Finally! Going through the excitement of opening up all the beauty boxes this month has only lead to disappointment thus far, but finally, here’s a beauty box that has taken the festive holidays on board!
Yes, yes, yes! Cohorted has definitely done the best, out of the four December beauty boxes (Look Fantastic, Birhcbox, Glossybox and Cohorted) I receive, on accommodating for the festivities.
Despite the fact that the other beauty boxes came in gorgeous and festive looking box designs, Cohorted was as always the standard black, square box that closes magnetically and ties with a ribbon. However, instead of random all year round beauty products, Cohorted actually included some festive appropriate makeup!
The box also came with it’s monthly, small beauty magazine (only 31 pages) that tells you a little bit more about each product and some featured products or artists. Even their monthly small magazine looks festive!
This month’s Cohorted box contained only 4 unique products, from left to right: an eyeshadow palette, a lip stain, an eye liner and a brow cream.
Let’s dive in a little more deeply into how each product performed after a week’s use. Bear in mind that these are my personal opinions and as beauty is a very personal thing, we all have different skin, beauty requirements and biological build which can influence things. What worked for me might not work for you and vice versa. If you tried any of these please leave your comments below!
Cargo Holiday 2017 Emerald City Palette
Yes! When I think of a festive box, I think of colours and so an eye shadow palette is exactly what the doctor ordered. Cohorted, you got this one spot on!
This Cargo palette is so festive! It is made of a lovely green, durable cardboard and has golden Christmas decorations on it. It closes magnetically and has a brush and a mirror inside. The interior is all golden coloured and while it is very beautiful, I feel that it takes away from the colours of the eye shadows a bit. I say that because I have to admit, when I look at this palette I don’t feel particularly inspired. It looks a little boring and not very pigmented.
But seriously, you need to swatch this one to realise it’s true potential. The shadows are actually gorgeous and the colours come alive. I’ve noticed this with other Cargo palettes too. They always look less interesting than they are, which is both a shame and an amazing surprise when you swatch them. Don’t dismiss them, give them a try first!
This palette has 12 colours of which 4 are mattes and the rest are shimmers. There is a fair amount of fallout from some of them but they are still workable. They never wrinkled, and the colour lasted for hours but bear in mind I always used an eye shadow primer first. According to the Cohorted magazine 3 of the colours are quads and 6 are duos. The names are as per Cargo tradition, places around the world which is cute but I wish they were also Christmas related.
The brush has “packing” eye shadow type ends. I normally prefer palettes that have blending brushes but as this is mostly a shimmer palette, you will most likely be using your finger or a packing brush to put on the shimmer! The brush is of high quality, it feels and looks sleek and it washes well.
Overall, this is a lovely palette and exactly what should have been in a festive beauty box. The palette retails for £35 which is an acceptable price. SCORE = 8/10
Eyeko London Skinny Liquid Eyeliner Black
A black eye liner is not specifically Christmassy but it is definitely a must have item around the festivities as we tend to create a lot of eye looks and a black line or flick goes a long way!
This eyeliner looks like a travel size, it is slightly smaller than others. It is only 1.2g whereas the full size is 2g. It is meant to be waterproof but it wasn’t for me. Nothing happened if water splashed on it but it did rub off completely with 4 strokes when water touched it and I rubbed it.
The colour though is a lovely proper black and it doesn’t smudge. It lasts all day and even though I personally prefer brush instead of felt tip, it was easy and practical to use.
It contains algae which admittedly is a little strange for an eyeliner. Not sure if you would want algae around your eyes either. According to the Cohorted magazine, the algae is meant to give a smooth, glossy finish. The finish is smooth but I did not notice the glossy part.
This eyeliner retails around £8 which sounds very cheap but remember it is travel size and the full size is around £16! SCORE = 8/10
Huda Beauty Lip Strobe Ritzy
I’ve never tried a Huda lip strobe so I was very excited to receive one. Is it bad to say though that the box of it reminded me of Kylie Cosmetics? I don’t know who took it from who and it doesn’t really matter but it’s not great that my first thought was another brand…
However, the gold colour named Ritzy is very festive and exactly what I’d like in a December box. That or a red lip!
The lip strobe is gorgeous and it swatches even more gorgeous! It looks amazing but somehow my super white complexion doesn’t do it justice. It looks like I’ve deleted out my lips with something a little shiny. I think this would be an absolute gem for darker skin tones but it doesn’t really do much for the whiter ones.
According to the Cohorted magazine you can also use this on the eyes which sounds like an amazing idea if you ignore the fact that it will make your eyes sticky. If you can set it somehow without removing too much of its colour then this can be a lovely golden shadow.
The packaging and wand are of standard quality. This full size lip strobe retails for £21 which is a little on the expensive side considering it is a bit patchy and you will need to re-apply it a lot. SCORE = 7/10
Becca Shadow and Light Brow Contour Mousse Mocha
Again, a brow product is not specifically festive, but a nicely defined brow will give that nice festive eye the finishing touch it needs!
I really liked this mousse. It is easy to use and I like that it comes with a light colour to correct any mistakes or sharpen lines. You can also use it for highlighting the brow bone. However, I wish the colour was a little more light brown-white skin tone than proper light pink. Anyhow, it still works and you can always use a little foundation or concealer over it if you want to colour correct.
According to the Cohorted magazine, this brow mousse has a fibre technology that adheres to brow hairs and skin for the most natural looking brows. It definitely lasted all day and looked natural. Apparently, the pink part contains illuminating pearl particles that create the illusion of a lift. I didn’t notice that but aw well!
The glass container feels expensive and it looks sharp. The mousse smells pleasant, like a cosmetic and this full size product retails for £18. A little on the expensive side, considering only half of it is actually for filling in the brow, but it’s an acceptable price. SCORE = 8/10
Overall, I though this was the only box that fully embraced the festive spirit and included appropriate products. The product composition was excellent with the exception of the fact that there were only 4 products which gives it a non-finished feeling. Cohorted tends to only include 4 products or 4 products and 1-2 samples if one of the products is of high value. I understand it but it is still disappointing during the unboxing experience.
I have also noticed that Cohorted often over values their boxes. This month the box value they stated in their magazine is £90, but actually a quick calculation of the products contained sums it up to £82. It seems like they’ve taken the price of a full size eye liner, even though the one included is only travel size. There is no need to over state the box, it is still a great value for money!
Initial box score, in terms of products and first feelings = 9/10
Overall box score after product testing (a sum of product scores) = 7.8/10
Star product = A couple of products scored an 8/10 so I will give it to the product that held my attention the longest which is the Cargo Holiday 2017 Emerald City Palette.
Did you get this month’s Cohorted? What did your box contain? What did you think of the products? Have you tried any of the products listed? Let me know your experiences!
For general subscription box reviews see the: Birchbox, Glossybox, Look Fantastic and Cohorted general review posts. For help on how to choose the right subscription box for you check out “Which Subscription Beauty Box is right for you?”.
I am not affiliated with any company or brand. These are my views and experiences.
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Bonds of Beauty 
Awesome box!
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For sure! Was the most festive one of them all!
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