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.

April Beauty Army Review

I got a three month subscription for Beauty Army from Rue La La for free (more details on how that happened in my March review), and my first box was decent.  I can't say the same for my April box.

I know I already said this in my last review, but the reason why I hadn't been interested in Beauty Army prior to the Rue La La sale was because I never liked the products they gave me to choose from.  You can choose six out of nine samples to make up your kit, but the variety was usually pretty terrible.  After a bit of refreshing for March I was able to get a decent selection, but April's was downright terrible.  I finally just shipped the box because I was tired of messing around with the selection survey and realized I wasn't going to get anything that good no matter what I did.

Normally this box would have cost me $12 and I would have been pretty annoyed if I had actually paid for it.  Three out of my six samples were hair treatments, and the other three are samples I would never want nor use.  I am really disappointed in this box and I definitely will not be renewing my subscription once my third month is over.

• Nelson J Beverly Hills Argan Oil 7 Moisture Healing Mask in Rosemary Mint - This is the only product I've used so far and it smells nice but doesn't have great efficacy.  I've used a lot of other hair masks and argan treatments and usually my hair feels baby soft after.  My hair feels no different after using this mask, so I wouldn't recommend it.
• Kate Somerville Anti-Aging/Discoloration CC Cream - I just picked this because there was nothing else to choose from.  It's a tiny foil packet.
• Novex Brazilian Keratin Care Cream - Normally I would be excited about a keratin product, but this one looks like something you would pick up at the dollar store.  I can look past the cheap packaging in hopes that it will work well, but I was not happy that mine had leaked and had product all over the cap and the rest of my samples.
• Burt's Bees Brightening Dark Spot Corrector - I have no need for this, but again, there was nothing else worthwhile to choose so I just picked it.
• Cotz Face Sunscreen for Natural Skin Tone - Sunscreens are boring, but I picked this because I figured that it's something I at least needed.
• Agave Healing Oil Treatment - This is another argan sample.  I hate when samples come in those types of packets because they're hard to store.  I hope that this will work well on my hair at least.

Bottom Line: This Beauty Army box was terrible.  Again, I'm just glad it didn't cost me anything because it would have been a waste of money.  I'm hoping that the Novex Keratin treatment works well, otherwise there was nothing in this box that I really cared for.  I really hope that my May products will be a lot better, but I won't hold my breath.

*Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post.

March Beauty Army Review

I've known about Beauty Army for a long time and I never was interested in subscribing because nothing on their site really struck my fancy.  I changed my mind, though, when Rue La La had a sale for $21 for a three-month subscription.  I actually was able to get it for free since I had $25 in credit on the site, so I figured, why not give it a try?

If you haven't heard of Beauty Army, they're a monthly beauty subscription that costs $12 a month.  They're unique from most other beauty boxes because each month you're able to choose six samples that you want to receive.  The reason I wasn't interested in trying Beauty Army sooner was because I never cared for the samples they provided for me.  You can't pick exactly what you want, you have to fill out a questionnaire and then choose six of nine samples that populate for you.

The first thing I noticed about Beauty Army that I really liked was their packaging.  The box itself is pink and very sturdy and could definitely be reused to wrap a gift in in the future.  Since you choose your samples there isn't an informational card, just a card that gives you beauty tips.

I wasn't in love with very many items and I kept changing my answers on the survey to try to get better products, but I finally settled on this selection:

• Montagne Jeunesse Red Earth Clay Spa Mask - This was definitely my favorite item from the bunch because it smelled amazing!  I like clay masks because I have oily skin and the clay helps to balance that out.  This one was one of those fabric masks and it had cinnamon in it, which was what made it smell so nice.  After using it my skin felt nice and smooth.
• Every Beauty Makeup Remover Pads - I haven't used these yet because, frankly, I keep forgetting that I have them.  I use makeup removing wipes every day, so I'll have to just put these out in a visible spot so that I remember to try them.
• ama.la Hydrate Trio - My main complaint about Beauty Army is that a lot of their samples are foil packets, like this set.  It came with single-use packets of a face wash, mask, and moisturizer.  While I did enjoy using them, one use definitely is not enough for skin care because you have no way of knowing how well it will work on your skin in the long run.
• Amlactin Moisturizing Body Lotion - I needed a new travel-sized lotion for my desk at work, which was why I selected this sample.  The consistency is kind of weird, my hands felt a bit sticky after applying it.  It's not my favorite lotion I've ever used.
• Dermis8 Exfoliating Soap Bar - I'm waiting to run out of my current face wash before I start using this, but it looks promising.  It contains carrot extract and looks like it'll be pretty good for exfoliation.

Bottom Line: Overall I wasn't in love with this box, but it certainly wasn't terrible.  I ended up enjoying most of the samples, I just wish that there were more available in the selection shop.  Beauty Army has tons of great brands in their store, but I feel like all of the actual samples you can choose from are from companies I've never heard of that could be purchased at your local drugstore.

*Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post.