It's official: I've caught the subscription box bug. I've been lurking around beauty websites for a few months now, stalking what people received, salivating wildly or "hmphing" in collective disappointment when they got a dud box. I finally took the plunge and got on the waiting list for Birchbox ($10 sounds like the right price for me!), but I haven't received it yet. I've been awfully curious about all of the other boxes too, but with how scatter brained I am I was a little hesitant to sign up to a bunch of them to try them out because I would probably forget to cancel memberships and then end up with hundreds of dollars worth of sub boxes a month!
That's why it made me super excited when the nice folks over at
Beauty Box Five offered me a box for review. As a commitment phobe and a horrible decision maker, having someone hold my hand and throw a box of beauty samples at me sounded like just the thing I needed.
I think the major appeal of the beauty boxes for me IS the fact that you can't make decisions. I'm super non committal at times, and I know when I walk into a beauty store like Sephora I get a little bit of sensory overload: I want EVERYTHING and I second guess my purchasing decisions about five times before I hit the register (and then afterwards, too!) So once a month you get a lovely box full of lovely brands you may or may not have heard of/used before... and to me that essentially sounds like Christmas!!
It arrived (crazy quickly!!) in a lovely little box, which I immediately liked because it was just big enough for the beauty supplies that eagerly awaited me within. My biggest gripe with the one other beauty box I have tried out (Julep Nail Polish, which I will review soon... when I have time to paint my nails, ACK!) was that the box was HUGE compared to the products within. It just feels like a waste to me!
The packaging inside was simple and lovely. I like the pleasing but no nonsense aesthetic in the way it was packaged. Now to see what I got!
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My "haul"
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The only gripe I have so far is that there was no card detailing the products that I received. It made me have to go poke around the internet for more information, but I like internet sleuthing so it wasn't that big of a deal.
2 Samples of "It's a 10" Miracle Hair Mask
I don't do TOO much to my hair because I kind of like it to look a little ratty (and I wear a lot of wigs), but with all the dying I do to it I'm a little excited to try these hair masks. Especially because it says they "restore color vibrancy".
3 Samples of "La Fresh" Waterproof Makeup Remover
This makeup remover is AWESOME. It doesn't leave your skin feeling greasy at all and does the trick pretty effortlessly (even on the red lipstick that honestly leaves my lips stained most of the time!)
1 Vat of "Evie Evan" Hydrating Vitamin Creme
This product feels very lovely on my face, with no greasy feeling residue. The smell if very non invasive and it feels quite lovely. I've been trying to get back into taking better care of my skin (I kind of just leave it alone, which I know I shouldn't do) and this is probably a product I would consider buying. And oh yeah: The mini vats go for $13.00 bucks on the Evie Evan website, so this itself costs most than the Beauty Box Five box. Awesome.
1 Two Ounce Vat of Tree Hut's Brazilian Nut Shea Body Butter
Oh my god this is my favorite thing that I received in the box. It feels INCREDIBLE, and holy shit the SMELL. You guys, it smells so good I wanted to lick it. It's like the most heavenly frosting in the entire world, except your nose is on drugs and it is smelling the best thing ever. Seriously, it smells like that. I'm not even usually a fan of sweet smells and I am DYING over this. You can buy the same product for $7.49, so this alone nearly pays for the box.
1 Vat of "Everyday Minerals" Girl Friday Blush
I also love this!! It's light, easy to apply, seems to be long lasting, and the color is perfect with my incredibly fair skin tone. It's the perfect size to keep in my purse to keep myself with a rosy glow all day. Absolutely love it.
Overall, my experience with
Beauty Box Five was awesome. The products were high quality and in generous portions, it arrived quickly, the communication I had with the company was quick and easy, and it was packaged nicely. Also, at the crazy cheap price of
$12.00 a month, it's kind of hard to beat. Other beauty boxes are going to have a hard time topping this one, for me!
