Allure Beauty Box Review – October 2018

I love makeup! Whether it’s wearing it, purchasing it, or learning about it, makeup and beauty products fascinate me. All the different products, brands, formulas and colors – there is so much to beauty! I’m not sure about you, but I hate purchasing a full-size product, using it and then finding out I HATE it! What’s worse is when you can’t return it after you discover you don’t like it. That’s where the beauty box subscriptions come in handy. You get to try out products and decide for yourself if you like them or not and whether you want to purchase them in the future. If you go to the Sephora site (or even the store), you’ll notice the red “Allure” symbols on various products. These are “Best of Beauty Award Winners” chosen by Allure. Knowing this, I was really excited to start receiving the Allure Beauty Box Subscription Boxes.

Allure’s monthly beauty box offers top-trending, editor-tested makeup and beauty picks with a $50-$90 value for only $15 (plus tax) a box. Within each monthly box, you will receive full and travel-size products selected by Allure experts and a mini-mag with tips, shortcuts, and step-by-steps.

When I first signed up, I received two Allure Beauty Boxes at the same time. This has been one of my favorite subscription boxes (in addition to FabFitFun and PopSugar Must Have). With tax, this beauty box subscription costs $16.09 per month, but I get way more than that in product! I love that these are the same brands I would find at Sephora, Ulta or in the beauty section of department stores like Macy’s and Nordstrom’s. The October Allure Beauty Box was filled with eye-opening, skin-dewifying beauty products, like the Hourglass mascara that makes one Allure editor’s lashes tickle her eyebrows and the gentle Sunday Riley peel that’ll get you glowing faster than a facial. Then there’s the Caudalie serum that ‘s super hydrating – even to the point where you just might skip a moisturizer. Not that you need to since there’s a soothing cream from First Aid Beauty, too! And in honor of Lisa Frank, the team at Allure threw in a pop of color. Let’s check it out!

Hourglass Caution Extreme Lash Mascara in Ultra Black

The Hourglass Caution Extreme Lash Mascara will give your lashes a quick lift and soft, fluttery volume that opens up your eyes and then – just like that – they look more awake. Even the non-sleepy-lidded are into it. “After sweeping the brush through my lashes just once, it looked like I knew how to expertly wield a lash curler – I wondered if my lashes would look like this if I got a lash lift,” says Devon Abelman, a digital beauty reporter at Allure. “Having a triangle-shaped handle helps you easily grip the wand so you can really wiggle the bristles between every tiny hair. On the first coat, the black formula covered my naturally thin, light lashes so well that they appeared longer, too. By the second and third, my lashes started hitting my eyebrows.”

Price: $29

Where to buy it: Hourglasscosmetics.com

Sunday Riley Good Genes Lactic Acid Treatment

Sunday Riley sounds like an indie rock band. And it has a devoted following to match, especially around the Allure offices. The line’s exfoliating lactic acid peel Good Genes is a favorite of Jihan Forbes, the digital hair editor at Allure, who uses it whenever she wants a quick brightness boost. “Yes, it makes your face tingle, but in minutes, your complexion is glowy and dewy,” she says. “I’ll use other lactic acid treatments, but they don’t give me the plumpness and radiance this one does. It is worth every penny.”

Price: $105

Where to buy it: Sundayriley.com

Sunday Riley Ceramic Slip Cleanser

Don’t let the name fool you – Sunday Riley Ceramic Slip Cleanser: This face wash isn’t at all cement-y. The floral-scented cleanser has a liquid consistency that foams just a touch and is infused with detoxifying clay that sucks oil and grime out of pores, which makes it ideal for those with normal and oily skin. “It makes my skin feel soft and clean, without making it tight or dry,” say Sophia Panych, Allure‘s deputy digital beauty director. “My roommate started using mine – she suffers from breakouts along her jaw, and this helped clear them up.”

Price: $35

Where to buy it: Sundayriley.com

Yves Saint Laurent Tatouage Couture Matte Liquid Lip Stain

There’s a reason YSL is YSL – man, do they know makeup. Their matte stain is more opaque than most, so you get a wash of color with serious oomph. The colors – tawnies, berries, and reds – are perfection, and the angled applicator creates the crispest Cupid’s bow, which is tough to achieve with liquid-y formulas. And it’s long-wearing, but somehow, miraculously, it doesn’t dry out lips! I love Yves Saint Laurent Tatouage Couture Matte Liquid Lip Stain and will definitely be buying a full-size version!

**This month’s box includes one of the following shades – Rouge Tatouage, Rosewood Gang, Nude Emblem, or Singular Taupe.

Price: $37

Where to buy it: Yslbeautyus.com

Caudalie Vinopure Skin Perfecting Serum

“I was worried this beta hydroxy acid serum would irritate my skin – it’s been so dry, my chin is peeling – but then it sank in so quickly and felt so hydrating, I didn’t layer a moisturizer on top,” says Taylor Shea, Allure‘s assistant business manager. The gel-like formula of Caudalie Vinopure Skin Perfecting Serum – which smells fresh in a minty, herbal kind of way – contains the anti-oxidant niacinamide to sooth skin immediately and calm redness over time. Plus, it’s got moisturizing sodium hyaluronate along with oil-regulating salicylic acid, so it’s ideal for balancing combination skin. What does all that mean? It clears up flakiness, quiets yawning pores around the nose and cheeks, and is so light, adds Shea, “you can wear it under makeup, no problem.”

Price: $49

Where to buy it: Caudalie.com

First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream

First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream is great with its majorly hydrating shea butter, squalane, and ceramides, this moisturizing cream is about as rich and coddling as they come. “I have sensitive skin, and this is my winter moisturizer. It’s intensely hydrating, so it lasts me through a whole day, frigid winds and all, but it doesn’t clog my pores or make my skin look or feel greasy,” says Shanelle Drakeford, allure.com’s editorial assistant, who also slathers her hands in the stuff, “especially to take care of areas that can get ashy.”

Price: $12 for 2 oz ; $30 for 6 oz

Where to buy it: Firstaidbeauty.com

BKR Paris Water Balm

I love the look and quality of the BKR Paris Water Balm! The pale-pink tint, the simple clear pot – this is, quite possibly, the chicest little lip balm I’ve ever seen. It’s the kind that makeup artists are always using to prep lips: It’s got a thin (i.e., not super waxy) consistency, so you can layer it under lipstick or your new YSL stain, and it’ll keep your lips smooth without causing your color to fade or rub off. By itself, the balm has a subdued sheen and takes care of flaky spots quickly – a few swipes and my lips went from mildly dry to pillowy soft, and they stayed that way until the next morning.

Price: $22

Where to buy it: Mybkr.com

I loved the Allure Beauty Box for October! How about you? Be sure to subscribe HERE for your own Allure Beauty Box!

What is your favorite item in October’s beauty box?