Sample Society- March 2014

Again, this is a pretty good box. It is one that has a couple of items that I will not use, but the value is still in the items that I will try.

PRODUCT LIST:

*Oscar Blandi Texture and Volume Spray-No real smell, not sticky, and not powdery. I am excited to give this a go. This is worth $5.25
*Alterna Caviar CC Cream 10 in 1- This is a leave in hair cream from a great brand. Another item that I look forward to. This product is worth 12.95
*Jane Iredale Tantasia- This product is $7.14/oz, it has no size on it. I would say this is worth about $3. I gave this a go on the back of my hand and it seems a bit useless. I have not liked any products that I have from this brand.
*Murad Clarifying Cleanser- This is worth $2.68/oz and is two ounces. Making this worth $5.36
*Jane Tran Clips- I may use one of them. Price is $12.50/six pack- making this worth $4


This box was worth $30.56....and I cant wait until next month!

Samples.....

 Freebies! Muah ha ha.

These all came from www.pinchme.com When you sign up for that site, they will send you an email about once a month saying their freebie store is open. It is first come first serve, so they run out quickly. You get to pick up to three items (if there are enough) and they take about a month to reach you.

Pretty self explanatory--- Gevalia Sample, two Suave lotions, and a shampoo sample.

Blush Mystery Beauty Box- March 2014....and why I am cancelling

Let me start by saying that their customer service is amazing. Anytime I have had an issue and called- I have had a full sized item shipped to me practically overnight. Once I commented on a video of theirs- and they called me the next day. Their CSRs are bright and genuine.

Now, the reason I am cancelling.... I have had this subscription for a year now. As it has become more popular- the products have become blah and also have gotten smaller. This box used to have almost all full size products with a couple of deluxe travel sizes and then two extra samples (that come with all orders from their site). Blush has also overloaded their customers with skincare. This box was supposed to be a mix of skin, hair, and makeup. I use at least one of their skincare products  every night- and have still managed to fill a drawer in my fridge with more masks, lotions, and exfoliators that I received in the box. Last months box was great, I thought that it was getting better and that I wouldn't cancel. I was hoping they were transitioning back to the days of nail polish and baublebar...of shampoos and full size soaps. Nope, this month was the worst yet. This box had the lowest value in the past year, and was a bunch of small samples. The two full sized items? A washcloth (which, after doing research, comes free with a set from a skincare line---- which btw is another issue with the box, many items are not supposed to be sold outside of their gift packs) and a face lotion (never would have guessed lol). Oh, and people got different sized samples this month also!

 

In the box:

*Suki Washcloth- no value, free gift with purchase- and it came with a shiny gold 'made in china' sticker the size of that logo...lol

*Talika  Eye Therapy Patches, One Set- Apparently you can use these 2-3 times, interesting. Three sets are $44....Which values this at about 14.50.

*Strivectin SD- This is something I have always wanted to try. I received the .75 oz sample and it says it should be good for 3 weeks of usage. A full size is worth $130 dollars  and is 5 oz. Making this worth $19.50.

* DCL UltraLight Hydrator- Full size, $25

*Sarah McNamera Microdermabrahsion- This is $22 for a 2oz bottle. This sample is worth $5.50

*Paula's Choice BHA Liquid Exfoliant- A full size is 4oz and $23. This sample is worth $5.75.

*Laura Geller Primer- This is the same size as the free ones from Sephora. A full size is $25 and 1.6 oz. This sample has a value of $8.

*Skinceutcals Hydrating B5 Gel- No size marked. It seems to be a consensus that it is worth $5.

Keep in mind that my prices are based on the price when you buy from the company, not the marked up value off of the dermstore/blush website. One thing I am happy with, is that most of these items are sealed.


Value----- $83.25 According to the site, this box is worth over $100 and that is not the case.

Popping my BZZAGENT cherry....

This past week, I received my first bzzagent product to review. For those who have not heard of the site....bzzagent.com is a site that has campaigns. For each campaign, they send out full size products to select people (along with coupons and information to share with friends). Then the tester has about two months to try the product and give their opinion...

I received Nasacort. Thankfully, this is coming at the perfect time- I have end of Winter allergies. I will give an opinion and review once I have used it. In the meantime, here is a link to some info :)

http://www.drugs.com/nasacort.html

EDIT: this campaign was cancelled.

Dandy Walkers.....

http://www.dandy-walker.org

Dandy Walker Syndrome is a cause near to my brain and heart. Though I really haven't been too active in the cause as an adult- I have recently started to be more vocal with sharing information. This is in part to one of my best friends having two children that are affected. For those of you who are unaware of this condition- to have one child is rare, but to have two siblings that are affected- that is unheard of. Thankfully, places/groups such as the Dandy Walker Alliance and the Seattle Children’s Research Institute/Hospital are working on awareness and finding ways to foretell and treat.

https://www.facebook.com/dandywalker

Now, you may have noticed that I said it was a cause close to my brain and my heart. My heart is those girls and the other children that are affected with severe malformations. My brain...well, that is me. I was born with a slight variant that was not noticed until I was in my teens. Even then, the doctor decided that 'if it hasnt affected me yet, then it wont' due to my brain growing around the cyst at the base. They discovered it when I began to get severe migraines- which I still have and have yet to find out the source of (I just know I am allergic to almost all medications and that my migraines last for days at a time). Unfortunately, as I get older tremors and brain lapses seem to be happening- and can relate back to my variant. Still, I am grateful that I do not have a severe case that would be causing extreme impairment.

So, please....look into this syndrome, become aware, and if you would like a wrist band to support the cause- let me know :)

Freebies...

This is my 'haul' for the last couple of weeks or so.

BREAKDOWN

*Snickers- this was from their superbowl promotion and is for one free candy bar.
*Kotex- Kotex.com is always offering samples, and of course I accept. This time was pads and pantyliners :)
*McDonald's gift card- Klout.com....I love klout.com

And the most awesome freebie?

A shredder..... Seriously....Staples had a coupon for $25 off any shredder, and they had one for 24.50. I added a 1.29 pack of pens and paid no shipping. Just the pens and their tax.