Aside from being behind, it really does not help that my Beauty Army window to pick products is always at the end of the month, meaning i do not get my box until the first or second week of a the following month. Anyway, this month Beauty Army changed up their boxes just a little bit, adding some black and white camo to the side of the cardboard box. I think it is a nice little touch.
I love these boxes since i am able to reuse them for my nail polish since they are so sturdy and the top opens like a flap.
My box this month was decent. I think i picked a good selection and was only minimally disappointed.
Bath and Body Works Pink Chiffon-
I have received quite a few of these minis and this one is hands down my favorite. I love how soft floral, and just a little bit powdery it is. It makes me smell clean and also very girly. The whole shower smells like this product when i am done. It is medium scent strength on the skin and would be well matched with another floral or powdery scent, but would probably not over power an oriental scent.
Whip Hand Camo Collection Limited Edition Loose Pigment Eyeshadow-
Now i knew this was a small sample, i did read the size before picking it, but i never thought it would be THIS small. If you look at the pictures below it is the size of a size 7 ring. Meaning this has the width of a finger. That's just a bit excessive when it comes to tiny. The product itself is good pigmentation, i got a lasting effect without using primer, though if you really want this to last efficiently and have better color pigmentation always use a primer. It is shimmery and maybe could be used as a bronzer or highlighter depending on your skin tone. Has a slight shimmer of gold in some lights.
Nelsonj Argan Oil 7 in 1 Non-foaming Shampoo-
I am not sure why i choose this product since i have oily roots and dry ends, but you know applying this only to my ends did wonders. I applied my normal shampoo to my roots. I found this to make my hair feel soft and conditioned. I did not find the need to use a conditioner after this product. Saved me time in the shower and i loved the fresh citrus scent.
Jonathan Dirt Texturizing Paste-
I had no idea what this product was when i picked it. After some googling it is a hair product. This product is solid in the jar but when played with in your hands will turn liquid. I applied this to my damp hair and squished my hair. My hair had very nice waves afterwards. This helps to define and structure hair. I like it but don't love it.
Skinn Twin Set in Poppy-
I tried this brand last month and was completely dissatisfied with it. I wanted to give the brand the benefit of the doubt so i picked up a different color. The gloss was still very sticky, almost unwearable for me. The lipstick was a beautiful shade of bright red. It does remind me of the color of poppy's. The lipstick side is the only redeeming aspect of this product and for that i would pass on this brand all together.
YouDaBalm Coconut Lip Balm-
As a Brooklyn girl i love seeing products from my city and thank goodness this does not disappoint. This made my lips feel smooth and ready for lipstick or kisses. The coconut scent wasn't over powering it was just a nice addition. If you like your lip balm's unscented you will probably stay away from this product but if you don't mind just a hint of a tropical scent this is a great option.
Overall Beauty Army isn't so bad. I like being able to choose my own items every month. Sometimes the selection is very lackluster while others it is amazing. If you would like to sign up for this monthly subscription you can do so here. This subscription costs $12 dollars a month which includes shipping. You can choose any 6 samples you want, change your beauty profile as much as you would like to refresh the products, and best of all if you do not like your selection you can always skip the month.
Hi Nikki,
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for the review of the Beauty Army/Whip Hand Cosmetics Camo Collection "Locked+Loaded" sample -- especially the excellent swatches! The color and finish is very well represented in your pictures.
Some background on the size of the sample, since we've received some similar feedback from others that the sample was smaller than expected.
Understand that it's extremely challenging to package sample sizes of loose powder products, which is why you do not typically see them included in box services. Because eyeshadows are some of the most highly-requested color cosmetics products in sampling boxes, we wanted to figure out a way to make it work. It wasn't easy. ;-)
As you point out in the review, the product is highly-pigmented, so a little bit will go a long way, especially when used with a quality eye primer. So from a value perspective, we felt comfortable with the sample size. The sample vials are filled by weight, not volume and there is at least .75 grams of pigment in each sample. As a number of other bloggers have observed, the full sizes are 3 grams and retail for $14.00, so you are receiving about a quarter of the full size product in the sample. If you do the math, you're receiving $3.50 in pigment with each sample. Not a bad value.
There are definitely some drawbacks to the packaging we used -- there is very little room for labeling and the smaller vial opening on the sample size can make it more challenging to get the product out (this is not typically an issue with our full size vials.) On the positive side, by keeping our packaging deliberately "minimalist" and by using glass versus plastic, there is less environmental impact and waste. Also, on the full size vials, the tall cylinder packaging and foam lined lids prevent the dreaded "powder explosion" that often happens with pigment and powders packaged in the round tubs.
Again, we really appreciate the feedback (which we view as a gift at Whip Hand), and we hope you'll continue to sample the remaining colors, as well as try some of our other products.
If you have any other questions about the product, please just let us know!
Thank you again for nice mention.
Sincerely,
Riese Lauriat
Founder & Chief Makeup Artist
Whip Hand Cosmetics
Hello,
DeleteThank you for the feedback and extended information. First, I understand it is hard to package pigment and shadow samples (leaks from packages opening to breaking), and i think the bottle is cute, i was just surprised at how small it looks! Secondly, I agree that it isn't a bad value at all and i do appreciate the quality of the product. A tiny bit is enough to cover both eyes fully even without primer.
I like the environmental points you make, i hadn't even realized how conscious you were to the environmental impact.
I hope to try the other shades, and was excited to try this one! I am not always lucky in my beauty army sample window. I have only seen this as an option once and have not seen it again. Hopefully it will pop up in the future.
Thank you again for the extended information and for reading my review!
-Nikki