05 August 2013

Beauty Boxes: Lust Have It July 2013

Yeah, I know, technically it's August! I've been really busy lately and haven't gotten around to reviewing my LHI box yet. I received it one day after my July Bella Box, so that goes to show you how slack I am! It came in another gorgeous collector box, this time pink and purple. I already have several of these and I use them to keep everything from fountain pens to small craft projects. (The Bella Box boxes, which consist of a separate box and lid, I mainly use as trays for things like nail polish, jewellery and decoden supplies.) LHI also had some interesting news this month, and I'll go into it at the end of this post. But let's see what was inside!

* Nude By Nature Natural Tinted Mineral Moisturiser with Sunscreen, full size 30ml.
Interestingly, I received the Nude By Nature BB Cream a few boxes ago, and I came to the conclusion that I would rather use it as a tinted moisturiser. And now here is their actual tinted moisturiser! I'll be very interested to do a comparison of the two.

* Knotties by Condition Culture Hair Ties, 2 pieces.
These hair ties promise not to leave that kink in your hair after using them that normal hair elastics do. I haven't tried them yet myself, but my friend Mrs. M said her hair was less kinky after trying them. The card suggests that you can also wear them around your wrists, an idea that I like. I have to admit, a few months ago I saw a blog post on how to make these yourself with a length of elastic bought from the craft store. However, it's probably easier buying these instead of trying to source wide leopard-print elastic!

* ColorSmash by Condition Culture Hair Shadow, {not sure if full-size or sample}.
Finally, a hair product for those of us who'd be sent home if we rocked up to work with turquoise-coloured hair! Again, I'd seen a blog post a few months ago about temporarily colouring your hair with chalk pastels, but it's good to see products especially for the purpose starting to come out. I was lucky to get the trendy teal, and Mrs. M received a lovely marone colour. I'm not sure how it will come out on my dark hair, but I'll give it a try this weekend!

* Schwarzkopf Extra Care Volume Powder, full-size (?) 10g.
I had to laugh when I saw this because my hair is so thick and boofy, it doesn't need any extra volume! Although it does get a little flatter than normal as washday is approaching, so it might be handy for those days. There's very little that I rule out when it comes to beauty products!

* Swisse Pomegranate Hand Cream, sample size 50ml.
I was happy when I saw this product. I received one of these a few boxes ago, and I was sad when it ran out. It's so handy when you're meaning to buy something and it appears like magic in your box!

* Health Essentials zNano Active Gold Anti-Wrinkle Eye Patches, sample size 1 pair.
These eye patches promise to soothe, cool and refresh on contact with the eyes. They certainly sound appealing right now! I think I'll try them very soon.

* Alexami Face Mist, sample size 15ml.
I received a face mist spray in my Bella Box this month as well, so I wasn't terribly enthused by this. It had leaked into the box. It smells a little soapy, but I'll keep using it and see if it improves.

* BONUS: Health Essentials Maqui Berry Active, sample size 6g.
With Acai berries now shown to have no more nutrients in them than an orange, Maqui is the latest health food star on the block. Occasionally there will be a food or vitamin bonus in the beauty boxes, and I like that because it reminds me that healthy insides are just as important as healthy skin in looking beautiful.

Summary: There were a lot of products in this month's box, with face, hair and hand-care products included. The hair ties and the Maqui berry drink threw in a different dimension to the normal. The Hair Shadow is very on-trend, and I'm glad I received this as the cosmetic product instead of the same old lip gloss, etc. Overall I was very pleased with this box.

Gunna Use It Right Now Rating: 75%

.... And the LHI News: Lust Have It have released two new types of beauty boxes: a one-off Bridal Party Box and the FaB (Fashion and Beauty) Box. The FaB box is very similar in concept to the Her Fashion Box I subscribed to briefly earlier in the year. For $35, subscribers receive a selection of beauty samples plus a fashion accessory. Unfortunately there isn't much more detail than that at this stage. The website doesn't even specify how often the box is released, however the first box is the 'Spring Box', so I can only assume it's released quarterly. I unsubscribed to Her Fashion Box because I didn't think the products in the debut box were worth the hype and, despite getting the choice of 3 styles of accessory, I received something I wouldn't wear. Will the FaB box be the same?? Lust Have It are an established company with a large subscriber base already, so perhaps they'll be in a position to offer something more satisfying. Then there's the price to consider, not to mention the backlog of products I already have to use up! Then again, it's (possibly) only quarterly instead of monthly like Her Fashion Box is. Oooh, decisions, decisions!