Tag: Benevolent Beauty Box

July’s Benevolent Beauty Box arrived in the mail today!  I have to say, I’m pretty happy with this box yet again.  There’s a good selection of items, and even though the highlighting powder broke in shipping, the product is all still in there, so it’s no loss.  Hey, it’s super hot, the mail carriers don’t exactly treat every box like glass, and  it’s powder anyway, so really, no big deal.  I was able to press the pieces back into the compact, so even though it might not look perfect, it’s still the same product.  The lip glaze was the spoiler product this month and I’m SO SO glad I got the bright red color.  Anyway, before I go on too much, on to the products!

• Mirabella Mineral Highlighting Powder – 7.5 g / $40 – (Full Size Product)  I received the color, “Glowing Coral,” which is a peach sort of tone.  I’m not big into highlighters since I don’t generally do a full-face foundation and this is a touch too sparkly to be using as a highlighter, in my opinion.  However, I think the color would make a great eyeshadow base since it’s just a wee bit lighter than my natural skin tone, so it’s not going to waste!  It did arrive in pieces, but again, with the heat and being jumbled around in shipping, it was bound to happen, but at least it all stayed in the compact and didn’t spill all over and was easy enough to press back into place.
• Makeup Eraser Mini  –  4 pack / $30 – (Single cloth value is $7.50)  I love the idea of a nearly infinitely reuseable and washable cloth for removing makeup, but why does it have to be pink?!  In case you missed it, pink is my least favorite color in the world and I go out of my way to avoid ANYTHING pink.  Still, I’m eager to see if this actually works using just water, no soap, to remove makeup which will be especially great around my eyes since I tend to be super sensitive to nearly everything.  I’ll be sure to post an update here after I have a chance to give it a try!
• Plain Jane Beauty Conceal Stick – 2 mL / $13.95 – (Full Size Product)  I received the shade, “Moonstone,” which is really just a hair too light for me, I think.  It might be okay once we’re back to winter pale, but during peak summer, it’s just a little too light.  It does work though as an under-eye concealer and it contains tea tree oil, so if you’re using it to cover blemishes, it helps to get rid of them at the same time.
• Face Atelier Lip Glaze Petite – 7.5 mL / $17 – (Full Size Product)  I received the color, “Mystique,” which is this beautiful perfect stunner of a red.  It goes on much like lip gloss, but the pigmentation is really incredible and not like a gloss at all.  I’m absolutely loving this, and it’s definitely  my favorite product out of the box.
• Earth’s Beauty Shea & Aloe Lipstick – .14 oz / $15.95 – (Full Size Product)  I received the color, “Summer Quartz,” and it’s a shimmery nude-ish pink that goes on very sheer.  It means it’s a rather nice everyday sort of color that won’t be too much, plus with the moisturizing ingredients, it feels really smooth on.
• Medusa’s Makeup Eyeshadow – 2 g / $8 – (Full Size Product)  I received the color, “Electro Purple,” and hooboy is it purple.  It does go on lightly and isn’t as pigmented as it seems in the container, but it builds up nicely if you want a super crazy purple.  There’s LOTS of glitter in this too!

Overall value is $102.40 for a six item box which is pretty incredible.  The box costs $29.95 for a month-to-month subscription, so the value is  amazing in comparison to the cost.  Super happy this month, looking forward to see what’s in store for August!

My second Benevolent Beauty Box has arrived!  I have to keep reminding myself this is a beauty-only box since I’m used to boxes with a  wider mix of products, but it’s actually really nice to focus on just makeup that’s cruelty free and (mostly) vegan.  I’m not a vegan myself, but when it comes to beauty products, the ingredients in vegan and cruelty-free products tend to be less irritating and easier on my skin.  Anyway!  On to the contents..

• Mineral Hygienics Mineral Bronzer – 28 g / $20 – (Full Size Product)  I received, “Cool Kiss” which is designed for cooler skin tones.  I’m probably a warm skin tone, but I’m fair to light in terms of skin color, so this is definitely the one I’d have selected between the Cool and Warm Kiss colors.  Not pictured is the fact that it has a lockable sifter top.  It comes out a little bit peachy on my skin which actually really looks nice and isn’t too much – most bronzers tend to be far too dark for me, but this one is basically in the goldilocks “just right” zone.  There’s a very subtle shimmer too.  Also included is a coupon for 70% off a mini starter kit from Mineral Hygienics.
• Modern Minerals Eyeshadow – 2 g / $12.50 – (Full Size Product)  The color included was, “Surya,” a shimmery bronze/copper sort of color.  The eyeshadow comes with a sifter cap (not pictured).  This seems to be the “IT” color for this summer, but it’s fine because it’s such a versatile neutral sort of shade and can be paired with lots of different colors or used alone.  It’s such a great color, and it’s a brand new color that isn’t available on the MM website yet!
• Saturated Colour, Colour Switch – 3.5 g / $12 – (Full Size Product)  This was the spoiler product for the month. It’s a creamy white lipstick meant to be used basically like a primer to blend with other lipsticks and give you new options for old colors.  It’s really versatile – more white to really lighten the lipstick, less to make a subtle change.  Completely brilliant.  I can’t wait to try this out on some colors I didn’t really like to see what it can do.
• Terre Mere Matte Lipstick – 4 g / $39 – (Full Size Product)  I received the color, “Someone Special,” which is a neutral sort of color that edges a bit into dusty rose or raisin territory.  More of a fall color than summer, I think, but it’s still a great lipstick.  The formula goes on with a matte finish (not shiny/glossy) but is still creamy and not drying, and is super pigmented.  Really in love with the formula, so even if the color is a wait-till-fall color, I may spring for  one of the other colors (“Backstage” may be calling my name)
• Terre Mere Bronzer Brush – 1 brush / $34 – (Full Size Product)  Holy wow is this brush soft.  I didn’t think a synthetic brush could be this soft, but there it is!  It’s meant to go with the bronzer, and I think the shape and texture is just perfect for applying bronzer.

Total Value comes to $117.50 for a 5 item box!  The box costs $29.95 for a month-to-month subscription, so the value is pretty damn incredible, even at full price.  I’m really loving this box so far and this month was great!  I think the only brand I’d heard of and used before was Modern Minerals, so not only am I getting awesome products, but these are new brands for me too which is exactly what I want from a subscription box.  As always, looking forward to next month!

This is a new subscription for me, the Benevolent Beauty Box!  The first ever box from this company went out last month, so this is their second ever box.  I’m pretty impressed with the value and products they included!  My box arrived Tuesday, May 31st, right at the end of the month as specified.  The box arrived un-taped – there was a shipping label on the bottom, but the top wasn’t taped closed.  Fortunately, nothing escaped from the box!  Inside was a large product sheet with product information and retail values as well as where to find the companies online (websites, twitter, instagram, facebook, etc).  On to the contents!

• Bellapierre HD Makeup Primer – 30 mL / $75 – (Full size product, caveat on value is that it sells for around $30  on amazon)  The ingredients are mostly silicones, and unfortunately, I noticed that it has an ingredient I know irritates my eyes, cyclopentasiloxane.  I think as long as I keep it away from my eyes, it’ll be fine, and I’ll basically not have to buy any sort of primer for the near future since this is HUGE!  It goes on like silk and feels nice and matte to create a good base for makeup.
• Cailyn Pure Lust Extreme Matte Tint – 3.5 g / $19 – (Full size product)  The color I received is, “Hospitable,” a pale dusty rose sort of color.  This absolutely isn’t my sort of thing at all between the color and formula. I gave it a quick try and once it dried, it dried REALLY durable, so durable that I had a hard time removing it between using an oil based makeup remover and finally giving in to a sugar scrub to basically exfoliate it off.  The color is absolutely terrible on me – it ends up fairly closely matching my summer skin color and nearly completely erases the line between my lips and my skin.  On top of that, the formula sinks into every crack and line in my lips and it looks weird to me.  So, this is just not a product I like from the color to the formula.  In a way, I’m glad I got to try it because now I know for sure, but oh man it’s just not me at all.
• Gourmet Body Treats Agrimony Eye Cream – .25 oz / $18 – (Full size product)  Okay, so the size on the website says it’s .25 oz, but the size on the container says .5 oz.  I calculated out the volume (hi, I’m a nerd) and it comes out to .25 oz.  The container may be a .5 oz container, but it’s only half full (which is normal for this type of container), so I’m leaning towards this being .25 oz despite the information on the sticker.  The ingredient list is nice and simple, and even if I’m skeptical that it will have an effect on my dark circles and lines, it’s not something that can do any harm, so I’m okay giving it a try!  There’s no discernible scent, though it is a little greasy and is probably best for using overnight rather than during the day.
• Trust Fund Beauty Lipgasm Lipstick – 3.6 g / $22 (Full size product, value given in product card is $10)  I received the color, “Try to be Nice,” in my box which is a cool lilac purple color.  I  couldn’t find these on the Trust Fund website at all!  The color might be  a little too purple and pastel for me – just a little bit back to red and this would’ve been a nice rich berry, perfectly up my alley.  But purple?  I think that might be a little outside of my color spectrum comfort zone when it comes to lipstick shades.  I think maybe it clashes with my skin tone since I’ve got pretty rosy cheeks and the cool tone of the lipstick just doesn’t look right next to that.  The verdict is out as of yet – I can still use this over lipsticks that are more red or bring it up with a red tinted gloss, so it’s not a total loss I think.  I do like the creamy formula, and it does have a nice scent, smelling sort of fruity and sweet.
• Vapour Organic Mesmerize Eyeliner – .8 g / $20 – (Full size product)  I received the color, “Truffle,” a medium brown.  One end is a pencil that glides on easily and smoothly, and the other end is a smudger tip.  The ingredient list is a perfect, super simple list of oils and waxes which means this won’t irritate my sensitive eyes and is easy to remove.

The value comes out to a whopping $154 for this 5-item box!!  The box costs $29.95 for a single month with discounts for longer subscriptions which means this is an incredible value even at full price.  I probably would’ve liked to have seen something else for variety’s sake instead of getting two lip products in the same box, especially since the one just doesn’t work for me at all.  The rest of it is pretty awesome though, and even if I’m not 100% sold on the Trust Fund color, I do like the formula and may spring for one in a color that better suits me (however, I can’t find them on the Trust Fund website).  Looking forward to see what next month brings!