I know, I know. I said after the last Beautycon Box that I wouldn’t be doing this again, but damn if I can’t resist a good deal. They were offering 20% off a year’s subscription plus a free bonus box, so I jumped. I probably shouldn’t have. The bonus box was the same as the Summer 2016 box, and this box? Ehhh. I mean, there are some cute things and stuff I’m interested in, and I’m glad there was a discount so the box only cost me $21.55 including shipping (not counting the bonus box in the subscription cost). At regular price, the annual subscription costs $99 plus $6.99 for shipping per year, making each box about $26.50 which is a pretty good deal when they claim that each box is worth over $100. If you’re going cycle-by-cycle, the cost is $35.99 per quarterly box.
Anyway, this month’s box was curated by Angel Merino and MakeupShayla, two makeup artists that I really don’t know much about to be honest, so I didn’t know what to expect. They don’t seem to do a lot of press or updates about what’s going to be in the box before it ships which is a little weird. I like having some advance notice, and it would be nice to have the option to skip a cycle if the curators aren’t ones I’m interested in, or if the spoiler products are just not my thing.
- Milani Bella Eyes Gel Powder Eyeshadow – 1.4 g / $4.99 – (Full Size Product) I received the color, “Bella Caffe,” which is listed as an ash-brown satin matte and advertised as vegan. It doesn’t seem particularly heavily pigmented, but it will make for a great all-over base eye color since it’s just a wee bit darker than my skin tone. It goes on evenly and is pretty nice given the cost. The compact feels a little cheap and like it would shatter into a million pieces if dropped on a tile floor though.
- Luxie Large Angled Face Brush – 1 brush / $16 – (Full Size Product) The brush is a “rose gold” color which is really code for pink (eew, pink). Cruelty free bristles, and it’s fairly soft for being synthetic. The angle is perfect for blush or contouring.
- OFRA Liquid Lipstick – 8 g / $19.90 – (Full Size Product) The color I received is, “Mocha,” a warm darker neutral color. The first thing that jumped out at me was the pleasant vanilla scent. In the tube, I didn’t think the color would work for me at all, but it’s honestly just right for Fall – not too flashy, not too dark, really just right. The formula is a cream that takes a little bit to set – you’re not supposed to eat/drink for 15 minutes after applying – but it does last and doesn’t feel sticky or too dry after it’s set. I’m honestly much more impressed than I thought I would be at first! There’s a coupon code on the tube for 30% off OFRA products on their website.
- The BrowGal Highlighter Pencil – 6 g / $20 – (Full Size Product) I received the Gold/Nude variant, but it sounds like the Cherub/Champagne would’ve been a better fit for my fair skin. The color is definitely too yellow and dark for my skin tone, but I guess I could use it as an eyeshadow stick or eyeliner pencil? The formula is nice – it glides on easily and blends well. The gold isn’t too flashy either. I think maybe with a really light hand, I could make this work, but it’s just not quite the right set of colors for me.
- Mystic Tan Mocha-Kyssed Bronzer Lotion – 6 oz / $35 – (Product is 1 oz, value of $5.83 by volume) Did I mention how I’m Fair McPalerson? I don’t bronze or tan (deliberately anyway), ever ever ever. Pale is a beautiful skin tone and I have no need to make myself into something I’m just not. Beyond that, this is WAY WAY WAY MILES too dark for my skin – I did give it a test in fairness, but it shows up as an awful dark fake brown-orange on my skin and it smells terrible, like they over-perfumed it to cover up the chemical smell that self tanners usually have. I’m not quite sure why we’re getting bronzer when it’s September either.
- Simple Cleansing Wipes – 25 ct / $4.49 – (Product is 7 wipes, value of $1.25 by volume) I like the idea of these for on the go, but most times I’d rather just wash my face to make sure I’ve gotten all my makeup off. I like that they’re formulated for sensitive skin and all, so I may have to stash these in my travel bag, but they’re not something I’d use every day. There were also coupons included in the packet for other Simple products.
- Jouer Lip Enhancer – 10 mL / $16 – (Product is 4.5 mL, value of $7.20) The website says that for optimal results, apply 3 times a day for 29 days. I’m not quite sure there’s enough product in the tube to really do that, but I appreciate that they’re up front about how long it takes for the product to work. It’s heavily perfumed and not in a good way – it’s like putting grandma’s perfume on your lips and it’s slightly irritating to smell right below your nose. It didn’t make my lips tingle, nor was there any visible effect right away. It didn’t feel too sticky though and may be something I could use as a night treatment like they suggest on their website.
- Duo Eyelash Adhesive – .25 oz / $5.99 – (Product is .09 oz, value of $2.15 by volume) No parabens, so that’s good. I’m going to wait to try this with the lashes when I have a big night out.
- Flutter Lashes – 1 set / $10.96 – (Full Size Product) The set sent out was, “iSlay,” as created by MakeupShayla. I have pretty thin and short lashes, so this is miles longer than what I’m used to – even for falsies, I go fairly conservative. I guess they’ll work for Halloween or masquerade parties, but for everyday type use? Wayyy too much for me.
- Sugarfina Gummy Lips – 1.2 oz / $2.50 – (Taster Size Product) These are 5 little sour gummy lips, and a fun thing to include in the box. I LOOOOVE sour gummy candy, so needless to say these disappeared pretty quickly!
- Laser Kitten Pin – 1 pin / $12 – (Full Size Product) It’s cute! It’ll probably end up on my knitting bag like the rest of my pins. I do like having a few non-makeup items in the box to round things out.
Also included was a sticker sheet and the product card/curator portrait. I can’t really assign a dollar value to those since I kind of think of them as bonuses. So, the total value, by my calculations, comes out to $102.78 which is just over the advertised $100 value. The brush, lipstick, and eyeshadow are nice, but the rest of the box really doesn’t thrill me much. The cost of the box is covered, but I’m really just kind of lukewarm about this box – there’s nothing really thrilling, no big, major, hot, or popular cosmetics brands, no items that are on everyone’s WANT list, no new or exclusive items that you can’t get anywhere else. For a quarterly box that has time to put together something spectacular and do some fun collaborations, this one keeps falling short. Honestly? I should’ve gone with the Vegan Cuts quarterly box instead!