there was some variation.  

Left to Right--Hikari Crayon in Mandarin, Lord & Berry Crayon in Sensuel, Mica Lip Pot in Velvet Rose

 

The Hikari Crayon color is Mandarin.   I enjoy Hikari products and find them to be good quality.  I've also recently discovered that I really like lip crayons because they tend to be a little more matte--and have a bit more staying power--than traditional lipstick.   This product is well pigmented and you can wear it sheer or build up the color pretty easily.   The formula is a bit drier than most other crayons, but I think it's still moist enough to keep your lips hydrated.  I can't tell you for sure though, because this salmon pink-coral color got washed off almost as quickly as I put it on.   The formula is good, but the color is definitely not for me.  (it also arrived damaged--it looked like the lid had been pushed down too far, even though the lid came off when I removed the pencil from the box.   I actually swatched it from the product in the lid rather than the crayon itself).  

The second crayon is the Lord & Berry crayon lipstick in Sensuel.   I liked this formula even more than the Hikari--SO smooth, highly pigmented, and easy to build.   Again, though, this color--an almost crayon red with pink undertones-- is not for me.   I'm almost certain LipMonthly had me do a color survey, so I was surprised that the colors were so far from what I like.  

The third lip product was Mica Beauty Lip Pot in Velvet Rose.   Mica Beauty is not a brand I've tried before, and the deep burgundy color when I opened the lid made my heart skip a beat.  THIS was more like it--a more vampy red that would be perfect for the spookiest season of the year!!!   Swatched on my hand it was a little redder than I wanted, but I'm a ghost so I thought it would be more burgundy on my lips.  Nope--it's almost-but-not-quite a blood red, a quarter shade too light to be vampy and a tiny bit too pink to be Flapper.   The formula is smooth and a little goes a LONG way--I barely had to load the brush to get serious coverage.   I'll keep this one for sure, and I'll certainly look for more Mica products to try.   I'm just incredibly picky about reds for my lips, and this one was so close to perfect that it was almost infuriating :D.  

My final product was a Pencil Me eye pencil in Amethyst.  I can't help but wonder who chose to put a purple eye pencil in a box with three reds that didn't have even the tiniest drop of purple undertone, but here it is.   I like the color of this pencil, but I would be highly disappointed if I had paid $7 (or amazon's $11!) for it.  It reminds me of the Wet 'n Wild eyeliners that are $1 at the local pharmacy. 

The bag was ok.  It's a durable vinyl-pleather material.   It smells very chemically.  As long as the smell fades I'm sure to use it for something, but it will never be a favorite.  

Overall, the bag was a great value.  However, I really only got the one product (the Mica lip pot) that I consider 'worth it'.   I would have been highly disappointed if I had paid the full $12.95 price for this bag, but for $5 I'm satisfied.    I'll contact customer service about the damaged Hikari Crayon, but that will mostly be so that I can check out their CS--I expect to cancel this subscription before the next one.  

Verdict:   The trial bag at $5 is worth it, but at full price?  There are so many other great subscriptions out there in the $10-$15 range that I'd have to give this one a pass.

Update:   The chemical smell of the bags was consistent through every bag I received.   The smell seemed to go away after I left the bag in a sunny window for a day or two.   These will never be favorite bags of mine, but the heavy vinyl would make them good for carrying things that might get messy.  

I've had to contact customer service a few times, and every time they have been prompt, courteous, and fixed the problem quickly, usually with a replacement product.  I still canceled this subscription, though--I am super picky about lip colors, and this one kept missing the mark for me.   If you like a wider variety of lip colors than I do, you might love this subscription!

***All opinions are my own.  I did not receive any compensation for this review, nor did I receive free products or samples.   There are affiliate links contained in this review.