Oui Fresh Beauty Box — January ’19 unboxing

*Talk to the hand because the face has a sheet mask on right now* Okay, maybe that’s not the way the old saying goes, but this month’s beauty box is all about giving your hands a hand … or something like that! We’ve got fresh picks for a perfect at home mani, making germs vanish while soothing and protecting even the dryest of skin, and a treat for your face, too. Below, I’ll get into why we chose each of these products to kick off 2019’s beauty boxes and our tips for using them (+ some coupons for when you fall in love and need to reorder)!

Curious about subscription options? There is a year-long subscription (best value), a six-month subscription, and month-to-month (no commitment, but will renew monthly if you don’t cancel). Last month’s beauty box sold out in eight hours, which was BANANAS. Click here if you know you want to subscribe!

‘California Love’ Nail Lacquer by AILA x Oui Fresh — (value $14)

If you’re newer to the blog and don’t know about our love for AILA, let us tell you now, the love is strong! Nail polishes are notoriously a high toxicity beauty product, and AILA takes the most well-known offenders out of their formula as a 10-free brand. We don’t know how they do it, but this polish still applies and performs like a dream (their ‘Better than Gel‘ top coat yields some pretty amazing staying power). California Love is our third shade collaboration with AILA (you can get Supernova and Smells Like Teen Spirit in their online shop), and we wanted something bold that brought some sunshine to a winter day and will serve you well right into spring and summer—this bold coral will definitely do the trick. Each nail polish shade we’ve done with AILA is named after a ’90s music moment and with this shade, we get to celebrate our favorite decade, one of our favorite songs, and favorite states in one fell swoop!

Favorite application: apply one coat, then another once first coat dries. Follow up with AILA Better than Gel top coat.

Lavender Shea Butter by Eu’Genia Shea — (value $12)

Shea Butter is a popular ingredient for hydration and nourishment, but did you know it comes from a fruit? Eu’Genia sources their shea fruit from North Ghana, where they create fair wage employment opportunities for women there. They also give 15% back to that community in the form of an education fund, which makes us love this amazing brand even more. Due to the high quality and concentration of this shea butter, it’s super rich and dense—you can tell immediately that it’s not your average shea butter product. It’s become a staple for our nighttime routines since the weather has been dry and chilly, and it’s made our hands feel very hydrated and protected. Just one application and your skin will be feeling so different!

Favorite application: Dip into the tin with a skincare spatula or blunt knife for easy retrieval/to cut down on germs introduced to your product. You can use this shea butter anytime, anywhere, but we love how easily it melts into the skin when applied to freshly showered or bathed skin. Also great to use after washing hands with warm water.

Special offer: 10% off your order with code OUIFRESH, one per customer, expires 6/30/2019.

Nail + Cuticle Oil Roller by Delia Organics — (value $16)

Nails looking dry and in need of some TLC? Delia’s amazing cuticle and nail oil is going to save the day! If you’re wondering why cuticle oil is a crucial step in an at-home mani, it conditions and softens the cuticles to make it easy to push them back before applying nail polish and it also nourishes the skin around your nail beds, which can be a little neglected. Sweet almond, rosehip, coconut, and jojoba oils work together as a powerhouse team to take care of your cuticles and nail beds, while essential oils like grapefruit, lime, spearmint, sweet orange and peppermint help to disinfect and beautifully scent this product. The rollerball makes this product so easy to travel with and helps to avoid a lot of spillage and clumsy application like other cuticle oils.

Favorite application: Roll the applicator generously around cuticles and skin around your nails. Let it ‘soak in’ for about 3 minutes or so. Push back cuticles then wash with soap to reveal a beautiful canvas for your nail polish!

Special offer: 10% off your order with code OUIFRESH.

Up in the Clouds Mask by Timeless Beauty Bar — (value $7)

One of our favorite ways to treat ourselves when we don’t have a lot of time (like during travel) is to apply a sheet mask! I’ve been loving this mask lately and anytime my skin feels textured from dryness or a little dull, this mask is what I reach for—it’s formulated to be soothing and relaxing and has a really nice cooling effect, so I also notice a decrease in redness when I use it. Hydrating, rejuvenating, plumping and nourishing, this mask is a perfect restart if you’ve been swept up in the hustle and bustle of the holiday season and your skin needs a breather. Amazing for all skin types, including sensitive!

Favorite application: Toss in the fridge 5 minutes before use. Gently unfold and contour to your face. Relax for 15-20 minutes, then discard mask and massage remaining serum into skin.

Special offer: 10% off your order with code OUI10. Expires 2/20/19.

Blood Orange Hydrating Hand Sanitizer by Grove Collaborative — (value $4)

Hand sanitizer is one of those products that seems to be loaded with artificial fragrance, harmful ingredients like microbeads, and dries out our skin. Sounds like a recipe for disaster, but we crave that germ-fighting magic! Cut to Grove’s take on this wintertime wellness staple; it’s scented naturally with blood orange essential oil (one of our favorites) and it’s actually hydrating! The inclusion of coconut, sunflower seed, and jojoba oils makes this product gentle on your skin and combats 99.9% of germs.

Favorite application: Simply squeeze a small drop of gel into palm and rub hands together to fight off germs.

Special offer: Free product offer ($30 value) for new customers to Grove from the above link (grove.co/abm) with $20 minimum purchase. You’ll receive:

• Grove Cleaning Concentrates (3 pack)
  
• Grove Glass Spray Bottle
  
• Grove Cleaning Caddy 
• Grove Walnut Scrubbers

The super cute “let’s stay in” girls-night-in glam print is by our sweet friend designer/illustrator Kelsey Dodge! Follow her at @kdodgedesign or visit her website for more illustrated delights! This would make the perfect framed print for a girly bedroom or bathroom.

We hope your year is off to an amazing start so far, and we would love to have you as part of our monthly clean beauty party. We’ve had so many subscribers say this box has changed the way they explore and shop for clean and natural beauty, which is really our dream come true. 🙂

Happy New Year!

xo

Keely + Team Oui Fresh

Credits://Author and Photography: Keely Rust. Photos edited with A Color Story Desktop.