Decdied to give it another try and received today. I don't think I'll be purchasing anymore. Two tries and that's it.

thank you to those of you who bought and reviewed it the collection here, that's what interested me in totalbeauty from the start it's just too bad these bad reviews are from something totalbeauty offered.

Why would you send out such a skimpy box for the first one? I expect that few people who got this box will buy another. If you want to send me next month's supposedly better box, that would boost my confidence in this program. I just can not understand why you wouldn't have made the first box totally awesome so that everyone would be buzzing with great feedback and buy more boxes. Instead you did just the opposite, and now people are complaining. I bought this box because I thought it would be fun, instead I just feel ripped off.

Decided to order another and give it another try. Will defintiely post a review especially if I like the box!

Hi ladies-

Thank you all SO much for your feedback. It is very valuable for us to hear what you think, as it will help us improve our program in the future.

Thank you also for being patient with me and waiting for my response. I wanted to give everyone a chance to speak up before I responded, as many of you seem to be experiencing the same issues.

I am so sorry to hear that many of you were disappointed in the first Total Beauty Collection. I would like to address here a few concerns that were raised in this thread.

PAYING FOR SAMPLES. While I understand that many of you prefer free samples, I would like to clarify that our program is not about paying for the samples you can receive at any beauty counter. Our program provides deluxe sized, multi-use product samples that will last you many uses. The purpose of these products is to give you the opportunity to try a product long enough to decide if you like it and want to purchase it in its full size. Many of the brands do not offer samples in many places, so these are not necessarily items you could get at a beauty store or counter. As many of you probably know, there are many box sampling programs on the market that require you to pay $10, $15 or even $20+ per month to receive samples that are not deluxe sized and are not curated for you by beauty experts. This is where our program hopes to be different -- bringing you products that we keep in our own makeup bags and that we think you are going to love as well.

VALUE. Our program is not an attempt for us to simply make a profit off your hard-earned dollars. The cost of the box is well below the actual value of each. (For example, if you paid $15 for the first box, you actually received more than $40 worth of products!). We strive to keep costs low so all our users can enjoy our program, but there are overhead costs that need to be covered. Additionally, unlike other sampling programs, when you purchase ours you'll also receive special offers and discounts from the brands included -- bringing you even more value.

WHAT'S IN THE BOX. I am so bummed that some of you didn't like the products in our first box. However, I hope that won't deter you from trying future boxes! We have a lot of really great brands lined up that have been top-rated by YOU, our site users, and that our experts have recommended. We think you'll be very happy with what we have coming up. For example, our next collection (on sale May 21) includes 5 deluxe samples (yes, they're all products -- no gift cards in this one) including hair care, skin care, lip care and cosmetics from brands like Pixi, Senna and Likewise.

SIGNING UP. I just want to remind you that our program doesn't make you commit to a subscription. So, you can decide with each box if you want to purchase or not. We did this so you never receive a box that you don't want, and we never have to charge you for months when we don't have a box going out. Just enter your email address at TotalBeauty.com/Collection to hear when we have a box going on sale.

Again, I can't thank you ladies enough for your feedback. I hope you know how much I, and the whole team at TotalBeauty.com, appreciate your presence here in our community. You may not realize it -- but every time you tell us something, you help make our community (and now our products) a little bit better.

Please feel free to email me at [email protected] if you have additional questions or concerns. Also, I'd love to talk to all those of you who purchased the Collection more in-depth so I can hear all your thoughts. I'll be in touch soon!

Thanks!

I have to admit I agree. Was very disappointed to see what was in the box. The gift card is good if hte items were cheaper at pevonia but it just causes us to have to spend more.  The mascara I've been wanting to try which s a good thing but so far I don't care for it.  I do loike the alterna hair shine spray but the lotion/balm was a disappointing choice for the box.  All in all not sure if I'll purchase again. :(

Wow! I'm kind of glad I didn't get it. 

I had wanted to buy one myself, but hearing such reviews about only 3 samples is pretty disappointing, and the gift card would be useless if you don't want any of their products... so sad :( 

the disappointment in the collection. I didn't order one and will think twice when the next one comes around.

This was so beyond disappointing. Adding my comments again because so sade about this.  I feel very taken advantage of and may just boycott this site all together (still pondering this). What seeemed to be something wonderful was actually a money making ploy. And notice no one from the site has commented.  UGH