Beautycon Winter Box

Another day, another subscription box. Mo’ subscription boxes, mo’ problems. Just kidding. Beauty subscription boxes are literally never a problem. I recently received one I hadn’t tried before so of course I’m giving you the scoop on it. This is the Beautycon Box, a seasonal subscription box, sent out quarterly, curated by your favorite beauty influencers. It’s $99 for the year (4 boxes total so $24.75 per box) or $116 if you want billed seasonally, $29 per box. I’ll be telling you about the Winter Beautycon Box, curated by the lovely Dulce Candy. Beautycon sent me this box at no charge to review for you. If you decide you’re into it, make sure to use code WAKEUPWINTER for $5 off, expires March 1, 2017. Ok, now onto the review!

The Winter Beautycon Box contains 4 skincare products, 7 makeup items, no hair products and a $50 gift card to retailer Ali & Jay. The retail value of the products included is $192 with the gift card. I found out this is their highest value box yet. Forewarning, not all of the products in this box are cruelty free, as I would prefer. That is the risk of subscription boxes. I’ll tell you what I think of each of the items individually, as well as if I recommend the Beautycon Box or not.

I am always most excited for makeup products. I mean, my blog name? I’m glad this didn’t have any hair products because that leaves more room for zem makeups!

Artist Couture Illuminati Diamond Glow Powder I’ve heard of this brand through the amazing Jackie Aina who recently collaborated with them on LaBronze. The line was created by makeup artist Angel Merino, aka Mac Daddy on Instagram. The shade Illuminati looks like a universally flattering champagne but had a super slight green shift on me. I didn’t love that about it because I don’t like green tones on my eyes. It was a bit too glittery to use as a highlight for me and would probably apply best on lids with a slightly dampened brush. I didn’t love it as much as I thought I would honestly. 6/10
ColourPop Beautycon Exclusive Lipstick I love Colourpop Lippie Stix so of course I enjoyed this. The shade is a matte brown nude with a slight warm shift. 8/10
Luxie Beauty Rose Gold Tapered Highlighting Brush This was my favorite item in the box! I love the domed tapered brush head, the synthetic bristles and the gunmetal/rose gold ferrule with “millennial pink” handle. The texture of the bristles reminds me a lot of the Real Techniques Blush Brush. You can also use this to contour or set under eye concealer. The brand Luxie Beauty is new to me but I would definitely purchase more of their brushes. 10/10
Rimmel London The Only 1 Lipcolor in Call Me Crazy Sadly, Rimmel tests on animals so I’m not playing around with them on that. There is an odd perfume-y scent to this, which you know I never love. The color is a saturated, orange poppy red and it’s very saturated and rich. Just can’t get behind that cruelty life. 6/10
Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Matte Bronzer For many this is the end-all be-all bronzer. I do like it but I wouldn’t say it’s my absolute favorite either as the cocoa puff scent isn’t for everyone and at one point, I thought I was getting breakouts from it. 8/10
L’Oréal Voluminous Lash Primer I don’t use mascara primers and don’t feel that they are entirely necesary. I know some people swear by them though and I love the Voluminous brush style. My friend loves this so I’m giving it to her. And yes, it arrived oddly dented that way? N/A
L’Oréal Voluminous Feline Mascara I’ve tried this mascara before and like most of the L’Oreal Voluminous mascaras, I really like it. I don’t find it to be dramatically different than some of the others, but a good mascara nonetheless. 7/10
Garnier SkinActive Micellar Cleansing Water Garnier is another animal tester but I will either use this to remove makeup or give it away. I do like Garnier products and remember loving their BB cream back in the day. N/ABiobelle #AfterParty Sheet Mask I’ve been really getting into sheet masks lately, especially as a member of the dry skin club in the midwest. However, this wasn’t my favorite. I don’t like blueberry scented things which I could have overlooked if it hadn’t left my skin feeling sticky. I felt like the residue left behind was unpleasant, vs. hydrating. If you want a good sheet mask, this one feels amazing and this one is an awesome budget buy. 4/10
Skinvolve Body Karate Cream I hate rose scent so I took one whiff and said nope. I love that it’s paraben and sulfate free and was intrigued by the name though! I included this in a giveaway so I hope she enjoys it! N/A
Kate Somerville ExfoliKate Intensive Exfoliating Treatment I used this when I worked at Sephora and holy hell does it burn. They make a sensitive version, likely because of babies like me. It contains cinnamon and boy, you can feel it. It can leave skin flushed and red so I don’t love it. I prefer to exfoliate with less painful methods but I know others who’s skin totally loves this.

I haven’t redeemed the Ali & Jay gift card yet and maybe I will when I stop being a pudge factory. I’m doing a 14 day fitness challenge my friend Heather designed so let’s not rule it out folks.

OVERALL THOUGHTS ON BEAUTYCON BOX
When evaluating the subscription box as a whole, vs. the items contained in this particular box, I think the value is great. I like that had makeup and skincare, all full sizes, leaving out hair and nails, which I don’t get as excited for. I was disappointed that it contained so many brands that test on animals but that is likely a result of whoever the box curator is that season. I would love to see a cruelty free edition of course. I know not everyone cares about this, and I can’t make you, but it makes beauty less enjoyable for me. I don’t mean to end that on a downer note, yeesh!!

If you’re interested in trying Beautycon Box for yourself, or someone else, the code WAKEUPWINTER will get you $5 off, expires March 1, 2017. Thank you as always for reading and I’ll see ya soon!