Allure May Beauty Box Review

For my last “real” post of Celebration May, I wanted to celebrate some changes. It may seem small, but I find that switching out something that I’m stuck in a rut with makes me feel so refreshed. This month, that thing that I was letting go of was…Sephora Play. After several lackluster months after a full year of subscribing, it was time to say goodbye. It sounds dumb when I say it now, but I really hemmed and hawed over it for a long, long time. Cutting the cord was a really a big moment for me, and I’m glad to have done it.

The new thing in my life, because I never can be without a subscription box, is Allure. I was hesitant to talk to about it because I had heard so many mixed things, and I wanted to decide if it was really worth it before I said anything.

So, I got it. I had to deal with customer service. I tried everything, for days and days. Now I’m ready to talk.

Customer Service

 I had some issues with my box right away, and it was a mess. First, my credit card was charged three times, and then they refunded them all and canceled my subscription. I resubscribed, and they double charged me again. Finally, they only refunded one of those, and the box showed up, so we should be good. Customer service was a nightmare. They didn’t ever respond to my emails. I also use an email client that shows read receipts, so I know someone opened them, but never a response. I also called. Each time, I was on hold in excess of an hour, once over two hours. This is ridiculous, and I hated it. But, I had heard such amazing things about the box, so I stuck it out.

Inside my Box

I received five items, plus a special bonus because this was my first box.

The first item was the Wander Beauty Baggage Claim Gold Eye Masks. I received two pairs. They retail for $25 for six pairs, so my two come in at $8.33. They aren’t as thick and gel-like as most of the other undereye patches I’ve used, but are very thin and easy to apply. They definitely made my under eyes feel more moisturized, but I also don’t struggle a ton with dryness there. The gold is completely for the benefit of Instagram, not for any kind of skincare effect. Charles did say that it made me look like a real-life snapchat filter.

The next item was the Kenra Dry Oil Spray, retailing for $19. Mine was half-size, so $9.50. If you’ve been sticking around for a while, you may have seen last year that I had a series of brand collaborations with Kenra. This was one of the products that they sent then, so I’ve had it for a while. If you’re into hairspray, this is a winner. It doesn’t leave that sticky-hard feeling, and you can still touch your hair. I’m not a hairspray user though. My hair is fairly well-behaved these days, so I don’t use it a ton. This one will go to a friend.

I also received the First Aid Beauty Hello Fab Coconut Skin Smoothie Priming Moisturizer. This was a baby sample, but the full-size retails for $28. My sample was worth $4.23. I have a been a long-time supporter of FAB and this is nice. It’s not awesome at moisturizing or priming, but it does an okay job of both. I threw this into the travel bag for our adventures this summer.

Item #4 was the St. Tropez Instant Tan Finishing Gloss. I’m not big on tanning, and I don’t worry much about my “glow”. I’m white, I was born white, I’m going to die white. I don’t feel the need to tan beyond what happens naturally from hiking outside. I love my sunscreen and you can tell. This is reminiscent of a 2009-era body shimmer. It does provide some tint and a lot of shimmer, but it washes off. I can see myself using this on my legs for a night out, or a wedding or something, but not on the daily.

The final normal item in my box was from a brand I hadn’t heard of before. It was the Cle Melting Lip Powder in Desert Rose. It retails for $19.99, and this was full size. This stuff is magic. It’s a powder. It looks like a powder. Then it’s suddenly a liquid and blends out into a beautiful raspberry matte lip. The coverage isn’t awesome. I needed two coats to make it look not patchy. It is a really nice color that I really like wearing. It doesn’t stick around as long as I want. It’s a great 4-hour lipstick, but I’d never trust it for a full day.

My bonus item…so I know it’s the bonus, so I shouldn’t complain, but it’s crappy and I don’t want it. It’s the L’Oreal Elnett Hairspray in a travel size. These retail for like $8, so I’m not mad about the value, but everyone is handing these out and I already mentioned that I don’t use hairspray. Not impressed.

Cost

In terms of cost/benefit, this is a good value for money. The box costs $15 a month, but my total value was at least $50. It also had a nice array of interesting products that I might not pick up for myself.

Verdict

I liked this. I didn’t like all of the items in the box, but I liked that it was something new and different and the items were out of my comfort zone. Based on that, I think that this is worth hanging onto for a little longer, despite the horrible service.

If you’re interested in getting your own, you can check this link here!

What are your current beauty box subscriptions?