Swatches: ASOS Beauty Box (November)

In September ASOS launched their very first beauty box to coincide with their new, own-brand makeup line and revamp of the current beauty department (now known as "Face + Body"). I've been tempted each time as there's 5 items inside, priced at £12 and there's no subscription, you just buy it outright if you like it that month. It's taken until this month for me to go for it.  This time it contained (all full-size) items from their own-brand range rather than other brands. I'm always keen to trial new stuff, so this seemed like the perfect ooportunity. The box is incredible value for money with the palette alone retailing for £12. Yep, the liquid lipstick, mascara, blusher and eyeliner are all free. The whole makeup line is affordable anyway, but it's still a £29 saving.  Read on for swatches and a closer look at what's inside the ASOS Beauty Box (November edition).

ASOS Matte Liquid Lipstick in Immersed £7 
Ahh matte liquid lipsticks, they are just everywhere right now! I would've preferred to try out one of the regular lipsticks, but only because from past experience I find liquid lipsticks (especially matte) very drying. It comes in a clear plastic tube with black lid and slanted sponge applicator.  Give it a wee minute to properly dry and turn matte. I did have to use an oil based makeup remover to wipe off my swatch, so it seems pretty intense, though I haven't had the chance to try it on my lips yet. It's a medium to dark pinky-brown with opaque coverage. I didn't find it streaky or that it rubbed off areas I'd already applied to, though it didn't really need layered as it swatched with great coverage.  Obviously without trying it on my lips, I can't comment on wear-time.
ASOS Liquid Eye liner in Vigilant £6 
This liquid liner again comes housed in a clear tube with black lid and small brush tip. The colour is amazing. So rich, so metallic and so eye-catching. I swatched one line next to the heavier swatch (above) to give you an idea of how precise it draws and then to see the intensity of the colour. I'm personally not a fan of these brushes, I've always found them a bit fiddly and difficult to control, so I'll have to see how it applies on the eye. I think trying to do a flick at the end might be trickier than a standard line along the lashes, but we'll see. It took a little while to dry, but you wouldn't be applying it as heavily as I did here. Again I actually needed the oily makeup remover to take this off as it didn't budge with the tissue, which is good. One thing to note if you're buying this individually, ASOS seem to have muddled the shade names/images with the liquid liners and this one is definitely called Vigilant and the blue is Straight Up.
ASOS Blusher in Unbothered £8 
Ok, so this was the item that I had my eye on from their new launch. I love a punchy blush and this doesn't disappoint. It's the perfect bold peach with an equal dose of orange and pink tones. Unfortunately the swatch didn't pick up the pink flash at all, nor how bright this shade is, but if you like a visible blush, this is for you. It's a nice sized pan, mirror inside the lid and the powder felt silky smooth. It can definitely be toned down with a lighter hand and blended or buffed into the skin, as you'll see in my swatches, so don't be afraid of it.
ASOS Mascara in Bossy (black) £8 
Wow, is this a chunky mascara or is this a chunky mascara? I could whip it out Crocodile Dundee style and say "That's not a mascara.  That's a mascara"! It's huge!  I was a bit afraid to open it and see the size of the brush, given the enormity of the outer. I have small eyes and short lashes, so big wands just don't work for me. However, I was pleasantly surprised by this one. Again, I haven't used it yet, but the brush is silicone and the actual mascara looks rich in colour.
ASOS Eyeshadow Palette in Out Out £12 
A pale pink compact containing 6 shades with a full-size mirror in the lid. I think it's a good use of space in all the compacts to devote it to the actual colours rather than wasting precious room with applicators that I know I personally, tend not to use.  This or the smokey Strong are the shades I'd have chosen for myself, so I was quite happy with this being in the beauty box this month. There's a white-silver and light pewter with lilac toned flash. These are probably the more frosty finishes. The former is the palest, you might struggle to see it in the swatches against my skintone as it's just a smattering of white shimmer. It was a little disappointing.  The latter is beautiful. I actually sighed out loud at how pretty it was when I swatched it, with that surprising purpley tone to the grey, which wasn't visible in the pan nor did my camera pick up on it in the swatch.
The next two are a copper-gold and medium to dark brown. I expected both to apply quite matte, neither did. They don't have the same amount of shimmer as the first two, but they have a soft metallic finish. The copper one comes out more gold than copper on the hand and is the perfect shade match to the Vigilant eye liner above. This one surprised me because I don't usually go for these type of colours but could imagine wearing this, especially at this time of year. The brown looks a bit boring in the pan if I'm honest, but it looked a little livelier in the swatch. It's quite dark for me, but I'll still give it a try.
Finally the deeper shades; a pinky, browny plum (yes, really!) and peacock green. The pink one has a lighter, brighter pink flash to it and I feel there isn't enough blue in the green one to call it petrol or teal. That one is probably the least metallic of the bunch, but the pink flash in the other gave it a lovely metallic edge and I felt added interest.
They were all fairly pigmented when I dipped my finger in, minus the palest silver. I built the colour up in these swatches and they all felt soft, after I initially worried they might be a little hard.  I'm also wearing Urban Decay Primer Potion on my hand.

So there you have it. All of these items are available individually via the links above or if you fancy saving £29 on the whole lot, opt for the box and give something new a try.  Do you fancy buying a beauty box where the contents aren't a surprise or do you prefer the not knowing element?

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