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!

Beauty Boxes: Bella Box November 2012

Both of my beauty box subscriptions came pretty late this month. I was really hanging out for them! The theme of this month's Bella Box is Soiree Season Staples, and I think they have done quite well. I was very happy with the box, except for one slight hiccup, which I'll detail at the end!

So here is the November box:

✽ Bioderma Sebium H2O Cleansing Water, sample size 20ml.
I was very impressed with the last Bioderma product I received, so I'm looking forward to using this cleansing water. It's formulated for oily and combination skin, which is perfect for me.

✽ 4Me Nail Polish Remover Pads, full-size 30 pads.
A basic but essential product if ever there was one! I've been painting my nails a lot again lately, so these will come in handy. I can see myself keeping them at work in case I get a multiple-chip issue and the whole lot needs to be removed straight away. (It happens to me quite a lot!).

✽ Swisse Hand Cream with Vitamin D and Pomegranate, sample size 30ml.
I'd noticed recently that the Vitamin company Swisse had put out a range of skin care products, and I was curious. The packaging design, while not exactly pretty, certainly stood out from all the rest. This hand cream is free from parabens and many other nasties, and is not tested on animals. I have to be really careful with hand creams due to my ezcema, and I really hope this will be one of the few I can use.

✽ Palmolive Luscious Strawberry Smoother Body Wash, sample size 50ml.
I would really rather have had the mango version of this, as I already have a bottle of the strawberry. But these things can't be helped. I was thinking of reviewing it, so perhaps this is a sign that I should!

✽ David Jones Beauty Radiant Moisture Day Cream, 30ml.
It's exciting to see another new product in the box! I'm very interested to see that David Jones have put out a store brand of skin care (and cosmetics too, I believe). I only use products with SPF in the morning, so this will be a night cream for me. The product is made in Australia and not tested on animals.

✽ B by Bloom Collecta Colour Cheek Tint in Barossa Valley, full-size 5g.
I was very excited to get a Bloom product in my box! As I've mentioned before, I have a bit of a soft spot for Bloom and can sometimes feel a little down that I don't have more of their products. (True beauty saddie, me?) I already have a Bloom Cheek Tint, but it's in a very different colour to this beautiful reddish pink. So now I have two. Yay!

✽ Rose-Hip Vital Rosehip Oil, full-size 30ml.
I love, love, love rosehip oil! It helps to sooth my eczema, and makes my skin feel so soft and plump when I apply it to my face. I'm very glad to know I have another bottle to fall back on when my current one runs out.

Summary: This month's box is very impressive! Seven products, three of them full size. I love the Bloom cheek tint and the rosehip oil, and the nail polish remover pads and cleanser will come in handy. There's a good mix of different types of products. The value of the box is comparatively good. There was only one disappointment, as I mentioned before. Whenever I open a beauty box, I always make sure to examine the products first, and then look at the card later. When I did that this time, I noticed it mentioned a bonus necklace. Oooh, that sounds good! But wait, I didn't notice the necklace in my box ... I searched the contents again ... no necklace! I was quite upset and thought I'd have to email the company to tell them they'd forgotten my necklace. Then I read the card again and realised that the necklace is free with purchase from the Bella Box online shop. The item isn't a bonus with the box, it's a bonus when you make an additional purchase, and yet it's listed on the card in the same manner as all the other products as if it were part of the box. I was angry then, and I felt a little misled.
But if I take a deep breath and put aside this quibble, I actually really liked the November box. My issue was with the marketing, not with the products or box themselves. So I'm giving it 9 out of 10!

Total Value: $56.42. Cost of Box: $15.00. Benefit: $41.42
Rating: 9/10