New Beauty TestTube March 2016 Review and Coupon

New Beauty TestTube is a subscription box curated by Sandow's New Beauty magazine. It's a bi-monthly subscription that contains products chosen by the magazine editors. It generally contains products you won't find anywhere else which is part of the allure of this subscription. This month is no exception to that rule.

The TestTube is actually a tube but it arrives in a box and this month there was a product that didn't fit into the tube and was included separately. I'll tell you right now that it's a product I love. And already own. Because I received it in a past TestTube.

The Cost: $29.95/month + $8.95 shipping

What You Get: A combination of deluxe-size samples and full-size products from the hottest beauty brands, including  Mally, Moroccanoil, Perricone MD, Philosophy and SmashBox. In addition to the products, members receive a subscription to NewBeauty magazine.

Board and Batten Calming Lift- This is a spritz that contains aloe vera and hyaluronic acid. Two of my favorite ingredients! I'm really excited to use this product because of that. I was worried with the "Calming" label that it would contain lavender but it thankfully does not. Spritz this on your skin (or your hair!) before your moisturizer to lock in moisture and keep your skin plump and dewrinkled. This is appropriate for any skin type as we can all do with a little more water in our skin. An ingredient like hyaluronic acid is going to work wonders for fine lines and the aloe vera is going to calm redness and irritation you may have.
Value: $14

Oral Essentials Mouthwash Whitening Formula- Does NBTT have an obsession with white teeth? We just got a toothpaste in the last box! This is a mouthwash with Dead Sea salt, aloe vera and coconut oil. I'm not sure how those add up to white teeth, though. However, I'm sure it works great as a mouthwash and that's how I'll use it.
Value: $2

Cailyn Cosmetics 7-in-1 Liquid Eyeliner- This is a liquid liner that touts a matte finish with a gel-like application. It's highly pigmented, water resistant and smudgeproof. I will put that to the test! I like liquid liners and have been having fun testing them out lately.
Value: $19

Gavee Gold Liquid Gold Peptides- A brightening serum with hyaluronic acid, antioxidants and peptides. It also has "liquid gold elements." While the gold probably does nothing, there's nothing wrong with slapping some hyaluronic acid and peptides on your face. In fact, I recommend it!
The ingredients list starts with aloe and has other ingredients I like to see in my skincare, as well. I'll definitely be trying this. Not because of the gold but because of everything else. It's expensive for what it is (imo) and while I wouldn't spend that much on a moisturizer, it'll be fun to try.
Value: sample

CHI 44 Iron Guard Style and Spray- This hair spray has ceramic compounds (what does that even mean?!), vitamin A, keratin and silk protiens. It's supposed to protect your hair from styling tool heat damage and provide a firm hold for your style. I guess that's handy for curling your hair and you need to spray each section first, then curl it. I don't do much with my hair beyond blow drying it these days but I've been thinking about going back to curling it more often. I like it curled.
Value: $16

Grande Naturals Grande Brow Fill in Light- So, if you've heard of BeautyDNA, it's run by the same company. I received a Grande Brow product in my last box but it's different from this one. Since I was wishy-washy on using the one I got in my BeautyDNA (I wanted to give it to my sister who has really sparse brows thanks to insane plucking in the 90's) I'm glad to see this and I'll use this instead of the other one.
This product is a mascara for your brows and has little fibers that attach to make them look fuller. I can work with that. :)
Value: $20

BONUS: Klorane Makeup Remover Wipes with Cornflower- These are decent makeup remover wipes. I like the gentle ones. I have received these before in a NBTT, too. It's a curse!
Value: $13

BONUS: It Cosmetics Heavenly Luxe Powder Brush- I absolutely love this brush for use with my BareMinerals powder foundation. Love it. It applies the powder perfectly. In fact, I loved it so much I went and bought a whole set of It Cosmetic brushes. I love them all. The bristles are unbelievably soft, too. I like the size and grip of the handle. Basically, if you ever find one of these, you should snag one. I think the name has been changed, however, to Heavenly Luxe Airbrush Powder and Bronzer #1. I frigging love it.
Value: $48

VERDICT: In my opinion, this box is made by the extras. For a new subscriber, you're going to love your first few boxes but long term, you'll find there are unavoidable repeats. I'm not sure why they do this since there are only six boxes a year, you'd think it'd be easy for them to find new products. Anyway, be warned. Besides that, these boxes tend to be more interesting than other beauty boxes and contain things you won't find in other subscriptions. This could be beneficial for those who are addicted to sub boxes like I am. It's refreshing to get unusual items (though after two years of subscribing I think I may be repeated out).

If you would like to sign up for New Beauty Test Tube, you can get 30% off with my referral link. So your first box will be $20.95 plus $8.95 shipping. If you sign up now, you will receive this box unless they're sold out. If you don't want this specific box, wait til spoilers for the May one come out.

What do you think of NBTT? I'm conflicted because there are things I don't like but then there's things I do...

*referral/affiliate links were used in this post.