When the girls and I over at Subscriptions Anonymous found out about this box, we were all really excited. It promised $100 worth of product for only $20. And we even found a 20% coupon code, making it total only $16. Sounds like a great deal, right? Just wait. I'll get back to that later. For now, let's look at the products.
Boscia Luminizing Black Mask (Sample-sized: $4.25 ~ .35oz)
(Full-sized: $34 ~ 2.8oz)
I used up a whole bottle of Boscia's toner and loved it, so I'm really excited to try this face mask! I've heard there's only enough for one use, which is disappointing, but hopefully that's enough to see if I really like it. I'm still relatively new in the world of face masks, so I'm happy to explore and experiment with new ones!
Alfaparf Cristalli Liquidi Illuminating Serum (Sample-sized: $10 ~ .25oz)
(Full-sized: $59 ~ 1.69oz, but $14.49 on Amazon)
This serum contains silicones (someday I will make a whole post dedicated to why I stay away from them) so for now it's just sitting in a drawer with the rest of my unused products. I'm thinking of trading it off, so I'll be adding this to my Pinterest Swap Board.
EBOOST Natural Energy Orange Natural Effervescent Powder (Sample-sized: $7 ~ 5 packets)
(Full-sized: $28 ~ 20 packets)
Total Beauty seems to put these in any box they can, but I wasn't crazy about them. I suppose they fit into the Health & Beauty category of things in general, but I have no use for them. I traded these with another girl for a beauty product I'll actually use, so I'm happy about that!
EVOLVh Ultrashine Moisture Shampoo & Conditioner Travel Set ($15 ~ 2oz)
(Full-sized - Shampoo: $24 for 8.5oz and Conditioner: $25 for 8.5oz)
I have been absolutely loving this shampoo and conditioner set! They are sulfate-free, paraben-free, color-safe, and organic. They make my hair soft and shiny, but still clean. I might actually repurchase these, and that's saying something, since I never stick with a shampoo and I am an avid user of Wen. More to come on these!
Ferro Cosmetics Blush Samples (Sample-sized: 2 at $3 each)
(Full size: $17 each)
These look like they might get messy, being a loose powder, but I'll be trying these eventually. I can always use more blush!
Honest Face & Body Lotion (Sample: $1.50 ~ 1oz) and Healing Balm (Sample: $4.50 ~ 1oz)
(Full-sized Lotion: $9.95 ~ 8.5oz) (Full-sized Balm: $12.95 ~ 3oz)
The Honest Company makes all of their certified-organic products with all-natural ingredients, which is always nice. I've never heard of them before, but I'm glad to have these samples to try out!
I've actually been needing more lotion, so I'm glad I got these! I never use the same moisturizer on my face and body, just because they have different skincare needs, but I'll use this on my body at some point when I run out of my current one.
Juara Candlenut Body Creme (Sample-sized: $.33 ~ 5mL)
(Full-sized: $35 ~ 7.5oz)
This body cream is good for normal skin that doesn't need a lot of moisture, or summertime. It has a mild, pleasant scent that doesn't linger or compete with whatever fragrance you plan on wearing that day. I managed to squeeze two uses out of this little guy! Would I repurchase? No, because it's expensive, and I prefer to use non-scented body lotion anyway, but it was fun while it lasted.
Neutrogena Naturals Lip Balm (Full-size! $3 ~ .15oz)
As you all know, I love me some lip balm! This will go in the lip drawer of my makeup case with all of the other lip balms I have and don't need. It's just your average lip balm, but appreciated all the same.
NYX Color Lip Balm in Thank You (Full-size! $3)
That's an odd name for a color, don't you think? Anyway, for a tinted lip balm, this one is quite bright It's a bright pink red that I think would be perfect for summer. Even though I'm reviewing this in the beginning of September, it's still in season--summer's not over yet!
NYX Roll On Eye Shimmer in Mauve Pink (Full size! $4)
This eye shimmer is mostly sparkle and not a lot of pigmentation, but it's okay. It's quite glittery, so I don't see myself wearing this too often, but I think it would be nice for a party or some place fun.
Q-tips Travel Pack ($2 - 30 swabs)
I actually already owned one of these, but I'm happy to have another. Although not a exactly an exciting or fun product, I find this case super convenient. When I use up the 30 cotton swabs included in here, I'll replace them with some from my big pack. It's so much easier having this case in my shower caddy than a big pack or putting some in a plastic bag, since water tends to get on them when I use the shower in my dorm.
Naked Wine Gift Card ($50)
Yes, that's right: this gift card is half the value of the box. Normally, a $50 gift card would be cool, but not only is Naked Wine not related to beauty at all, but this gift card requires you to spend money to use it! Plus, I'm not even over 21, so I can't even purchase alcohol to begin with. I wrote a frustrated email to Total Beauty explaining this and they were very understanding, so they gave me an $8 credit (half the price of what I paid) to cover the 50% of the box I couldn't use. I think that's very fair, and I applaud their customer service, though I still think their claims were misleading.
All in all, I think this box was a good value for $8. I'm pretty disappointed with the "$100 worth of product" basically being misleading (and essentially false advertising). Two months later (aka August), Total Beauty released their Beauty Mystery Collection with $100 of beauty products, which is definitely a step up. I heard it wasn't great, but at least a $50 wine gift card that requires you to spend money to use it didn't take up half the worth of the box. I don't plan on purchasing any more mystery collections from Total Beauty after this, but I didn't skate away in such bad shape, after everything was said and done.
How do you feel about mystery collections? Have you ever had any luck with them?
