The Natural Beauty Box August 2012 Review

Hi loves,

I came across this service in June and decided to subscribe to receive the first box from this company. It's called The Natural Beauty Box by The Natural Beauty Store. According to the company, it's an affordable box that provides it's subscribers with a month to month subscription of 10 to 15 deluxe samples that are 95-100% all natural.

I received the August box on Monday and I've spent the week trying out all the products in the box and I'm really excited to tell you all about it. So, without further ado, here's what I received:

The first thing I pulled out when I opened the box was an envelope with my name on it (a nice personal touch) with an invoice, coupons and product information.



This month I received 14 products in total, including 2 full size products, and with the overall value of the samples worth $122.16 (Amazing value!!)



Now, there are some products that I prefer over others, some that I wouldn't repurchase and some that I would consider purchasing. I've decided to give each product a score out of 5 stars. With 5 stars being the highest score and 1 star being the lowest.

The first product is the Temptations Bath N' Body Tumble Me Oats Natural Soap Cake Slice. The sample size is about a third of the full size product. It's made with a mix of oils and is perfect to use in the shower. The full size retails for $8. I used this in the shower and like the fresh scent of this product. I don't think it would be something that I would repurchase because I prefer body washes compared to soap bar but I think it's a nice product.



The next product is the Fruit Enzyme Exfoliating Cleanser by Pure Anada. It's a nice light cleanser that is made with a mix of citrus fruits (orange, grapefruit, pineapple). I've decided to use this cleanser in the shower and I love it. I haven't necessarily seen any difference in my skin because I don't have specific trouble spots, however it's an item that I would consider buying because I love the scent and the exfoliating beads are soft enough for daily use. The sample size that I received is about an 1/8 of the regular size which retails for $19.50.

Next is Happy Pumpkin's Hydrating Hair Balm. This sample size about half of the regular size and it's worth $21 (full size retailing at $42). This hair balm smells exactly like its name, like spiced pumpkin. It's meant to be used after showering on damp hair. It can be applied to add texture or definition. I'll be honest and say that I don't use this type of product because it leaves an oily residue in my hair. Because my hair doesn't need this type of product it's hard to be to properly judge it's effectiveness, which is why I'm giving this a lower score.

The next product is Beesline. It's a 100% natural alternative to petroleum jelly. It's made with 3 ingredients: Coconut Oil, Beeswax and Wildflower Honey. I've seen videos on people taking off their makeup with Vaseline so I decided to try it with Beesline. I have to say that I've very pleased with the way that Beesline takes off all my eye makeup and doesn't leave a greasy residue. This sample is a full size product at $3.99. The product information card says that the full size product is in fact $10.99, so I'm guessing that perhaps this is just a smaller version of the full size product.

Next is the Original Purity Skincare's Wash Me Lavender Body Wash. I used this product in shower and I love the texture of the body wash. It's like a mix between a body wash and a moisturizer. However, the only turn off is the smell. I hate the smell of lavender! Even though I loved the texture of this product, I was severely thrown off by the scent and the feeling that I was felt like I smelled like an old lady after using it. I think I would prefer this product if it was another scent. There was no information on the product card for this body wash so I checked The Natural Beauty Store and didn't find any info. So I went on the Original Purity Skincare website and found out that the 8oz bottle retails for $16 and the 16oz bottle retails for $32.


(From left to right: Pure Anada's Fruit Exfoliating Cleanser, Happy Pumpkin's Hydrating Hair Balm, Beesline, Original Purity Skincare's Wash Me Lavender Body Wash)

Next is Ariona Skincare's Organic Argan and Camu Camu Berry Facial Oil. I don't normally use these types of products however I didn't mind the smell of this one. I couldn't tell if it did something to my skin or not and it's a nice type of product to use at night. I think it would help if you have blemishes. It's a pretty big sample size being about 1/4 of the full size which retails at $25.95.

Next is the Delizioso Skincare Crisp Vanilla Organic Body Cream. It's a small sample being about 1/5 of the regular size which is worth $26. It's a nice body cream that went on nicely and wasn't oily or greasy. However I'm not really a fan of the scent. It's verryyyy vanilla. I can see why some people would like this, but I prefer fruity and fresh scents for body creams.

The next product is 100% Pure's Coffee Bean Caffeine Eye Cream. I don't really use any eye creams but I'm glad we received a product like this because I really like it. It's meant to be applied to the under eye area. It has everything you would want in an eye cream including Vitamines C and E as well as Coffee extracts to give you good looking skin. I don't think I would repurchase this product because of the price, but I think this sample size, which is already around half of the full size product (full size is $19), will last me a long time.



(From left to right: Ariona Skincare Organic Argan and Camu Camu Berry Facial Oil, Delizioso Skincare Crisp Vanilla Organic Body Cream and 100% Pure's Coffee Bean Caffeine Eye Cream) The next product is the Delizioso Spring Cream Blush. It's a nice size cream blush which is half the size of the full size ($22). I like the color of this blush and it goes on quite nicely, however I'm not a fan of cream blush and would rather stick to powders.

Next is Zatik Natural's Active Balancing Creme. I've been using this as a night cream. At first I didn't really like the smell of this product but after using it a couple times, it's not that bad. It's not too greasy but definitely not the best cream I've used. It's not something that I would repurchase. Th full size retails for $28 and the sample size that I received is worth $6.

The next product is Renu Derma's Eye Cream. This eye cream can be used all around the eye area. Between the two eye creams that we received this month, I do prefer the 100% Pure Coffee Bean cream, but this one is not bad either. The full size retails for $49.99 and the sample size was worth $16.67.


(from left to right: Delizioso Skincare Spring Cream Blush, Zatik Natural Active Balancing Creme, Renu Derma Eye Cream)

The next products are all sample of mineral makeup from Pure Anada. We received 3 eye shadows and 1 blush color. Clockwise starting in the top left corner is a light bronze blush in Spring, a light beige eye color Stardust, a dark plum eye color Wisteria and finally a light brown eye color Cafe Latte.. I don't normally use mineral makeups because I find the powder just gets everywhere, but I do like the color selection that was sent and the fact that they go on quite nicely. All in all, I'm quite pleased with these products.



Next is the Lanai Sunset Perfume by M.E Studio. It's a harmony of exotic scents mixed with oils. I tend to stick to fresher scents or fruity scents so I wasn't a fan of this perfume. I guess it just depends what scents you like. The full size retails for $40 and the sample size was worth $7.50.



And lastly is Delizioso Skincare's Nourish and Shimmer Lip Gloss that I received in Raspberry. Other subscribers got different flavors but I bet they smell just as good as mine. I'm not a fan of the color of it as it goes on a little dark for my liking and I tend to stick to nudes and pinks rather than reds. But it is a full size product and it smells deliciously of raspberries so I am quite pleased with this product. I just wish that the color was a little lighter. This product retails for $20. 



Wow! This post took me almost 2 hours to write!! That's how many products we received. So I think this company puts good value in it's boxes and I have subscribed for the month of September as well and I'm looking forward to the new products that I will receive next month. After that I will decide if I want to continue or not because it is a pricey product and I going back to school in September so that will be my main focus money wise.

If you are interested in this service please visit these following links for more information:

http://thenaturalbeautybox.com/
(The Natural Beauty Box website)

http://www.thenaturalbeautystore.com/
(The Natural Beauty Store, where you can buy the products above)

http://www.facebook.com/TheNaturalBeautyBox
(The Natural Beauty Box's official Facebook page)

http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Natural-Beauty-Store/327757790645510?ref=hl
(The Natural Beauty Store's official Facebook Page)

https://twitter.com/tnbeautybox
(The Natural Beauty Box's official Twitter page)

And that's it for now,

xo

J

Canadian July 2012 Glossybox review

Hi loves, I finally got my July Glossybox this morning .. August 2nd.... I opened my box his morning and have sampled all the products and I'm excited to tell you all about it!

So this month Glossybox sent us this month to celebrate Canada's 145th birthday. As always, there's different versions of the boxes and I received V3. From reading a couple reviews before I got my box, I knew that I was receiving the box with the least value as I only received 2 full size products while other

received more..

 

The first product on the card is the Zoya nail polish. Now I already own nail polishes from Zoya and I really enjoy their quality and their range of colors. Your box version didn't determine the color you got as multiple colors were sent out and I am pleased to have received a nice pink shade named "Lara". I applied it this morning and it goes on really smooth. I used two coats but you could get away with only one coat if you're in a rush.

 

The nail polish is of course a full sized product (0.5oz) and retails for $8. The next product on the card is the Alessandra International Pedix heel rescue balm. The card indicates that the rescue balm protects and nourishes your skin with shea butter, allantoin and tea tree oil. I used this on the balls of my feet after showering this morning and I could definitively feel the menthol effect which I later found out that it was rather the tea tree oil. It's not oily and greasy and goes on quite nicely and the skin absorbs it quite well. This sample size is 30 ml and the full size (100ml) retails for $19.95.

 

Next up is the John Fried Frizz-Ease xtra strength serum. The card indicates that this serum instantly and dramatically transforms coarse, wiry, unry frizz for ultra sleek, purely polished, and super shiny results. I have it in my hair right now as it dries from the shower I took this morning, however I do not have frizzy hair so I'm hoping that the serum acts more as a smoothing balm instead. There seems to be a mistake on the card as it says that it's a full size product but it's actually a sample size of 24ml. The full size (50ml) does retail for $14.99.

 

The next product is a very small sample 5ml of the Eucerin calming cream. The product contains Natural Colloidal Oatmeal and it's also fragrance free. It's not oily or greasy and goes on nicely just the way you would want a hand cream to go on. My hands aren't dry at the moment so I can't certify the moisturizing properties. I'm a little disappointed because the V3 boxes got this very small sample instead of a full size Burts Bees lip balm...

 

Next up is the Dove Softening Cream Body Wash. It's a product that promises more beautiful skin in just 1 week.. (I'll see about that..) I used it in the shower this morning. The body wash has a nice fresh scent and leaves your skin feeling nice and soft. Just about everything you want your body wash to be, so really I have no complaints about this product. This is the full size product and it retails for $5.99.

 

Lastly, there's 4 little samples of the Beautysoclean Sanitizer wipes. These wipes can be used to effectively sanitize makeup that accumulates visible debris like dust, lint and food particles. I used two wipes this morning to clean off a mascara brush. It works nicely, but the wipes are so small that you would almost need 2 or 3 to clean up a grungy product. The full size (48 wipes) retails for $12.50.

 

So there you have it: The Canadian July Glossybox for 2012. The box as a whole is not bad, but I am a little disappointed by the price differences between the different boxes and also by the fact that V3's only received 2 full sized products. On the plus side, I'm happy that we got a nice range of products, one for your feet, your hands, your hair, your body, your nails, and your makeup. And also, the overall value of the box is not bad.

I'm still waiting for my box from the new company called The Natural Beauty Box that I have subscribed to for only 1 month to test it out. The August box will be the first box for the company and I'm looking forward to review it.

Till next time,

xo

J.