Allure Beauty Box is a $23 monthly beauty subscription from Allure Magazine. Each month they send out a mix of deluxe and full-size samples from mostly high-end brands. (It was named one of the best beauty subscription boxes by MSA readers in the 2023 Subscription Box Awards.)
This box was sent to us at no cost for review. (Check out our editorial guidelines to learn more about how we review boxes.)
First Impressions
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The box arrives beautifully packaged in the classic Allure white and red box.
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There was also a helpful mini-magazine with more info on the products and a note from Allure's deputy beauty director Elizabeth Siegel.
What's Inside the January 2023 Allure Beauty Box
New subscribers received this Boscia 0.6% Pro-Retinol Repair + Renew Waterless Advanced Treatment!
First Aid Beauty Pure Skin Face Cleanser, 5 oz – Retail Value $24
Subscribers received this, the KP Smoothing Body Lotion or the KP Bump Eraser Body Scrub
I’ve tried almost every product First Aid Beauty offers, and while I am a fan of the brand as a whole their cleanser isn’t a favorite of mine. I feel like I am in their target audience because this is supposed to be great for dryness and redness, but I just find it to be… fine. It’s fragrance-free and made with aloe, allantoin, and glycerin, and while my skin doesn’t hate this it just doesn’t spark joy when I use it. I’ve used the KP body scrub before and think it’s fantastic, and the KP body lotion is pretty good too- I think this is just a case where the variations gods were not in my favor. It’s okay though- sometimes that is just the way the subscription box cookie crumbles. I do think too if you are a monthly subscriber you were able to pick which of the three FAB products you wanted, so that's definitely a nice incentive for subscribers.
Sunday Riley C.E.O. Afterglow Brightening Vitamin C Cream (buy the 0.5 oz version for $22)
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I actually own the full-size jar of this cream and I really enjoy it- it’s currently my go-to morning moisturizer. It’s not too heavy, but it does feel a little more rich than the vitamin C creams I have tried in the past. My dry skin soaks it up, and the texture has a really nice satin-like finish that makes my skin feel so soft. I’ve been enjoying this, so I am happy to have a mini on hand for my next trip.
EltaMD Skin Recovery Toner, 48 mL – Retail Value $11
I’m a fan of the EltaMD brand and would love to see them more in future subscription boxes. This toner is alcohol-free and is made with a patented blend of amino acids and a mineral-rich copper complex designed to protect against environmental aggressors (that’s what gives it that natural pale blue color- no artificial colorants here). I found the toner overall to be gently hydrating and refreshingly, and liked that it left my skin feeling ready for me to apply my serums and moisturizers.
Christophe Robin Regenerating Serum with Prickly Pear Oil, 50 mL – Retail Value $49
I’ve gone through a full-size bottle of this nourishing hair serum before, and I am quite pleased to see it inside our Allure box- this alone is worth double the cost of the entire subscription! This serum is like a super lightweight styling cream and provides heat protection up to 440F, is silicone-free, and adds a boost of softness and shine without weighing your hair down. This is another brand that I really like, too- I feel like Allure really came strong this month and didn’t hold anything back.
Ciate Fierce Flicks Liquid Liner, 1.7 mL – Retail Value $19
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I know it’s common for beauty box subscribers to get sick of black eyeliner, but I do not actually ever complain about receiving black liquid liner in boxes- I feel like I can never have enough. Black eyeliner pencils, sure, I don’t need any more of, but bring on the liquid liners. This one by Ciate performs quite well, too- the pigment is an inky black, and I found it easy to put the pointed tip exactly where I wanted it. Once it dried, it stayed put with no smudging, too.
Dr. Botanicals Turmeric Superfood Restoring Treatment Mask, 30 mL – Retail Value $19.90
The star ingredient of this mask (if you couldn’t tell) is turmeric, an antioxidant-rich ingredient that can also help with brightening. It’s paired with lavender oil, nourishing sea buckthorn oil, and hydrating glycerin, and I liked that this wasn’t a clay-based mask because those tend to be more drying to my skin than I prefer.
Value – Was This Box Worth It?
The Cost: $23
Value Breakdown:
- First Aid Beauty: $24 → $4.49
- EltaMD: $11 → $2.06
- Christophe Robin: $49 → $9.17
- Ciate: $19 → $3.55
- Dr. Botanicals: $19.90 → $3.72
- Sunday Riley: N/A
Key Takeaways
Allure Beauty Box has a history of having their January boxes being pretty fabulous, and I thought this January box continued that trend. Between the full-size Christophe Robin hair serum, the EltaMD sample in a very generous travel size, and a mini of the Sunday Riley moisturizer I have been loving, I don't have much to complain about. Sure, one of the other First Aid Beauty products may have been a better variation for me personally- but I still appreciate the fact that we received four full-size products this month instead of just the promised three, and that all of them worked well for me. Value-wise, everything except the Sunday Riley sample adds up to $122.90, which is just about $100 more than the cost of the entire box.
Keep Track of Your Subscriptions: Add this box to your subscription list or wishlist!
To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? If you sign up in January, you should receive the January box.
What do you think of the January Allure Beauty Box? What was your favorite product in the box?
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