Tag: Petit Vour

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.

April’s Petit Vour arrived today, and unfortunately, I’m disappointed in this month’s box.  I really wish they had a color preference section in their beauty profile because then I’d be able to tell them that I HATE HATE HATE pink.  One simple change and I would’ve been pretty pleased with this box!  As it stands, the nail polish is an absolutely hideous color to me and one I’d never wear, and it would’ve been nice to have the sponge in a not-pink color (I saw on instagram, folks were posting green nail polish, and green sponges, so, it’s possible).  I received the Suntegrity sample in the Goodebox this month, so the only thing left are the two towelettes which don’t amount to all that much.  This one was a complete miss for me, and it was mostly due to the color which is silly, but c’mon Petit Vour, how hard is that to add to the beauty profile?  Not every woman likes pink – I find the whole pinkifying everything for women really abhorrent (I do not want or need a pink power drill, the orange and black one is just fine) and as a result, absolutely loathe the color.  Anyway, on to the contents.

• Lauren B Nail Polish – .5 oz / $18 – (Sample is full size, full value)  I received color, “#ImSoLA.”  Going back to the whole pink thing I mentioned above, this is a nope for me.  I’ll pass this off to a friend, but this is seriously the world’s worst color for me ever.  I understand other people might love it, but this is not at all my thing.  Give me green, blue, a bold red, a nice neutral.. ANYTHING but pink.  This is also on the high end in terms of price for a 5-free polish, so it’s probably not a polish  I’d buy anyway.
• Konjac Sponge – 1 Sponge / $12 – (Sample is full size, full value)  I received the Pink Clay version for “tired or devitalised skin.”  The Green or Red versions probably would’ve been a better fit for my skin type.  Plus, Pink.. again.  But hey, I tried it out because it was in the box, so  why not?  It feels slimy when it’s fully hydrated and didn’t do anything to exfoliate.  I think my cotton washcloth (maybe even my bare hands too) is more abrasive than this!  My skin didn’t feel softer or any different than before use, I still had all the same blackheads, so I’m not impressed.  It also seems wasteful in comparison to a washcloth that you toss in the washer and use over and over again – the sponge is only good for up to three months.  The string included on the product  just  got in the way so I snipped that off and let it air dry on a clean soap dish.  For exfoliation, I still prefer rougher salt/sugar scrubs once a week instead of something like this, so while it was fun to try, it’s not something I’d add to my routine.
• Suntegrity BB Cream – 1.7 oz / $45 – (Sample is .25 oz,  value of $6.65 by volume, or sample tube on website is $4.95)  I received this in the April 2015 Goodebox  in the same color, so I’ll point you over there.  I tried it out on a sunny afternoon and still got sunburnt (after 2pm), so I’m even less impressed than I was before.  I don’t have super fair skin and don’t burn all that easily in the first place, so it was basically like using nothing.  I’d definitely prefer this to not be tinted and just be a sunblock/moisturizer.
• Box Naturals Luxe Towelettes – 12 Towelettes / $9 – (Sample is 2 towelettes, value of $1.50)  The product card says they can be used for, “freshening up  down there,” but it is NEVER a good idea to use anything scented  down there.  I’ll use them, probably on my face, but it’s not something I feel the need to keep around for “freshening up.”  I’ll wash my face or take a shower if I need freshening up!

Total value comes to around $36.50 which is about mid range  for this box.  For me, the value is MUCH lower since I won’t be keeping the nail polish and already had (and don’t like) the Suntegrity sample, so I’ll pass this unused one off to someone else.  That leaves me $13.50 worth of things I’ll actually use (once the sponge has hit the end of its lifecycle, I won’t be getting another) which doesn’t even cover the cost.  It’s inevitable that there are going to be some fails now and again, and for me, this is definitely one of them.

Spring is slowly starting to creep in and overtake winter, and Petit Vour  is celebrating the return of spring this month with a theme of, “Spring Dreaming.”  We still have a bit of snow on the ground, but the tulips and daffodils are showing signs of life, peeking the first signs of growth  out of the ground.  The box contained four samples this month and while it didn’t absolutely blow me away, I’m pretty happy with the box!

• The Little Alchemist Cacao & Banana Face Glow – 30 g / $32 – (Sample is 30g, Full Value!) I was a little worried at first because I’m not into banana scented anything at all, but I can happily report that this smells entirely like brownie batter and not like banana at all!  It’s hard to imagine, smelling this, that it’s not edible because WOW.  It’s kind of spendy for a clay mask, but it makes for a nice addition to the box  and is a fun product to try out.
• Juice Beauty Stem Cellular CC Cream –  1.7 oz / $39 – (Sample is .5 oz, value of $11.47) Not really sold on this.  It feels thick and heavy on, and while it does a bunch of things from being a moisturizer, repair cream, being a sunblock, and the tint, it’s not something I could use everyday comfortably.  It almost feels plasticky  on my skin and I hate feeling like there’s something on my face.  If I can feel like it’s there, it’s not the cream for me – I’m so minimalist in terms of makeup, so while this would be good for events and whatnot where I need to go full-face makeup, it would drive me crazy pretty quickly.  I’m glad this was included so I could try it out without committing to a full size product since I was interested in giving it a go which really is the whole point of subscription boxes!
• Vert Mont Perfumery EROS Perfume – 10 mL / $35 – (Sample is 1.5 mL, value of $5.25) At first sniff, after applying a dot of the thick perfume oil on my skin, the Jasmine jumped out at me.  Jasmine is probably my least favorite scent in the perfume world, so I was a little bummed.  Going back after a few minutes, the Jasmine faded out and let the sandalwood and Patchouli take over which made this a HUGE win for me!  The price is on par with my other favorite fragrance vendor, Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab, and they have a sampler pack of all 9 fragrances on their website, so I might have to give those a try!
• Metropolis Soap Co Lip Butter – .15 oz / $7 – (Sample is .15 oz, Full Value!) LOVE this!!  I’m not a big fan of mint, so I was happy to find that the spearmint is very subtle and fades away quickly with the lavender scent lingering on longer.  I really like the formula too – rich without being sticky and seems to hang around for a while.  I’m a lip balm junkie, so this is going straight into my everyday bag.  I would LOVE to see more lavender lip balms from MSC.. Lavender and vanilla  maybe?  Huge fan of their products from the GoodeBox a few months ago, so this was a nice addition to the box.

The value comes out to $55.72 which is definitely on the higher end for this box!  Really incredible value, and even though I don’t like the Juice Beauty cream, I’m glad I got to try it and it really rounded out the box for a good variety of products.  LOVE the lip butter and face mask the most, and I’m eager to try out the other perfumes from Vert Mont since the EROS scent is growing on me and I’m a huge fan of essential oil perfumes already so this is right up my alley.

February’s Petit Vour has arrived!  This month’s box includes the theme, “Love is Bold, Love is Kind,” highlighting the love shown by using cruelty-free products.  The product card goes on to say that they, “wanted to share the most mood enhancing and confidence boosting beauty products,” which carries through pretty well.  There’s a coffee-mint scrub that can be followed up with the chocolate mint body butter, two perfume samples and an amazing full-size mascara.  I’ll say it again, I’m not vegan – I eat meat (albeit from local sources  where I know the farmers and how they treat their animals) – but I definitely support cruelty-free products, and vegan beauty products tend to have better ingredients and a higher quality.  Anyway, onto the box contents!

• Balanced Guru Scrub Me Body Scrub – 8 oz / $23 – (Sample is 1 oz, value of $2.88)  I received this sample is the December 2014 Goodebox  as well.  I’d still love this a lot more if the spearmint wasn’t so front and center in the scent – I’m just not that big on mint, and it smells kinda like spearmint gum.  That said, it is a fantastic exfoliator, and the coffee part of the scent is a nice wake-up in a morning shower.
• Ellovi Mint Chocolate Body Butter – 3.5 oz / $26 – (Sample is .5 oz, value of $3.71)  USPS must’ve beat the snot out of this box, because mine arrived cracked down the side (how that even happens, I don’t know, because the container is really sturdy).  It also looked like this melted and froze at least once because there was an outline on the lid where the product had settled sideways and showed up frozen flat in the bottom of the pot.  No idea.  Anyway, USPS flounder aside, there’s still product to try and OH MAN does this smell delicious.  Simple ingredients, and it smells like mint chocolate chip ice cream or Thin Mints or Andes Mints.  It’s pretty greasy for use on hands, but I’d imagine that following up after a good scrub with the Balanced Guru scrub on dry legs and arms would be amazing!
• Harvey Prince Damask Rose & Gardenia Perfumes – 8.8 mL / $26 – (Sample is two 1 mL spray containers, value of $5.91)  Okay, I’m not a big fan of floral scents, but these seem to be straight up Rose and Gardenia with no other notes trying to push out the rose and gardenia.  My sniffer is a little broken due to a rotten head cold, but at first try, the rose seems really nice – totally basic, not too sweet or overpowering.  The gardenia too, shockingly, which I think I might actually like better.  It’s not a scent I’d ever pick out for myself, but it’s working really well with my skin and has a nice warmth to it that’s quite pleasant.  So, these were really nice surprises for something I wasn’t sure I was going to like at first look!
• Lily Lolo Vegan Mascara – 7 mL / $20 – (Sample is full size, value of $19.98 per lilylolo.us)  Interesting note on the price, the same mascara is   £10.99 on their UK site which comes out to about $17 given the current exchange rate.  The product is pretty great though.  It’s not as thick and doesn’t build as well as other mascaras, but it’s really great for a soft, everyday look with the bonus being that it doesn’t make my sensitive eyes puffy and itchy.  It doesn’t feel as heavy or stiff or plasticky either – very natural and like it’s not even there.  It removes easily with soap and water, no special makeup remover needed which is a huge win in my book.

Overall the total value for the box comes up to $32.48 which is on the lower end for Petit Vour, but still double the cost of the box.  The mascara alone covers the cost, so it’s absolutely worth it, and one of the better boxes, IMHO in the last couple of months!

A new year of Petit Vour!  This is a big improvement over the last box that wasn’t a good fit for me at all.  This month’s theme is, “The New Luxury,” and the box was co-curated by Emily Nolan of MyKindofLife.com.  As usual, there’s a nice mix of products from makeup to hand cream and hair care.  I really love that Petit Vour makes an effort to have that kind of variety in each box – it’s never just four makeup products.  Anyway, on to the contents!

• 100% Pure French Lavender Hand Buttercream – 2 oz / $8 – (Sample is 2 oz, value of $8)  This smells SO good and isn’t one of those sticky sweet lavender scents, but a nice warm botanical lavender.  Moisturizes well without feeling really greasy, and the blend of oils and butters in the ingredients list is awesome!  This is going on my bedside table to moisturize dry winter hands overnight, plus that calming lavender scent is great for bedtime.
• EVOLVh Leave-In Conditioner – 2.5 oz / $8 – (Sample is 2.5 oz, value on website is showing $10 for the 2.5 oz travel size, and the 8.5 oz size for $26, so value of $10 as packaged)  Oh man do I love a leave-in for my curls!  This is basically a blend of all kinds of oils which is great – no curl-unfriendly ingredients!  I’m not all that wowed by the scent (I prefer the scent of Yarok’s better) since it’s really floral which isn’t my thing.  Still, the scent fades quickly anyway and it works great as a 2nd (or 3rd) day curl reviver, and on wet hair as a frizz-fighter.  I detangle in the shower by finger combing my hair so I won’t really use this as a detangler.  I can’t even tell you how long it’s been since my hair has seen a comb or brush – 6 years?  More?  Great product though, very happy to see this in the box!
• Modern Minerals Eye Shadow – 2 g / $12.50 – (Sample is Full Size, value of $12.50)  The color is, “En Pointe,” and is an exclusive color for Petit Vour subscribers.  It’s a shimmery coppery  pink that’s great for everyday wear and of course, the ingredients are simple and clean.  I found this to work really well over a white eye shadow base  for an extra pop of color since it’s so light.
• RawSkinCeuticals Creme Cheek Color  – 5 mL / $15 – (Sample is Full Size, value of $15)  Great value, covers the cost of the box, but a totally weird product.  The ingredient list contains zinc oxide and titanium dioxide which are great if the product is a sunscreen or eyeshadow or concealer or in some product that you need heavy coverage.  For blush, it just doesn’t work.  The texture is something like wet chalk – it goes on like a creme and then starts drying to a powder-like finish.  Then there’s the color.. The color doesn’t AT ALL match what’s on the website for, “Rose,” and looks much more violety mauve.  It makes my cheeks look pasty and pale and dull instead of bright and lightly flushed like a blush should do.  I’ve mentioned before that my cheeks are already pretty naturally red/rosy, so a weird purpleish color just doesn’t work.  I have a feeling that the zinc oxide and titanium dioxide are not the right ingredients for a blush and cover far too heavily to work well as a blush.  However, what makes it fail as a blush makes it work perfectly  as an eyeshadow!  It actually feels a lot like Nyx’s Eye Shadow base in terms of texture and application/coverage, so I have a new eyeshadow instead of a new blush.  That works for me.

Overall, I received two full size products and two travel size products for a total value of $45.50 which more than covers the $15 cost of the box!  Really an incredible value this time around and I’m glad that even though the blush isn’t great as a blush, it doubles as a perfect eye shadow, so it’s still a win in my book.

EDIT 31 Jan 2015:
I keep thinking about that blush and keep trying it as a blush, but it keeps coming out dull and oddly reminiscent of zinc-oxide-wearing lifeguards with those big white stripes on their cheeks and nose (Zinka!).  I was thinking about alternatives and remembered Josie Maran’s Cheek Gelee which is also vegan and cruelty free as a good example of what works in a cheek product.  When I have to use blush (which is rare, because I always have rosy cheeks  even when wearing foundation), my go-to favorite is the Josie Maran product because it doesn’t dry my skin out like a powder blush and sinks in well unlike the RawSkinCeuticals that lays on top and manages to miss filling in pores, highlighting them for the world to see.  The Josie Maran blush feels creamy and hydrating where the RawSkinCeuticals feels drying and chalky.  I wanted to show you the difference so I did a quick side-by-side on my face to show you how the RawSkinCeuticals matches up.
I’ve only corrected the white balance on the image below, no other digital manipulation.  Josie Maran on the left, RawSkinCeuticals on the right.  You can clearly see here how the left looks pleasantly rosy and the right looks pasty and pale.  Both were applied over clean skin, no foundation.  And, for the record, I have no connection to either company, just sharing what I found!

The box arrived today, December 22nd, well before the end of the month! They’ve consolidated into one location, and shipping seems to be going much smoother. It’s wonderful to have the box so early this month!  This month’s box was curated by Vegan Beauty Review.  I know the folks at Petit Vour try really hard to create the best boxes along with their curators, but this one missed the mark for me.  It’s going to happen from time to time and it’s just a matter of people being different and having different likes and dislikes.  The only thing I can see myself using is the Blissoma serum which is kind of a disappointment.  Don’t get me wrong, the box still has a great variety and is well thought out, it just happens that I absolutely loathe pink, find natural deoderants don’t work for me, and the blush is way the wrong color for my skin.  If the nail polish had been any other color, the blush a different shade, this would’ve been SUCH a better box, personally.  I kind of feel bad saying all that, because it’s got to be hard to put together one box and have everyone be happy, but this was just not the box for me.  It makes me glad I got the Holiday Limited Edition box because that was amazing.  Anyway, on to the contents!

• Blissoma A+ Perfecting Serum – 1 oz / $26 – (Sample size is .5 oz, value of $13) This is pretty much the only product I’m really interested in out of the box, but it turns out to almost be worth the cost of the box, so it makes me feel better about not really liking the rest of the products!  I’m an ingredient-reader and the list on this is amazing.  Twenty active ingredients including thirteen herbs and it smells SO good.  The formula is for oily, acneic, irritated skin, and while my skin has tended to be dry lately, acneic and irritated definitely describe my face.  I’m thinking this will be great post-mask.
• Everyday Minerals Matte Blush – 4.8 g / $12 – (Sample size is 1.7 g, value of $4.25) The color, “All Smiles,” is apparently discontinued since it doesn’t show up on Everyday Minerals’ website.  For whatever reason, this shows up as brown on my face  –  I think the color is just too yellow to work with my skin tone, especially over already rosy cheeks.  It’s also caked together and doesn’t sift out of the pot very easily.  I don’t know, I’m not impressed at all.  Also, I just got a big blush duo in the Holiday LE box, so I didn’t need another one so soon.
• Meow Meow Tweet Deoderant Cream – 1 oz / $8 – (Sample Size is 1 oz, value of $8) The sample size is the “mini” size from the company’s website.  Full size is 2.4 oz for $13.  Yet again, a natural deoderant, and by now, you know how I feel about them – they don’t do the job.  I just got the Schmidt’s deoderant in October’s box, and getting another one so soon isn’t great.  It smells nice (lavendar scented), but man, as a photographer, sometimes I’m out on a job from 8am to 11pm (weddings!) and my deoderant needs to work THE WHOLE TIME, not run out after the first four hours.  None of these have ever managed to work that long and uggh it still grosses me out to apply deoderant with my hands.  It’s a personal hangup.    While I don’t like using regular deoderants, it’s the only thing that keeps me stink free.  You can’t smell like BO as a photographer at a wedding.  I’ll still give this a fair shake, but it’s got all the same ingredients as other natural deoderants, so it’s most likely not going to get the job done.
• Trust Fund Beauty Nail Polish – 17 mL / $16 – (Sample size is full size, value of $16) Color is, “Money Buys Happiness,” and is a pale, shimmery pink.  I hate pink, hate hate hate pink.  I won’t wear pink at all, especially not on my nails, so this is a complete loss for me.  They have so many great colors, and we got a light  pink for a December box?  It just seems like an off choice for color given the season.  I saw other folks got, “Just Talk to My Lawyer,” which is a pretty deep burgundy red and beautiful in comparison to the icky pink.  Super disappointed in the color selection even if the polish seems great, I won’t use it.  One of my friends will though, and I’m happy to pass it off to someone who will enjoy it.

Total value of the box rings up to $41.25 which is one of the higher values for this box!  Unfortunately, my personal value for the box is $13 since I really have little interest in the other three items.  Someone else will enjoy the polish though, and I’ll give the deoderant a try on a non-work day to see how long it lasts.

I usually don’t splurge for limited edition boxes, but this one was just too good to pass up!  I’d been wanting to try the Gressa Lip Boost for a while, and false lashes with simple, vegan ingredients?  I’m sold!  Of course, I couldn’t resist giving the box photo a little holiday treatment.

• Aster & Bay Dandelion Face Grains – 4 oz / $30 – (Sample size is 1 oz, value of $7.50) Doesn’t have much of a scent other than a light earthy, woodsy sort of smell.  Works up to a nice, gentle exfoliating scrub and rinses away clean.  I enjoy a good face scrub, so this is a great sample for me especially during a stressful time of year.  Stress always shows up on my face (breakouts, puffiness, etc), so a product that says it helps soothe inflamed skin is just what I need.
• Georgie Beauty Style No. 8 Faux Lashes & Clear Adhesive – $18 and $8 – (Sample is full size, total value $26)  Can’t wait to have an excuse to wear these!  This was the biggest selling point of the box for me because I’ve never used fake eyelashes mostly because I’m worried about the adhesive causing my eyes to go red and puffy.  I tend to have really sensitive eyes, so an adhesive with 5 ingredients and no sulfates or formaldehyde is a big win in my book.
• Gressa Lip Boost – 5 mL / $26 – (Full size, value of $26) I keep seeing Petit Vour tweet about these and I’ve been itching to try one before buying a full size.  The color, “Aux Rouge,” is probably not a color I’d have picked out for myself since it’s a deep red and I tend to shy away from red-reds, sticking with lighter berry colors.  However, once I put this on, I saw that this is TOTALLY the red for me.  I love that I can layer up the color for a bold red or keep it lighter and go over it with a gloss for a bit of shine.  Really in love with this and it seems like that little pot will last a long, long time.
• Jing Ai Sierra Glow Duo & Brush – $28 / .53 oz, $22 – (Sample is full size, value of $50) My cheeks are usually pretty rosy so I tend not to need blush unless I’m doing a full-face of makeup from foundation on up (which is rare).  It’s still great to have a good blush on hand when I’m feeling pale to brighten up my cheeks, and the brush is a great thing to have too.  There’s even a little paper disc covering the blush that contains wildflower seeds with a little message to plant the paper for someone you love.  Cute!
• One Love Organics Vitamin C Body Oil – 4 oz / $58 – (Sample size is approx .4 oz, value of $5.80) This smells AMAZING.  The papaya definitely comes out as the main scent, and the oil sinks in to my skin so quickly and feels great, not greasy at all.  I’m thinking this is great for dry winter legs, post shower/shave.
• R.L. Linden & Co. Thousand Petal Beautifying Mist – 100 mL / $48 – (Sample size is 15 mL, value of $7.20)  I’m thinking this is going to be awesome for sun-toasted skin in the summer and wind-dried skin in the winter.  It smells like a field of wildflowers and is incredibly hydrating.

The box cost $45 and contains a value of somewhere around $132 as calculated by volume, but the blush and brush alone are worth more than the cost of the box!  Really a great deal and a bunch of neat products I’m psyched to be able to try for the first time.

Edit, 16 December 2014 – The Gressa Lip Boost is full size!  I originally posted that  it wasn’t since the label on the container said 5 mL and the Gressa website said 7 mL for volume.  Petit Vour has assured me the product received is indeed full size, so that’s an awesome value.  I can’t get over how great the Gressa Lip Boost is and how much I love that color!

The November box arrived on December 1st – a hair late, again.  The email said the lateness was a result of the snowfall last week delaying shipments which is fine, and I appreciate the communication!  I’m sure the Thanksgiving holiday had something to do with it too.  Anyway, the box this month was co-curated by Ashlee Piper at The Little Foxes, featuring the theme, “Natural Givers.”  I liked this box more than I thought I would after seeing some teaser early reviews on Twitter (seriously, how do people get their boxes two weeks before me?!).  I wasn’t so sure about the body oil, but it’s so rich and smells so good, I think it’s going to be my before-bedtime go-to for dry skin.  Now, on to the contents!

• Au Naturale Creme Eyeshadow – $20 / 5.5 mL – (sample size is approx .85 mL, value of $3.10) I received the color, “Palma,” which is a shimmery gold color.  Easy to apply, rich color, goes on buttery smooth.  Love the ingredients list and my sensitive eyes appreciate that!  This is going to be so fun to use over the next month.
• Au Naturale Creme Concealer – $24 / 5.5 mL – (sample size is approx 1.5 mL, value of $6.55) I received the color, “Buff,” and it’s just about the right  shade for my winter skin (maybe just a wee bit    too light).  Doesn’t feel too heavy on, but doesn’t cover very well either on its own.  Definitely needs a go-over with powder or something to really be effective.  The Au Naturale products came with a 25% off coupon inside the packaging which was really excessive.  So much wasted paper!  It looked nice and was a fantastic presentation for the products, but for a vegan beauty box, I was a little disappointed to see so much excess packaging.
• LA Fresh Waterproof Makeup Remover – 24 ct / $10 – (Sample size is two pieces, value of $.83) I wasn’t impressed with the nail polish remover from LA Fresh, so I’m already skeptical about the makeup remover.  The second ingredient is cyclopentasiloxane which is NOT biodegradable or compostable as the front of the packet indicates.  In fact, it’s suspected to be an environmental toxin that bioaccumulates particularly in waterways.  It’s a cheap alternative to better ingredients like vegetable glycerine.  I’m not sure I’d want to use this around my eyes since they tend to react badly to products with cyclopentasiloxane, and while the instructions say to, “gently press wipe onto eyes or lips,” it then cautions, “Avoid direct contact with eyes.”  Hmmm.  So, I think this is a pass for me, and I’ll hand it off  to  someone whose eyes aren’t as hyper-sensitive.
• Earthbody Sacred Skincare Dream Body Oil – 4 oz / $23 – (Sample size is 1 oz, value of $5.75) Oh man this smells SO amazing.  It starts out as fresh lavender and then develops into this woodsy, resiny scent on my skin.  It’s so rich and thick, and contains  only  oils, no carrier ingredients like silicones.  PERFECT.  I can see using this before bed like I mentioned above or right after a shower to super-hydrate elbows and knees.  Great time of the year to have this as a sample too for winter dry skin.
• French Girl Organics Lip Tint – .15 oz / $11 – (Sample is Full-Size) I received the color, “Cerise,” and I cannot begin to express my love for this product enough.  This is definitely the winner of the box for me.  The scent is like a peppermint herbal tea and was a really nice surprise.  Then, it goes on like butter with the color building up to a beautiful, rich cherry color that’s absolutely perfect for me!  I have a feeling this is going to disappear quickly, so it’s great that they’re affordable.

The total for the box comes to just about $28!  Between the Lip Tint and the Body Oil, the cost of the box is covered, so I’m happy with that!  Kinda bummed that I didn’t get the Caru serum since I would’ve enjoyed that much more than the makeup remover pads, but that’s just how things go with subscription boxes sometimes.  It’s still a great box, and I’m happy with what I’ve got.  The Holiday Limited Edition box looks fantastic though and I might have to treat  myself to a little holiday present!