Review of February Lust Have It Box

Well, hello! Today I went to the post office to pick up my beauty box, and the lovely lady advised me there were actually two waiting! I was so chuffed. I actually subscribe to three now, so I suppose the chances weren't that low. There's been a bit of talk around the intertubes as to whether the box people would work double-time this month and make sure their boxes arrived before Valentine's Day. Two have passed the test so far. I'll review the LustHaveIt box today, and the GlossyBox tomorrow.

So, here is the February LustHaveIt box:



It contains:

Lancome Juicy Tubes {colour not specified}, half-size sample.
Lancome is a luxury brand, and Juicy Tubes are an iconic product, so this is is the kind of thing you'd want from your beauty box! However, I think they're overpriced, and the company will not confirm its animal testing status, so I've already decided not to purchase anything from this brand. This half-size sample is worth $23.
Beautypedia Rating Summary [see full here] : the Juicy Tubes get a smily face (very good) rating.
Conscience time: Lancome is owned by L'Oreal, a French brand. It does not divulge its animal testing status.

Davroe Tame Lemongrass Detangler Spray, 50ml sample bottle.
I do love hair products! I haven't tried a de-tangler before, so it should be interesting. I don't really have a problem with tangled hair, but it does get very frizzy, so it might help with that. I'm a bit confused though, because the bottle mentions lemongrass, jasmine, passionflower and ylang ylang, and it doesn't smell like any of these at all! However, it's always good to try an independent Australian product.
Conscience time: Davroe is Australian made and owned. It does not test on animals.
21-MAR-12 edit: This stuff really works! I've been using it regularly.

Sasy n Savy Rose Lavender Hand n Nail Repair Creme, 5ml sample tube.
A 5ml sample ... not much! And from an unknown brand ... not very generous. (An unknown brand with such a dorky name, too. What the?)
But! It's not too greasy and it smells divine. A good product shines through every time. I'd consider buying this if I wanted to splash out.
Conscience time: Sasy n Savy is Australian made and owned. It is not tested on animals.

Lush Sugar Scrub, full-size.
In the past I had a bit of an unhealthy obsession with Lush. But about a year ago, when I decided to be a bit more savvy about my beauty products and delved a bit deeper, I became unhappy with the ingredients they use. They choose to use problematic ingredients. There's no need for sodium laureth sulfate. There's no need for parabens. There's no need for so many colours and fragrances. They make a lot of claims about being natural and chemical-free which are, in my opinion, quite iffy. Anyway, back to what's in the box:
I've used this product before and I found it too scratchy on my skin. At the time I'd thought that, if I ever bought it again, I'd grind it up and mix it with some olive oil before I used it. So yeah, I'll use it. This is the only full-sized product in the box.
Conscience time: Lush is a U.K. company. It is not tested on animals.

Lac Taut Collagen Infusion Mask, 1pc sample (usually 5pc).
I was excited to see this, despite myself. I'm completely obsessed with Asian beauty products at the moment, and it's a bit of a guilty pleasure. It's very difficult to find out much about them - whether they test on animals or even a complete ingredient list. But I just can't help myself! I can't wait to try out this mask. I've been wanting to try out cloth face masks since I first heard about them. The only issue is - it's such a luxury product that I feel like I need a 'special occasion' to use it!
Conscience time: Taut is owned by AMS Life Science, a Japanese company. I couldn't find any information about its animal testing status.

Summary: I was terribly excited when I first opened this box. It has it all! - independent brands, Australian brands, Asian brands, hair, skin, yay! Only one of the products is full-sized, but still the value is good and the excitement factor is there. My only gripe (and it's really a small one) is that the box could have reflected the Valentine's day theme a bit better. Just some pink tissue paper would have done the trick, or a paper flower. Overall though, I'm very happy with the box.

Total Value: $67.90. Cost of Box: $14.95. Benefit: $52.95
Rating: 8/10

Beauty Boxes

I've been a very naughty girl. A bit before I went away on holidays, I came across the concept of beauty box subscriptions. Basically, you pay a subscription fee (either monthly direct debit or a year in advance) and each month you get sent a box with beauty products in it. Most are sample size but some (especially makeup) are full-sized, and the idea is you get to try a lot of different products for a small price instead of forking out a lot for something you might not like. A whole bunch of companies started offering these boxes in Australia around the same time. With some judicious googling, I found about 6 different ones. They all cost the same, and offer at least 5 products per month, so I read some reviews and looked at the brands they offer to whittle them down. In the end I couldn't decide, so I subscribed to Lust Have It and Glossy Box. Yeah, two, oops! I figured, I'll probably cancel the less-good one after a few months. In the reviews I read, that seemed to be an OK thing for people to do.

Aaaand guess what? I received my Lust Have It box last night! (It comes out at the start of the month and the Glossy Box one at the end of the month.) I seem to have subscribed during the cross-over period, because I actually received the November and December boxes at the same time! Double yay! I will just look at the first one today though, and the second one in a few days.

Now, I'm no beauty blogger! There are literally hundreds of great Australian beauty bloggers out there who'd do a much better job than me. I just feel like spilling my personal comments and excitement over receiving cool (and cheap!) beauty products.

So here's the November Lust Have It box:



Source: addtocartblog.com via ApartmentCat on Pinterest.


It contained:
RoC: Complete Lift Daily Moisturiser, 5ml tubes x3.
I used it this morning and it seems quite good. As for whether the active ingredients really work, I won't know for a while. I've used RoC brand before and thought that the packaging was boring and smelled a bit generic. I get the same impression from this product. For something that expensive, I'd like a more memorable experience. Plus I believe they still test on animals. So I won't buy it.

Nude By Nature: Lipliner in Chique Natural, full size item.
I've never used lipliner before, because a) I don't have a problem with lipstick bleeding; and b) don't often wear lipstick anyway. But I'll give this a go next time I have a nice occasion to go to.
14-JAN-12 edit: I still haven't opened this product, and I don't think I'll use it, after all. I might give it away to a friend.

Lancome: Tresor Midnight Rose, 1.5ml vial x2.
I put some of this perfume on this morning, and I really quite like it. At first it smells fruity, like berries, then a deep, musky fragrance kicks in. It's probably more appropriate to wear in the evening or special occasions. If I could afford it, I'd buy it again.
14-JAN-12 edit: I wore it at my wedding earlier in the week!

Hawley: 2-Step Nail Shiner Buffer.
Some of the reviews said this was a bit of a disappointing addition to the box. I'll definitely use it though. I like to paint my nails, but they peel easily and I need to rest them in between. I can use the buffer for those times.

Kerastase: Nectar Thermique Leave-In Conditioner, 10ml sachet x5.
I haven't used any of this yet, but I'm very glad it was included. When I was overseas, I just used the generic shampoos that the hotels provided, and now my hair is feeling really coarse and yakky. So I'll be giving this a go when I wash my hair tonight.
14-JAN-12 edit: I have used this, and it made my hair so soft and shiny, smelled good also.

Total Value: $60.70. Cost of Box: $14.95. Benefit: $45.75.
Rating: 7/10