By: Ariana Palmieri
As promised, here’s my review of the July Petit Vour box. If you haven’t seen my unboxing video yet, check it out here. I decided to review this box as soon as possible, being July is ending soon. I didn’t want to publish this in a month late (like last month, ahem), so I decided to review these products as quick (but efficiently) as possible. I think part of the problem is that this box is always shipped near the later part of the month and at that point I’m preoccupied with other things. Not an excuse, just an explanation. Regardless, enjoy!
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About the company:
Petit Vour curates an array of vegan and cruelty-free products for you to choose from, as well as a monthly box. Their subscription box is the perfect option for the eco-conscious woman on a budget. Costing only $15 a month in the U.S.A, ($23 if you live in Canada), this beauty box is a great deal for any woman looking to sample 4-5 generously sized products a month. It’s a great way to decide which product is a hit or a miss without buying and wasting money on a full-sized item. Every brand they use is all-natural and carefully regulated, ensuring you only get the best of the best! Petit Vour never allows unsafe ingredients to be featured in their boxes. Here are the ingredients Petit Vour promised you’ll never see in their boxes: BHA + BHT, Peg compounds, Parabens, Phthalates, Formaldehyde-releasing preservatives, Sulfates, and Triclosan. Relieved yet? Each box has some sort of theme (this July one was summertime minimalism themed and offered products that would help keep your routine as short and simple as possible). You can choose from a bunch of subscription options too: The monthly plan (U.S.A. $15/ Canada $23), 3-month-plan (U.S.A. $45/Canada $69), 6-month-plan (U.S.A. $90 / Canada $138), and 12-month-plan (U.S.A. $180/ Canada $276). The monthly plan is a pay as you go, cancel any time subscription, apposed to the others which are prepaid subscriptions. I personally have the monthly subscription right now, but I can change it at any time. If you ask me, that’s a pretty good deal!
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Kalahari Watermelon Eye Serum
Lilfox Botanicals
The (quick) rundown
Lilfox Botanicals
Why you want it: If you’re like me, you’re always up for trying a new eye serum (especially when its made with natural ingredients and comes in a cute bottle!).
Its value: $68
My review: As most of you already know, I’ve tried products from 100% Pure that were designed to make the area under the eyes brighter. It was semi-successful, but I’m always up to trying something new. This made-in-the-USA sample is 100% cruelty free and vegan, created with only natural, plant-based ingredients. For this reason, I really admire Petit Vour’s standards. They’ve never failed to impress in terms of ingredients and ethics. As far as this eye serum goes, the application is fairly simple. I just have to use the dropper to dot 1-2 drops under my eyes. I pat it in and massage it into my skin gently. It gets a little greasy and makes me look like I just cried or something at first, but I have noticed a little bit of a difference after a few uses. My under eyes do look a little bit lighter and brighter. While the dark circles haven’t altogether disappeared, they’re a little more subtle now. I think with continued use I could get more out of this serum and possibly see even better results. From what I’ve observed, the problem with most eye serums is that they don’t work right away, which can be frustrating when you want immediate results. Most skincare products need at least one week to truly show what they’re capable of. I gave this serum a little less than a week, so I don’t want to judge it too harshly. Overall, I’m going to keep using it and see what happens.
Ingredients
A.spinosa (Argan) Oil*, C.lanatus (Watermelon) Seed Oil, C.sativus (Cucumber) Seed Oil, P.granatum linn (Pomegranate) Seed Oil*, R.mosqueta (Rosehip) Seed Oil*, P.incarnata (Passionfruit) Seed Oil, L. alba (Meadowfoam) Seed oil, F.indica (Prickly Pear) Seed Oil*, Tocopherols (Vit.E/non-gmo), S.austrocalcedinicum (Sandalwood) Oil, R.damascena (Rose) Absolute *Organic
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Organic Ignite Illuminator
Why you want it: This natural illuminator will give your skin a subtle, but dewy shine that you can use to highlight anywhere you need a little more pop.
Its value: $24
My review: I’ve never tried an illuminator before, so I was really excited to get a hold of one. As many of you know, I don’t use foundation (just some primer and concealer), because it clogs my pores too much and makes my skin feel cakey. However, I’m not opposed to using something like this because I don’t have to put it everywhere in order for it to work, which I’m a fan of. I’m a firm believer in letting my skin breath and only applying makeup to the areas I feel truly need it. With that in mind, I applied this shimmery, rosy highlighter onto my cheekbones, cupid’s bow, eye corners, and below my brows. I loved its creamy, silky texture because it just glided right on. At first I used my brush to try and apply it, but I found I got a lot better coverage and more control with my fingers. It felt so smooth and it really did give me a little bit more of a dewy, glowing look. I especially noticed it in my cupid’s bow and eye corner area. I even tried it underneath my eyes (just to see what would happen) and it helped make me look a little more awake. I don’t think it’s necessarily a go-to when it comes to helping dark under eyes go away, but in combination with eye serums and possibly eye concealers, it could add an extra something. I was really impressed with this product and out of all of the products I received, I liked this the best. The only downside to this product was that when I applied it to my cupid’s bow, it kind of made me breakout over there (not cool when I’ve been on a breakout-free streak). I might not buy this exact illuminator again, but at the very least now I know I like (and can pull off) highlighters/brighteners.
Ingredients
*Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, *Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, *Copernicia Cerifera (Carnauba) Wax, *Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter, *Rosa Canina (Rosehip) Seed Oil, *Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Oil, Vitamin E Oil (Non-GMO), *Rosemary Antioxidant (Extract), CI 77019 Mica, Iron Oxides, CI 77891 Titanium Dioxide, Silica. *Certified Organic
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The Hero Oil
Why you want it: Aside from the cool looking bottle dropper, this product is good for reducing redness and combating irritants in the skin.
Its value: $50
My review: According to Petit Vour, this product is supposed to be great for calming and soothing irritated skin. I must admit, it did do exactly that. Somewhat. The effects weren’t instantaneous (I didn’t rub it onto my skin and see redness dissolve right before my eyes or anything), but I did notice a decrease in irritation after a good night’s sleep. I applied this oil every morning and night to any areas on my face I saw redness (no matter how minimal). I used only a drop or less on each selective area and rubbed it in gently with my fingers. Unfortunately, my face tends to get oily in the summer (heat = sweat. Sweat = excess oil), so this hero oil didn’t exactly help with that. In fact, it made my face feel pretty gross. I had to be careful not to touch my face too, even after I massaged the oil in, because it didn’t completely soak into my skin. With that said, I don’t think that makes it a bad product. However, on top of the eye serum (also an oil), and this, I looked like a sweaty mess after my night and morning routine, which I did not favor. The effectiveness of the oil on a scale from 1-10 would have to be somewhere between a 4 and a 5. Maybe if I gave my skin more time to test it out, the results would be different. While I did notice some reduction in redness, it wasn’t enough to wow me too much. Perhaps I’ll continue using it on the side (along with the eye serum) just to be fair and give it more of a chance. However, I don’t think I’ll be buying more of this anytime soon (especially since this was such a generous sample which will last me a while). I also really love how the ingredients list is so short, but I do wish they included what blend of ‘therapeutic-grade essential oils’ they used…
Ingredients
Squalane oil, Apricot Kernel oil, Calendula Herb oil, Monoi de Tahiti oil, Grape seed oil and a proprietary blend of therapeutic-grade essential oils. *Certified Organic
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Cleansing Milk
Why you want it: If you’re looking for a new cleanser, this might be for you (but it wasn’t for me – read below to see why).
Its value: $22
My review: Like last month’s box, Petit Vour included another Juice Beauty sample. As you may have read, I wasn’t too found of last month’s sample only because it was a little too heavy for my skin, but I was excited to try this one. I’ve heard such rave reviews about this brand and have been wanting to try their line for a while now. I love how this isn’t only vegan and cruelty free, but made with top quality, organic ingredients. Their ingredients list is kind of long (sadly), but most of it consists of pronounceable plant-based ingredients (at least the names in the parenthesis). Unfortunately, this product didn’t perform as well as I was hoping it would. In fact, I liked this one less than the SPF moisturizer I got from last month’s box. This cleanser was too harsh on my skin and didn’t do a good job at getting off my makeup at all. Petit Vour advises users to massage the cleanser onto damp skin, which I did. The milky cleanser felt light and almost watery as I rubbed it onto my face, which I didn’t have much of a problem with. However, as soon as I tried to rub my eye makeup off with it, it started to sting. I had to wash it off and dry my face immediately. When I did, and I could open my eyes (they were kind of burning), I still had makeup on them, only now it was smeared (and I looked like a raccoon). Just to get the remaining makeup off, I had to use a Burts Bees white tea cleansing towelette and was surprised to see some of my concealer was still on my face too. How do I know that? When I went to clean off my eye makeup I also swiped over the rest of my face, just to be thorough – sure enough I saw peach-colored concealer streaks on it as well. For a cleanser that promises to be ‘deeply’ cleansing, I felt all it did was move around the makeup on my face. Mind you, I tried it multiple times after that first time, and still the same thing happened at night. In regards to the morning, application and cleansing were a little different. I didn’t have any makeup to remove, and it didn’t sting as much (maybe because I avoided my eye area in the morning – no eye makeup to remove, ya know?). Plus, I’ve started breaking out a little bit again. I was doing amazing for a while – I had been on my longest streak for no new breakouts ever. Then as soon as I used this stuff? Boom – here comes a pimple. The very next day. I can’t fully blame this cleanser for that, but I’m sure it didn’t help. I don’t like giving products negative reviews, but I think I’ll stick with my carrot butter cleanser for now.
Ingredients
Organic juices of vitis vinifera (organic white grape juice)*, rubus idaeus (organic red raspberry juice)*, aloe barbadensis (organic aloe juice)*, vegetable glycerin, caprylic/capric triglyceride, organic plant oils of carthamus tinctorius (organic safflower seed oil)*, helianthus annuus (organic sunflower seed oil)*, sesamum indicum (organic sesame seed oil)*, prunus amygdalus dulcis (sweet almond oil), vitis vinifera (grape seed oil), cetearyl alcohol, gluconolactone, cetearyl glucoside, sorbitan stearate, sodium benzoate, botanical extracts of calendula officinalis (marigold flower extract), chamomilla recutita (chamomile extract), tilia cordata (linden flower extract), boswellia carterii (frankincense extract), tocopherol (Vitamin E), ascorbyl palmitate (Vitamin C), panthenol (Vitamin B5), xanthan gum, tetrasodium glutamate diacetate, allantoin, sodium hydroxide, citrus aurantium dulcis (organic sweet orange & sweet neroli)* , chamomilla recutita (chamomile) and boswellia carterii (organic frankincense) pure essential oils * = Certified organic ingredient
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The (quick) rundown
The pros: Surprisingly, not too many pros.
1) I really admired Petit Vour‘s ethics as a company.
2) I got a kick out of the summertime minimalism theme this month.
3) I really adored the Organic Ignite Illuminator in this box, even though it made me breakout on my cupid’s bow…
4) The box was so affordable (only $15!) with generous sized samples.
The cons: Sadly, the cons outweigh the pros.
1) The Juice Beauty Cleaning Milk made my eyes burn and my face break out (or at least helped it along).
2) I wish this box shipped a little earlier in the month so I didn’t have to rush my review of it as much.
3) I didn’t like how there were two oils in this box (made my skin feel heavier and obviously more greasy).
2) I wish this box shipped a little earlier in the month so I didn’t have to rush my review of it as much.
3) I didn’t like how there were two oils in this box (made my skin feel heavier and obviously more greasy).
4) I wasn’t really too impressed with the products in this box overall.
5) I kind of wanted more makeup samples than skincare samples.
5) I kind of wanted more makeup samples than skincare samples.
6) Most of the items at full-size are kind of pricey.
7) Both the Juice Beauty Cleansing Milk and the Organic Ignite Illuminator made me breakout (which sucks even more because I was on my longest acne-free streak ever!).
7) Both the Juice Beauty Cleansing Milk and the Organic Ignite Illuminator made me breakout (which sucks even more because I was on my longest acne-free streak ever!).
Conclusion: Ultimately, I wasn’t too pleased with this box and can’t see myself re-purchasing any of these products (aside from the Illuminator, possibly). Most of the items in the box irritated my skin and made me break out (even the one I liked the most). However, that’s not to say it was a bad box or that I necessarily blame Petit Vour. I still respect Petit Vour and approve of their standards and ethics. This particular box just didn’t work for me. After all, everyone’s skin is unique. If you have different skin than me (not combination/acne prone), these products may work differently for you. If you decide to get one of these products, let me know in the comments section below. I’d love to hear your feedback on it!
