Is Sample Society the New Best Way to Try Travel Size Beauty Products?

As you know, I have a love-hate relationship with my Birchbox and Glossybox subscriptions. I went through several months of disliking my selections, but have been delighted with the most recent shipments. But I’ve found a newcomer to the monthly travel-size beauty box world that I might like even better — Sample Society by Beauty Bar.

On the recommendation of my friend at First Impressions, I decided to try it out for a month. It just arrived, and I’m thrilled with the selections — all perfectly sized for my amenity kit!

The first thing I noticed was a generous size jar of my favorite facial cleanser! Suke exfoliate foaming cleanser has a great lemongrass and honey smell and goes on with just a little bit of grit, quickly dissolving and leaving my skin moisturized and tight.

I gave the MD Solar Sciences evening facial repair serum a try last night. It’s not greasy, but I also didn’t notice much of a difference.

The Jane Iredale Just Kissed lip & cheek stain is a nice change from all the bright red I’ve been getting. It has a subtle pink shade that provides even color and moisturizes. I might be most excited of all at the big (travel size) jar of L’Occitane Immortelle Precious Creme. It goes on thick but absorbs quickly. Although it leaves a little bit of a sticky feel on your hands, we noticed it does an amazing job on dry cuticles. (Perfect for planes!)

The handcrafted item from India was the only thing I wasn’t crazy about. I don’t really wear handbands and this particular design was reminiscent of tourist shops…

My friend’s box was very similar, although she got a barrette, a bottle of Arcona cranberry toner, and BioBliss eye serum instead of the precious creme and lipstain.

How do the various services compare?

• Birchbox is only $10 per box but the samples aren’t quite as high end, but you do earn Birchbox points towards store credit for reviewing the products and making purchases.
  Update: If you sign up using my link before September 14, we’ll both get 50 Birchbox points, half of what you need to get $10 store credit.
• Glossybox is pricey at $21 a month but often features larger sample sizes and better names, such as the occasional Bulgari item. You earn points for reviewing products and referring friends, but it takes awhile to earn enough for a free box.
• Sample Society might be the perfect compromise — $15 a month for larger samples from nice brands, and you get a coupon for $15 off a $50 purchase. If you like any of the products enough to buy a full-size, it makes your box free.

If you’d like to try any of these options, feel free to use my referral links above!

Disclaimer: I will receive referral credit if you enroll for any of the beauty boxes above through my links. Signing up does not guarantee you’ll great items every time, but it will give you something new to try in-flight every month.  It will also result in lots of little cardboard boxes to store things in, which may or may not be a good thing.

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Heels First’s Travel Advice–Sophisticated Travel, Uncomplicated Advice. The travels and tribulations of two frequent flyers jumping into the world of travel, sharing their travel advice. Join Keri and Jeanne as they tackle mileage runs, elite status, and of course–the perfect travel accessories.

Related Posts:

• January’s Glossybox Finally Arrives
• Is the March Birchbox the Best Ever?
• What’s in the November Sample Society Box
• What’s in the October Sample Society
• Harper’s Bazaar September Glossybox