May Beauty Army Review

My April Beauty Army box was a total dud, but my final box for May was much better.  I bought a three month subscription from Rue La La and decided not to re-subscribe because I wasn't really that impressed with the service.

Beauty Army normally costs $12 a month, and for that price you get to choose six of nine samples from your selection window.  You can fill out a little questionnaire that supposedly tailors samples to your needs, but I found that regardless of what I entered, I was still getting the same samples over and over, and none of them were really that appealing.  All three months I ended up choosing the best of a bunch of less-than-stellar choices, and I didn't get a product I was really excited about in any of the boxes.  It's disappointing because I figured that the ability to choose your samples would lead to some really great boxes, but I've gotten better boxes from Birchbox, where I don't get to choose what I receive.

• English Laundry No. 7 - I normally don't like fragrance samples, but this was actually my favorite sample in the box.  It's sweet and musky, two of my favorite scent profiles, and I just absolutely love it.  I won't be purchasing a full-sized bottle, though, because it costs $90 and that's just way more than I ever want to spend on a perfume.
• Hask Keratin Protein Mask - I reviewed Hask's products a little while ago and I liked them a lot, so since this was available in my sample window I decided to pick it because I knew it would work.
• TheraBreath Oral Rinse and Lozenges - This probably seems like a really weird sample to choose for most people, but I'm a little bit obsessed with having clean teeth and fresh breath, so I figured these would be good for on-the-go.  The rinse has a really light flavor and is alcohol-free, so there's no burn.  I haven't tried the lozenges yet.
• Nelson J Beverly Hills Argan Oil 7-in-1 Non-Foaming Shampoo - Shampoo samples are another thing I have a lot of, but I picked this because there really wasn't anything else that caught my eye.  I haven't tried it yet.
• BH Cosmetics California Collection Palette - I've seen this little palette sample all over the beauty box world (from Ipsy to LBB and probably beyond), and I picked it because I do enjoy eyeshadows, and again, there wasn't much else to choose from.
• Juice Beauty Green Apple Age Defy Moisturizer - I really like Juice Beauty's products, so I knew that I would like this moisturizer.  I use it at night and it's got a light, silky formula.

Bottom Line: Would I recommend Beauty Army?  Based on this experience, clearly not.  I think that if you see some brands in your sample window that you really like then you should definitely give it a try, but I just wasn't ever that impressed by what they had to offer.  I wish they would get some more high-end brands to sample; maybe then I would be interested in subscribing again.

*Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post.