Allure Magazine has a $15 beauty box that is on par with Birchbox, Play!, and Ipsy. They typically include more full-sized product and include beauty, skincare, and makeup tools. I haven't heard great things about their customer service, and there's little-to-no customization, so I'd skipped this one. Over the holidays, however, they ran a "First 6 months for $10 a month" promotion, so I bit. These are my boxes from December & January.
My first Allure box was December 2016. It is a little boring compared to flashier, makeup-focused boxes, but I will use almost everything.
- Coastal Salt & Soul Heavenly Hand Cream in Ocean Gardenia, full size, $10 - Subscribers received one of three scents, and I love mine, but it certainly isn't subtle. I keep this on my bedside table and love how quickly it absorbs with no greasy residue whatsoever.
- Tula Advanced Neck Cream, sample size, $23.50 - I haven't tried this yet; I'm still working on finishing up my only other "neck cream" sample (which is such an unappealing product name. Neck Cream. Ugh). I typically just use my nighttime facial moisturizer on my neck as well, so it's not a high-priority must-try for me.
- Kevin Murphy Anti.Gravity Volumiser, sample size, $8 - Also haven't tried. I have many hair concerns, but the need for volume isn't really one of them.
- beautyblender blender cleanser, sample size, ~$3 - Okay, I haven't tried this either yet but I actually am excited to. I use a Sephora-bar cleanser for my sponges, brushes, and beautyblender, so it'll be nice to compare the two.
- Embryolisse Lait Creme Concentrate, sample size, $2.70 - I'm scared to try this. It gets great reviews but contains mostly mineral oil, which breaks me out. It's supposedly not only a moisturizer, but also a primer and makeup remover.
- European Wax Center Oh My Brow! Highlighter, full size, $19 - I've been going to the European Wax Center near my house for over two years now, but I've never tried their beauty products. I really can't get enough makeup sticks - I love them for my hurried parking lot makeup application mornings. This & the hand cream are my favorite items in the box.
Total Paid: $10
Retail Value: $66.20
The January 2017 Allure box was more my style, in theory. While some of the colors aren't great for me, I like the variety of products
a lot - a sheet mask, exfoliator, dry shampoo, lipstick, an eyeshadow brush & an eyeshadow quad ... one box with basically everything I need to get ready in the morning!
- Dr. Brandt Microdermabrasion Exfoliator, sample-size, $11.85 - I've tried Dr. Brandt's Poredermabasion, but never this product, so I look forward to trying it. It's suppose to be effective for every skin type.
- Biobelle #IWokeUpLikeThis Sheet Mask, full-size, $5 - I love sheet masks, and this one has wild rose & vitamin C.
- Burt's Bees Lipstick in Blush Basin, full-size, $9 - The formula is super creamy and feels soothing & moisturizing on my lips, but I think the color tends a little too warm for my skin and sort of washes me out.
- Sigma Eyeshadow Brush E70, travel size, ? - The full size eyeshadow brushes seem to range from $16-20, but all of the travel mini brushes are free gifts with purchase on Sigma's website, so it's hard to judge the actual value. I'm going to say it's worth $8 since that's half of what a the full-sized brushes are retailing for. I love getting brushes in boxes, especially because I hate cleaning my brushes. :)
- Doucce Eyeshadow Quad, full-size, $35 - The darkest charcoal gray is the only matte shade, the mauve and white are shimmery, and the lighter gray has just a little sparkle. I think these colors are cool and different compared to the neutral browns I typically get in beauty boxes, but I'm also a little nervous about trying them out. Allure has also said they'll be sending out other shades to swap in throughout the year, since this is an adjustable magnetic palette. Cool!
- Oscar Blandi Dry Shampoo, travel-size, $7 - I freaking love getting dry shampoo in beauty boxes. I haven't tried this one yet, but it's supposed to be transparent and smell like sweet lemons, so I'm sure it'll be used up.
Total Paid: $10
Retail Value: $75.85
I apologize for the lack of swatches - I took a boomerang instead and just realized it won't work on Blogger. Whoops! If you're interested, spoilers for the February 2017 box are already out. Check them out!
