I had been watching all these reviews on Youtube for ‘beauty sample box’ subscriptions a couple of months ago, so last month I decided to jump on the sample box bandwagon and sign up for December’s ilovethisbox, box. Here is my review of the December box.

Today I received my first box from ilovethisbox, the December box. Being one of the newest Beauty sample box subscriptions in Australia, this is only the second box that ilovethisbox have sent out. I think this company’s customer service is great, but my first impression after opening the December box, was that it was a bit disappointing. The boxed seemed a bit ’empty’ after seeing what had been in their first box (November).

After I opened the box up and looked through the items, smelled them etc. I wasn’t as disappointed with some of the items inside as I first thought. That goes to show that you, that can’t always rely on first impressions.

What’s in the box (and my honest opinion of the products)

Magnolia snowflake pendant- This pendant is really cute, there isn’t a dollar value for this item, as it is a Free gift with purchases of $119 or more in their online store. The only downside is that it didn’t come with a chain. If I were to give it to someone as a gift, I would have liked it to be on a chain, but other than that it’s really pretty and it is handcrafted from 925 sterling silver. (you can really tell it has been handcrafted)

Adorn Face and Body Bronzer-  I don’t like or use Body bronzers/tanning products, but on the little card that comes in the box, it says that it can also be used as a contour, blush or eye shadow. So, I may try that. The sample pot is very small, but will be enough to use as an eye shadow and maybe as a blush.

Gatineau Personalized Skin Care Samples (intense nourishing body lotion)- Unfortunately, this wasn’t ‘personalized’ for me. On my beauty profile, I chose the option that my skin would be described as being ‘Combination (oily t-zone)’ but I was sent body lotion for dry skin. It smells great and I’m sure it works really well, but the sample size is tiny…it is literally the size of my pinky finger! Hardly enough to ‘try’ a body lotion.

Simply Organic lip balm (full size)- As someone who has way too many lip balms and lip glosses to count, I was pretty happy over all with this lip balm. I am not a big fan of organic lip balms because most of them tend to just smell like bees wax or herb/floral, but this one was nice. What I could smell the most was the orange and vanilla. On the card that came with the box, there was a different brand of lip balm listed, so you weren’t able to see the ingredients or what scent it was meant to be, but I searched for the lip balm online and found the details that should have been on the card.

“Simply Organic USDA Certified Organic Lip Balm is  formulated with certified organic ingredients. It’s a brilliant lip treatment for healing dry, chapped lips.

For the best results: Apply liberally to lips before and after exposure to sun, wind or dry environments or just to keep your lips looking their best!”

Ingredients: Sunflower Oil (Helianthus annus), Beeswax (Cera alba), Coconut Oil (Cocus nucifera), Orange Oil (Citrus sinensis), Vanilla (vanilla planifolia), Aloe Vera (Aloe barbadensis), Tocopherol

Simply Organic Everyday wash + rinse- These two items seem quite small at only 60ml per bottle. They aren’t quite full-sized, but they aren’t really ‘sample’ size either. I had a quick search for them online and on the Simply Organic online store they are listed as costing $8.60AU for the 60ml shampoo and $9.35AU (weird price) for the Conditioner, so the price of them alone exceeds the price of the box! ($14.95 per month). I guess, it wasn’t what I expected after seeing that the November box had full-sized (200ml) bottles of Shampoo and conditioner. I’m not sure if I will try them yet, as I prefer salon or regular shampoo and conditioner. Their scent is too ‘herb’ smelling for me, but it is good that they are organic because at least then you know there will be less (or possibly no) product build up or excess residue.

Wonderstruck by Taylor Swift (2x 1.2ml samples)- I was a little disappointed with these samples, not because I don’t like the perfume (I think it smells nice)…it is because I have already ‘tried’ this perfume at Myer last month. If there were to be any perfume samples in the December box, I expected it to be of a perfume that was at least released in December, not one that has been on the shelves in Australia since November 14.

Also in the box, not as an item, but just as something ‘extra’ was a red glittery Christmas bauble. I love sparkly things, so this was cute…but unfortunately my bauble was missing the top of it, so I am unable to hang it on my tree.

ilovethisbox offered to replace my box because of my broken Bauble, I said to them that it did not matter as it was only the Bauble that was damaged. I mentioned to them that my skincare sample did not suit my needs and while I was only stating it as feedback, they said they would send me another box anyway. I did not ask for a replacement box and I think that it is very generous of them. I appreciate the effort they are going to, to make sure their subscribers are happy.

Some people loved December’s box, while others were extremely disappointed. There’s that saying ‘you can’t please everyone’ and it’s true! I am looking forward to seeing what comes inside January’s box in 2012! These types of companies appear to be a bit hit and miss. One month you may love what’s in your box, then the next month you may be really disappointed and want to unsubscribe. That’s fine, but you might kick yourself if you see that there was something in the next box you wanted.

(wow, this is the longest post I’ve written, thank you if you’ve made it this far. I really appreciate you taking the time to read my whole review)

xoxo Cotton candy diva