Everyday Cait

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Allure December 2018

I can’t believe that it’s Christmas Eve today! We’re relaxing at home with dogs and family. I don’t really celebrate Christmas anymore, but Charles does, so I’m happy to join in. We’ll be heading to church tonight for the Christmas eve service, and then we’ll have presents and cinnamon rolls in the morning. It’s exciting, and I can’t wait to spend some quality time with our family and the dogs! That said, getting my Allure Beauty Box every month is a delightful gift to myself, and they keep blowing it out of the water. This month’s box had six months, and was curated by NikkieTutorials! If you don’t know who she is, she’s one of the most popular beauty youtubers, with over eleven million subscribers. She does really over-the-top drag-inspired looks that are amazing, but also are definitely not my thing. I was curious if the things she picked would work for my more-casual style.

Inside my Box

The first item in the box was the one I was most excited about — a mini version of the Juvia’s Place Nubian Palette ($10). This is one of those products that is featured in beauty tutorials on instagram and youtube pretty much constantly, but it’s also one of those products that you have to order directly from them, which has made me hesitate. I have really been loving the consistency of the formula, even if the colors aren’t very interesting. They are mostly warm browns, three shimmers and three mattes. It’s made me feel more confident about trying other shadows from them. I did take this with us for our holiday travels because of its compact size and usable colors.

The second item in the box is the Ofra Highlighter in Everglow ($35). This is a collaboration that Nikkie did with Ofra. I have used lots of products from Ofra, and it’s a true Instagram brand. They aesthetic is pretty, and their products are always trendy. This is a little dark for me, so I couldn’t use all three of the shades, and I’ll be passing it along, but it is pretty! $35 is a little steep for me though.

The next item in the box is the NYX Lip Lingerie in the shade Cabaret Show ($7). This isn’t my shade at all. It’s a deep brown, and it creases like crazy. So, it gives me that puckered anus look. No thanks. I also received the LA Splash Art-Ki-Tekt Waterproof Slim Eyeliner ($14). I’ve had a few issues with this. I wanted to love it. It’s thin and the felt tip is easy to maneuver. It’s also waterproof and super black. Unfortunately, this pen leaks. I am hopefully that I got a dud, but I’m wasting a lot of product right now. On the side, when it says not to shake, that’s apparently very serious.

The last item in the box was the REN Evercalm Overnight Recovery Balm ($8 value). This was so unusual. It has the consistency of vaseline, but then turns into a liquid as I rubbed it into my skin. It really does seem to repair overnight. My skin was notably more moisturized and plumper the next morning after using. I’m really excited to use this on a flight I have coming up, because it seems to me that this would make a huge difference.

There is one more thing in the box, and that was a single Neutrogena Makeup Remover Cleansing Towelette. This is the most wasteful thing I’ve ever heard of. I don’t mind using these, and I buy them in a hundred pack. The idea of all the packaging that goes into wrapping each single wipe is ridiculous. I would never purchase these. One of these retails for 40 cents. They come in a 20 count.

The overall total value of this box is $74.40. I did really like this box. It wasn’t particularly exciting, but it had things that I’m getting good use out of. For $15, this was a good value. If you want your own Allure Beauty Box ($10 to start, $15 each month after!) you can sign up here!