The theme for Allure Sample Society April 2015 is “Testing, Testing…”, represented by a box filled with beauty samples that we all normally love to test before purchasing. New lipstick needs to be swatched, an expensive hair oil tested for heaviness, fragrance sniffed, lotion patch tested for allergies etc – it’s the best way to find the perfect products!
HOW IT WORKS: For $15/month Sample Society will send its members 5 deluxe-sized samples from beauty brands like stila, Murad, Sisley, Alterna, Butter London, and Too Faced, and a $10 off $50 monthly discount code to BeautyBar.com. Click here to join Sample Society. You can also buy some of the past boxes here.
Jane Iredale Just Kissed Lip Plumper in Rio – I tried Jane Iredale lip plumper lipstick before in a different shade, and loved the formula but hated the color. This time, I wasn’t even going to give this one a chance and planned to give it away after taking pictures, but it fell on the floor and I had to sanitize it, which made it look used. After swatching it on my arm, I was surprised that I don’t hate the color as much as I thought I would, and after applying it on my lips I was convinced that it really looks good. The plumping effect is not unpleasant, even though there’s some light stinging and swelling involved. I feel like my lips look more even, and some of the fine lines disappear temporarily, giving my pout a more youthful appearance.
Mt. Sapola Lavender-Chamomile Body Lotion – This brand comes to us from Thailand, and I actually already use and love their products, although I never tried anything in this fragrance. I highly recommend their lemongrass lotion, it’s just the freshest scent that isn’t too grassy, minty, or citrusy!
Bumble and Bumble Hairdreser’s Invisible Oil – I prefer to try small vial samples of all hair oils and serums first, because if they don’t work out – and that’s often the case – I won’t have to feel guilty for throwing away the rest. This oil has thick consistency, so one sample vial will go a loong way – a rice grain-sized drop was enough to make my hair look sleek and shiny, and smooth out the frizz. It smells really nice too, like pina colada on a tropical beach or something. I doubt I’ll purchase it in full size though, because I usually prefer oil sprays instead.
Marc Jacobs Daisy Dream – So here’s a story for you. Last year I saw so many bloggers write about this fragrance, and I totally fell in love with their descriptions of it, and the packaging. I felt like this would be my love from the first whiff! You guys, I’m so glad I didn’t buy it, or it would have been a waste of my money for sure. These notes clashed with my body chemistry like nobody’s business, and instead of “luminous and irresistible” I smelled like a 14 y/o on Spring Break. That’s not to say that it’s a bad fragrance, but it’s just how it ended up smelling on my body. Yuck! A 30 year-old woman shouldn’t be smelling like Teen Spirit, and I’m not talking about that Nirvana’s song. So anyway, I’m just glad that I got to try it, because I was seriously thinking about buying it as part of my Bday haul.
Benefit the POREfessional – There’s already so much said about this primer on the Internet, I won’t even bother going into full details. I’ll just say that it’s one of those products that either works for you or it doesn’t, and I’m in the “doesn’t” camp. My sis loves it though, so this sample will go straight to her stash.
Illume Tonka Noir Candle – We received Illume candles in Sample Society boxes before, but this is the first time we get one of these flat ones. IMO, this shape is actually better, because it still holds the same amount of wax, but provides stronger throw. Remember those tiny tall tins, they were so hard to smell! Now, to the scent. I don’t really know what tonka is, I think they’re beans? But this candle to me smells like waxy Austrian cream cake, so some people are probably not going to like it. I love the smell of that cake, but the waxy part is ruining the experience for me a little bit, although if I put this candle in the far corner of the room, I only smell the cake and not wax. Solution found!
THE VERDICT: I feel like I’m being overly positive about this box, considering how small all of the samples are, but really I’m just genuinely happy with it, so I can’t help it. I would have never purchased that shade of Jane Iredale lipstick, but after swatching it and seeing it on my lips, I actually really like they way it looks with my complexion. Same thing about Daisy Dream, which I thought would be right up my alley, but to my own surprise it just clashed with my body chemistry and created that juvenile pedestrian scent that you can find on all of those cheap magazine inserts, the ones that all smell the same, but packaged in different bottles. And to think I was going to buy a bottle at Sephora because I liked the packaging! Saved me some money for sure.
What are your favorite types of samples to receive? Share in the comments below!
| Product | Retail value |
|---|---|
| Jane Iredale Just Kissed Lip Plumper | $6.25 |
| Mt. Sapola Lavender-Chamomile Body Lotion | $1.92 |
| Bumble and Bumble Hairdreser’s Invisible Oil | $0.80 |
| Marc Jacobs Daisy Dream | $2.08 |
| Benefit the POREfessional | $4.13 |
| Illume Tonka Noir Candle | $1.65 |
| Box Retail Value | $16.83 |
Disclosure: This post features products purchased by Glamorable and may contain affiliate or referral links. For more details about my product review policy, copyright, and information about affiliate links, please refer to Disclosures & Content Use page.
