The Better Beauty Box is an ingredient conscious beauty box geared for tween and teen girls. There are two monthly options: The Better Beauty Box for $24 per month, which includes age appropriate makeup items or The Better Beauty Box Makeup Free for $20 per month, which includes no makeup at all.
This review is for The Better Beauty Box with makeup included for $24 a month.
This box was sent to us at no cost for review purposes. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)
About The Better Beauty Box
The Subscription Box: The Better Beauty Box
The Cost: $24 a month + free shipping, with 3-, 6- and 12-month subscription options
The Products: 5 ingredient conscious products geared for teen girls (a mix of full-sized, travel and trial sized)
Ships to: US
The Better Beauty Box February 2018 Review
Instead of including a stand-alone info sheet, the information about the products in the box are on a sticker that's placed on the lid of the box.
They also have a card explaining their Instagram contest, where you can win more products from your favorite brand.
The package also came wrapped in a bubble mailer with a pink sticker attaching the “handle with care” notice. I thought that was a really cute way for the branding and packaging to stand out.
The Charming Bubble Truffle Bath Melt - Retail Value $2
This little nugget looks and smells just like a real truffle! It is made with lavender essential oil, cocoa butter, mango butter, and shea butter — and also real baking ingredients like powdered sugar and powdered egg whites. Though it is described as being lavender scented, I didn't really smell any lavender, and instead, my nose picked up the cocoa butter scent. It took a while for this to dissolve in my bath, but it was a lovely pick me up at the end of a long day.
Maiden Hill Farm Golden Girl Body Scrub, 0.5 oz - Retail Value $3 (Buy a 4 oz bag for $6.95 here)
This is a gentle exfoliating scrub with golden mica to leave a little glow on your skin when you use it. The application was a bit of a mess because you are supposed to use dry hands to apply it and it is a very dry scrub, but I use my body scrubs in the shower… where it is wet (am I using body scrubs wrong too?). Application aside it left a subtle glow and it was the perfect scrub for more sensitive areas like the backs of my arms and my stomach.
Alteya Organics White Rose Water, Full size - Retail Value $10.99
This steam distilled 100% pure white rose water is made from roses that are organically grown and ethically harvested from Alteya’s family rose farm. This is a gentle and moisturizing rose water that can be used for a variety of uses, such as a toner or refreshing your makeup. I think this would be really soothing on a sunburn, so that is what I am going to save it for. I liked the light rose scent, and the mist was very fine. I especially like this product in a box marketed for teens and tweens because when you're that age, your skin is starting to change (thanks, hormones) and its hard to figure out what products work— especially because at that age you can't exactly walk into Sephora and drop some stacks on top quality skin care. When I was a teenager my face was constantly red and blotchy, and this rose water would have been a real treat for my skin. My skin is under control now, but whenever I need some extra moisture or skin soothing I will be reaching for this.
NCLA Nail Lacquer Remover Sheets, 10 sheets - Retail Value $19
I have mixed feelings about this product. I think it is an awesome inclusion to an ingredient conscious box marketed for teens and tweens, however, it is a pain to use these. Here is a story: Nail art is something I have been interested in for a long time—which means I have always had a lot of nail polishes. My freshman year of undergrad I met my roommate's mom a few weeks into the school year, and she berated me like you wouldn't believe about the “stench of nail polish permeating down the entire hallway.” I wish I had been more assertive back then, because hello— I was in a dorm with 80 other girls just in my hallway, and many of them kept their doors open and essentially all of them painted their nails. I digress. If you, like that mom, feel strongly about chemicals in nail polish products, then this product is perfect. If you are a teenager obsessed with glitter nail polish, you're going to have a rough time.
I was wearing Julep Ximena when I tried this out, and it really took a lot of elbow grease to get that micro-shimmer polish off— but it did work. It probably took a half hour before all ten of my nails were free of polish, but my nails were spotless and my cuticles weren't irritated (which can happen with some stronger nail polish removers). It claims to take the polish off of all ten nails, but I did eight nails before reaching for a second wipe. I think this is best used with creme polishes that don't have any texture whatsoever, but I know I will use all ten of these wipes, even if it takes forever.
Parlo Cosmetics Mineral Bronzer in Slightly Sunkissed, Full Size - Retail Value $8
This is a gorgeous mineral bronzer with a touch a shimmer, which I am always here for. It does have an almost red tint to it, which means it may not work for all skin tones (mine included). However, it can also make a gorgeous eyeshadow, and it was so smooth and soft to apply with buildable color.
Here is a swatch of the bronzer! I appreciate that it is a rather light shade of bronzer because dark and heavy makeup isn't usually what parents approve of for their young teenagers. I remember when I was thirteen and I decided to wear navy eyeshadow, and my dad didn't let me leave the house until I took it all off. Dad would have been cool with this light brown shimmer on my eyes, however.
The Verdict: I enjoyed my first box from The Better Beauty Box. I think they meet their goal of providing age-appropriate, ingredient-conscious products, and I enjoyed the mix of different brands. I also enjoyed the branding and packaging of the box— the pink and black and chevron is something that definitely would have appealed to me when I was younger (if we are being honest it still appeals to me now). My favorite product out of the mix is the white rose water, and I think that most teens and tweens would enjoy receiving this box. The value is definitely there, especially considering this is an ingredient conscious box.
The Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? If you sign up today your first box will be the March box.
Value Breakdown: This box costs $24 with free shipping, and I calculated a value of $42.99. That means you're paying approximately the following for each item:
- The Charming Bubble Bath Truffle: $1.12
- Maiden Hill Farm Body Scrub: $1.67
- Alteya Organics Rose Water: $6.14
- NCLA Laquer Remover Sheets: $10.61
- Parlo Cosmetics Bronzer: $4.47
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What do you think of The Better Beauty Box? Do you have a teen in your life who you want to introduce to the subscription box world early?
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