Sample Society September 2014 - Spoilers & Discussion

[eas00]

It's nice to know when you'll have packages arriving and to be automatically notified, but sometimes I don't get the notifications. So it's really hit or miss on how helpful it can be.

Ok, great. Thank you for all your help. 

 

[Kristine Walker]

 Crap. Boxes like this was why I cancelled last year.

 

[candes]

I like this box a whole lot! Exellent brands and products. Mine arrives on Tuesday! Woo hoo!

Just a note, I am 51 one years old and go minimal with makeup. I can see how this would not appeal to the younger set. But doesn't Allure's other box appeal to the youngsters a great deal? Maybe they are using this sub to appeal to folks that aren't in their teens or early twenties?

I can't even tell you what decade it was that I last bought the cheap flashy brands in Ipsy and Birchbox etc.. Catering to more mature woman actually makes business sense. The older we get, the more desperate we get and slap bee spit and snail slime on our skin. And we pay dearly for it.

But I don't feel they should be flashing back and forth either. Each time they do, they will upset an age group. Why couldn't they offer two diiffernt boxes per month? One that is more makeup oriented and another more heavy on skincare. This would be win win for them. And some woman may even buy both boxes. If they put out enough spoliers, some months I would even consider it. I think I will suggest this. /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

 

[Toby Burke]

"Why couldn't they offer two diiffernt boxes per month? One that is more makeup oriented and another more heavy on skincare. This would be win win for them. And some woman may even buy both boxes."

Good idea, Candes. I would go for that.

I like the box this month /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

 

[Krystyn Lowe]

I really like this box with the exception of the tanning towels. I've got a bunch of those already so I'll toss em all together for trades. I like that they are offering things across types more than in the past skin care heavy boxes. I liked those too though!

 

[meaganola]

The thing is...  This box isn't what I expected from _Allure_, and they're (supposedly) the ones curating these boxes now.  The magazine's target demographic seems to be women in their 20s-to-40s who go for more makeup.  *That* was why I resubscribed:  Because I was expecting curation to match the magazine's editorial beauty pages.  The first two months of the rebranding were great as far as that goes even if I didn't care for the specific products.  This month is a major disconnect, right back to the reasons I bailed the previous time I canceled.

Also:  The other box is a *very* limited three-or-four-times-a-year box.  I think there are only a few hundred available each time, and it always sells out in about fifteen minutes.  It's been chock full of haircare (and mostly styling products) the past few times it's been offered, so I haven't gotten it.  And it's not a sampling box (all full sizes, and I *still* have unopened stuff from more than a year ago), and it's not a subscription.  It's for the bargain shopper, not for people who want to try something for a week or so before they decide whether to buy it, and it's *really* hard (almost as hard as certain indie eyeshadow subs!) to get one due to the limited availability.

 

[Shalott]

I see this happen with a lot of sample boxes, and honestly it is a little frustrating - it seems like a lot of people think that just because they don't like the box, no one will. I am absolutely NOT criticizing any one or saying that your opinion is not valid, but I think there are a lot of people, myself included, who are still very happy with this box (and others, but that is neither here nor there).

Just the $85 eye cream alone is enough to make this box worth it for me, and I think that it is a product that can reach a lot of subscribers - women from their 20's on up can use it. In fact, I think only women who are looking for very targeted anti-aging benefits wouldn't want the cream, but it isn't a major loss, because hydration is still one of it's major properties.

As for the other items - there are so many subscribers who probably can and will use these products. I will use the tanning towelettes, through September at least, and the primer for sure. I actually yelled in excitement when I saw the Givenchy fragrance - I LOVE Dahlia Noir, but it doesn't work with my body chemistry, so I can't wait to try Dahlia Divin. And yes, I too am getting multiple Alterna CC Creams this month, but making a complaint about that is assuming that most people who are getting this box are also subscribed to other boxes that are sending out the same products. I don't know if that is necessarily the case. And even if it is, you've already gotten your money's worth on this month's Sample Society box, so giving (or even throwing) it away doesn't affect your pocketbook.

TL;DR No one's opinions are wrong, but some subscribers (me) are happy with this month's box!

 

[Queennie]

I'm not in love with anything this month.

OK:

Eye Cream
Hair Cream

Swapping:

Perfume

Tan Towels

Primer

Thought that this box would be better. I know that there is a full size eye cream in our box with a high-vaule, but I would rather have a deluxe size sample of it, if that means better products to go along with it.

 

[candes]

The median age of Allure readers is 35. And the median wage for readers is about $150,000. What this shows me is that allure is read by woman of all ages, but most notably, professional woman with decent incomes.

Oh and I love their magazine except for one thing... I love their ads too much! OMG....

Oh and lets not forget their wonderful beauty product recommendations. They are always oh soo very right. This is my favorite obviously.

Yeah I am safer here...... Lol.... Got to stay away...

I almost forgot. I also asked if they could perhaps dabble in the Dr Goldfaden line. I got one sample of their wakeup call and it is devine! May catch a sale tonight in fact.

 

[jumpnshout5]

You know, I guess I can see both sides of the debate. Unfortunately, for me personally, July & August were amazing, but September contains nothing I am interested in /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" /> So I cancelled. I wish I would have gone with my gut and cancelled earlier, before they shipped, but I was hopeful the following spoilers would prove me wrong. Oh well. 

 

[Shalott]

The median age of Allure readers is 35. And the median wage for readers is about $150,000. What this shows me is that allure is read by woman of all ages, but most notably, professional woman with decent incomes.

Oh and I love their magazine except for one thing... I love their ads too much! OMG....

Oh and lets not forget their wonderful beauty product recommendations. They are always oh soo very right. This is my favorite obviously.

Yeah I am safer here...... Lol.... Got to stay away...

I almost forgot. I also asked if they could perhaps dabble in the Dr Goldfaden line. I got one sample of their wakeup call and it is devine! May catch a sale tonight in fact.

I tried a sample of a Dr. Goldfaden eye cream last month and it was quite nice. It wasn't a product I'd purchase, but I agree, I'd love to try more from the line!

 

[candes]

I tried a sample of a Dr. Goldfaden eye cream last month and it was quite nice. It wasn't a product I'd purchase, but I agree, I'd love to try more from the line!

Comptemplating the Wake Up call right now. Put my last sample bit on my face and will decide in the AM. Just want to make certain that it is making the dfference that I noticed. I want to catch that 20% off sale at Blissworld since they have something I will save $59 on. Plus I will get 5$% from Ebates.

Anyways, back to the Restorsea eyecream. I really hope it helps. But my experience is that serums seem to have the biggest affect on the eye area.

 

[Laurenv78]

I like this box. 

A full size eye cream is a ok with me. I'm 35 and will try anything to keep my face wrinkle free for as long as I can!  I actually started using eye creams in high school because my mother also said it's never too early.

The Tarte towels I'll keep but I haven't gotten up the nerve to try self-tanning yet.  I would like to avoid sun damage, but I'm afraid of looking like a oompa loompa. 

I love Lorac's eye primer so I am hoping this face primer works just as well, especially the mattifying part.

Alterna is hit or miss with me, but this product looks interesting and I am happy to try it.

Givenchy perfume...I am definitely in the minority here, but I love perfume samples.  I prefer mini bottles, but I won't go out and buy full sized perfume because I just can't bring myself to spend that much money and I tend to get bored with it before its gone.

IMO this box is still offering a variety of products in different categories.  I looked back and there have only been two skincare items (I'm not sure what category the tanning towels fit into) in the past 3 months and one I've seen great feedback for the KS oil and this other one is full sized.  Also, one is a face oil, the other an eye cream.  That's a huge difference from getting 5 face creams in one box like before.  I'll be sticking around for next month because to me it seems like they are switching things up and most items I've received I've kept vs swapping/giving them away.

 

[Lynn Haller]

I can certainly see why some people are unhappy with this box. They put one high value item in the box and the rest is kind of filler. For me I am excited about the eye cream, I love Alterna products and have only gotten one sample in other boxes (would love to know which others are sampling it!) and I also love perfume samples (I don't wear it often enough to buy full sizes). The Lorac and the Tarte are both good products and the type of samples I expect to get in a sub box. Would love to have gotten some make up, but maybe next month. I guess for me to get all of this stuff for $15, is a great value. Now, if the eye cream is awful, I might have a different opinion! We shall see what next month brings!

 

[JenTX]

I can see why everyone is on the fence. I'm excited to try the eye cream. In all honesty, I don't really have a need for the other products though so I'm sure they will all end up on my trade list (I will decide when I see them in person). For me, the value is still there with the eye cream. That said, they did really kind of youth it up with the last two boxes and this one does definitely feel like it was made for a more mature audience. I will make sure to look at spoilers to decide if I will stay for October or not.

 

[Bflopolska]

I had been looking for a mattifying primer anyway, so I'm glad to see the Lorac as well as the eye cream, which I also needed to get so that's nice and happy. And I'm always up for trying new perfume, so you rarely hear me gripe about it unless it's some celebrity brand. I'm not pleased right now with the Alterna, but if it promises to work well with my hair type it will at least be used. (I know someone here asked who all was sending it. I received Alterna in the now-defunct Look Bag three times, Sample Society a good three or four times, and several sample add-ons from Ulta, Beauty Bar, and, I think, Beauty.com. That stuff is expensive and I wonder just how cheap it is under all that fancy packaging if they're giving trainloads of it away to companies who in turn give it away.)

 

[yousoldtheworld]

I'm getting Alterna in my Ipsy bag this month, too (the 10 in 1 CC cream). I like everything I've tried by the brand though, so I'm okay with it! 

 

[sparklesgirlxox]

Just signed up was hoping to get this months box.  They said I was to late  /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />     I am excited for next months box. I think the boxes look great.  I got rid of ipsy and glossybox.

 

[LaStupenda]

I totally cancelled this after the Moisturizer Extavaganza box during the summer, but I've dropped Glossybox and kept this. I'm way more impressed with Sample Society for the money than I am with Glossybox

 

[Emuhlyy]

This is my first box and I can't wait for Tuesday to get here!! I need a new eye cream and I've been dying to try that lorac primer since it came out!  I actually love getting perfume samples - I just hope I like the scent.  Never tried Alterna so I'm happy about receiving that since it is a brand I've never used.  Not overly excited about the tanning wipes as I seriously doubt I'll use them but I love Tarte as a brand! 

I've had Ipsy, Birchbox, and Lip Factory and this sub is already my favorite after this first box! I cancelled all the others a while back. Wish I would've signed up a little sooner so I got last month's box.