Sample Society December 2014: A Cautionary Tale

Hi hi!

      Haven't blogged in ages, but something happened where I really felt the need to share. Sample Society's boxes have been hits or misses for me lately. That's how these things are, some things you like, some things other people like.

     This box was awesome. Everything is perfectly curated, and the timing is spot on. Tried on the eye cream- it's really light and doesn't feel greasy or have random gross things peeling off your face (sampled a lot of those weird ones!). The RGB nail polish came right in time for my next manicure, and I'm super excited to try the Burberry thing. My friends and I are going out on Friday, so you can bet these products are going to be tested out!

     HOWEVER, one very upsetting thing occurred. I opened my Butter London Lip Balm to see the top smooshed. The lipstick was turned all the way down, so I chalked it up to poor design- the lip balm stuck out too far and hit the lid or something. Not a big deal- for now ("They might want to fix that" I thought). As I turned the lip balm upwards, eager to try it out, I noticed it was slanted. "Ohhh... it probably wasn't inserted straight, causing the top to be off too. Let me just push it in then, it won't look the same, but oh well."

I reached the bottom, and saw this. THE ENTIRE BASE IS BROKEN. That's lovely. Ok, no big deal, I'll just email customer service and ask for a replacement. When I had a burst sample for Birchbox (only one lipgloss after 2 years), I emailed them, and they sent me a replacement right away- got it the same week.

     The response from Sample Society is not the same at all. They said they don't have these items on hand, and can't send me a replacement, so they'll give me store credit of $5 for 90 days. WTF. Do you know what you can get for $5 from beautybar? GIFT BAGS AND RIBBON. AND, You have to buy $49 worth of things for free shipping. Otherwise, it's $5.99 for shipping. The Butter London lip balm is $20. So you're making me buy extra things, just to use this measly $5 credit, FOR SOMETHING THAT I ALREADY BOUGHT, THAT YOU SENT DAMAGED. WITH THIS FULLY PAID FOR BOX, SHOULD BE A BUTTER LONDON LIP BALM IN PERFECT CONDITION. I paid for a box in mint condition. Nowhere, did you say before this box was purchased that I am buying a box with items damaged. And with this joke of a credit, I can't even get the Butter London lip balm off the site to replace this broken one.

     Second point. VALID FOR 90 DAYS? That is ridiculously messed up. So now you're putting a time limit on when I have to make these EXTRA purchases by. Even though this is YOUR mistake, I have to pay for it (literally!).

     With this experience, I can say that Birchbox has way better customer service than Beauty Bar. If the boxes I like are becoming fewer, and the customer service is this poor (it was one service, that you can't even get right), it may not be worth it to continue with this subscription. Occasionally I do find gems in these boxes, but it may be more worth it to check out things that other customers have reviewed well instead of investing in the whole box.

     So now you've been warned. Butter London lip balm rant aside, I hope to be able to post swatches of the RGB nail polish in Oxblood later this week. Very excited!

***Customer Service Side Rant***

     This just reminded me again. A couple months ago, I went crazy trying to find a dress for a cocktail in the city for an awards show. I seriously went to 5 different malls in the same week. I found a candidate dress at one Lord & Taylor. When I went up to checkout, the manager snapped at me that there was no tag. I said "Ohh...ok..." and started to retract the dress, wondering why she didn't help me find a tag then- that's what sales associates at other stores normally do. The manager literally THREW the dress in my face. I couldn't believe it and stood there for several seconds stunned. It may sound like I'm being dramatic, but I can assure you that I am not. This was after walking all over the floor trying to find someone to help me check out and dealing with that frustration for half an hour (call me an idiot). I actually left the store, went shopping at Macy's, and came back. I've been so busy I haven't had time to write a complaint. You can bet that I will during my vacation though. I have the receipts (found the dress in a different size with tags- how hard was that?) with date and time, and that area was being filmed, so they can go and verify that information themselves. You can't treat people like that. The Lord & Taylor I usually go to is wonderful. They have excellent service and are always willing to help. This location, however, was not like it at all.

     I never used to write complaints to companies, but after working in industry, I realized the power of complaints. If you don't let the company know that something is wrong, then they can never improve, and nothing will change. Now, I'm not saying you should go crazy sending complaints about everything. Choose carefully to see if a situation can be improved.

     I was switching to Geico because of the low rates, but everyone I talked to had terrible things to say. I experienced part of the reason why myself when in one of the offices. The person I had helping me gave horrible customer service. She never went into any of the details of the policy- just pulled up what I had blindly filled in online, and asked me credit or debit. Then she rushed me as I was trying to read through the 30 pages of documents that I was supposed to sign. On top of that, she yelled at another customer to go home and do what he wanted to do over the phone. It was something that could be done in the office or on the phone, but this person has already come all the way to your office. Why would you send them home again? So I wrote out my concerns and sent them to the company. The manager of that office called me, and we had a chat. I don't know if anything became of that, but I suggested some extra training. Sales and customer service go hand in hand.


Hopefully you never have to go through these experiences, but if you have, I'd love to hear your story and how you handled it in the comments below!

Birchbox: August 2013

Hello Hello, still alive.

     In all my months of Birchbox subscriptions, I've never opened a box and detested it. The Gossip Girl box came and was a bit of a disappointment, but it wasn't anger inducing. This one almost is.

Later (in September X_X), I shall do another post with items that I like. This box is post-worthy in a not so good way. People usually complain about their boxes, and it was the same for this month. You wouldn't normally think much of the complaints, but in this case, it is totally justified.

1. Malin+Goetz: I like this brand, but will you look at the size of these packets? There is NOTHING in these I tell you. In addition, Sample Society had these as extras in their box a while back. Yes, there were even two of them. 

2. Mally Beauty Eyeliner: Swatched on my hand and it doesn't seem horrible, will test out throughout the week and give an update at a later time.

3. uniqONE spray mask: They are trying to kill us! This puny thing is not to be taken lightly. We all know that when a spray pump is new, it doesn't dispense a full spray until you pump it a while right? Even with a tiny spritz onto my hair, it was like the world ended. This stuff smells horrible! It's like someone took those laundry sheets and shoved it up your nose. There was a perfume that I said smelled like Febreeze a while back. This is probably made by the same people. Even if someone could tolerate it enough to spray their whole head, everyone around them would faint and die. How many people had to have damaged olfactory senses for us to receive this product? Straight into the garbage.

4. Whish correcting gel- for sun damage etc. smells like coconuts. Another item with a strong smell. It's not terrible in of itself, but this is not a scent that can be tolerated all day

5. Whish deodorant wipes: wow.

Such a sad box. The one thing that may or may not be useful is the eyeliner. Worst box ever.

Bring you better news next time!

***The below is a slice of life rant to continue with the theme of an upset post***

     I officially dislike police officers- the ones that sit on the side of the road waiting to catch people. I'm sure some of you have police officers as your family members, and surely they are the best of people. Just think of this rant as something for the other ones.

     Their job is to serve and protect.. themselves. Maybe it's me, but the police are rarely there for my benefit. Last time I got pulled over in my own town for no reason, and was questioned like a suspicious person. The policeman's attitude was rude, and you could tell he was trying to get me for not having my drivers license, insurance, or registration (had them all, thank goodness). He then continued questioning in a rude tone, asking if I had any tickets etc (answer is no). All the while, he was checking my car out inside and out. The reason is that it was an older car from the '90s and had been hit on one side by a deer (I wasn't driving), and the other side by a teenage driver who backed into my care while it was parked. The rim was also missing from one wheel (also not my fault). He actually went back to check my history in his car. When he came back, unsatisfied, he tried to get me on texting. My phone wasn't even in the car with me that day. 

     This past weekend, I got pulled over coming back from a meeting with friends. An officer walked up with a puffed out chest and introduced himself as "Sergeant blah blah blah". He then wrote me a ticket for having the wrong license plates. The car in the above story broke down, and I had to get a new one, but hadn't had time to put the new plates on. I even had the new plates with me in the car and showed him, but he didn't care. Sure, 2 weeks may seem like it's long enough to find time to change the plates. PEOPLE FORGET. I've been crazy busy this past month, working late, working early etc. There's so many things to take care of. I don't even have time to update my blog for crying out loud! It was my first offense for anything (never had a speeding ticket etc), so he should have let me off with a warning. My friend told me I should have cried. It just wasn't in me. I'm not the type to waste tears on those jerks who don't deserve it. Instead, my fist was trying to get the rest of me arrested. You want to know the real reason why that ticket was issued? It wasn't about safety, or justice, or any bullsh*t like that. It's because I live in a rich town (in the not rich area), and drive a new car (because the old one above broke down- can't win!). His ears literally perked up when he heard where I was from, and his heart started dancing for joy singing, "MONAAAAYYYYY". I seriously hope his conscience beats him up for a good month. People like that who profile and pick on people are so unrespectable. Then this jerk had the gall to say to me, "If this were, uh, a more dangerous neighborhood, then you could've been pulled over at gunpoint because you look like a car thief." Is that even necessary to say? What? You want to scare me straight or something? Why are you treating an average lower income citizen like a criminal? Glad you're getting comfortable in your big boy britches. That's not even all. I was trying to read this blasted ticket and see what it was about, but the jerk did one of those loud siren beep things to hurry me along- so he could follow me like the creeper he is.

     Didn't we all love police officers when we were young? Didn't we think that they were the bearers of justice and fought for what's right? Another childhood dream flushed down the toilet. Welcome to the real world where power hungry beings do anything to increase their own profit. When I went to pay that ticket online, there was an additional $2 convenience charge. You'd think they'd take $2 off for making things easier for them. 

Birchbox's New Site

Got several emails saying to check out the new BB site, and just really felt the need to do a quick post and put my 2 cents out there (not that they're needed).

1. Not a fan of the new color scheme- It must've been strange to have a girl and guy site with separate colors, but black/gray?? seriously?? What part of that says "FUN"? Sophisticated maybe, but mostly boring.

2. The new layout is interesting- it seems overly complicated in some places (*cough* front page *cough), but only time and user usage will tell how the split women men dropdowns function irl.

3. The new logo is hideous- I'm with all those who were fond of the trademark birch stripes. This new B with a diamond in the middle looks so much LESS sophisticated than the previous logo. The logo before looks like it actually took more time and effort compared to this new one. And for some reason the recurring thought in my head is "it's fat". The ratio of positive to negative space is off. It actually doesn't look too bad on the boxes and in the green, but the black "B" that's used as an avatar and on top of browser tabs is terrible.

4. We miss the pink!- that was what said "fun" before. A search around the new site reveals that the only pink left is on images of the products themselves. I should say that I am not a pink lover, but it was what really gave BB the "light", "carefree", and "young" feel. It makes you feel like you can still experiment with different things and be quirky about it- that there's no harm in trying out different things. A look at the new site makes me feel constricted, and, yes it must be said- OLD. It now feels like a conservative society where all deviations are shunned.

One thing that I DO really like is the more detailed profile questions. Hopefully they will lead to some good changes.

I'm pretty sure when I first looked at the site, it was different from what it looks like now (it looks better now). I seem to recall that hideous B logo there previously.

Well, we shall see.

Birchbox/ Sample Society All Stars!

Still alive! Typed in the wrong web address and thought they deleted the blog X_X.

     Instead of going through each box that I've missed reviewing and monotonously typing out thoughts on each product, I'm going to just briefly go over products that I really liked (enough to purchase).

     Unfortunately, a rummage through my box of samples only turned up three items.

Supergoop Eye Cream- not fond of the brand name. Somehow the idea of slathering "goop" on my body is not appealing. This eye cream is not sticky and doesn't make you feel like you're putting suncreen on around your eyes. It has spf37 which should give you enough coverage for a gently sunny stroll outside. And who doesn't like things that say "anti-aging"? This is a Birchbox find.

Butter London Nail Polish: Blagger- A lovely full sized product from Sample Society. It dries to a slightly darker, more toned down blue. Personally, the bright eye catching blue is more appealing, but this would be good for those who still want to seem semi-professional.

mirenesse Glossy Kiss: #7 Quick Kiss- An extremely pigmented lip color pencil. I'm in love with the formula and the pigmentation. The color is a bit on the orange side, but this is something I'm looking to pick up in a different shade. It has a slight vanilla scent. Also a Birchbox find.

A review of various lip color pencils is soon to follow- yes, for real. They've been swatched, photographed, labeled, and are ready to go. Since I have something to do now, I will post them sometime tonight!

See you then!

P.S. This was one other sample I got. Like the size of it, not so much the color. Looks like a self tanner experiment gone wrong. Guess the color can't adjust that much.

Birchbox: January 2013

I apologize for taking so long to post again- things have been quite busy.

This is my January Birchbox! Not all items are pictured because I used them o_o.

The amika Color Shampoo was ok. It didn't really strip my hair color much, and the hair was still left silky. Also smells nice- just grown up for those in their mid 20s.

Embrolisse Concentrate- Apparently it's multi-functional, but I've just used it as a moisturizer. So far so good.

Juicy Couture Viva La Juicy- Nothing too new. It's an ok scent. For storage, I put these mini perfume spray samples into a little glass votive holder. It works well and looks nice!

the Balm Cosmetics Put a Lid on It Eye Primer- a fairly light primer. Haven't tested its duration yet.

Lifestyle Extra: Juice Beauty Daily Essentials- This was a foil packet with three things attached (cleanser, serum, and moisturizer). The cleanser/ makeup remover worked ok, didn't dry my skin out. The serum nearly burned my face off. It says don't used on irritated skin. Mine's not irritated, just a little dry. The moisturizer would not rub in nicely. Very white, thick, and felt like something was caked on my face. Needless to say, will not be purchasing this one!

I've also received my Sample Society box, but haven't had time to test those out yet.

Birchbox: December 2012

Got my box today, and the box itself is different!

This lotion is light, non-greasy, and the scent itself is light. It's ok. I might put it together with some other stuffs and send it to a friend as a Christmas present.

It doesn't have much coverage. From the applied dab to the right is where I rubbed it in. All my veins are still visible. This would be for someone who just needed light color correction. It's non-drying.

Can't wait to check these two out. Maybe a brief review later. EDIT: It's Leave- In heat protectant I think? Very light in texture, not especially interesting scent wise. Doesn't make hair greasy, but doesn't really improve the texture either. =/

Another Thymes lotion. It's non-greasy, and is woodsy, which I am not fond of. I checked off fruits and florals for my scent profile! Birchbox, sending someone a lotion as an extra when they have lotion (same brand)  as an item is not the smartest business. Makes the box seem like it's made of all the same stuff.

Model Co. Lipgloss! Uh... smells like cherry candy or cough syrup/ pepto bismal, something along those lines. Not so much of a gloss person anymore (there was once a time when I couldn't live without it). Funny story, before applying, I thought, "well I need a mirror, guess I have to go back to my room to apply it." LOL (there's a mirror built in on the gloss). 

It has a little bit of strings.

Birchbox: November 2012

I got my box days ago, but just haven't had the time to post. This will be a brief review. Overall, I'm happy with it ^^

As a non-bath bomb user, I didn't know what to do with it. Put it in my tub and turned on the water- it melted like cotton candy on water. Then the water solution started burning my feet where the cracks were. 

OMG!! Hated the Larabars but these are so good! It's like a biscuit cookie with craisins. Not too sweet, not too sour. A little too much butter, but eh. Now where can I find it??

Haven't tried the hair spray yet.

Full sized mascara! And it's nice ^^. The fibers really do lengthen my lashes. No flaking or smudging, and the formula keeps lashes soft. Plus there's a mirror on the side. 

Haven't tried the hand soaps yet.

You're supposed to pack some goodies in this envelope and send it to someone else.

Not a fan of this perfume.

Slice of My Life: Awesome Day!

Thank you so much Birchbox for an awesome day!

     For starters I used the Liqwd Silk conditioner in the October Birchbox, and my damaged, tangled, frizzy hair became completely smooth and silky. There were only minimal stray hairs, and no excess volume. I honestly believe this was what formed the basis of my great day. For the few weeks prior, I've been struggling with my hair which suddenly became extremely frizzy and unmanageable. Today, I strutted around like I owned the world- not having to worry about such things.

     I had overslept (stayed up til 3 am trying to alter a pair of pants. Didn't hear my alarm), so the morning was filled with rushing. Didn't even have to worry about the hair. Put together an outfit (just finished altering the cowl? neck to be higher and less scandalous last night X_X).

     Harvey Prince's Eau Flirt (also from October BB) was barely on before I was out the door. For some reason this scent just jives with me. It says it's supposed to flirt for you and attract men and all, but it's me that's constantly sniffing instead, haha. I'm quite manly sometimes, so maybe it appeals to my mannish side >.>  As the day progressed, I just found myself feeling quite fabulous and powerful. It must be this perfume. There is no other explanation. There was no particular event that made this an awesome day, I was just feeling confident and fabulous in general.

     Of course little things did go wrong, like they always do in life, but it was like I couldn't be phased (just because of some conditioner and perfume, ha!). Because I was running late, I missed the Sunday school class on Ecclesiastes for the second week in a row. That was particularly upsetting since it's a class I look forward to, but what can you do.

     Later we went out to eat pho and when we got back to church a friend and I stood outside chatting for a little long while. This is where my little joke about the Harvey Prince Eau Flirt perfume comes in. As we are chatting, someone meanders over from far away and comes to introduce himself. Hey hey! You never know, it could be that little bits of the perfume wafted over in that direction XD. Perhaps it's my overabundance of charm? *strokes imaginary beard* muahahaha! Just kidding. This one has no charm, lol. (pst, it's nice shaking hands with some else who has a firm handshake. Most people just present the old lady or limp fish hand, and that is an awkward shaking experience). He asked if I had been to the church before since he had seen me around a couple times before. Lol, I've pretty much been going almost every single week for 10 years- if you haven't seen me around then it's strange.

     We then all migrated over to another small group. As we were walking, he complimented my friend and me on our shoes. I don't know about you all, but that just immediately seems strange to me. There's something about that that just isn't normal for everyday life, haha. Anyways, I could feel that my eyeliner was about at the end of its life, so I asked my friend if it had smudged yet. She told me no. When I got back in my car, it was like a Halloween monster was staring back. The eyeliner had smudged down into some scary form X_X. When you ask people if your eyeliner's smudged, make sure it's someone that's not afraid to tell it like it is. Not only that, but I had a small booger in my nostril X_X. Total embarrassment and shame. True, I am kind of sick, so my nose was running the whole day, but please let me know ahead of time so I don't embarrass myself.

     Or maybe you would rather not have people comment if you have something embarrassing going on? If you had a booger sticking out, toilet paper on your shoe, clothes inside out, or something else going on, would you want someone to tell you (discreetly of course) or would your rather they pretend they don't see it? My thing is, if you don't tell me beforehand as a friend, then I end up looking like a fool in front of random other people.

     Anyone have any good recommendations for good eyeliners that stay put? Pretty much no pencil eyeliner works for me, gel is what has stuck on the longest. Unfortunately my eyes adjust and become even oilier = smudged liner. I've tried coastal scents, Tony Moly, L'oreal HiP, and Inglot. Right now I'm using Inglot. Inglot and L'oreal HiP have been what I find to stay on longest.

Still, even with all the above going on it feels like a pretty nice day =D.
I also took off the youthful Nova and replaced it with Zoya's more grown up Marina. Which I'm wearing for the very first time. Yay!

And a pic. It looks better in real life (or maybe just in my head =P). I'm not photogenic, and there is random stuff on my mirror.

'Til next time!

Birchbox: October 2012

Considering that lavender is my favorite color and I love Essie, you can understand my disappointment in not getting an email to opt- in for the Supergoop box. Ah well, read a lot of unhappy comments about the Goop boxes. I was a bit meh when I found out what was in my box, but it turns out this is a pretty great box! Even if the box image was literally just the box. Are they becoming lazy now?

And to top it off, this box lead me to having one of the best days in a long time! Keep reading to find out more =D.

This time the names of the products are direct links to their page on BB, so you can click for more info =).

Harvey Prince Eau Flirt - Lavender Pumpkin- It combines pumpkin and lavender, two seemingly ill-matched notes that have been clinically proven to spur passionate reactions in men. Olfactory theory aside, we love the combination of seductive jasmine and freesia with sumptuous nutmeg, cinnamon, and amber.

• Stand aside while I profess my love for BB. THANK YOU SO MUCH for introducing this product to me!
• Sample is twice the size of normal vials, maybe 2 ml?
• Both me and a friend agree, it doesn't smell anything like pumpkins, and I don't really smell the lavender.
• It has a slightly sweet fragrance reminding me strangely of bubble gum, but it's not overly sweet, just enough. Then I'm hit with a potpourri scent. It's so strange, these really don't seem like scents that should work together, and yet somehow they do. The cranberry toner I got in Sample Society's box a couple months back smelled of potpourri too, but not the kind that I would want to put on my face. This one's sweet overlying scent makes me want to eat it. It could just be the jasmine that's making me go crazy. Jasmine is one of those scents I find extremely addicting and alluring.
• Now, let's talk about the scent's theme. It claims to make you feel flirty and fabulous. UH, did they put some kind of pheromones in here?? I went around the whole day on cloud 9, feeling absolutely fantabulous! It wasn't even because of anything that happened; I just felt great for no reason. And no, I'm not susceptible to marketing placebo brainwashing effect (unless it's pictures of food...)
• A perfume that flirts for you? that is clinically proven to attract men with its wickedly irresistible fragrance? Well I don't know about all that, but out of the blue, I managed to hook someone from over 100 feet away. Haha maybe it's not just the perfume. More on this in my next Slice of Life post ;P. 
• The scent wears thin towards the end of 10 hours, but that's pretty good.
• The whole "Irresistibly wicked" thing is so perfect for October. Just for kicks, I'll wear this scent when we go pumpkin picking. It's totally the jasmine that's carrying this together. Jasmine is one of those scents with a twist and mystery. Great job this month BB!
• Too bad it's so expensive >.<, BB couldn't you give a bigger sample? ahhh need more BB points. People help me! Use my referral link please >.<

• Full size 100 ml $98, sample size? (~2 ml?) worth ~$2

theBalm® cosmetics Mary-Lou Manizer- this versatile luminizer imparts a soft-focus glow wherever we choose to apply it. Light-reflecting silica particles conceal blemishes and fine lines, while the honey color leaves a sheer wash of shimmer.

• For the longest time, my focus was on the "Manizer" part. I couldn't figure out why they would send us a product that would make us more manly.
• It's pretty tiny looking, eyeshadow size. The back is so cute and says "Free sample- not for sale".
• Cover closes via magnet, how neat.
• Mine had a fingerprint in it... can you see? Uh... I really hope that's just from a worker pushing the pan in, and not from someone sampling my sample. ~_~
• The product is very smooth, and goes on nicely. It gives off a golden shimmer effect. The microglitters (shimmers?) are visible, so if that's not your thing, well. This would make a great shimmer eyeshadow as well. My other highlighters are pink in tone, so it's nice to have something different if I wanted to go for more of that "bronze" look.
• Really like this product overall!
• Full size 8.5g $24, sample size 1g worth $2.82

Mox Botanicals Lip Butter

• A harder balm, so it took some rubbing to get enough product to use. This would be ok to put in your car during summer months, I think.
• Smells familiar, maybe like Welch's gummies?
• Does help my chapped lips a bit, not bad =)
• Full size .2 oz $16, sample size.1 oz worth $8

LiQWd The Perfect Wave

• My hair is not wavy, and therefore this was not a necessarily welcomed product. However, as I have appreciated the other items in this box so far, I will wait and give this a fair shot before judging further. Expect a review sometime this week.
• Full size 150ml $22, sample size 7 ml worth $1.02

LiQWd SiLK Professional Deep Conditioning Treatment

• Another excellent product this month!!
• I've tried a lot of conditioners recently from subscription boxes and whatnot, and each has fallen short.  To be honest, I didn't have high hopes for this one, but I was proved brutally wrong.
• My hair is pretty damaged from dying, and less than stellar shampoos. As soon as I applied this product, my hair completely smoothed out. It became so silky. Not only that, but after it was dry, there was minimal frizz. For the past couple weeks, I've been trying so hard to tame this suddenly unmanageable hair, and this conditioner just handled everything perfectly. I literally woke up, brushed my hair quickly, and was out the door.
• This product is definitely what I attribute my great day too. I just felt so free and awesome that I didn't have to worry about my hair. More on how it made my day day in the next Slice of Life post. ^^
• People complain about these packet samples. I don't really see the difference between having this in a foil packet and a little squeeze tube. Except the squeeze tube might be easier to open in the shower.
• Full size 120 ml $24, sample size 7 ml worth $1.40

Mighty Leaf Tea - Tea Pouches

• Everytime I get tea samples, I do a mental groan. Not that I don't drink tea, I do occasionally  but c'mon. Since I was so pleased with the rest of the box, I decided to try the tea out anyways. 
• The first is Organic African Nectar because I tend to dislike Earl Grey, and I already know what green tea tastes like. The bag is so elegant looking o_O. It's supposed to be mango/ vanilla. It smells kinda like funky herbs and cough syrup. Barely perceptible sweetness (maybe just the water =X). This one's not for me.

• The rest I shall try out during the week. Expect this post to be updated by next week.
• 15 pouches $9.95, sample size 3 pouches worth $1.99

Overall box value: ~$17.23

Very pleased this month and feeling like $10 well spent ^^.

******************

In other news, made my first order from Birchbox.com. I figured it'd be best to use up my points before the first 30 expire. They were having a 20% off promo too~ I got the Shu Uemura Shampoo Oil that I've been wanting. I also googled all over the place trying to see if the unused amounts are lost. Turns out they are. What does that mean? It means I had $50 to spend, but only had $47 worth of product. Since there isn't anything $3, or less, I didn't add any other items. Thus, that $3 was lost. $3 = 30 points. Lol, I needn't have worried about trying to save the points in the first place. It wasn't meant to be.

Birchbox: September 2012

As I was pining away for my Birchbox, I decided to track it again just for good measure. Strangely the status had updated to "Delivered". Turns out no one picked up the mail today. Thus, I braved the chilly night winds to rescue my Birchbox!

It's not an amazing box, but to me it's better than August's. (Really like the Shu Uemura Shampoo Oil though!)

1. 21 Drops Aromatherapy Blend- Focus

• The funny thing about this is that I had previously checked out this line while contemplating what would be a good gift for a grieving family. I went to Sephora in the meatpacking district specifically to test the scents out. They totally killed my nose. I'd never smelled anything so foul before.
• This particular blend just hits me with a lot of mint. I still can't focus on the work I'm supposed to do, but I suppose it's nice for clearing out stuffed nostrils.
• I know there have been complaints that this particular product doesn't last long. I only applied this product not 20 minutes ago and the scent has faded to where it's only slightly perceptible if I put my nose right up to my skin.
• The roll on bottle for this, and the packaging is quite cute.
• Full size 7.5 ml $29, sample size 2 ml worth $7.73

2. Color Club Birchbox Custom Polish- Status Update

• This was disappointing mainly because of the color. I don't use very dark colors much, especially gray. Truthfully I was hoping for Put a Pin in it to see if it could replace my other rose gold color.
• The formula is smooth and has good coverage. I only have 1 coat on in the photo.
• If this had been in a different color, then I might consider this box to be fairly decent
• Full size $8

3. Kate Spade New York- Twirl

• Saw a big bottle of this at Marshalls and contemplated purchasing it, but decided against it since I'd never tested it. The packaging design is so cute with the gold dots.
• Sophisticated, but has that classic perfume scent. I was actually expecting some sort of sweetness or "sparkle" factor to the scent. Smells average to me.
• Love the spray application
• 3.4 fl oz $80, sample .05 fl oz worth $1.18

4. Twistband

• It works, but really I kind of expect these to be more of "extras". And for goodness sake is it possible to make it a continuous elastic instead of this elastic that has to be tied on the end? It looks like a kid tried to put together a makeshift hair tie
• EDIT: This is simply too loose to hold my hair. Slides off eventually. Not a fan.

• 12 for $18, sample worth $1.50

5. Wei to Go

Before:

After application of tinted moisturizer 

• I didn't think I would like this at first, but surprisingly this concept appeals to me. You have basic cleanser and makeup in little packets to take with you whenever you're out. This way you don't have to worry about lugging around full sized products and having them spill. LOVE that the tinted moisturizer can be closed again for future uses.
• The moisturizing tint in "Light" is actually a little too light for me (have to wait a couple more winter months). It looks to be a fit for NW15. Medium to heavy buildable coverage. Good for normal skin. Not oily.
• The tinted moisturizer does highlight some dry patches in my skin, but that may be because it's not quite my color. As a "quick fix" I wouldn't mind using this product.
• Full size .5 fl oz + .33 fl oz $19, sample size .02 fl oz + .10 fl oz worth $3.35. I used the values from the full size to calculate estimated sample value, The kit is actually $0.44 more expensive then the same amount of product from each of the full sizes.

6. Tili Bag

• This doesn't really appeal to me, but I suppose to each his own. The designs don't look particularly fashionable in the first place, and I actually like to see what's in my ziploc bag. Completely personal preference though. And now I have a random plastic bag.
• 12 for $8.49, sample worth $0.71

Surprisingly this box is worth ~$22.47. 

My sample society box should be arriving tomorrow so hopefully there's something good there.