Sunday, December 23, 2012

Beauty Army December Box- First Impressions


There was nothing in this box that I was super excited to try and a couple things that I really could do without but oh well. You have the option of only picking the items you actually want and not actually getting six items but I figured since I’m gonna pay for it anyway I guess I might as well actually try something. I have the items in order of excitement level.

Fiafini Delicate Cleansing Emulsion
Sample size- dinky little packet
Original size- $28 for 4 oz at beatuyarmy.com (I found this as low as $11 at amazon.com)

This was the thing I felt the most stirrings of excitement for. I have oily, acne-prone, and sensitive skin and any gentle cleanser that really works is welcome. This cleanser claims to also be anti-aging with Marula oil and says it is fragrance free, alcohol-free, and paraben-free as well as cruelty free. I like that. Unfortunately a pathetic foil packet is not really enough to tell how well it will work long term. But it is fairly reasonably priced so if I think it will work well I may decide to try out the full-sized version. A full-review will follow after I have actually used it.

Mark Hook Up Lip Gloss in Honey
This was a full-sized sample and is $6.50 at beautyarmy.com ($5 at amazon.com)

A full-sized sample of lip gloss is never a bad thing. I don’t do a lot of make-up but I would be more likely to do lip gloss than lip stick and this color is a nice natural pink color. I have heard of the brand and actually have wanted to try it out. It’s a little stickier than I would like when you first put it on but once its dried a little its not so bad. It doesn’t add much color to your lips, just a little shine, which is fine with me. It has a light and refreshing mint taste that adds a little bit of tingle.

Macadamia Natural Oil Deep Repair Masque
Sample size- dinky foil packet
Original size- $33 for 8.5 oz at beautyarmy.com ($11.99 at cosmeu.com)

I am always open to trying new hair products. This is a deep conditioner to use after normal shampooing. It has macadamia and argan oils (I have had good luck with argan oil in the past but never used macadamia oil). I only hope that the foil packet will actually cover my hair. Usually they don’t. A full review will follow.

Nelson J Argan Oil 7 Non-Foaming Shampoo
Sample size- 1 oz
Original size- $36 for two 8 oz bottles at beautyarmy.com

I like argan oil products so I am a little excited to use this and am pleased that there is more than a foil packet. Still not really enough to fully test it but still. Its better than nothing. I am concerned that it won’t clean my hair fully. Non-foaming sounds ominous to me, plus with the argan oil I’m afraid it will leave my hair greasy. But I will let you know. I’m also confused about there not being conditioner. I guess I’ll try it without conditioner and see what happens.

Emani Minerals Foundation Primer and Hydrating Serum
Sample size- dinky foil packet
Original size- $28 for 0.84 oz at beautyarmy.com

This was one of those “okay, I have to pick another thing but nothing looks horribly appealing so I’ll just click something” kind of things. I don’t really use foundation hardly ever because it tends to clog my pores and honestly I just really don’t have the time to do it everyday (read; I have the time I just choose not to take the time). But on the rare occasion that I actually wear foundation for something like a wedding or fancy night out, this may come in handy. And actually as I’m reading through the little blurb they have about it, it almost sounds like this could just be used as a moisturizer. It claims to absorb oil, nourish and moisturize skin (all good things) and says it has chamomile, witch hazel, and aloe in it, which are all very calming for blemishes. So I am slightly more happy about this now. But a tiny foil packet isn’t really enough to tell how it would work on my skin long term. And this is rather expensive to use as a daily moisturizer. Anyway, I’ll try it on its own and with foundation and I’ll let you know.

Ruddy Water Blushed Towelettes
Sample size- 1 towelette
Original size- $22 for 24 towelettes

This one was really just a throw away. I didn’t want to forfeit my sixth item but the remaining four products were not appealing to me. So, I chose the one I thought I might, maybe use. Someday. Oh wait. Hold the phone. See, this is what I get for not thoroughly reading through all of the products. Okay, so I was under the impression this was a moist towelette for on-the-go hand cleaning (you know like wet ones?). But as I am reading the information on it, its actually a perfume towelette. Like for putting perfume on. Now who feels like a dumb blonde? Lets start over. I’m still not that excited about this because I’ll obviously only be able to use it once. And to make matters worse my towelette was all dried out and hardly transferred any smell over. I do like the smell though. It’s a warm vanilla smell with just a touch of musk. I don’t usually like musk but when its this warm and paired with vanilla it smells good. I wouldn‘t buy the towelettes though. If anything I would buy the actual perfume. I have so much perfume already that I doubt that will be happening. But here goes. Roller ball of unknown size $16.50 and blooming mist of unknown size $12 at shop.ruddywater.com

According to my calculations, this box is worth almost $19. Good I guess for $12 but not much more than $12. I am cheap and a big fan of getting more than my money’s worth (way more if possible) and I really don’t feel totally satisfied with what I got for my $12. There are too many foil packets for my liking. But I will keep my comments to myself I guess until I actually try the rest of the products.

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