Allure Beauty Box July 2016 Subscription Box Review

Allure Beauty Box is a monthly beauty subscription service that sends deluxe sized product samples and is curated by the editors of Allure Magazine who choose and test the products themselves. It is $15 a month and if you sign up for a year long subscription you will pay for 11 boxes and get the 12th free. The amount of items sent each month varies and you can earn a “referral bonus box” in each month that a friend subscribes using your personal link.

Each box comes with a mini magazine that gives tips on how to use the products, how much the full-sized product costs, and where to purchase. This month’s box was a collaboration with Nordstrom and each item had a corresponding advertisement next to it. There was a calendar of events inside that runs from July 22-August 7 so you can stop by your local Nordstrom and get free samples, gifts, and beauty tips. I plan on going July 31st, aka “Scent Sunday”, since they are offering free perfume samples!

I received 5 products this month: 4 for the face, and 1 makeup item. The items were shipped in a plain brown box that contained a glossy red box inside and there was tissue paper and shredded paper for packing. On the back page of the mini magazine it says you can swing by the Bobbi Brown counter at any Nordstrom store before August 16th and get an exclusive members-only compact foundation sample for free while supplies last. I am not sure how convenient this is for every subscriber though. The nearest Nordstrom is 40 minutes away from my house. In fact, I have never actually been to one before so this gives me a reason to go. (Sephora did a similar scheme with their Play! box recently, where they included an empty sample container and told us to go get a free sample of foundation).

Glamglow Supermud Clearing Treatment ($17.25) is best for normal, oily, or combination skin. I love Glamglow but this product was a little harsh for my aging skin. The smell is strong but I loved it; it contains eucalyptus and licorice plus salicylic acid and kaolin clay to draw out impurities. The mask gets lighter in color as it dries and is supposed to remain dark in areas where you have clogged pores but my mask dried completely with no dark areas within 5 minutes.

Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Synchronized Recovery Complex II ($12.99) is good for most skin types and addresses fine lines, wrinkles, dryness, dullness, and uneven texture. I found this application tip from Sephora, which I plan on putting to use with every serum from now on:

-Apply a drop on each fingertip of one hand.
-Touch fingertips of both hands together.
-Massage serum over face and neck, starting at the center, outward.

There was a slightly weird scent to this product but it faded fast, almost as fast as it took to apply to my skin. It left no residue and after a few minutes I applied a moisturizer.

La Mer The Moisturizing Soft Cream ($18.70) I have never tried La Mer products so I was excited to see this in the box! The Soft Cream is a lighter version of the original Crème de la Mer and has a powdery, old-fashioned scent. Both this and the original contain “Miracle Broth”, which contains kelp and “other natural ingredients” and is supposed to replenish moisture and strengthen skin (I was unable to find an ingredients list). There is no way I would pay $170 an ounce for this but at least I get to feel like a celebrity for the next week or so!

I have received the Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer ($9) in different subscription boxes several times in the last year (and even this month in my Sephora Play! box). Since it is summer I usually skip the primer and stick with my SPF CC cream but I went ahead and did the full-face today. Just squeeze a dime shaped amount onto your fingertips and spread this silky stuff all over (it blends in quickly). I used it over moisturizer and sunscreen and then applied my foundation over it all and everything looked great (and I look a little more pulled together than usual). I was afraid it would pill but nope, it’s all good.

Clinique Chubby Stick Moisturizing Lip Colour Balm in Super Strawberry ($6.80) is perfect for placing in your makeup bag to use for quick mirror-less touch-ups throughout the day. It is a sheer, lightweight balm that offers just a hint of shine. The color is very subtle and gave a light glossiness to my lips but very little tint. No sharpening is necessary since it twists up, which is very convenient. I didn’t notice any taste either, which is a plus since I dislike fragranced lip products.

Here is the Chubby Stick swatched on my arm. I swiped it several times on the top, then only once on the bottom, and the color was pretty much the same both times.

My July Allure Beauty Box had a value of $64.74, which just seems crazy since everything was so small! I love trying new skin care products  that I would not otherwise be able to afford and Allure Beauty Box makes an indulgent yet affordable treat. I will use all of these items up and the Chubby Stick will live in my purse for quite a while.

Have you tried Allure Beauty Box yet? What do you think of the products this month?

Visit Allure Beauty Box to subscribe or find out more!