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Breaking Down the Beauty Sample Box Craze

Hey Rosés,

Image via Getty

Beauty junkies around the world rejoiced when companies and services popped up selling luxury beauty, body and lifestyle samples. With most of them starting as rewards programs or members-only sites, the subscription sample box craze has blown up from the most generic to offering customized solutions.

Sample boxes are a great way to discover new products, get travel-sized editions of your favorite products, and as I have recently experienced, excellent gift ideas. Most of these sites have great rewards and brand ambassador programs where you can accrue points for free gifts and discounted full-sized products.

L to R: Birchbox, Conscious Box, Crave Box

After meeting the founders of Birchbox, I was an early adopter of their monthly subscription service and continue to write reviews of their products for the sensitive skin and allergy crew. See January, February, and March.

There are new subscription services popping up every week, so find out which sample box works for your beauty and lifestyle needs:

(in alphabetical order – no preferences or endorsements here!)

 

Beauty Box 5

www.beautybox5.com

  • Breakdown: This company made a splash at the 2012 SXSW’s StyleX conference with their Tiffany blue boxes
  • Price: $12/monthly $30/quarterly $100 yearly
  • Products: Feature great local and international brands like Weleda, LA Fresh, and Supergoop

 

Birchbox

www.birchbox.com

  • Breakdown: Founded by two Harvard MBAs, one of the original beauty sample subscriptions features product customization and a full destination site for videos and tips.
  • Price: $10/month
  • Products: Luxury and mainstream brands include Ahava, Essie, Stila, Nars, Origins

 

Conscious Box

www.consciousbox.com

  • Breakdown: Environmentally conscious products from organic to vegan, including beauty, lifestyle and food.
  • Price: $12/monthly + $7 shipping, $33/quarterly + $7 shipping, $64/yearly + $7 shipping
  • Products: VerMints, Kind Bars, Honest Kids Tea, organic candles, natural lip balm

 

Crave Box

www.cravebox.com

  • Breakdown: Recently launched, goes beyond beauty to include items for hobbies, pets and home. They offer subscription boxes and limited editions that can be won.
  • Price: $10/monthly
  • Products: NYX mascara, Puristics eye treatment, Mercy recovery drinks

 

Curlbox

www.curlbox.com

  • Breakdown: The ultimate box for all things curly and natural hair. Packed with samples and full collections from mainstream and independent brands for all types of ethnic and curly hair.
  • Price: $20/monthly
  • Products: Hair Rules, Ouidad, Shea Moisture, Karen’s Body Beautiful

 

Glossybox USA

www.glossybox.com

  • Breakdown: This British sensation is set to launch soon in the U.S.
  • Price: TBA
  • Products: Global brands include Dermalogica, Chloé, Clarins, Bobbi Brown

 

The Look Bag

www.thelookstore.com/thelookbag

  • Breakdown: Online beauty shop TheLookStore.com partnered with celebrity beauty therapist Damone Roberts to bring customized picks. The Look Bag subscribers also receive 20% off The Look Store’s shop.
  • Price: $10/month
  • Products: Top picks from Damone Roberts include Cattiva, S.S. Soap, Frownies

 

Sample Society

www.beautybar.com/samplesociety

  • Breakdown: Recently launched venture between beautybar.com and Allure Magazine
  • Price: $15/month
  • Products: 5 deluxe-sized samples from beauty brands like Murad, Stila, and Oscar de la Renta fragrance. Includes 1-year Allure subscription.

 

What are your favorite beauty sample subscription services?

Taste the beautiful life ~ Alicia

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Get The Look: Styled by June Series Premiere

Hey Rosés,

Welcome to the Juniverse…

 

 via Vh1

Last night, celebrity stylist and NYC-based fashion icon June Ambrose, debuted her new show on Vh1 “Styled By June.” Known for dressing A-listers like Jay-Z, Kelly Ripa and Rihanna, the “Curator of Style” is also a trendsetter in her own right, popularizing the turban and head-to-toe color blocking.

(2nd L to R) Rachel Roy, June Ambrose, Mischa Barton, and Byrdie Bell via StyleBistro

Her reality show not only highlights the celebrities she styles, but it also gives us a glimpse into the various roles a fashion stylist plays, from glam squad to therapist to cheerleader. In episode one, June’s mission is to re-brand starlet Mischa Barton (from tv show The OC) from being a paparazzi princess into a red carpet queen. As Misha is preparing to launch her new handbag line, June carefully crafts a comeback, sending her to red carpet events like the Style360 party and front row at the Naeem Khan Spring 2012 New York Fashion Week show. At the end of the episode, she not only successfully thrusts Mischa back into the spotlight, she taught us how to shop in our closets and quickly fix wardrobe malfunctions.

(L to R) Rachel, June, Eli

June’s professionalism and straight-forward persona is balanced by her dramatic assistants: socialite Rachel Heller, and the ambitious duke of one-liners Eli Wasserman“I can be your best girlfriend or that yeast infection that doesn’t go away.” *blank stare*

The best accessory of the night was June’s amazing color spectrum of lips! Check out how to recreate her day to night looks with these allergy-friendly lip lovers:

 

Muted Brick Red Lips

Recommended: Clinique Long Last Lipstick in Red Red Red

Purchase: $15 bloomingdales.com

The Clinique brand is continuously tested for allergic reactions, and great for acne-prone and sensitive skin. Muted red lips will take you from daytime power moves to evening dance moves.

Ingredients: Ricinus Communis (castor) Seed Oil, Euphorbia Cerifra (candelilla) Wax\Candelilla cera\Cire de Candelilla, Isopropyl Palmitate, Phenyl Trimethicone, Dipentaerythrityl Hexahydroxystearate/ Hexastearate/ Hexarosinate, Octyldodecanol, Diisostearyl Adipate, Microcrystalline Wax\Cera Microcristallina\Cire Microcristalline, Ceresin, Ozokerite, Triticum Vulgare (white bran) Extract, Olea Europaea (olive) Fruit Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Lecithin, Linoleic Acid, Tocopheryl Linoleate/Oleate, Octyldodecyl Myristate, Cholestrol, Glyceryl Rosinate.

 

Matte Pale Pink Lips

Recommended: Bobbi Brown Lip Color in Pink

Purchase: $23 barneys.com

For a soft daytime look go with a pastel or pale pink colored lipstick. A matte texture will tone down the shine so you don’t actually look like a Barbie doll.

Ingredients: N/A

 

Sheer Nude All Season Lips

Recommended: CoverGirl NatureLuxe Gloss Balm SPF 15 in Clay

Purchase: $5.99 drugstore.com

This moisturizing balm is from Cover Girl’s natural collection. You can apply a nude color or get a subtle hint of color while your lips are protected from the sun with SPF 15.

Active Ingredients: Octinoxate (7%)
Inactive Ingredients: 
Ricinus Communis (Castor Seed) Oil (Castor), Lanolin Oil, Polybutene, Lanolin, Ozokerite, Oleyl Alcohol, Euphorbia Cerifera (Candelilla Cera) Wax (Candelilla), Ethylhexyl Hydroxystearate, Cetyl Alcohol, Paraffin, Acetylated Lanolin Alcohol, Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter (Cocoa), Mangifera Indica (Mango) Seed Butter (Mango), Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter) Fruit (Shea), Fragrance, Glyceryl Oleate, Cocos Nucifera Oil (Coconut), Propylparaben, Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E), Aloe Vera (Aloe Barbadensis) Extract, Ascorbyl Palmitate (Vitamin C), Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Propylene Glycol, May Contain (+/-):, Titanium Dioxide, Yellow 5 Aluminum Lake, Red 6 Lake, Iron Oxides, Bismuth Oxychloride (CI 77163), Red 7 Lake, Red 27 Lake (CI 45410), Blue 1 Lake (CI 42090), Carmine (CI 75470)

 

What was your favorite look on Styled By June?

Taste the beautiful life ~ Alicia

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