Is it possible that March reviews will post in the month of March? There’s no way.
Welcome back! Having such a creative end of winter, so adventurous with new products, so many changes happening in my life, and it’s getting warmer and sunnier every day. I’m starting this post on the first day of spring, and hoping to spend this business trip I’m on getting these posts written and edited and up.
I’m staying in a cheap motel about an hour and a half from home and on the border of the next state, because my work week is focused on training at this other store. I’m going to be a certified operator. Hopefully that means a raise and some more authority in my workplace.
Anyway! Time to talk about the Allure Beauty box I received for March, and also the Spotlight on Black Owned Beauty that I purchased alongside it.
The base box I was not happy with. I’m sorry, it just didn’t do much for me. It was full of deluxe sizes and the ones that were full-sized were disappointing mostly. I think I’ll start least to most favorite so I can have something to look forward to writing about. I will say though that the Black Owned Beauty Spotlight was full of some amazing products and I can’t wait to write about those.
Let’s start with the COTZ Flawless Complexion Tinted SPF50 that, despite being tinted, has no shade listed. It’s just tinted towards some random skin color. They’re just assuming you want a tint in that color. So not even that important to talk about color matching or anything.
This is a sample size and I have used it one time. It gummed up my foundation brush so I tried using my fingers, and after applying what I thought was a pretty good amount I saw that there was no difference to my skin tone. Couldn’t even make out the tint. Maybe you don’t use a foundation brush with this sort of product, maybe I’m just dumb.
I do plan to use it on bare skin tomorrow morning – maybe it needs to go on as the only moisturizer, instead of how I applied it over my skincare. But so far, not so good. My brush is completely filthy now and I’m glad I brought my body wash so I can clean it up.
I’ll update before posting if I do find any luck with it, but what a worthless sample to get.
[Update: new day. This morning I pretended that this tinted SPF was the only skincare I was applying and used it like a moisturizer, got it all over my hands, applied it on my skin, etc. The only change I saw is the slightly red look of my skin after applying product, but I do believe this is zero coverage. I went back over it with my Fenty Eaze Drop just to get some evenness to my skin.
I will say that the moisturizing that this thing does is pretty good. Even after all my makeup I can still feel a little bit of the hydration coming through. It still isn’t a good product and I still hate it though.]
Next is the Quick Stick Waterproof Shadow and Liner from Tarte. This one is in the shade Rose Gold Luster for the shadow and Black for the liner.
The shimmery shade is alright, warms up to my skin easily, but it doesn’t pay off enough so I find myself going over it with another shimmer. The black is going to take some time to get used to, it’s very flexible and easy to make a mistake I feel. Doesn’t take any effort to get the pigment down, so it kind of got everywhere and I had to scrap the look. I feel like with some practice I can do a better job.
I have products from Tarte that I swear by, but so far these ain’t it.
Next is another deluxe sample size from the brand Dionis. Isn’t that a Greek god? No that’s Dionysus. Okay so Dionis. The product is their Hand and Body Goat Milk Cream. I don’t hate this product, but it’s not my thing. The fragrance doesn’t match the name at all. I was hoping for something milky, maybe, like milk and honey vibes, but actually it’s a strong gramma smell.
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| Sample sizes that didn’t deserve their own photos imo |
The actual formula is okay, I used it last night to moisturize my hands and arms after a shower. It didn’t stick out to me as anything amazing though, just a typical body cream.
Sorry I don’t have a ton to talk about with some of these, they were tiny and I couldn’t really experiment. Also, it’s hard to find the cost for the deluxe sizes and compare that to other products in full size.
Okay so this next one was a little weird, I got the brand Cetaphil, which I’ve always considered a pharmacy brand – not that there’s anything wrong with that I guess? I don’t know, on one hand they fill the box with products that they think are really good and their editors have tried. But I’m so used to discovering new brands, that this was like getting Clean and Clear or Wet ‘n Wild in my box.
The product is called the Skin Restoring Water Gel. Again, it’s a sample size, and I didn’t get a lot of time to try it out, but this stuff was so refreshing on my skin. Definitely what you’d think when you read “water gel” – light, a little sticky, clear, cooling, just really nice. This is the kind of moisturizer I’d put in the fridge for a hot summer morning.
The packaging doesn’t wow at all because it’s literally the Cetaphil packaging, the white and all the text all over it, all marketing. Not something I’d look at on the shelf at the store and think wow, innovative. But hey, it does the thing, it does feel great.
From here on is like the products I was actually cool with, that I liked at least a little bit. We’ll start with the Mielle Organics Scalp + Hair Strengthening Oil, which has Rosemary and Mint fragrance. This is oilyyyy and I’m already an oilyyyy girl with fine hair, so it’s scary. But I love the fragrance so much and the texture, and I know I can figure out ways to use it that doesn’t gunk up my scalp and my roots. I also like the texture of the oil, and the way it felt on my hand when I tested it.
The packaging is also very pretty – reminds me of a hair oil I’d buy in a Disney movie. I don’t know.
Next! From a brand called Belif, a tiny little pot of something called their Aqua Bomb Overnight Lip Mask. I feel like aqua bomb is so used, right? I’ve heard that title for so many products, serums, moisturizers. Am I imagining it?
FIrst of all the packaging would upset me because it’s so freaking small, but unfortunately I’m a girl and that means the packaging is also so freaking cute omg it’s the size of the tip of my thumb 😍
The actual formula is really nice, it’s a lot like vaseline, but a little less annoying. I used only the tiniest bit the first night and it spread out really nice, it sort of turned into an oil as I moved it around and it felt superb. I woke up the next morning and my lips felt super soft and hydrated. And y’all know I always am having issues with my lips as far as lipsticks and liners go so I’m happy to have found something that can help.
And last up for the base box, a product I liked a lot and was happy to receive, is the Musmasky Vitamin-Infused Eye Serum. I have tried products from this brand before with hits and misses – their after mask serum is specifically designed for after you do a mud mask, and I used to do mudmasks almost every day, and that product was so refreshing and rehydrating. Then again, I also tried one of their undereye masks and that was a liquidy, goopy mess with bits in it that got in my eyes and made a mess and didn’t feel good at all.
So I was a little anxious that I wouldn’t enjoy this one, but I’m really glad I was wrong.
The packaging is the same as every other one of their products, long thin tube with a twist-off cap. I wish their products were in pumps, but it’s not a bad look. The formula is so nice, it’s a yellow gel that’s exactly what you’d want for a thicker serum for under the eyes, especially before bed. I always use way more than I need because I love how it feels and the bottle is plenty big.
Even after only a few days of using it I notice that the skin under my eyes doesn’t look as sagged and my dark circles aren’t as noticeable. I look more awake. So this is definitely something I’m glad I got.
Before I sign off on the base box, I want to say that my very favorite item, the one I just talked about, from this box retails for $28 in the size I received. So for me, even without all these stupid sample sizes of products I can hardly test out, this is still just about worth what I spent on the whole box.
And that’s all! Thank you so much for reading. Look out for my post coming up featuring the Spotlight on Black-Owned Beauty Box I ordered, some more success there.
Talk soon!
Dani