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Beauty Heroes Beauty Discovery Review – September 2019

Marne Orenich
ByMarne OrenichSep 6, 2019 | 16 comments

Beauty Heroes Review - September 2019

Beauty Heroes
4.5 overall rating
19 Ratings | 6 Reviews

Beauty Heroes is a clean beauty subscription box that focuses on non-toxic ingredients for $58.95/mo. Each month they send you one new full-size “hero” product in the face, body, hair, or sun care category accompanied by "deluxe sidekicks." This month is their five year anniversary so they've mixed things up a bit for a special box that includes five past heroes!

Open Beauty Heroes box

This box was sent to us at no cost for review. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)

group of 4 featured products around Beauty Heroes box

About this Natural Beauty Subscription

The Subscription Box: Beauty Heroes

The Cost: $58.95/month or $128.85 for a 3 month commitment ($42.95/mo). Save even more with longer commitments.

ACTIVE DEAL: Get 10% off any subscription!
CODE: MSABH10

The Products: One full-size face, body, hair, or sun care "hero product" plus a deluxe sidekick from the featured brand.

Ships to: The US for free, Canada for $11.95, and Worldwide for $18.95

Good to Know: Beauty Heroes just announced a month-to-month subscription for the first time beginning in July.

Beauty Heroes September 2019 Review: 5 for 5

 

September is a big month this year since it's Beauty Heroes' Five Year Anniversary! To celebrate, they've included an amazing FIVE items instead of just two, featuring past heroes to "rediscover"! Laurel Skin, Josh Rosebrook, Honua Skincare, Ayuna, and LILFOX are all included in the celebration. The booklet gives a quick overview of how hero products are chosen and founder Jeannie shares why she loves each product they've included this month.

 

Laurel Skin Sun Serum, 10 ml - Estimated Value $29.34 (Buy a full-size 30 ml for $88)

First up we have a serum (though it reads more like a facial oil to me) from Laurel Skin that's amber in color and smells nice from the combination of rosehip, red clover, bilberry, cranberry, and red raspberry seed oils. I was a little afraid it would stain my skin since it has a pigment when you first apply it, but once it's spread out and soaks in, the coloration disappears. This is really packed with moisture that my skin drinks up and creates an incredibly soft touch. This is a nice serum, but personally I didn't see anything in it that really sets it apart from others.

 

Josh Rosebrook Cacao Antioxidant Mask, 0.75 oz. - Retail Value $38.00

Whoa boy. I have very mixed feelings about this mask. It smells fantastic as soon as it's opened and it looks and feels like a really rich whipped dark chocolate frosting. I was shocked to see that this mask can be worn up to 45 minutes which is by far the longest I've ever worn one. Once it was spread on, which was easily done, much like icing a cake, I allowed it to sit for probably 40 minutes. It felt completely fine that entire time. It wasn't until I rinsed it off that my face became insanely hot and REALLY flushed. Like, "just ran a mile" flushed. My face looked like a ripe tomato. I assumed I was having a reaction until I read the box and website which said that the reaction I was having was the "desired result" since it was boosting the blood circulation to my face. That was very clear. But... I hated it. My faced stay hot and beet-red for a minimum of 35 minutes after the mask was washed off. I honestly couldn't even focus on how my skin may have changed after it was all said and done because I disliked the process so much. Maybe this is a good thing for my skin, but I am just not committed enough to feel that way again. Even after trying to research this whole thing online and talking to my friend who is a Nurse Practitioner, I still can't get on board that this is a thing I want to do to my face on purpose. Anyone else have a similar experience to me? Let me know!

UPDATE: Just wanted to add that my fellow reviewer Megan tried this mask with none of the negative results. Some of our readers have also reported back that all was well with their experience too. My skin may very well just not jive with something in this mask (perhaps cinnamon- thanks to reader Bee!).

 

Honua Skincare Aloha Youth Serum, 1 oz. - Retail Value $58.00

Ah- what a treasure. I've had a couple of brushes with the Honua Aloha Skin Serum over the past couple years and it's always positive. I think this was actually my "gateway serum" which I was introduced to via the first clean beauty subscription I reviewed in January of 2018 and the first one I loved. It was also probably the first serum I used the entire bottle of (rare these days) which can attest to my love for it. Gosh, that makes me realize that I am so into oils these days that I barely even use serums anymore. I have just been cleansing, toning, and moisturizing lately (with a combo of oils and creams). The youth serum is a cloudy creamy color but not too thick and not too thin which is quick to seep into my skin. This is making me feel nostalgic and I want to go back to using this one on the daily!

 

Ayuna Natural Rejuvenating Treatment Cream II in Rich, 15 ml - Estimated Value $59.40 (Buy a full-size 50 ml for $198)

Hands down, my favorite product this month is the Ayuna Cream II. I am completely obsessed with the signature scent of Ayuna's products (which I was introduced to in this year's May Beauty Heroes box). This cream smells divine (though a bit vinegary, which I've come to love) and it has a wonderful consistency that is thick and soothing. Not very much is needed to cover my whole face in a thin layer that feels nothing short of luxurious. I am just over-the-moon about this cream that is said to help soften wrinkles, improve elasticity, and even out complexion. This definitely helps me achieve a cherub-like appearance and my gosh am I ever tempted to spend the outrageous $198 for the full size... That's just ridiculous though, right? Someone talk me down...

 

LILFOX Kalahari Eye Serum, 10 ml - Retail Value $68.00

I tried with this eye serum- I really did! The serum flows really easily from the roller ball that glides under my eye with application, but I just found it a bit too oily for me. Yes, I slather my face in oil all the time, but it's usually not only under and around my eyes. If you've read my other beauty reviews, you know that I just can't seem to get excited about eye treatments because I am impatient and want to see results ASAP. However, I will say that I love how this FEELS going on. And it smells like coffee which is just fantastic to a caffeine-lover like myself. The packaging also gets an A+ because LILFOX knows how to make things pretty, but I will be passing this one on to a friend.

Verdict: It was really a nice surprise to get five products from Beauty Heroes this month for their five year anniversary! While not all of them panned out for me, the value of this box is amazing seeing as though it has an estimated retail of  $252.74. My faves were the youth serum and rejuvenating cream which paid for the box alone and while the serum didn't blow my mind, I can certainly keep it around as a backup. The cacao mask frightened me, but I'm curious to see what others who have tried it think!!

If you're curious about other great skincare boxes, check out our Best Niche & Specialty Beauty Boxes list!

To Wrap Up:

Can you still get this box if you sign up today? Yes! Sign up by September 20th to grab all five of Jeannie's faves.

ACTIVE DEAL: Get 10% off any subscription!
CODE: MSABH10

Value Breakdown: At $58.95 for this box (assuming the more expensive month-to-month option), here’s what you are paying approximately per item:

  • Sun Serum: $6.84
  • Cacao Mask: $8.86
  • Youth Serum: $13.53
  • Rejuvenating Cream: $13.85
  • Eye Serum: $15.86

Check out all of our Beauty Heroes reviews and more of our best beauty subscription boxes of 2019!

Keep track of your subscriptions by adding Beauty Heroes to your wishlist or subscription list!

What did you think of this special Beauty Heroes box? Am I overreacting about the Josh Rosebrook mask??

Starting at $39.95
Active Deal
Get 10% off any subscription!
Use Coupon Code MSABH10
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Beauty Heroes offers a curation of beauty, lifestyle, and wellness that's good for people and planet. Beauty Heroes holds the most rigorous ingredient standard in the industry and stocks over 100+ of the healthiest beauty, lifestyle, and wellness brands from all over the world. Their monthly beau... read more.

Marne Orenich
Marne Orenich
Marne is a lipstick connoisseur, record collector, and twice over cat mom. She loves discovering new clean beauty brands and has quite the collection of beautifully packaged serums and moisturizers.

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16 comments

Amy

Convince me why I should or should not sign up for this box! I can’t use the mask which is the main bummer. I have acne-prone balanced skin.

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Nat

I know what I’ll be doing when I get home from work today. I’ll be trying out that mask

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Nat

So I tried out the mask last night and didn’t have any negative reaction like redness. I did only kept it on for 30 min after reading this review. Next time, will try for 35. Was overall pleased with how my skin looked after. This is more than I can say for Maya Chia mask in the last box. That one burns after 5 min and my face is very red after washing it off

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Marne Orenich

Great to hear about the Josh Rosebrook mask! Thanks for letting us know!

Luna

Please let us know what you thought of it! 😀

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Marne Orenich

Fearless!! Haha. Please let me know how it goes, Nat!

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Bee

I just looked at the ingredients for the mask and it looks like the mask contains cinnamon. I would imagine that is probably what was making your skin red and flushed. I know it is put in some lip plumpers to give the “bee stung” plump red lip look. Also I remember kids in school putting damp big red cinnamon gum wrappers on their faces and it leaving red hot squares when they removed the wrapper. It doesn’t sound like a pleasant product or one that I would want to use! Like you, I don’t think I could get behind the idea of causing inflammation and irritation on my skin on purpose.

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Marne Orenich

Bee, you beautiful genius. I think you’re on to something with the cinnamon! Here’s the weird thing: I had used ExfoliKate a handful of times before ever trying the Josh Rosebrook mask and things seemed a little hot but fine. I then used it a couple of days after the Josh Rosebrook mask and ExfoliKate all of a sudden had a similar effect on my skin! I just checked the full ingredient list and saw it has Cinnamal as well as Cinnamomum Cassia Leaf Oil.
I have always ingested cinnamon without trouble (even lip plumpers like you’ve mentioned), but perhaps my skin just does not like it all these days.
This is a shock since I always thought of my skin as being kinda tough (hello- I review skincare) and it’s incredibly rare for my face to hate something. The only other time was with a mask containing pearl. Now I know!
Thanks for your help- I think I now know what to steer clear of.

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Dea

The way to “send blood” to a particular body part is to cause an irritation reaction in the skin.

Sorry you had to go through it, Marne. No, it is NOT good for your skin. No, increasing blood flow to the skin does NOT “flush toxins” or any of that other mumbo-jumbo lingo that cosmetics companies use on unsuspecting customers. They need to evoke a skin reaction to convince you that something is happening to match their nonsensical claims. Well, something happened all right. I hope your skin is OK now. Remember that atomic lip balm thingy that stings lips? Same idea. Injure delicate skin to convince you that something is happening.

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Marne Orenich

I suppose we humans do this with a number of things. Alcohol comes to mind when thinking about this.. ha.
Even those lip plumpers didn’t do me too wrong but now I know that my face isn’t indestructible!

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Jenny M

Wow, so sorry you had such a negative reaction to the mask! I had a very different experience – I left it on for 45 minutes (which felt crazy long!) and when I washed it off, my skin literally felt smoother and more amazing than ever before in my life! I was so blown away. I do have pretty “tough” skin in that I almost never have bad reactions. Really love this whole box, thanks again for making me fall in love with Beauty Heroes Marne! 😊

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Marne Orenich

Thanks for sharing your positive experience, Jenny!
My fellow reviewer, Megan, tried the mask after I told her about my reaction and her skin was totally fine afterward! I think this is simply a fluke for me and am glad it doesn’t give the same results to everyone.
No hate to Josh or Beauty Heroes- this one just wasn’t for me.

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Luna

I used that JR mask sometime last year, and I can’t recall having that reaction…. but it has been awhile, and when I finally got around to using it it was a bit dried out and I had to rehydrate it with a toner or essence so the active ingredients that could cause the flushing could have been inactive by then. But I always thought his cacao mask was supposed to be comparable to Mahalo’s The Bean mask which is actually very soothing (and is also a mask that is meant to be left on for quite a while).

However, I have tried a handful of masks that is supposed to increase blood flow to the face (maybe for a brightening effect?) and I definitely could feel them working as I had them on… like my face had a pulse to it the whole time I had it on! lol!!! One that sticks out in my mind is Uma’s Ultimate Brightening Face Mask… just thought I’d share in case you get it in another green beauty box. 😉 However, despite my face having a new found heart beat while using the masks, and having a flushed look afterward, I didn’t mind it and the redness went away fairly quickly… but I also have tough as nails skin on my face so it doesn’t react negatively that much to products.

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Marne Orenich

Yea- sounds like it’s just not a good one for me, haha.
Thanks for weighing in with your experiences, Luna! Looks like cinnamon might be an ingredient for me to stay away from. Thanks for the heads up with Uma’s Ultimate Brightening Face Mask!

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Luna

I wouldn’t be surprised if that Uma mask is featured again in a beauty box so I thought I’d give you a heads up in case you get it so you can proceed with caution 😀