September 2013 Petit Vour Box {Review}

Pros: Good sampler of products, nail polish is excellent quality
Cons: Some items are impractically packaged

I am now subscribed to Petit Vour! I apparently couldn’t wait for my now bi-monthly shipments of True Beauty Box. It was a toss up between Petit Vour and the new Vegan Cuts Beauty Box, but I’ve been more impressed with the recent offerings from PV.

Unboxing and First Impressions

The Petit Vour box arrived in the actual grey box (no Priority Mail envelope like True Beauty Box) and has Petit Vour printed on the front side panel and the logo on both end panels. It is similar to, but smaller than, the box True Beauty Box uses.

Opening the September Petit Vour box

Inside, the products were nestled in black kraft crinkle paper shreds, wrapped in black tissue paper and tied with string. The monthly information card was laid on top.

Inside the September Petit Vour box

I received two full size products and three sampler packs.

September Petit Vour Box

Theme

I don’t see a very cohesive theme, but the card refers to the collection as “future classics”.

From the card:

We can’t resist trying these new looks to mach our ever-evolving expressive style.

LVX Nail Lacquer in Prussian [Full Size]

Rating: A+
Price: $16 USD
Weight: 17 ml
Where to Buy: LVX

When I first opened the box, my first thought was, “bleh, a navy blue” (I opened the box from the bottom). But then I pulled it out all the way and saw it was a beautiful Prussian blue. Not so coincidentally, the polish is also named Prussian.

LVX Nail Lacquer in Prussian and benecos Nail Polish in Deep Plum

I know LVX has been making the rounds in various beauty box subscriptions, but this is my first encounter with the brand. It lasted for two days after I applied two coats and topped with my China Glaze No-Chip Top Coat. There were a few nicks on the top of the fingers of my right hand, but that’s expected due to the amount of cleaning I do.

The value of this polish alone was more than the monthly subscription rate.

Pura Botanica Natural Soap Bar in Spiced Citrus [Full Size]

Rating: A
Price: $7 USD
Weight: 4.35 oz
Where to Buy: Pura Botanica

The other full size product in September’s box was the Pura Botanica soap in Spiced Citrus. It smells really good and is perfect for the autumn season.

I have used it several times, but like all bar soaps, it is drying to my skin.

Arbonne Lip Polish [Sampler]

Rating: B+
Price: $12.20 USD ($24, full size)
Shades Available: 6 shades
Weight: 0.017 fl oz per sachet
Where to Buy Arbonne

Arbonne is a brand I like conceptually but rarely use due to my frugalista budget. The only Arbonne I’ve tried is gifts given to me by family.

That’s why I was excited to see the little lip gloss bottles on the informational card. My excitement dimmed slightly when I pulled out the pack of lip gloss sachets in a black envelope. I like being able to try the glosses, but these little sachets are not the best way of delivering the product. There’s definitely enough product for multiple uses and it’s not easy to get the glosses out. I’m not convinced that the value of the samples is actually $12.20 either.

There are six sachets in a good spectrum of shades. There’s something here for everyone. The colors are Raisin, Nude and Coral in one pack and Brown Sugar, Posh and Pearl in the other.

So far, I’ve tried Raisin. I used my e.l.f. Retractable Lip Brush to apply the gloss. The color didn’t really work–that’s nothing against Arbonne; I rarely can pull off raisin shades–and there is an odd flavor to the gloss.

Neuma NeuMoisture Shampoo & Conditioner [Sampler]

Rating: N/A
Price: $1.50 USD
Weight: .25 fl oz per sachet
Where to Buy: Neuma

My monthly information card says that the hair products are from the NeuSmooth line, but my pack is from the NeuMoisture collection. I have dry skin so this line works better.

The sampler pack features a shampoo, conditioner and a hair masque.

This little triple sachet packet went straight into my sample stash, and I’ve never tried Neuma products, so I can’t comment on the quality of the product. I’ll probably try to the hair mask soon, though.

The Excellent Tea Company Superb Black Tea from Rwanda [Sampler]

Rating: A
Price: $0.90 ($5.99 per full-size 20 ct. box)
Where to Buy: The Excellent Tea Store

What a funny name for a company.

Tastes like…black tea. I mostly drink green and herbal tea so I’m not well versed in the labyrinth of black teas available.

I’m also sensitive to caffeine so I try my best to avoid all caffeinated teas due to adverse reactions. That said, I did try of one the black teas…and I probably shouldn’t have. (>.>) Otherwise, it was good.

The teas are fair trade certified by Fair Trade USA, as well as pesticide free and from a single source in the Mountains of the Moon in Rwanda.

Images

Final Thoughts

The retail value of September’s box is $37.60. Even with the Arbonne Lip Polish samples omitted, the value is almost twice the cost of the monthly subscription.

I was very happy with September’s box and can’t wait to receive October’s!