January Allure Beauty Box Review | Recap + Value | 2021

I wanted to try something a little different with the Allure Beauty Box Unboxing series this year. Instead of simply unboxing the products and writing blurbs largely based off product descriptions, I wanted to actually give my thoughts on each product after using them for a bit. So every month, I’ll do an unboxing. And then the following month, I’ll post a recap of the month before (along with the new box.) Sound good? Good. So how did the products from last month chalk up? Let’s find out in the January Allure Beauty Box Review.

[ makeup ]

True + Luscious Super Moisture Lipstick

I was anticipating more of a rosy tone, but it pulls a little more dirty peach on my lips and against my skin tone. But I think the shade is really pretty. I don’t, however, love the formula. It’s very creamy and comfortable on the lip, which I do like. However, it gets on everything. It doesn’t necessarily move outside of my lip line, but it just transfers onto everything. I also noticed it’s one of those formulas that can tend to be a little drying on the lips. It’s comfortable and really creamy initially, but if I wear it too many days in a row, it is just a little drying. I have other formulas I like better, like the NARS lipsticks*, Bare Minerals lipsticks*, and Bobbi Brown lipsticks* I’ve been loving lately.

The Beauty Crop Blush Duo in Mauve-ulous

I have a lot of thoughts about this blush. And I did from the get go. Let’s start with the formula and the shade. I think this bright mauve shade is beautiful. And while it was intimidating to use on my super fair skin at first, I definitely see how deep skin tones would get on with this. The formula is nice. It’s not my favorite, but it’s not the worse. The powder is very pigmented, so it’s best to work with a light hand. And the cream, while just as pigmented, is very easy to blend out onto the cheeks. I noticed a little bit of patchniess with the cream side, but I could make it work.

Now my real qualm here is the packaging. At first glance, I thought this was a mini size, so I didn’t take off any points. But it’s not. So I think the packaging is … just not at all good. It’s a split pan packaging, which I found incredibly difficult to navigate. For the cream side, it was fine. Because I exclusively used my fingers to apply it. But there was no way I could get my typical blush brush in that tiny powder pan. Not to mention I got powder into the cream. For reference, a cream/powder blush split pan I love is that from Patrick Ta*. The pans are square and large enough for a brush or sponge. Plus there is a protective shield over the cream so powder doesn’t contaminate the formula.

Baseblue Airsponge Full Coverage

Firstly, this ended up being the mini version of the Full Coverage sponge. It wasn’t really an issue, but a note. As for the sponge itself. The mini size is an odd size to me. I enjoy the mini Beauty Blenders* for concealer, highlight, blush, more concentrated application. This is bigger than that. And it’s just a little awkward to use. I imagine the full size would be a really good size for foundation, though.

When dry, the Airsponge feels really velvety and smooth, a lot more so than an original Beauty Blender*. But I just didn’t find I liked how my foundation and concealer looked with this sponge. In terms of offering what it claims, I’d say it does. It definitely helped achieve a fuller coverage look. But when I use a beauty sponge, full coverage isn’t what I’m looking for. Honestly, I very rarely am ever looking for full coverage.

When I grab for a beauty sponge, I really do want it to sheer out the coverage a bit and really mesh the product in with my skin. And other sponges I like allow for a very natural and glowy type of finish. This one just didn’t do that, so I didn’t find myself wanting to reach for it often. However, if you do like a full coverage foundation look, I think you’d like this. And it’s pretty affordable at only $7. But I think I’m going to stick to my Real Techniques sponge* for now.

[ skin ]

Saturday Skin Rub-A-Dub Refining Peel Gel

Hyram might judge me for this product, but I kind of like it. The Tatcha Rice Enzyme powder* is my favorite exfoliator of all time. It’s gentle and makes my skin feel soft and smooth. And this isn’t going to replace it. But I really like this one from Saturday Skin. The blue beads aren’t abrasive, and I don’t think they are damaging the skin.

I have been getting a lot of pilling around my jaw and along the hairline and on my neck, so I was interested to try this out to see if it really would remove dead skin cells from the face. But I tend to feel like anything marketed as you being able to se the dead skill cells sloughing off is kind of gimmicky. I used this on my hand as well as my face, and I didn’t notice very much pilling on my hand; however, I did in those areas I mentioned. Which kind of leads me to believe it IS getting rid of dead skin cells. Either way, it makes my skin feel soft and smooth and isn’t irritating.

L’Occitane Immortelle Reset Huile-en-Serum*

So, in the January Unboxing, I mentioned how the claims on this say results overnight. My initial reaction to this serum? I didn’t see overnight results. And it’s heavily fragranced. So I automatically discredited it as a repurchase in the beginning. But then I finished it.

I still standby my statement. It’s heavily fragranced, so if you’re sensitive to scent, you may want to be reluctant toward this. But the results. It absorbed really quickly into the skin, which I appreciate in a product. And I really did notice my skin looked brighter and more radiant. I started to predominately use this on my forehead, because I noticed a reduction in the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. It almost seemed like that area was becoming a little more firm as well. I honestly think I might repurchase this, because I really did enjoy the results I saw.

[ nails ]

Manime Stick On Gels

I think I had mentioned wanting to do a full review on these gel nail stickers, and I am still going to do that. It’s in the works; I’m still in the testing phases. So I can’t give a lot of info on this yet. But I will say the ordering process was really simple and thorough. What makes these nail stickers different from others is that they are customized to your nails. You send if photos of your nails compared to a credit card (or something the same size,) so that they can custom cut the stickers for the perfect fit. Stay tuned for a full review coming in the next few weeks.

Box Value vs. My Value

So the total box value for January’s Allure Beauty Box was around $107. A reminder: the box costs $23. Definitely not bad. But I wouldn’t have purchased any of this, realistically, had I not been subscribed to the Allure Beauty Box. So what value did I get from January’s box?

I ended up decluttering the Baseblue sponge. I knew I wouldn’t use it and just tossed it. While the blush duo is ok, I’ll probably end up decluttering it as well. I just have other blush products I will reach for me than this one.

As for the products I’ve been enjoying. The Saturday Skin exfoliating product ($28) — I’m enjoying it. Will I repurchase? I don’t know, but I’m most definitely going to use it up. I got all of my value from the L’Occitane serum ($10.) While I don’t love the lipstick ($22) enough to purchase other colors, I will wear it. I’m wearing it today, as I write this. I’d consider that getting value. And finally, I got my value from the Manime credit ($30), because I did use it.

My personal value totaled $85.

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We’re analyzing beauty unboxings a little differently in 2021 as I try to be a more mindful consumer. This post kicks off the new series with the January Allure Beauty Box Review. It’s not enough to only unbox a mystery box of curated goodies. Do they actually work? Do I actually end up using them? That’s what we’re looking at here. Is the box value consistent with my own personal value? In January, it was pretty close. We’ll see how next month pans out.

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