- - Saffron Rouge Inner Circle | January 2014 Review - -

Hi everyone! Hope you're having a swell Wednesday!

This month Saffron Rouge's Inner Circle was the last subscription to arrive at my door. Nonetheless, arrive it did! As we've seen with ipsy and Beauty Box 5, the trend for the first month of 2014 was to focus on cleansing/moisturizing skincare products. In this regard, Saffron Rouge was no exception. For a full review of the products in this month's box, please click "Read more"...
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Saffron Rouge is an online eco-friendly & organic retailer whose monthly subscription, Inner Circle, provides deluxe samples of products from organic beauty brands around the world.
 
Frequency: monthly  
Cost: $24.99 + tax (in total, I was charged roughly $28)  
Ships To: Canada, U.S., internationally  
Added Bonus: A 10% off discount comes with every box.
 
Unlike many subscription services, Inner Circle products are not curated for each individual. Instead, the products are curated around a theme. Although everyone gets the same products (colours may vary), the items are pretty versatile in their use.

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January 2014 Box

Remember how when I opened up my first Inner Circle Box in November there was a really strong but pleasant cherry blossom scent coming from something inside? Same thing this month! When I opened up the Saffron Rouge package, there was a lemon scent coming from whatever product was inside.

As always, the first thing that you see when you open up the package is a product card, which has a description of every product you will find in your box. It also includes a sweet 10% Saffron Rouge discount code for you to use before the months ends.

 First peek inside...

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Products

1  ||  Yuzu Mimosa Sea Algae Cleanser/Wash (Red Flower)
         (Sample size: $4 for 32.5 mL || Full size: $33.95 for 249 mL)
         (Link to product) 

This is the second product product that I have from Red Flower. I look forward to trying this out.

2  ||  Cleansing Cream (Dr. Hauschka)
          (Sample size: ~$18 for 30 mL || Full size: $31 for 50 mL  )       
          (Link to product) 

This cream is more like a paste. I use it in conjunction with the Konjac sponge, which requires only a small drop of cleanser. The scent is...interesting.

3  ||  Purifying Cleanser (Dr. Alkaitis)
          (Sample size: ~$8 for ~15 mL/0.5 oz  || Full size: $66.95 for 120 mL )     
          (Link to product)  

I haven't tried out this product yet but I'm thinking I will be using it with the Konjac sponge as well.

4  ||  Pure Compact Sponge (Konjac)
          (ONE SIZE: $13.25)     
          (Link to product)  

 

Sponge when dry

This was hands down my most favourite product this month! At first I didn't think too much of this sponge. It was pretty stiff but I figured that it would soften after contact with water. What I didn't expect was the effect this sponge has. Using this with only warm water and going over your face is like giving yourself a mini facial massage - it feels soo good! As with all of the products I've received from Saffron Rouge so far, one of the great things about this sponge is that it is made from completely organic materials. 

All in all, I am honestly genuinely impressed. I think I'm going to get one for Andrew - THAT'S how much I love this sponge. I took a few pictures to show you what the sponge looks like when it's soaking with water and when you've squeezed the water out:

Neat, isn't it? With proper care this product is supposed to last 3 months. I also like the fact that if you use this sponge with a cleanser, you only need about a drop of the cleanser to get the full effect, which is awesome because it will really allow you to stretch out the life of your product/sample.

If anyone would like to try out this product but finds the Saffron Rouge price a bit too steep, I have found it on Amazon for $5.00 (CAD).

5  ||  Sensitive Cleansing Bar To Go and Cloth (Suki)
         (ONE SIZE: Cleansing bar - $6.25 | Facial cloth - $11.95)     
         (Link to products: cleansing bar | facial cloth)

The lemon scent that was present when I opened up this month's package was coming from the Suki cleansing bar. I've seen the cleansing bar on the Saffron Rouge website and I've been curious about it. Interestingly, I've actually already received the facial cloth from Suki who sent me a replacement for my emply Luscious Lips Berry Cream Trio set last month. I haven't tried out either one of them, but I do look forward to it.

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Thoughts
I will be honest - I am really nervous every time I open up a Inner Circle box, which is silly considering that every box so far has yielded quite a good value and selection of products. I think that Saffron Rouge set a pretty high standard for what to expect in their Inner Circle boxes and I just don't want to be disappointed one day. When I first opened up this month's box, I was a little underwhelmed. It didn't seem like there were as many full sized items as in the previous boxes (previous reviews: November & December). Looking closer, I realize that I shouldn't have been so quick to judge. There are three products that aren't full-sized, but one of them is more than half the size of a full-sized bottle, which is the Dr. Hauschka cream. From what I've seen so far, Dr. Hauschka products are good quality but are pricey, so getting the sample such as the one in this box is actually amazing.  Overall, this box has a value of roughly $61.45.

Anyways, all talk of value aside, I'm pretty happy that Saffron Rouge chose to focus on skincare this month. I'm really pleased with all of the products, but most importantly, I'm really happy with the Konjac sponge, which I know I wouldn't have picked out on my own. So, thanks again Saffron Rouge - you're doing an amazing job and I am already anxiously looking forward to next month!

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Have you tried out any of these products or brands?

Thank you so much for reading! -A.~