Really quick explanation of what Sample Society is: Monthly subscription service from Beauty Bar in collaboration with Allure magazine at $15(a month), that will send you deluxe sized high end samples to your door!(Is that awesome or what?)
Remember how last month I said I was canceling Sample Society, because they had too many anti aging products? Well, maybe I didn't cancel it. I decided to give it another chance. Everybody deserves a second chance right? Well I'm glad to say I didn't canceled! I love my box for this month! I got Kit D and it's great. I received the email notifying that this was shipped yesterday, and I got it today! I was so excited and I did peek and know what I was going to get, but I was still super happy when I got it :)
I get Allure because of the Sample Society subscription, but I still love reading the mini mag I get every month with SS.
Oops! Did I just reveal the $15 off Gift Code for Beauty Bar? Guess I did! Oh well...
I noticed there's something wrong about this card. The Snowberry product is not $44, but $95 on Beauty Bar's website :S
Pantene - AgeDefy Advanced Thickening System: 50ml Value: $8/Full Size: 125ml $19.99. I know I always bitch & moan about anti aging products, but I do have really fine hair and I will use anything that will thicken it and make it strong. I can't tell right away if I see any difference, but we'll see how it goes after a while of using it. One thing I love about it is, that I've always loved Pantene's products scent. It's so fresh and just reminds me of that fresh out of the shower smell! I love it!
StriVectin - Instant Retexturizing Scrub: 1 fl oz Value: $9.8/ Full size: 5 fl oz $49. I used this scrub in the morning and it worked OK, like any other scrub. It's supposed to smooth the texture and even the tone. I won't be able to tell if it does after a lot of use I guess, but as a regular scrub -I liked it. It's not too rough so I think it is OK to use twice a week as they recommend. On a funny note, it has a minty smell which made me double check if I was actually using the scrub and not a toothpaste!
Snowberry - Nourishing Lite Day Cream: 7ml $13.3/ Full size 50ml $95!!!(lol @$95!). I love the smell of this, it's so fresh and invigorating! I'm really picky when it comes to smells and this one gives no headaches at all. Anyways, the last thing that matters about a cream or moisturizing is the smell,right? This cream is great, my skin is of course a bit dry, because of the winter and this moisturizes like a boss! My skin absorbed it super quick and it didn't leave any greasy feeling. I think I might fall in love with this product and not be able to buy it ever again...*sigh* Sad sad story!
Lord & Berry - Silk Kajal Eye Pencil in Black: Full size $15. I already have my beloved Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliner in Zero, though I was a bit disappointed with it's performance so I cheated on him! Oh noes! I'm a bad lover to my eye liner! Would it make me much worse if I say I like the new guy better? Because I do! This baby has stayed on for *does math* 7 hours now!! It still looks as good as when I applied it and hasn't moved an inch! I have no raccoon eyes and I haven't touched it up at all! I think this might become my new HG waterline eyeliner! I haven't tried it on the upper lid and don't think I will, because I like liquid liner in the upper lid more than pencil eye liner. I definitely recommend this product. It's great and won't let you down. It applies easily and wears through the day like a boss!
Lord & Berry - Silk Kajal Eye Pencil Swatch.
Serge Normant - Meta Revive Volumizing Dry Shampoo: 2 oz $11.10/ Full size is $25 for 4.5 oz. For some reason my hair was bit oilier than it should be today and I also wanted some more volume so I decided to use this. My previous experience with dry shampoo was with Freeman's dry shampoo, which is OK, but it didn't add volume like this one did. I love the volume, but I don't love the smell. I wonder why companies think they need to add fancy smells to their products...If I want to smell like something special and different I'll wear perfume! Either way, I did like this product, but once I run out I won't repurchase. I'll just grab the Freeman's dry shampoo, it has no scent and even if it doesn't add the volume this one adds, it does save me on those days where I just don't have the time to wash my hair.
Nicole Richie - Fragrance Eau De Parfum Spray: 1.5ml $1.03/ Full size is 100ml for $69. I shouldn't even count this since you usually get perfume samples for free at Department stores, but I'll list it either way. Mmm this is actually not bad, it's pretty sweet though I would have to wear it to find out if it gives me a headache or not. I'm not a fan of sweet scents, I like fresh smelling stuff more. I will admit, I might not love this and it will likely give me a headache. I'd rather have a skin care/ make up or nail product(Deborah Lipmman, please) than a perfume sample, since I'm so picky when it comes to scents.
Value and thoughts:
The value of my box for this month is: $58.22, which is great having paid only $15!
I will say I take back what I said last month! I'm so glad I didn't get anti aging products this month, and I'm also glad I gave these guys another chance! The value of this month's box is indeed lower than last month, but I actually like all the products(except the perfume, but that doesn't count!). I know for sure, I will use them to the last drop. The liner will take me a while to go through, but I'm really liking it right now. It has dethroned my previous HG liner and that's a lot to say. At the end of the day that's the point of subscription services like this one, to introduce you to new products!
I know I didn't say anything bad about Sample Society before, I just said it might not be the right fit if you are not after anti aging products. I'm sticking to that though, because they do send them, but at this point that's a risk I'm willing to take. I don't mind gambling and losing sometimes. By "losing" I mean getting anti aging stuff. Which, at the end of the day, I don't lose and just trade it for other things, but still. I will keep my subscription at the moment. I'm so glad I'm not kicking myself over canceling right now and actually giving it another shot. I recommend this subscription with this...Warning: it may and will contain anti aging products! So, if you are trying to avoid those at any cost, this is not the sub for you. If you are OK with them or have a solution for this problem(trading them or giving them away) then you might get a good use out of it.
I'm so happy with my Sample Society for this month, even if the value is lower, because I know I will actually use the products, unlike last month where I ended up trading ALL of it away.
Disclaimer: I purchased this with my own money, and this is my own personal opinion :)
