The Allure Fall Must-Have box has been around for quite some time, but this was my first time to try it out for myself and woooooooow....I LOVE it! If you can tell by the name, it's a seasonal box, so it's offered Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter and contains some of Allure's season favorites. The box itself is $39.99 but you also need to pay for shipping and handling as well as tax if applicable, but wait till you see the worth! The only thing about buying this box is that it sells out FAST, so once you hear of when it comes out, write it down on your calendar, set an alarm on your phone, position yourself at your computer 20 minutes before it's supposed to be available and refresh, refresh, refresh every minute or so baby! You won't be sorry! Check out what came in this season's box....
(Click photo for larger view)
SOOOOOOO much to go through! Wowza! I've actually had this box for quite some time and have been slowly going through all the goodies till I had a chance to try everything. Take a deep breathe....let's get started!....
BURT'S BEES
REVITALIZING LIP BALM
REVITALIZING LIP BALM
with Blueberry & Dark Chocolate
"A rejuvenating lip balm infused with Blueberry-Seed Oil and Cocoa Powder - both known for their antioxidant properties - plus conditioning Cocoa-Seed Butter" - burtsbees.com
I have ALWAYS been a fan of Burt's Bees and I absolutely LOVE their lip balms, however, I had never tried this specific one out! Oh my, my, my...I am OBSESSED with it! It smells positively scrumptious, like a decadent dessert! Yummy! and of course, it does a wonderful job of softening and hydrating the lips keeping them moisturized and smooth all day long! (but if you ask me, I'm ALL about the smell!). Also, no, it doesn't TASTE like blueberries and chocolate....don't ask me how I know.
CAROL'S DAUGHTERS
MONOI REPAIRING HAIR MASK
"Experience 96% less breakage after one use! This deeply repairing treatment nourishes your hair from roots to ends, undoing damage and preventing future breakage. #monoimagic" - carolsdaughter.com
This stuff is DIVINE. When they say deep repairing, they mean it! It will smooth and soften your hair like it's nobody's business! It has a deep, rich tropical flower type fragrance that isn't too overpowering and doesn't hang over you after you're hair is dry, but my Hubby LOVES to smell my hair after I use this. My hair is long, so I always have to use a little extra product to coat all my strands, but with this mask I felt like I had to use a bit more than I would have preferred. I can overlook that, though, since it deeply conditions my hair and leaves it shiny, soft and sooooo touchable! It also doesn't weigh your hair down, which is SUCH a plus for me since my hair is so fine and thin. J'adore!
CETAPHIL
DAILYADVANCE LOTION ULTRA HYDRATING
DAILYADVANCE LOTION ULTRA HYDRATING
"This clinically proven, moisturizing formulation provides fast-acting hydration for 24 hours. Apply this noncomedogenic lotion to skin daily for all-over use." - cetaphil.com
I've never particularly been a Cetaphil fan, but I love how ridiculously large this product is! I wouldn't use this for my face, but I think it's fantastic for legs and body. It provides good, rich hydration and covers and spreads well. It's non-comedogenic and fragrance-free which can be great for a lot of ladies out there that just need a basic moisturizer for tons of body coverage that really gets down into the skin to soften. My Hubby used this on me just the other day for a fantastic back and leg rub and I loved it! It wasn't too thin or too thick to spread, it does feel a tad on the greasy side when you use a large amount so it's better to start with one pump, rub it in and add as needed.
GOLDWELL
STYLESIGN MAGIC FINISH HAIRSPRAY
"This radiant gloss hairspray protects and enhances color brilliance with long-lasting hold" - goldwell-northamerica.com
Alas, a dud. Haha, sorry, it's just....probably one of the worst hairsprays for my hair I've ever used. There was literally no hold at all and it definitely did not add any shine. I tried it for my roots, for my all-over hair, for an up-do and as just a shine factor and it didn't hold any volume, just made my hair look a bit dark and wet for the up-do and didn't make any noticeable difference with shine for an all-over look. It was a very, very light hold but on the good side, it didn't leave my hair too crunchy, only lightly so. Any bit that it did hold though didn't last very long....as I said, a bit of a dud for me. Everyone's hair is different though, so it might work better for some people! However, if your hair is fine, wavy and easily weighed down and you're constantly looking for volume, fluff and keeping your waves in your style...this product is probably not for you!
KMS CALIFORNIA
HAIRSTAY ANTI-HUMIDITY SEAL
Now THIS product, on the other hand, I LOVE! It really did add frizz control to my hair! I have a bit of a struggle with frizzing as I tend to plump up my hair with some sassy volumizing products AND prefer to keep my waves in tact....all within a 15 minute styling process (cause let's face it, I take about an hour to an hour and half with my face, makeup, etc.). Just spray this little baby on right after you're done styling, scrunch it in and VOILA! frizz is controlled, hair stays volumized and it even adds a soft, satiny shine without glossing your hair up. It's very lightweight and sprays evenly and if you use it about 10" from your hair it gives you nice coverage. I really recommend this if you're looking for a soft frizz-control product!
NEUTROGENA
OIL-FREE ACNE WASH
"Powerful cleanser plus maximum-strength acne medicine, clinically shown to blast through clogged pores to clear breakouts, treat blackheads, and eliminate excess oil." - neutrogena.com
No WONDER I hear about this product all the time! It IS so awesome! With 2% salicylic acid, it gets down into the skin to rid it of that pesky acne! It did dry my skin out a bit, but I always use a good moisturizer after acne cleansers since they work to dry the skin around the acne. It only takes one pump to completely cover the face with a frothy mixture, in fact, I could get away with half a pump, so this product will last quite a while! It didn't do a whole lot for my cystic acne, but most acne cleansers aren't meant for that, just regular acne on the skin's surface. If you have trouble with acne, I'd recommend trying this product out! I think it's definitely one of the best I've used!
NEUTROGENA
RAPID TONE REPAIR NIGHT MOISTURIZER
"Fastest retinol formula with vitamin C, clinically proven to visibly reduce the look of dark spots and discoloration in just one week." - neutrogena.com
I'm afraid I'm not the best person to review this item as I have neither dark circles nor discoloration on my face as of yet! I tried it for about 5 days and I really didn't notice any difference in my skin whatsoever. It didn't change the redness from my rosacea or brighten my skin to any extent. It moisturized fairly well, but I wasn't overly impressed with the hydration. All in all, just unimpressed unfortunately. As I said though, I may not be the targeted person for this type of product. I'll probably be giving it to a friend or family member who may want it!
NEUTROGENA
TRIPLE MOISTURE
DEEP RECOVERY HAIR MASK
"Intense hair treatment as moisturizing as the leading prestige hair mask - at one-tenth the price." - neutrogena.com
What's hilarious is I've been needing a hair mask for a while and lo and behold, I receive TWO in this box, two in different beauty subs and I purchased one right before! I am now OVERLOADED with hair masks! It's been a lot of fun trying them out though, especially since my hair has been looking a bit damaged lately. This Neutrogena hair mask works excellently! It's a lighter cream compared to others I have used, but easily works through the hair while spreading. I still felt like I used more than I wanted to, though, to make sure all the strands were saturated but luckily the product jar is fairly good sized, however it was still more than I would like. It contains sweet almond oils which you can definitely smell and it is FABULOUS. It's very fresh but lightly sweet and does linger on the hair a bit after washing. Hubby loves smelling my hair after using this product as well! What I really loved about it is how weightless my hair was afterwards, it didn't weigh it down at all, my hair was nice and bouncy afterwards! I even got my babe (aka Mr. Cookie) to try it out and he liked it as well!
PIXI
EYE BRIGHT LINER
"This precision inner-rim liner enhances the whiteness of the eye, giving the illusion of larger, brighter eyes that appear more awake." - pixibeauty.com
When I first looked at this product I though hmmmmm, meh. I use a variety of products to brighten up my eyes, including white eyeshadow on the inner corner, light nude-white shimmer roll-on, white eyeliner, etc. Upon looking at the nude color I felt for sure this would be too dark on me. Then I tried it...
LA ROCHE-POSAY
REDERMIC [R] EYES
DERMATOLOGICAL ANTI-AGING EYE CORRECTOR - INTENSIVE
"A 2011 Allure Best of Beauty Award retinol treatment winning formula,now available for the sensitive eye area. Combines pure retinol + caffeine for visible results against crow's-feet wrinkles and dark circles." - laroche-posay.us
I feel like the worst person for saying this but....I just wasn't....blown away by this. I felt like I SHOULD have been! I've heard SO much about how fantastic La Roche-Posay is and everytime I try a product of theirs I just don't see any difference. It could just be those particular products aren't for me and the skin problems I have? Who knows, but I didn't love this eye cream, no matter how much I used it and I tried it for about 2 weeks with no results or changes whatsoever. It spreads well under the eye, I did not need to pull the delicate skin at all to distribute the product and it did moisturize well, in fact it was a tad thicker than the majority of eye creams. I do not have crow's-feet but I do have bad dark circles often, as well as puffiness and stress wrinkles at times and this did not help with any of my these issues to a great extent. My eyes did stay hydrated through the night till the next morning, but the puffiness did not go down that much, my stress lines were still there when I had them and the dark circles were still apparent. Perhaps this product is better for a more mature woman and perhaps it works extraordinarily well on crow's-feet lines?
REDKEN
ALL SOFT ARGAN-6 OIL
"This one luxurious oil has six amazing uses for achieving silky softness on dry, brittle hair." - redken.com
Redken has to be one of my favorite hair products out there but I'm a bit on the fence with this product. It's a very nice serum formula that isn't too thick but just thin enough to spread easily, however, if you have longer hair like me, you need to use quite a bit for good coverage. Unfortunately, this bottle is quite small! So I'd go through it quicker than I would like to. They do, though, have a larger sized bottle that's three times this size, but I have other products products that I actually enjoy so much more and don't need to use as much of. (I feel so terrible saying that about Redken! I am a lover of all things Redken! Redken, my darling, please do not hold this against me! ::flutters eyelashes::). I'd say this product would be best suited for someone who is looking for just some moisturization and softening just on the tips instead of all over. You could apply this only on the tips right after you style your hair to cut down on frizz, and keep your ends healthy and shiny!
REDKEN
SATINWEAR 02 PREPPING BLOW-DRY LOTION
"Transform hair to silky luxury with a faster, easier, stress-free blow-dry. This protective heat-styling lotion helps reduce breakage. Satinwear also protects hair from heat tools up to 450 degrees." - redken.com
It's so funny, originally when I tried this product, I wasn't impressed, but now I use it every single day! Before I was using a spray from TRESemme before using any heat styling tool but switched over to this and love it so much more! (See Redken, I DO love you!). It easily spreads into the hair, giving good coverage and smells wonderfully fresh. I noticed that my hair looks a bit shinier, feels a bit softer and isn't quite as frizzy compared to not using a thermal prepping product at all. I can totally see what it's called Satinwear! It's definitely the best thermal styling product I've used to date. I have coppery highlights in my hair now and I noticed that they did appear to be a tad brighter from the shine as well. All in all, I highly recommend!
ROC
MULTI CORRECTION NOURISH
STRESS REPAIR EYE CREAM
"This intensely nourishing eye cream is designed to help fight the accelerated signs of aging caused by a stressful lifestyle." - rocskincare.com
Since there were two eye creams that came in this box, I decided to compare them to each other and although I wasn't completely impressed with it, I did prefer this ROC cream to the La Roche-Posay. It gives good moisturization, and does lightly plump the skin under the eyes that helps with fine lines, but it didn't lessen any puffiness which is my main concern since my eyes can get very puffy very quickly. So let's break it down...
Smoothes Wrinkles - yes, not amazingly, but yes, it does a bit.
Nourishes - I'd say it does this relatively well as my skin did feel soft the next morning after nighttime application.
Brightens - this one was a bit more difficult to tell, it did appear my eyes seemed a bit brighter than usual, but since they were still puffy, I wasn't as impressed. I don't think it was near the same level as other under eye brighteners I've tried.
This product seems to either work wonderfully for you or not work on you at all really. I know some people who use this and love it, but even though I preferred it to the La Roche-Posay, I wouldn't repurchase. I've found that serums work much better on my eyes than creams!
SALLY HANSEN
AIRBRUSH LEGS LOTION
in Medium
"Smooth-on Perfect Legs in an Instant! This lightweight, water-resistant formula stays fresh and natural looking all day." - sallyhansen.com
::sigh:: Oh dear....tanning and I just...don't get along. ::giggles:: I am SO pale and so very peaches and cream with my undertone that any tanning looks so odd on me. I will say though, this lotion is very nice! A little goes a long way and it evens out so well with no patchiness or splotching.
SALLY HANSEN
COMPLETE SALON MANICURE
in Mermaid's Tale
"Treat yourself to 7 benefits of a salon manicure in 1 bottle. There are 49 gorgeous shades to fall in love with this season." - sallyhansen.com
Love, love, love, love. Did I mention love? This polish is absolutely gorgeous and I'm so sad that I didn't pick up the fabulousness of the shimmer in these pictures at all! Also, to note, the brush of these Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure bottles are very interesting and from what I can tell, you either love it or you hate it. It has an unusual shovel-shape at the end and is flat when turned one direction, but wide when turned another. With the curved shovel-shape I felt like it was so much easier to accomplish an easier curved line towards my cuticles and I didn't have to turn the brush as much as I typically do. I could just focus on doing my usual three to four swipes of polish straight down!
This picture shows two coats with no top coat, so you can see how shiny the polish is just by itself but with a top coat the richness of the blue deepens a bit. The formula is great, it's easy to apply and spread. You can also continue to brush across what you just applied a few times if you're not completely happy with the glitter placement and the polish won't get tacky and goopy right away like some do. In my opinion, you really won't have to though, as I said, the glitter spreads well with little to no glitter placement necessary. I had no issues with pooling, running or bubbling.
SALLY HANSEN
OUCH-RELIEF WAX STRIP KIT
"Ready to wax without the ouch? Sally Hansen's Pain Relief Technology will get you hair-free and care-free!" - sallyhansen.com
Pain relief! Halleluiah!....or so I thought. Oh noooo, everyone, nonono. I just...Ok...truth time - I have a VERY HIGH pain tolerance. We're talking serious injuries including two herniated discs, sciatica, bone spurs, muscle stripping (yes, it IS exactly what it sounds like, they strip your muscles apart, it is not fun, not at all) and I took it all like a champ. I'm tough, I can take it. Waxing? Um, no. I have tried and tried to do it myself and each time I am in so much agony! I have never had a professional do it and perhaps I should. I can even pluck the hairs one by one off of me and that doesn't bother me, but this is just awful! It comes with two strips with the wax already on, placed together facing each other so you can just peel them apart. It also comes with pain-relief pre-treatment wipes that you swipe on the area you want to wax about 10 minutes before waxing, then you rub the wax strips between your hands to warm the wax up. Press the evil-er-um-strip on the area firmly, then rip it off in the opposite direction of hair growth.
Underarms....THE most PAINFUL thing ever....legs, tolerable....other ::ahem:: areas of the body, not fun in the slightest. Personally, I didn't notice any difference whatsoever with the pre-wax wipes. I've used various different waxing kits and waxing lotions, creams, etc and the wipes just stung and tingled slightly when applied and that's about it for me. Does the product work? To an extent. It did rip out a good bit of hair, but definitely not even 60%. What it DID rip out though was entire hair follicles down to the large roots. It pulled them out like it was nobody's business! I could possibly get over the pain if it ripped out at least 90% of the hair in the area I placed the strip on, but unfortunately, it did not.
The best thing out of the entire packet was the after wax Azulene finishing oil. If you've waxed before, you know how sticky the leftover wax on the skin can be and how uncomfortable it is especially when the skin is raw and hurting. You just apply the oil with a cotton ball or pad and it wipes away the remaining wax, softens the skin and even soothes it slightly. You just finish by lightly rinsing the area.
If you couldn't tell, I won't be repurchasing this product, but let me know what amazing waxing products you might have tried or what luck you've had with this!
SALLY HANSEN
SALON EFFECTS REAL NAIL POLISH STRIPS
in Laced Up
"Get an easy fashion manicure with 40 on-trend patterns to choose from. No dry time. Lasts up to 10 days." - sallyhansen.com
I've tried the Sally Hansen polish strips before, and I think they're fantastic! Not quite the best strips I've ever used but they seriously stay on forever and they are fairly easy to manage. Here is the link to the ones I previously tried for a full review: The Charming Cheshire - Target Beauty Box. I'll definitely be saving these for a special occasion as you can only use them once!
SALLY HANSEN
COMPLETE SALON MANICURE
CUTICLE ERASER + BALM
"Prep your nails with this 2012 Allure Best of Beauty Award Winner. Remove and hydrate dry cuticles in 1 step!" - sallyhansen.com
Isn't this the neatest looking little item? Fascinating. My cuticles are, ::sigh::, well they're not pretty most of the time. They LOVE to be dry, cracked, peeling, etc. This stuff is awesome! It's thicker than a typical hand cream, but very smooth and creamy. You can just dab a little on your fingertip and apply it right to your cuticles and around the sides of the nail as needed. I did notice improvement the very next day after my first application and after a few days my cuticles were looking remarkably better! I love the size of it and how I can just pop it into my purse and pull out during the day if my hands start feeling rough and my cuticles start drying out. Or I can just keep it in a dish on my bedside table and apply before I go to sleep! I only wish it came in other shades as green is not my favorite color. Image how pretty a purple, teal or just white and cream with a black case would be!
SATION POLISH
in Wine-y Happy People
SCHICK
HYDRO SILK RAZOR
"This uniquely designed razor offers an experience beyond a close shave by giving back the moisture shaving can take away." - schick.com
I would constantly purchase the men's mach 3 razors because since I started shaving, women's razors never worked well on me. They didn't give me a close enough shave, or weren't sharp enough and I had to constantly go over the same spot again and again and my hair isn't that thick or dense at all! HOWEVER, I absolutely love this razor! This is the second woman's razor this year that I adore, so the word MUST have gotten out that women were using men's razors all this time, haha! This razor gets close to the skin without irritating the skin as it comes with moiturizing barrier all around the razors. It also has five blades which I love because they get all the little hairs on one swipe. I also love the shape of the handle, I love how it's curved in and is thicker on the bottom for easier grasp. Oh my! I just realized, it's shaped like a woman! OH yeeeeeees, love it! I've always worried that my razor might slip out of my hands during my shower, but with this one...no worries! You must try it. ::wink wink::
SIMPLE
HYDRATING LIGHT MOISTURIZER
"This lightweight formula instantly doubles skin's moisture and leaves skin hydrated and nourished with 12 hours of moisturization." - simpleskincare.com
I have never tried a Simple product, and although it did provide moisture, it wasn't as much as I was hoping for. It's a light, soft moisturizer but it was perfect for applying to the legs right after a shave on a Spring or Summer day or after washing your hands for a light hydration. It's fresh, doesn't have a strong scent, so it's great for a day to day moisturizer. When you need a deeper hydration, though, you would need to switch to something a bit richer.
SKINTIMATE
SKIN THERAPY SENSITIVE SKIN
"This lightly scented formula conditions your skin with soothing aloe and vitamin E." - skintimate.com
I have ALWAYS used Skintimate, even since I first started shaving when I was a pre-teen! It never lets you down! This particular shaving cream smells lovely, although I typically go for the fruit fragrances just cause I LOOOVE them, especially when it has kiwis or blackberries! Mmmmmmm....but this lotionized for sensitive skin is wonderful for younger girls who have more delicate skin or if your skin gets easily irritated. I say if you like Skintimate, to always keep two on hand, one that smells delicious for those days when you want some fun fragrance, and one that's deeply moisturizing and is great for sensitive skin like this one, that way no matter what the weather or occasion, you'll be ready for a fab shave!
GK HAIR PROFESSIONAL
I feel like the worst person for saying this but....I just wasn't....blown away by this. I felt like I SHOULD have been! I've heard SO much about how fantastic La Roche-Posay is and everytime I try a product of theirs I just don't see any difference. It could just be those particular products aren't for me and the skin problems I have? Who knows, but I didn't love this eye cream, no matter how much I used it and I tried it for about 2 weeks with no results or changes whatsoever. It spreads well under the eye, I did not need to pull the delicate skin at all to distribute the product and it did moisturize well, in fact it was a tad thicker than the majority of eye creams. I do not have crow's-feet but I do have bad dark circles often, as well as puffiness and stress wrinkles at times and this did not help with any of my these issues to a great extent. My eyes did stay hydrated through the night till the next morning, but the puffiness did not go down that much, my stress lines were still there when I had them and the dark circles were still apparent. Perhaps this product is better for a more mature woman and perhaps it works extraordinarily well on crow's-feet lines?
REDKEN
ALL SOFT ARGAN-6 OIL
Redken has to be one of my favorite hair products out there but I'm a bit on the fence with this product. It's a very nice serum formula that isn't too thick but just thin enough to spread easily, however, if you have longer hair like me, you need to use quite a bit for good coverage. Unfortunately, this bottle is quite small! So I'd go through it quicker than I would like to. They do, though, have a larger sized bottle that's three times this size, but I have other products products that I actually enjoy so much more and don't need to use as much of. (I feel so terrible saying that about Redken! I am a lover of all things Redken! Redken, my darling, please do not hold this against me! ::flutters eyelashes::). I'd say this product would be best suited for someone who is looking for just some moisturization and softening just on the tips instead of all over. You could apply this only on the tips right after you style your hair to cut down on frizz, and keep your ends healthy and shiny!
REDKEN
SATINWEAR 02 PREPPING BLOW-DRY LOTION
It's so funny, originally when I tried this product, I wasn't impressed, but now I use it every single day! Before I was using a spray from TRESemme before using any heat styling tool but switched over to this and love it so much more! (See Redken, I DO love you!). It easily spreads into the hair, giving good coverage and smells wonderfully fresh. I noticed that my hair looks a bit shinier, feels a bit softer and isn't quite as frizzy compared to not using a thermal prepping product at all. I can totally see what it's called Satinwear! It's definitely the best thermal styling product I've used to date. I have coppery highlights in my hair now and I noticed that they did appear to be a tad brighter from the shine as well. All in all, I highly recommend!
ROC
MULTI CORRECTION NOURISH
STRESS REPAIR EYE CREAM
Since there were two eye creams that came in this box, I decided to compare them to each other and although I wasn't completely impressed with it, I did prefer this ROC cream to the La Roche-Posay. It gives good moisturization, and does lightly plump the skin under the eyes that helps with fine lines, but it didn't lessen any puffiness which is my main concern since my eyes can get very puffy very quickly. So let's break it down...
Smoothes Wrinkles - yes, not amazingly, but yes, it does a bit.
Nourishes - I'd say it does this relatively well as my skin did feel soft the next morning after nighttime application.
Brightens - this one was a bit more difficult to tell, it did appear my eyes seemed a bit brighter than usual, but since they were still puffy, I wasn't as impressed. I don't think it was near the same level as other under eye brighteners I've tried.
This product seems to either work wonderfully for you or not work on you at all really. I know some people who use this and love it, but even though I preferred it to the La Roche-Posay, I wouldn't repurchase. I've found that serums work much better on my eyes than creams!
SALLY HANSEN
AIRBRUSH LEGS LOTION
in Medium
::sigh:: Oh dear....tanning and I just...don't get along. ::giggles:: I am SO pale and so very peaches and cream with my undertone that any tanning looks so odd on me. I will say though, this lotion is very nice! A little goes a long way and it evens out so well with no patchiness or splotching.
Bear in mind, it looks orangey on me because, well, all tanning products do, haha, especially when I compare it to my pink-white skin directly next to it. I tried this same lotion on a friend of mine who has light-to-medium skin with a slightly warm undertone and it looked gorgeous! I used about a pea-sized amount, spread it on just with my fingertips and as you can see it completely covered my entire hand with great light but still warm tan shade that could easily be built up if wanted/needed. You can see that it stayed even on my skin and even softens some lines and discoloration from redness. It was weightless, didn't feel cakey or thick on my skin and it lasted all day until I washed it off with soap at night.
I think this product is great for someone with light-to-medium skin with neutral or warm undertones but if you're pale and peaches like me you may feel this leans a bit orange on you. I do think that the formula is fantastic though, and never went splotchy or rubbed onto my clothing at all!
SALLY HANSEN
COMPLETE SALON MANICURE
in Mermaid's Tale
Love, love, love, love. Did I mention love? This polish is absolutely gorgeous and I'm so sad that I didn't pick up the fabulousness of the shimmer in these pictures at all! Also, to note, the brush of these Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure bottles are very interesting and from what I can tell, you either love it or you hate it. It has an unusual shovel-shape at the end and is flat when turned one direction, but wide when turned another. With the curved shovel-shape I felt like it was so much easier to accomplish an easier curved line towards my cuticles and I didn't have to turn the brush as much as I typically do. I could just focus on doing my usual three to four swipes of polish straight down!
The polish itself is a stunning glitter and color combo. It's has a deep blackened blue jelly base and contains small blue dot glitters as well as green and blue hex glitters. With one coat you get good coverage with the small dot glitters, they space out nicely and they hex glitters aren't elusive, they do spread all over where you apply product, which is wonderful. The jelly is still fairly see through though, so I'd recommend at least two coats for full opacity. With two coats the glitter and dark jelly color combined makes the polish opaque and there is a ton of hex glitter coverage!
SALLY HANSEN
OUCH-RELIEF WAX STRIP KIT
"Ready to wax without the ouch? Sally Hansen's Pain Relief Technology will get you hair-free and care-free!" - sallyhansen.com
Pain relief! Halleluiah!....or so I thought. Oh noooo, everyone, nonono. I just...Ok...truth time - I have a VERY HIGH pain tolerance. We're talking serious injuries including two herniated discs, sciatica, bone spurs, muscle stripping (yes, it IS exactly what it sounds like, they strip your muscles apart, it is not fun, not at all) and I took it all like a champ. I'm tough, I can take it. Waxing? Um, no. I have tried and tried to do it myself and each time I am in so much agony! I have never had a professional do it and perhaps I should. I can even pluck the hairs one by one off of me and that doesn't bother me, but this is just awful! It comes with two strips with the wax already on, placed together facing each other so you can just peel them apart. It also comes with pain-relief pre-treatment wipes that you swipe on the area you want to wax about 10 minutes before waxing, then you rub the wax strips between your hands to warm the wax up. Press the evil-er-um-strip on the area firmly, then rip it off in the opposite direction of hair growth.
Underarms....THE most PAINFUL thing ever....legs, tolerable....other ::ahem:: areas of the body, not fun in the slightest. Personally, I didn't notice any difference whatsoever with the pre-wax wipes. I've used various different waxing kits and waxing lotions, creams, etc and the wipes just stung and tingled slightly when applied and that's about it for me. Does the product work? To an extent. It did rip out a good bit of hair, but definitely not even 60%. What it DID rip out though was entire hair follicles down to the large roots. It pulled them out like it was nobody's business! I could possibly get over the pain if it ripped out at least 90% of the hair in the area I placed the strip on, but unfortunately, it did not.
The best thing out of the entire packet was the after wax Azulene finishing oil. If you've waxed before, you know how sticky the leftover wax on the skin can be and how uncomfortable it is especially when the skin is raw and hurting. You just apply the oil with a cotton ball or pad and it wipes away the remaining wax, softens the skin and even soothes it slightly. You just finish by lightly rinsing the area.
If you couldn't tell, I won't be repurchasing this product, but let me know what amazing waxing products you might have tried or what luck you've had with this!
SALLY HANSEN
SALON EFFECTS REAL NAIL POLISH STRIPS
in Laced Up
"Get an easy fashion manicure with 40 on-trend patterns to choose from. No dry time. Lasts up to 10 days." - sallyhansen.com
I've tried the Sally Hansen polish strips before, and I think they're fantastic! Not quite the best strips I've ever used but they seriously stay on forever and they are fairly easy to manage. Here is the link to the ones I previously tried for a full review: The Charming Cheshire - Target Beauty Box. I'll definitely be saving these for a special occasion as you can only use them once!
SALLY HANSEN
COMPLETE SALON MANICURE
CUTICLE ERASER + BALM
"Prep your nails with this 2012 Allure Best of Beauty Award Winner. Remove and hydrate dry cuticles in 1 step!" - sallyhansen.com
Isn't this the neatest looking little item? Fascinating. My cuticles are, ::sigh::, well they're not pretty most of the time. They LOVE to be dry, cracked, peeling, etc. This stuff is awesome! It's thicker than a typical hand cream, but very smooth and creamy. You can just dab a little on your fingertip and apply it right to your cuticles and around the sides of the nail as needed. I did notice improvement the very next day after my first application and after a few days my cuticles were looking remarkably better! I love the size of it and how I can just pop it into my purse and pull out during the day if my hands start feeling rough and my cuticles start drying out. Or I can just keep it in a dish on my bedside table and apply before I go to sleep! I only wish it came in other shades as green is not my favorite color. Image how pretty a purple, teal or just white and cream with a black case would be!
SATION POLISH
in Wine-y Happy People
I have a few Sation polishes, and they've all been a bit on the thin side, requiring multiple coats...this one was pretty much on the same page. The color is VERY dark, you can only see the purple in the neck of the bottle itself. Unfortunately you can't apply just one coat to keep it light because it's a tad streaky. Once you add two coats it darkens immensely.
This is two coats with no topcoat. As you can see it is DARK, almost black and towards the bottom you can see a hole where it streaked a bit. I did try this a few times on my nails and it did require some finesse to lessen the streaking, but it's a tad watery so it's harder to quickly apply in fewer strokes. All in all, while I would have loved a deep wine color for the season, this polish just isn't my favorite. I do, however, love the glossy finish! If you want a dark, vampy polish and you don't mind applying multiple coats you might like this, but I've tried better ones that are very similar. The other Sation polishes I have than require multiple coats aren't streaky at all, however, so I don't mind applying multiple coats in those cases, but this one misses the mark for me.
SCHICK
HYDRO SILK RAZOR
"This uniquely designed razor offers an experience beyond a close shave by giving back the moisture shaving can take away." - schick.com
I would constantly purchase the men's mach 3 razors because since I started shaving, women's razors never worked well on me. They didn't give me a close enough shave, or weren't sharp enough and I had to constantly go over the same spot again and again and my hair isn't that thick or dense at all! HOWEVER, I absolutely love this razor! This is the second woman's razor this year that I adore, so the word MUST have gotten out that women were using men's razors all this time, haha! This razor gets close to the skin without irritating the skin as it comes with moiturizing barrier all around the razors. It also has five blades which I love because they get all the little hairs on one swipe. I also love the shape of the handle, I love how it's curved in and is thicker on the bottom for easier grasp. Oh my! I just realized, it's shaped like a woman! OH yeeeeeees, love it! I've always worried that my razor might slip out of my hands during my shower, but with this one...no worries! You must try it. ::wink wink::
SIMPLE
HYDRATING LIGHT MOISTURIZER
"This lightweight formula instantly doubles skin's moisture and leaves skin hydrated and nourished with 12 hours of moisturization." - simpleskincare.com
I have never tried a Simple product, and although it did provide moisture, it wasn't as much as I was hoping for. It's a light, soft moisturizer but it was perfect for applying to the legs right after a shave on a Spring or Summer day or after washing your hands for a light hydration. It's fresh, doesn't have a strong scent, so it's great for a day to day moisturizer. When you need a deeper hydration, though, you would need to switch to something a bit richer.
SKINTIMATE
SKIN THERAPY SENSITIVE SKIN
"This lightly scented formula conditions your skin with soothing aloe and vitamin E." - skintimate.com
I have ALWAYS used Skintimate, even since I first started shaving when I was a pre-teen! It never lets you down! This particular shaving cream smells lovely, although I typically go for the fruit fragrances just cause I LOOOVE them, especially when it has kiwis or blackberries! Mmmmmmm....but this lotionized for sensitive skin is wonderful for younger girls who have more delicate skin or if your skin gets easily irritated. I say if you like Skintimate, to always keep two on hand, one that smells delicious for those days when you want some fun fragrance, and one that's deeply moisturizing and is great for sensitive skin like this one, that way no matter what the weather or occasion, you'll be ready for a fab shave!
GK HAIR PROFESSIONAL
SERUM
"Smooths out any flyaways while delivering shine. This concentrated dose of Juvexin creates a protective shield over each strand leaving a soft smooth finish." - gkhair.com
LOOOOOOOVE this serum! To me it smells like warm chocolate syrup...mmmmmmm. I love applying it to my damp hair, it just lightly controls the frizz, contains the strands for the style and did I mention is smells delicious!? It's not a thin serum, but it can easily be worked into the hair and it spreads nicely. It doesn't soften your hair too much, but I can easily get away with using this instead of conditioning my hair to keep it from drying out. It does add a soft satiny shine but not too glossy, which I prefer. A new favorite of mine! I've been using it everyday and it keeps my hair light, weightless, frizzless and gorgeous!
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"Smooths out any flyaways while delivering shine. This concentrated dose of Juvexin creates a protective shield over each strand leaving a soft smooth finish." - gkhair.com
LOOOOOOOVE this serum! To me it smells like warm chocolate syrup...mmmmmmm. I love applying it to my damp hair, it just lightly controls the frizz, contains the strands for the style and did I mention is smells delicious!? It's not a thin serum, but it can easily be worked into the hair and it spreads nicely. It doesn't soften your hair too much, but I can easily get away with using this instead of conditioning my hair to keep it from drying out. It does add a soft satiny shine but not too glossy, which I prefer. A new favorite of mine! I've been using it everyday and it keeps my hair light, weightless, frizzless and gorgeous!
WORTH AND PURCHASE:
1) Burt's Bees Revitalizing Lip Balm with Blueberry & Dark Chocolate - $3.30
2) Carol's Daughters Monoi Repairing Hair Mask - $32
3) Cetaphil DailyAdvance Lotion Ulta Hydrating - $12.29* (average price)
4) Goldwell Stylesign Magic Finish Hairspray - $17.99
5) KMS California Hairstay Anti-Humidity Seal - $17.99
6) Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Wash - $5.49
7) Neutrogena Rapid Tone Repair Night Moisturizer - $20.99
8) Neutrogena Triple Moisture Deep Recovery Hair Mask - $6.99
9) Pixi Eye Bright Liner - $17
10) La Roche-Posay Redermic [R] Eyes - $46.95* (average price)
11) Redken All Soft Argan-6 Oil - $11.99
12) Redken Satinwear 02 Prepping Blow-dry Lotion - $18
13) ROC Multi Correction Nourish Stress Repair Eye Cream - $24.90
14) Sally Hansen Airbrush Legs Lotion in Medium - $12.99
15) Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in Mermaid's Tale - $6.49
16) Sally Hansen Ouch-Relief Wax Strip Set - $8.99
17) Sally Hansen Salon Effects Real Nail Polish Strips in Laced Up - $7
18) Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Cuticle Eraser + Balm - $6.99
19) Sation Polish in Wine-y Happy People - $5
20) Schick Hydro Silk Razor - $10* (average price)
21) Simple Hydrating Light Moisturizer - $8.99
22) Skintimate Skin Therapy Sensitive Skin - $3.79
23) GK Hair Professional Serum - $25
Total Paid for Box - $39.99 + $10 shipping + $4.12 tax = $54.11
Total Worth of Box - $331.12
Well I definitely received excellent worth for what I paid, however, I was a bit irked that some of the items that were worth the most were the items I didn't particularly like. However, I gifted these to some family and friends that have been dying to try them but don't want to spend that much money on them! It's a win-win!
FINALE
I loved going through this box! SO many goodies, and so many potential new favorites, I would love to purchase more Allure Must-Have boxes! I feel like this is a great alternative if you don't want to get a monthly beauty subscription like Ipsy, Birchbox, etc. but still want to get awesome bang for your buck when it comes to beauty products. You can even possibly find some awesome products that you can gift to friends and family! Love it!
Happy Makeuping!
SOOOO much good stuff I can't even ahhhh!!
ReplyDeleteLOL! I think that's pretty much my feelings on it for at least a month! Haha! I kept trying to write my review and my brain would get so jumbled with all the fun stuff I had to say!
DeleteThat's one massive box!
ReplyDeleteHaha, it was indeed! :-D
DeleteYou really can't beat the value of these! The hair masks/serums would have been the highlight of the box for me.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely agree :-) I purchased this around the time I didn't have any hair masks so I was super stoked to receive two! The GK hair serum is AMAZING, I seriously use it everyday <3
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