Sample Society: August 2012

=D. I started out being a little more than peeved at SS this month. The account said that my box was to have shipped July 28th (receiving August 3), then changed to saying that it shipped Aug 3rd. Being so used to receiving it the second business day of the month, I wasn't too happy about the unexpected change (I'm a creature of habit, what can I say?)

THEN, I looked at the product list for this month and all was well again ~^o^~. This month's theme must be products with interesting concepts.

Let's get going, shall we?

Deborah Lippmann Nail Lacquer, Private Dancer

• I love purple! This is from the Mirrored Chrome collection. The colors have a duochrome effect. This one is purple and gold. Originally I was wondering if I wouldn't've liked Sugar Daddy or Swagga Like Us better, but I don't wear gold, and Swagga Like Us swatches make it look like oxidizing copper.
• LOVE the square bottle.
• Applies smoothly and without streaks. It's not completely opaque until 3 coats for me.
• It didn't look too unusual or impressive at first, but after a few minutes I started digging it. It makes me feel like some evil queen witch. Doesn't make me feel like a private dancer though.
• Full Size worth $18

Elemental Herbology Cool & Clear Facial Cleanser- Water lily, Green tea and Aloe vera cools and soothes sensitive skin. Olive oil acts as a cleansing agent to gently purify pores. Lavender and Tea tree extract help provide an antibacterial and sebum-regulating action.

• Clear, liquidy, lathers nicely. Smells like lavender (well ok, maybe not, but something strong, plant-like, and pungent)
• At first I thought "Oh great, another cleanser that's gonna dry me out". Turned out to not be the case. When applied it actually has a bit of an oil feel to it. My face didn't really dry out at all. I did a double take. Must be the olive oil.
• Didn't really feel any cooling effect.
• Full size 3.4 oz worth $46, sample size 0.8 fl oz worth $10.82

Jane Iredale Longest Lash Mascara, Black Ice -Longest Lash Mascara contains sea minerals to condition lashes while thousands of cellulose fibers coat the lashes without clumping or flaking.

After- applied on left of picture

Before

After- applied on left eye in picture

• THANK YOU! For the Black. Any other color and I honestly wouldn't know what to do with it. Gray lashes? NTY.
• The interesting thing here is the packaging concept. It's in a squeezable tube! How many times have you cried over not being able to use up every last smudge of mascara. It must be congregating at the bottom. This way, you can actually manipulate the product in the tube. If you would like more or less product, you can also control it that way. I hope the packaging doesn't dry out the product any faster though.
• Love the big brush with the pointier end (helps to get the lashes on the inside without smearing mascara everywhere).
• No clump application. Appears to lengthen and thicken slightly. I think there are fibers in here too.
• Full size .42 oz $33? Yikes, that's not cheap. Sample size .1 oz worth $7.86

Phyto Phytonectar Oil- Phytonectar Pre-Shampoo Ultra Nourishing Oil Treatment easily penetrates deeply into each strand bringing damaged, dehydrated hair back to life. The formula, rich in proteins, lipids, and vitamins from egg yolk, restructures ultra-dry hair while preventing oxidation with sunflower extract. Hair feels immediately replenished and its original softness and shine are restored. Use Phytonectar oil once-to-twice a week for five consecutive weeks. Do not use for one week after color process.

• I don't know what Phytonectar is, but this whole pre-shampoo oil concept is new to me. 
• Was going to dye hair, but it says not to use for 1 wk after so I held off and tried this instead.
• You have to leave it on for 15 minutes. I didn't know if you're supposed to apply to wet or dry hair so I applied to dry hair. Had to use the whole vial.
• Went to rinse the vial, and interestly the oil inside turned into a milky white concoction! How strange is that?? It wasn't even very oily feeling anymore, just slightly.
• Didn't have the Phytonectar shampoo, so I just used my own. Wondered if the shampoo doesn't just wash out all the oil and negate the effects, but surprisingly my hair was untangled after shampooing as well.
• The overall effect is that my hair was still dry on the ends. It may have to do with the Sebastian condition that I'm using from the July 2012 Glossybox.
• Full size 1.7 oz worth $30, sample size .33 oz worth $5.82

Arcona Cranberry Toner- This three-in-one formula tones and hydrates, while also infusing skin with protective antioxidants to leave your complexion looking and feeling refreshed. Antimicrobial cranberry, containing vitamins, phyto-nutrients and essential fatty acids, clarifies and protects. Use Cranberry Toner anytime to cleanse and tone or to remove makeup.

• Multi-use products have been a mini-rage recently, and this is supposed to remove makeup, refresh the skin, and protect against free radical damage.
• Can't evaluate it's ability to protect against free radicals, but I wasn't feeling very refreshed after.
• Has cool shimmers floating around. Smells like fruit at first, then becomes mixed with a potpourri smell. Quite strong.
• I was amused at having two plastic shrink wraps on my bottle.

• Full size 3.72 oz. worth $32, sample size 1 oz worth $8.60

Malin+Goetz Vitamin E Face Moisturizer

• This is an extra that's included. I'm not sure if Sample Society is following Birchbox and Glossybox with the "extras"
• I was excited to try this since I love the jojoba facial exfoliator.
• This seems like a normal moisturizer. Doesn't have a scent as far as I can tell.
• Full size 4 oz $45, sample size 0.04 oz worth $0.45

Overall Box Value: ~$51.55

There wasn't anything that I'm head over heels in love with this month, but I had fun trying them all out. The Cranberry toner I will probably not use because I never use toner, and this one is strongly scented. Vitamin E Face Moisturizer is also not that special. Facial cleanser and Phytonectar oil are interesting, but I don't see any huge improvements with them. The Jane Iredale mascara didn't give a stunning effect so I'll pass. DL nailpolish is cool. I'll see if I can find an occasion for it.

Glossybox USA: May 2012

It did arrive it May! =D Color me thoroughly surprised. Overall thoughts? I like it!

Let's start with the packaging. Woah. That's all I could think for a while. The box is substantially larger than the sample society/ Birchbox boxes. Out of the three, this one has the sturdiest box (then SS, Birchbox last). The outside cardboard is a bit flimsy, but your actual box isn't even flexible. I was expecting to get something similarly sized as SS/Birchbox, just with heavier or more expensive things inside. I'm going to mail my annual gift box to my friend in this- it's a waste to keep to myself.

Left hand in some pics so you can compare size.


What's Inside?


1. Marvis Whitening Toothpaste

• Thicker and grittier than my Colgate
• Claims to have a sharp mint flavor. It's not really that strong. If Colgate is an Altoid, then the Marvis is a tic tac.
• There's no seal on the opening
• Teeth feel clean afterwards. Maybe all the grit inside is doing something. Can't attest to the whitening aspect yet.
• Full Sized 1.23 oz, worth $7.50

2. Zoya Nail Lacquer- Arizona

• I can't believe there's a full sized Zoya!! I LOVE ZOYA! It's 4-Free (no formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin, toluene, dibutyl phthalate, or camphor). Read more at ZOYA. If you use my LINK to sign up for an account, they'll also give you a voucher for a FREE bottle of polish. Add in 2 more and you get free shipping!
• Arizona was the color I was craving until I got it. It's a little darker in real life than what I expected. Too bad they didn't give me Roxy to try >.<
• Full coverage with 2-3 coats
• I already have this polish, so if you want I can sell it for $6.50 shipped in the US, email me at juicedmang0s@gmail.com.
• Full Size 0.5 oz, worth $8

3. Burberry Lip Mist Lipstick- No.202 Copper

• It's so cute! The tube is plastic but looks really sleek. The packaging designers must really be getting the big bucks. 
• I'll admit, the idea of a lip mist doesn't really interest me. I prefer dramatic changes in color or effect. Seeing that the color I had was "Copper" didn't help either.
• Turns out, it's not really a "Copper" color. Sheer wash of color. It does add a bit of warmth.
• Extremely creamy lipstick- not drying at all, quite the opposite. I would almost say it's a non sticky lip gloss/ very emollient balm.
• Not something I would personally splurge on, but if you are looking a bit pale and still want to keep it natural looking, this is the way to go.
• Full size 0.12 oz worth $30. Sample size .028 oz worth $7

4. Amore Pacific Moisture Bound Refreshing Hydra-Gel Oil Free

• If you want cute and interesting cosmetic packing, it has to be the Koreans. I'm sure you've seen through all my blog posts how design is a really big factor of their industry. This little one is no exception. Normally we think the "jar" aspect should hold the cream, and the lid be smaller. Not the case here as you can see. This is a quality container that can be used for something else. The top of the lid features a reflective area that can be used as a mirror! In the future I may put a couple pumps of BB cream in here for traveling. 
• Claims to be formulated without oil or water
• It is indeed cooling. This is great timing on Glossybox's part because the heat wave of summer is coming >.< we've already experienced a couple 90 degree days. The effect is most likely due to the alcohol.
• For normal to oily skin, hope it doesn't dry out my dry skin. Interestingly enough it has a lotion-like consistency as well.
• Full size 1.7 oz worth $100, sample size 0.28 fl oz worth $16.47

5. Phyto Phytojoba Intense Hydrating Mask for Dry Hair

• Light lemon-y? scent. Thicker consistency. Tube is like those foil toothpaste/ hairdye tubes.
• It works nicely. I've been using conditioner for hairdye, so my hair is used to strong conditioners. This one is a couple steps up from your normal conditioner in regards to conditioning power.
• It's not extremely different or special so I won't purchase this
• Full size 6.7 oz worth $38, sample size 1.7 oz worth $9.64

6. Glossybox Blush Brush- Goat Hair

• I have been considering purchasing a blush brush so this is a nice surprise. Admittedly, I thought the hairs were synthetic. It's not a very soft brush =/.

Overall Box Thoughts

• Love the packaging. Love how the items are large enough for you try the products a few times (even full sized ones).
• Not sure how many of the items I'd actually use. I'm still continuing with Sample Society because they have introduced me to a couple products that I adore.
• VALUE: Total Box Value ~$48.61. It's mostly the really expensive Hydra-Gel. Take that and the expensive hair mask away and you basically got what you paid for. 
• FAVORITE ITEM: Amore Pacific Refreshing Hydra-Gel
• Wasn't particularly interested in the toothpaste
• LOVE LOVE LOVE how they have items from different countries. I hope they continue with this, it's really cool! And that is something that would set Glossybox apart because they are an international company so they can use this to their advantage.

I'm definitely cancelling my second Birchbox (to heck with the points transfer), and will wait a couple more boxes to decide whether Glossybox is right for me! -___-;; I do really have to narrow it down to like 1 subscription box soon. 

More on Glossybox

• A pricer subscription box ($21), but offers larger samples in comparison to Birchbox.
• Also supposedly has a points system (through reviews), where you can get a free box after accumulating points... maybe because the site is in beta, but I don't see where you can do this.
• Claims to be tailored to our beauty profiles, but as we are yet unable to fill those out I'm assuming everyone gets the same box this month. It would be interesting to see what different things they come up with though 
• Sign up at www.glossybox.com

So? Now that you've seen the first box, what do you think? Is it something you would shell out $21 for? Are the products things you would use?