Cohorted March Beauty Box

Beauty boxes were such a big hit over the past few years and I, like most of my other bloggers and beauty lovers, subscribed and for a long time the boxes were fantastic (I think Birchbox was my favourite as well as the pretty amazing My Little Box) but they seemed to be in decline now. However, there is one that always seems to catch my eye - the Cohorted boxes!

Now, I'll be honest and say that the first Cohorted box, which I bought, was a bit disappointing but now they seem to be so impressive every time a new box comes out. I was kindly sent the *Cohorted March Box (£35), however the value of the box is a whopping £88.50 so it's such amazing value for money. I don't know how long this box will be available for but when I do, I'll update this post.

The contents of this box, for me, are so impressive and I'm happy with all of them! The box they come in is great too as it can be re-used and you also get a booklet that tells you about each product and how to use them. All but one of the products included in this box are full size, unlike most other beauty boxes I've tried when the majority of the products are sample sizes or the worst thing ever...sample sachets!

- TheBalm Nude 'Tude Eyeshadow Palette (RRP £35): I have wanted this eyeshadow palette for at least two years so I am happy that I finally have it and it doesn't disappoint. The packaging is gorgeous, it is lightweight, thin and has a magnetic closure so it would be great for travelling and the range of shades is perfect. The shades go from light, neutral shimmery shades to deep bronze and brown shades and rich matte browns and blacks.

There are eight shimmery/metallic shades and four matte shades in this palette and if I was being picky then I would say that I wish there was a matte beige or matte white but sadly there isn't so this won't be my all round go to palette but it's still SO pretty. The shades are all smooth, creamy and pigmented and they blend well. Check out my video at the end of this post for closeups and swatches!

- TheBalm Put A Lid On It Eyelid Primer (£5, 0.125ml): I haven't been impressed with an eyeshadow primer since the amazing Nars smudge proof eyeshadow primer came into my makeup collection three years ago so I don't have very high hopes for this primer but I'll definitely give it a go.

- Bare Escentuals Heavenly Face Brush (£25): Now, I don't know if it is just me but I'm always confused by Bare Escentuals and Bare Minerals - are they the same brand? Anyway, as well as eyeshadow palettes, I also love brushes - I have so many, it's a bit of a problem. This brush is a super soft flat top kabuki style brush that I know will be perfect for my loose mineral powder foundation by Antipodes.

- Nails Inc London Polish in Cadogan Square (£9, 10ml): Nails Inc make some of my all time favourite polishes and I do love the formula and shades; however this shade just isn't for me. I think it would have been better to include a base coat, top coat or a nail strengthener in this box rather than a shade that some people, myself included, might not like.

- Pixi Crayon Combo in Super Natural (£14.50): I have only tried the Pixi liners before, nothing else from the brand so I'm interested to see how this product works for me. The shades are pretty and wearable so I think I could get a lot of use out of them.
Overall, I am really impressed with this box as with some beauty boxes you just get samples but four out of the five products in this box are full size and from well know and famous brands! I love the eyeshadow palette, brush and the Pixi eyeshadow/liner crayon. From my experience of this box, I'd definitely recommend it and I'd love to see what the April box contains! Overall rating: ★★★★★, 5/5.

Have you tried any of the Cohorted beauty boxes? Do you have any of these products? 

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Cohorted Beauty Box: Feb 2015

Cohorted is a website whereby new products are featured every week and the more people who want the products, the better the discount. They have just launched their new website which is more of an online store, so you can buy a whole range of items from brands such as Dior, Mac and Chanel as well as drugstore brands like Rimmel, Sleek and many more! I love the new website design, the new products and I love the whole idea. So when they announced that they were releasing a beauty box, myself and the beauty community collectively squealed with exciting at the prospect and we didn't have to wait long for the release date. 

However, Cohorted made the rather ridiculous decision of launching the new weekly cohorts, a new website and the highly anticipated beauty box all on the same day...yeah, they really didn't think that through as it caused so much frustration, annoyance and stress all around! With so many people trying to get onto the website to buy the beauty box, it was incredibly slow and the Cohorted's twitter filled with complaints and people venting their frustration about the website. I managed to buy one of the boxes after more than half an hour of refreshing (no exaggeration). The next day, a website released an image of the products inside the box which really ruined the surprise! 

The Cohorted February Beauty Box (£22.49 including tax and shipping) was delivered a few days ago and I have to say, I'm disappointed. Firstly, the price of the box is a lot more than every other beauty box I know of so I was expecting an amazing box especially as only 100 were created. Also five of the boxes were supposed to contain the amazing Hourglass Ambient Lightning Palette - sadly my box didn't include it *cries forever*. The box contained: 

- Dolce & Gabbana Clarifying Lotion (RRP £20, 150ml) which looks so beautiful but as I have sensitive skin I will not be using this as I do not trust fashion brands to make skincare! I will be giving it to my mum as an extra mothers day gift. I don't know why beauty box brands always include so much skincare as in my opinion skincare is so personal, you cannot include one/two products that will work for everyone. Beauty box manufacturers, please stop putting so much skincare in your boxes! 

- Bobbi Brown Smokey Eye Mascara Mini (RRP £8, 3ml), now I am happy to receive this mascara as I love to try any new mascaras but it isn't waterproof so I can only wear it on certain days but it looks good so far. 

- Benefit Ultra Plush Lipgloss Bella Bamba (£14.50, 15ml): The inclusion of a Benefit product is great as it is a brand that most people will know. The packaging and product look great but I don't really wear gloss and the shade isn't personally to my taste. I haven't used this product so I will be giving it away on my blog or twitter sometime this year. 

- Korres Quercetin & Oak Eye Primer (£10, 4ml) as I have fairly deep set eyes, everything creases on me so I am always looking for new eye primers and this is the one product I am actually excited about receiving. It is tinted which isn't great as it looks so dark/orange for my pale skin but I am exciting to try it out. 

- Korres Milk Proteins Foaming Cleanser (£15, 50ml), yet another skincare product which as I mentioned...well ranted about, I don't like the inclusion of facial skincare in beauty boxes. The product sounds nice but I probably won't use it. 

Overall, I love the way the box was presented but the box itself seems to be falling apart already. The primer sounds great and I think my mum will be excited to find a little gift from Dolce & Gabbana with her mothers day presents (I really hope it doesn't irritate her skin). On the whole I am disappointed and I think the way the launch of the website and box was handled was quite poor. So many people couldn't access the website and order the box but in all honesty I wish I hadn't been 'lucky' enough to order one. Overall rating: ★★☆☆☆, 2/5. However, I think some people would be fairly happy with this box, it's just personal preference and high expectations.

Don't let my review of this months box put you off the actual Cohorted website as the online store and the weekly cohorts are fantastic. The pre-orders for the march box have already sold out and I think the website will probably crash again with everyone trying to buy the march box when it is released. Sadly I will not be buying another beauty box from Cohorted again. 

Did you manage to buy one, if so what did you think of it? Do you buy from Cohorted?

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