My Envy Box for October 2013 is here

After the local beauty boxes gave me grief with 2004-manufacture products, dodgy powders and... (okay, I won't elaborate; read my older posts) I've been relying on international beauty boxes to get my beauty fix. But it isn't always cost-effective. So I signed up as soon as I heard that a new domestic beauty box was in town - My Envy Box.

The box arrived within five days after my order went through, which is quite good. This is a luxury sampling programme.

I like the packaging; it is sturdier than the "other domestic box" which now goes out in a "bag". Kind of a Glossybox feel. Larger than Glossybox, about three times the size of Vellvette. Comes with a magnetic lid - a keeper. Lots of wrapping tissue inside. Click to enlarge all photographs.

There's a flyer with a brief on My Envy Box, telling you the box is an Indo-French collaboration. And product cards. I like the idea of printing "Skin care" on the other side.
As for the contents, they are:
L'Occitane Cherry Blossom Hand Cream (10ml)
Clarins Foaming Cleanser (20ml)
Eau Thermale Avene Rich Compensating Cream (5ml)
Thalgo Collagen Cream (15ml)
Eminence Probiotic Masque (foil sachet)

The Eminence Masque is a foil sachet in a little card. It's supposed to clear acne, but I doubt it'll be enough for a decent trial.

The L'Occitane Cherry Blossom Hand Cream is a decent sample and smells great. It is also my favourite product in this box. I've slipped it into my travel bag and removed the giant hand cream tubes :)

I already received a couple of Clarins Gentle Foaming Cleanser samples when I bought Clarins products. I'm not a fan of foaming cleansers - people with oily skin know that foam tightens the face and makes it shiny-dry. Might dump it in my travel bag...

The Eau Thermale Avene Rich Compensating Cream (Why are products given such long handles? Look at Chanel No. 5) is a tiny 5ml sample. And it is meant for dry skin, not my oil-deposit. Again, the Mater to the rescue.

I've never tried anything from Thalgo - this is their Collagen Cream for wrinkle smoothing. While I love my youth activating serums, I certainly don't have the peep of a wrinkle anywhere, so this goes to ma madre as well.

So those are the five samples I received in the first box. The company is only one box old and I've only filled up my beauty profiling after they sent out the box, so I suppose there will be improvement and customised products soon.
I like the brands sent out, nothing dodgy there. Definitely way better than 2004-palettes, dodgy powders (That's the last time I say that)!
Now for the negatives: Not very enviable - I wish they (and everyone else) would avoid sending out foil sachets. You can barely try them out on the pinky and you're not supposed to pay for them - if foil sachets need to come in, do send us 3-4 of those so we can try out the product on our face and not on the fingernail. A nice eye cream sample tube or scrub would have been better. Travel-sized or deluxe samples, rather than something you get free anyway would be nice. This is why I love international beauty boxes. Also, I had already seen the contents of this box last month on Twitter and Facebook - their first box - and there was no surprise element there. And, I hope they include makeup as well (not lip gloss, pink blush or false eyelashes).
Resubscribe? I'll definitely give it another month's go now that I've filled in my profile, and see how they customise it to my taste.
Cost and subscription: One month's subscription costs Rs 850 or $13.80 or £8.5. Long-term subs are more cost-effective. Hit their website here. For each sub, you get cashback/points which you can redeem against the products in their shop. Make sure you mention that Renu of My Beauty Junction sent you!