Beauty Boxes : Lust Have It June 2013

I was so excited when my Lust Have It Box arrived two weeks earlier than normal! They sent an email advising that payments and postal arrangements would be occurring earlier in the month, so no-one would have to wait til the end of the month for their box. My May box came so late, it was already June, and I was too demoralised to even write a review at all. So I think it's a wonderful change. This month's box is again in the signature 'L' box. So far I've found uses for the other lidded boxes I've received, and I'm sure this one will be no different. The theme for this month is The Great Gatsby, so appropriate with the film having come out only a couple of weeks ago. I love the glamour and sophistication of the Jazz Age, so let's see what I got!:

❀ Batiste Dry Shampoo in Cherry Scent, travel size 50ml.
I like to have dry shampoo in the house for times when I'm really busy. It's not really a luxury product, but the cherry smell is appealing. The cherry more evocative of the 1950s than the 1920s I think! But it still has a touch of glamour to it.

❀ Pure Fiji Hydrating Body Lotion in Coconut, sample size {estimate 50ml}.
I was excited to see this one. I haven't forgotten the Pure Fiji Body Butter I received last year, so when I saw the logo again, I squeed! Pure Fiji products are on my wishlist of things I'd like if I want to splurge a little, and getting this little reminder pushed them up to the top again. I'm looking forward to using this luxurious lotion.

❀ Real Purity Natural Lipstick in Romantic Red, sample size {estimate 2g}.
The amazing blood red colour of this lipstick sample just screams 1920s! Unfortunately I don't have much occasion to wear bright red lipstick, but I do admire women who can rock a red lip. I want to step out of my comfort zone and try it one day. The disposable lipstick brush that was supplied will come in handy, too. It came with a 10% off coupon code for the Real Purity online store.

❀ Aromatherapy Associates Signature Bath and Shower Oil, sample vial 3ml.
The name Aromatherapy Associates sounded familiar to me, so I checked back through my tags and, yes, LHI provided a moisturiser and face mask from this brand last August. I have a good memory for beauty products, obviously! To be honest, I haven't used those products yet - they aren't suitable for my skin type so I put them near the bottom of the queue. The Bath and Shower Oil is much more appealing to me though. I opened the vial and, oh it smells divine! I'm planning on using it ASAP. I imagine if the moisturiser and face mask had come in resealable packaging instead of sachets, and I'd had a chance to smell them, I probably would have used them sooner. The smell of a product is half of its appeal to me. That's why I want to get cracking on this Bath and Shower Oil as soon as possible!

❀ Doctor Babor Biogen Cellular Ultimate Repair Gel-Cream, sample size {estimate 5g}.
I've never heard of this brand from Germany before, so I'll be interested to give it a try. Facial moisturisers are one of my weaknesses, and I'm curious as to what a gel-cream is! It came with an offer for a free cleanser with purchase from the Doctor Babor online store.

Summary: Overall I have to say this box was a little ho-hum. I was excited by the Great Gatsby theme, but I don't think the products themselves lived up to that expectation. None of the products were full-sized, and there were only 5, no bonuses. I know the guarantee is for a minimum of 5 products, so I'm not complaining. To have received a couple of full-sized products and/or some nice bonus products would have been much more consistent with the luxurious, glamorous feel of the 1920s. Having said that, there were some products that I really liked and will definitely use soon. There was a good mix of hair, makeup, body and face products.

Rating: 6/10
Gunna Use It Right Now Rating: 40%

Japanese Beauty Samples!

Yesterday I was the lucky recipient of a bundle of Japanese beauty product samples, straight off the plane! My dear friends S & B brought them back for me from Japan. The other items they generously bought me for my birthday are listed on my other blog. Here is the beauty bundle:



It contains:
❁ Ffid Co-Enzyme Q10 Cloth Mask
❁ Ffid Petit Fleur Rose Garden Bath Additive
❁ Pola Kalahari Face Wash
❁ Pola Kalahari Liquid Cleansing
❁ Pola Kalahari Moisture Lotion
❁ Pola Kalahari Overnight Milk

The description on the Ffid Mask reads: "This is a mask for your beauty that includes sufficiently coenzyme Q10, collagen, hyaluronic acids and others. It infiltrates into your skin and makes moisturised".
The Pola products say "with makataan". Wikipedia says this is the South African word for watermelon. That fits in with the Kalahari aspect. I have a feeling they'll smell good!

I can't wait to try them out!

Lust Have It Beauty Box: April 2012

After trying to find time all week to pick up this month's Lust Have It Beauty Box from the post office, I finally had time this morning. I'd been absolutely itching to get another box, so it was quite agonising, I can tell you! I also read some very interesting news yesterday - Lust Have It have acquired GlossyBox (the one I unsubscribed to last month, remember?). I guess I wasn't the only one who thought that GB wasn't quite up to scratch? If I had still been a GB subscriber, the email assured me, then my subscription would have been automatically transferred to Lust Have It so I could continue to receive uninterrupted sample-y goodness.
Umm... have they heard of the right to privacy? Have they heard of asking? I would have been really PO'ed if it had happened to me. No more ranting about GB though, they're out of my life forever. The field of beauty box companies in Australia is now reduced to 3. Interesting times ahead.
Anyway, here is April's Box. The products came inside a pretty blue makeup pouch (making it a little hard to photograph, sorry about that!). The pouch is lined and seems quite sturdy; I think I'll use it to keep my smaller samples and sachets in, so I'm happy about that.



I Nuovi Professional Glitterati in Blonde Fever, full-size pot.
This seems to be a multi-purpose glitter that you can use on your eyes, face, body and even nails, with a topcoat. The colour I received was gold. The other colourways, according to the card, seem to be blue and purple. I'm really not a glitter kind of girl, but I might try it next time I go to a party or something?
Conscience time: I Nuovi Professional is an Italian company. It does not test on animals.

emerginC Phytocell Moisturiser and Kombucha Cleanser, cleanser 3ml; moisturiser 3ml x2
I do love skin care products, and these look very interesting. It's one of the first 'cosmeceutical' brands I've had the chance to try. The full sizes are quite pricy, so it's a brand I wouldn't have tried normally. I'm glad to have received these. I like the shape of the sachets, too. They have a base so that they stand up on their own. It's the little things that can sometimes make a difference!
Conscience time: I believe it's a U.S. company, but their website was vague on that. They don't test on animals.

De Lorenzo Elements Ocean Mist Sea Salt Styling Spray, full-size bottle.
Of course, I've heard of sea salt sprays, but never really thought of using them. Normally I like my hair to be smooth and silky, not textured and messy. However, I was going to a garden party today, so I thought why not give something a different a go? Yes, this ended up being a same-day-trial product. And I really like it! I'd just assumed that it wouldn't have much effect, as my hair normally baulks at anything I try to do to it. But I ended up with messy textured waves that looked beachy cool. Wow! I may well purchase this product again.
Conscience time: De Lorenzo is an Australian company, founded by an individual (actually, two brothers). It does not test on animals.

True Solutions All Day Tinted Moisturising Cream SPF 30+, 20ml sample size bottle.
I already have a tinted moisturiser, but I thought I'd try this out for the garden party and this ended up being a same-day-trial product, too. The product was very thick in consistency: if my skin hadn't been warm and damp from the shower, I might have had some trouble blending it in. However, I liked the tinting: subtle but not so much as to be invisible. As for the 'all day' claim, I can't really say as I don't have problems with skin going dry anyway. It was quite a good product and I'll definitely use it up. And because it was made in Australia, where we have strict standards for SPF products, I don't have to worry that it might not have the full spectrum of ingredients to protect my skin from the sun. (I'm still concerned after reading the review of the Sheer Cover product on the Beautypedia website.)
Conscience time: The website was a little confusing, but I think the company was founded by an Australian. It's definitely made in Australia. It does not test on animals.

Spa Fresh Blends Romantic Discovery Bath Salts, sample sachet, estimate 50g.
Supposedly these bath salts smell like sweet orange, bergamot and ylang ylang. Sounds good! I don't take baths very often anymore (the bathtub in our new place is shallow and gets dirty very easily), but I might have to make an exception to give this a go.
Conscience time: Spa Fresh Blends was founded by an individual. Its animal testing status is not listed on its website.

Summary: Yes, this was a pretty good box. The makeup didn't enthuse me at all, but there were some other exciting skin and hair care products. Only 2 of the products were full-sized, but the value of the box was up there with the best.

Total Value: $72.70. Cost of Box: $14.95. Benefit: $57.80
Rating: 7/10

BB Creams: What Are They?

I'm obsessed with beauty products at the moment! I've started to draw up an inventory of all my bath and beauty products, and it's taking a while! I've had to look, not only in the shower and bathroom cabinet, but in my cupboards, at my computer desk, at work, through all my handbags, etc! I'm getting there though. So far the big trend I'm seeing is with bath products. I'll buy them on a semi-regular basis, but last winter I used hardly any up. In the new apartment, there is a bath, but it's set up a bit differently to the old one, and I just don't find having a bath to be as relaxing as it used to be. So I've more been having a shower at night instead of a bath. However, that does mean I can use lots of lovely-smelling shower gel, so can't complain there. But I don't know what I'm going to do with all my bath bombs!!

I mentioned BB Creams last week and, yes, the obsession continues. After trawling through various reviews, I decided to hedge my bets and order a gift set of 4 mini size creams from Baviphat, a South Korean brand. I can't wait til they arrive! (Also got some essentials - face wash and nail polish topcoat - well, essentials for a girly, anyway!)

The world of BB Creams is a complex and (for a noob like me) confusing one. But it's also an exciting one. As far as I can tell, to qualify as a BB Cream (BB stands for Blemish Balm), it just needs to be a face cream that does more than one thing in one cream. For years I've been thinking, how annoying to have to apply moisturiser in the morning, and then sunscreen, and then foundation and whatever else you want to put on. Why can't they come all in one? I was so thrilled when I found a tinted sunscreen a few months ago, it was bordering on silly!

BB Creams are doing all that and more, and they've been doing it for a while. Most of them are formulated for oily skin and are tinted to hide pimples (as the name Blemish Balm implies). They can also have any combination of sunscreen, anti-ageing, whitening, brightening, moisturising, soothing, and others I can't think of off the top of my head at the moment. They have various textures, levels of coverage and colours of tinting. Just like any other beauty product, they can have various ingredients, from mushroom and peach through to caviar and gold dust!

How confusing!

Though, when I think about it, my sunscreen could be considered a BB Cream, I mean really. As well as being sunscreeen, it's tinted and has anti-ageing AHAs in it. I'll just get my label-maker and turn it into a BB Cream myself!

Why this sudden obsession with beauty products? I don't know. I've always liked bath and skincare products. I've liked makeup on and off over the years. I went from flat-out refusing to wear any as a teenager, to not being able to leave the house without mascara on a few years ago. For a few months at the start of this year, I had a problem with chronic eye watering which meant I couldn't wear any eye makeup at all for 2 months. It was insanely frustrating at first, but I got used to it. Now I'm a bit more relaxed about wearing makeup.
I started reading a new fashion blog recently; she has a lot of reviews on Asian beauty products and BB Creams. In one post, another blogger interviewed her - in answer to the question: "why do you wear makeup?" her reply was short and simple: "to hide".

How sad is that? She's a beautiful girl with a sought-after figure. And that's what she thinks of herself. It just goes to show. I had a think about it, and I realised that I'm the opposite. When I'm feeling bad about myself, I don't wear any makeup, or I wear less. I want to sink into the background, not draw any attention to myself. When I'm feeling good, I want to enhance the way I look. So I'm chalking this whole beauty product obsession up in the 'good things' category!

Here's a picture of my BB Creams; come to me quick!