David Jones Beauty Tote - 2013

The wait is over and the David Jones Beauty Tote for 2013 is now available.  My lovely husband took a trip into David Jones in his lunch break to pick it up for me.  He's quite lost in the beauty department, so he brings a list and the ladies always help him out to find what I want.  You can also get the tote online, or save the postage and pick it up in store like we did.  This tote is available until 3rd of March, 2013 so there's still time if I've inspired you to pick up one of your own (read about how it works here).

 

Lanolips Golden Ointment (full size)

Just the packaging alone was enough to get me excited about this product. Yellow and gold in a vintage looking little tin, this one earns a place on my dresser just for prettiness alone. It smells subtly sweet and a little bit goes a long way.

Armani Sport Code Perfume (small vial)

My lovely husband tried this as this is the men's version of the perfume. We both agreed that it smells very "male". Quite nice, and to be honest one of the better men's perfumes I've trialled recently. It was nice for him to get a treat as he was the one who braved the beauty department and picked up the bag for me.

OPI Nail Polish in A Taupe the Space Needle (deluxe sample size)

As the whole point of getting a sample sized product is to find out if you want to purchase the full size, it was a little strange that Opi didn't put the name of the shade on the bottle. Opi is my favourite brand of nail polish, they have an amazing range of shades and have lasted the longest of any brand I've tried. The shade I got this time was dark brown. Hmmm. I'm not sure about that. Do I really want dark brown nails? Not too excited about this one, but only for the colour.

Boheme Shampoo (deluxe sample size)

I found it really hard to find any information about this product. Even the manufacturer doesn't have it listed on their page. It worked well enough, as shampoos go, but it was odd that I couldn't find it listed anywhere, not even on David Jones own page.

Elixia Daily Skin Smoothing Lotion (deluxe sample size)

This lotion is supposed to smooth away fine lines and wrinkles but on the back of the bottles it says to avoid applying to the eye area. As that's the only place on my face I have any fine lines or wrinkles this product isn't going to be much good for me! I tested it on the back of my hand and it's lumpy and uneven with an odd slightly chemical scent that I don't really care for. It was absorbed reasonably quickly but not straight away, it left a shiny film on my skin for quite a while after. I wouldn't like to try applying a foundation directly over this without a significant amount of time in between.

David Jones Day Cream (deluxe sample size)

Nicely scented thin light cream that was a pleasure to apply. I would use this again.

David Jones Facial Cleanser (deluxe sample size)

A thin clear gel. I found a little went a long way, it cleansed quite well and didn't react with my sensitive skin. I would also use this again.

Revlon Colorburst Lip Gloss in Gold Dust (full size)

This went on as a pretty sheer gloss with a flattering amount of gold sparkles.  I really like it as a top layer over a lip stain or long lasting lipstick to add a bit of shine and sparkle.  I'm really happy with this as I didn't have this shade in my collection and it will get a fair bit of use.  The packaging is extra pretty too with a black quilted pattern on the lid that looks very classy.

David Jones Cream Foundation in Fair (full size)

I almost can't bear to open the lid of this foundation again because of the horrible squeeking noise it makes.  Think fingernails scraping down a blackboard!  Still, a full sized foundation in a glass bottle with a pump top and in my shade.  That's a pretty amazing product to get in a $20 bag.  I trialled this on a 37 degree celsius day and after a full day's wear including two 15 minute walks in the hot sun in the middle of the day and a date in the evening with my lovely husband it survived just fine.  I need a touch up after the walks in the sun, but I've never met a foundation yet that could cope with those conditions.  The shade was spot on, one pump was enough for my whole face, and the coverage was opaque enough to almost but not quite cover the redness on my cheeks and nose.  Wow!  The whole bag was worth it for just this one product.  I'll just store it with the lid off to avoid having to hear that noise again.

Grown Alchemist Camellia and Geranium Hydrating Cream (deluxe sample size)

Quite a pleasant herby smell and interesting medicinal looking packing made this product stand out.  It needed a bit of working to get it to apply to the skin evenly, but a little bit went a long way.  I liked this to apply at night to give it a chance to have time to absorb.

Check out other bloggers reviews of this year's tote:

Mishelle's Sleepy Time
Glamourpussgirl