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. As a bonus all new members receive a complimentary one-year subscription to Allure magazine (a $12.00 value). There is no official word about that anywhere, but the magazine just randomly shows up in your mailbox one day. Click here to join Sample Society. You can also buy some of the past boxes here.
Batiste Dry Shampoo in Blush – Dry shampoos are usually either a hit or a miss for me, and unfortunately this one was a miss. It left more white cast than other dry shampoos I own, and didn’t texturize well, although I did enjoy the pleasant fruity floral fragrance. It kind of makes me think of Spring!
Nails Inc Princes Place Nail Lacquer – I like Nails Inc polishes, but I wish I got a different shade. I’m sure a lot of people will like this grayish dusty lilac, but to me it looks like the color of my nail beds when they are very very VERY cold. You know, that creepy blueish hue, that’s almost corpse-like? So yeah, it’s probably just me.
Chloe Love Story – Some people hate getting small vials of fragrance in their subscription boxes, but I welcome them. I don’t live by huge malls where I can sample any kind of fragrance I want, and emailing companies hasn’t always been effective. I actually discovered my current signature scent – Atelier Cologne Vanille Insensee – from a tiny sample vial! With all that said, I know for a fact that I will not be purchasing Chloe’s Love Story. It’s a bit too floral for me, and smells too “basic”, you all probably know what I mean. There are just some fragrances that smell totally generic, and this one belongs in that group, unfortunately. But you know, perfume is a very individual thing, and it might bloom with beautiful and unique notes on someone else.
StriVectin Intensive Illuminating Serum – We received a sample of this serum in our January boxes, and according to Sample Society it was a mistake in our favor. My Mom adores StriVectin, and I will be giving her this sample when she comes to visit me in March.
Nugg Beauty Face Mask Trio – I tried all of Nugg mask varieties before, and Hydrating kind with camellia and spirulina was one of my top three. Sample Society also sent us Deep Cleansing and Revitalizing pods, but I don’t care for them as much. I love the convenience of this kind of packaging though, it’s ideal for bringing on trips and vacations, because each securely sealed cup contains enough product for one full face + neck application.
THE VERDICT
This particular box wasn’t terribly exciting, but the number of products inside and the sizes were more than adequate. Even though I will end up giving away most of these goodies, with the exception of mask pods,
Product | Retail value |
---|---|
Batiste Dry Shampoo | $3.99 |
Chloe Love Story | $3.00 |
Nails Inc Princes Place Nail Lacquer | $9.50 |
StriVectin Intensive Illuminating Serum | $22.25 |
Nugg Beauty Face Mask Trio | $3.29 |
Box Retail Value | $42.03 |