Blush Mystery Beauty Box Review – November 2014
Blush Mystery Beauty Box is a monthly beauty and makeup subscription box from Blush.com. I’ve been very impressed with this subscription in general because of the value (usually over $100), the brands (typically at least a few high-end lines), and the size of the items (everything is usually full sized or deluxe sized).
FYI – Originally this subscription sent out a lot of makeup, but lately it seems like hair products and skincare products are the most common.
My Subscription Addiction pays for this subscription. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes).
The Subscription Box: Blush Mystery Beauty Box
The Cost: $24.95 a month (or $34.95 for a one time purchase)
The Products: Over $100 of beauty products.
Ships to: US
Check out all my Blush Mystery Beauty Box reviews and the Beauty Subscription Box Directory!
Keep Track of Your Subscriptions: Add this box to your Wish List or Subscription List!
Each box comes with a card detailing the items included. (They used to have a new curator each month, but it seems like they’ve done away with that).
Jane Iredale Eye Gloss Liquid Eye Shadow in Pink Silk – FULL SIZE! Value $15.50
Laura Geller Cool Lids Silver Sands Cream Eyeshadow – .17 oz Value $12
I busted out the quarter for this Jane Iredale eye shadow assuming it was a sample size – but this is full size! And the gold end is actually an applicator wand. The finish is pretty shiny – and the light pink shade definitely doesn’t work for my skin tone, but I may end up buying this in a more neutral brown shade.
I received this Silver Sands cream eyeshadow in my August Birchbox – and I really like it. It’s a somewhat sheer formula, so you can use it for a lot of looks.
Julien Farel Hydrate Restore – FULL SIZE! Value $33
Lauren B. Beauty Nourishing Hand Creme – FULL SIZE! Value $24
Traditions by Nick Chavez Prickly Pear Restoring Mist – 2 oz Value $6
There was a similar full-size Julien Farel hair product in the August box, so I’m a little surprised to see another one so soon. I haven’t gotten a chance to try either product yet – but let me know if you recommend them!
This Lauren B. Hand Creme is very lightweight and absorbs quickly. Unfortunately I’m not a big fan of the orchid/peony scent though.
And this restoring hair mist is meant to protect hair from heating/styling etc. (You spray it on damp hair). I don’t mind the scent, so I’ll give it a try!
SkinMedica TNS Eye Repair – .07 oz Value $14
NUXE Clarifying Cream-Mask with Rose Petals – .54 oz Value $8.70
Miracle Skin Transformer Face Spotlight – .1 oz Value $3.20
I like NUXE products, so I’m adding this to my collection of masks to try! And I’ve tried both of the Miracle Skin Transformer versions (Spotlight and Original). This product is really good at blending into pores and making them appear smaller, and for that reason I prefer the original over the spotlight – I don’t need to add shimmer to draw attention to my pores! (This would probably work well under a foundation or powder though for a more subtle glow look).
Verdict: When I first opened this bag I wasn’t too impressed – it seemed like a lot of little samples. But with 3 full size products and 3 deluxe-sized products I guess first looks can be deceiving! This box has a value of about $115. I’ll use enough of the products to make the value worth it for me – but something about this month’s bag just doesn’t feel very curated.
What do you think of the October Blush Mystery Beauty Box?
Written by Liz Cadman
This box is great! I’m really debating signing up for this one.
This month’s bag, especially compared to the November Glossybox (I can only use so much nail polish), has definitely convinced me to give Blush a try. All of these products look extremely usable, and I love liquid/cream eyeshadows a lot!
This is a nice way to enjoy luxury at a low cost. Both eye shadows look gorgeous and better then most of my other eye shadows for sure. The hand cream I noticed has retinol and is smooth on. The eye cream works well and will last me a few weeks at least. The free Philosophy purity cleanser I love! The skin transformer is super nice. I love it! The only thing I was not thrilled about was the shampooing conditioner.
With most subscriptions I may use 1-2 items but I will use about everything included in this Blush bag so the value is fantastic. I found several new favorites that I am going to buy. The jane iredale eye shadow blends easy and does not smear or budge, looks gorgeous. I usually get frustrated with eye shadow but this is super nice.
There are 3 spoilers out for Boxycharm right now and most so far will be gifted but I may try them idk.
This Blush box did seem oddly curated though but I love the items and high ends so it’s fine. With the free gift for subscribing I highly recommend them (it is automatically added to the cart)
I have just called them regarding my missing eye cream and my broken J Farel hair product and they said they will ship them again. I’m impressed! Thanks for the insight!
I LOVE the quarter being in the pics! It’s super helpful, the only real way to tell size on products. Thanks for using it! I think it would be awesome if it were used in all product pics (jmho) 🙂
This is my 4th month for Blush and I absolutely loved it. All products seem good quality and I am enjoying using them.
I’m someone who loves skin/nail/makeup/hair products, so Blush is the perfect box for me I think. The only thing I may have issues with this month is the Skin Transformer. It isn’t a great match for my skin-tone. I wore it yesterday with some light powder on top though and it looked fine.
Thanks everyone for mention the expiration date on the “Julien Farel Hydrate Restore” it is my favorite shampoo, I got it last time in my blush box, I’ve been stocking up and trying to swap for it. — I just looked on 3 of my other Julien Farel products I got in my blush boxes, they all expire Jan 1, 2015 – If you are swapping for that product, you might want to ask about the exp date. If you are swapping it, PLEASE mention the expiration date ( found on the bottom of the bottle ), so people like me who keep these products 3-6 months before using them, dont have to worry about the best used by date / exp date being anytime soon.
Nude is such a great brand. Years ago I got dry oil with gold shimmer, so wonderful for summer. Big,big fan.
I meant Nuxe!
Hey Liz,
I tried the Nuxe mask today and I really like it, the scent is lovely and before trying it I was unsure about the scent. It also makes my skin soft and vibrant. It did not have instructions so I looked it up online and says leave on 5-10 minutes. It does not feel tight so I like it.
I received a blue jane iredale eye shadow and it is nice as is the cream eye shadow by Laura Geller. Fan! I saw a recommendation in trying the shadow as a blush but I do not prefer cream blush.
Like you I have concern for pores. HUGE concern. I tried the Skin transformer and I am a huge fan. I actually thought it minimized my pores with giving me an ever so subtle glow. I wore it alone just to try it today.
I own sooo many pore minimizers and I did not think it showed my pores at all. I actually thought it helped ever so slightly. I may have to buy this cream. I love it but the sample is tiny.
I tried the eye cream about an hour ago because I loved the skinmedica moisturizer in Blush I received more then any moisturizer I have tried. The eye cream is tiny and I do not know how it works yet. I am only 30 so have just started in the last 2-3 months having tiny tiny crows feet lines but it may just have always been there and not really crows feet. I do not know because I did not pay much attention to skin care before subscribing to beauty boxes so I pay more attention now. 🙂
I am also not a huge fan of the scent of the hand cream either. It does not stink or anything but just a mild scent like an old lady smell but dissipates quickly. It does moisturize well and claims to plump the hands for hours. Plump?. I thought yeah sure but I think it actually did. Wow! 🙂
I tried the last Julien Farrel hair conditioner for frizzy hair a few times. I like it but do not love it because it is time consuming but does help frizz so I was all on board. Unfortunately this one is for thin/normal hair and my hair is really thick so I will probably gift this at the holidays.
I will use the Nick Chavez spray. I do like heat protector/ shine sprays.
All in all the samples were pretty small this month but I loved the brands offered.
I also received a free 1oz Philosophy Purity facial cleanser for resubbing. They are sending that free for NEW customers or people that resubscribe. I had no clue about this but it was automatically added to my cart and I have been soooo wanting to try this cleanser. I also received a sample packet of antiaging cream.
This was a good month, not great. I am still waiting for them to send a full size face care item like a face cleanser or moisturizer. There skin care has been so small lately. I am glad that I resubbed but it depends on the spoilers next month if I resub or not.
Thanks for your review! I love love love reading and seeing your reviews. 🙂
I was disappointed too when I opened this box, but then I pulled it all out and realized I would use about 1/2 the items. I already swapped the eye shadow and have some other items listed. I was too super thrilled about anything, but I’ll use the stuff eventually. I’m not wild about the hair stuff and skin products they’ve been sending out lately. My hair’s so weird I’ve only found 1 product that tames it. It did feel like a lot of random stuff just thrown into the bag and I’m not really fond of getting two products of Julien Farel so close together, at least they weren’t the same product though. So I definitely did get my money’s worth, just not that thrilled with this month’s bag. My Ipsy bag looks like it’s going to be super disappointing too. I can’t take anymore eye liner and nail polish which is what I always get. Where’s the lipgloss overload everyone’s always talking about? I can’t get enough of them, and yet never seem to get any in my boxes.
I also feel this bag was kinda miss matches. Just random samples and products collected together
Second try. I’m glad that I read the review because I forgot I put the JF product to the side because I wasn’t sure it would bother me. It expires on 1/15. It seems like a great bag with a wide variety of products.
Yay, thanks for the review. I think I will get this bag, enough fun things in it.
I’m not too keen on this one. There’s not much I will use. Certainly not the SkinMedica TNS eye repair, which Paula Begoun rates as a poor product due to the presence of Human Fibroblast Conditioned Media indicting, “Considering the unknowns surrounding topical use of this growth factor blend and the amount present, this eye cream is not recommended.”
Who is Paula Begoun and what specifically is the concern with the formula? It’s an FDA approved product so I don’t know that it’s unsafe for human use. Is it an issue for those with certain skin sensitivities? I’ve used SkinMedica products for a while now and never had any issues.
Just saw that she has her own skincare line so I have context for her review now.
Go to the URL below and click on the “more” link under weaknesses for further details about Human Fibroblast Conditioned Media. Although she does have her own line and that is important to consider, Paula Begoun regularly rates other (including less expensive drugstore brands) as “best” products and references scholarly journal articles in her critiques.
I have no “skin in the game” as it were (and have never purchased any of her products), but I find her reviews extremely helpful for finding the best products at the best prices.
About Human Fibroblast Conditioned Media: http://www.paulaschoice.com/beautypedia-skin-care-reviews/by-brand/skinmedica
And here is more about Paula and her research team’s expertise: http://www.paulaschoice.com/who-we-are/about-paula/
I also checking every my skin products with Paula, but I found it strange that plenty of products which gets the best reviews from actual customers on Amazon or other places, gets poor rating from Paula. And PLENTY products she rates ” best” are not in sale anymore… if they were so great why people didn’t buy them and companies dropped them? And why those poorly rated sells so well and so many people swear by them..
I was actually kinda disappointed about this month’s bag. It seemed like a lot of sample sizes when normally they send mainly full size products. My shampoo tip also came broken. I called their customer service to let them know and they’re sending me another, so hopefully it will arrive unbroken. >_<
I received my box on friday and today I check out the Julien Farel is almost near to expire, on January 2015. That’s just mine or yours is with the same problem? I’m really disappointed they are sending repetitive products and near to expire. I will give one more chance and if I don’t see any change definitely I will cancel my subscription.
My J Farel was also broken, but I got to use it without problems, except that I cannot “close” it back. I really liked it! I wasn’t sure about this type of products, I have fine dry hair, but it worked wonders and gave me lots of volume 🙂
I didn’t get the eye cream though, should I contact them or some products are just for a few lucky ones?
Their customer service is great! Definitely contact them and explain the situation. Keep us posted.
When I first opened mine, I wasn’t too excited either. However, once I pulled everything out, I realized I would use everything! I received the teal Jane Iredale shadow, which is beautiful. Unfortunately, the tip on my Julien Farel product was broken off in shipment. I could probably still use it, but would not be able to seal it again
The last part of my comment was cut off, and I don’t feel like re typing everything lol. In a nutshell, this month was good because I’ll use almost everything. However, it wasn’t very exciting.
Lots of great brands, I love Jane Iredale, Miracle skin transformer, and Nuxe. I would try the Jane Iredale eye shadow as a blush.
Of course! I always forget that when I complain about pink eyeshadow! 🙂
I already want to buy the Nuxe mask. Feels and smells lovely, addicting! 🙂 I also want the skin transformer. I do not think I need an expensive eye cream as I am only 30 but like trying new lotions/potions. I also want both the cream shadows but the price idk about. The rest were fun. I just wish the sizes were larger but was happy about all the brands.
I keep hoping for a full size facial cleanser or moisturizer. There skin care seems small every month compared to the hair care. I was kinda suprised to see two cream shadows.