Essence Magazine has been a favorite of mine for as long as I can remember. Way before fashion and beauty blogs existed, Essence was my go-to resource for the latest fashion and beauty trends for Black women. They’ve always had an influence on me, especially when it came to where to shop and what to buy. For instance, years ago, I spotted Jada Pinkett Smith featured on the cover of one of their issues, and I remember being obsessed with the lip color she was wearing. Inside the mag I found out that she was wearing Chanel Lèvres Scintillantes Glossimer in Twinkle, and it quickly became my go-to lip gloss for many years after. Because she was a woman who looked like me (ok, Jada is a goddess, who am I kidding – LOL), I was able to immediately see how a beauty product looked on someone like me (at least someone of the same skin tone), and not have to worry about whether or not it would look good on me and if it might be a waste of money. Because I’ve bought plenty or products that turned out to be too light, too ‘cold’ for my skin tone, and just all-around wrong.

Essence has always been a great beauty resource for women of color, so it makes sense that they’d enter into the beauty box arena. The ESSENCE BeautyBox is specially designed for women of color, who struggle with “finding a variety of products for our shades and skintones and identifying the products that work best.” I recently received a box for review and I was excited to see that it was a great mix of 5 beauty and haircare products from brands that I already know and love. Plus, each month, Essence features a product from a Black-owned business. Inside my box were favorites like Miss Jessie’s Coily Custard, Dark and Lovely Au Naturale Moisture L.O.C. Soak It Up Oil Cocktail, IMAN Cosmetics Luxury Lip Shimmer in Icon, Cover FX Mattifying Primer With Anti-Acne Treatment‎, Colgate Optic White Platinum Express White Toothpaste and Kiss Looks So Natural Eyelashes. The natural hair care products are perfect for me right now, since I’ve been going natural for the past year and a half. I’ve always been a fan of IMAN Cosmetics, so I was excited to try out the lipstick and add it to my collection of deep plums and reds. Here’s how it looks on me:

There are three subscription options for the Essence BeautyBox: monthly ($15/box), a 6-month plan ($12.50/box, or $75 up front), and an annual plan ($12.50/box, or $150 up front). Of course, you can opt out at any time, but why would you want to? Plus, if you sign up now (by May 2) for a gift subscription, you’ll get a box of your own for free! This month’s box includes Paula’s Choice Resist Vitamin C Spot Treatment, Mally Beauty Evercolor Shadow Stick, Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Formula Swivel Stick, Jane Carter Solution Seal and Shine, Earth’s Nectar Coconut Curls, Bioderma Sébium H2O. All so perfect for Mother’s Day gifting!

Learn more about Essence BeautyBox plus this month’s goodies by visiting the website.