Beauty Box Battle: August!

They’re back!

Looking at this month’s subscriptions! 

Last month my winner was Allure, so lets start with that little red box.

Allure Beauty Box

This month’s box contains six samples, along with a code for $30 off at Breda, an online watch company. The samples are:

Caudalie Vinosource Moisturizing Sorbet – I have actually gotten a sample of this before, so I can already say this is a nice moisturizer. It has a light, almost whipped sort of texture, but isn’t so lightweight that you feel like you need more moisturizer an hour later.

Eyeko Skinny Liquid Liner – as you can see, this is a black liquid liner in a pen format. I tested it out with a few strokes on my arm, and found that it is a nice consistent formula, not runny at all, and very opaque, even with light pressure.

 

Laritzy Cosmetics Light Stix in Halo – I feel like we’ve surpassed the peak of highlighter saturation in the beauty market. I have a decent collection and most of them have come from subscription boxes! But this does have a nice, subtle sheen to it, and the stick formula makes it very easy to use.

 

 

 

Nexxus Keraphix Damage Healing Shampoo and Conditioner- These are each considered a separate item, but I’m grouping them together for convenience.  This duo is intended to repair damage  The shampoo is stated as being softening, and the conditioner is supposed to be very smoothing. I try to avoid heat styling my hair, and I hardly ever dye it (I’ve never bleached), so I don’t have a ton of damage to repair, but I may hold on to these for when the weather is colder and I start blow drying occasionally.  However they do have a fairly strong scent in the bottle which put me off a bit, hopefully it doesn’t stay that strong when rinsed.

Laniege Lip Sleeping Mask – As a  big fan of the original Laniege sleeping mask, I was pretty excited to get this! This has a lovely berry scent, and a rich texture that doesn’t feel sticky or overly slippery on the lips. I’ll reach for this anytime I feel like my lips need some extra TLC.

This month’s Allure box is nice, and had one item I was super excited about, and one that I know is good from previous experience. The rest is fine i guess. I will probably never use the code for this watch site, Breda, as I’m not really looking for any watches at the moment.  I’d say this box is a solid B, its good but mostly not exciting for me.

Moving on to that little pink bag, Ipsy!

This month my bag included:

Kaleido Cosmetics Skin Blush in Prom Queen – this is called a blush, but the shade I received, Prom Queen, is actually more of a champagne highlight, as you can see.  Its a nice powder, very smooth, and the effect is a pretty and subtle sheen.

 

 

 

 

Next item is the Billion Dollar Brows Mini Universal Brow Pencil.  Previous “universal” brow colors I’ve received have been a bit more  taupe that this one, this one seems more brown, but since I have brown hair, I think it’ll probably work well for me. I did a few swipes with it (and a squiggle) on this swatch here, and it seems like a nice texture, not too soft, not scratchy.

 

 

I didn’t realize it until I started making this post, but I got another Ofra eyeshadow, just like last month! This month, I got the shade Blue Jeans, which is a rather nice bright blue with a sheen to it.

 

 

 

 

The penultimate item in my bag, and final makeup item in my bag, is Huda Beauty Liquid Matte Lipstick in Trophy Wife. This is a pretty shade but I’m giving the name some side eye.  I’m going to give the benefit of the doubt, and assume its meant in a joking way, but it kind of falls flat for me.

 

 

 

To round out this mostly makeup-filled bag, I got the Hey Honey Take Away The Drama Youth Boosting Honey and Copper Peel Off Mask.  (long name!)  This looks like liquid metal, so I look forward to trying this out and posting the ludicrous selfie I take wearing it.

Overall, I think perhaps Ipsy has gotten the impression that the makeup items are my favorite (i wonder what gave them that idea…*whistles innocently*) as four of my five items are makeup, and they are nice products! I feel like getting a second eyeshadow color from the same line is a bit of a weird selection, when they have so many other items this month that I’ve never tried before. So overall, I think I’ll give this bag a B-, its okay, but not exciting.

And finally, lets open up that little black & white box, Sephora Play:

This month I received:

Make Up Forever Artist Rouge Lipstick in C11. I have already received this shade before, but I think it may have been from Allure? Either way it is a nice soft rose color in a smooth classic lipstick format. I actually wore this shade in a recent look, click here to see that!

 

 

Next up, I got the Benefit Cosmetics Hoola Matte Bronzer. I have seen various makeup artists/beauty gurus praise this product for years! Not being super-into bronzing, I never picked it up, but its always fun to try products that are well-known.  I figure, if its that universally liked, it must be for a good reason! As you can see the swatch is kind of subtle, but in a bronzer, this strikes me as a good thing, I will probably be able to try this without looking like I have dirt on my face!

 

 

The last makeup item I received is the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow gel. (No swatch since it has no color.)  From what I have seen, ABH is known for having the best brow products, so I’ll definitely give this a try. I often wear pencil on my brows, but I never tried setting it, so I look forward to seeing if it helps!

This month’s skin care item is the Origins Original Skin Retexturizing Mask with Rose Clay. This is a 2-in-1 product, which is always fun, it is a mask that finishes as an exfoliator.  I love a good clay mask, so this will definitely get used!

For a hair product this month, I received the Living Proof T.B.D. Multi-Tasking-Styler cream. Its a generous sized sample, and the smell isn’t too strong, so I will definitely see if this can handle my flyaways, and maybe provide some volume.

My final ” bonus” item is once again, foil packets, but this time it is a set. The OUAI Volume Shampoo and Conditioner, which promises to hydrate the hair while adding volume. It sounds like a nice item, but I am not confident these packets contain enough product for my long hair.

Overall, this month is pretty good from Sephora. Sure the bonus item isn’t perfect, but the rest of the items are all pretty solid products, and I received a few things I’m definitely looking forward to getting into. I would give the Sephora box an A.

If you’ve been paying attention, you’ll already know that this makes Sephora Play my August winner! (Sephora last won my battle in June, click here to see that box)

I haven’t been tracking this comparison for very long, but I am curious to see if Sephora continues to be a favorite, or if Allure or Ipsy are going to steal the focus back in coming months.

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