January Carmine Box

Here I am, all bleary eyed and still in my PJs! My Carmine box arrived about half an hour ago but I have a busy day today so thought I'd do a quick first impressions post now.

Once again, it comes in a bright orange outer box which is too small.

Inside is the standard black box with neon interior.

And the obligatory tissue paper (I lost the ribbon!)

A card describing the contents, one about getting a free box and a £5 off Korres voucher for House of Fraser.

Here's a peek at what's inside.

First up, some lashes. these are by the brand Eldora and I'm not sure which style these are but I've checked the Eldora website and most of their sets of lashes retail at somewhere between £2.50 and £5. I'm not sure how I feel about these - I never wear lashes. I guess I'll give them a go but I can't imagine wearing them outside! It's a  nice inclusion considering there are people out there like me who've never tried falsies before. I don't know how these compare to other lash brands.

Next, there is a Balance Me Face Oil. The full size is 30ml and costs £30 so this 5ml sample is worth around £6 (whoop! for simple maths!). I've not had any luck with facial oils in the past but will give this a go. This is the second time we've seen Balance Me in a Carmine box. Whilst I did like the previous Balance Me sample, I'd prefer not to receive samples from the same brand as I've noticed this has become a bit of a trend with some other boxes, too.

The only make up item in the box is an Eyeko Fat Stick. This is a full sized product and retails for £10. I'm not a fan of Eyeko as a brand after their Big Eyes mascara fiasco but I was willing to give this a go. The shade I got is black and I was initially pleased since I've previously received a couple of blue eye products in these boxes. However, since this is more of an eyeshadow pencil than a liner, I don't see myself ever using it as a base - I never wear black shadow. I believe some customers may receive a brown or olive shade. I'm not that bothered since I think these are pretty horrible anyway. As you can see, they smudge out to give a delightful bruised look. About twenty minutes after taking this photo, both swatches rubbed off in seconds with a dry tissue and very little pressure. I can't see how these would last on the eyes; I think they'd be creasing terribly.

Next up is a 100g sample of Westlab's Himalayan Pink Salt. With 500g of this selling for a measly £2.85, this sample is worth all of 57p. Luxury samples, you say?  I'll give it a go because I like bath products but I'm pretty unimpressed with this one too. 

Oh Korres...it was only a matter of time, wasn't it? I've seen this brand in every other beauty box so I was wondering how long it would take to show up in a Carmine one. This is a 10ml sample of Wild Rose Moisturiser. A full size is 40ml and coats around £20 making this worth £5 or so. The only thing I will say is that I'm pleased that it's not another anti-ageing product!

So...I'm sure you can tell that I'm far from impressed with this box. I know January is typically a frugal month but the contents of this box is only worth around £26.50. I probably shouldn't complain since I only paid £12.75.

This is the third box in a row that I've not been pleased with. I will try everything aside from the Fat Stick out but I'm not excited about any of the products.

Unfortunately, this may be the end of the road for me and Carmine!

Stace xx