Carmine Beauty Box Review | December Box

If you are familiar with the Beauty Box concept, then you will know there are more than a few different ones to sign up to. Although I am a GlossyBox Ambassador and receive beauty boxes for free, this won't affect any judgement I have over any boxes available, or GlossyBox boxes for that matter. I know that a lot of you are interested in beauty boxes, and which may be the most suitable for you to sign up to, so for those of you who want an insight into another box, then I hope this post helps. I do apologise to those of you who may have seen enough in the blogsphere on beauty boxes, but I'd like to add my two cents for those of you who may be interested. :)

Carmine is another box available to beauty enthusiasts, or alternatively, beauty newbies in need of a little inspiration. This box costs £10 + Postage & Packaging each month (P&P is £2.75) So essentially £12.75 which compared with other beauty boxes, is around the same price bracket.

On first impressions, I wasn't massively enthralled, as it arrives in a box that is clearly too small for the beauty box inside, and is buckling and being held down by a strong piece of tape. This doesn't affect me, or the contents of the box, but as presentation is so important with things like this, I feel it's probably something that should be rectified. The box itself is really quite large compared with other beauty boxes, and the products inside are left sort of "floating about" in a sea of shredded paper. I definitely don't think the box needs to be this size. I much prefer the small, more compact boxes, which when opened, everything is packed in a lot more neatly. One other possibly more "shallow" aspect, is the colour scheme. Again, no reflection on the products inside but as a believer of presentation being a main factor, I was not so keen on the colour scheme of this box. I much prefer the softer, more girly schemes. Obviously, that is just my personal taste, some people may like the black, red and bright green theme.





The products inside the box, were definitely a lot more exciting. There are typically 5 hand picked deluxe samples each month, a mixture of skincare, fragrance and makeup. I think the December box had a great mixture of all of the above. It also including a little extra voucher, entitling you to a eyebrow threading treatment, which is a nice added bonus.

Samples included in the box were:

• Welda Pomegranate creamy body wash - Smells amazing, and left my skin feeling very moisturised.
• Freeshape Quick Blowdry Spray - I absolutely loved the idea of this since I have so much hair, something that cuts drying time by half. However when I used it, it took me the same amount of time to dry my hair. Although I felt a little disappointed, it did leave my hair super soft.
• Time Technology Cream - I've not used this yet, but it does sound promising. A cream to give you a flawless, radiant complexion that will transform tired looking skin.
  
• Japonesque Smudger Brush - A cute little travel sized brush that would be ideal for your handbag on the go
• MyFace.Cosmetics Blingtone Eyeshadow - I got this in a gorgeous golden shade, and although the packaging isn't totally up my street (I always think clear casing seems a little cheap) the eyeshadow is very highly pigmented and very smooth to apply.

Like other Beauty Boxes, Carmine include a little card stating which items are included in your box & a brief description. One thing I would have liked for them to include on this card, is an RRP price. If a product sample had an RRP of £90 a pot, it would give you an idea of the type of expectation you should have of the product (It better be bloody good at that price) but also I'd like to know if these products are within my price range before I start using them and fall in love with them or subsequently be disappointed by them. It also gives you a little guideline of how much the beauty box you've received at £12.75 is really worth, and saves you having to google them.

Overall, I was impressed by the contents of the carmine box, and there are definitely a few items in the December box that I was really excited to try, but I think the presentation lets it down slightly. Would I subscribe the to Carmine box personally? I'm not too sure. There are some great brands appearing in the Carmine boxes, and I enjoy the whole "receiving and not knowing what's going to be inside", but ultimately I don't think it's my favourite of the Beauty Boxes I've received.

What do you think of Carmine? Are you easily put off by little things like presentation and colour schemes or is that just me?