Allure Sample Society is my favorite of the beauty boxes out there. I realized this is one I like better than ipsy, Glossybox, or even Birchbox. For $15/month, Allure Sample Society sends you a variety of makeup, hair, nail and body products. They include very generous samples of products so you can really tell how they work on you. But I think what elevates this box above the rest is the mini-mag they include, so you basically have an instruction manual from Allure editors telling you how to use the products. I think the Allure editors and Boxy Ladies would get along, because their mini-mag is all about the real talk.
In addition, your membership comes with a $10 credit toBeautyBar.com that’s good for any purchase you make within that month of at least $50. Sample Society doesn’t have a traditional referral link but if you are interested in trying it out for yourself, you can use this code: LAUR324430
Here are the products I got this month! If you are a dedicated Boxy Ladies reader, you are probably thinking to yourself… “Hey. Didn’t Lauren get that StriVectin Intensive Illuminating Serum last month?” And you’d be right. I think someone might have gotten confused and added it to January boxes by accident. But that’s ok! Because it gave me a month to use it and I can actually give you a deeper review of the product this month. More on that later.
Nugg Deep Cleansing, Hydrating, and Revitalizing Face Masks ($2.99 each): I’m really intrigued by these little guys. I’ve been seeing them different places so I’m excited I get the chance to try them. I’m also excited that they sent a variety of masks versus just one. Right now, I’m in the middle of testing a skin care regimen from Arbonne (review to come!) so I’m not deviating from that for the week so I can see how my skin reacts. However, I’m excited to try the hydrating mask because my skin is SO DRY these days.
StriVectin Intensive Illuminating Serum ($89): OK. Now I can finally tell you guys– I REALLY love this stuff. I’ve been using this very regularly since last month and had just run out when this second one came and my skin has never looked better. It’s a bit dry because of the winter months but it’s very clear, old acne spots look lighter, and I feel like I don’t need to wear as much makeup to even things out. This + Erno Laszlo soap from the January box are what I started using regularly and I have seen such a huge difference since then. Needless to say, I was so thrilled to receive this again since I’m not quite ready to plunk down $89. However, if my skin keeps looking this good, I’ll probably need to invest in it.
Chloe Love Story ($75): I don’t always love receiving perfume samples in boxes but Sample Society sends such other great things that I don’t even mind. And, it helps that I really like this scent! It’s very floral and pretty with notes of Neroli, orange blossom, jasmine, and cedarwood. This scent reminds me of spring so I might wear this sample a bit more in the warmer months as I just bought a full size My Burberry.
Batiste Dry Shampoo in Blush ($7): I think by now that y’all know I love dry shampoo. It helps give volume to my sad, straight hair. I especially like using it at night so it can really get in there and absorb before the morning. What I noticed first about this spray is that it has a pretty strong floral scent. However, this didn’t bother me because I really like the scent. This is also free of white residue like some other dry shampoos. Fun fact, according to the mini-mag is that hairstylists pros use this backstage at fashion week and models are constantly stealing it. Ummm, if it’s good enough for supermodels, it’s good enough for me. (I just assumed they are supermodels. Why not?)
Nails Inc. nail polish in Princes Palace ($9): I think by now, everyone knows how I feel about Julep. But I think it’s clear that I really love nail polish in general. This polish is a great light blue/purple-y grey that I just adore. Mini-mag said it was great on its own but they started getting more compliments when they added a matte top coat. So that’s exactly what I am going to do tomorrow because I really like compliments.
Final Grade: A
As usual, I love Allure’s Sample Society and the February box was great. I’m really psyched I got more of that StriVectin serum, I love that nail polish color, the dry shampoo, and those masks. Basically everything. Y’all really just need to sign up for this because it’s worth every penny of the $15. Use the code LAUR324430 so I can find out what happens when someone uses that code.
Lauren pays for this subscription. Post contains referral codes.