Allure Beauty Box Review – January 2019
I purchased the Allure Beauty Box on my own, but this blog post includes affiliate links.
When it comes to beauty, I love the different products and formulas out there. A great way to try them out is with a beauty subscription box (there are a ton of awesome subscription boxes out there)! One of my favorite beauty subscription boxes is the Allure Beauty Box. I love testing out the different formulas and color combinations in the Allure Beauty Box, as well as learning about the different beauty brands. I don’t know 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 the “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. The Allure Beauty Box is 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.
Allure has changed things up and now the products come in a clear red pouch. Mine was busted on the side, but the Allure Beauty Box team sent me another one in good condition when I emailed them. Some members use this pouch to hold their lipsticks in their purse, while others may use it as a run-around-the-office clutch for their ID, phone and lipstick. In celebration of the new look, all members received a bonus full-size NCLA polish! Let’s check out the January Allure Beauty Box (note: product descriptions as written in booklet included with beauty box)!
MALLY SHADOW STICK EXTRA IN BURNISHED BRONZE
This bronze eye shadow is as versatile as it is sexy. The color is smolder-y perfection – it’s more flattering than a lot of other bronzes because it has fewer red undertones and lots of eye brightening gold flakes. Use it to create bronze smoky eyes without a single brush: Just run the stick back and forth along your upper lash line a few times, then smudge the color up over your lid with a few taps of your ring finger. For a smokier look, fill in your entire lid and diffuse the color up through your crease. Either way, the creamy formula is easy to blend. You can even use it to add a highlight to the center or outer corner of your lid by dabbing it over powder shadow. It looks really great with rich browns.
Price: $25
Where to buy it: Mallybeauty.com
The idea of using the same scrub for your body and scalp is novel, but actually makes a lot of sense. This one works well everywhere because it buffs with sugar, one of the gentlest exfoliators around. It can help make your legs less ashy and gets product buildup off your scalp – and dermatologists say unclogging hair follicles could help new hair grow in healthier. (Use it on wet hair before shampooing, and rinse it our really well.) “This scrub soothes my scalp and doesn’t make my curls feel dry,” says Jihan Forbes, a digital editor at Allure. “The floral smell is absolute heaven.”
Price: $38
Where to buy it: Theouai.com
SUNDAY RILEY C.E.O. GLOW FACE OIL
Face oils are excellent winter-skin saviors, and this brand-new one from Sunday Riley is especially good at turning dull, dry skin dewy. It’s got Vitamin C to brighten, evening primrose oil to hydrate, and a fast-absorbing texture. “I have combination skin with a touch of sensitivity – this oil gives my cheeks a glow and doesn’t clog my T-zone or make it look shiny,” says Sarah Kinonen, a digital editor at Allure. “It’s light enough that I can layer it over my retinol and moisturizer. Putting oil on last seals everything in and keeps my skin hydrated so the retinol doesn’t dry me out.”
Price: $80
Where to buy it: Sephora.com
SUNDAY RILEY A+ HIGH-DOSE RETINOID SERUM
Presenting: Another new Sunday Riley product – this one is a light-weight retinol for smoothing lines and brightening complexions. “I’ve been using it for about a month, and my skin tone is definitely clearer and more even than before,” says Lindsay Sansone, Allure‘s director of social and audience development. To avoid dryness or irritation – both of which are common side effects of potent retinols like this one – use it just once or twice a week to start (ramp up to and layer it over a basic moisturizing cream or under your new face oil. (Don’t use this, or any retinol, if you’re pregnant or breastfeeding.)
Price: $85
Where to buy: Sephora.com
DOUCCE RELENTLESS MATTE LIP CRAYON IN WINTERBERRY
There’s just something that’s so sexy and cozy about putting on a dark berry-red lip color in the winter. You’ll love the deep, saturated shade of this matte crayon. “The color glides on smoothly, and I can use the pencil’s precise, pointed tip to define my Cupid’s bow,” says Madisen Theobald, associate manager of social media at Allure. Tilt your head back to line the very bottom of your lower lip, too, and your lips will appear fuller. “For a more subtle look, I dab the crayon onto the center of my lips, then use my fingertips to blend the creamy formula out to the edges,” says Theobald. It’ll give you a stained Popsicle-lip look that’s easy to wear and superchic (it was all over the spring 2019 runways).
Price: $22
Where to buy it: Doucce.com
AMIKA SOULFOOD NOURISHING MASK
This hair mask is light – so it’s easy to spread – but it’s loaded with hydrating ingredients like jojoba seed oil, panthenol, and sea buckthorn seed oil. “You’re supposed to leave it on for five to seven minutes, but I only had two, and it still left my hair really soft,” says Sophia Panych, Allure‘s deputy digital beauty director (and a woman who bleaches her hair several times a year). “After I blow-dried my hair, it was noticeably smoother and less frizzy. And I really liked the smell – floral, but not overly so. A lot of other floral hair masks smell cheesy.”
Price: $28
Where to buy it: Sephora.com
I think we can all agree that anything mini is adorable. I personally love the Beautyblender and use it every time I apply my foundation and concealer. This tiny version of the Beautyblender (quite possibly the world’s best makeup sponge) is also very practical – you can use it to be really precise about your concealer application. Wet it, wring it out, and use it to tap your usual concealer over shadows around your eyes (that may include the inner and outer corners), redness around your nose, and sunspots. “It’s a little easier to maneuver than a full-size sponge, and it doesn’t streak like fingers can,” says Jessica Chia, Allure‘s executive beauty editor. “I keep one at my desk with a bottle of micellar water to wipe away mascara or eyeliner smudges as the day goes on.”
Price: $18
Where to buy it: Beautyblender.com
Every month, I look forward to receiving the Allure Beauty Box and rarely ever find myself disappointed in its contents. I think it will take some getting used to with the new red pouch, but I can’t wait to see what’s in store for February!
Do you get the Allure Beauty Box?
What was your favorite item in January’s box?
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I have never gotten one. This looks like a really nice box!