Petit Vour Box March 2014: Le Boutique {Review}

Pros: Great selection of products to try
Cons: Not as many full sized products this month, no color cosmetics

I’m actually reviewing March’s box in March. Progress.

For those of you unfamiliar with Petit Vour (PV), it is a completely vegan beauty subscription box service. It costs only $15 USD/mo and you receive about four products, most of which are generous sample sizes. I think there is always a full-sized product included.

You can now buy the full size versions of each box directly through Petit Vour. You also receive a percentage of each sale (20%) back in the form of PV Points that accumulate towards a free box. You also earn PV Points when you take the monthly survey (it’s usually offered a week after the box arrives).

Unboxing and First Impressions

This month the products were not wrapped in tissue paper and tied with baker’s twine. The card was laid atop the products directly, with everything nestled in the usual black krinkle cut paper.

 

While I like the aesthetic of the krinkle paper, every month little black fibers end up coating everything. They even managed to make their way inside the California Naturel sample pack.

 

I’ve just noticed that PV changed the size of their info cards. They used to be 4″x6″, but the cards in February and March were 5″x7″. Petit Vour also switched from a serif font to a sans serif. Designers know that you should generally use serif fonts for printed materials, but the new font is easier to read.

 

This month’s box contained one full size product and four samples.

Petit Vour March Box

Theme

This month’s theme was “Le Boutique”. Not entirely sure what that entails.

I’m sensing Petit Vour likes all things French.

NCLA Nail Wraps in Aly Still En Vogue

 

Rating: A-
Size Included in Box: Full
Price Tag: $16 USD
Where to Buy: NCLA, Petit Vour

The full size product for March was the NCLA nail wraps. I’ve purchased nail wraps in the past but always chickened out before using them. I figured I should at least give them a try for my review—as well as conquer my fears in the process. Each nail wrap set icludes a mini nail file. The file was good for filing off the ends of the wraps and basic nail finishing, but I needed something stronger to shape my nails.

The Design

The design was a very bold pattern: a floral section shaped in a “V” over a teal/purple background. The pattern was busier than I prefer and it’s not something I would pick out on my own.

Closeup of the NCLA Aly Still En Vogue

I like the original design more, Aly En Vogue, that has the floral pattern over a beige background.

I found that my nails were too short to properly display the pattern. The model on the product page had extremely long nails and the pattern looked much more balanced on her.

The Product

The nail wraps set contained 13 decals of each color for 26 decals total. The stickers were arranged with two of each size next to each other. I wish I had realized this prior to using, because I initially thought you used one color per hand (I really wasn’t thinking) and ended up using too many of the small decals. I’m not sure I have enough for a second application.

They weren’t very shiny on their own, so you may want to use a high shine top coat for more oomph.

Application

I watched a couple of videos beforehand to get a feel for the process. I have been told in the past that nail wraps are super easy to use, but I was not convinced.

NCLA Nail Wraps in Aly Still En Vogue

The decals seemed to be a vinyl sticker. I kind of expected the decals to stick immediately to the nail and refuse to move, but there was a little bit of give and you can push out any air bubbles that form.

Not everything was smooth sailing. I ended up messing up one of my thumbs and had to peel it off. I used a second decal since I didn’t think it would properly stick again.

Overall, the process went smoothly and easier than I expected.

Field Test

The nail wraps held up better than I anticipated, too. However, just after one day, a couple of my fingers started to either come up at the ends or little strips peeled off at the tips.

This is not unexpected. I do a lot of cooking and cleaning—activities that are very harsh in my hands. It’s why I almost never wear nail polish. I reinforced my nails with additional coats of my China Glaze No-Chip Top Coat, but I don’t foresee the decals surviving longer than two to three days tops.

Another shot of the NCLA Nail Wraps

What I’m not so keen on were the bubbles that accumulated around the edges. As hard as I tried I just couldn’t get all of the bubble to smooth out. They’re not really noticeable from a distance, but I know they’re there. And they bother me.

I also didn’t feel the decals were as shiny as they should be. Even with several top coats, I couldn’t get a good shine.

Video

This is the official video by NCLA demonstrating how to apply the nail wraps.

California Naturel Cleansing Gel/Balancing Complex/Nourishing Cream

 

Rating: B+/A/A
Size Included: Sample (3 sachets)
Price Tag: $33/$45/$45
Where to Buy: California Naturel, Petit Vour

This was a sample trio. The samples were packaged in a lovely embossed cardboard case. The little product sachets were actually made of cardboard themselves, although lined with plastic.

Each sachet contains enough product for 2-3 uses.

California Naturel sample pack

Cleansing Gel (All skin types)

A basic cleanser. It had an off-white color and typical, but nice, herbal scent. As always, while a good product, I found it too drying for my skin.

Balancing Complex (Combination to oily)

The Balancing Complex was the moisturizer designed for combination to oily skin. This was an odd product that’s like a cross between a toner and a serum. It’s super runny and liquidy like a toner, but also oily like a serum. It’s designed for oily skin, but since it’s oil based, I didn’t have any issues. I used it as a serum between the Cleansing Gel and the Nourishing Cream.

The downside is that it left my skin with a burning sensation after application.

The product’s scent reminded me of lemon Pledge for some reason.

Nourishing Cream (Dry to normal)

I’m pleased that the moisturizer was for normal to dry skin. If any of the products were going to be for dry skin, I needed it to be a moisturizer. Otherwise my face will end up feeling taut and painful.

While not as thick as I prefer, it did moisturize and hydrate my skin well.

The scent was oddly familiar. I think it reminded me of the Aubrey Organics Rosa Mosqueta line (now the Revitalizing Therapy line) for dry skin.

Lotus Wei Inner Peace Serum

 

Rating: A+
Size Included in Box: Sample
Price Tag: $50 USD (Full size)
Where to Buy: Lotus Wei, Petit Vour

I am so into serums and beauty oils since I first discovered them last year. These products do wonders for my dry skin.

The Lotus Wei serum was fabulous. I loved the way it smelled with it’s a warm and spicy scent. I much prefer it over the previous Root Science RS Youth Serum from October’s (2013) box thay was lavender scented. A good product, but I’m not a fan of lavender.

The packaging was actually glass and had a pump dispenser—something I prefer to the typical drop applicators of serums. Although I once angled it the wrong way and squirted serum all over my Domo shirt…

I’m thinking the serum contains enough product for a couple weeks or so.

LAFACE Hydrating & Firming Body Lotion

 

Rating: B-
Size Included in Box: Sample (2 sachets)
Price Tag: $65 USD (Full size)
Where to Buy: LAFACE, Petit Vour

This was the product I was least interested in for the month. It had an okay scent and and a slightly thin consistency, but I wasn’t wowed by it.

Not so sure about the firming claims either. And in any case, two sample packs aren’t enough to show results.

I.C.O.N. India Oil

 

Rating: A-
Size Included in Box: Sample
Price Tag: $40 USD (Full size)
Where to Buy: I.C.O.N., Petit Vour

I don’t like using hair products because they usually feel goopy on my hands and I can’t stand that feeling. Not this product. Even though it had an oily consistency, it absorbed nicely into my hair, leaving little product behind on my hands. And the scent was heavenly, although some will undoubtedly find it overwhelming. It’s the second spicy warm scented product included in this month’s box.

You can use the product on either wet or dry hair, focusing on the ends. I had better luck using the oil on wet hair, then blow drying. I seemed to use too much on dry hair and it looked oily.

While this product makes mention of oils—like argan and moringa—the first two ingredients are actually cyclomethicone and dimethicone.

The packaging for this product was also glass. I’m guessing there is a week or two worth of product.

Images

Final Thoughts

As always, a good box from Petit Vour. My only major complaint is that there were no color cosmetics this time around.

I can’t wait for April’s box!