Vegan Cuts Beauty Essentials box unboxing

Since I am black-and-blue all over after yesterday, I decided to unbox a very special beauty box, which is cheering me up no end. I know I have been loving quite a few beauty boxes of late, but wait till you see the contents of this one! 
Don't you love it when you buy a surprise box and the results pay off? For a while now, I have been considering trying out the Vegan Cuts box. This is a US-based monthly beauty box that ships worldwide. They also have a snack-box, but I don't think they ship eatables everywhere. And, the defining feature of this beauty box, if you had your eyes closed till this point, is that the products are entirely vegan!
I didn't pick the monthly box because I saw the Vegan Cuts Beauty Essentials kit on their website and fell in love with it. This is a specially curated vegan beauty box packed with makeup and skin and hair care products to start you off on vegan beauty. You are going to have to spend some time on this page, for the goodies are many!

Here is what I received in the Vegan Cuts Beauty Essentials box.

Packaging of the Vegan Cuts Beauty Essentials Box

This came in a brown external box. There was no inner box or pouch, and everything is nicely cushioned with shredded paper. The kit I had ordered initially was different and came with a cosmetics pouch but it was lost in the post, and Vegan Cuts' amazing customer care, a.k.a. the lovely Danielle, sent me Version 2 as a replacement very quickly. Version 2 is even better than Version 1, which has sold out.

Contents of the Vegan Cuts Beauty Essentials Box

1. Karitex Organic Shea Butter
2. Acure Shampoo and Conditioner
3. Everyday Minerals Blush Brush
4. Rainbow Honey Nail Lacquer in Persephone
5. Medusa's Makeup Shimmer Powder
6. Weleda Citrus Body Lotion
7. Yarok Hair Styling Whip
8. Ofra Long Lasting Liquid Lipstick
9. Medusa's Makeup Kabuki Brush
10. Lotus Moon Hydrating Gel
11. Primal Pit Paste
12. The All Natural Face Lip and Cheek Colour in Dusky Rose

Several of these are full-sized products. A quick look at each:
I have a nasty feeling I am going to end up using the Karitex Shea Butter in my kitchen by mistake. Doesn't that hunk look absolutely edible?

It is 100% organic and made in Burkina Faso. I am not going to refrigerate it so I don't accidentally grease my baking tray with it. This is a full-sized product and will come in handy during the drier months, when my knees tend to turn reptilian.

The Acure Moroccan Argan Stem Cell and Argan Oil Shampoo and Conditioner set are 59ml each. I am so glad they sent both the shampoo and the matching conditioner to try out. These are colour-safe, sulphate-, paraben-, phthalate- and cruelty-free and contain no artificial fragrance. I need not add that they are vegan. Both are repairing products for normal to dry/damaged hair, which is ideal for the straw growing on my head.

I already love the Everyday Minerals Blush Brush. The wooden handle is long and the bristles are densely packed, yet soft and the shape is just right to contour.

The Rainbow Honey Nail Lacquer in Persephone is a 5ml bottle. It is a gorgeous fiery red nail polish packed with gold and orange glitter. This was part of the Holiday 2013 Collection.

They seem to have the launch date quite wrong, or I am lucky to get this nail polish a good five years in advance!

I have received Medusa's Makeup products in my Lip Factory boxes before and love their lipsticks. This is a full-sized shimmer powder. Unfortunately, shimmer powder and I live on different planets; my style is as non-glittery as possible. I will decide the future of this pot soon.

The Weleda Citrus Hydrating Body Lotion is a travel-sized moisturiser which goes straight into my travel bag. It is made in Switzerland and free of parabens.

I have come across Yarok in A Beautiful World beauty box before. It is a great hair-care brand and their Feed The Youth Serum, reviewed here, helped me stave off the dandruff during the drier months. This time, I have a sample pot of Feed Your Do Styling Whip, which is a lightweight mousse that smells very good.

Ofra is not my favourite brand. But I like the Long Lasting Liquid Lipstick I received in this box - it actually lasts decently and is nicely pigmented. The shade is a little too red for my dusty-rose taste, but it is frosty, which makes the red not too bright. I can live with this! This is another full-sized product.

Medusa's Makeup Kabuki Brush is possibly my favourite product in this box! I was about to buy a new kabuki, believe it or not (though I shall always maintain that a shaving brush I once nicked from my Dad was the best kabuki I've ever used, until the bristles fell out). I can't stop brushing my face with the Medusa's Makeup kabuki! This made my day.

Lotus Moon Vitamin B Hydrating Gel is a facial moisturiser for combination and oily skin. This sample is good for four or five uses. There are no parabens, and the packaging uses 93% less plastic! I must say Vegan Cuts knows how to choose their brands!

Primal Pit Paste is a deodorant - mine is lavender-scented. It feels lightweight and will go to my travel bag.

The All Natural Face Lip and Cheeks colour in Dusky Rose is another full-sized product. I haven't tried it on my cheeks, but on the lips, it is a non-drying dusty rose shade that I love. I will do a dedicated post where I swatch this for you.

Bottom Line
This kit has to be one of the best dang beauty boxes I have seen in recent times. There is a gorgeous mix of makeup, skin care and hair care - and those two brushes are brilliant. The value of the box is much more than cost price.
The Vegan Cuts Beauty Essentials box is on offer for $27 now, from the original price of $50, which is an amazing deal for so many vegan beauty products that you can use. Shipping rates vary to different countries, so you will have to check their website for further details. It is worth every penny, and they have sent me more products than those shown on their website.
The Vegan Cuts monthly beauty box (which is equally fab but does not contain duplication of products seen in the Essentials kit) costs $19.95 a month, with $15 international shipping. I will keep an eye open for changes in the beauty kit and get one the moment they have a new one. I will also be subscribing to the monthly box once my budget recovers from the recent onslaught of Memebox, Lip Factory and my birthday hauls.
Disclaimer: Paid for by self. PR people seem to hate my blog or ignore its existence lol. 
My international giveaway ends in two days.
P.S. I have another beauty box post scheduled for tomorrow, as I can't do much else with my backache right now, but hopefully I can do something else like a simple NOTD the day after!