Review: Beauty Bar Sample Society First Box

Beauty Bar Sample Society Mailer Box

 Beauty Bar's Sample Society Box premiered in March. This was my first sample subscription box, and I was pretty darned excited to get it!

The packaging and graphics are very nice. Gold foil printing on the outer box, silver tissue paper inside, and the little booklet beautifully printed and designed, with lots of tips on how to use the products.

Reverse Side Mailer Box

Inner Box with gold foil accent - fancy!

Silver Tissue Paper inside - pricey!

Booklet with tips

 But, alas, the products themselves left me a bit underwhelmed, I'm afraid.

What's in the box

Close on box contents

Skyn Iceland Icelandic Eye Relief Pen

End of Eye Pen

Stuff that comes out of end of eye pen

 This eye pen feels like any old moisturizer, but it tingles a bit, and I think that probably plumps the skin under my eyes a bit, at least until it wears off. Since my old eyes can't see too well how it works under my eyes (I'm not joking--it's hard for me to see) I put some on the back of my hand. It did make the skin there look smoother, although the tingle effect actually feels a bit sore, after a bit.

Ren Glycolactice Masque Peeling, 'Cause I'm old

I won't lie, this stuff scares me, and so I haven't tried it yet. What if I end up looking like Samantha in Sex and the City? I promise, I'll try it and give you the review. I'm hoping I don't need to use my fancy Beblesh Beauty Balm for its original purpose afterward, which was to hide the redness from chemical peels and, gasp! plastic surgery.

Did I mention that, as a rule, I don't believe in plastic surgery? Hence that nice deep line between my eyebrows.  I call that my "WTF" line because that is the expression I make, over and over, that caused it and is deepening it. Maybe if life offered fewer of those WTF experiences, it wouldn't be there, or maybe I just have a bad attitude. Oh, well. Something to work on as I move through my 48th year of life....

Dermatolica Daily Microfoliant Deluxe Sample

This stuff is fine milled, and you have to mix it with water. The time I tried it, I felt like I was breathing in a small portion of the dust, which I don't really think is good for me. If I were Dermatoliga, I'd suspend that exfoliating stuff in some kind of liquidy medium.

It did make my skin feel very smooth and soft afterward. As a rule, because I still have acne, (I know! How sucky is that!) I don't do a lot of exfoliation. It tends to exacerbate the problem. I certainly won't be using this daily.  Maybe weekly at most.

Fekkai Advanced Glossing Cream

 This glossing cream works well, but not as well as my Kiehl's Silk Groom, which I use to condition my hair before I style it. I wouldn't buy this glossing cream. I will take it on vacation, though, because it's the perfect travel size. And that way, I'll get to test drive it for a longer period.

Oscar de la Renta Esprit d'Oscar Deluxe Mini Rollerball

Fragrance is such a personal thing. I love Issey Miyake's fragrances because they are so fresh. I also love Bvlgari's Green Tea perfume, again, it's fresh citrusy and expensive smelling. And the Bvlgari I first smelled on a cruise to Italy with my Mom, so how am I not going to love that?

My husband really liked the way this Esprit d'Oscar smelled on me, which counts for a lot. It is subtle and sophisticated. But I'm afraid my nose mostly gets the aroma of baby powder, and something bluish, which I think is the heliotrope. The spicy oriental wood notes I can detect are the saving grace for me. But I'd still repurchase one of my favorites rather than get this one in a larger size. I don't really get the citrusy topnotes as much. I think they are overpowered by the other stuff. I know I'm harping on the 'old' thing here, but this one smells a bit old lady to me. Sigh.

Better luck next time, Beauty Bar Sample Society.