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Subscription Boxes

Benevolent Beauty Box February 2017

 

February’s Benevolent Beauty Box arrived yesterday!  It’s yet another pretty stellar box, and while these have no theme (other than being awesome), we got two lip products in some super pretty shades of red in perhaps a little nod to the holiday earlier this month.

  • High Endurance Cosmetics Sweat Pretty Setting Spray  – 4 oz / $13 – (Product is full size)  LOVE setting sprays, and this is a huge size!  It’s mostly water and glycerin based, and there’s no alcohol, so this won’t dry out your skin.  The scent is a light, herbal sort of fruity scent and is really rather pleasant.  Once dry, it is perfectly matte.  While I haven’t had a chance to give this a good stress test, summer is right around the corner, so this is a perfect time to include this.
  • Palmetto Derma Rejuvenating Antioxidant Mask – 1.75 oz / $64 – (Product is full size)  WHOA NELLIE.  That’s a pretty expensive product to include in this box!  I’ve gotten this before in the January 2016 Kloverbox, but I’m okay receiving it again in another box, over a year later.  The mask is pretty neat – it’s got a cooling effect, so it’s great for warmer months as a little treat for sun-toasted skin.  The ingredient list contains a bunch of oils and extracts, so it’s also pretty hydrating and doesn’t leave your skin feeling tight and dry like a clay mask can sometimes.  This is quite the opposite – my skin feels hydrated and soothed after using the mask.
  • Moody Sisters Dry Skin Cream – 5 oz / $18 – (Product is full size)  I received the scent, “Herbal Blend,” which seems to be a mix of lavender, peppermint and juniper berry.  The scent isn’t really doing it for me right out of the container – it goes on smelling a little medicinal from the juniper and peppermint.  That medicinal edge faded pretty quickly though and left behind just a soft lavender scent which was much more appealing.  The cream is AMAZINGLY hydrating without feeling greasy or sticky.  The formula is a rich, thick cream, and just the tiniest bit goes a long way.
  • Medusa’s Makeup Lip Paint – .34 oz / $12 – (Product is full size)  I received the color, “Hanky Panky,” which is a deep burgundy/raspberry sort of color.  I really dig the color, but unfortunately, this does contain parabens (the product card says it doesn’t, but the ingredient list on the box says otherwise).  This definitely needs an invisible lip liner to keep it contained since the formula seems to want to feather out.  You can control the amount of color that goes on, building to a deep opaque shade or going a little lighter.  I found that it still felt a little sticky even after drying, but not sticky enough to transfer.  It does need to be removed with an oil based remover and tends to stain your lips a bit.  I haven’t tried this all day yet to see how it would last, but it feels like it should stay put!
  • Mirabella Velvet Lip Pencil – 2.3 g / $25 – (Product is full size)  I received the color, “Love,” which is a warm red.  This tips ever so slightly over to orange on me, but anything that isn’t cool-toned ends up looking orange on me.  Even the tiniest smidgen of a yellow tone just looks odd  on my skin tone.  The verdict is out on the color – it’s really close to being a perfect neutral red, but it’s just enough on the warm side that I’m not sold on the color.  The formula is amazing and I LOVE this sort of product.  It goes on matte but still creamy and seems like it has great staying power.  This also tends to  stain your lips a little, but that makes it a bit of a stain/lip pencil in one and I’m okay with that.

Overall, the total value comes to $132 which is PHENOMENAL for 5 full size products in this box.  That’s really excellent  for a box that costs $29.95 per month for a month-to-month subscription!  I’ll use everything, even the Mirabella lip pencil since the color is growing on me the longer it’s on.  I’ll definitely use the dry skin cream (HI MY SKIN IS A DESERT) and everything else in the box.  This one may even land in my top 5 for this box, I like it that much.  As always, looking forward to next month!

Subscription Boxes

Sephora Play! February 2017

 

February’s Sephora Play! just arrived today.  The theme this month was, “The Softer Side,” featuring items that are, as they said, low-key lovely.  The bag is a dusty rose satin bag that has, “Smitten,” printed at the bottom.  Another unique bag, and while I don’t quite know what to do with these, it’s neat to see everything packed in a bag like this, and see a different bag every month.

  • Sephora LashCraft – 5 mL / $7 – (Product is 2.8 mL, value of $3.92 by volume)  This is about half the size of the travel size, but it would’ve been nice to get the full travel size since it’s a Sephora brand product.  You can see from the photo it’s just about the same height as the perfume sample, so this is teeny tiny, definitely meant to only be good for a matter of a few uses to try it out.  I get that Sephora Play!  is essentially a sample bag, but it would be nice if the Sephora brand products were a little bigger than a mini sized sample.  Anyway, the wand on this is flat on one side and it’s touted that the formula doesn’t require any chemical makeup removers (which is fine since I don’t use chemical removers, only natural oils to remove mascara, even the waterproof kind, so, moot point for me).  The ingredient list starts off with water, iron oxide, and olive oil esters  which is pretty decent.  I found that it did clump up a little – the brush came out heavily saturated with product, so the problem may just be that the trial container doesn’t prepare  the brush correctly as it comes out of the tube.  One coat was plenty, and I didn’t find this to be buildable.  A second coat just got sticky and thick and looked awful – one coat is plenty.  The brush though, I do like!  You start with the flat side to coat the length of your lashes and roll the brush to the rounded side as you run the brush over your lashes.  Mixed feelings on this!  It’s okay, but it’s not cruelty free (Sephora brand sells in China), and I’m not really wowed by it.  I do like the innovation with the brush, but it’s not enough as a whole to knock out my top three at the moment.
  • Too Faced Lip Injection (Glossy) – .14 oz / $22 – (Product is .03 oz, value of $4.71 by volume)  I received the color, “Milkshake,” which is a nude color with gold shimmer.  The color payoff isn’t a lot, but it’s enough to make your lips look a little milky white.  Here’s where I admit that I can’t pull off the whole nude lips thing and it makes me look like a corpse.  So, beyond the color, within a few minutes of putting it on, my lips started to tingle.  Then they started to burn.  Quick check on the ingredient list shows, “Capsicum Frutescens Fruit Extract,” and, “Capsicum Frutescens Resin,” in about the middle of the list, so yes, I just inadvertently put hot pepper resin on my lips.  After a few more minutes, my lips had turned bright red, and the burn was so intense that I had to wipe it off, so unfortunately, this is going straight into the trash since there’s no way I could tolerate having this on my lips for more than a minute.  What a terrible product – it left my lips so irritated that they were bright red for over an hour later.  It’s pretty clear that it’s just WAY too much capsicum in the formulation, so  I’m not sure how this could be released like this.  I’m not a weenie when it comes to spicy food either, this is just incredibly too much.
  • Bite Beauty Multistick – .17 oz / $24 – (Product is .07 oz, value of $9.88)  The color I received is, “Cashew,” listed as a rose taupe.  Again, nude lips aren’t my thing, but this is meant to be able to do everything from lips to cheeks and eyes, so even if it isn’t flattering on my lips, I can use it as an eye color.  It’s also the wrong color for blush for me, so I’m thinking it’s going to end up just being used for an eyeshadow, but it does look great on me as an eye shadow.  As a lip product, the formula is matte but still creamy and smooth.  As an eye color, it blends out easily.  I’m not sure any of the colors in this line really speak to me (I’m best with berry colors and there isn’t one), but the color, “Mochi,” which is a deep red, might end up coming home with me as a lip color.  I LOVE Bite Beauty already, and they’re cruelty free!
  • Origins GinZing Eye Cream – 15 mL / $30 – (Product is 5 mL, value of $10 by volume)  The first bunch of ingredients on this are water and silicones, but there are a bunch of fruit and plant-based extracts that follow.  The formula is a pearlescent light peach color, so it’s meant to be a luminizer as well.  Personally, I don’t use eye creams because I feel like they don’t really ever do anything noticeable.  This really didn’t do anything for me – my eyes didn’t magically feel, “energized,” nor did my dark circles magically disappear.  And $30 for a full size product from a company that engages in animal testing (they’re owned by Estée Lauder and sell in China) is a hard pass for me.
  • Tom Ford Neroli Portofino – 1 oz / $145 – (Product is .05 oz, value of $7.25 by volume)  Probably one of the more expensive perfumes we’ve gotten!  I actually like this a little – not enough to blow $145 on an ounce, but it’s nice.  It’s soft and fresh, but something (the lavender maybe?) makes it smell a little soapy.  I’d have loved for the citrus notes to come out more, but it comes out smelling like lavender soap on me.  It’s not awful, but again, not something I’d be willing to spend $145 on.
  • Clinique Hydroblur Moisturizer – .5 oz / $9.50 – (Product is .24 oz, value of $4.56 by volume)  The ingredient list is pretty disappointing.  It starts with water and glycerin, then polymers and silicones, and a few decent oils/butters (Shea, mango seed, squalane, beeswax).  Overwhelmingly, it’s water, glycerin, and silicone based, and goes on more like a silicone based primer than a moisturizer.  It goes on matte and a little ‘grabby’ (not sticky or tacky, but as if it would help makeup stick and stay better), so it would definitely work best right under makeup.  This probably wouldn’t make the cut as my  sole moisturizer since I have super dry skin, but it’ll work well as a primer.  I’d probably not purchase this myself since again, the company is owned by  Estée Lauder and engages in animal testing.

Overall, the value this month comes to $40.32 which is great and definitely on the higher end for this box!  It only costs me $10.60 per month including tax, so that’s nearly four times the cost.  Unfortunately, one product is a complete loss (the Too Faced Lip Injection), so it brings down the personal value to $35.61, but that’s about in line with prior boxes anyway.  I may not completely like all the products, but I did get a chance to try them and will likely use the rest of them even if they’re not necessarily items I’d purchase.  The stand-out product for me is the Bite Beauty Multistick and I do really love it as an eye shadow color.  I’m a little disappointed by the continued inclusion of Estée Lauder products – it seems a little like Estée Lauder is sponsoring the box and I’m just not interested in the company or any of the products from their subsidiaries.  Hey, Sephora, let’s see a 100% cruelty free box, huh?!  Or one without an  Estée Lauder brand in it?

Socks

Finished Socks – Forest Moon of Endor

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It seems like I get the chance just once a year to drag out the backdrops and fancy camera and actually photography things for myself!  These are the Forest Moon of Endor socks by Heidi Nick (Ravelry links).  I started these January 27, 2016 and finished February 16, 2016, so they’re a pretty easy and fast knit as far as socks go.  Knit on US 1.5 (2.5mm) DPNs with Knit Picks Bare fingering weight yarn that was dyed by me using easter egg dyes, these squishy socks have just the right amount of lace.  My favorite part is the heel isn’t a traditional heel flap and opens up in the pattern as  a stockinette triangle so the lace doesn’t weaken the heel.  I didn’t write it down, but I think I used just the 60 stitch version since the lace opens up the gauge  (I usually do a 64 stitch sock, but 60 stitches was plenty here).  I made a slight modification and continued the lace pattern down the instep of the sock instead of leaving it as stockinette.

The pattern had been free last year when I knitted these, but now it costs $4.  I think the pattern works pretty well with both solid and subtly variegated yarns.  Here’s the Ravelry Link to my project page for these, and hopefully I’ll get my tush in gear and post more finished objects more often!

Subscription Boxes

Kloverbox February 2017

 

February’s Kloverbox is here and I’m getting the post up right away!  WOOHOO!  Clearly, Valentine’s Day factored into this box since it felt a little like a fantastic gift box this month.  A candle, earrings, chocolate, and foot oil made for a nice surprise and a change from the usual sort of goods they include.  This box always keeps me guessing – you really never know what’s going to show up!

  • Cypress Skincare Foot Love – 1 oz / $20 – (Product is full size)  Okay, so we already know I don’t particularly like peppermint scented anything, and every foot product ever is peppermint scented, including this one.  I gave it a try and while it’s definitely peppermint, it’s not a heavy peppermint and the scent dissipates pretty quickly – I couldn’t even smell it on my hands after a few minutes.  Made with loads of healing oils, this makes dry, cracked feet feel softer right away.  I put it on right after a shower and then put on hand knit wool socks.
  • The Isle Co Soy Lotion Candle – 6 oz  / $14.99 – (Product is full size)  This scent, “Love Struck,” is on sale on the website this month for $11.25 as the fragrance of the month.  The scent is sweet and fruity and reminds me of pomegranate.  The idea with the candle is that after the candle burns a little, you blow it out, then you can use the wax (100% soy) as a lotion.  I thought it was a little weird, but because it’s pure soy oil, it actually works!  It goes on a lot like coconut oil (stays a liquid with the heat of your skin) and doesn’t feel greasy or waxy.
  • Wrenn Jewelry Becki Earrings – 1 set / $26 – (Product is full size)  The color we received is the, “Rose Druzy,” color, a rose gold color.  I’m not too big on gold and I hate pink, so I’m going to pass these on to a friend.  I really do love the earring design, I’m just not into the color.  Fortunately, there’s a coupon code for 15% off, so I can pick out a set that aren’t pink!  I’m really digging the Platinum ones, so those may have to find their way to me.
  • Rose & Basil Truffles – 2 truffles / $2.90 – (Product is full size)  Well, I know that they’re vegan, but I have no idea what the flavors are!  There’s no insert or card to let me know which flavors I got.  Browsing the company’s instagram, it looks like the one on the right is Chocolate Pomegranate and the one on the left might be Elderflower?  I’m just guessing here.  Of course I had to try them out right away.  The left one was really floral, maybe even lavender-ish, and the right one was delicious.  I think I still prefer regular non-vegan chocolates, but the flavors are such neat mixes.  If I happen to be in NYC, I’ll have to stop in!

Overall, the box value came to $63.89 which is well over double the cost of $25 on a month-to-month basis!  Even without the earrings, the value still comes out over the cost, plus I get to give something pretty to a friend.  I really love how this box goes beyond the traditional beauty box and includes all sorts of cruelty free items – it keeps the box new and interesting.

Subscription Boxes

Benevolent Beauty Box January 2017

 

The January Benevolent Beauty Box has been here for a few weeks already, but I’m finally getting around to posting about it!  A pretty spectacular box yet again – everything is cruelty free, a couple of items are vegan, and I’m still digging how much this box wows me every month.

  • Scrub Supply Co Turmeric Scrub – 60 g / $15.88 – (Product is full size)  This bright yellow sugar scrub that doubles as a mask too!  It claims it can help reduce pigmentation and help out with acne.  The bag comes with a scoop and a popsicle stick stirrer/applicator which is nice.  There’s no real discernible scent to it, though it does smell faintly like turmeric, and it doesn’t give me that flush like after a clay mask which is nice – it feels more gentle, despite being a coarse scrub.  I like it!  I obviously won’t notice any difference in one use, but it makes for a nice mask and scrub combo.  There’s also a coupon code included for the Scrub Supply Co for 10% off your next order.
  • Lauren Brooke Cosmetiques Lip Color – 1.8 g / $13 – (Product is full size)  The color received is, “Sangria,” a plummy wine color.  The formula is pretty thick and waxy, more like a lip balm, so you have to thoroughly exfoliate your lips before using this or it will clump up on all the dry skin.  The color goes on sheer but can build to a darker shade.
  • Lauren Brooke Cosmetiques Luminous Eyes Corrective Concealer – 7 g / $15 – (Product is full size)  I’m already in love with the creme concealer from Lauren Brooke, so this is great to see in the box!  The color matches my skin tone damn near perfectly, so this is going to get TONS of use to cover up dark eye circles.  I gave it a quick try and I LOVE that this actually works – so many concealers just don’t do that great of a job, but the peachy color is simply perfect for hiding dark circles.
  • Franklin & Whitman Oak Lane Face Mask – 2 oz / $24.95 – (Product is full size)  This is a great clay mask that also contains cocoa powder, so it smells amazing.  I tried it right away using just plain water as my carrier liquid (though, in hindsight, I should’ve used honey!) to make a paste.  It took a little
  • Deco Miami Nail Polish – .19 oz / $12.50 – (Product is full size)  The color is, “Boy Bye,” which is an iridescent pastel purple.  This bottle is A LOT smaller than most nail polishes which come in at .5 oz (over 2 times the size), but in a way, it’s nice to have the smaller bottle since I don’t tend to use up nail polish all that fast.  My only gripe is that for being a smaller bottle, the price shouldn’t be the same (or nearly double) other similar polishes.  Pacifica, for example, is $9 for .45 oz.  The formula is pretty well pigmented, and while I haven’t tried it on my nails yet to see how well it lasts, I’ll have to report back when I do since I do like the color!
  • Terre Mere Angled Eyeliner Brush – 1 brush / $24 – (Product is full size)  A vegan angled eyeliner brush to go with the glitter and eyeliner set from the prior month!  Perfect followup to that product, and I can always use new brushes.  This brush is super soft, but still firm enough to get a nice line with a gel eyeliner.

The total value this month comes to $105.33 which is phenomenal for a box that costs $29.95 per month for a month-to-month subscription!  I’m really pleased with everything and I love how this box is just such a good fit for me.  It’s a great mix of new brands and old favorites with new products and solid basics.  As always, looking forward to the next box!

Subscription Boxes

Kloverbox January 2017

 

Another Kloverbox, this one the first of the new year!  The product card in the box said that January’s box was, “all about letting go of 2016 and starting 2017 looking and feeling your best!”  It definitely seems to focus on dental health, and it’s actually nice to see a grouping of these three products that work well together!

  • Natural Annie Essentials Happy Edges – 1 oz / $14 – (Product is full size)  This is meant to be used on dry scalp patches, especially around the edges of your hair line.  It’s like they knew I needed this!  My scalp gets crazy dry during the winter and I’ve tried all manner of remedies to help keep it from turning into a desert.  The only thing I’m not sure of is the roller ball applicator – I think I’d have preferred a dropper or something like an eye dropper bottle instead.  The roller ball doesn’t seem to roll well around my hair line, so the product doesn’t come out and distribute itself very easily.  I do like the light herbal scent, and a scalp oil is right up my alley.
  • Balipura Auric Spray – 3.4 oz / $25 – (Product is full size)  Okay, so I’m not quite sold on the whole energy field stuff that they mention on the website, but the spray is basically made up of water, alcohol and essential oils (cinnamon bark and pink grapefruit), so it works as a room spray even if I don’t buy into the woo.  It smells nice – the cinnamon is earthy and not “hot” like cinnamon scents can get – and I can see using this as a pillow spray before bed sort of like an aromatherapy thing.
  • Humble Brush – 1 brush / $5.99 – (Product is full size)  It’s a bamboo toothbrush with nylon bristles, and with every purchase, one brush is donated to a child in need.  I already gave this a test spin, and it’s just like every other toothbrush I’ve used except it’s biodegradable.
  • Eco Dent Gentle Floss – Travel Size / $3.79 – (Product is Travel Size)  Vegan dental floss that’s waxed with vegan waxes.  It’s a bit smaller than regular floss, so it doesn’t get stuck as much.  The packaging is all cardboard, so it’s completely recyclable too.
  • Essential Oxygen Brushing Rinse –  4 oz / $5.49 – (Product is 4 oz)  I gave this a try, and while I like the idea, I can’t say I’m all that impressed.  The taste is terrible, probably from the Peroxide.  You’re supposed to swish the rinse first, then brush, then spit, so it’s neat that it’s one product that does two things, but I didn’t feel like it’s something I’d continue using since the taste was really that awful to me.  It would make a lot of sense as something to bring camping or where you might not have running water available, but I’ll stick to my regular toothpaste.

Overall, the value of the box comes to $54.27 which is great for a box that costs $25 on a month-to-month basis!  I’m not completely sold on the vegan oral care stuff, but they were all fun to try, and it’s always neat to learn about products that might be better than what you’re using now.  These didn’t quite do that for me, but they’re all things I may not have had a chance to try otherwise.  I do like the Happy Edges the most out of this box, and the Auric Spray I’ll still use as a room spray or pillow spray.  Looking forward to February’s box!

Subscription Boxes

Medusa’s Makeup January 2017

 

The first box of the new year from Medusa’s Makeup .. has been here and I’ve been slacking so hard.  I keep saying I need to get my act together and catch up, so here I am again, trying to catch up!  This month was just okay.  I think because I had already gotten the Maracuja Oil before, it felt like I was getting duplicates of stuff I’d received from Medusa’s Makeup before, but really it’s just me subscribing to too many boxes!

  • Lip Gloss – .2 oz / $9 – (Product is full size)  The color received is, “Space Kitten,” a sheer, glittery pink.  The color payoff isn’t huge, but I think it’s meant to just add a little sparkle without being crazy pigmented.  The formula is nice – not sticky, natural, and paraben free!  This is probably going into my everyday bag for when I don’t feel like doing full lipstick but still want to have something on my lips that isn’t lip balm.
  • Eye Glitter – 3 g / $7 – (Product is full size)  The color received is, “Star Struck,” which is a pearlescent glitter with violet iridescence.  I LOVE their glitters and how fine they are, and this is great to go over black eyeliner for that glitter eyeliner look.
  • Eye Dust – 1.5 g / $7 – (Product is full size)  The color received is, “Purple Rain,” which is an iridescent purple, and I KNOW that right now you’re already singing Purple Rain in your head because you just have to.  SUCH a pretty color, and again, I haven’t really ever met an eyeshadow I didn’t like!
  • Maracuja Oil – .34 oz / $9 – (Product is full size)  Also known as Passion fruit seed oil,  I actually received this in the October 2016 Benevolent Beauty Box.  It’s not an issue since it’s not a dupe for Medusa’s Makeup, and of course I don’t mind getting more of this amazing oil.  It soaks into my dry skin SO lightning fast and leaves behind no greasy or oily residue.  The scent is lightly nutty, but rather pleasant, I think.

Overall the value comes to $32 which is about double the subscription price of $15.95.  That works for me!  I’ll use everything in the box, and the value is pretty much on par with previous shipments.  Looking forward to next (this?) month!

Subscription Boxes

Sephora Play! January 2017

 

Hey a (kinda) timely post for once!  This edition of Sephora Play! came in a few weeks ago with a theme, “Beauty, Set, Go,” which they say is a selection of, “super effective, ultra-hydrating skin care, makeup, and hair care to detox and refuel your beauty routine.”  Ehh, I’d say it’s a big miss on the theme here outside of maybe two items.  If you’re looking to “detox” (which IMHO is one of those goofy buzzwords – you detox every time you breathe or sweat, products can’t do it for you), why would you use products that are tested on animals  or hair products that contain loads of chemicals instead of natural ingredients?  I had hoped for a more cruelty free and vegan/natural set of products, but no such luck.  The bag this time is white nylon with mesh on the back and reads, “Sweat is Just Another Way to Glow.”  Cute!  I like that they’re switching up the bags now.

  • AmorePacific Color Control Cushion Compact – 1.05 oz / $60 – (Product is .1 oz, value of $5.71 by volume)  I don’t use foundation a whole lot, but I have tried this product before.  It’s.. okay.  Neither color really works well on my skin, and I have no need for SPF 50 in my foundation since I tend to only use foundation in the evenings for special occasions and not as an everyday thing.  It bothers me A LOT that a chemical blocker is added to most foundations and creams anymore since I’d rather it be a choice than a mandate.  I don’t need SPF at night!  The sample size here is also a matter of a gripe – once the pouch is opened, there’s no way to give it a quick test and then use it later since it doesn’t re-seal.
  • Ouai Treatment Masque – 2.4 oz / $32 – (Product is .5 oz, value of $6.67 by volume)  Another super heavily perfumed product from OUAI that I can’t use on my hair since I don’t use silicones on my hair.  There are some really quality ingredients in there, but they’re ruined by the silicones and a really curious ingredient, “Chlorphenesin,” which Wikipedia lists as a muscle relaxant that can cause allergic contact sensitivity.  Not putting that anywhere near my dry scalp, no thanks.  It does beg the question though, is Ouai the new Harvey Prince of Sephora boxes?  There have been two products from this company that I haven’t been able to use on my hair and found to be overly perfumed.  Not a fan, Sephora, not a fan.
  • Clinique Almost Lipstick – .07 oz / $17 – (Product is .04 oz, value of $9.71)  It’s supposed to be a universally flattering color and does go on rather sheer so that you can build a deeper color if you want.  I found it to be way too dark for my tastes (I prefer berry and red colors) and it tipped a little too far into an icky black/brown on my lips, even with just one swipe.  The formula is nice though, moisturizing yet still light, I’m just not into the color.
  • Tarte  FRXXXTION Stick Exfoliating Cleanser – 1 oz / $22 – (Product is .22 oz, value of $4.84 by volume)  This is a neat way to apply an exfoliating cleanser!  I like the idea that it’s in a tube as a solid gel, but you still have to work it into your skin with your fingers, so it’s not like it keeps your hands from getting messy.  The exfoliation is like a very fine dust instead of a coarse sugar scrub, so it’s gentle, but not too gentle.  You can still feel the grit working away at your skin as you work it around your skin.  I’m not sure I’d buy it since I prefer scrubs that are more coarse (dry skin, so it needs a heavy exfoliation), but it’s a neat idea, and I’m glad I got to try this!
  • Farmacy Honey Potion – 4.1 oz / $56 – (Product is .32 oz, value of $4.37 by volume)  I have to admit that this is the product I’m most interested in out of the box.  I’m a beekeeper, so a honey potion mask?  YES PLEASE.  The ingredient list shows they use a whole bunch of bee products from Honey to Propolis and even Royal Jelly in addition to herbs and vitamins.  I haven’t yet tried this, but I use honey as the carrier for powdered clay masks all the time, so I know this is going to be right up my alley.
  • Tory Burch Love Relentlessly – 1.7 oz / $86 – (Product is .05 oz, value of $2.53 by volume)  It’s.. okay.  It’s not something I’d buy for myself, but it’s not a mess of florals, so I’ll at least end up using this sample.  It comes out just a little bit too cotton candy sweet for my liking – I’d have preferred the sandalwood to deepen it and make it a little richer, but it’s just not happening for me.

Overall the value of the box comes out to $33.83 which is a great value when you consider it only costs me $10.60 including tax per month.  I guess this one was a bit of a disappointment this time around since the hair masque and lipstick are huge misses for me and the two items I do like, the Tarte exfoliator and Farmacy mask just barely squeak out to cover the cost.  I know, I’m more of a cruelty free makeup maven, so this isn’t quite a good fit, but for only $10 a month, I really enjoy getting the samples, even if they’re sometimes misses.  I still get to try things I wouldn’t normally try, so that’s a win for me!