Sample Society is a monthly subscription service that provides 5 deluxe beauty product samples in a cute little black box for $15/month. The service is put together by BeautyBar.com and Allure, and I’ve generally been very pleased with the products I receive from them. When I was searching for the right subscription service for myself, I found that the overall quality of a service can be difficult to ascertain from the contents of just one monthly box, so I thought that I’d put together a seasonal roundup for the boxes from June, July, and August so that you can get a good feel for whether this service could be a good fit for you.

A bit more information about Sample Society: you can stop your subscription at any time, and the boxes ship early in the month. The boxes I’ve received seem to ship between the 1st and the 8th of the month. With your subscription you receive a monthly gift code to redeem $15 off of an order of $50 or more from BeautyBar.com when any product from the brands you sampled is included in your order. You also receive a mini-magazine from Allure in each box, though they are quite small.

As I work my way through reviewing individual products, I’ll add links in the product lists so that you can read more about ’em. It’ll take  me a little bit of time, though! In the meantime I’ve provided a few notes about some of the products that stood out to me at the end of this post.

June

Products:

• B. Kamins Sun Defense SPF 30, a lightweight fragrance-free and oil-free sunscreen with UVA/UVB protection (review)
• Stila Cosmetics Lip Glaze in Kitten, a lip glaze with subtle shimmer and click-up brush applicator
• Illume Desert Tulip scented candle, a candle with an all-natural wax blend and pleasant floral scent
• Murad Hydro-Dynamic Ultimate Moisture for eyes, a lightweight gel-cream suitable for sensitive skin (review)
• Philosophy Hope in a Jar moisturizer, a lightweight facial moisturizer

July

Products:

• Red Flower Ocean Cleansing Hair Wash, a gentle shampoo with all kinds of good ingredients (review)
• Annick Goutal Eau d’Hadrien Eau de Toilette, a light fragrance with citrus fruit notes
• Jane Iredale Longest Lash mascara in Black Ice, a lengthening mascara with conditioning ingredients (review)
• Dr. T’s Supergoop! Advanced SPF 37 Eye Cream, a sunscreen cream for eyes with anti-aging benefits
• Tres Pure Face Tonic, a simple formulation of just three plant-derived ingredients (review)

August

Products:

• Jane Iredale PureLash lash extender & conditioner, intended to be worn under mascara (review)
• CellCeuticals Extremely Gentle Skin Cleanser, a facial cleansing gel that’s easy on sensitive skin
• Dr. T’s Supergoop! City Sunscreen Serum SPF 30, a repairing, protecting, and priming serum
• Korres Cherry Oil Lip Gloss in 33 Natural, a hydrating and pigmented lip gloss (I’m wearing it here and here)
• Ahava Purifying Mud Mask, a 2-minute mineral mud mask to be used 1-2 times a week

A few brief notes:

• Some of the sample sizes provided are really very generous. The Red Flower shampoo, CellCeuticals cleanser, and B. Kamins Sun Defense lotion stand out in this way. The pot that the Murad eye cream came in looked teeny weeny, but a little definitely goes a long way and I used that product for a full month.
• One product that stood out to me in a bad way was the Eau d’Hadrien eau de toilette, which came in a standard tiny plastic tube, the kind that you get as freebies with a Sephora order. These fragrance samples are so prevalent that it doesn’t have much value to me in a box that I pay for. Fortunately, it’s really the only sample that I received this summer that didn’t have any value to me.
• I like the combination of well known products and brands that I’d hoped to try someday and others that I’ve never heard of. If I can make a broad generalization, I’d say I’ve actually liked a lot of the brands and products that were new to me more than some of the higher profile ones.
• It’s really nice to be able to try a lot of these products and get to know them before considering dropping money on the full-size. These products qualify as mid to high end, and I’m not really in the financial position to be gambling on this caliber of products without trying them out first.

Referral Code: BeautyLoon

If you sign up for Sample Society and list “BeautyLoon” as the referral code , BeautyBar.com will donate a portion of the purchase to one of a handful of charities that they work with. I’ve never seen a company use referral perks in that way, and think it’s a pretty great service.

I’ll be working on reviews and closer looks, and in the meantime, feel free to let me know if there are any products you’re particularly interested in, or if you have any questions about my experience with Sample Society.

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