A Beautiful World Sampler Beauty Box
I have a confession to make. I have lost my beauty box virginity.
Beauty sampler boxes have really grown in popularity over the last few years, but customer reviews seem to be undecided on whether they’re worth it.
I had been thinking of trying out a beauty box for a while, but none had 100% convinced me, until I heard about the A Beautiful World seasonal sampler box which went on sale this Wednesday. Luckily I was quick off the mark, as it sold out within the day, probably aided by previous positive reviews and the fact that it claimed to offer over £72 worth of natural and organic products for £20.
So I ordered, and within two days, nestled in pink tissue and a sturdy pink box, this is what arrived:
What a lot of stuff! This is what the box contained:
- Naisture Collagen Mask Pack – This paper mask contains carrot collagen which claims to imrove skin’s strength, elasticity and reduce signs of aging. I had never heard of this Korean company before but I’m really excited about trying this out. Might save it for Halloween and multitask by wearing it to scare the kids.
A 5 pack of these is £10 on abeautifulworld, so this one has a value of £2 - Konjac Sponge Puff with added French Pink Clay (full size, RRP £6.99) – Another Korean product, for “tired or devitalized skin”. Seems like a fun way to cleanse.
- butter London Tea & Toast Nail Varnish in Crumpet– (full size RRP £12) – a one shade suits all nude polish, though if you were being picky it’s not exactly current. I found online reviews of this going back as far as the heady days of 2009 and that’s, like, forever.
- Yarok Feed your Ends Leave in Conditioner (2oz sample size) – This vegan product gets rave reviews so I’ll be interested to see if it lives up to the hype. Full size 8oz is £19 so this is worth £4.75
- VMV Hypoallergenics Know-it-Oil (50ml sample size) – 100% Organic Virgin Coconut Oil from the Philippines – you can use it on your body, in your hair, you could probably put it on your toast. Full size 125 ml is £16 so this sample is worth £6.40.
- Intensive Elixir Precious Finds (10ml sample size) – I’m not entirely sure what this brand new oil does (moisturises probably) but it smells AMAZING. The full 30ml size is a whopping £94, so this sample is worth £31.33. It promises to deliver a youthful glow via a mixture of oils, plant extracts and Vitamin E.
- SW Basics Shea Butter Cream (1oz sample pot)- contains Fair Trade Shea Butter, Coconut Oil and Olive Oil and can be used to moisturise dry areas. Full size 3.75oz is £26 so this generous sample is worth £6.93.
- SW Basics Cocoa Lip Balm (4.5g – full size) – Contains Organic Cocoa Butter, Beeswax and Organic Coconut Oil. Yum. Set of 4 retails at £12, so this is worth £3.
- Indie Lee Squalane Facial Oil (small sample around 5ml) – Apparently this olive-derived oil offers ‘nature’s facelift’. Worth a go, surely. Full 30 ml size is £22, so this is worth £3.67.
- Marble & Milkweed Nourishing Body Oil (3.7ml) – After all those generous samples, this is more on the stingy side, but then we are rather well catered for with oils by now. Scented with Rose, Cardamom and Sandalwood, this body oil from New York retails at £29 for the full 118ml, making this sample worth a measly 91p
- Marble & Milkweed Modern Chai Tea No.2 – a single use sachet. Chai tea has pretty much passed me by, so it will be good to try this out. RRP £9 for 2oz, this is a quarter of an ounce by my kitchen scales, making it worth £1.13
- Tili Bag – a reusable, resealable bag for storing make up, skincare when travelling. 12 of these normally retail for £6.50, so this is worth 54p
Also included: 20% off voucher for A Beautiful World
Total cost: £20 (free postage)
Total value of products: £79.65
Blimey. If all beauty boxes were like this, I’d be placing a regular order.
VERDICT
Over all I like this box a lot and think it represents fantastic value for the £20 I paid. There are lots of brands which are new to me, and I love to try out new stuff.
One slight criticism is that it’s very oil-heavy. Are oils a thing now? Are we all sliding around like bad chips these days? You’ve only got one face, will you really use all these moisturisers?
Quite a few of the products promise anti-ageing benefits, which is FABULOUS for those of use that need it, but I’m not sure how well that would go down with your average 20something beauty box buyer.
But all in all I’m impressed. Obviously I haven’t actually put any of it near my visage yet, so it could all still go horribly wrong, but as I was looking up the prices I noticed that in general these are highly regarded products.
As mentioned, this box has now sold out, but you can register with A Beautiful World to be notified when the next one is released – alas not until next Spring.
And now I’m off to oil myself up.