Beauty Army May 2013 Review

This has to be the craziest spring ever.  Seriously.  We have been SO busy, I don't even know where to start!  Nevertheless, I did receive my Beauty Army box in the mail (after skipping April), and I would LOVE to share it with you!

What's Beauty Army?  Beauty Army is an awesome beauty box program that is $12 a month. This is the ONLY subscription service that allows you to CHOOSE your samples, so you never end up with something that you don't want to try. They also offer the option to skip a month without cancelling (Ipsy, if you are listening, you could do that too, you know!), or to have one of their stylist choose the items for you.  Plus- you get SIX samples each month, unless you choose to receive less.  Interested, here is a LINK to their site, if you sign up with this link, I receive credit towards received a free box (and you can refer people too!).

Alright, on to the goodies.  You ready?

The box.

I was curious as to what color box I would get this month- because I already have THREE pink ones, I really wanted a fourth- and I lucked out!  I'm either going to keep these to store Scout badges in them, or I will talk my husband into making me a storage unit that these can sit in.  I love these little boxes!

Tips for a skin-healthier summer

I love the insert cards in the beauty boxes- each one is unique!  Beauty Army's included tips for keeping your skin healthy for the summer.

Cotz Face for natural skin tone SPF 40 sunscreen, 3.0g, retail value $1.41.  Full size available HERE (or on BA's Site); $19.99 for 1.5 oz.

I'm a pale girl, who loves the sun.  I also don't particularly care for wrinkles.  How do I rectify this?  Sunscreen!  I wear SPF daily, and make sure that my kids do also.  Cotz Face sunscreen is lightly tinted, and blends in very well.

Swatch of Cotz Face for Natural Skin

I will totally get my use out of this tiny little tube- it's FINALLY nice out here and I will be hitting the beach a LOT this summer!  I'm really happy it has a higher SPF factor than most face creams- I burn really easily and need a higher SPF.  Awesome!
GRADE: 4/5 (tiny sample!)

Own Skin Health Lifting Eye Cream, .75 mL, retail value $1.20.  Full size available HERE (or on BA's site); $23.99 for 15 mL.

I, along with pretty much everyone, really hate foil pack samples.  I am, however, excited to try this one out!  I currently have an obsession with eye creams, and love the Mary Kay timewise collection.  I really like trying new ones out, though, so I ordered this sample packet.

I love it when companies give us all of the trial information, right on the sample!

I have hooded eyes, so anything that can help prevent my droopyness from getting worse is a good thing!  This cream is white and silky, and has a pleasant scent.  I'll let you all know how it works!
GRADE: 4/5

Mini Kittour Mini Refillable Jar, holds 5g, retail value $3. Set of 2 available  on BA's site for $6.

I know what you are thinking: WHY would ANYONE want an EMPTY jar from a sample club?  Well, I will tell you what: I really was excited to see this in my window for selection!  I love little jars to put foil pack samples in, so that i don't have to use them all at once!  This is a super cool idea, and my Mini Kittour jar is currently housing my Own eye cream sample.  I love that I can use every last drop of a sample now.  Great idea- but not sure I would purchase them at $3 each- I am sure I can find something similar at my local Dollar Tree.
GRADE: 4/5 (neat idea, not so neat price point)

Amlactin Alpha-Hydroxy Therapy Moisturizing Body Lotion, 2 oz, retail value $3.04.  Full size (7.9 oz, smaller size) available HERE for $14.99 (or on BA's site for $11.99.

We go through a lot of lotion in this house.  Like, a LOT.  Then again, with 3 females in a house, it's bound to happen!  Because of my fragrance allergies, I'm pretty particular about lotion: the current favorite here is the Spray & Go lotion by Vaseline from my Influenster box a while back.  I was thrilled to see this in my selection window, and it did not disappoint!  This lotion is not greasy at all and does a great job moisturizing my sun-dried skin.  The bottle also reads that it is dermatologist tested and clinically proven AHA: both good things!
GRADE: 5/5  LOVE it!

Nailuv Gel Polish in Berry Sweetie, .2 oz, retail value $5.98.  Full size is available HERE (or on BA's site), $14.95 for .5 oz.  MUST USE UV LAMP WITH PRODUCT.

My BFF loves polish, so, naturally, I am beginning to get into polish again.  I have NEVER tried gel polish, but I am excited to change that! When I saw this pretty berry colored gel polish in my selection window, I was excited, until I read the line that says that I must use a UV or LED lamp to cure the polish.  Google showed me several options, and they run anywhere from $20 and up.  Honestly, I don't want to spend that on a lamp for a type of polish I've never even tried before, so I'm currently checking out how to MAKE a UV lamp at home to cure my nails with (and don't understand why a half hour out in the sun won't do it- that's UV light, too, right??). I don't have a swatch for you because I can't use it yet, but once I figure out how to cure them at home for less (or find a friend who has a UV light I can borrow!).  I will keep you posted!
GRADE: 3/5 (neutral, for now!)

Addiction NV Cosmetics gel liner in Chaos, full size (no clue the actual size!!), retail value $16.00.  Full size available HERE, $16.00; coupon code NV70 will get you 70% your purchase (at the time I wrote this post!).

I love gel liner.  Seriously. Love. It.  I was SO excited to see this liner in my selection box- it make the box worthwhile to me!  I wear teal eyeliner every day, so this was a no brainer for me to try.  I dipped my brush in the liner and was surprised- this is the CREAMIEST liner EVER.  I personally have better luck with gel-ier formulas (hooded eyes mean creasing and transfer!), so this was a bit of a miss for me as a liner, but the color payoff is SO gorgeous, I will use this more for eye shadow, or blend it out for a smoky blue look.  

Swatch of Addiction NV gel liner in Chaos

This will definitely get used, but I will probably not repurchase. If you like a super creamy gel liner, then this is the product for you, and that 70% off code definitely makes it a no-brainer to try it out!
GRADE: 2/5 as a liner; 4/5 as a shadow!

May 2013 Beauty Army Box

All in all, I am pretty happy with my selections this month, but it's not my FAVORITE box of all.  Do I have so much makeup now that nothing will get me excited?  I SURE HOPE NOT!

Here's the financial breakdown of my May box:
Cotz sunscreen: $1.41
Own Skin Health eye cream: $1.20
Mini Kittour jar: $3.00
Amlactin lotion: $3.04
Nailuv Gel polish: $5.98
Addiction NV gel liner: $16.00 ($4.80 if you account for the 70% discount on their site)
Total value: $30.63 ($19.43 if you count the NV discount code)
Out of pocket: $12, shipping included

Not too terrible, but definitely not the best one yet.  Here's to hoping I have some awesome products in my selection window for June!

Tell me, have you tried any of these products out yet?  What do you think?

 

Disclaimer: This review is solely my opinion, on a product I paid for out of my own pockets.  I have not been compensated for this opinion in any way, and it is my honest thoughts on the products listed above.  The referral link in this post is one where I would receive credit for a referral, and be compensated with free product for referring 3 people. Here is a link that just goes to Beauty Army, without my referral code. Links to vendor's sites are not referral or compensated links.  I strive for honesty :)