For the second month in the SBS, I chose Beauty Box 5. I was actually getting ready to choose another box, but I saw that Beauty Box 5 had free shipping and if I signed up by a certain date I'd get a free box so I chose this one instead. I likes my freebies. lol
I ordered this box back on the 27th of last month, I got an email that it had shipped back on the 4th, and I received it on the 7th. The following day, I received my bonus box. I wasn't aware at all of what I'd be getting in the box and hadn't seen any previews of any of the products either, so this was a completely new unboxing experience for me. Here is the box and sample sheet that I got with it.
1. H2O Plus Spa Sea Lotus Body Wash, $18
Just an FYI, the first thing that jumps out at me with most things that I purchase is the scent. Scent is everything to me. If I don't like the smell, I probably won't try it. In a few situations I've been proven wrong and something that smelled awful ended up being great for me, but that rarely happens. Most of the time, when I don't like how something smells, it ends up only being a hint of what I should expect when I actually sample the product. So you'll probably hear something about scent in nearly every product review. Get used to it. lol Anyway, the scent of this body wash is so clean and fresh at first sniff. It reminded me of the sea, that mist that sprays up from the ocean when you're walking along the beach. When I washed my face with it though, the saltwater smell got pretty strong and it was a little off-putting at first. It's a good size though.
2. Nubar Cuticle & Nail Oil, $10
The first thing I thought when I sniffed this nail oil (I smell everything lol) was that it reminded me of that anointing oil the pastors used to put on everyone's heads at church when I was a kid. LOL I like the size of this bottle. You would think with such a small bottle that it wouldn't go very far if you're not familiar with this stuff, but I think I can get a lot of use out of this. I also like that the brush is a regular brush that you'd see with nail polish, which makes it easier to brush on your nails and remove any excess oil from the brush beforehand. It makes my cuticle area (which is especially prone to hangnails during the winter) feel soft and moisturized, which gives that area a more polished appearance...no pun intended.
3. Swissco Bath & Shower Exfoliating Gloves, $5
My mom has used exfoliating gloves for the longest time, but they always felt so abrasive to me that I just wasn't having it. lol I tried them out once but they irritated my skin. I decided they weren't for me and continued using my washcloth. But in addition to my mom raving about them, a few years since the skin scratch-off fiasco has gone by so I've had time to mentally recover (LOL) and now I keep hearing about all the benefits that these gloves boast from different people so I tried them again yesterday. This time around, I was pleasantly surprised. It got the dry skin off from underneath my arms, I felt much cleaner when I got out of the shower, and most importantly, my skin wasn't irritated at all. These gloves are awesome.
4. Jergens Daily Moisturizer Lotion, $6.99
I've used this a couple of times since I got the box, and while my hands were dry a little while later, I think with regular application of this moisturizer, I can start re-hydrating my skin. My hands are always the driest around this time and with seasons here that always end up drying out my skin, I'm trying hard to get whatever moisture back into them that I can. The sample fits into my pockets, it's easy to purchase, and it's affordable. It smells great to boot.
5. Epic Blend Hemp Coconut Lip Balm, $3.49
This lip balm is the business. The texture is somewhere between a thicker Chapstick and maybe a Carmex, just not as greasy. It's very moisturizing and the smell of the coconut oil is the dominant scent, which reminds me of this oil my mom used to put on my hair when I was younger. I don't even smell the hemp, thank goodness. I smelled a hemp scented shower gel once and nearly died lol, so I was hoping that it wouldn't be the same for the lip balm. It doesn't have an overly greasy texture and it's not tinted, so it would wear well underneath lipsticks or glosses. Before I got this sample, I was working through a stick of Chapstick's Gingerbread House balm, but I think I might switch because I love this one so much. My lips are often drier in the winter than at any other time during the year, so I think this might have more benefits for me. It's also an organic balm and I've been working on switching some of my beauty products out for those with a natural or organic base, so now I know what sort of lip balm to get next time I need a refill.
Bonus Product: That Awkward Moment Mirror Compact
I've been hearing a lot about this movie, but I have yet to see any previews, trailers or learn anything about it other than that Zac Efron is in it. The other smaller mirrors that I own were both from CoverGirl pressed powder compacts that I've had since I was 13 LOL, so I think it was about time I got a new one. Not familiar with the movie at all, but since my life is a series of awkward moments, I can deal with having the name of the movie slapped across the front of the compact.
Here is the bonus box that I got for gratis. That's your daily Spanglish lesson if you weren't aware already that gratis means free. LOL The sample sheet is also included with the box.
Bonus Box:
1. Rockstar Nail Polish & Caviar Sprinkles, $14.99 each
I've been seeing a lot of posts and photos over time as the popularity of the nail sprinkles continues to grow, but I was never all that interested in it. They seemed like they'd hinder what I could do with my nails to avoid them falling off and since I am both a klutz and hands-on in most things that I do, including falling, I just didn't think they'd be a good fit for my nails. I wasn't crazy about the color of neither the polish nor the sprinkles, but I decided to try them both out. Eventually. I couldn't find a link for the company, so if you have one please send it my way!
2. John Frieda Luxurious Volume Shampoo & Conditioner, $6.99 each
This shampoo and conditioner were made to enhance the shine and color payoff of color-treated hair and since my hair isn't colored, I won't get the intended benefits of either one. However, I've never tried any John Frieda products so I decided to use them anyway when I washed my hair yesterday. I'm in love. The shampoo smelled wonderful and even though it wasn't African-American geared (those are the hair products I usually gravitate toward because they boast the most benefits for my hair texture) it did great at getting the dirt out of my hair and moisturizing my scalp. The conditioner smelled equally nice and made my hair so soft it was unreal. It took the dullness out of my hair and two days later, it's still very manageable and tangle-free. I used the conditioner as a leave-in and let my hair air dry, and it did wonders. I straightened it the following day and my hair is still soft, free of tangles, and not as limp as it was beforehand. I feel like Casper, "Can I keep you?"
3. Aveeno Positively Nourishing Calming Body Wash, $6.99
I loved this stuff. I've never tried anything by Aveeno before, as it was always either out of my price range or just didn't fit in with my bath & body preferences. I tried this body wash though and it was awesome. Even on my peach fuzz adorned legs, this wash really moisturized my entire body and made everything much smoother. I wasn't deathly ashy afterward; I don't think I even put lotion on. lol The lavender was very strong but not overpowering. The formula creates a rich lather, which I also liked. I didn't have to keep going back for more body wash so I could probably squeeze another shower or two out of this little bottle. I have a lavender scented footcare set, so next time I use this and shower at night I'll probably go all out and use that as well. Even though it was just in a body wash, the lavender was very calming for me. I don't have to order this online and I love that too. No complaints.
4. Elizabeth Mott It's So Big Volumizing Mascara, $19.99
I tried this mascara on a low-key makeup day where I'd only be wearing mascara, and honestly this was nothing special. I do love the wand; it has a wand sort of like an hourglass, and I can catch my smaller lashes because of it. It works like any other mascara that I've tried, and as small as the tube was I definitely wouldn't pay $20 for it. Asking me to pay $7 is already pushing it and those tubes are larger. lol It didn't give my lashes much volume but they'll do fine on a day that I keep my makeup light.
Faves:
Regular Box: Epic Blend Hemp Coconut Lip Balm
Bonus Box: Aveeno Positively Nourishing Calming Body Wash
Duds:
none!
My Thoughts:
I liked Beauty Box 5; even though many of these products were from companies I'd heard of before (Aveeno, John Frieda, Jergens). I hadn't tried the products yet, so it was cool to see familiar brand names and get to sample things that normally I wouldn't be able to afford. There were a few brands I hadn't heard of before, so again, the goal of exposing myself to new products and brands was accomplished. Most of these products were hair and body related and despite receiving two new body washes, that's the thing. I still received two completely new body washes. I also got a couple of organic products, which is helping with one of my side goals of discovering more organic-based companies and items.
As far as subscription boxes go, I'm learning that many of them follow the same procedure from start to finish. You sign up and select your desired subscription, take the beauty profile quiz and get linked up with recommended samples. The box comes a couple of weeks later, which gives you time to cancel before the next month's batches are prepared and you get billed again. The sign-up process is fine; it's the cancellation process that I have a complaint with. Right now, you have to make a request to cancel and then wait for the company to get in touch with you to confirm, which isn't always reliable. It was much easier to sign up than it was to cancel and I think both should be of equal ease. I also noticed that there were few options for viewing received boxes like some of the other services have, and instead of you being able to see direct links to your boxes or the products, the company simply has a "Brands" page, which then takes you to the product on an external site. I'd prefer a different setup.
Beauty Box 5 gets an extra star for adding the bonus box as an incentive for those who signed up for the service before the 31st of January. It's a good thing that they're allowing third parties to help bring more attention to their boxes by offering discounts. It's a big risk for a company to offer an entire month's worth of samples for free to a subscriber who may just order the box for the free samples and choose not to return the following month. The free box could have been full of some bonk things in order to decrease the risk a bit but I got some pretty good samples in that box as well so it paid off. All in all, I got 11 products for $10. All of these samples were practical and good for everyday usage; I didn't have to worry about saving some of them to use only on special occasions. Not only are the companies that were included in my boxes easily accessible in stores and pretty affordable as well, but I didn't feel like any of the products weren't "me," a complaint I've had a few times over about previous boxes from other companies. If I could change anything, it would probably be the color of the polish I got lol, but otherwise I have no complaints about either box. If this wasn't a monthly challenge that I had to do, I wouldn't mind picking this up for another month.
Rating:
Nice group of products. I'd get this again and I'm recommending it to you!
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