Cohorted Beauty Box - July 2015

July Cohorted beauty box - £19.99 plus £2.50

 As I'm sure many of you know, Cohorted is relatively new to the beauty box game but is already (and very much deservedly!) pulling way ahead of the competition. Month after month they produce a stunning selection of products that continue to impress and excite everyone who is lucky enough to get hold of one! They put a focus on high end brands and have been known to include products from Mac, ARK, Gucci and Urban Decay in their recent boxes. Rather than being a subscription service, the beauty boxes from Cohorted can be bought as a one off purchase, which is quite nice if you just want to give it a try rather than being tied to ongoing payments.

For July, four amazing products were included with an impressive value of over £63. Considering Cohorted have been under a fair amount of pressure regarding how many boxes are available, I was interested to see whether the quality of the box would be as high as previous months after an increase in quantity. 

Diego Dalla Palma palette

 Diego Dalla Palma Palette - Inspired by Snow White & the Huntsman | RRP £25

My first thought was that the palette that was included in this month's Cohorted box was a bit of an odd choice. While it is indeed rather lovely, you can't help but notice the fact that it is linked to a film that came out in 2012...so it's not exactly current. Add to that the rather strong dark red theme which just screams Autumn  / Winter to me rather than summer time and you have an item that just seems a little out of place. But hey, lets forget that and look at what you are actually getting within it. There are 6 eyeshadows within the main palette, 3 of which are shimmery and 3 are matte shades. They are all lovely neutral shades that are pretty universally wearable and could be used for day or night time looks. Their names are also a nice little nod to the film with shades called things like Mirror Mirror and Snow. In the swatches below you can see that there is a pretty good colour pay off, though I did struggle a little with the matte shades. To be fair though, that can be quite common with matte eyeshadow in general but it was a tiny bit disappointing.

From left to right - Snow, Shield, Mirror Mirror

From left to right - Fairest, Destiny, Battleground

The lipstick included in the palette is quite possibly my favourite item from the box. Again, a cheeky nod to the film with the name "Wicked Queen" which I thought was a nice touch. The lipstick is a stunning bright, blue toned red with a slight sheen to it which will suit most skin tones. Being of the fair, pink toned variety I was particularly happy as it suited my complexion perfectly. The formula is really smooth and wearable, making it a dream to put on. No dried out lips here! It also lasted fairly well, though a top up was needed after eating.

The last product to be included within the palette was a black eyeliner called "Dark Night". Similar to the lipstick, it had a lovely creamy consistency with good colour payoff. If you wanted a defined line you may be in for a bit of a struggle but it is perfect for a smokey eye.

Wicked Queen lipstick and Dark Night eyeliner

 

St Tropez Gradual Tan Firming Lotion (150ml) | RRP £20

I was particularly happy to see this item included as I've never actually tried St Tropez tanning products and have been planning to give them a go for some time. Yes I know, I'm rather behind the times on tanning but I like to embrace my natural skin tone (plus I am terrified of the orange streak effect and often struggle to find a colour that looks natural on my skin). This cream is designed to be 4 in 1, the 4 being tan, tone, firm and moisturise. I have always struggled with the concept of a cream that magically tones your body as it just doesn't make sense to me. If all it took was a bit of moisturising and voila, you are perfectly toned, I think everyone would be bathing in moisturiser day and night...but anyway, I digress. A gradual tan lotion is just the ticket for an easy, natural tan application without the worry of the aforementioned instant streaking. The colour of the cream is dark beige so it looks pretty pale skin friendly and I'm looking forward to testing the results after long term use. The consistency is also pleasant, it sinks in fairly quickly without any stickiness and doesn't have THAT smell which is a pleasant surprise! I think it's the perfect product to include in the July box to get that summer glow and I'm really impressed that it's a full sized bottle considering the price of this product alone is the same as the whole Cohorted box. I'll post a review after a bit of prolonged use on the results.

 

Nails Inc Matte Polish in "Gatwick" | RRP £11

I really LOVE red nail polish. I think it is a lovely classic colour as well as being useful for adding a little drama so I was really happy to see this nail varnish included! The fact that it's a matte polish gives it a modern twist and a little bit of extra interest as well which is great. I found the formula did dry really quickly so you had to be pretty speedy to prevent any streaks but all in all it is a lovely shade and a perfect match for the Diego Dalla Palma palette!

 

Flora by Gucci Perfumed Body Lotion | RRP £7.50

On first sight of this product, I'll admit I was a little underwhelmed. It had quite obviously been stored for some time as the packaging had black marks all over it and it didn't look overly tempting.  Perhaps that might be something Cohorted need to be aware of in future if they use stock that has been in storage, after all the vast majority of high-end products take a great deal of care to present the right image. However, a quick wipe down later and it was as good as new and ready to be tested. The consistency of this body lotion is light and sinks in quickly, no residual stickiness whatsoever. My hands instantly felt really soft after using it and that lasted for quite some time which, coming from someone who burns through tubes of hand cream at the speed of light, is pretty darn good. The scent of the lotion is quite strong and I suspect it may not be everyone's cup of tea. It is a rather musky yet floral scent and is quite "grown-up". I for one am a lover of all things musky/floral so it was my bag completely. It is strong enough that you could certainly forgo the perfume and just use this which would be really nice in the day time when a perfume might be a bit much. 

Overall, I think Cohorted have put together another lovely selection. The quality of the brands included are really impressive and I will certainly be using every product. I do however think that in comparison to some of the earlier boxes, the quality has dropped a little but that's to be expected with the number of boxes available increasing. They do need to be careful though with choosing backstock as marked and obviously old (ahem...snow white I am looking at you) products could result in a loss of interest quite quickly. We all know that's what often goes in beauty boxes but don't be too obvious about it! I am still a firm supporter of Cohorted though and I am really enjoying the opportunity to try high-end brands that don't really appear in other beauty boxes. Keep up the good work Cohorted!

What did you think of the July box? Would you be tempted to try out a Cohorted box? I'd love to hear what you all think!

To purchase a Cohorted beauty box, find them here - https://www.cohorted.co.uk/beautybox