Macy's Beauty Box 5th Shipment - December 2017

Macy's December Beauty Box

This is a review of Macy's monthly cosmetic subscription box called Macy's Beauty Box. It costs $15 a month and it comes with a $5 coupon to be used on their website or in the store for beauty products. The approximate retail value of this month's box is $63.14 not including the cosmetic bag. Included in this month's box were the following products:

1. Chanel - La Crème Main Hand Cream, made in France, .17 fl. oz., $5.00 retail value
2. Peter Thomas Roth - Water Drench Hyaluronic Cloud Cream, made in the USA, .25 fl. oz., $8.12 retail value
3. Nudestix - Intense Matte Lip & Cheek Pencil in the color Belle, made in Germany, .088 oz. $21.12 retail value
4. Estée Lauder - Advanced Night Repair Eye Concentrate Matrix, made in the USA, .17 fl. oz., $23.46 retail value
5. Tory Burch - Eau de Parfum, made in the USA, .05 fl. oz., $2.82 retail value
6. Mac - Liptensity Lipstick in the colors Doe, Smoked Almond & Mulling Spices, made in the USA, .015 oz., $2.62 retail value
7. $5 Coupon, expires January 31st 2018

Usually they send five deluxe samples and a perfume sample, but this month they only sent four which is disappointing and it's causing me to hit the cancel button. I looked on the website to verify they didn't forget a sample in my box. Out of complete disbelief they would only send four deluxe samples, I counted them over and over again! They advertise on their website "five deluxe samples and a bonus". They sent a tiny little lipstick single use sample instead, but that's not a deluxe travel size, so I don't count that. One has to have a lipstick brush to apply them. I haven't used mine in a while, so I'll have to search for it. They should have provided a brush or sent us a mini lipstick! Not to mention this one costs $5 more than the competition. I hope customers complain or cancel and Macy's gets the message. I had to google how to cancel since Macy's makes it difficult to find the cancel button, here's the link if you want to cancel. They have a cut off date of the 10th and since my box arrived on the 15th they are forcing me into receiving another box, not cool. I deleted my credit card from my account, so they wont be able to force me into paying for another box. I was going to cancel last month, but I thought I'd give it one more month, sending one less sample was the last straw for me. If you are a subscriber, how do you feel about them shorting us one sample and sending a sample you can't use without owning or purchasing a lipstick brush? Also, the retail value of their boxes is lower than the competition yet it costs more. I don't know how they will survive unless they either up the retail value or lower the cost. The subscription box market is very competitive and subscribers will cancel if they are unhappy. The only extra they have going for them is perhaps a higher quality cosmetic bag, but subscribers don't include that in their estimated retail value of their boxes. One can only use so many cosmetic bags after all! The other thing I haven't enjoyed about this box is that they have been sending samples I have received in other subscription boxes long ago. They haven't been providing samples for new products while the competition often does. For instance, the Peter Thomas Roth Cloud Cream was sent nine months ago in the Play! by Sephora April 2017 Box shortly after it's release. It's so much nicer to receive a sample when the new product comes out in case you want to try it, but are not a fan of trying and returning if you don't like the product. This is the entire point of these cosmetic subscription boxes to try before you buy. But if you are waiting months after the product came out, it really loses it's value. I for one rarely return things, so I'm very careful about my purchases and I research prior.

On to the products, starting with the Chanel Hand Cream. Wow, this is a tiny sample! Only .17 oz, seriously Macy's, that's just crazy. The full size is only 1.7 oz and costs $50. That's is a crazy price tag! One should be filthy rich to spend that amount on a hand cream. It has a bit of a gel consistency rather than a cream. This $5 sample is only going to give me a couple of uses since there is so little product in the tube. It doesn't even have the Chanel scent! It has a unpleasant plastic powdery scent. The only good thing I can say about it is that it does moisture well, but at a cost of about $2.50 per use, I'll stick with my favorite L'Occitane 20% Shea Butter Hand Cream. The Chanel one gives a matte finish, that's the first time I've experience a matte finish in a hand cream, I had to look at the bottle again to verify it was a hand cream and not a face cream. Why would I want a matte look on my hands?! It feels just like you applied body powder to your hand. It's great that it's not sticky, but I prefer a more moisturized appearance. They should make it for the face instead. It would be perfect for that, it feels similar to a gel primer. I really like the Peter Thomas Roth Cloud Cream. It has a gel consistency that is quick and easy to apply, perfect for when you are in a rush yet it leaves the skin feeling well moisturized.  It's also great in warmer weather because it has a cooling feel. At $52 a jar, I wont be purchasing it, but if it comes in a discounted set I would definitely consider it. The Estée Lauder Night Repair Eye Treatment looks like a light  weight cream, but it goes on like a gel and it has a bit of cooling to it. It's a bit on the oily side, so be careful to use as little as you can, it takes the tiniest amount. This one has hyaluronic acid in it which I hear is great at reducing wrinkles. This one is a pretty good sized sample for an eye cream. I could get quite a few uses out of it and be able to determine if it works at reduce fine lines over time. I've enjoyed Estée Lauder products in the past and I'm happy to receive another sample from this brand. I'm enjoying the scent of the Tory Burch perfume. It's notes are neroli, grapefruit, cassis, bergamot, peony, tuberose, jasmine, vetiver and sandalwood. I recently received a deluxe sample size for free from Sephora. While I will enjoy the samples, it's not a perfume I would purchase in the full size. I wont be able to try the lipsticks until I find my lipstick brush. I'm not really a fan of the colors they sent. Doe is too nude & will look washed out on my fair skin. Smoked Almond is too dark of a brown and Mulling Spices is too red for me. I'm so disappointed they didn't send a mini lipstick instead of the one time use samples. I'll give them a try at home since I wont be able to reapply them. The full size version of Nudestix comes with a sharpener. I'm shocked that this sample is 88% of the full sized one since it's so small. I've never heard of this brand before and I'm not a fan of the crayon type of lipsticks. Having to sharpen it is just a pain and I prefer traditional lipstick containers that are pretty. It feels moisturizing and soft on the lips and it's easy to apply. The color Belle on my lips appears as a brown mixed with a brick red color with a hint of peach. I like it and it's going right into my handbag. The cosmetic bag is really pretty and has a quality zipper on it. It would have be fun, if they had sent something holiday themed. Would have been perfect to give a makeup gift in. At the very least it should have been a winter design instead of a summer one. Ipsy is sending out a very pretty winter one.

Well there you have it my review of Macy's 5th shipment. I'd love to know how many subscribers they have lost lately. While they came in at the highest retail value so far, it's not enough to keep me as a subscriber. They also have no personalization, so everyone receives the same samples. I have signed up for Boxy Charm and I'm on their wait list. I'm going to give that one a try and stick with Ipsy & Sephora for now. Bye, Macy's Beauty Box. It was a fun ride, but it's time to say goodbye until you make changes. 

Check out my reviews of the previous Macy's Beauty Boxes:

November 2017 $38.21 retail value

October 2017 $55.97 retail value

September 2017 $31.84 retail value

August 2017 $35.36 retail value

Also, check out my Play! by Sephora Pinterest Board to compare it to Macy's Beauty Box. In addition, check out my Subscription Box Pinterest Board to see what other boxes I've subscribed to over the years. Plus, don't forget to enter my current giveaway before you leave. 

Bargain Alert:

Mr. Rebates -6% Cash Back from Macy's

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