BEAUTY BOX 5: October 2012

so i finally got my BB5 today - seems that many of my blogger friends already got their's last week. and what is up with the tracking info for BB5?? i always get an email with my tracking number and after listing "October 15" as the day i got my electronic notification, nothing else happens after that. not a very useful tool! i did not peek myself but i already heard the general consensus that October's BB5 was not that impressive.
so let's see, shall we?

October's BB5 "Tricks of the Trade":

1) Margania Pure Argan Oil - i know argan oil is good for you but i am still getting used to putting oils on my face after years and years of limiting myself to specifically marked "oil-free" products. the sample comes in the form of an eye dropper since you only need very little. it is clear and 'thin' (as opposed to thick... or should i call it runny?). it absorbed quickly into my skin and i can feel the difference between where i applied it as compared to other parts of my face - it feels sleek and smooth. do you remember the Vitamine & Sea serum we got in our Glymm June bag? well i much much much prefer this one! the Vitamine & Sea one was pretty much the exact opposite: hard to use, stinky and oily.
on the Margania site, it is recommended you use 2-3 drops on the neck and face, or you can also use it on your hair for some extra shine. aside from the "Pure" version, you can also purchase argan oil "with a touch of" amber, eucalyptus, lavender or vanilla.
size: N/A ... little eye-dropper size
retail value: $32 (60 mL)

2) City Lips Lip Plumper in "Clear" - so i do not need a lip plumper but to add to this, i got the most boring "color" available - Clear. everyone else seemed to have gotten a nice color! i think i am going to put this aside for a gift or a swap - even these sample sizes are quite pricey (the sample is worth $9.60 - or you can purchase 3 of these mini sizes for $39.99)!
i checked out the site and it seems that the company is also focused on eyelash enhancing - now that i need!
size: 1.5 mL
retail value: $32 (5 mL)

3) ShowStoppers Fashion Tape in "Black" - these are actually quite useful items but i've only used them a handful of times. the ones i got are black but i've seen others receive nude ones.
size: 2 strips
retail value: $9.99 (24 strips)

4) Goat Haus Dairy Lip Balm in "Sugar Kisses" - i have way too many lip products right now but this one is interesting since i can spot "glitter" as one of the ingredients listed. apricot kernel oil is the first ingredient so i am guessing it will smell like apricots.
size: N/A ... normal lip-balm size (full size!)
retail value: $2.50

5) Furlesse Elevens (Frown Line Reducing Patches) - i have never seen such a product before... it's very interesting. i wonder how well it works except i can't test it out since i currently do not have frown lines (why are we frowning so much anyway?).
size: 3 patches
retail value: $19.99 (30 patches)

6) Lash Card (Individually Wrapped Mascara Shields) - this again? twice in one month?! i got them already in my recent Glymm bag. go to that post to see what i have to say about this - i don't want to discuss how ridiculous this idea is again.
size: 2 cards
retail value: $6.99 (10 pack)

the majority of these items came with a promo code which is one of the nice benefits of Beauty Box 5. it also came with one of those useless NuMe $100 gift certificates that i have received one two (too) many times.

this is one of the lightest BB5 i've had in a while. the beauty samples are definitely on the smaller side this month. it appears that BB5 tried to compensate the smaller sample sizes by providing 6 samples (instead of the usual 5). there's not a whole lot here that i'd use often - i'm probably most excited about the Margania Pure Organ Argan Oil (LOL Aleksandra). what did you guys think about this box?