One of my best discoveries this year was the existence of the ASOS Beauty Boxes. I mean who knew they were a thing? I certainly didn't until June. I had always been intrigued by beauty boxes but never wanted to commit myself to one which is a major factor in why I think the ASOS version is perfect. There is no subscription so you aren't going to get a box you don't like and there is no commitment but you do need to be quick or you can miss out.
Some of the more popular boxes are the collaboration boxes. Previously ASOS created a beauty box with Clinique which I was lucky enough to get my hands on. This box sold out in what felt like a day and on my Twitter timeline there were a lot of disappointed people who missed out. I did write a whole review on the box which I will link here: ASOS x Clinique. Estee Lauder Companies have recently started to stock their brands on ASOS so you now see products from: MAC, Bobbi Brown, Clinique, Glamglow, Origins, Too Faced and Estee Lauder on the website. This month ASOS have teamed up again with Estee Lauder Companies to do a second collaboration box but this time it was the turn of Bobbi Brown.
The reason I love these boxes so much is because they contain multiple products I haven't tried before, from brands I've never really given much thought too. The Clinique box had some real classics in it, all of which I had heard of but never tried. After the box I am now a Clinique fan and I found a new wonder product in the Clinique Moisture Surge. When I saw the Bobbi Brown box, I was hopeful that I would have the same positive experience and find some more hero products.
Much like Clinique, Bobbi Brown is a brand I have not had a massive amount of interaction with. It is one that I had heard of and I had definitely seen it in department stores but I had never really purchased from them. I did once buy a Christmas Eye Shadow Palette and I have to say it wasn't my favourite. It was not very pigmented and took a lot of time to work with but it fits in with the premise of the brand which is something that I think should be endorsed more throughout the beauty community. Bobbi Brown promotes using makeup to enhance in a natural way opposed to completely changing the way you look. This is the sort of thing I always have in mind when I do my makeup so it does seem quite odd that I would have never really tried the brand before.
The box contains a mixture of some of the Bobbi Brown skincare and some of their makeup. I've heard a surprising amount about their skincare, considering really they are a makeup brand so I was keen to give it a go. One problem I had was that some of the skincare names really did not give much indication as to when you use them. For example, the Vitamin Enriched Face Base or the Extra Repair Moisture Cream. They both look very similar in their little pots and I couldn't work out what either of them are supposed to do. Luckily ASOS included a little card saying how you could use the products. Normally I don't feel like I need these cards but this month it came in incredibly handy.
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In an odd turn of events, this month I actually tried the skincare before the makeup. I usually find makeup just that little bit more exciting and can't wait to test it but not this month. I have been trying to work on my skincare knowledge this year and I guess this is a good example of my progress.
On the card that comes in the box, it suggests using the Vitamin Enriched Face Base as a morning moisturiser, followed by the Extra Illuminating Moisture Balm which is exactly what I have been doing. I guess the fact that it is called 'Face Base' would indicate that it would work as a base but I was left to question, a base for what? But I guess makeup makes sense. I wasn't sure what to expect but I expected something greasy as the product looks quite thick. Luckily it isn't, it actually sinks in really quickly and just leaves your skin looking hydrated rather than greasy. This contains Vitamin B, C and E all within a Shea Butter complex so it does take care of your skin. This is definitely a rich cream and I'm not sure my skin needs something this hydrating but it certainly works and I imagine this would be good for dry skin. Not only that but Bobbi Brown consider this a part moisturiser/part primer and this certainly primes your skin. When I went to apply my foundation it looked smooth and lasted a lot longer throughout the day. I couldn't believe how much of a difference this made to the longevity of my makeup. I have to say I was incredibly impressed by this product.
At first I thought it must have been the Extra Illuminating Moisture Balm that made such a difference to my skin but having looked into it, this has no priming properties within it. The Illuminating Moisture Balm is a hydrating, illuminating moisturiser which gives you a bit of a glow underneath your makeup. Subtle is definitely the word for this glow, unlike the Laura Mercier Radiance Primer which gives you a golden glow for days, this is definitely more subtle. As I am used to the Laura Mercier Primer I was really surprised by how thick this is. I was expecting something similar to the Laura Mercier one but this resembles a thick cream. I actually don't mind this and I was pleasantly surprised that the combo of the two morning products did not leave my face feeling incredibly greasy as I had expected. In fact I actually quite liked the two of them together. I have to say I can't see that the Illuminating Balm actually makes a massive amount of difference to my makeup so I most certainly wasn't overly wowed by this product. I can't say I would spend £45 on the full size but it was nice to try.
The final skincare item was the Extra Repair Moisture Cream. It is recommended that you use this in the evening and use a lot of it which is what I have been doing. To be honest this is really thick and feels exactly the same as the Vitamin Enriched Face Base but it does feel more moisturising. Opposed to the Face Base this does leave more of an oily residue which I actually quite like as I'm only going to bed and no one has the pleasure of seeing my greasy face. I have been using this every night for two weeks and there has been no dip in my skins hydration. In fact it has probably aided some of the dry patches I had around my nose. However since using the combination of this skincare I have had a bit of a breakout on my forehead. I'm not sure if it is the combination of two many rich products, probably is but I think I am going to have to break these products up in my routine. They are lovely products but I fear they are a bit much for my normal/combination skin. If you have dry skin I'm sure these would work better for you than they do for me.
All of these products contain a lot of Shea Butter which seems to be too much for my skin. Not only are the formulas for each product very thick but they are also quite perfumed. For the life of me I cannot think of what the scent reminds me off. I think the scent reminds me of some Liz Earle products, perhaps the Hot Cloth Cleanser or the Skin Repair Moisturiser, it has that herbaceous scent. I think it is sort of like a soft Eucalyptus scent. The scent is almost therapeutic but it seems to be softened by some florals, like Rose. It is quite relaxing and feels a bit like a spa product rather than just being a face cream. I find it quite a comforting scent so I have been liking these products but as I said, I don't think I can continue using them all together. Something about this is too much for my skin. Overall I really enjoyed the Bobbi Brown Skincare and I will certainly be giving more a go.
Moving on to the makeup and there were also 3 pieces of makeup in the box; a mascara, a lipstick and an eye shadow. I haven't tried any of these products before and I will let you guess which one you think I tried first. I feel like you might guess the lipstick as I do love lipstick but it was actually the mascara. I have been doing a mascara trial all year and I am guessing this will be the last mascara I will use this year. I had just finished my Hourglass Caution Mascara which did not last very long at all and I desperately needed a new mascara but couldn't be bothered to leave the house to get one so I just opened the sample size of the Smoky Lash Mascara. The Smoky Lash Mascara is a mascara I had never thought about trying and I have to say it is pretty average. The wand is quite nice but I do not find it gives me the volume I want. As I've said many times throughout my numerous mascara posts this year, I like quite a clumpy lash. You might like this if you want fluttery lashes but it's not bold enough for me. I do think this gives good length but not enough volume. However this does smudge, not massively but there is definite smudging under my eyes which automatically demotes this mascara. It is quite easy to remove but it isn't as good as some of the other mascara I've used this year.
Alongside the mascara you use the eye shadow which is a stunning and it is the Long-Wear Cream Shadow in the shade Beach Bronze. This is actually a full size product and this is £22.50 so if you like this shadow you have automatically got your monies worth. I have to say this is really nice packaging and does make it feel like a luxury item. The actual jar is glass and it is a weighty product. Not only is the packaging nice but this is such a great colour which basically everyone would like. It is a deep bronze with gold flecks in it. The colour is actually quite dark, I thought it was going to be more golden toned but it reminds me of a cream version of MAC Teddy Eye Liner. I thought this was going to be quite thick when I initially went to swatch it but it does actually blend out well whilst holding the pigment. It is very long lasting and potentially I think it would make a good liner as long as you have a thin enough brush. I think this is a really good cream eye shadow: I highly rate the formula and the colour. It gives a velvety finish rather than being flat like a powder or shiny like some creams. The colours stays put and it is easy to use, what more could you want?
The final item in the box was the Crushed Lip Color in the shade Babe. At first I thought this was a light red shade but in day light I can see it is in fact a mid-toned rose. I've always wanted one of the miniature Bobbi Brown lipsticks because they look so cute and luckily there was one in this set. Bobbi Brown are one of the few brands who genuinely create smaller versions of their lipsticks rather than recreating the packaging in some sub-par alternative. I haven't ever tried a Bobbi Brown lipstick but I was pleasantly surprised by how comfortable this lipstick feels but it maintains such a strong pigment. I have to say the only thing that really let this lipstick down was the shade. To be honest this is not the sort of lipstick shade I like to wear, this is a little bit too bright and it is slightly too pink. I've actually started to ditch more of the pink lipsticks I own for reds and nudes. I love that I was able to try one of the Bobbi Brown lipsticks and I would potentially give another one a go as long as it is in a slightly better colour.
I love the ASOS Beauty Boxes and I really do not think ASOS do enough to promote them as not that many people know about them, unless you are an avid ASOS fan. I highly recommend keeping your eye out for these boxes as they are a great way of trying new products without having to spend lots of money.
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