Sample Society

[ladygrey]

I was very, very close to buying one. It's tempting! But I decided I would much rather take that money and spend it on something that I actually like and want. These mystery boxes are always so enticing, but I wasn't willing to pay 20 or 30 bucks to find out if it was worth it!

Originally Posted by sihaya /img/forum/go_quote.gif



I agree boo!! But it's not like I need more of this stuff- i am an addict and need a 12-step program for these beauty subs

 

[MissLindaJean]

For those who ordered mystery boxes, have you received tracking info yet? Mine is due to arrive some time Thursday.

 

[VegasLover75]

Originally Posted by MissLindaJean /img/forum/go_quote.gif
For those who ordered mystery boxes, have you received tracking info yet? Mine is due to arrive some time Thursday.

Yes, mine should be here Wednesday.  Can't wait!

 

[goldenmeans]

I got my box today!

Philosophy Field of Flowers shower gel (full size)
Clark's Botanicals Ultra Rich Lip Tint in Carlotta Pink (full size)
Bliss High Intensity Hand Cream (1oz)
Alterna Caviar Hair Spray (travel size)

 

[Playedinloops]

That is a pretty nice box...was that the 20 or 30 dollar one? 

 

[ladygrey]

That is a pretty good box!

 

[Scawolita]

Do you guys think there will b many variations of both the $20 & $30 boxes?

 

[MissLindaJean]

Well, so far every SS monthly box has been the same. So I don't see why the mystery boxes would be different... I think that's the $20 box, from the contents and value. Pretty cool!

 

[goldenmeans]

Yeah, it's the $20 box.
 

 

[Bflopolska]

Originally Posted by goldenmeans /img/forum/go_quote.gif

I got my box today!

Philosophy Field of Flowers shower gel (full size)

Clark's Botanicals Ultra Rich Lip Tint in Carlotta Pink (full size)

Bliss High Intensity Hand Cream (1oz)

Alterna Caviar Hair Spray (travel size)

My $30 box was different, so I think we have a little departure for the monthly sample format! Because I can't seem to get my pictures uploaded I have to do this the old-fashioned way...I received a Philosophy lip gloss in Peaches and Cream, which is really a very pale sparkly nude; a Caudalie foaming face cleanser; a Butter London nail polish, the name of the color I forget but it's a very light, pale nude-beige; and the piece de resistance, a Lorac Baked eye shadow and bronzer set. Everything is full size except the tube of bronzer in the set, and that's maybe 2 oz. All in all, a good box!

I have to admit I'm a sucker for these things, which is why I have 6 subs to begin with. This was a nice change from the usual monthly offerings. I liked that BeautyBar mentioned the brands in the initial email, without getting too specific--nice show of transparency on their part. Maybe they know about disasters like Gogo Girlfriend and the plastic manure they routinely sent, when they bothered to send anything at all.

 

[MissLindaJean]

Pretty nice ladies; I'm getting a $20 box and am excited.. I love me some Philosophy! The contents of both look appealing, which is nice. Also, I don't see Sample Society sending out "plastic manure" lol... They have better taste and business sense...

 

[MissLindaJean]

I also wonder if this will happen every few months, to mix it up and keep subbers interested. There are a lot of companies trying to lure customers and with Glossybox starting up, SS has to step up the game. I am betting they'll still focus on hair/skincare, but toss in high end make up from time to time. I'd be happy getting a new Butter London or lippie product from their companies every month lol.

 

[yanelib27]

Originally Posted by MissLindaJean /img/forum/go_quote.gif
I also wonder if this will happen every few months, to mix it up and keep subbers interested. There are a lot of companies trying to lure customers and with Glossybox starting up, SS has to step up the game. I am betting they'll still focus on hair/skincare, but toss in high end make up from time to time. I'd be happy getting a new Butter London or lippie product from their companies every month lol.

This was a mystery box offered by beautyBar, nothing to do with Sample Society.

But I agree, that WOULD be nice!

 

[Bflopolska]

Originally Posted by MissLindaJean /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Pretty nice ladies; I'm getting a $20 box and am excited.. I love me some Philosophy! The contents of both look appealing, which is nice. Also, I don't see Sample Society sending out "plastic manure" lol... They have better taste and business sense...

You're right, BeautyBar is WAY too classy to pad out a random box with sweatshop-made junk. That's the principal reason I'm staying with Sample Society, even though a couple of the products since March have been kind of "meh." They just might have the best customer service I have ever run into in any sort of business.  

 

[GinaM]

Wow!!  Everything sounds great!!  Makes me wish I had gotten in on it!  Why can't they put the lip stuff and nail polish in our regular boxes?!

 

[Playedinloops]

Originally Posted by MissLindaJean /img/forum/go_quote.gif
I also wonder if this will happen every few months, to mix it up and keep subbers interested. There are a lot of companies trying to lure customers and with Glossybox starting up, SS has to step up the game. I am betting they'll still focus on hair/skincare, but toss in high end make up from time to time. I'd be happy getting a new Butter London or lippie product from their companies every month lol.

They just had a Stila mascara in sample society.

 

[Bflopolska]

Originally Posted by GinaM /img/forum/go_quote.gif

Wow!!  Everything sounds great!!  Makes me wish I had gotten in on it!  Why can't they put the lip stuff and nail polish in our regular boxes?!

I'm taking a stab at this, but I think that things like cleansers, primers and eye makeup removers are among the cheapest to produce and mass-package, so it's easier to fill boxes and gifts with those things. Mascara, too. I regularly go to the Estee Lauder and Lancome counters when they have their gifts so I can restock my favorite skin care and treatments, and get my goodies. Almost without exception each line includes a mascara and an eye makeup remover. I have not had to buy a mascara in years, and I'm swimming in remover. I'd put it up to swap if I weren't so sure everyone else was swimming in it too!

 

[MissLindaJean]

Yes, I realize that, but BeautyBar is the co offering us Sample Society and when we receive our boxes and little "discount" it is on BeautyBar.com that we are able to use them, right? So maybe this is their way of staying competitive without doing the "sponsered" box thing like BB.

Originally Posted by yanelib27 /img/forum/go_quote.gif

This was a mystery box offered by beautyBar, nothing to do with Sample Society.

But I agree, that WOULD be nice!

 Yes, they did. which is great and I've been happy to receive all my little boxes from them. There were lots of complaints to them on FB about offering more "makeup" items and stuff like that. Yet, when they sent out the Stila mascara and powder poofy thing, people were still peeved because it wasn't....whatever enough for them..lol. I liked everything in all my boxes, but whether or not I really will use them is a different story.

Originally Posted by Playedinloops /img/forum/go_quote.gif

They just had a Stila mascara in sample society.

 

[MissLindaJean]

Either way...hopefully BeautyBar will run another mystery box in another few months..very cool and am pleased. I don't mind paying the $15 month for this sub to Sample Society because I do like the discount and I like the products they're offering. The Mystery box has been the icing on the cake, so to speak. I also like that I can shop between their sponsered sites and use one checkout. Now, if they added a points system, I'd be in heaven!!

 

[Bflopolska]

Originally Posted by MissLindaJean /img/forum/go_quote.gif

Yes, I realize that, but BeautyBar is the co offering us Sample Society and when we receive our boxes and little "discount" it is on BeautyBar.com that we are able to use them, right? So maybe this is their way of staying competitive without doing the "sponsered" box thing like BB.

And it's pretty savvy of them, I think. I love BB but I'm getting kind of tired of having "celebrity" this-and-that flung at me from every direction. My last box was great, and I'm swimming in Miss Dior because of it, but I really don't care for Gossip Girl nor any of the programs of its ilk. I would prefer sponsored boxes from companies, similar to how they did it with Vichy.

That being said, I do think this was a smart idea on BeautyBar's part. It was a nice mix of makeup and skincare, and the value was excellent; I'm sure mine met or exceeded the $80 approximate figure. If you can use a discount code, that's a benefit that could easily make up for a points-based reward system. They teased you just enough to pique your interest without giving anything away, and everything sent was the best quality. (I'm thinking of the Gogo Girlfriend deluxe boxes, which were a real crapshoot; or the ones I used to order from various catalogs when I was in my teens, which had a lot of stuff in them but they were a mix of high-end makeup and dreadful junk like bristle-shedding plastic face brushes...come to think of it, I think GGG was the next generation of that mess.)