Sample Society February 2013 Review

Sample Society By Allure

Sample Society is a sample box sponsored by Allure magazine through beautybar.com. It’s a little more expensive than Ipsy at $15 a month including shipping.  Like Ipsy, you are billed the first of the month, and the boxes are due to arrive by the 15^th. This month my box arrived the first week of February.  It was the first of my sample boxes to arrive this month.

The Sample Society Box

My box for February included the following items:

oooh lovely.....

Immunocologie Treatment Cream- 0.5 oz. This was valued at $80! That alone made the box completely worth it. The cream is interesting, a bit watery in its consistency but feels nice on the face. However, once this is gone, I won’t be buying a full size which costs more than $270. It also has some weird kind of antler velvet or something to that effect in it, and I can’t explain it but it makes me feel a little guilty putting that on my face.

Crazy expensive face cream

LaRocca Hibiscus Cream Cleanser with AHA- 7ml- This was a small sample that was valued at $0.50.  This had a really nice scent to it, and didn't irritate my skin when I used it to wash my face.  I only got one use out of it.

so very tiny

Oscar Blandi Hair Lift Thickening & Strengthening Mousse- 1 oz- This product had a $4.00 value. I don’t use mousse regularly in my hair routine,   I will most likely passing it on to mother.  The product is supposed to strengthen and thicken your hair. My hair is pretty thick, so it’s not even something I would need. However, I did like the scent of it.

my mom's new mousse

Exude Lipstick Gloss – This was a full size product valued at $29.00. The color that came in my box was a soft brown/nude shade, which upon opening I thought would look horrible on me since I have pale skin. However, I was very surprised at how the nude color actually worked. The color lasted a long time.

Really cool packaging

Diptyque Eau De Toilette – 2 mL – This sample was valued at $2.00. I also hated the smell; it was very strong and musky, way too much for me to wear.  It reminded me of those horrible scent satchels that my grandmother used to hang in her closet or put in her bureau. I’m not a fan of any musk scents. My mother will be getting this one as well (white musk was her signature scent for YEARS)- she’s going to love this box.  However, from what I've read from other reviewers and subscribers, sample society seems to love to send this out.

old lady French perfume

Overall Value:  $115.50! This was truly an amazing value and made the price of the box more than worth it.

PROS

Quick Delivery- my box arrived the first week of February! It was my first subscription box to receive this month.

Amazing Customer Service- I had two issues with my box this month. First, when I opened the box they had packaged it with black confetti paper, but something happened in transport and everything in the box was covered in black soot. I mean COVERED. Even after I had wiped all the products down, it still had that black soot like consistency on most of the products.  My second issue was that one of my products was empty- yes, empty. I emailed the company to let them know and was given a response that I would get a replacement of that product.  I was VERY shocked and pleased when a NEW box arrived.  This is excellent customer service in my book!

Value- Like Ipsy this box proved to be a great value, and then getting the second box was just the icing on the cake. Paying 15.90 for over 200 dollars’ worth of products?? Priceless.

Cons

As much as I liked so many things about Sample Society, I won’t be renewing or keeping this sample subscription.  The products in this box were nice and expensive, but I can’t see myself spending two hundred dollars on a face lotion, and the reason I get these boxes is to try different brands that I still can AFFORD.  I have no issues trying a bare minerals lipstick and then knowing that I like it, buying it for twenty dollars, but trying a sample of a $275 dollar face cream and falling in love with it? That’s just torture.  I also felt the brands were just a little too hoity toity for me- they reminded me of products that a seventy year  old woman who wore Chanel suits and lived in the upper east side would wear. I don’t need snobby French brands. Give me fun packaging and things that are in my TAX bracket.

My second issue was that from what I’ve been reading from other subscribers, they tend to send the same things out and often sometimes two months in a row.  I subscribe to these boxes to try new things, I can understand that sometimes products will be repeats, but I certainly don’t want to get the same sample of something two months in a row. Apparently their favorite to send out is the Diptyque perfume.

Lastly, I also can’t explain it, but it’s easier to say I spend ten dollars a month on a box, somehow going up that extra five dollars sounds frivolous.  Maybe down the road I would revisit this sample box, but for now- it’s getting cancelled.  However, that is not to say that I don’t recommend this to people. It was a great value, just maybe not the right fit for me right now.