Allure Beauty Box February 2026: My Thoughts

 

My Allure Beauty Box arrived somewhat battered. Everything was fine on the inside but the box had some damage. I took the time to assess everything and my thoughts are pretty mixed. Was I pleased? With some of it, but there was also one major dud. Anyway, as always, criteria.

DO I THINK I WILL USE THIS?

AM I EXCITED FOR THIS?

ARE MY FIRST IMPRESSIONS POSITIVE?

DO I FEEL CHEATED?

SIDIA Solid Perfume Braless (Customization product– $48 value)
The packaging is elegant and simple, a very weighty, solid black. I really like the look of it. The scent is delicate. The best way I could describe it is 'clean' and I like that. It seems pretty open to anyone in that regard. It doesn't feel greasy when applied.
DO I THINK I WILL USE THIS? I will use this. I have been using this consistently since I got it.

AM I EXCITED FOR THIS? I am. Honestly it was the element of the box I was most excited for.

ARE MY FIRST IMPRESSIONS POSITIVE? I was a little dismayed at how small it is, but the packaging is provocative in that it's metal and very heavy. It feels interesting in the hand.

DO I FEEL CHEATED? Not at all.

First Aid Beauty Bronze + Glow Dropswith Niacinimide ($28 value)

I've had trouble learning to control bronzers and make them work for me. When I read about this one and found out it was drops in a tube, I just really didn't know what to expect or how to handle it. It is tricky to apply and I'm going to have to practice a lot to get it right, but I do enjoy the way it looks on my skin. It blends well while still giving a nice bit of healthy color.
DO I THINK I WILL USE THIS? When I used it earlier today, I liked the subtlety of it. So many bronzing items are just too dark for me but this works quite well.

AM I EXCITED FOR THIS? I see a lot of potential here.

ARE MY FIRST IMPRESSIONS POSITIVE? They are, aside from the fact that there is a certain learning curve when it comes to application. This bottle wants to spit out a lot of product. You have to be careful when you open it.

DO I FEEL CHEATED? I really don't.

UZO Blaque Liquide Eyeliner ($24 value)

I love this product's look. It's a metal container and feels substantial. The liner is well-pigmented and glides on decently. It held up on me for about three hours before just fading out completely and that's unusual given how my body typically deals with liners. If this were black or gray or blue, I would have been a lot happier, but I can't fault it.
DO I THINK I WILL USE THIS? It's a black eyeliner. I have to be careful with such things because they can come off as harsh against my coloring. But we'll see. Maybe I can smoke it out in a way that works for me.

AM I EXCITED FOR THIS? It's a black eyeliner so when I found out it was part of the box, I wasn't that happy. Now that I have it, though, it does have good coverage and doesn't run when my eyes water. That's pretty astounding given my history with eyeliners.

ARE MY FIRST IMPRESSIONS POSITIVE? When I saw the liner and held it in my hand, my impression was quite positive. The container is heavy and feels very lux. Once I tested the liner out, I found it actually held up pretty well. So yeah, good first impression.

DO I FEEL CHEATED? Even though I did not want another black eyeliner, I'm not that upset with this one. It's a good product and I think I can somewhat make it work for me.

CNP Propolis Jelly Lipcerin™ Honey Lip Butter ($17.90 value)

This comes in a stout little bright yellow container. You remove the lid and then click on it until the product comes out of a hole in the middle. Unless you're using a brush, at this point things are going to get sticky and messy. However, it does hydrate well and the scent is nice.
DO I THINK I WILL USE THIS? As above, it's sticky and messy. And yet, I find myself reaching for it. I have no doubt I'll use this completely. It just hydrates that well.

AM I EXCITED FOR THIS? Not really. I'm not mad at it either though.

ARE MY FIRST IMPRESSIONS POSITIVE? No. My first impression was that this was a lot of steps to get to a lip product. I mean, it was just a few steps, but that still seems like too many. My second impression was that it's just everywhere when you try to apply it. It wasn't until a while later that I noticed how great my lips felt that I decided to come around on it.

DO I FEEL CHEATED? No. It's a pretty decent little product and does what it's supposed to do.

Cuccio Milk & Honey Cuticle Oil Roll-On ($5.69 value)

I didn't even know cuticle oil was a thing but I'm glad I do now. This bottle is a decent size and the roll-on works well. You never want roll-ons to be too large because there is always the risk of them gunking up. I don't think this one will, though.

DO I THINK I WILL USE THIS? I certainly do. My cuticles are a disaster and any help I can get with them is welcome.

AM I EXCITED FOR THIS? Yes. I have such high hopes for this product. I plan on being very diligent about using it so that I can actually get some kind of improvement happening on my nails.

ARE MY FIRST IMPRESSIONS POSITIVE? My main concern was over there being a faulty roll-on applicator but it seems to be fine. The oil feels nice. I'm sure it will take a while for me to actually get some kind of change going on.

DO I FEEL CHEATED? No. Even though this was a cheaper product, it still seems like an okay one to fill out a beauty box.

Sephora Collection Express WaterproofEye Makeup Remover($4 value)

I have so many questions. Why is a Sephora anything in an Allure box? Why would anything this cheap be in the box? Don't they realize we all have makeup remover wipes for this? I get that it's supposed to help remove more stubborn levels of eye makeup, but still. Could we not have thought of anything else to include? Maybe a nice hair product?
DO I THINK I WILL USE THIS? No.

AM I EXCITED FOR THIS? No.

ARE MY FIRST IMPRESSIONS POSITIVE? No.

DO I FEEL CHEATED? Yes.

I'm not going to rank them this time because I think my thoughts on the matter are fairly clear. A few hits, a few misses, a few kind of in the middle. It certainly didn't blow me away. Allure could have done a lot better than this.

End of the Month Reviews: Allure Beauty Box January 2026

At the first of the month, it's always easy to get enchanted by all the pretty new things in the pretty boxes. Over time, this changes. As we're coming to the end of the month, I thought I would go back and see how well the products I received from the subscription boxes did. This is my criteria.

1. Did I use this?
2. Was it a good amount?

3. Did I enjoy it?
4. Did it live up to my expectations?
5. Would I repurchase?

Obagi Hydrate Facial Moisturizer by Obagi Medical
1. Did I use this? Yes. I used this twice a day. The cream set well on my skin and absorbed nicely.
2. Was it a good amount? No. The bottle ran out pretty quickly and because the lid didn't come off, I couldn't access anything that was left inside. I think I had this about two weeks.

3. Did I enjoy it? I did, but honestly the fact that it didn't last as long as it looked like it should have marred my liking of it.
4. Did it live up to my expectations? Yes and no. It did what it was supposed to, but there isn't as much product in the bottle as it seems.
5. Would I repurchase? Probably not. This is an expensive product for how much you actually get.

Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Serum

1. Did I use this? Yes. I used this with every hair drying and sometimes just to add some shine to my hair.
2. Was it a good amount? For how little you use it, it actually is. You need very, very little of this product and it's going to last me a good while.

3. Did I enjoy it? Yes. The way it speeds up hair drying is pretty game-changing for me. I love that about this product.
4. Did it live up to my expectations? I would say it exceeded my expectations. I really didn't believe the hype but it certainly did what it promised and that turned out to be a nice, fundamental change for me.
5. Would I repurchase? I certainly would. For one thing, it isn't that expensive. For another, it really does a great job on my hair.

Mitchell & Peach English Leaf Body Soufflé Cream
1. Did I use this? I used this several times a day. I used this as often as I felt I could get away with using it. I used this because I found myself craving the scent and the softness.
2. Was it a good amount? Yes. The tube isn't that large but there is a decent amount in there and it's lasted at least through the month and then some.

3. Did I enjoy it? I really loved this. My skin is certainly smoother and softer after using it for a while and the scent is something I have come to dearly love.
4. Did it live up to my expectations? Considering how I felt when I first smelled it, I would say this is the biggest turnaround I had on any of the Allure products this month. This is the product I will miss the most when it's gone.
5. Would I repurchase? I had to give this some pause because, admittedly, this is a more expensive product, but honestly if I had the money to spare, yes, I would certainly repurchase.

Blake Brown Beauty's Fundamental Nourishing Mask

1. Did I use this? Yes. I used this with every shower and looked forward to doing so.
2. Was it a good amount? This was a massive amount, given that people go through hair masks slowly. I'll have this for a while.

3. Did I enjoy it? I really did. This felt so lux. It did wonderful things to the feel of my hair and left it smelling wonderful.
4. Did it live up to my expectations? Yes. I felt like this was a pretty divisive item, but I really felt it did what it needed to do.
5. Would I repurchase? I would, though honestly as slowly as one goes through this, repurchase wouldn't have to be that often.

Levitate Beauty's Hydrogel Under Eye Masks

1. Did I use this? I did, though I kind of had to remind myself to do so. It's cold and putting on eye masks right now isn't that fun.
2. Was it a good amount? I received three, which I feel was a pretty good amount. They had a generous amount of product in the packet as well, which could be smoothed over my skin.

3. Did I enjoy it? Aside from the cold, I did. I liked the fact that the masks were very thin and stayed in place well. I also appreciated that they had placement pads on them.
4. Did it live up to my expectations? My expectations for eye masks are very little so yes, they did. They certainly did what they were supposed to.
5. Would I repurchase? To be honest, I'm probably not going to buy eye masks as they have a way of just showing up in my life for free, but if I did happen to purchase some, I would certainly consider this brand because I felt the design was very practical.

Tarte Cosmetics' Sculpt Tape Contour

1. Did I use this? I did. Mostly because it's the only bronzer I own.
2. Was it a good amount? Yes. I feel this had a good amount of product in it.

3. Did I enjoy it? No. It blended down into my skin to the point that it was barely noticeable and what was there tended to read very muddy orange on my skin.
4. Did it live up to my expectations? Not really. It just didn't work on me very well.
5. Would I repurchase? No. I don't think this liquidy of a bronzer works for me. Tarte is a good brand so this probably works for a lot of people, but it just wasn't suited for me.  

So yeah, end of the month, I'm mostly very satisfied with what I got and even happily surprised by some of it. Good month from Allure.

Allure Beauty Box Sneak Peek Feb 2026 I Have Some Thoughts

 Allure put out a pic of the spoilers for the Beauty Box for Feb 2026. Along with the SIDIA Solid Perfume, these are the expected items.

• Uzo Blaque Liquide Eyeliner
Sigh. Another black eyeliner. I think they should ban these for a while. This will be the third one I've gotten in two months. I do not need another black liner, especially not one that will eventually dry out. I read a lot of reviews over this and people seem to love it. They say it is really waterproof and doesn't smudge, that the line is very precise and pigmented. We'll see, I guess.

• CNP Propolis Lipcerin Honey LipButter
I also have quite a few lip products right now. However, given that it's winter, I'm going through them fairly fast. Korean Beauty products are very popular right now and I've not really gotten a chance to explore very much of them. Reviews are positive for this. People like the scent and the taste. They say it absorbs into the skin very well. It's intriguing, but I think with lip products, how high could the bar be?

• FAB Bronze Glow Drops
First Aid Beauty is a very beloved brand. People really enjoy their skincare and certainly it's something I wanted to try. Would I ever purchase bronzing glow drops for myself? No. Should I? Hmm. I guess we get the chance to find out. Besides just adding a nice, healthy glow to the skin, it's also supposed to help the skin barrier and hydrate. I find myself pretty excited about this as it isn't something I have any real experience with and find myself curious.

• Cuccio Naturale RevitalizingRoll-On Cuticle Oil
Okay. This is the one I'm most looking forward to. I NEED this. My cuticles are always a mess and I need all the help I can get with them. I honestly didn't even know this existed and I'm happy it does. This product isn't very expensive, but in this case I'm not upset about that because if this works to improve my nails, I'll be able to repurchase.

ORDER OF EXCITEMENT:

1. Cuccio Naturale Revitalizing Roll-On Cuticle Oil I NEED THIS.
2. SIDIA Solid Perfume, in Braless I love scents.
3. FAB Bronze GlowDrops Very curious about this.
4. CNP Propolis Lipcerin Honey LipButter Always need more lipcare.
5. Uzo Blaque Liquide Eyeliner Sigh. We'll see.

We'll see how the list changes once I have the box. More on that next month.  

Allure Customization for February 2026

When it comes to Allure's monthly Beauty Box, they select all the items for you but you get to customize one selection to your preference. This month, the item in question is a solid perfume, SIDIA Solid Perfume, to be exact, and your options are either Braless or Soaked.

So Braless has top notes of black pepper, Spanish rosemary, and coconut. The middle notes are violet, black tea, peony, cedar, and orris. The bottom notes are patchouli, papyrus, vanilla cream, musk, and leather. Now there are some issues. I'm concerned that the cedar might be powerful and that would be a problem. I don't want to smell like a tree. Normally, I hate patchouli, though admittedly, some of the other scents I have contain it as a bottom note and it doesn't bother me when mixed with everything else. What it has going for it is the peony, vanilla cream, and leather. These are scents I really do adore. I also do love the name of this one and it seems like something I would have.

Soaked, on the other hand, has top notes of Juniper, lemon, and olibanum. Its middle notes are oregano, cypress, and cedarwood. For base notes, it has amber, leather, and sensuous musk. This has a lot working against it. For one thing, there are two trees in the middle and the only thing there to balance it out is a spice that I like in food but not on me. I'm not sure the lemon and oregano wouldn't make this gourmand in a way I wouldn't enjoy. Speaking of trees, we also have that Juniper and olibanum (frankincense) as well and I suspect this might be way too woody for me. The bottom notes here appeal to me, but I don't know that they would balance the rest of it.

Given all of that, my selection for the month was Braless. It seemed to be the least risky option and I really love the name.  

Allure Box January 2026

The item we got to choose color options from this month was Tarte Cosmetics' Sculpt Tape Contour. I chose the cool bronze. This is an interesting product for me because it has a built-in sponge applicator. In theory, the applicator is a great idea, but it does make controlling the amount of product that comes out somewhat of a challenge. I'm not sure what I think of the color yet, but of the choices I had, it was the lightest and so probably the best for me. I'm not really a huge bronzer kind of person, but we'll see how it goes.

My next product was the one I was most excited about, Obagi Hydrate Facial Moisturizer by Obagi Medical. Oh, I was seriously NOT disappointed. This product is amazing! It's scentless and comes out in a thick, slightly amberish color. It goes on very smoothly and makes my skin feel stunning. I have so many problems with dry skin during the winter months, especially because of my CPAP. With the Obagi, that has not been a problem at all. I would very much love to keep using this. 

The thing I was second most excited about was Blake Brown Beauty's Fundamental Nourishing Mask, admittedly partly because I find the packaging so beautiful. It looks more expensive than it even is. I enjoyed this product a lot. It really coats the hair well, and it smells wonderful. The scent notes are nerol and cardamom on the top, lily of the valley and nectar in the heart, with bottom notes of cedar wood and Madagascar vanilla. It worked well with my body chemistry. I was pleased with how soft my hair felt after my shower. 

On the subject of hair, the box also contained the Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Serum. I was pretty meh about this. It's not really an expensive product, and I have a lot of 'apply to your damp hair' leave-in stuff right now. However, one of its claims really intrigued me. It said it cut down drying time. I had no idea if that was even possible, but I slathered this stuff on my hair, hoping it was. You know what? It actually did cut down on drying time. My hair was dry within minutes, which is great because it's cold right now. Also, that meant there was less time for the hairdryer to mess things up. My hair is fine, thin, and wispy. When I blow dry it, I often look like Angelica's Cynthia doll. Because it dried so much faster this time, I was able to control the shape a lot better. 

I also received Mitchell & Peach English Leaf Body Soufflé Cream. Okay, I have a lot of thoughts. This one has certainly been a process. The notes on it are English leaf, citruses, coriander leaves, basil, mint, and floral oils and grass.  I didn't like the scent at first. I let my roommate try it, and he really hated it. I loved the feel of the lotion though, and after a while, I enjoyed the way the scent settled on my skin. It contains honey, cocoa, and Vitamin B5, and all of that works well with my skin. Over time, I also began to enjoy the bold leafy/herby scents. It's funny how that can happen. In the end, I found myself really liking this product and will probably use it up completely. 

My bonus item was Levitate Beauty's Hydrogel Under Eye Masks (3 pairs) that contained collagen, ginseng, and pearl extract. I have to admit I was disappointed when I didn't get the other bonus item option, but actually, I enjoyed these masks quite a lot. They were bigger than most eye masks I usually use, but also thinner, which means they stayed in place better than eye masks often do. It also meant I could apply them to my upper lid after using them on the lower one, and they stayed put. They had a removable layer on them to help put them in place. There was a good amount of extra liquid in the packets, meaning you could basically coat your whole face while wearing the masks, a nice added benefit. 

MY LIST FROM FAVORITE TO LEAST. (Though I have to admit, I liked a lot of these and basically had several ties.)

1. Obagi Hydrate Facial Moisturizer by Obagi Medical

2. Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Serum

2. Mitchell & Peach English Leaf Body Soufflé Cream

2. Blake Brown Beauty's Fundamental Nourishing Mask

2. Levitate Beauty's Hydrogel Under Eye Masks 

6. Tarte Cosmetics' Sculpt Tape Contour