Allure Beauty Box is a monthly beauty subscription service that sends 5 deluxe sized product samples with a value of at least $50 and is curated by the editors of Allure Magazine, who choose and test the products themselves. It’s $15 a month and if you sign up for a year-long subscription you will pay for 10 boxes and get 2 more boxes for free. All new members will receive a mystery gift that will ship separately from the regular box.
DEAL: Sign up for the Allure Beauty Box and receive a free bonus gift – PLUS save $5 off your first month’s box!
Gone is the glossy red box; my items showed up in a white box with a red bag.
Allure is a magazine of course and so they produce a mini-magazine with all the featured items in the box.
The magazine lists each product, the MSRP of the full-sized product, and where you can find more.
The magazine also tells you how you can use the products in the box.
It even listed coupon codes.
Here is the new beauty bag, which I assume will be in future boxes as well.
It is made of red see-through plastic and has a snap closure. As I was looking at it, trying to see if the bottom would expand (it didn’t) it ended up splitting on the side. Into the trash (or, erm, recycling!) it goes.
Everything in my box!
Amika Soulfood Nourishing Mask ($12) Subscribers either received this mask or a set of mini Beautyblenders. I was ecstatic that I received the conditioner, it’s my favorite!
I have fine hair and use a lot of product during the week. Every Sunday, I use a clarifying shampoo followed by this conditioner. It leaves my hair soft and yet isn’t so heavy to leave it flat. It smells amazing too!
Sunday Riley A+ High-Dose Retinoid Serum ($22.66) There were two products this month from the very popular Sunday Riley brand! This product is meant for normal, dry, combination, or oily skin types.
It has a pump dispenser, which took a whole lot of pumping until product finally came out. Apply in the evening to clean skin and before applying your usual oil or moisturizer. For sensitive skin, apply after moisturizer. If you are new to retinoids, it is suggested that you use this two nights in a row, followed by two nights off. Eventually work up to every other night, and then every night. May help reduce the look of fine lines and wrinkles and improve the appearance of skin.
NCLA Nail Lacquer in Call My Agent ($16) Wow, check out this vibrant nail shade!
The color is described as “bright red cream” and although it’s too bright for my fingers, I am definitely using it on my toes all February long!
This brand is 7-free, which means you won’t find 7 ingredients that may be harmful to our bodies.
Those ingredients are formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin, DBP, toluene, camphor, TPHP, or xylene. The brand aims to bottle up a bit of California vibes and this bright shade will surely have me walking on sunshine for the next somewhat dreary month.
OUAI Haircare Scalp & Body Scrub ($4.31) I think this is the first product I’ve received from Ouai that can be used on my body. The smell is very strong and although it can be used on the scalp as a deep-cleansing product, my dermatologist would not be very happy.
Sugar, sweet almond oil, and coconut oil are a few of the ingredients, plus some fragrance. The scent is called Melrose Place, which Sephora calls “a velvety rich rose fragrance with hints of bergamot, lychee, cedar-wood, and white musk.” I think it has a warm floral scent. It worked pretty well as a body scrub, and was very strong smelling while in use. I skipped the after-shower moisturizer, which was a mistake because it didn’t really leave my skin very soft afterwards. The scent didn’t last long on my skin, which is ok by me as I like to wear perfume anyways.
Sunday Riley C.E.O. Glow Vitamin C + Tumeric Face Oil ($40) is the second full-sized Sunday Riley product that I have received from Allure, and this is a product that won’t be available to the public until March!
Although the main ingredients are listed, I couldn’t find a full list of ingredients, and I am especially looking for alcohol, perfume, and dyes. I try my best to avoid those ingredients on my dry, sensitive skin. That didn’t stop me from trying this luxurious oil but I did reach out to Sunday Riley with my question about ingredients. They responded the next day, and I didn’t see any of those ingredients listed. Red raspberry seed oil, jojoba oil, and cranberry seed oil are some of the first few ingredients, turmeric comes a bit farther down the list.
It has a dropper applicator. I drop oils into my hands and rub them briefly together before distributing over my face and neck. I don’t understand those Instagram videos of people dripping it directly on their face, is it for dramatic effect? Or have I been doing it wrong all of my life? How do you apply serums and oils?
It has an unusual scent. I can’t quite put my finger on it but I’ve smelled a product like this before. It’s not the best smell but it’s tolerable. My skin absorbed it quickly, no need for a separate moisturizer.
Doucce Relentless Matte Lip Crayon in Winterberry ($22) I like this lip crayon, it’s matte and dries quickly on my lips.
According to the Doucce website, the full-sized product comes with a sharpener. I haven’t sharpened mine yet but I have one of those sharpeners with a removable plug to fit larger pencils and expect it to work fine.
I used a lip brush to apply the color in a way that wouldn’t overwhelm my preferred look (I’m not into a bold lip) and it worked very well, and it didn’t migrate outside of my lip line. Swatched below.
Mally Evercolor Shadow Stick Extra in Burnished Bronze ($25) I tried this shadow/primer/liner stick a couple of different ways.
The first time I applied it all over my lid, and thought the color was too dark for my liking. I also made a mess and somehow got it under my eyes, but that’s user error.
The next time I decided to wear a neutral, light base and then applied this to the crease before blending. That was a much more wearable look for me. I tried it under my eyes as a liner and again, it wasn’t for me but that’s just my preference, I prefer a finer line for my eyes.
Here are the eye shadow (top) and lip crayon (bottom) swatched.
What a wonderful box from Allure! I was really happy with all of the products and the bonus nail polish alone was worth more than the price paid for the box! In fact, the total value for this box came out to $141.97! I found a lot in this box to make me happy, including the face oil and especially the hair conditioner!
Have you tried Allure Beauty Box yet? What did you think of this month’s box? Let me know in the comments!
Comments
If I could only keep one sub box it would be Allure. What an excellent box with all high end items. I have used everything I have gotten. Love this box.
Hi Michele! Yes, I agree that they send a lot of high-end items and have you seen the spoilers for July? I can’t wait!
My lip pencil did not have a sharpener, nor could I twist it up. Anyone else try to find a sharpener on theirs?
It’s mentioned in the review that only the full sized pencil has a sharpener. You’ll need to purchase your own (most sharpeners nowadays have a small hole and a larger sized hole for chubby pencils like this).
Frita, when I first encountered a large pencil like this, I carried my shadow stick to Sephora, who helped me find an Anastasia Beverly Hills sharpener for about $6. Just make sure to find one with a pull-out plug, then pull the plug and insert the pencil.
Do you happen to know what the new member gift will be for January? It was my first month getting a box so I wasn’t sure how it worked. It wasn’t in my first box so I’m assuming it will be shipped later? I just can’t seem to find out what the new member gift will be for January!
Loved your review. And I absolutely love this box! I got the beauty blenders instead of the hair mask but I’m ok with that!
They had several different bonus items last month, so it would depend on when you signed up. It does arrive separately and you might need to hassle them a little bit if it doesn’t show up. -Brandy
Ashley, I agree, this was a wonderful box! I’m glad you are happy with your Beautyblenders, I happen to prefer my foundation brush but I am sure they can be used for other things like liquid highlighter. I just REALLY love the Amika conditioner so I was super happy to find it in the box. As for the gift, who knows, I could only find wording that said it is worth $10+, but like Brandy mentioned, keep on them and call them if it’s already been a month since you signed up. CUSTOMER SERVICE CAN BE REACHED AT (800) 274-1603 (that’s from their website!)
Wow excellent review Deb!! This was so thorough and detailed!! I laughed at some parts (hope that was ok) because I understand where you are coming from when it comes to applying products. Thank you again for this awesome review. I really really enjoyed it ?
SnowWhiteTwin, if you are laughing at my posts, then I must be doing it right! As always, thank you for your kind words!