July/August 2014 New Beauty Test Tube Overview

Hey everyone, I had finals this past week, which explains why my last post was over a week ago, BUT now I am back. *cheers* This review is obviously on the bimonthly beauty subscription called New Beauty TestTube. This subscription is a little more on the pricey side being $29.95, in addition to your state tax and shipping which is $8.95 and totaling around $41 dollars. The products you receive are supposed to lean more towards high-end brands but sometimes you do receive drugstore products. In addition to the TestTube, you receive an issue of that month’s New Beauty Magazine. The reason I initially subscribed was due to some videos I saw on YouTube about May’s tube that turned out to be fantabulous including a Tarte blush and an IT Cosmetics powder brush. Therefore, I took the plunge and was like, “What do I have to lose this must be an amazing subscription company!” This is my second tube and yet again, I am disappointed with the products I received so I am on the edge of canceling because it doesn’t seem like the products are worth the price. Here is what I received in my July/August New Beauty TestTube:

• AmorePacific Color Control Cushion Compact (Sample Size) = $8
• Revlon Age Defying Wrinkle Remedy Line Filler (Full Size) = $13
• IT Cosmetics Heavenly Luxe Powder Brush (Full Size) = $48
• La Roche – Posay Deep Cleansing Foaming Cream (Sample Size) = $2.98
• Dove Advanced Shampoo & Conditioner (Sample Size) = .48 cents each
• Strivectin-Ev Brightening Serum (Sample Size) = $52
• Jergens BB Body Cream (Sample Size & a repeat from last box) = $1.73
• Biosilk Color Therapy Lock & Protect (Full Size) = $12.50
• Box Total: $139.17

The tube usually comes with a separate little plastic bag filled with a few other samples called “Beauty To Go” but this month there was none 🙁 The only small sample received was the face-lift foil packet that I gave to my grandma because at 20 years old, I do not have any use for it. New Beauty always includes a little booklet with the description of each product, price, and a “how to use” section.

THE HITS: I was happy to receive the IT Cosmetics powder brush because I got my money’s worth out of the tube with just this product. The brush is extremely soft and dense which has worked great for applying both my powder foundation and translucent setting powder. The brush is rather expensive but it really is worth the money in my opinion.  I was also satisfied with the Biosilk Color Therapy Lock & Protect because I’ve used various Biosilk products and I LOVE them. They always leave your hair feeling healthier than before and they always give your hair a natural shine. I recently did some highlights so this product is perfect to prevent damage from constant dyeing.

THE MISSES: Basically, everything else in the tube is a miss for me. I was highly upset with the Dove shampoo and conditioner because I did receive the exact same ones FREE from Walmart and another sampling site called PinchMe. So I already have three sets of these and seriously, if I’m paying $41 for this I expect high end products, not small drugstore products that only cost .48 cents a piece. *sigh* Another HUGE disappointment was the Jergens BB Body Cream. I received this same sized cream in last month’s tube!!! Why would they send me a repeat item?! Not to mention various other subscribers received multiple repeat items as well. The point of this subscription is to sample new beauty items, I even e-mailed their customer service twice about this issue, and they refused to do anything about it. They said they do not offer refunds on any items and that my concerns would be used as feedback for the next tube. You can bet my frustration level was off the charts.  I didn’t even use the one from last month’s tube and again, I won’t use this one. Revlon’s Remedy Wrinkle filler is another miss because 1) it’s a drugstore item and 2) I don’t have any wrinkles to worry about at the moment. I won’t be using this at all and I’m probably going to be gifting it. The rest of the items are skin care related too and unfortunately, I just don’t need a brightening serum or a cleanser in my life right now. It just seems that most of the skin care items are targeted for an older age group so most of the items just don’t apply for me.  The AmorePacific Color Control Cushion is more or less like a powder foundation with a green tea complex to fight against aging. I was going to give this product a shot but the color is too dark for me and it seems like a hassle to get the powder out because of the pathetic size of the container.

Overall, this TestTube did not seem to be worth my money being that I only liked two out of the eight products. Not even half!! I don’t know whether or not to give this a third and final try. What do you guys think? Did anyone get a different tube than me? I know some subscribers received a Mally lip product and others received a Laura Geller eyeshadow. If any of you are interested in trying out this subscription email me and I can refer you so that you will receive $5 OFF your first tube. If anyone subscribes with my referral, I do receive the box for just the price of shipping so I am just letting you all know that I do get “rewarded”. The subscribing process is a little than other beauty subscriptions so if you have any questions feel free to comment down below or email me. I totally forgot to take pictures of this month’s tube so I will put a picture of last month’s tube so you can at least get an idea of what the tube actually looks like. Thanks for reading and as always Peace to the Out!

-Purchased by me-