Posts Tagged ‘Beauty Box’

27
Nov
2013

November’s Sample Bar

categories: Makeup and Beauty

Hi all!

So on this busy Wednesday I bring you a quick post sharing what I received in my November Sample Bar Glam Pack. But first:

There are only 28 DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS!!!

Image from here!

So this month’s Sample Bar Glam Pack was focused on the transition from Spring in to Summer and some versatile products that may be useful in this time.

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What I Got

1. Organic Rosehip Oil by Essano

I liked the cleanser I received last month so was happy to receive a sample of the rosehip oil from the same brand. This is certified organic and is a gem for reducing wrinkles and uneven skin tone. At the moment I have been loving my Trilogy rosehip oil but this will make a handy handbag spare. It doesn’t have too strong of a scent and sinks into the skin relatively quickly however my favourite thing about this rosehip oil is the affordable price. These can be picked up full size (20mL) from the supermarket for a pretty reasonable $22.99.

2. Model Co Cheek and Lip Tint

Most likely the product I was most excited by at first glance was this cheek and lip tint by Model Co. I love the idea of tints but haven’t tried any out. This one is  a berry pink colour and blends out on the cheeks relatively easy. I didn’t have much success using this on the lips and in future see it more as a quick and easy blush however I love the idea of a multipurpose product. This was a half size of their 10mL product which retails for $24.00.

3. Vital C Hyrdrating Repair Creme

This rather expensive creme ($109.70 for 60mL) is supposed to be great for sensitive skin so I was happy to receive a small sample pot to try out. Apparently its high price tag is due to the level of vitamins ACE but I don’t think I would rush out to buy it. Interested to see if it is any better than my Dream Cream by Lush which I am loving.

4. Avene Extremely Gentle Cleanser

Another product suitable for sensitive skin which was great to see. Also good to see a relatively large 20mL sample (those tiny sachets drive me insane). This cleanser is soap free and has a neutral pH to thoroughly cleanse whilst also calming and avoiding irritation. Free of fragrance, perfume and parabens. Definitely happy to try this out and see how well it works. Full size (200mL) is $43.70.

5. Holistic Hair Sea Spray

Another product I was excited to see was this hair spray. For someone who avoids all hair care this was a rare moment but I like the idea of this natural spray, with lime and essential oils (and of course salt!) to add texture to curls and create beachy waves. The scent is pleasant and its another good size sample so I was pretty happy all round. Full size of 250mL comes with a pretty reasonable $22.45 price tag and can be bought online.

6. Daylong Sunscreen

The sixth and bonus product was three sachets of sunscreen. I hate sachets but at least these kind of make sense and are easy to pop into your wallet for those times we forget sunblock. This sunscreen in SPF 50 and is supposed to be light and non-greasy which is always good to hear. It also lasts 8 hours which means one application should last you most of the day. This swiss sunscreen goes for $34.99 (150mL).

The Verdict

Overall I thought the products in the box were all well chosen and none of them were ones I wouldn’t be able to or willing to use. With a lot of sensitive skin care and a couple of season specific products I am excited to try most of these out. My one main negative is that I wish there had been a full size product however the decent sample sizes weren’t as small as usual. Not my favourite box, but not a bad box either. Excited to see what Christmas brings!

What did you think this month?

Xx

 

18
Apr
2013

April’s SampleBar Glam Pack

categories: Makeup and Beauty

Hi all!

Hope everyone is having a nice weekend. Here in NZ the weather has lost its marbles (don’t be alarmed, this is a frequent occurrence) and has been literally moving from beautiful sunshine to thunder and downpours in 5 minutes. Wish I was exaggerating. This led to me running in and out every few minutes to try and decide how I should dry my washing. Yay.

Anyway, here is this month’s Sample Bar Glam Pack (obviously I failed to cancel my subscription again ._.). I was very happy to see this month taking on an Eco-Chic theme in their set of products focusing on eco-friendly,  natural treats. Here’s what I got this month!

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1. Evolu travel tower
This skin care travel kit tower is an awesome idea from a brand I’ve never heard of before. Includes creme cleanser, facial exfoliator, firming eye cream, anti ageing day cream, rehydrating facial masque and anti ageing overnight cream. The idea is that this compact little tower can be taken when away for a night or two and your skin care routine is covered! Refillable and reusable these have me very exciting!
The full size of this includes three of these travel towers for $65 (ouch) but a $20 discount e-coupon was included to ease the pain.

2. Anitpodes Avocado Pear Nourishing Night Cream
Antipodes is a brand I love but this tiny sachet is no where near enough to decide how I feel about a night cream. I would have been much happier with a proper little pot as we have had before. Having said that, this night cream sounds amazing with avocado and calendula oil, manuka honey and vinanza grape (what?) thrown in for good measure. Would have loved a proper sample of this.
A full size of this night cream is $62.50 so a little out of my price range.

3. Sorbet Shampoo Bar
This month we were given one solid shampoo bar made with 100% biodegradable ingredients and natural extracts. I am excited to try this out as I haven’t tried out a solid shampoo yet and I am curious as to how it works. It’s also excellent because its completely cruelty free which is always good to see. I don’t think the bar we got is the free size but this isn’t indicated on the packaging (annoyingly).
Full size bars are $22 (95g) and again we have a code to get a 15% discount which is nice.

4. Perfumie in Verbena Bamboo
Perhaps one of my favorite products in this month’s box is this little solid perfume stick which are convenient for shoving in one’s handbag and are full of natural ingredients. The fragrance I got (Verbena Bamboo) is really lovely, fresh and grassy (in a nice way..). I don’t think the scent lasts particularly long unfortunately but I haven’t used it much so might be wrong.
These are full size and cost $10.95

5. Pharo Microfibre Exfoliating Cloth
The other ‘full size’ product in this month’s box was this exfoliating cloth that is apparently reusable. A full size duo pack of these costs $11.95 which seems quite fair. Also, this product came with a $10 discount  voucher for a sugaring treatment (I believe some form of hair removal…). Meh, I quite like this (but will never use the voucher, as usual).

Well that’s it for this week! I would have LOVED this box if the night cream was full size but as it is, it was kind of average, with no makeup products and some disappointing sizes. The theme of this I adored so I wish the box had lived up to all my (potentially unreasonable) expectations. Still, I am not dissapointed I forgot to cancel my subscription and have yet again been introduced to some interesting and eco-friendly brands. Oh and I almost forgot that Sample Bar included an Easter themed choc bunny that barely made it into this photo. Having to wait 5 minutes to consume chocolate is not one of my skills.

Let me know what you thought of this month’s box!

Xx

18
Dec
2012

December Sample Bar Glam Pack

categories: Beauty, Makeup and Beauty

IMG_5534Another month, another Sample Bar Glam Box. After the improvements in last month’s box I was excited to see what this month’s would include and I wasn’t disappointed! I was also pleasantly surprised to receive my box before a lot of other New Zealander’s as the other times I have always got mine at the last moment. Here’s what was included this month in a box themed towards a night out with products that are supposed to help with a day full of work and then night life.

1. Ulta3 Nail Polish in the shade Honolulu (Full Size 13.5mL): I was excited to see a nail polish included being a self-confessed nail polish addict (as well as being happy to see a brand I haven’t come across here in NZ) however was a little dubious as I don’t think I have worn yellow nail polish very much, if ever. This shade is a bright sunny yellow that is sheer on the first coat but two would suffice for even coverage. I was happy with the quick drying formula and surprised with how much I like the colour. Also, this colour is PERFECTION for summer! There were a variety of shades in everyone’s boxes so I am excited to see what everyone else got! Price: $4.99  (these are all the prices to buy on samplebar)

2. Instant Le Tan in Le Can (Full Size 45mL): This was one product that I thought although a nice one to try was a little repetitive after the bronzer gel that was in last months box. For someone who doesn’t really use fake tans very often I’ll have to work hard to make sure I use up both of these products. Otherwise this product seems like an easy to apply quick tanning option that may come in handy and has a lovely smell of vanilla (I LOVE vanilla scents!). Price: $11.00

3. Show Stoppers Fashion Tape (2 nude strips): I didn’t really get what these were, being a little dim at times, but these are two double sided tapes that can be used with slightly daring or dangerous clothing to keep certain bits and bobs contained haha. Although this is a problem I don’t come across very often being a stay at home 21 yr old nanna and not having much “up there” to keep contained this does sound like it could come in handy on a rare night out. Price: $19.95 for a 24 strip pack (nude and black available).

4. So Susan Fairy Lash Mascara (Full Size):  This was my absolute favorite this month as I love to try new mascaras and was glad for a full size. This month there were 4 potential So Susan products so I am looking forward to seeing what other people got and their opinions on them. I tried this mascara straight away and loved it! Firstly I think the packaging and the name is cute which always helps haha. This mascara gave my pathetic lashes volume AND length which made me very happy as I have difficulty finding a mascara that does this for me. I was very impressed :) The one downside was that during application I got mascara on my top lid which I don’t normally do. This might just be me finding the brush a little hard to use or maybe the formula was a little wet to start off with but after a little practice I got the hang of it. Price: Ranges from $15.99-$38.50 for the various makeup products but I don’t know how much the mascara specifically is :(

5. Scarlett and Greene’s Skincare Range (3 sample sachet’s): So this is a little booklet with three small sample sachets of their skincare products (probably only enough for one use). I don’t know if everyone got the same samples but I got the Come Clean cleanser and makeup remover, the Bare All breakout control wash and the Under Cover natural moisturizer with SPF15.  I haven’t tried any of these yet but I like that the cleanser is soap free as I have sensitive skin, I like the natural oils and extracts that are in each product and I like the SPF in the moisturizer. All are made for young skin and are New Zealand made. I’ve never heard of this range but would be interested in purchasing the full size moisturizer and cleanser (I don’t get breakouts so the Bare All product isn’t really useful for me). Overall I like the little booklet with a few samples but sachet samples do annoy me a little as one use is never really enough to judge a product. Price:  Full size products are between $28.95 and $30.99 which seems pretty expensive compared to my usual skin care products.

IMG_5540(thought I would include a picture of the booklet because I thought it was a cute idea)

So there are the products in this month box. I keep trying to decide whether I think it is better than last month’s and I think I would have to say it’s better for me personally but it isn’t a big difference at all. I’m excited to see what comes next month!

Let me know what you thought if you received a box this month :)

Xx

Click here for my original post on the Sample Bar Glam Packs
Also, these boxes were paid for in full by me and all opinions are my own and not sponsored or influenced in any way.