Carmine November Box - Fame and Good Fortune!

Upon arriving home in Manchester, rather bedraggled and brain frazzled after a stressful day - it was a lovely surprise to see that this month's Carmine box had arrived for me! The November box, Carmine's second ever beauty box, focuses on the theme of 'Fame and Fortune', with each product being linked to a celebrity.

This month's box contains three full size make-up products and two quite generously sized skincare samples. I'd never tried any of these brand before, so it was great to get a little bit of a feel for them - plus, I didn't know Lulu had a skincare line! When did that happen?!

NEOM Organics 'Real Luxury' Body Lotion | £23.50 from NEOM Online
Designed for skin 'in need of a moisture boost', this lotion contains all kinds of vitamins, oils and Shea butter to nourish and smooth skin. Neom describe this as the 'cashmere blanket' of their scent library - I describe this as Granny's blanket of the local library. The scent alone is the reason I haven't used this yet, florals (lavender, jasmine and Brazilian rosewood) just aren't my cup of tea. My mum loved the scent though, so at least it will get used!

Dainty Doll 'Eyeliner Pencil' | £10.50 from Boots
I'll admit I have a girl crush on Nicola Roberts, so was happy to see the red head Dainty Doll girl peeping out of this Carmine box! This colour I received is 004 'Shake your Tail Feather', a metallic teal - a very 'me' shade indeed. The pigmentation is lacking, as is the formula, which requires you to practically draw blood to achieve any colour. I definitely wouldn't attempt to use this on the waterline - it's just not soft enough. Definitely not worth £10.50! Nicola, I love you a little less.

Lulu's Time Bomb 'Flashback Night Cream' | £9.50 - £30.75 from Lulu's Place
All I'm going to say about this is that the site baffles you with a quick bit of mumbo jumbo skincare science and finishes with the line, 'The results are dramatic'. As dramatic as the botox you used previously, Lulu? Thought not. I'm always dubious of celeb beauty lines and this one is no different. Another one I'll be handing over to the mother!

 Cosmetics a la Carte 'Brow Ink' | £22 from Cosmetics a la Carte
You KNOW I love everything eyebrows so I pretty much freaked out with happiness when I saw this (I kid you not) as I'd been wanting to try it for aaages! The shade I received, 'Taupe', is a medium brown which is perfect for those with medium to dark hair. The little whippy brush can be used to draw in hair in individual little swipes - cool, huh? Smudge proof and long wearing, the quality is definitely there, but I'd still hesitate to part with the £22 to buy it - especially as 'felt tip' cosmetics dry out quite quickly.

New Cid 'i-Pout Lipstick' | £15 from New Cid
Carmine included a challenge in their box this month - to take your i-Pout out with you and share your pictures and stories with them. A fun idea, since these look really funky in the dark with the little build in lights on! Soft, moisturising, long wearing, pigmented formula - one of the nicest I've tried in ages! Also, the shade I received isn't one I'd usually go for, but it actually suits me...always interesting to find new shades you can wear.

Overall, I felt this box was better suited to somebody a little older than I and 3/ 5 products will soon find themselves in my mum's hands. However, I was happy to see three make-up products and an eyebrow pen - it's receiving little essentials like this which I think could 'make or break' certain boxes.

Have you subscribed to Carmine? Have you tried any of these products?

Received for review purposes. All opinions 100% honest and 100% my own - as always!