Well, this may be my last Petit Vour box. I’ve become increasingly disapointed in the last couple boxes, but this one takes the cake. I may just not be the customer they’re catering to anymore – I really love the idea of great vegan products, but only one out of four products this time is a good fit for me. Don’t get me wrong, they’re all great products for someone, but that someone isn’t me. I loathe shimmery products (there’s a reason we call glitter the herpes of the craft world because you can NEVER EVER get it off and it just keeps spreading), so the shimmer scrub is out. As for the dry shampoo, you cannot brush curly hair without ending up with a lion’s mane afro, so that’s out (the product needs to be brushed in). The lipstick is almost the same color as my skin, so it makes my skin blend right into my lips and I look like I’m pale with no color in my lips. Then there’s the wee little 5 mL Mun sample left over which really isn’t a great value and by now you know how I feel about single-use silly foil packets like this. Two boxes in a row that were pretty much a complete waste for me means I’m done. They’ve made a little noise about improving the beauty profile but if all that’s going to do is change the color of lipstick I receive, it won’t change the box enough to make it suitable for what I’m looking for in a subscription box. There’s just not enough variety each month (most, if not all, boxes are the same) to really give each subscriber a custom box fit to their profile choices. Goodebox has expanded the number of items available for each month and it’s become a MUCH better box since they made the switch. Petit Vour and I, sad as I am to say it, just aren’t made for eachother anymore. But I’ll still go over this box since I have it anyway..
- Lippy Girl Vegocentric Organic Lipstick – .18 oz / $23 – (Sample is full size, full value) I received the color, “Surf Betty,” which is a basic neutral tan color. It arrived just like the photo shows, having sweated out a little bit (likely from the heat, not a big deal). I actually really like the formula – it’s nicely pigmented, stays put, and doesn’t feel drying or sticky. I just REALLY don’t like the color since it basically erases the line between my skin and lips since it very nearly matches my skin tone. I might have to try layering it over another more heavily pigmented shade to tone it down a little. None of the other colors on the website really suit me either – Fancy Pants seems nice, but a littl ebit TOO bright for me, and the others are too mauve or coral to work with my skin tone. I’m a basic pinky raspberry sort of gal – I know what works and I tend to stick with it.
- Zabana Essentials Dry Glow Shampoo – 2 oz / $9.95 – (Sample is full size, full value) If there was ever a product that completely did not at all work for me, this would be it. For one, it’s a dry shampoo – I don’t need or use dry shampoos because my hair seldom gets greasy/oily (usually it’s still dry by the 3rd or 4th day after washing). Two, the directions say it needs to be brushed into hair. If I brushed my hair, I would end up separating all the glorious curls that dried into beautiful ringlets making a big auburn lion’s mane. It would be absolutely horrible. Three, shimmer. Shimmer only belongs in nailpolish, IMHO, not anywhere else except maybe, occasionally, eyeshadow. So, this is a complete waste for me, but hopefully a friend will find use for it.
- NYL Shimmer Scrub – 8 oz / $38 – (Sample is 2 oz, value of $9.50) Shimmer.. again. Any other product from this company would’ve been fantastic. They make a regular non-shimmer version of this scrub and I definitely would’ve loved that! I’m just not a shimmer person and I’m not going to go walking around like I’ve been attacked by a 4 year old with a tube of glitter. It smells nice though – citrusy and fresh – but.. the shimmer just totally turns me off. I’ll find someone else who doesn’t mind sparkling in the daylight (maybe a Twilight vampire wannabe).
- Mun No. 11 Ananrose Toner – 100 mL / $68 – (Sample is approx 5 mL, value of $2 per product card) I can’t really comment on this just yet as I haven’t tried the single wee sample. I’m not a huge fan of toner because they’re mostly alcohol based (this one uses Benzyl Alcohol) and strip oils off your skin, making it feel dry and dehydrated. I’ll try it anyway and report back, but this isn’t the sort of product I use on a daily basis anyway. I did like the scent of the Mun Aknari Serum, but felt it was just far too expensive for my tastes. This falls into that same category – just over 3 oz for $68 is really pretty crazy. But, I have this sample, so I’ll try it.
The total value comes out to around $44.45 which is a higher value for the box. My personal value? $2. It does not even cover the $15 cost, so two months in a row, I’ve come in under the value since there were products I had no interest in or couldn’t use. It all comes down to variety and the variety isn’t there in this box – everyone gets the same thing, profile be damned, except for a few color options that no one knew about and isn’t spelled out clearly on the beauty survey. Over the course of writing this review, I’ve become pretty set on cancelling. Petit Vour, it’s been fun, and I’m still SO happy about being introduced to Yarok (they’re my new favorite leave-in conditioner spray), all the great mask samples, that Ellovi Mint Chocolate Body Butter, Lily Lolo mascara, and other fantastic items, but.. this just isn’t the box for me anymore.