Allure Beauty Box April 2016

Because I was out of town for the past few weeks for rotations, I didn't have a chance to review my box until now. I came back this past weekend to both the Allure and Sephora April beauty boxes and I'm definitely liking the contents of the latter better.  I'm holding out on next month's boxes to make my final decision but I'm finding most of Allure's products to be things I could do without.  What really turned me off, though, was their customer service when I reached out about my broken perfume bottle.


Anyways, the theme of this month's box was "Up Close and Personal", and I felt like the items were pretty appropriate (a primer, anti-frizz serum, non-feathering lipliner, and body oil, which...I guess smells good for anyone that comes close to you?)

1) DDF Wrinkle Resist Plus Pore Minimizer Moisturizing Serum

I'll admit - I've been known to try a few ridiculous beauty products in the past but I just can't get myself to get behind this whole anti-wrinkle, magic potion stuff.  Definitely not when it costs close to a $100 for less than 2 ounces (well, $85, but close enough). The product claims to "fill in pores...[and] diminish fine lines over time." I haven't used it long enough to speak to that, but if you're trying to find cheaper/equally effective moisturizers and retinol for hyperpigmentation, there's plenty of options. I highly highly recommend this Belif Aqua Bomb moisturizer, as well as the fairly affordable Aveeno Clear Complexion Daily Moisturizer and CeraVe Facial Moisturizing Lotion (AM) (which is on sale right now at Target!). I've used all three and have seen a noticeable difference in my skin.  For hyperpigmentation and scarring, I would check out Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Peel Pads (Sephora tends to have a few samples you can try out when you make a purchase online).
Needless to say, this moisturizing serum is sitting untouched on my dresser at the moment.

2) Fekkai Brilliant Glossing Styling Creme

Moving to the South has wreaked havoc on my hair.  Especially in the summer, the humidity makes my hair incredibly difficult to style and nine times out of ten I give up and just keep it in a bun.  To make matters worse, I've continuously been dyeing my hair so that's just added to the frizziness. As such, I was excited to try out this styling creme and was not disappointed. It smells great (I received the "olive oil" scent) and I definitely noticed a difference when I applied it to my hair and went out immediately after.  I avoid most styling products because I hate how heavy and greasy they make my hair feel, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that this product didn't have that.  The size of the sample isn't very big but a little goes a long way and I still have a reasonable amount left even with (near) daily use. If you're suffering from constant bad hair days courtesy of this weather, I would give this a try.

3) L'Occitane Almond Shower Oil



Speaking of amazing scents, I loved this! I was initially a little hesitant because I've tried shower oils in the past and I hated how greasy they left me feeling.  I didn't experience that at all with this, however.  It leaves skin feeling soft and adequately moisturized; I didn't feel like I had to run out of the shower and immediately lather myself up in lotion.  The one thing I will say (because I "wasted" quite a bit of product before I realized...whoops!) is, don't expect it to lather as much as your typical body washes; there's just a "subtle lather" (as Allure explains it).

4) Mally Evercolor Shaping Lip Pencil in "Frisky Fuchsia"



Lip pencils especially in any shade of pink is something I could do without.  Between all my other lip liners, lipsticks, lip stains, and lip glosses, I have the entire pink spectrum covered.  Regardless, I tried this lip pencil to see how I liked it.  I ended up using it all over my lip as a subtle pink lipcolor instead of as a traditional lip liner and it was alright.  I agree that it doesn't feather, but I didn't find it to be all that "long-wearing".  A few hours of studying and a cup of coffee later, and there wasn't a hint of pink left on my lips.
Another thing: I cannot find this product anywhere online so I'm not able to find very many specifics and I'm not sure how someone would even order this if they ended up loving it. Allure states that the liners are priced at $26 for a 3 piece set and that there are eight shades of pink and red, but like I said, I can't verify that.

With that pricing and limitation of shades (oh yeah, and the general inability to find this product at all), I would skip this and stick with Nyx and Colourpop Cosmetics for lip liners.

5) L'Oreal Paris Voluminous Original Mascara


This was a full-sized product in the April box.  According to its packaging, the mascara claims to make lashes "5x fuller" which I didn't notice.  Longer, yes.  Fuller, no.  I've always heard that drug store mascara is highly underrated but the sheer number of options gives me anxiety so I stick to my deluxe samples from Sephora.  I was hoping this mascara would be "The One" but, nope. Also, this is definitely not water-proof, which I learned the hard way when I proceeded to splash water on my face and immediately looked like a raccoon.

6) Bvlgari Goldea


I really don't have much to say about this besides the fact that I can attest to the fact that it smells good (though slightly overwhelming) even when it's leaked all over the box the products all arrived in.  The packaging, you would think, would hold up well because it definitely isn't the flimsiest bottle I've seen. I was wrong.