Beauty Army has you take a quiz based on your hair and skin type, preferred makeup and nail looks, and what types of samples you'd like to receive (i.e. makeup, haircare, fragrance). Their system then generates 9 samples based on the quiz. If you like what you see, you select 6 of the 9 samples and finish your order. Don't see 6 things you like? No problem, just retake the quiz! Personally, I love getting multi-use samples instead of foil packets, and I choose my items accordingly. The fun thing about that is the items just barely fit in the box this month!
In fact, it popped open as soon as I took the shipping sleeve off:
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| Hmmm... maybe it's saluting me? |
Oh and the pink box this month? Adorable! It's lined with pink & white camo, and this is what I saw when I opened the lid:
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| Well, Happy Birthday! |
The January boxes mark one year that Beauty Army has been "deploying" boxes, and they're offering a special gift this month. In addition to the standard 6 samples, you can also pick a mascara from mark. in either brown or black. I chose the black one, and it will be the mascara that travels in my purse for the next few months.
Here's what I saw when I unwrapped the tissue:
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| SO MUCH PINK! |
Awesomeness! The mascara was right on top, tied up in a little bow. While it's not the size of a typical mascara, it is considered a full-size item from the mark. hook up line, and retails for $6.50.
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| In a pic at the end, I'll show you how the "hook up" thing works |
The next thing I took out was the Skynn Cosmetics Twin Set in Coral Poppy. This is a full-size item that retails for $18.50. It's dual-ended, with lipstick at one end, and a matching lip gloss at the other. Now, a pale-skinned, hazel-eyed woman with dark brown hair has no business wearing anything coral. And actually, I picked this item in hopes that I could find someone to trade with and take it off my hands. I was very happy to find a happy home for this little guy with a fellow beauty lover from MakeupTalk.com!
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| So beautiful, and yet, so wrong for me... *sigh* |
I was very happy to get this eyeshadow pigment from Whip Hand Cosmetics! They're an up-and-coming makeup company based in Detroit, and they've teamed up with Beauty Army to do an exclusive set of four shades. This is the third one. I missed the first one, called Locked & Loaded, that came in the November boxes, but it's brown, and I already have a brown eyeshadow pigment. I got the Green Beret shade in my December Beauty Army box, and it's a gorgeous, subtle, sparkly green. This month they're featuring the shade Special Forces. It's a sheer, shimmery peach, and is such a perfect neutral shade. I can't wait to try it out! The sample looks tiny (the jar is about the size of a quarter), but you need such a tiny amount to cover your eyelids that these little jars can last months! A full size (0.1 oz) from Whip Hand Cosmetics is $14, so this .02 oz sample is worth about $2.80.
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| Small, but powerful! |
The next item has actually gotten some people complaining. It's a Bath & Body Works travel sized shower gel, and many people think that this is a sub-par item. Personally, I think it's a great choice, as I can try some scents I normally wouldn't have gone for. I chose the scent Japanese Cherry Blossom, and it smells divine! This was the biggest item in my box this month, at 3 fl oz, and retails for $5.
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| Spa in a bottle! Yay me! |
Now, who doesn't like to play evil scientist? I may not be taking over the world, but I will be mixing up some beautiful chemisty with this next item! It's a trial size of the Grand Central Beauty Skin Perfecting Mask. This mask uses marine elements to do all sorts of fun & crazy things like reducing redness and brightening skin. The full size retails for $75 (yikes!), and has about 4 uses, which means this sample is worth $18.75.
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| MUAHAHAHAHA!!! |
Normally, I don't go for individual use foil packets, but I've heard great things about the Macadamia Natural Oil Deep Repair Masque. This hair mask is supposed to improve shine and deeply condition hair. The full size (8.5 fl oz) retails for $33, so the sample of 0.5 fl oz is worth about $1.95.
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| I'm hoping I dig the product as much as the packet design! |
And, last but not least, I got the Karuna Eye Mask. Having two little boys with irregular sleep patterns means that I have developed some seriously dark circles under my eyes. These babies are supposed to reduce puffiness and under-eye circles, and the website recommends sticking the eye masks in the fridge for a few hours before use for an extra soothing treat. Sounds like a plan to me! The full size (4 sets) retails for $36, making this one set worth $9.
So, that's my January Beauty Army Box! And now you see why I recommend retaking your beauty profile until you're happy with your selection. I am so looking forward to trying all of these items (except the Coral Poppy twin set, but I'm looking forward to my trade item! I'll post pics once I get it!). With my obsession of getting larger samples and high end items, I ended up paying $12 for $62.50 worth of products, which doesn't even include the adorable box they came in! Not bad, right?
Oh yes, I promised you a demonstration of the mark. hook up items. Well, in my December Beauty Army box, I got the mark. Glow Baby Glow lip gloss in Blow Kisses. It came with a "hook up", or a little piece of plastic that will connect two different products from the hook up line, including lip glosses, eyeliners, mascaras, concealers, etc. You can connect any two items, and customize the products you need to tuck into a pocket or purse when you go out! Here's what it looks like in action:
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| Glow Baby Glow + Scanda-Lash |
Neat, right? With the bright red gloss and black mascara, I feel like I have a perfect bombshell look that can travel with me!
With all the fun bath and spa stuff this month, I'm leaning towards doing an at-home spa day! It'll give me the chance to use a bunch of samples at once, and I can give my honest review of these items after using them. Stay tuned for an upcoming post about my day of girly fun!
As always, I purchased this Beauty Army box with my own money, they did not request that I review it, and was not compensated by Beauty Army for the review. If you'd like a Beauty Army box of your own, click my referral link here! This is the only referral link, all other links in the post go to the respective company's main webpage. Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed the review as much as I enjoyed writing it!
Love, Leigh
I love that you got some awesome things from BA! My choices are a bit more bland, but that could be because it's my first box selection? Hoping I get better choices as time moves on!
ReplyDeleteI actually retake the quiz a LOT! It also helps to really narrow down on the categories... Choosing only 2 or 3 will help you find the item you want!
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