Thursday, December 11, 2014

Sample Society December 2014


This review is for the Sample Society subscription box of December 2014. I was generously gifted a 3 month subscription to the allure Sample Society Box for my birthday (in October). The box costs $15/month + tax and is curated by allure magazine. The box includes 5 deluxe samples of makeup, skincare, hair care, and fragrance items. You also receive a $10 off of $50 coupon each month to use at BeautyBar.com, which is the umbrella company. This is my second box of the subscription.
Just looking at the products that came in this box, I was much more pleased than with last month's box. I really like the spread and quality of products! I will review each product in the order of the mini magazine.

First up is the RGB nail polish in the color "Oxblood". I will never ever complain about receiving nail polish, especially full-sized bottles! This is definitely a color that I am lacking in my collection, and the polish is cruelty-free and vegan, which is great! It's suggested that two coats result in an opaque color, but I found that three were necessary for a really solid representation of the oxblood color.

Size: 0.4 fl oz
Price: $18 (RGB website)
Rating: 5/5


The next product is Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Eye cream. This is a pricey product! Estee Lauder is a very respected brand, and I am excited to try this eye cream out. My eye area is very sensitive and dries out easily, so hopefully this can combat some of that during the winter.

Size: 0.17 fl oz
Price: $9.20 (Sample Society Booklet - larger size)
Rating: 4/5


Next is Burberry Fresh Glow Luminous Fluid Base. Maybe I am just not cultured, but I had no idea Burberry even made makeup products! According the the Burberry website, this can be used as a primer under foundation, mixed into foundation, or as a highlighter. It is definitely very shimmery, so I plan on relegating this to special occasions, but it would be nice to try out for a glow-y complexion.

Size: 0.17 fl oz
Price: $8.16 (Burberry Website)
Rating: 4.5/5


Being a nail polish addict, I am no stranger to the Butter London brand, though I have not tried any of their lip products yet. I received the Butter London Lippy Tinted Balm in the color Mush, which is described as a "medium coverage coral creme". Sounds good to me! I love a good coral! Plus, apparently "mush" is British slang for a good mate. I have swatched it on my arm (see below) and it goes on really smoothly. It definitely doesn't have the opacity of a lipstick, but I hope it has the staying power of a stain.

Size: 0.14 fl oz (full-sized!)
Price: $19.18 (Amazon)
Rating: 5/5


The final product in the box is Crabtree & Evelyn Ultra-Moisturizing Hand Therapy in La Source. A hand cream is something that is going to come in handy for these dry winter months, and I plan on keeping this one at my desk. The scent is fresh but not overpowering. I have only applied it once so I can't comment on long-term benefits yet, but reviews seem to indicate that it is an excellent moisturizer.

Size: 25 g
Price: $8 (Crabtree & Evelyn Site - cheaper for larger sizes)
Rating: 5/5


Here are swatches on my arm of the Butter London Tinted Balm and the Burberry Fluid Base before (left) and after (right) blending out.


Overall, I am 100% pleased with this box, with an average rating of 4.7/5 for the samples. The total monetary value of the box is $62.54, more than 4X the cost! Everything is high quality and three of the products are full-sized. On top of that, I will use every item, which is rare for beauty boxes! What a great month for Sample Society, and I hope next month's is just as good!





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