The December Allure Beauty Box Challenge

Megan Salerno, Allure special projects editor and self-proclaimed creature of habit, challenges herself to snap out of her beauty rut with an Allure Beauty Box subscription. Come back monthly to find out how she uses the items in the box—the ones that earn a permanent place in her medicine cabinet, and the ones that don’t quite make the cut.

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, and I am beginning to panic because I’ve barely made a dent in my shopping list. For me, procrastination has become a time-honored holiday tradition that’s up there with tuning into the 24-hour marathon of “Christmas Story” on TBS, or pretending to eat pickled herring at the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve to appease my father. When the December Allure Beauty Box arrived, it was a welcome distraction from my daunting shopping list and I readily dug in. What I found, however, is that in addition to some necessary goodies to help me brace for the bitterly cold months ahead, the box also contained some unexpected gift ideas for the friends and family on my list.

Coastal Salt & Soul Heavenly Hand Cream

Whipping winds and sub-zero temperatures have done a number on my poor fingers. Add compulsive hand-washing to the mix (it’s cold and flu season, people!), and my winter-worn hands were seeming like they were here to stay. That is, until a glimmer of hope arrived in the December box: a dainty tube of . Its non-greasy formula delivered a dose of much-needed moisture to my parched palms without leaving behind a slick residue on my keyboard and a trail of typos. The distinctive scent, however, was what truly set this hand cream apart. This is going to sound awfully specific, so bear with me. But, you know that inexplicable smell in the housewares section of Anthropologie that makes you linger there even though you came in specifically to find a dress for the bridal shower you’re attending in just a few short hours? That is exactly how I’d describe Ocean Gardenia’s sweet, yet citrusy fragrance. I didn't get a chance to try the other scents—Blushing Peony and Mediterranean Citrus—but now I want to get my baby-soft hands on those too.

Verdict: This deeply-moisturizing hand cream is a trick I definitely want to have up my sleeve this winter. But it’s way too good to keep to myself; and honestly, it’s a versatile gift that works for just about everyone on my list. (As a bonus, its pretty packaging means I can scrap the wrapping paper and scotch tape. A simple satin bow will suffice).

Tula Advanced Neck Cream

Some grandmothers pass down family recipes. My grandmother’s lasting legacy was this invaluable beauty tip: “Always do to your neck, exactly what you do to your face.” At the time, I dismissed it with an eye-roll, but now I’m hanging my head in shame for ignoring her. And I should have known better. With barely a crease on her face, only the white-knuckled passengers in her car might have been able to guess that she was a senior citizen. While I may have brushed off her sage advice for years, it's found its way into my current skin-care routine: My three-times-a-week retinol treatment that I slather from hairline to décolleté, and top off with a thin layer of ultra-creamy moisturizer. These two heavy-hitting treatments work wonders on my face, but ravage my wallet. was a welcome addition. Packed with peptides and my personal favorite, retinol, it helps to restore firmness and smooth crepe-y skin just as well as my normal P.M. process, but at $80 for a 1.7-ounce jar compared to $170 for one ounce of La Mer, it’s practically a steal.

Verdict: In terms of its benefits, it’s neck-and-neck with my usual anti-aging creams, but it charges into the lead with its price-tag. A firmer neck feels a lot better when you have a fuller wallet.

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Follow Megan's Journey below:

1. An Editor Looks to the Allure Beauty Box to Break Out of Her Beauty Rut
2. The November 2016 Allure Beauty Box: One Editor's Brutally Honest Review
3. The Best of the Allure Best of Beauty Box

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Embryolisse Lait-Crème Concentré

Word on the street is that , a three-in-one primer, moisturizer, and makeup remover is in every single pro's makeup bag. Needless to say, I was eager to see what all the hype was about—perhaps a little too eager.The very next morning I slathered it all over my face to find that while it does absorb better than most daytime moisturizers, it does not sink in well enough to keep my runny foundation in place. It did not have the anti-aging ingredients that I look for in nighttime cream, but it worked quite well to remove my makeup at the end of the day.

Verdict: For the beauty junkies on my list, I can’t think of a better gift than well-hydrated, luminous skin. Like The Jelly of the Month Club, it’s the gift that keeps on giving; and this moisturizer is certainly a present I'd give to one of my friends with dry skin. For myself, it did not really address my specific skin concerns, however using it for a week piqued my interest in the brand’s line of anti-agers.

Beautyblender Liquid Blendercleanser

I need to come clean: I don’t remember the last time that I washed my makeup brushes. Even in spite of Allure’s weekly Instagram reminders, I still gloss over this crucial step in my routine. Luckily, the challenge forced me to clean up my act so to speak. This past Sunday, I broke out all my brushes and soaked them thoroughly under the faucet. As I began to massage the mild cleanser into the bristles, streams of dirty water poured out. As I watched the gunk, grime, and invisible unmentionables flow down the drain, I felt deeply gratified, but also a little grossed out. By the following morning, I had forgiven myself, my brushes had dried, and the bristles felt incredibly soft as I brushed, dusted, and swept them across my face.

Verdict: No more lazy Sundays for me. I’ve invested in the full-sized , and with a gentle nudge from social media every weekend, I am looking forward to cleaner brushes in 2017.

European Wax Center Oh My Brow Brow Highlighter

Highlighter is the multitasker of my makeup bag. I use it along my brow bones, on top of my cheekbones, and on either side of my nose to narrow the bridge. Since I have deep-set eyes coupled with dark circles, I also like to use an illuminator in the inner corners to brighten and bring them forward. With a tapered highlighter brush or the tip of my ring finger, I’ll usually gently press a creamy illuminator in the hard-to-reach spot, but with mixed results. Neither method provides the precision or control I need to get the job done right 100 percent of the time. Enter : This dome-shaped crayon was the perfect size and shape to get right in there, and the sponge on the opposite end helped to blend the shimmery formula evenly every single time. The real test was stepping out into the mid-afternoon sunlight. Much to my surprise, even in the harsh, unforgiving sun, the highlighter looked beautifully natural.

Verdict: It worked like a charm and the elegant shade of champagne achieved a subtle, almost-ethereal glow. Double-thumbs up!

So there you have it. The last Allure Beauty Box challenge for 2016. Check back in January 2017 as I swipe, sample, and swab my way through another 30 days.

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Learn how to banish oily skin wherever you may be: