Beauty Boxes: Lust Have It December 2012

Yes, I've been completely neglecting my blogs lately, but I'm not one for long apologies, so let's see what I received in my final Lust Have It box for the year. I found it on my doorstep on the Friday before Christmas, which was quite a relief as I was worried it wasn't going to come before Christmas, and I'm sure no-one would want that!

Here's the pic:

Here we see:

❏ Catwalk by Tigi Sessions Series Finishing Hairspray, sample size 80ml.
I received a Tigi frizz-control product a few boxes ago, and I was happy with its performance. I have a huge can of hairspray though I hardly ever use it. It'll be good to have a smaller size can.

❏ Baji Rose and Kakadu Plum Face Mist, full size 110ml.
With a beautiful rose smell, this face mist also contains bush essences and aloe vera. Face mists are one of those products that I used to find mystifying, but now use all the time. I like to give myself a spritz at the end of my lunch break at work, to give myself a little pick-me-up for the afternoon. This will definitely get used! Baji is Australian owned and made, and is not tested on animals.

❏ Everyday Minerals Cheek in Nature's Sweet Side, 4.8g. {I assume it's full-size.}
The options for Everyday Minerals products were an eyeshadow, a base or a blush. I received a blush in a pinky coral. I've only just started out with using cream blushes. I have a few powder and pressed powder blushes, but I'm too scared to use them. I'm worried I'll look like a throwback to the 80s! There's no time like the present to try something new, though. Everyday Minerals comes from Texas, U.S. Products are not tested on animals.

❏ Pelactiv Hydra Daily Defense Moisturiser, full-size 50ml.
I'm quite impressed to get a full-sized tube of this moisturiser, which retails at $69. I saw this brand advertised in a magazine not long ago and was curious about it, so I'm happy to see it in my box. The moisturiser contains Australian plant botanicals, as well as vitamins and seaweed extract. Pelactiv is Australian-made and is not tested on animals.

❏ Glasshouse Fragrances Hand Creme in Marseille Gardenia, sample size 5ml.
I have a few soaps from this range, and I really love the sophisticated floral scent. Unfortunately most scented creams react badly with my eczema, but I usually can't resist using them anyway if the smell is enticing enough. The product is made in Australia and not tested on animals.

❏ Lust Have It Exfoliating Glove.
The rough fabric on this mitt has a very effective exfoliating result. The instructions advise to use it 1 to 2 times a week.

❏ BONUS PRODUCT -- Marc Jacobs Daisy Eau de Toilette, sample vial 1.2ml.
I'm always excited to receive a perfume sample, and Marc Jacobs is the really good stuff! It must have been a last-minute addition, as it's not pictured on the card. I've become such a girly that I wear perfume nearly every day now, and I've collected enough now that I can choose different ones to suit my moods and outfits.

Summary: So far I've resisted comparing boxes from different companies in my reviews, but this month I just can't help it. Whereas December's Bella Box {review here} had one wham-in-your-face product with average products filling up the rest of the box, Lust Have It have produced a consistently pleasing box. There are a generous number of products, and three of them are full-size (including a high-end brand). I like all of the products and I'll use them. For this reason, I do prefer the LHI box to the Bella Box this month so I'm giving it 9 out of 10.

I would also like to make a comment on Lust Have It's marketing strategy. It's changed recently. Previously, I'd only receive emails when my credit card had been charged and my box had been posted. After a while, it started to feel, well, a little impersonal. While Bella Box sent emails which mostly consisted of "hey, it's [insert occasion here] soon, buy some stuff from our online store", at least they were communicating. In the last month or so, LHI have really stepped up in this department. They now send a regular newsletter which has interesting content with tips and further information about the products in the boxes. They also have a YouTube channel with even more in video form. I can't stress how much this has changed my perception of the LHI brand. I feel more connected and have a more positive perception of the brand. I just ... like them more!

I can't be bothered working out the total value of the box. It's Christmas, for pete's sake!
Rating: 9/10

P.S. : I have many posts planned for the new year, and perhaps a few changes too, if I'm feeling brave enough. Happy New Year and see you very soon!

Beauty Boxes: Lust Have It June 2012 and Blogging Fail

Lust Have It sent out an email a couple of weeks ago detailing some changes they're making: mainly, not using tracked postage, and giving different items to different subscribers (though not according to our profiles because, with all the ex-GlossyBox subscribers they have now, it's just too much effort). I was left feeling a little miffed, and vowed to cancel my subscription at the first sign of trouble. Apparently now they also charge your card about 2 weeks before they send out the box, as I found out. So without the tracking, I had no idea when my box was coming. I was starting to see reviews from beauty bloggers popping up early in the week, and my box still hadn't arrived! I was starting to get quite worried. But then I found it in my letterbox on Thursday. Again, the items came in a LustHaveIt-branded makeup bag, this time a lovely purple colour. The package has come in a makeup bag the last 3 months, and I've gotten a different colour each time. I don't know if this is deliberate or not, but if it is, it's a Good Thing. I actually prefer getting the makeup bags to the box I get with the other packages; they're more practical.

I'm just doing a shortened review today; I can't be bothered searching for all that extra information. Here's what was inside:


✔ Lon Vitalite 24K Active Golden Yulan Oil Facial Mask
✔ Lon Vitalite 24K Active Gold Full Eye Mask
✔ Batiste Dry Shampoo in Blush
✔ Bloom Shade & Line 3-in-1 in Times Square
✔ Marc Jacobs Lola
✔ Chloe L'Eau de Chloe

Summary: Most of the reviews I read expressed disappointment in this months' box, and I can see why. Only one of the products (the Bloom eyeliner) is full-sized; having 2 perfume samples is a bit repetitive and boring; the masks are treated as separate items when I really think they should be treated as one, which is a bit cheeky; the dry shampoo is a bit of a bottom-shelf everyday item.

On the other hand -
There were some things that saved this box for me, though I have to say they were purely coincidental:
* I tried my first cloth face mask just the other day (don't worry, pictures are coming soon!) and I really like them. I can't afford to buy the really fancy ones like this brand (RRP $59.00 for a pack of 5 face masks), so getting one in my box gave me a little thrill.
* I like perfumes, and both the Marc Jacobs and the Chloe were ones I'd been wanting to sniff for some time. I could always go to Perfume Connection or one of those places, bug the saleslady for a while, and then walk out cheekily empty-handed; but I'm too shy for that! The only time I get to try testers of the really top-end perfumes is at the duty-free shops at the airport - and that's not very often! ツ Even when I do get to try them out, I'm never sure if I'll like them in the longer-term and if it's really worth shelling out the crippling amounts they cost. So when I get a tester vial in a beauty box, I'm always very happy, because then I can see if I still like it over time. So I have to admit ... I'm not really annoyed at all to get two perfumes.
* I've always had a soft spot for Bloom, though for some strange reason I don't have many of their products. It was the first non-chemist brand that I was really interested in. The eyeliner is actually a shade that I would wear, too. Other subscribers received a glittery gold eyeliner, which is definitely not me! I was glad to receive it. I was so excited that I did a swatch of it - my first swatch for the blog! - and here comes my beauty blogger fail ....


So above is my swatch. I tried taking pictures in various places around the house - even under my brand new daylight lamp that I got for my birthday - and this was the best I could come up with. I was moderately proud of it, until I was looking at my products again later, and wondering why it's called a 3-in-1 stick. I realised ... there are actually 2 products in the stick! When I screw off the coloured section, there's a gunmetal grey eyeshadow as well as the eyeliner in the stick! Arrgghh! It's actually even better than I thought. ツ

Total Value: $50.15. Cost of Box: $14.95. Benefit: $35.20
Rating: 7/10