Beauty Subscriptions First Monthly Review

For about a year I got the Birchbox every month, and although I loved the concept, I wasn't exactly always thrilled with the contents.  I've got a little ferret stash going of unused samples in my studio, but they did make good giveaways for clients and other unique little thank you gifts.  My credit card got lost when I was on vacation back in February, and since it was auto-billed to that card every month, I never got one for March.  I figured it was the perfect opportunity to see what else was out there.  I never knew there were so many options out there!

I picked about five, and so far three have come in for the month. IPSY and BeautyBox5 should be here mid to late April I believe.  I have received my boxes from Beautyfix, Glossybox, and Beauty Army.  Here's a rundown of each program and what was in this month's box.

Beautyfix: The most expensive per box at $49.99 I'm not sure if I'll continue this one.  You don't get one every month.  It's by "season", so a total of four times a year, and you can cancel at any time.  Broken down into monthly increments, it's about the same as what I'd be paying for a cheaper monthly subscription.  They say the value is up to $400 per box. You choose your products, so you really get to control how much your box is worth.  My first one came with a bag and eight samples.  The products you get to choose from are either full size products or deluxe size samples.  They aren't cheap brands, either.  For my first box, I chose:

• Full sized lip gloss in Pink/Ava.  The brand is called Skylark by Elle & Blair.  Never heard of them before, but the gloss is nice and creamy and very pigmented.  Could stand to have a scent/flavor to it, since it's on your mouth all day.  It's not a very nice smell at all.  I like the color though, and it doesn't feel too sticky.
• Full sized 24-Karat Gold Dust Shimmer Powder by Jane Iredale in Rose Gold.  Not sure how I'll use this, as it's really pink for my eyes, but it looks a little too sparkly for my cheeks.  I'm going to play around with it some more and see how it goes.  I plan on doing a review for each of these full sized products later in the month after I've played around with them some more.
• Amlactin Ultra Triple Action Alpha-Hydroxy Therapy Hydrating Body Cream.  Whew. A mouthful.  But I love Amlactin for my keratosis pilaris, and this is a nice small size I can toss in my purse.
• Arcona Cranberry Gomage.  According to the sticker, this is a Best of Beauty Allure Award Winner for 2011.  I already LOVE the scent, and anything that purifies the pores is a winner in my book, too.  I'm looking forward to trying this out when I'm done with my new skincare routine.
• DDF Amplifying Elixir- It's a half-ounce size, so it's a little more than a quarter of the full size product, which retails for $75.  A decent size, so it will give me enough uses to determine if it's worth purchasing.  I love that the samples are so big.  Not just a little single use.  For skincare, you really need to use things for at least a week to see any benefits!
• Bliss Triple Oxygen + C Energizing Cream.  I've been wanting to try this brand for a long time now, so I was excited to see this on the list.
• Oxygenetix Oxygenating Moisturizer.  I know nothing about this stuff, but the label makes it sound good.  It's a pretty decent size (30ml), so I'm planning on using this all up and doing a full review in a few months.
• Peter Thomas Roth Lashes To Die For The Mascara.  Not excited by the rubber wand.  I'm usually not a fan of those.  But if this stuff can help my lashes grow, I'll buy the full size!

Here's a swatch of the pigment and the gloss.

Phew!  That was a lot!  You can see how it's worth the $49.99!

I love how when I opened it up, the first thing I saw said "Hello Gorgeous".

Beauty Army:  This one is only $12 a month.  I think the only thing that was full size was the mascara from mark.  But it's a relatively small size anyway (they are meant to be portable), so it's not as full of "value" as the Beautyfix box.  It's a really cute packaging though!  A nice sturdy pink box (with super cute pink camo print on the inside) I can see me using these each month for storing and organizing my samples/makeup.

• Not Your Mother's She's A Tease Volumizing Hairspray. A great 2 oz size, I can toss this in my makeup kit or purse without taking up too much room. Or with me on my travels, which I anticipate there being many more of this year with me leaving the wedding industry and having my weekends back!
• Mark. Scanda-lash Hook Up Mascara.  Also came with whatever they call the little snap piece in the center you pop your glosses/mascara/etc in and out of to make your own custom duo ended beauty product.
• Whip Hand Cosmetics Limited Edition Loose Pigment Shadow in Green Beret.  This is the cutest little sample that I've ever seen.  Seriously.  It looks like it could be in Barbie's makeup bag.  The color looks cool though.

This is next to a MAC eyeshadow pan. Yup, it's that itty bitty!

• Lash Card two pack sampler.  It's a cardboard card you put over your eyelid so that your mascara doesn't get on your lid.  I have to admit, I have this problem all the time right at my lashline, which is why I always wear liner (it gets hidden).  But I'd never pay for cardboard cover ups.  Not sure if I'll ever try them out or just include them in some kind of giveaway.
• Yes to Carrots Nourishing Super Rich Body Butter foil packet. Probably enough product to cover my hands and that's it.  But it will at least give me a feel for the product, and if I like it maybe I'll pick up a real size at Target sometime.
• Advanced Essentials skincare sample foil packets. One is a serum and the other a moisturizer.  Doubt I'll even open these, as a single application is almost useless for skincare for the face.  It's not going to inspire me to change from what I already have.

Glossybox: $21 a month, but with my first box they've already got me convinced it's a great value!  I love the way it's packaged.  After having got the Birchbox every month, which comes in a thin cardboard box, I love that the Glossybox is a thick sturdy box I can reuse. I'm a big fan of repurposing!  It's wrapped nicely in tissue paper, and tied with a grosgrain ribbon. There's even a little logo sticker.  I'm a sucker for presentation obviously.  The second thing I noticed after how nicely it was packaged was the smell coming from a soap bar inside. I'm assuming it's a full size, as it's about the size of a business card and about 3/4 inch thick.  If that's just a sample, the Prestiche company has me impressed.

• Ying Yang soap bar from Prestiche.  It's got "dead sea mud and salt with shea, eucalyptus, tea tree, frankincense, and a pure blend of beneficial oils".  It smells lovely. Reminds me of walking past the Lush store at the mall.  I'm looking forward to using this in the shower, or maybe giving it to my husband to use.  It's got more of a manly type scent than girly.  I'm a fan of fruity or sweet smells on me personally.

• $40 gift certificate to Prestiche.com.  This was what really blew me away.  $40?!  Wow!  That's twice the value of the box subscription on top of all the samples.  And with how good the soap smells, I'm excited to order some more from the site.  I'll do a review of the soap itself along with the other products when I get them in and have had time to review them.
• Model Co Cheek + Lip Tint in Rosy Red.  Not sure why it's called rosy red, as it's a fuschia color, but it's a really big size!  I looked it up on Amazon.com, and the full size is .28 fl oz for $27.31.  The Glossybox size was .33 fl oz!  So it's more than full size!
• Sebastian Shaper Fierce hairspray.  Travel size, but this stuff is awesome.  Even the small travel size cans are at least $3-4 in stores.
• Pixi Lid Last Shadow Pen in Brun Beam.  A really nice matte grey-brown shadow crayon.
• Elite Paris Matt Liner in Matt Brown.  Gorgeous liquid liner with a nice felt tip applicator.  SUPER pigmented.  I can't wait to try this out!
• And because I used the code found in the Glossybox Banner (below and at the top of the blog) I got a free nail polish from OPI.  It's a textured polish, which I've never tried before.  The color is called Can't Let Go, and it's a really beautiful purple with glitter and shimmer.  It's one of their "Liquid Sand" polishes, and I can't wait to swatch it for you!

I'm beyond impressed with all of my new subscriptions, and I can't wait to get the ones from IPSY and BeautyBox5!  By far I think I like GlossyBox best, as I see immediately how much value is in this first box.  You can also sign up for multiple months and get discounts for paying up front.  (So $60 for three months vs $21 per month when billed each month.)  BeautyBox5 does the same thing.  Keep an eye out on the blog for some individual product reviews as I have a chance to test out the products.  You can also watch my box review video on YouTube for GlossyBox each month.  I may do some other boxes each month, too, so I'll be sure to post those videos when I do them.

Wow!  I had a lot to say about these!  What are the boxes you subscribe to?  If you don't would you consider any of these boxes based on my reviews?  I'd love to hear your feedback below!