Allure Sample Society - October 2014

I unboxed my October Allure Sample Society Box on my YouTube Channel the day after it arrived, but I'm really late getting up this post.  It's also been really overcast and rainy here so I've started using an inexpensive light box for my photos versus natural light; I'm hoping as I get more used to this method my photos improve some.  October's box technically had 6 items since I received both a shampoo and conditioner sample from Loreal.

First up was an Estee Lauder Enlighten Dark Spot Correcting Serum.  This is a 7 ml sample worth $14.46.  The Allure mini magazine included in the box says that this is a redness and sun spot fading serum, both of which are problems I have so I'm excited to try this out.  I was also happy to find that the serum isn't heavily scented or perfumey, because I've had a bad reaction to serums that contain a heavy fragrance.

The second item in my box was the Bond No. 9 perfume sample in the scent Highline.  The mini magazine lists this scent as a mix of bergamot, purple love grass, rhubarb, red-leaf rose, tulip, grape hyacinth, sea moss, bur oak, and musk.  That's a whole lot of scents in one perfume and unfortunately I don't love the scent.  I'm not a perfume person in general though, so it's very rare for me to find one I like.  This sample did come in a cute little package wrapped up like a piece of candy.  Bond No. 9 sells this size in an 18 pack sampler "Bon-Bon Box" for $260, which gives this single sample a crazy high value of $14.44. 

Third and fourth in my box were the Loreal Paris Advanced Haircare Total Repair 5 Restoring Shampoo & Conditioner samples.  I was a little surprised to see Loreal in a Sample Society box since they usually stick to high end products.  However I'm happy they sent both the shampoo and conditioner so I can test out how well they work in conjunction with each other. These are supposed to counteract weakness, roughness, dullness, and dehydration, so I'm hoping they help with my thick and somewhat frizzy hair.  Since the full size varies in price and you can buy these travel sized bottles in stores for around a dollar, I'm going to give these a value of $1 each or $2 total for the set.

Next up was the Emi Jay Hair Tie 3 Pack.  I love fabric hair ties but have never tried the Emi Jay brand so I was very happy to get these in my box.  They feel like good quality ties and I will get plenty of use out of them.  This three pack is sold for $6.60.

Finally I received the Bobbi Brown Smokey Eye Mascara in Black.  I definitely groaned a little at another black mascara sample, but I've also never tried any Bobbi Brown products before so one positive is that I get to try a new-to-me brand.  This has a good sized fiber bristle wand and Allure calls this a "safely dramatic" mascara that is good for everyday. The mascara is a 3ml sample worth $16.80.

Overall this was a decent box and for my $15 subscription price I calculated a value of $54.27.  This is a great value, but I do think it's inflated by the high price of the perfume sample.  If you'd like to give Allure Sample Society a try visit the Beautybar.com link here.  As I mentioned above I unboxed this on my YouTube Channel and also reviewed the products from the September box after the October unboxing.