By : Juhi Bansal I have been a subscriber of Beauty bags/boxes for sometime now. While it’s a well known concept in the West with ample options & personalizations to choose from, it’s still in a nascent phase in India. Before subscribing to a beauty box, I would advise you to keep the following points in mind: 1. Price and products per box. In India boxes are available from Rs. 599 for 3 samples to Rs. 850 for 5 samples. (write into us for more info) 2. Brands in the box. Different boxes will have different brand tie-ups. Are you somebody who is wary of trying new brands, especially on your face? Study the tie-ups on the beauty box’s website and then take a call. 3. Degree of personalization. Most boxes will send out same samples to everyone without taking into account their individual hair type, skin, complexion etc. Such samples even if high-end turn out to be of no use. 4. Offers on full size products. The main purpose of a beauty box is for you to be able to try out expensive beauty products before you buy them. Does you beauty box send out discount vouchers if you want to purchase the full size product of the sample? 5. Variety & Range. Does the box send out different brands and product range every month or are they repetitive? 6. Purpose. This is the most important point to keep in mind. Whats the main reason for you to subscribe to a beauty box? Do you want to try samples of expensive products before you make a dent in your purse or are you looking at not-so-expensive full sized products as a part of your box?

My Envy Box-March Edition

(please pardon the pic quality-my IPhone is to be blamed!) I received my first “My Envy Box” last month and I was elated. After all its like getting your B’day present early! (even if you are the one who ordered it!). The products came in an orange colored cardboard box with details about usage, information on full sized products etc.

a peek inside the box. Notice the multi-colored pouch…it’s so cute!

each product sample comes with an instruction card which makes usage and ordering full sized products easier

Now the samples: Its taken me about two weeks to do a review of the box. Time management was one of the reasons but I also wanted to try each product personally before writing a review. So, here goes: Sample 1. EAU THERMALE AVÈNE This is one product that really really impressed me. Very apt for when the summers are just beginning to kill with their intensity. It’s specially formulated for hypersensitive skin and is super light! The sample size was about 5ml (good for 3-4 applications). Avene is a well known french pharmacy brand and protects against UVB and also short and long UVA rays.

EAU THERMALE AVÈNE Very High Protection Emulsion 50+ SPF

  Sample 2. RENE FURTERER OKARA SHAMPOO

Rene Furterer OKARA Protect Color Enhance Shampoo

Rene Furterer is another well known Parisian brand in the hair-care segment. They are known for their use of natural extracts to protect and enhance hair beauty. Since, this particular sample is for colored and treated hair, I couldnt try it personally. (Mine is not). I did give it to a colleague to try and she had good things to say about the sample. Its about 15 ml and should last you atleast 2 applications which is good enough to make up your mind about it.   Sample 3. EMINENCE ORGANICS ROOT BOOSTER SERUM Another sample I loved! Éminence is a 50-year old Hungarian beauty brand of organic products. The ingredients are hand-picked and hand-mixed in small batches and are combined with thermal hot spring water even today. The serum has licorice which lightens the skin and makes the texture softer. I’ve been using it as a night cream for my CTM routine and I dont have a reason to complain. There are 2*2ml samples which will easily last you a week.

Éminence Bright Skin Licorice Root Booster Serum

  Sample 4. Éminence Sour Cherry Whip Moisturizer This one is my absolute favorite! The lilac colored cream looks and smells heavenly! One application and it was a deja vu moment for me. Oh! how I miss my wine facials :(. This moisturizer comes as close to the feeling as it can ever probably. The cream is pretty thick so you may want to add a couple of drops of water to emulsify it. This will also make the sample last almost forever! (it’s been almost 10 days and I still have some leftover).

Éminence Organics Sour Cherry Whip Moisturizer

  Sample 5. NARCISO RODRIGUEZ FOR HER EDT After the absolute high of the Whip Cream, this was a complete let down! They sent out 5 rub-cards which turned out to be more of sniff cards. Now, women never select their perfumes by sniffing them (I hope you don’t do it either!). You need to try in on your skin to see how it blends with your natural scent and whether you are allergic to any ingredient. Also, since this constitutes the 5th product, I was very disappointed. May be if they’d sent it out as an extra product, I would have lived with it. However, when I brought this to their CEO’s notice, he was kind enough to take my suggestion. He also assured me that perfume cards will never make their way into another beauty box again! Wow!!

NARCISO RODRIGUEZ FOR HER EDT

  If I were to check  “My Envy Box” against the checklist mentioned above in “points to keep in mind”, here’s what I have to say: Price: Rs. 850 for 5 product samples. I think pricing is fair since they also give out bonus points of almost 25% which you can use in your next purchase. Brands: The brands are all high-end and luxury which you may not be able to lay your hands on otherwise. Personalization: No level of personalization since they sent me a shampoo for colored hair. Offers on full size products: You get 10% discount coupons on all these products plus 25% points on each purchase. Variety&Range: Not that much since two products were from the same brand (Éminence) plus out of the 5 products 3 were more or less face creams/serums. I used the sour cream right after my bath, the sunscreen before stepping out of the house and the serum before going to bed. You may want to use them differently. Purpose: If you are looking at trying samples of high end brands before you spend a fortune on them, this is the beauty box for you. The will almost always send you samples between 2ml-10ml. It is definitely not for people who have a limited beauty budget (since each full sized product costs anywhere between Rs.1500-5000) or do not like to try new brands.  All in all, I would like to say that give it a try for alteast 2-3 months before you give up on it. Even if you manage to zero in on one full sized product per box, it’s served it purpose. Plus it’s like Christmas every single month!! Get an invite to your “MY Envy Box” here. Also, do write into me if you have any questions about this or any other beauty box. Stay Gorgeous xx Disclaimer: I was sent a beauty box by the “My Envy Box” team for a review on my blog. However, this is not a paid review.