Allure Beauty Box (January 2016)

*UNLIKE MANY OF MY PREVIOUS BOXES, IN ORDER TO CATCH UP, THIS WILL ONLY BE AN UNBOXING UNLESS THERE'S SOMETHING EASY TO REVIEW*

Allure Beauty Box is one of my favorite subscription services. A little background:

"Allure editors uncover the most noteworthy beauty products on the market, from hair and makeup to skin care, fragrance, and more. Then, they personally try and review each product, hand-selecting the ones they love — and know you'll love, too. And finally, here comes the fun: a glossy red box is delivered directly to your doorstep filled with the expert-approved products that are sure to become your new favorites."

Here's what's included:

• Five to seven deluxe-size beauty samples—so you can use each one more than once
• Curated mix of skin, hair, and makeup products, as well as fragrance
• Allure mini-mag, packed with in-depth beauty sample product reviews written by Allure editors

I really dig the mini-mag. Very professional and so much information on the products! Definitely the best, most descriptive tool I've seen in any box. Each page has a "What It Is," "How It Looks/Feels," "Why We Like It" and the retail price of the full-sized item. Some products have a "What It Does," as well as a "Key Ingredients" list. A lot of people have allergies or find certain ingredients affect their skin in negative ways, so I think this bonus information is great.

Here's what I received:

DHC Deep Cleansing Oil (1oz, ~$4.18) - A gentle, oil-based facial cleanser for normal to dry skin. When massaged in, the water-soluble formula binds to dirt and dissolves makeup - even waterproof mascara - without stripping skin or leaving behind a greasy sheen. The fragrance-free cleanser is satisfyingly slippery and transforms into a cloudy white fluid as you rinse.

DERMA E Hydrating Night Creme (0.5oz, ~$7.38) - A rich face cream. Intensely moisturizes without making skin feel smothered. This cream has the consistency of a lotion and a faint scent of fresh apricots.

I'm not much for oil cleansers so I'll be passing on to someone who needs it. I've used this night cream or a variation of from Goodebox. It is what it says... light, fresh, and with this slightest scent of something similar to apricot. It's a pleasant as a hand or body lotion, but I'll stick to my kbeauty for my facial care.

ERNO LASZLO Transphuse Eye Refiner (.03oz, $6.30) - An eye cream that plumps up dry, blah skin. Decreases the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles around the eyes as it moisturizes like crazy. 

MALLY Evercolor Starlight Waterproof Liner in Black Navy (0.04oz, $20.00 FULL-SIZE) - A deep blue waterproof gel eyeliner with a built-in brush. The buttery liner glides on without tugging, and the tapered brush makes blending a breeze. The dark navy hue is also the perfect shade of, "Is that black?" No, it's blue.

Once again, the eye refiner I'm sure is wonderful, like all Erno Laszlo products but I already have an eye cream that suits me. The eyeliner is not my color. Had it been black, I probably would have tried it. These two items will make my friends very happy.

TRUST FUND BEAUTY Nail Polish in Champagne Problems (0.57oz, $15.00 FULL-SIZE) - A glittery metallic gold nail polish that's five-free. Most sparkly polishes deposit approximately two flecks of glitter with each swipe, but this thick creamy formula coats nail with an opaque smattering of golden glitz. And the rich hue you see in the bottle ends up drying to a soft, muted luster, so nail look less Studio 54 and more candlelit cocktail hour. One coat will nails, but the testers found that two coats fared better in a weeklong chip test.

SKINN COSMETICS Caviar Lip Cream in Ruby (0.18oz, $22.00 FULL-SIZE) - A liquid lip color in candy-apple red. The firm, angled-tip applicator delivers a precise swipe of the lipstick-gloss hybrid. The formula is creamy, not sticky, so it feels more like a lightweight lip oil than a heavy gloss.

The nail polish sounds so enticing. I have a ton of polishes, so I don't normally keep them, but this one... I'm intrigued. We'll see. The lip cream sounds amazing although the color is just not me. Can't wait to see how it looks on a friend.

SCHMIDT'S Natural Deodorant in Lavender + Sage (0.5oz, ~$2.25) - An all-natural, vegan, and cruelty-free deodorant. Fights underarm odor. Key ingredients include baking soda (neutralizes odor), arrowroot powder (absorbs wetness), shea and cocoa-seed butters (moisturize).

Now this... this is what I'm interested in. I'm funny about deodorants and antiperspirants because of so many cancer-related studies. This all natural formula smells divine, both from the tub and on my underarms. It says it won't go away until you wash it. So we'll see.

I calculate this January box to have a value of $77.11, which is REDONKULOUS! And this subscription has so much variety! Even though I won't use everything, I couldn't be happier. Can't wait to see what's next!