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Beauty Fix, $25+tax/month, assorted beauty products
Promo: July box at half-price with subscription, no promo needed
I paid $27 after tax, later got a $13.5 refund
Box retail value: $70, My value: $8*
Beauty Fix is a monthly beauty subscription box from DermStore, an online beauty store and offshoot of Target which specializes in upscale brands. Their monthly boxes include an assortment of beauty products, though there is an emphasis on skin care. Boxes have up to 10 products, a mixture of full size, deluxe samples and foils/tiny samples. Beauty Fix promises a value of over $100 and until this month, they’ve hit that mark. This month, however, they sent out a very low value box, mostly filled with tiny samples (I included pennies in the photos to give you an idea of the size). It’s not clear whether this is a one-time fluke or if Beauty Fix will continue producing low value boxes.
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Products come in standard box with no extra padding – still, none of them have arrived broken. In previous boxes, most products arrived in their original boxes. As these were mostly samples, they were loose in the box. BeautyFix includes a card detailing the products in the box.
This box included a total of ten products, there were 2 full size, 2 deluxe samples, 4 small samples, one set of foils and a set of hair clips. As a comparison, the June box included four full size products and two travel size products and had a total value of $121. The total value of this box was only around $70, significantly lower than the $100 that DermStore promises. DermStore, however, claimed that the box was worth $117 by doubling the actual value of three products and ascribing a value of $30 to the two free samples included in the box. These samples clearly state they are not for resale and do not comply with US labeling regulations. By introducing them into inter-state commerce, DermStore is violating the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.
DermStore seems to have recognized that the low value of this box and ran a promotion that allowed new subscribers to get this box for half price. However, the same deal was not given to existing subscribers, who had to pay the full $25+ tax. I called DermStore to complain about the fact that this box did not meet the advertised value, and while they claimed that it did, they gave me a $13 refund. Unfortunately, this box is not even worth that much to me. I am considering unsubscribing and perhaps resubscribing if future boxes return to their previous value.
This is what I got:
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glo.minerals Lash Boosting Mascara, black, .33 fl oz, $19.5
This mascara is nice, but extremely overpriced. It did a fairly good job of lengthening my eye lashes, while keeping them separate, but so do many much cheaper mascaras. The consistency is too clumpy for my taste, perhaps the mascara is not very fresh. It’s made in Germany.
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Dermstore Lip Quench, original, .28 oz, $12
This is a clear lip moisturizer. I got a tinted one in the April Beauty Fix box, and it was nice enough. However, it has been reformulated and reviews of the new formula are very negative. In any case, I prefer lip moisturizers with sun protection. I’ll try to swap this. Made in the USA.
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Harry Josh Pro Styling Clips, 2 clips, $10 (though really $0)
These clips sell for 3 for $15 at Dermstore, but it looks from the packaging like they’re supposed to be a free gift, so I’m not sure if they should be ascribed a value as far as the box is concerned. Still, they get very good reviews. I just got two clips in my June Birchboxes, however, and I don’t actually use them, so I’m planning to swap these (which is why I didn’t take them out of the package in order to take a photo). Made in Korea.
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Vichy Purete Thermale 3-in-1 Cleansing Solution, 1 oz $2.5
I’m always glad to get face cleansers, though this sample is truly tiny. The full size is almost 7 oz, which tells you that you need more than a little bit to do the job. The solution is applied on dry skin with a cotton pad, and you don’t need to rinse it. It’s extremely effective. I could not believe just how dirty the pad ended up. I think I will carry this in purse for mid-day face cleansing. It’s made in France.
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Deva Curl 3 Step Introductory KitImage may be NSFW.
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This kit contains 1 oz foils of shampoo, conditioner and gel. They are designed to give life to curls. As we’re all straight-haired folks around here, this is completely useless to us so I’m going to swap it. Still, it does get good reviews from the curly bunch. I’m not impressed at how this kit comes in non-resealable foils. Each one has an ounce of product, so they should last for multiple washes, but the packaging makes that difficult. They are made in the USA.
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bliss Triple Oxygen Instant Energizing Mask, .34 oz, $5.4
Despite having tons of face masks, this is a product I like getting. And this one has the advantage of requiring only 5 minutes on your face. It also has a delightful flowery scent. It left my face extremely soft, which is quite an accomplishment as my face is very soft to begin with (as it should be, given how many products I put on it). Paula’s Choice has some really negative things to say about this product, however. Apparently, the second ingredient in the formula (the first is water) is a mild industrial solvent, it does help release oxygen, but oxygen oxidates skin. The product does have anti-oxidants to counteract this, but the product itself doesn’t seem to be particularly healthy for facial skin. That’s a good argument for not buying a full size bottle, but I’ll still use it occasionally. Made in USA.
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Erno Laszlo Firmarine Face Bar, 17 grams, $5
I had to include the penny in this photo to show just how tiny this soap sample is. It doesn’t really matter as this is basically a soap, and one whose main ingredient is sodium palmate. According to Paula’s Choice, this soap can be drying and there is nothing in it to justify its price. I would tend to agree. I wasn’t able to find reviews of this online, so I’m not even going to bother opening it and will try to swap it. It’s made in the USA.
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Skin Medica Replenish Hydrating Cream, .25 oz, $6
This cream is supposed to hydrate dry skin. It’s not too heavy and applies fairly smoothly. I am hoping that it will be a good product to use after sunning, but there is no indication it’s formulated for that. This small tube is supposed to come in a box (says so on the back), but DermStore sent it out without it. I don’t quite understand what would make it so expensive. Still, I’ll report after using it. It’s made in the USA.
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SkinCeuticals B3 Metacell RenewalImage may be NSFW.
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DermStore ascribed a value of $10 to this “not for resale” sample, even though there is no indication of how much product there is in the tube. And not only is the tube tiny, but it seems to be less than half full. While the cream has good ingredients – Vitamin B3, also known as niacinamide, has been proven to help reduce wrinkles and help regenerate skin cells -, there is too little of it to show results. Most studies on the effect of topical vitamin B3 measure results after 30 to 90 days. I will use it, but I wish there was much more product. Paula’s Choice gives this product a negative review, though mostly because its purported use of fragrance oils. However, to me it has no smell so perhaps they’ve reformulated it. As the sample does not list the ingredients, it’s difficult to know.
SkinCeuticals Resveratrol B EImage may be NSFW.
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This is another SkinCeutical tiny free sample, which DermStore ascribes a value of $20. It’s a gel and relatively easy to apply, but it’s a product that you need to apply to your whole face. This sample will not last long. According to Paula’s Choice this is a basic anti-oxidant serum so overpriced that it “really approaches ridiculous.” They recommend Olay Regenerist Serum MoisturizerImage may be NSFW.
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Update: DermStore customer serviced assured me on Facebook that: ” You will not be disappointed with next month’s box – I saw it for the first time today and it is looking good. A lot more full-sized products, great brands, and great value – you’ll see.”
In the meantime, read subscriptionista’s review of this box for a laugh.
*”Retail value” refers to the total price for which the products in the box sell at major retailers or, when the product is an exclusive, by the manufacturer. In the case of samples, I arrive to this value by determining the per-unit price of a full size item, and then multiplying it by the units in the sample. “My value” refers to the combined value of the products in the box that my family and I will actually use. To be a good value, a beauty box should have a retail value that is at least twice that of the subscription price and my value for the box should be higher than its price.