Macy's Beauty Box: November 2020

This is from November 2020, which is not remotely on time on my end but I've had a full day of doctor's appointments and I just can't get much out this week. I feel like I'm full of excuses but I've got a new computer on the way so maybe things will be easier when I'm not precariously balancing my laptop on a pile of paper on my desk. I obviously have to clean. 

I accidentally downloaded a podcast based in Limerick, Ireland. Since I'm home all day with this pandemic, I've been playing it and I know the most random things about Limerick now. It's a news podcast I guess from one of their stations. Apparently there was a massive street party that might have involved students from University of Limerick (or Limerick University?) plus younger kids. It's been the leading story for the past three episodes. The only reason I mention it, it's like a local (for Limerick) version of Talk of the Nation, which was one of my favorite NPR shows. It was canceled and replaced with Here and Now on my local NPR. Which like, it's fine...but I still miss Talk of the Nation. 

Anyways. 

This is the November 2020 beauty box from Macy's. The theme was "Post Workout Wonders" and featured minimalist type touch ups and skin fixes. 

There's always a brochure with the product descriptions, pictures of what the full size items look like (which is great with the perfumes in particular since they tend to come in the little spray bottles), and the $5 or occasional $10 off discount code. The code is just for beauty products if I'm remembering correctly. 

This month we also received a tie-dye tote bag. It's made of that gym bag material that makes that horrible swish sound. Nylon? Rip-stop? Anyways, it's a thin version of that. It looks nice enough and I used to it to wrap Christmas gifts. 

​The SK-II Facial Treatment Essence with Piteria is one of those super expensive skin care items that you either love or not. I have the full size of this and the "dupe" from Corsx (the Galactomyces 95% Essence). I can't say one way or the other because I haven't used it. 

I have a small back log of essences that I'm working my way through. I've started to use them all over my chest, neck, and arms because I don't want them to go bad before I get through them all. 

That being said, the SK-II tends to be people's holy grail essence, so I am excited to have a smaller sample to try out before I bring the big one out. 

It IS expensive (over $200 for the large size), so that's something to prepare yourself for. 

​This is a new product for me (and new brand). It's the Dermablend Loose Setting Powder. The full size of this is around $30, so midrange in price. 

I normally use pressed powders but I do like loose ones (I'm just messy so that's why I go towards pressed). It's wonderful for setting a more full coverage look. 

​I've heard of Tan Towel, and it's probably a great item for anyone needing a quick touch up on an area (this sample size can only cover so much).

I don't really tan anymore, I'm too nervous about skin cancer (it runs in my genes I suppose). If I wasn't soooo lazy this would be a great product but I've embraced my skin color. Mostly out of laziness. It was the "in" thing to be tan amongst my age group growing up (really still is). 

A box of these towelettes is around $24. I think that's probably reasonable (but again, not my knowledge base). 

​This is sample of a plumping lip gloss from P/Y/T. I've never tried this brand either, so that's a fun new thing for me. I also appreciate that it's clear, because I have so many glosses. 

Sadly, between Covid and Invisalign, I'm not wearing a lot of lip products. This means that I haven't tried it yet. I'd probably wear it over a matte lip because I don't actually like most matte lip looks on me. That's just a personal thing. 

A full size tube of plumping lip gloss is around $15, which is a little on the low end of a mid-range price range. The other colors have a lot of glitter in them, which is something I like in a gloss. Give me the sparkles! I don't know if that a minority type thing though. 

The other  two items are the perfume/cologne. 

One is the Jean Paul Gaultier "Le Male" which looks like the top part of a male mannequin in the full size version. The full size price is $75-120, depending on which size option you choose.  The notes from this are really unique: mint, lavender, and vanilla. It's supposed to evoke shaving soap with vanilla undertones. 

The other option was Mugler's Angel Eau Croisière II. Which is not available anymore on Macy's, although other Mugler angel perfumes are. The notes are more tropical. I'm not sure if I kept this or not, but I think I might have because the spray bottle was red and not clear like they normally are. 

The Anthony No Sweat Body Defense and the 3INA 24 Hour Eyeliner were not included in my bag. That was a bummer but I received two other products instead so that's okay. 

I do think this is the second time I've been punked out of getting a 3INA product. Rude. 

​I'm not going to lie, I really enjoy when Macy sends random stuff instead of just "beauty." This is because most of the time, they're more useful than you'd imagine. 

New underwear? Yes please. 

This is from Jockey, and it's one of their Truefit Promise collections (which come in the different styles, like hipster). It's made from a thinner, stretchy material that fits up to size U.S. 14. I couldn't really find it on the Macy's website (to be fair, I didn't look super hard). 

The last item was from Strivectin. It's their four step reset program. This is actually the second sample of this I have, so I can try it for a bit longer. I don't actually have any other products from Strivectin (other than this) so I'm happy to give it a whirl. This system is meant to go over four weeks (each bottle being a different week). It costs around $140. The set is meant to rejuvenate fatigued skin. 


Week one seems to be focused on hydrating, week two on plumping, week three on radiance, and week four on more plumping. Used day and night (AM and PM). Obviously, everyone's experience will differ for skin products but I'm still keen to give it a whirl. Ah, eventually. 

Overall, this box was a lovely little thing. Sometimes Macy's has issues but I've really lucked out with them, so I hope this continues. It's my favorite little beauty sample box.