Woohoo!! My August Sample Society 2014 got here today! This is the second month since their rebranding and I've got to say I *love* it! Well, I loved it before but I love it even more now.
The bright red box is quite a pick-me-up. You just can't feel bad looking at it. Plus, the contents are stellar!
For the extra $5 a month over the cost of a Birchbox, Sample Society really delivers.
The Cost: $15/month
What You Get: Five luxury full and/or deluxe size samples delivered to your door. You also will receive a $10 off coupon for beautybar.com.
I tried to be a little artsy, can you tell? Sometimes my photos are so boring. I really need to figure out a way to make them more sunny and bright.
Anyway, this box has five deluxe size items and I love what I'm seeing!
Jane Iredale Longest Lash Thickening and Lengthening Mascara in Black Ice- This is a petroleum free mascara that contains cellulose fibers to thicken and lengthen your lashes. It's got a really fat brush which I like. I'm not too sure how I feel about the mascara itself, though. I didn't really notice anything spectacular.
At first I was put off by the fact that it was in a tube. Now, I wish all mascara came in a tube! I just squeezed from the bottom to get ultimate brush coverage. I've always felt like a lot of mascara gets wasted in the tubes.
Full Size Value: $33/12g
Size Included: 3g
TooFaced Melted Liquified Long Wear Lipstick in Melted Peony- A liquid lipstick that delivers serious color with no shine or stickiness.
This is amazing. I love lip balms, glosses and lipsticks and this is a lipstick but melted. I should have taken a picture of the applicator itself. It's fuzzy! This is a beautiful matte pink and I love it!
Full Size Value: $21/.4oz
Size Included: .16oz
Kate Somerville Dilo Oil Restorative Treatment- This is a fast absorbing face oil that helps repair the skin barrier to boost moisture levels and firm the skin.
There's not very much evidence to support those claims. When I say not very much, I mean none. Still, dilo oil comes from the nut of the Dilo tree which are found in the Pacific islands. The oil from that nut does have antiseptic and anti-imflammatory properties which make ideal for those with acne prone skin. It's also gentle enough for use with excema.
Kate Somerville's Treatment also contains omegas 3,6, and 9, as well as marine extracts, rice bran extracts and rosemary leaf extracts.
Personally, the though of putting oil on my face does not make me happy. It is way too hot for that. I know it's not actually going to make me greasier but that doesn't mean I want to do it.
Allure recommends putting it on after your regular moisturizer I have to agree. Anything oil-based should be the last step in your skin care regimen. It provides a barrier for your skin and nothing you put on after it can get through.
Full Size Value: $65/1oz
Size Included: 3g/.1oz
Caite Paint Pot Mini in Cha Cha Cha- This is a hideous orange. It's recommended for toes because of it's neon glow. Unfortunately my polish leaked so I'm missing about a third of the the bottle. Not that I mind since I wouldn't use it but still. I think I'll contact customer service and see what they say.
Full Size Value: $15/.46oz
Size Included: Mini/5ml, $8 value
Oribe Surfcomber Tousled Texture Mousse- This is a texturizing mousse. It will thicken and add texture pieciness while still holding on to shine and softness. I don't use mousse but it does say you can get beach girl hair if you apply this to dry hair.
Full Size Value: $37
Size Included: Purse Size, $22.50 value
VERDICT: Excellent! This has such a wonderful variety. There is make up and skincare, hair care and nail polish! I'm not sure what more you could ask for. With great brands like TooFaced and Oribe, what's not to love??
I'll use everything except the nail polish (ew! that color!) and the Oribe is on my maybe list. It's such a fantastic brand I feel like I should use it even though I'm not a pro when it comes to hair products. Still, I'm impressed with this box just like I was with last month's box. The rebranding has been amazing for makeup lovers, that is for sure!
If you are loving what you are seeing and you want to sign up for Sample Society, you can do so on the Beauty Bar website! They don't do promo codes for the Sample Society boxes but they do if you decide to purchase anything else on the site.
What do you think of this box? Do you miss the days of variations or are you loving the way it is now?