Allure Beauty Box 2018 Unboxing

I have been subscribed to the Allure Beauty Box for years and I have never had a box arrive so late before......

It all started with a seemingly harmless email asking me if I wanted to update to a yearly subscription with two free boxes. I had just received the September box and had plenty of time before the November billing and shipping period began so I decided to give it a go and get the two free boxes. Everything seemed fine except I the shipping cycle started and I still had not notifications of my box for October. Finally when the month was halfway through and I had no box and no shipping notifications yet I decided to reach out to Allure. To make a frustrating story short after multiple emails and promises of shipping notifications I finally got my box.... on Halloween..... **insert sad whomp whomp noises here**

Even though this box isn't really relevant anymore I still wanted to share it's contents here with you guys. It was a great box; which is kind of a shame because even all the coupon codes that came with the box are now expired. **can you hear the sound of the wailing violins?**

Enough bemoaning from me; lets talk the beauty box. In case this is your first time here, Allure Beauty Box is a monthly subscription service which for a mere $15 (plus tax) will deliver between 5 & 6 sample to deluxe sized products which range from skin care all the way to cosmetic tools. The box is curated by the editors of Allure magazine each month so you can be confident your box will contain great quality items throughout. With that said and without further talk, lets open the October Allure Beauty Box!

Gold Bracelet from BaubleBar (bonus item) 

Let's go ahead and get the freebie out of the way

because no one really cares about this part; I know I don't. Our extra incentive to sign on for the yearly subscription besides the two free boxes was a free bracelet from BaubleBar and let me tell you, I've had experience with them in the past  and they are just as crappy as I remember. This bracelet while kind of cute and dainty is extremely cheap feeling and looking. I fully expect it to break the first time I try to wear it out anywhere. I am glad I didn't pay anyone money for it.... Word to the wise, if you are thinking about trying out BaubleBar just don't; go to Claire's or Charming Charlie's instead, the quality is better.

Hourglass Caution Extreme Lash Mascara in Ultra Black sample size $14

For me very few brands say fancy quite like

Hourglass does. I already love their primer and finishing powders so I was super excited to try out the mascara. It boasts the usual claims of endless length, intense volume and extreme lift; which they claim is achieved by their extra special 4DAmplifier™ mascara wand. We shall see Hourglass, we shall see......
Hourglass is a cruelty free brand and this mascara does not contains sulfates, phthalates or parabens. Fill size is $29 on the Hourglass website.




I am one of those blessed individuals

Hourglass                      Tarte            

who have minimal eyelash needs. My lashes are long and they hold a curl pretty well if I use an eyelash curler and my hair is naturally dark. The only real thing I am looking for in a mascara is volume at the root of the lashes and staying power. For  comparison I have one eye done with the Hourglass mascara and the other is done with my go-to favorite mascara, the Tarte Lights, Cameras, Lashes. Do they look different? Who can really tell? If anything I do find that the Hourglass mascara dries a bit more stiffly so if you need help getting that lift to last this might do it for you. Because of the stiffness the Hourglass side does make my lashes appear to have a tad more length over the Tarte side but just a tad.  

Sunday Riley Good Genes Lactic Acid Treatment sample size 10ml $8

I must admit I was surprised to see more

Sunday Riley products in this months box considering all the fun controversy with their brand recently. I noticed Allure did the same thing with Kat Von D during her anti-vax kerfuffle and I kind of admire that. Show us whats good and well decide if we want to spend our money on it or not.  Sunday Riley is usually out of my price range anyways so either way I wasn't planning on buying their products for myself so I am excited to have the chance to test this out. This product is a purified grade lactic acid treatment that is supposed to work for all skin types and promises to correct and fade dark spots, uneven texture and fine lines/wrinkles. This is a cruelty free product and it contains no sulfates, phthalates or parabens. Full size is 50ml which will set you back only $158.... 

Sunday Riley Ceramic Slip Cleanser deluxe sample 30ml $10

Here we have yet another Sunday

Riley to try out. This product is a foaming gel cleanser that is supposed to be suitable for all skin types and is supposed to pull out impurities while pulling in hydration. It is fragrance free, oil free, cruelty free, vegan, and does not contain sulfates, phthalates or parabens. You can pick up the fill size in 150ml for $35.  While I was reading up on these products I found a quote on the Sephora website claiming that during NY Fashion week Sunday Riley combined 2 parts Good Genes with 1 part Ceramic Slip which is then left on the face for 10 min to create a custom detox facial. I decided I would use this as an opportunity to try out both products in one go.

I tried this magical "flash facial" last night

and I was pleasantly surprised! I didn't expect to notice much of anything and I only had about 5 min to let it sit instead of the 10min Sunday Riley was doing but I still got good results. I applied it to my face after washing off all my makeup and let it sit while I completed the rest of my night time routine. The smell was really nice and reminded me of fresh grated ginger; really bright and citrusy. It dried down on my face during the 5 min but it didn't burn or feel tight. After washing off with warm water & a makeup eraser I did find that my skin felt clean but not stripped and very soft to the touch. These products applied in this way really impressed me and I am looking forward to testing them individually as well. The only sad thing is that these products are so incredibly expensive and using them as a mask in my opinion is just not cost effective. Good Genes is $158 at Sephora which is a price a lot of people these days simply can't afford. I would, however, consider actually purchasing the Ceramic Slip Cleanser if I end up liking it better than my current one. At $35 this is something I would feel a lot more comfortable purchasing.

Yves Saint Laurent Tatouage Couture Matte Liquid Lip Stain sample $14.50 in Rosewood Gang

Nothing says luxury like a lip product

that smells like a sophisticated blend of raspberry and baby wipes. I am sure they only use the finest baby wipe essences in their products though. ;) Jokes about the oh so  luxurious fragrance aside this is supposed to be an ultra matte, high intensity color lip stain with a lightweight naked lip feel. We are supposed to get a comfortable 8 hours of wear from this product. If you like baby wipe lip stains, the full size is $37 from YSL. Colors we could have received in this box were: Rouge Tatouage, Rosewood Gang, Nude Emblem or Singular Taupe.



Application was easy and the baby wipe

freshly applied 9am

smell did vanish quickly. The applicator is the kind with a well on each side which collects the product and the tip is pointed rather than rounded to help with more precise application. One dip was more than enough to apply evenly to the entire lip area, in fact I was worried there might have been too much on there but it turned out to be the perfect amount. It does not feel like a matte lip product at all; none of the drying or crusty feelings one sometimes experiences with a matte lip product. It feels set but it isn't dry, it also isn't smudge proof so do be careful if you tend to touch your mouth or you may end up looking like Heath Ledger's incarnation of the Joker and nobody wants that. **could have been a look for Halloween had the box been on time.... fine, I'll stop being bitter now.** It holds up well to eating despite it not really being smudge proof, you will get lipstick rub off on cups and straws though.
For comparison we have a pic from just after application and one 8 hours later after two meals and several drinks.

End of the day 6:25pm

For the most part it looks alright. There's a good amount of fading but because it is a stain the fading isn't as obvious. My lips are still very comfortable even after putting nothing else on them all day, no touch ups & no lip balm. Sadly this product has an arch nemesis and his name is  "Captain Sandwich". Most of the product came off on the bread and the rest smudged under the bottom lip in an oh so attractive way.  I feel like this smudged a little bit too much for something that is supposed to be a luxury product. But I am willing to overlook this in light of the fact that my lips don't feel at all like sandpaper at the end of the day and I don't foresee needing to scrub my lips to get the remaining product off. I would definitely wear this to work or out having fun and with a touch up after meals I think this would wear really well. I don't think I would spend $37 to buy more though, I can get similar longevity from Revlon Color Stay lip colors which cost around $10 from the drug store. They aren't quite as comfortable but they are just as long wearing and way more affordable.

Caudalie Vinopure Skin Perfecting Serum sample size $7.75

I'm not going to lie, I am a huge fan of

Caudalie products and I love what they do for my skin. This serum appears to be geared more towards those of us who tend to be more oily and have blemishes, clogged pores and blackhead concerns. Natural salicylic acid and grapeseed polyphenols work to clear pores and rosewater is supposed to provide hydration. This serum has no added fragrance but derives its fragrance from the essential oils already present in the formula. Full sized is 30ml for $49 from the Caudalie site. I applied this on the areas of my face that are oily and prone to blackheads and breakouts; mainly the forehead, nose and chin area. It was a very strange texture, it wasn't slimy but it also wasn't the kind of gel texture I was expecting. I would compare it to the feeling of applying egg whites to the face except without the tight/dry feeling. The smell was a very fresh real plant botanical smell which I really enjoy. I will definitely continue to use this and see if I notice any real improvements.  Caudelie is against animal testing but they do sell their wares in mainland China where testing is required by law so purchase as you see fit.

First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream sample 1 oz $6

I am no stranger to First Aid Beauty

and I swear by the Red Clay cleanser for helping me balance out my oily skin from back in my La Brea Tar Pit days. Their Ultra Repair cream is supposed to be good for all skin types but especially dry, distressed or eczema prone skin. Magical  ingredients they specify on their website are  colloidal oatmeal, shea butter, ceramide 3 and their own FAB Antioxidant Booster. Full size is 170.1grams of products for $30 from First Aid Beauty. Since moving out to the Bay Area I have had the worst time with dry, itchy and just unhappy skin so I was interested to see how I might like this. I decided to use it as a hand cream this time and texture is very light; it absorbed into the skin very quickly. Their claim that this won't leave you feeling greasy is true which is something I alway appreciate in any topical product. The smell is not my favorite though... It's very menthol smelling, like Vick's Vaporub or something like that. The smell does fade which is a blessing but I also didn't feel particularly moisturized for very long after I had applied it. The non-greasy aspect is a boon especially if you tend to be typing on keyboards or smart devises often but what's the point if there isn't any lasting moisture. 

BKR Paris Water Balm sample size $9

I only recently started using lip treatments

and I am a huge fan! This particular one isn't the best smelling; it kind of has a faint old lady rose potpourri smell to it. This is no surprise because one of their main ingredients is French Rose which is intended to hydrate and balance skin. This also contains Mediterranean Algae which stimulates collagen & increases hyaluronic acid production. Lastly, they promote their very own Paris Essential Biolipid Complex to plump, soften & decrease moisture loss. Unfortunately, I could not find anything that specifically stated if this brand is cruelty free. Full size is 5.2grams for $22 at Sephora and the BKR Paris sites. I used this product before I went to bed so it could hang out for a while and the rose smell isn't too bad after it is applied and it does fade after a bit. I normally use the Laneige Lip Sleeping mask and this feels really similar to me except that this was less sticky feeling and more smooth, more pleasant on the lips. It also felt like something more substantial, like the difference between  a lotion or an ointment; however, this was not heavy by any means and it did not feel greasy. I feel like the results were pretty similar to the Laneige lip mask though. My lips aren't baby soft the next day but they aren't the sahara desert either. I am happy to use either one especially since the cost between the two is only a difference of $2 on the Sephora website.

Total value of the box: $75.25

They went very skincare heavy this go around which I'm not mad at. I'm a big believer in the idea that if I take the best possible care of my skin, I will get the best wear out of my makeup regardless of the brands I end up using. I am really looking forward to trying these products out further and I hope you enjoyed this look at my ultra late no longer relevant October Allure box. If you are interested in checking out your own hopefully not late & therefore totally relevant box you may do so here. Until the next box or bag, bye!