December Sample Society

I'm going to call this month's box, the box of small samples in large boxes (see 3rd picture). On another note, what do you guys think about my new comforter/quilt? It was a Black Friday purchase from Anthropologie. The white blanket I usually photograph on is actually primarily used by my dog. I'm sure if you look closely, you will see tons of hair on there! LOL. Oh yeah, back to the box...

Vapour Organic Beauty Elixir Lip Gloss (full size $20) - I received color #302, Sulty. It's a pretty nudey pink and the gloss is quite nice and not sticky. It does however, have a slight scent that reminds me of the toy/play lipsticks that I used to have as a child. I don't know how to describe it, kind of plasticy and a little fruity?

Hanskin Premium Perfect Super Magic BB Cream SPF30 PA++ (full size $33) - I mentioned before that I've kind of given up on asian BB creams because they are just too light. This one isn't too bad, but it is just bordering on too light. It's fairly thick and offers good coverage. I gave this one to my Grandma. There was also a tiny sample packet of another version of BB cream.

Murad Age Reform Time Release Retinol Concentrate (full size $65) - Another one that I gave to my Grandma. I've seen the L'Oreal and Garnier versions of this product where you fill in your lines with product and hope they plump up. I don't really have any wrinkles and while I totally believe in using products as a preventative measure, this one seemed better suited for use on actual wrinkles.

Philosophy Living Grace Shampoo, Bath & Shower Gel (full size $22) - I have a couple of these Philosophy 3 in 1 shower gels, but this is my first time with the Living Grace scent. It smells feminine and soapy. I always save these shower gel minis for when I travel, but in reality, I never bring my own shower gel to hotels! Do you?

Delaney Wellness Rejuvenating Eye Cream (full size $135) - I'm all for trying out new eye creams and while this one says it is suitable for day or night, there is a noticeable shimmer (see 4th photo, rightmost swatch) which makes me think it would be better for illuminating under eyes during the day. I'm pretty excited to give this one a go.

December's Sample Society box is going to be the last one for me. I loved this service at first, but over the past 3 months, I've been really disappointed with the samples.  I'm going to be getting the Ipsy bag starting in January. I was subscribed to MyGlam Bag previously, but cancelled after a few lousy months. I'm hoping with the rebranding things will be better and I really like what I've seen in other people's boxes.

November Sample Society

Huzzah my November Sample Society box finally arrived! I guess that hurricane Sandy really held things up didn't it? Well, the good thing is that the box arrived. The bad thing is that it wasn't all that. Here's my loot:

L'Occitane Shea Hand Cream (full size $28) - I'm pretty happy about this one because I had been intending to purchase one anyway, but the sample is so small! I was hoping they were going to send the 1 oz size (which is like $10), but instead it is only 0.3 oz. It also doesn't smell as good as I imagined, it just smells like any old lotion. Oh well, at least it is purse friendly.

Alterna Bamboo Smooth Kendi Dry Oil Mist (full size $24) - I'll be honest, the first thing I thought when I saw this was "ANOTHER Alterna Bamboo product??" Seriously, now I have the UV spray, smoothing spray, salt spray and this. However, I used this last night and I quite liked it! The mist is so so so super fine that initially I didn't think anything was coming out. But it left my hair super soft and manageable.

Diego Dalla Palma Lipstick (full size $34) - The color I received is #29 which is a medium pink. It doesn't look too bad in the swatch photo, but it is a little too blue based for my skin tone/tastes. I've learned that I really need to be careful with my pinks because if it is too blue, I feel like I look very 80's or like Barbie. The texture is nice and creamy though.

Diptyque Volutes Eau de Toilette (full size $120) - I've always wanted to try Diptyque fragrances, particularly their candles, but after receiving two in Sample Society boxes, I have NOT been impressed.  Again, I'm going to chalk this up to just receiving scents that are not my style. I think Volutes would smell amazing on a man, but for me it is too musky and manly. The website describes it as "voyage of your dreams...redolent of adventure and spice...volute and tobacco." Yeah, not exactly my taste.

Dermalogica Precleanse Oil (full size $35) - Another one that I wasn't that excited about. I mean, do I really need to PREcleanse?? But I'll give it a shot because I'm using a cleansing oil right now that just doesn't wash off very well, so I'm curious to see if this is any better.

So that's my November Sample Society. I really hope the next box is better because the last two months have been pretty disappointing!

October Sample Society

I have to admit, I think this is the most disappointing Sample Society box I have received thus far. All of the samples are really small and there aren't any cosmetic items! Boo :( Here's what I received...

Jane Iredale Tantasia Self Tanner (full size $36) - Is it just me or does the name totally make you think of Fangtasia from True Blood?? I'm not a big fan of self tanners as I'm generally pretty naturally tan year round. Plus this sample is so small, I'm not really sure if it will cover both my legs. It's safe for use on face, but I'm kind of afraid of ending up with an orange mug.

Kate Somerville ExfoliKate Intensive Exfoliating Treatment (full size $85) - This is the item that I'm most excited to try. I love exfoliators, although I doubt I will ever shell out $85 for one! It must be quite strong since it says to use only once or twice a week.

Aromachology Clean & Fresh Eau de Parfum (full size $100) - Again, not a huge fan of perfume samples, but this one is pretty cute and has a cap. It smells alright, but kinda soap-y. I guess it would be good for after getting out of the shower.

Oscar Blandi Pronto Wet Hair Care Conditioner (full size $28) - I think I saw on a few blogs that this is meant for use after the dry shampoo. They must have misread the bottle because it clearly says to use after the Pronto Wet Instant Volume Shampoo. I wish they would have sent the matching shampoo because I like my hair products to match like that.

Erno Laszlo Phormula 3-9 Repair Balm (full size $245) - First of all, wtf does "phormula" mean?? And second $245?! WOW! I tried a bit on my hand and it is very thick and balm like. I'm sure it will be great for cold, dry winters, but yeah, I don't think I can spend that much on a moisturizer.

Herban Essentials Lavender Towelette - This was just a freebie hand sanitizing wipe. I'll probably keep this in my purse, but I always forget to use them and they end up dried up :P

That's it! This box was disappointing, but I'm usually very happy with my Sample Society boxes. I hope next month improves!

September Sample Society

Sample Society is a(nother) monthly beauty box brought to you by BeautyBar.com and Allure magazine. It costs $15/month and promises 5 deluxe samples in every box. You also get a $15 off $50 purchase coupon to BeautyBar.com as long as a product from one of the featured brands is included in the order.

Honestly, Sample Society is one of my favorite boxes and I really feel like there are great products in every box! Last month's box had a full size Deborah Lippman nail polish! Let's see what's in store (or in box, rather) this month...

CellCeuticals Extremely Gentle Skin Cleanser - I'm not really familiar with this brand, but I'm always happy to try new cleansers. This one is a bit runny in texture, but it is also free of fragrances, parabens, and sodium lauryl sulfate.

Ahava Time to Clear Purifying Mud Mask - I'm a big fan of Ahava products, particularly their Dermud Foot Cream which is sooo ridiculously thick. I've been really into masks recently, so I'm excited to give this a go. Also, you only have to leave this one on for 2 minutes (!!), so it'll be interesting to see what kind of results you get.

Diptyque Tam Dao Eau de Toilette - I don't usually like perfume samples, but hey this is Diptyque! Would I have rather received a candle? Uh TOTALLY, but it's ok. I'm horrible at describing fragrances, but the Diptyque website says sandalwood, Orient, Asian jungle blah blah. This perfume is too strong for me and I'm not a fan of Oriental scents. Weird, considering I'm Japanese (ha ha). I spritzed some on myself and had a coughing fit. I think this might smell good on guys...

Borghese Lip Gloss in Fiore - This is a "my lips but better" color on me and goes on without being too shiny or sticky. There's a bit of a flavor/fragrance going on and it was so familiar to me, but I just couldn't put my finger on it. At first I thought maybe it was a little coconutty like sunscreen, but I just realized that it smells like Jergens lotion! You know, that cherry, almond smell?

Stila Smudge Crayon in Smoke - I love this color! I guess it would be best described taupe? It's a very nice natural alternative to black and dark brown and I think it looks awesome on my lower lash line for a subtle smokey eye. I would buy the full size, but I kind of have a huge stash of eyeliners...

That's it! Can't wait to see what next month brings :)