Write up of the Write Up: Allure Beauty Box 5/21

I’m big into box subscriptions, but as I do not profess to be a lifestyle blogger and instead blog about anything that has to do with reading or writing, I thought I’d take a different angle with my box subscription. I’m not going to give you a review of the products that came in Allure’s May beauty box; instead I’m giving you a rundown of how these products are written about by Allure’s writers, contributors, and editors.
​
In addition to the products in each month’s box, there is a tiny little magazine with a tiny little column about each product. I almost love these written pieces as much as the products themselves. The metaphors and imagery they use is super cool.

Editorial assistant Talia Gutierrez calls Augustinus Bader The Rich Cream “the Heather’s of the beauty world – an instant cult hit.” This product is very intriguing, because it costs $265 for 50 milliliters. The sample size sent is only 7 milliliters, but still, that means this sample is worth roughly 37 dollars! Apparently one small pump goes a long way, soothes dry skin, and makes skin gleam without leaving behind a white cast. Is it worth the price? I doubt it, but I look forward to using the sample.

I received a full-sized Wander Beauty Sight C-ER Vitamin C Concentrate, and senior beauty editor Dianna Mazzone calls it “the model/actor/singer/songwriter of the beauty world,” meaning that is highly versatile and functional. She says that if it had an Instagram bio, it would mention achievements like being able to hydrate, brighten, and protect skin and reduce wrinkles! I love the personification she used and it’s made me excited about the product. As soon as I’m done with the vitamin C powder that I received in an Allure beauty box a few months ago (another full-sized product), I plan to crack this baby open and find out if it’s too good to be true.

The Josephine Cosmetics Liquid Lipstick in Tiphaine is also full-sized. I don’t get why they call it “tiphaine” – which, as far as I can tell, is simply a female first name. The color of this product is red. With my fair complexion, red lipstick looks clownish on me and I know I won’t be able to carry it off. I probably won’t use this, but I appreciate how staff editor Jihan Forbes writes about how she’s missed wearing lipstick during the pandemic (not much use for lipstick underneath a face mask) and “with lipstick, I feel pulled together and ready to attack the workday.” Maybe her writing will inspire me to wear another lipstick better suited for my pale, pinkish skin tone.

The Belif Moisturizing Eye Bomb is referred to by senior commerce writer Sarah Hahn as “a refreshing drink for my under eyes.” One of the main ingredients is tiger grass, which is also a big ingredient in Dr. Jart’s color correcting cream, which I’ll admit to ordering after using the sample sent to me in another month’s Allure beauty box. So, I look forward to trying this but I also dread it, because it’s $48 for .84 ounces, so there’s a danger in liking this one too much.

The Pulisse Matcha Green Tea Antioxidant Sheet Mask will most likely be thrown in with the rest of my beauty mask collection. I’ve been slowly working my way through them, but if I use one, it’s at night, and this one has caffeine in it, so I’ll have to make a conscious decision to use it in the morning, when I’m often rushed and not in a good place to use a face mask. But assistant beauty editor Angela Trakoshis says this mask makes her skin dewy, and gives “a dose of hydration that makes her makeup go on more seamlessly.” So, maybe I’ll use it when I have a slow morning but a big day ahead of me? Can’t think of when that would be, but who knows?

All in all, I enjoyed reading the little magazine and opening up these products from Allure. It’s not just a box of beauty samples but a box of possibilities, and how these products are written about how everything to do with that.